Shadows in the night

[T'aral 0]

Then ...

 

The ground heaved and buckled like a great monster. Cities were torn asunder, and Mount Seleya fragmented and spun downwards, crushing itself with itself as the Romulan attack destroyed a world of peace and wisdom. Millions of souls cried out in shock - so many didn't know or understand what was happening. All they knew was that their world was suddenly being destroyed, and they were condemned to die with it; condemned without cause, without justification, and without logic.

 

Ensign T'Aral burst upwards and gasped with astonishment, crying out to give a voice to the millions of souls who were suddenly sucked into a vortex of infinity. Her scream resonated throughout the entire floor of the dormatory, bringing over a dozen cadets to bang upon her door before finally breaking in to find the Vulcan medical student unconcious on the floor - her eyes wide open in shock and her body shaking uncontrollably.

 

--------

 

Now ...

 

"My condition is satisfactory, Doctor Stannis - I no longer require these sessions. Indeed: I have not required them for the past few weeks, yet you continue to insist on them."

 

The psychiatrist shook his head, frustrated with his patient's Vulcan stubbornness. "You'll forgive me if I find that hard to believe. You say that you experienced the sudden death of every Vulcan on your homeworld, yet you also say that you're completely recovered?"

 

T'Aral's passive, unemotional face continued to unnerve Stannis. "I forgive you, Doctor: you cannot help but examine the situation from your own perspective. I, however, am a Vulcan. The shock was sudden and unexpected. It was experienced, and as such will remain a part of my experiences. Yet I remain a Vulcan, and it is illogical to allow the experiences of the past to adversely affect the present. What has happened has happened, and there is nothing I can do to change it. Now: may I please be cleared for service?"

 

The doctor sighed. While it was against his better judgement, there was nothing he could point to that would suggest that T'Aral was anything less than service-ready. She scored top marks in all stress tests, conforming to prior readings with an almost eerie exactness. He had nothing except a gut feeling that nobody should be able to recover from the trauma T'Aral described completely, much less in the time she had taken. Yet here she was, and he had no choice but to note that she was ready for duty.

 

Returning to her quarters, T'Aral found a message waiting. It seemed that there may have been some pressure put on the Doctor, for she had already been assigned. In fact, she had been assigned as Chief Medical Officer to a new line vessel: the Comanche Creek. T'Aral thought it odd that she had been so assigned: she was only an ensign, and an L.N.P. as well - not a full physician. Half the inquiry was solved with the orders: she was given the rank of Leutenant JG. Still low, but with the recent loss of line-ready officers not unheard of. As for her level of skill, she would be able to serve effectively for any initial issues, and in the meantime she would be able to study for her M.D. degree. It would be an excellent opportunity to compare theory with practice, and being the ranking medical officer suggested that she would often be expected to stretch her skills. The advantage this offered was obvious.

 

T'Aral began packing her belongings without a sound. There would be a brief reception, and then they would be on their first assignment. Looking about her room, she noted the stone from Seleya. There would be those in the colony who would expect her to remain with them. This was impossible: there was a debt that had to be repaid to Starfleet, and her calling remained constant. Yet perhaps there was something she could discreetly offer those forming the Vulcan colony that would provide a much-needed link to their past, helping to solidify a foundation for their future.