A Brief Chat

[STSF_BluRox 0]

A Joint Log by Rear Admiral Errrika BluRox and Dr Fiona Weber

 

Blu padded across the room, looking over the book and magazine rack, tries to find something she might want to read, or listen too. Grabbing a few she brings them back over to Fiona.

 

Fiona was having the hardest time *not* moving around and tossing and turning as usual, and tried to let the Caitian pick out something to end the boredom without her watching and trying to direct from her bed.

 

“Well, not sure this is the best selection down here. I might have to appropriate some resources to get you some updated items down here. Most of these are pretty dog-eared and worn a bit. I'm not sure, but I don't see how you can comfortable be able to read this propped as you are. Would you like for me to read to you, or would you prefer that I get you a text to speech module that you can just plug in and listen to?”

 

"I could read them, or text to speech." Fiona sighed, twisting to the easiest position she could find to see Blu and be somewhat comfortable. "I would not want to trouble you." She lifted a little to see the admiral's selections. "What did you bring?"

 

“It's no trouble. It seems I'm trapped here as well. Banished and condemned to serving my time by even my own executive officer and some Klingon that I'm not even sure where he came from. Let's see. I have a Western: Outlaws of Mesquite, some type of poetry,” flips through a few more selections, “Let's see, the cover is torn off this one, but the spine says 100 Degrees to Passion. Uhm, we may not want to read that one out loud. Frowning, “Also some boring autobiography on a researcher over at the Daystrom Institute, and some classical Terran works. A Shakespeare story called Macbeth.”

 

"Shakespeare sounds good," she said, adding with a slight amount of smugness, "He was British, you know." She chose not to comment on the other choices, afraid she might get too sarcastic...and in front of the Admiral, no less.

 

“Blazes, don't we have anything more current down here? Oh, ok...ah, I take it that is your heritage from Terra? Or, sorry, Earth I believe you call it, right? Just don't expect me to be able to master any type of correct accent. It's just not going to happen.”

 

"Either. I do not mind being called a Terran. And yes, it is." She smirked a little. "I forget that you Caitians would not recognize such distinctions. I imagine your kind has... tribes and such?"

 

“Yes, my people do tend to congregate in like groups. However, I was mainly brought up off world, spending very little time in my youth there after my parents were killed in an explosion at the shipyards. My grandmother used to drag me around to various ambassadorial positions I spent a lot of time on the Klingon home world during my early years, and it was a bit of a shock when I went back home. Bad enough I’m afraid, that I enrolled in fleet as soon as I could to get away from things there. I'm sorry, you didn't ask for a life history.” She set the other books aside and cracks open the Shakespeare.

 

"I don't mind. There's only so much you can get out of a personnel file." She shrugged a little bit in spite of the injuries.

 

“Alrighty.....Macbeth. Act 1. Scene 1. A desert place. Thunder and lighting. Enter 3 witches.

First Witch - When shall we three meet again In thunder, lighting or in rain? Second Witch - When the hurlyburly's done when the battle is lost and won. Huhmm, I wonder what a hurlyburly is?

 

"Storm?"

 

“Oh, I see, this is a play, not a story. Is that still fine with you?”

 

"Oh, it's all right." Fiona frowned. "It's dark and gloomy enough even for my mood, I think."

 

She turned over a little more, not risking putting more pressure on the injuries she had sustained. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so upset when you are here to help. Please, do continue. It's been a long few however long it was."

 

“Oh, thank you doctor, I was not familiar with that that term.” She goes about reading more of the text to the young doctor lying on the bed before her. “Hmm, it was an interesting tale to be sure. Are most of his writings like this text, following this line of a morality play? You know doctor, if I might ask you a personal question?”

 

"Of course," she answered. 'As for Shakespeare, his works range from the comedic to the more... serious, like this one."

 

“I see. I have to admit, I've referenced one or two in my required Terran reading. Au background, where you brought up in a social setting similar to that in the book? Sort of off on your own a bit? I'm not faulting you for anything or your background. It's just, I've noticed that you seem 'uncomfortable' around groups of people, and, if I may, non Terrans. I apologize if I've read something the wrong way as well.”

 

Fiona shot the admiral a long look, then turned away, a bit wearier. "My parents were off-world more often than not, so I was on my own in that sense, yes. As for groups and non-humans..." She gave another little shrug. "I suppose it depends on the group. And the non-human."

 

“Please, don't get me wrong, I'm not accusing you of being,” pausing a second, “discriminatory towards anyone. I just have noticed your body language. You tense up around those that are very different from yourself. Even, while we have been sitting here, you say it depends on the 'group' or the non-human. Anything in particular? Serving on a star ship, it's something you're going to have to get used to I'm afraid.”

 

She bit her tongue on her first response, thinking before she snapped hastily. "I was mostly raised among human children. I suppose that would have something to do with it - what I am accustomed to." Fiona smirked, a little sardonically. "Believe me, Admiral, when I tell you that I am fairly well-accustomed to it." ... if not comfortable.

 

Looking down at the woman, seeing her tense more at being questioned, “Well, well-accustomed or not, your demeanor often says the opposite. It's difficult to say at times. Almost as if an avoidance....but at times....I don't know, sometimes it projects as a feeling that you're superior to those other species around you, and at times, almost as a fear of being near another. Almost like you are expecting that you might catch something from someone from other than Terra.”

 

Fiona snorted. "It isn't as if I think I am going to catch fleas from you, Ma'am," she said sarcastically, then gave her a slightly teasing smirk. "Am I?"

 

“Uhm.....no," thrown off a bit by the sarcasm, but then at least catching the lighter tone at the end.

“However, I almost get the feel, that you are also partly serious about that question.”

 

"Of course not," she quipped, primly. "I trust that if you had fleas, you would trust your medical officer enough to get a proper flea rinse."

 

Blu flattened her ears, trying not to get angry at the woman, as she has always hated when humans made cat jokes towards her. “Your question, if I may. It seems it is something you asked me because I have some fur. Would you have asked that same of a Vulcan? Or a Klingon? They too have hair, I just tend, to have a bit more.”

 

"Now now, Admiral. It isn't the fur alone that brings cats to mind. And you needn't get upset. Most of the time I am able to refrain from feline jokes." She smirked. "I blame the pain medications, and not my apparent 'xenophobia'. Besides," she added, "I like cats. I was just thinking that if you were a bit smaller, in fact, that you'd make a good pillow-warmer, like an earth cat."

 

Her ears automatically start to flatten again, “And, would you say that to say...Commander Robinson?”

 

"Which one?" Fiona knew she was treading into very hot water, but there was a side of her that wanted a little bit of devilish amusement. "The one does have claws. And is positively catty."

 

Thinking the doctor is trying to use some humor to get out of this situation. “No, I was thinking of the one with the phaser actually, though you maybe be a bit right about the other.”

 

"Of course not," a small smile. "I tailor my irreverence to the individual."

 

“Something you might wish to keep in mind is a premise that the Vulcan’s try to hold to. They call it IDIC. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.” This is Starfleet, and more worlds join the Federation, you are going to find yourself having to interact more and more other races and peoples. You may be used to only Humans, and prefer that, but in your line of work, especially in your line of work. You're going to have to get over that xenophobia. For your own good, I've read your files, you actually have scored well on your tests and on those including medical workups on the other races you have to deal with, so we know you are capable but, I guess that somewhere deep down, you are .....I can’t' find the words for it. Frightened, repulsed, not trusting of others?

 

Fiona didn't respond for a long moment, finally turning enough she could look the Caitian in the eye. "Even if you are right, Admiral, perhaps after being treated like a lab-animal and a pet by non-humans is not the best time to receive a sermon about IDIC."

 

“Granted, I can see how this episode just may make things worse. For that matter, it gravely concerns me though... and please, be honest with me Fiona. I will not hold anything against you. This is.....a personal conversation and totally off the record and...I'm not giving a sermon either. I want to know why it is, that anytime I have dealt with you, I get that feeling that I scare you or disgust you. I have not been able to make that determination just yet.”

 

"While your reputation precedes you, Admiral," she admitted, "I do not fear you more than I would anyone wearing your pips. As for disgusting me... you do not. You have never given me any reason for such a response; in fact, quite the opposite."

 

“That's good to know. Thank you. But, I would like to ask you to please, work on becoming more comfortable with the others. Especially know, with us potentially going to be stuck out here for years. Personally, I'm hoping our scouting parties can find someone that can aid us, or else this is going to be a very long get to know you period.”

 

"You aren't the only one. I cannot stand the thought of being trapped out here for... god only knows how long. While friendship is a noble goal, I would rather not it be forced on us by an eternity wandering around the worse parts of the Gamma quadrant."

 

“I'm not saying you need to become friends with everyone, but do try, to make an effort to not come across as being repulsed by others, if you could try at least. That is all I'm asking.”

 

"I shall try, Admiral," she acquiesced. "Though I make no promises..."

 

“I'll take that as a start. I do have one thing I AM going to request of you. I want you to send some time talking with Captain Kwai.”

 

She tilted her head, actually looking intrigued -- and not begrudging. "I can do that... but why?"

 

“I have my reasons for this. One, yes, she is a Trill, but I have another reason for it. I'm not sure how familiar you are with her back files, but several years ago, she went through something very similar to what you just have and yes, she's a Trill, and different from you though she would almost appear to be human...minus the spots that is, she’s close enough to human. She was genetically modified in that she had cells from other species grafted to her and she was mutated into something terrible. I will let you read her file to understand. But she also besides being transformed was set up to bred out a future for that mutated race, but we were able to rescue her, and our doctors able to reverse the effects. Sadly, not before one of the other mutant killed of Ace....that was Commander Kawalas's husband. I think she can be of help to you getting through this last incident, being someone similar in nature.”

 

She nodded solemnly. "I had not realized the extent of the matter... I believe it may have been somewhat classified, and I had not had reason to probe the matter further..."

 

“It was, and a lot for her privacy. I am going to speak with her on the matter and request that she talk to you as well. If she will allow it, we'll release the medical files so that you may see exactly what she went through. Needless to say, 10 years later, I still see her react occasionally to small stimuli and situations.”

 

Blu sees the nurse giving her the signal to let Fiona get some sleep. “Ok, it looks like we've been chatting long enough for the medical staff, they want us to both get some rest. I will keep this conversation off the record because I said I would, though I expect for you to at some time, to speak with the Captain, and occasionally update me, and to make a concerted effort to be more 'tolerant' of other species?” Blu shoos the nurse away, “Ok, ok..I'm leaving her alone. Fiona, would you like me to turn on some music for you to go to sleep with?”

 

"Yes, please. Whatever you think might help me rest," she said. "And I will think on what you have said," she allowed, a little magnanimously. "Please come back, if you would like. And get some rest yourself."

 

Errrika reached over and keyed the keypad to bring up some nice quiet rain and surf soundtracks for her. “Rest well Fiona,” as she reached over and brushing the hair that has fallen in front of Fiona’s eyes out of the way, so she doesn’t' have to try to adjust her back trying to reach up to do so herself. “Rest,” the Caitian said as she turned and walked back to her own bed.

[KhreRiovtRex 0]

Ok, so maybe not as brief as we thought it was......