Consultation

[T'aral 0]

T’Aral rested in her office. The Comanche Creek had been in New Topeka orbit for ten days, during which she had been summoned onto the planet’s surface. Ten days of exams, reviews, consultations, recommendations, and scrutiny by over a dozen higher ranking officers within the Starfleet medical corps. She knew of some who found such testing to be taxing and wearying, though such people would also say that good things came to those who strove for them. For T’Aral, the message she received from Commodore Kimball was simply the universe transpiring as it was supposed to.

 

“… be advised that you are now classified as Physician-in-residence, assignment: USS Comanche Creek.”

 

A simple statement, but one which re-defined her role. She was no longer caring for the ship’s crew as a licenced nurse practitioner: she had entered the final phase of a full physician’s certification. There would still be other doctors on board to inspect and evaluate her work, but her abilities were being recognized. For T’Aral, however, one simple fact was more important than the rest - being called ‘Doc’ would no longer be in error.

 

As she filed the daily report and caught up on the doings of the medical bay while she was away, her intercom chimed to grace her office with the voice of Commander Wesley. “... Doc, I’ve got a question for you.”

 

“I am on my way, Commander.” Closing the com and her files, T’Aral quickly made her way through the ship’s corridors and lifts. Audraya’s question may have been simple, but T’Aral did not like consulting over an intercom if it could be avoided. One could never tell who was in the room at the other end, and reading body language was hampered even if visual communication was established. Speaking in person was always best.

 

Arriving at the Commander’s office T’Aral chimed the door, taking a moment to straighten her appearance as she waited for the door to acknowledge the Commander’s permission for her to enter.

 

Putting the pistol away, Audraya called out “Come on in, Doc,” and waited for the ship’s official surgeon to enter her quarters. As executive officer, she also dealt with quite a bit of the administrative side, including personnel, so she’d seen the email traffic from the Medical Corps board flagging T’Aral as “official” ship’s chief surgeon.

 

The air in the XO’s quarters still had the lingering taste of gun oil of CLP in the air. She hadn’t fixed herself up, although she’d changed her bloody pajamas for a fresh set of PTs when she’d gotten back. Stress, though, appeared to be the predominant emotion playing out along her face.. “T’Aral, have a seat. First off, I don’t see any rank on my sleeves, so rank is off. Right now, I don’t care if you call me by my first name or my callsign. Secondly, I know you may require to record what ever transpires to cover your own ass, but I’d like this as off the record as possible.”

 

Audraya’s request was a curious one, but not overly unusual. ‘Off The Record’ requests were fairly common among the medical corps. “Ms. Wesley, I am certain that you are aware that I am a physician before I am an officer. That is the ethic of medical service. As such, I would never divulge information about a patient unnecessarily. As I expect that you wish to discuss either yourself or a member of the crew, that rule certainly applies.”

 

Given her wish for informality, T’Aral felt it best to seek an informal pose. Locating a chair, she settled herself and turned her full attention to Audraya. Dark eyes searched the Orion for every sign, twitch, or indication of her mental state. Nothing was unimportant or insignificant when it came to emotional beings. “Please try to be at ease. The sole reason I am on this ship is to be of assistance to you. What is your question?”

 

“I’m concerned, T’Aral, about Tifa. Between the kidnapping, the events in the Maze, me being confined to the brig, and the shipboard invasion, there hasn’t been any real down time for either of us to digest what happened, and deal with those memories. I’d like your advise on what to do to help her. I don’t want her to wake up shouting in the middle of the night, like I do, because there was no one to help her overcome the bogeymen out there.”

 

Audraya scrubbed her face. The stress was still there, but there was also an underlying fatigue. “I’m also tired, damned tired Doc. Ever since Bob Wesley freed and adopted me, it feels like I’ve been fighting for 20 plus years straight. Fighting the impression of who I am, what I was, thrown into guerrilla fighting, dealing with hormone-addled guys who think I’m an easy lay just because I’m Orion. Hell, I knocked Admiral Barnett on his ass when he was a Captain and instructor at the Academy, because the bastard thought he could get me into bed.” She chuckled at the memory. “The infirmary had to wire his jaw shut because of that.

 

“There are days I feel like I just want to turn off my iDroid, disconnect the intercom unit, barricade the door, and stay in bed with the covers pulled up over my head until that feeling goes away and I start feeling better.”

 

T’Aral sat intently as Audraya spoke, waiting for her to speak her peace. “Although Tifa is challenged when it comes to facing immediate threats alone, I believe you would be surprised to find how resilient she is capable of being. I have worked with her on multiple occasions under fire, and she has proven to be a capable officer. During our time with the Orions she remained controlled and focused, accepting the opportunity to learn some martial arts techniques for the purpose of defending herself.

 

“With regards to Lieutenant Kvar, my recommendation would be to simply remain supportive. In situations when she is under immediate threat, she does need to be reminded of what needs to be done - and that she is not alone. So long as Ms Kvar is kept aware that she is not alone, she will continue to do well.”

 

With that T’Aral leaned back. “With regards to yourself, I believe the answer lies in the question. You give the impression of one who does not take down time at all, or very minimally. It seems that even when you are with Ms Kvar you are constantly concerned. You must learn to relax - to take time for yourself. I would recommend shutting down for an hour a day: read, rest, swim, or engage in any form of leasure activity which takes you out of your role as Ship’s Commander. This can be done with or without company, so long as you are not thinking about work and are in a relaxed state of mind.

 

“I am certain that the Captain will not begrudge you an hour a day to yourself. Fifteen effective hours a day is far preferable to sixteen hours of unreliable performance - and that brings up another point. Whenever possible you are to rest for a full eight hours out of twenty-four. This entire crew is negligent in this regard, and it shows in the crew’s performance, attitudes, and general behavior. While there are times when additional effort and reduced rest are necessary evils, this should not fall into the habitual behavior we have observed.”

 

T’Aral shifted slightly in her seat. “Many Vulcans would recommend meditation, but that does not seem compatible with your nature. I believe that you would receive far more benefit from an hour of benign visual entertainment accompanied with two servings of popped corn and a carbonated non-alcoholic beverage - preferably shared with someone able to appreciate whatever you were watching.”

 

“So, you’re basically prescribing Three Stooges time with Tifa, over popcorn and soda?” Audraya smiled, finding it it slightly amusing that T’Aral would suggest an hour of mindless entertainment to take the edge off of her duties. Of course, the kernel of an idea for their next shore leave began taking root, and while it would require the assistance of some of the deck crew, she could probably pull it off.

 

T’Aral’s eyebrow lifted only briefly at the mention of the Stooges. She could not comprehend the attraction of watching the activities of three completely incompetent individuals with violent tendencies. However, she was trained in observation and she had observed many times that emotional beings exposed to human humor often found it enjoyable to the point of addiction. She did not understand it, but understanding was unnecessary. It was enough that it happened.

 

“And I appreciate your professional observations about Tifa’s resiliency. That actually has taken a huge weight off my shoulders. I think I can actually begin to relax. I appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule to come talk, as well. Its been a wild ride since this crew was formed. And I’ve probably not come off as the most...personable of senior officers...” her voice trailed off, not knowing where it was going.

 

T’Aral straightened slightly. “Taking time to talk with you is part of what I am trained to do. It is within my assignment on board this vessel and it is no trouble. Additionally, I find your assessment of your sociability in error.” She paused for a moment to allow her last statement to take effect. “I have noted that command officers tend to look upon their actions as hardened and unpleasant to others. However: if you examined yourselves through the eyes of those you interact with, I believe you would find yourselves cast in a far better light than you would expect.

 

“There are few in Starfleet who are not aware that command duties require the enforcement of discipline. You should not feel that the demands of your position are held against you.” She settled back in her chair, seeking to maintain the informality of their discussion. “If you wish to improve the amount and quality of your social interaction with the crew, that is one consideration. This should be viewed as an opportunity to improve, though, and not as a criticism of who you are at present.”

 

Audraya nodded, as a yawn escaped. “Sorry. Having Jiraiya as a guard tends to not lead to restful nights. I’m going to have to have Sakura move him out of the brig.

 

“Doc, thanks again for the advice. And I’ll definitely start taking it to heart.”