At night in Sickbay ...

[T'aral 0]

Leutenant T'Aral returned to the medical bay, entering her office and closing the door. Activating her terminal, she adjusted Leutenant Belo's medical record based on what little she acertained. Empathic abilities - transmittable and receivable - a proximity factor has been suggested, but cannot be confirmed. She paused after the entry, staring at the screen. She had much higher expectations for their encounter: not just in gathering information, but towards positively resolving the increasing rift between herself and the Chief Science officer. The outcome of the conversation was far from satisfactory, yet as T'Aral considered her assumptions she quickly concluded that her expectations were without merit. Leutenant Belo treated her this time no differently than she had before - it was illogical for T'Aral to assume that she would not have spoken as she did, and any further effort on her own part to improve matters would no doubt prove equally fruitless.

 

She then turned her attention to new duties: there were the new crew additions to review. Warrant Officer Granger had a colorful record, along with a standard Marine's general profile. As with all new crew members T'Aral would need to run her own physical on the Warrant Officer, which did not please the Vulcan. Marines were difficult to prepare for: some were content to accept that orders were orders, while others tended to be obstinate for no appreciable reason. It was the natural personality variations which were to be expected in emotionally-driven species, which periodically made T'Aral question the wisdom of remaining in Starfleet. To transfer to the New Vulcan colony ... to be surrounded by beings who were not driven by emotion ...

 

T'Aral shook off the thought quickly. Such thoughts were too near to desire, which was emotional and illogical. She had her assignment, and she would remain committed to it.

 

Ensign Shan Shalin was another interesting entry: an Argelian. While his record was nothing like Warrant Officer Granger's - certainly not as colorful - the lone fact that he was Argelian made him stand out. After their Great Awakening, the Argelian people abandoned most forms of enterprise along with their hostility. All creative pursuits involved art, music, or cuisine. The idea that an Argelian had enough initiative to make it through Starfleet was exceptional, and warranted close observation. Given that his psychological profile was atypical for an Argelian the probability of more pronounced neuroses, or even psychotic behavior, could not be discounted. It was possible that he simply had a level of initiative which was not suited to his native environment, but it was good practice to verify.

 

T'Aral sat down and began to prepare for her encounters with the two officers. As she did so she calmed her mind and spirit, wiping away the past and looking forward. It was illogical to use her past experiences as any predictor for future encounters with different beings. Every sentient being was unique, especially among emotionally involved races.