Products of Their Environment

[Annabelle O'Halloran 0]

*Dr. Caroline Curtis played by Samantha Kent

 

Caroline stepped out of her office and moved down the Reaent corridor, listening to the low thrum of the engines. It was early evening; she had just finished a few last consults who had crept cautiously into her office after alpha shift had finished -- a few members of the Reaent crew who had endured the timeline in which their ship had exploded (a group she was coming to refer to in her own mind as the "survivors"), as well as a young and earnest Bajoran crewman from the engineering department absolutely baffled by the erratic behavior of his roommate, who had also lived through the trauma. Life had become very busy for her very quickly; she had never had such a quick turnaround on a reassignment order before -- or such a strange set of circumstances to be walking into -- in all the time she had been in the service. To be perfectly frank with herself -- as she made a point of being, given how often she spent telling other people to be so -- it was a little overwhelming, the sort of assignment a psychologist hoped for all their life and then spent the majority of wondering if they were actually making an impact.

 

For now, though, she mostly wanted a rest, and so she was heading back to the quarters that had been assigned to her for her stay on the ship. The hallways were quiet and she whistled softly to herself as she strode at an easy pace down the corridors, glancing occasionally into some of the rooms she passed when the doors were open. Her quarters were located in an out of the way corner on one of the main science decks, and she nodded at a crewman in a blue collar making his way out of the main science lab as she swung past it, glancing through the doors to see inside. She spotted a familiar face (still a fairly rare occasion on this ship) inside the main office -- Annabelle O'Halloran, one of the first people who had come to see her over the past few days.

 

Caroline thought back over the crew manifest, which she had been doing her best to absorb to as great a degree as possible. As near as she could tell, O'Halloran had only just been promoted to the position of chief science officer, even just in the time since Caroline had last spoken to her. Probably quite a jump for the young officer -- she had seemed smart, capable, and motivated, but this had been her first mission, according to her personnel file, and a hell of a mission at that. After a moment's thought, Caroline adjusted the turn of her steps and entered the laboratory, tripping the motion sensor just as it began to slide the lab's doors shut. It couldn't hurt to do a follow-up and see how O'Halloran was doing with her new situation.

 

Anna sat at her desk, ostensibly reading through reports but after realizing she'd just scrolled through the same padd for the second time without retaining any of it, She set it aside. Her mind was still on her earlier conversation with Tabor Nansk. The Bajoran pilot was convinced that Starfleet had previous knowledge of the temporal anomaly and that the Reaent had actually been sent to investigate it. He was trying to find proof of it, and Anna knew she hadn't been any help in his quest, and though she'd wanted to dismiss it out of hand, his intensity of belief that the Reaent was at the center of a conspiracy had caused her to re-examine what she thought. It had never occurred to her that the Federation could have had prior knowledge of the Romulans' ability to open a wormhole at will. It had never occurred to her until very recently that the Reaent might not have ever been expected to return from this mission. If that were the case, did Starfleet consider the ship and crew to be expendable? A miserable thought and one that she'd briefly thought of and then decided that it was pointless to consider without any kind of proof.

 

Caroline pinged the chime on the office door for courtesy's sake even though the door was open. "Hello," she said, offering a smile in the direction of the CSCI, whose attention seemed to be engrossed in a stack of reports.

 

"Dr. Curtis," Anna smiled a greeting and rose to her feet. She hadn't seen the Counselor since her appointment with her a few days ago. "Please, come in-it's nice to see you again." It was, too. Anna had enjoyed meeting with Caroline Curtis. She was a very pleasant person and Anna had enjoyed speaking with her. However, Anna still hadn't followed her advice and written to her father. It wasn't that she didn't plan to. At some point. Probably. There just hadn't been any time, Anna told herself, recognizing it for the lie it was.

 

Caroline stepped into the office and glanced around at the decor; it was evident that Anna was still in the process of making herself at home there. "I hope you don't mind my bothering you this late; I was just passing on my way to my quarters and thought I'd stop in and see how you were doing." She looked back at O'Halloran and her smile widened a little. "I understand congratulations are in order -- you've had a promotion?"

 

"Of course, I don't mind," Anna, replied sincerely. In fact, Caroline's visit came as a welcome distraction. "And yes, you're correct--I'm in charge of the science department now. It was unexpected and it will take a little time to get used to it." An understatement. "Can you sit for a bit? I'd love to hear how Reaent is treating you."

 

Caroline looked somewhat amused at this solicitation, but accepted the chair Anna directed her towards with a nod of gratitude. "Thank you. And Reaent is treating me just fine; I've been made to feel very welcome." And very needed... "The crew seems to be settling into something of a rhythm now that their orders have been...ah...finalized." The casual comment was of course to some extent a deliberate conversational tactic to get the topic back onto the condition of the Reaent crew (and, indirectly, of Anna herself), but it was also a true statement; the relief at hearing that the crew would be going to Cestus rather than back to the Neutral Zone had been almost palpable on some accounts. She would have to be sure to pass her thanks on to Captain McQueen at some point for that.

 

"The crew is delighted to know they are going away from the Neutral Zone and not towards it," Anna responded dryly, as she reseated herself, letting the chair tip back a bit. "After everything you've no doubt been hearing about the recent experience, you can understand why."

 

"Oh, absolutely," Caroline replied. "I don't blame them in the slightest; if I had been through some of the stories I've heard, I wouldn't want anything to do with the place either." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and looked pleasantly at Anna. "Do you know what sort of work you'll be doing when we arrive there?"

 

Anna picked up a padd and clearing her throat, "This is a direct quote from Captain McQueen," she smiled, and read, "Investigate proposed modifications to Federation trade routes near the Cestus system, while evaluating the status of previously deployed defense systems." Looking back to Caroline, she grinned, "End quote."

 

Caroline chuckled at the expression on Anna's face. "Sounds like nice, quiet work," she said with a smile. "I was more curious about you personally, though; any projects in the works?" It was important for the crew to keep busy if they were going to swing back to something resembling their normal approach to life, and the department chiefs would be a big part of that -- not to mention that it would help Anna to adjust to her new position.

 

"Any projects?" Only just managing not to roll her eyes, Anna nodded, but not unhappily. "Until recently, Dr. Brian Smith was the department head and he had an ambitious slate of work that unfortunately, not very much progress has been made on because the past couple of months were so...turbulent. There are some things that cannot proceed without his direct supervision, but I'm going forward with a good sixty-percent of the rest."

 

"That's good to hear," Caroline said, nodding. "It would be easy, coming in under such circumstances, to feel overwhelmed by the position; I'm glad you seem to be forging ahead on all thrusters."

 

"That's the way it seems to you, eh?" Anna smiled disarmingly, adding, "Good. I prefer to look confident as I head up a path I didn't expect to have to walk."

 

"Well, such is the nature of Starfleet life," Caroline said. "Our assignments and our plans rarely coincide all that much." She chuckled. "A week ago I had expected to be assigned stationside for at least another year, and yet...I find myself needed elsewhere."

 

Anna stood up and walked to the replicator, glancing at Caroline, "Would you like something to eat or drink? I'm having some tea."

 

"Tea sounds lovely," Caroline said, allowing herself to settle back in her seat. "I must say I was surprised to find you here so far after alpha shift; catching up on work?"

 

Anna nodded in response to Caroline's request for tea, not yet responding to her query regarding the late hour. "I like mine plain with only sugar but what would you like in yours?"

 

"Milk and sugar, please," Caroline replied.

 

Nodding, Anna replicated the two teas. "Here you go," she said setting Caroline's mug down in front her, before retaking her seat, where she eased back in the chair, the mug held between her hands. "To answer your question, Caroline...do you mind if I call you, Caroline?"

 

"Not at all," Caroline said, picking up the mug and blowing gently across the top of the liquid to cool it before sipping. "I'd like that."

 

"Me, too," Anna replied with a smile. "I'm in here late tonight because I honestly didn't feel like going back to my quarters. I got to thinking about the Proxima mission earlier this afternoon and it's on my mind. What I should have done is gone and gotten in some exercise."

 

"That does sound like it would be enjoyable. I haven't really had time to take advantage of much of the ship's facilities beyond the medical areas at this point; it's been a bit chaotic," Caroline said, with just a touch of wryness to her tone. She was tempted to further pry into the effects of the Proxima mission on Anna's psyche but then again, Anna hadn't asked for this interview. No doubt there would be plenty of time for that later.

 

"I like going for a good long hike in a holodeck program or even just running the treadmill in the gym. I sleep better after physical exertion and normally I don't miss the opportunity but I let time slip away today." Anna lifted her mug and paused before taking a sip, her eyes meeting Caroline's over the rim, "What do you like to do when you're not busy keeping people sane?"

 

Caroline considered the question. "Well, as you say -- a good dose of exercise on occasion; beyond that, though, for the most part my hobbies are more on the quiet side. Reading, writing, music, and the like. I find this job provides me with plenty of excitement from time to time."

 

"I love to read, too, but as for music..." Anna made a grimace. There are a lot of musicians and fine singers in my family but I am not one of them. One of our security officers gifted me with a Vulcan Lyre and an instruction booklet. I am afraid that though the spirit is willing, the skill is not inherent and cannot be learned."

 

Caroline couldn't help laughing at the expression on Anna's face. "I wouldn't take it too personally; I never learned to do more than fiddle about aimlessly with the cello. More than content to listen to others, of course." She quirked an eyebrow thoughtfully. "I wish my instrument had come with an instruction booklet -- maybe that is the key."

 

Anna immediately negated Caroline's suggestion by adamantly shaking her head, even as she joined in the other woman's laughter. "If you've taught yourself to play the cello, you don't need an instruction booklet," Anna muttered under her breath, before asking Caroline, "You mentioned reading and writing. What do you enjoy reading, and for that matter...what sort of writing?"

 

"Historical fiction, actually...no more than a hobby these days," Caroline said with a shrug. "But a good stress release. As for reading...I'm afraid I'm a little undiscriminating." She smiled. "If it has words, I'm likely to give it at least a glance, so if you've any recommendations..."

 

"You write historical fiction as a hobby? What time period?" Anna asked curiously, and then added, "Most of what I read is field related but I admit that adventure/thrillers will keep me up long after I should have already gone to bed."

 

Caroline chuckled. "As I said before, Anna, you seem the type with an active imagination -- I can't say I'm surprised." She leaned back in her chair, setting her mug down. "Most of the writing I do I center in Earth history...1800s specifically; Napoleonic Wars, American Civil War, etc. I did spend some time at one point doing research on Vulcan history around the time of the...what did they call it? The Time of Awakening -- Surak and all of that. Very interesting stuff. This was when I was fifteen and thought I wanted to write forever, though; lately I don't have time for such in-depth research." Her expression turned slightly self-deprecating. "The appeal was always the personalities, of course...figuring out how time and place made a person. So I think in some sense I was always going where I ended up heading."

 

"My family is originally from Earth, so I have always taken an interest in its history but I was raised within a group of people with a very strong oral tradition and I'm afraid that I later discovered that recorded history and what survives by retelling is often quite different." Anna took a drink from her mug, and then smiled across the desk to Caroline. "Obviously, you enjoy writing or it wouldn't be a hobby, but tell me...since it is fiction, do you take any pleasure in rewriting history so that justice prevails or do you stay within a framework of known facts?"

 

"What happened, happened -- it's what it created in the people around it that I'm interested in," Caroline said, and then paused. "As in real life." She looked at Anna and laced her hands around one knee, resting her weight against one arm of her chair. "I must say I'm very curious about the family structure you seem to have grown up in. Clan-based, oral traditions...not the average white-collar upbringing, so to speak, it sounds like."

 

"It's a very close knit group, run by a council drawn from family members and presided over by he whom we call Chief," Anna replied. "The Clan is actually descended from a group of colonists from Ireland that left Earth more than two hundred years ago. Things didn't go so well for them on the planet they were trying to settle and they ended up finding a different path. They found themselves on a station called Kilo in the Purgatory System, where many of the families and most of the business ventures are still based today." Anna leaned back in her seat, mug cupped between her hands. "It's in non-Federation territory--very active trade routes go through there."

 

"Fascinating...and you would have been a cargo captain of some sort if you had remained with them?" Caroline looked honestly interested. "Very different from the sort of work you're doing here."

 

"I was apprenticed at the age of ten to one of the family craft specialties and I was due to be bonded at the age of twenty-one. We're all able to fill several different positions on the family freighters but it's my youngest brother, Liam," Anna smiled with affection as she said his name, "I think he'll have his own ship someday." If only to make his own escape. Liam had his own problems fitting into the clan structure.

 

"Close with your brother, are you?" Caroline asked, reading the sentiment in the CSCI's eyes.

 

"We were, and it didn't make things easier for Liam. I think he felt deserted when I left for the Academy," Anna replied while tilting her head consideringly as she watched Caroline. "Where are you from? How'd you end up in Starfleet?"

 

"Nowhere nearly as interesting -- Tulsa, Oklahoma," Caroline replied dryly. "And not to put too fine a point on it, after I had my degree, I asked where I might be kept busy. And I certainly have been; it's very fulfilling work."

 

"Tulsa Oklahoma," Anna repeated slowly and then smiled at Caroline. "Very pretty sounding. I've never been there, although I did go camping in Arkansas while at the Academy. We had a good time."

 

"It's a dusty place," Caroline said, rolling her eyes a little. "Not bad to grow up in but I'm glad I got to move out. Baltimore and then San Francisco...much better. The Academy's a nice little transition period before they shoot you up in a rocket."

 

"Nice little transition period?" Anna set her mug on the desk and stretched. "I didn't know if I was coming or going for the first six months I was there. It was an incredible culture shock to me. I was a total misfit."

 

Caroline nodded. "But my point is it's better to have the culture shock there than up here. And you seem to have made great strides in the way of adaptation." She smiled. "I'd say you get points for resiliency."

 

"There was no way I was going to go back home with my tail between my legs, Caroline, and I think that was pure bullheaded stubbornness rather than resiliency, but thank you," Anna replied with a wry smile. "Actually, I have found that living on a starship is very similar to clan life. There's a distinct hierarchy, everyone has their allotted tasks and we answer to various sub leaders who in turn answer to a Chief. Is it a little sad, after everything I've told you, that I find it comforting?"

 

"Of course not -- it's what you grew up with. A boat can be made to sail halfway around the world; it'll still need an anchor," Caroline said, and she shrugged slightly. "Your independence clearly means a lot to you, though."

 

"Nice analogy," Anna complimented with a grin, logging off her view screen and folding it down. "I guess we really are just a product of our environment, no matter what it was."

 

"So I've found -- though I've also learned not to make generalizations about anything," Caroline said. "Starfleet and psychiatry are both professions that are full of surprises."

 

"I had no preconceived notions. I wanted only the guarantee that I would work in my field, which is actually quantum biology, and that I couldn't look a year ahead, or five years, or ten years and say...this is where I'll be and what I'll be doing." Anna met Caroline's steady gaze with a smile of satisfaction. "It shouldn't take a gift for prophecy but I am damn sure that I have no idea what even next week is going to bring."

 

Caroline laughed. "If those are your only requirements...then you're definitely in the right place, Lieutenant."

 

"I've had to think very carefully on that, with some things that have occurred over the course of this past mission but when all is said and done, I think I'm right where I should be." Anna stood up and threw her mug into the recycler, before turning back to the other woman. "I hope you feel that way, too, Caroline."

 

Caroline pushed herself to her feet and turned towards the replicator to follow suit. "I do, Anna, very much," she said, glancing at Anna with a nod. "I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be."

 

"Well, as to that and speaking on a smaller scale altogether, I have it on good authority that there is non-replicated chocolate cake in the mess tonight." Anna paused for a moment, so that Caroline could absorb the enormity of her last statement, before adding, "I suggest we relocate with all possible speed."

 

Caroline clearly did appreciate the enormity of this statement and she burst out laughing at the mock-sober expression with which Anna coupled the news. She really needed a rest before tomorrow's shift, but she knew herself well enough to realize that this quick dip into recreation was just what the doctor ordered -- for both of them. "That sounds ideal," she said, gesturing for Anna to precede her out of the room. "Lead on!"