Meeting the XO

Posted on Sun Feb 8th, 2009 @ 10:36pm by

1,390 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Restricted Independent Operations
Location: XO's Office
Timeline: current

[XO's Office]

Dhindara stepped up to the XO's office. After coming aboard her first instinct was to report to the Skipper first and the XO second, but then she had seen the memo that wanted everybody to first report to the XO. She figured there had to be a good reason for that, but regardless of whether there was or not she was certain that she would get to know the Skipper soon enough anyways. She pressed the doorbell and waited.

Lieutenant Commander Rowena Arkham looked up from the PADD she was reading as the chime rang. Damn it, another one? Arkham had undergone surgery on her jaw that morning -- it required such regular maintenance that Arkham wouldn't be surprised if she'd need to have the joint repositioned again before the month was out and even perhaps replaced again before the year was over -- and while it had brought her pain down to a dull roar, the dark sutures that ran down the left side of her face ached with each simple movement.

Though annoyed at the interruption, she restrained herself -- she was in no condition to be giving her usual where-the-hell-is-she-going-with-this rants.

"Come in," Arkham said, turning her attention to the doors as they opened up, and the Betazoid entered. "Well then, I'm going to go ahead and assume that you are...Master Chief Vrel, then. I've been expecting you, Master Chief. I trust you had a...pleasant enough trip over?"

Dhindara looked at the Commander. "Yes... yes, Commander, I did..." she trailed off. She touched her jaw, moved it, then cocked her head to the side.

Arkham tried not to wince as she felt a stabbing pain in her jaw. Running a hand along the sutures, she added, "Forgive my appearance, Miss Vrel. I underwent oral surgery this morning for an...obviously pre-existing condition. Pray tell, how are you enjoying your stay aboard this vessel? And the labs?"

"Yes, it must be a long-existing condition", Dhindara responded. "From as much pain as you radiate... you must be used to a lot to be so calm." She was speaking as if somewhat under pressure, as she was feeling the pain that the Terran's mind was practically broadcasting, since there was no telepathic training in a non-telepath's mind to keep things hidden, under wraps. "The ship is comfortable, thank you for asking."

"Ah, yes. The Betazoid empathetic ability at work, eh?" Arkham said wryly, managing as much of a smirk as the extensive suture work would allow. "Although, I suppose, it doesn't take a telepath to realize what this must feel like. But I suppose you can feel this as plainly as I can, can't you?"

Dhindara nodded. "Yes, it is very unpleasant. I am blocking it out now, so that I do not feel the same intensity as before." She paused, then said, "I am used to pain. Not my own, I have not had many injuries, but that of others. Most of the time it is not enjoyable.

Arkham ran a hand along her tender jaw. It had been almost ten years since her injury aboard the USS Sparta, and she remembered it as if it were yesterday -- she was after all, faced with the results every day. Dark scars and crumpled skin grafts covered her throat and the left side of her face, framing a filmy and sightless left eye. "This itself is nothing. Try having your face blown off, try coping with the burn injuries, try having to relearn speaking and eating and drinking and everything else you ever took for granted once they find a way to reattach your jaw to the rest of your face. Now that's a party, Miss. Vrel. Take a seat, if you wish. Can I offer you something to drink?"

Dhindara nodded and sat down. She smiled at the Commander. "A cup of hot chocolate would be much appreciated", she said. "May I ask... is there no way of cloning an implant jaw, like they would with a leg or an arm, and replace it so that you can go back to normal?"

Arkham replicated the younger woman a cup of hot chocolate, passing it across the desk, and then replicating a cup of tea for herself. She mulled over the woman's question for a moment. "I'm sure there very well might be, this day and age. But really, I don't even mind it so much anymore -- if you knew anything about me, Master Chief, you'd know how right... how just this pain is."

Dhindara nodded slowly. "It is not my place to prod", she said, "but I don't think I would agree with your definition of justice."

"Well then," Arkham said. "I trust you're settling in well? Is there anything in the way of accommodations you're going to need? We hope to be heading off shortly, and it would be easier to take care of anything now, while we're still docked."

"I'm a historian and an anthropologist", Dhindara explained, "I do not need much to work with. Unless we have something to discover all I need is a chair and a computer console, I can work in my cabin just as easily as in the lab." She took a sip of her chocolate. "Though, I have seen a civilian doctor conducting some interesting experiments that I could see myself assisting in, if she doesn't mind. I'll be in charge of keeping the labs in order anyways, as it seems."

Arkham frowned a little at this, nodding a little. "Ah, yes. That civilian Doctor is Catherine Halsey -- she is a craniofacial specialist who keeps me in fine working order. She mentioned doing some work down in the labs--I've served on warships for most of my career, and she's thrilled to be someplace with a top of the line lab again. I'm sure if you ask her she'd be more than happy to have you assist. She's a wonderful woman."

"I shall ask her, then", Dhindara said. She felt sorrow from the Commander, a strong source of sadness. She thought back to what Rowena had said earlier about not wanting a biological replacement. She wouldn't need a surgeon anymore. Rather than sharing her thoughts she decided not to speak of it, though. "I have a request", she said instead. "I am not using my telepathy to pry in anyone's mind, but I do pick up things, like I did with your pain. When I am around strong emotions or strong feelings of pain or pleasure... or whatever else you can imagine, I might seem absent-minded at times, possibly a little confused. Please don't see this as disrespectful towards you or anybody else, it just requires effort to deal with things, especially when they come unexpectedly and I have to block them out first."

Arkham nodded. "Understandable. It must be...difficult. I take no offense to it -- I can understand, why today of all days, you'd be distracted. Anything else I need to be aware of, Master Chief? If not, I'll stop taking up your time and let you go back to your day. You must be busy. Big mission coming up and what not, eh?"

"It's nothing I'm not used to", Dhindara replied, "and this is a small ship." She smiled. "If... you need anything, Ma'am, just ask and I'll do my best to make it happen." She felt for this woman, justice or not, she didn't believe any one person should suffer so much pain and sorrow.

Arkham nodded -- she wondered for a moment how much of her own emotion she was giving away without realizing it. She'd always been trained to leave few external signs in her work, but being in the room with a being that could sense her thoughts made her deeply uneasy.

Pausing for a moment --not exactly knowing how to react to the Betazoid's statement -- she said simply, "Ah...thank you, Master Chief. It's appreciated. I'll...ah, let Dr. Halsey know that you'd like to work with her -- I'm sure she'd be more than happy for the company. You're dismissed, Master Chief."

Dhindara nodded and stood, emptying her cup of hot chocolate, then placed it into the replicator. "Have a good day, Ma'am", she said, then headed out of the office.

 

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