Scientists and Solitutde

Posted on Thu Mar 12th, 2009 @ 9:06pm by Captain Elsie Halliwell

1,436 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: In The Dark
Location: Arboretum
Timeline: Current

Commander Lane padded the short walk from Commander Rowena Arkam’s office to the Arboretum in silence. The weight of the mission itself and the concern welling up within him regarding their suspiciously safe passage to the planet already played heavily on his mind. Bearing down on his consciousness, what had transpired between the Betazoid and the Doctor inwardly angered the Trill. It clouded his own judgement to the point where he could feel the brittle threads of rope supporting his suppression of frustration twang away as it grew ever thinner.

The Arboretum was the only place on the ship the Trill could think of to clear his mind and talk to the Chief Science Officer about his own crewmember. A Starfleet Officer telepathically assaulting a civilian, to anyone’s measure, was unacceptable and would not be tolerated aboard any ship Lane commanded.

As he entered the Arboretum, the fresh oxygen filled his lungs and the site of the lush greenery cleansed his senses. An old-fashioned wooden bench had been constructed near to the edge of the ship’s section and Lane headed straight for it. He lowered himself gently onto the solid oak slats stripping across the seat of the bench and rested the length of his arm onto the iron supports.

Twenty minutes the Trill sat here in silence and solitude before he heavily sighed and struck his commbadge with his right hand. As it twittered, the only sound Lane had heard during his meditation, almost, besides the gentle creaking of swaying of the branches, he cleared his throat and spoke into the air before him.

=A= Lane to Larkin: Report to the Arboretum at once, Lieutenant. =A=

Larkin was across the hall in the ship's Planetary Geology Lab; he was overseeing a mapping survey of the plate tectonics of the planet below. When Lane's call came from the small device on his chest, he quickly glanced over at the ship's chronometer. He had a tendency to get caught up in things, at times, and was initially worried that he'd spent too much time in the lab. He tapped his comm badge.

=A= I'll, uhh, be there shortly, Commander. =A= He spoke, only half paying attention to his words, as something in the northern hemisphere of the hologram of the planet had caught his eye. "I'll be back in a while. You might want to recheck that region," he pointed to the spot on the hologram. "The fissures don't seem to line up properly."

Within moments of leaving the lab, the CSO was stepping into the ship's Arboretum. Larkin had been born on a space station, and he had spent most of his life either on that station or on various starships. He rarely ever made it down to a planet, and was growing to really enjoy having a slice of one a few feet from his work space every day. He enjoyed the tranquility, perhaps even more so because it was such a foreign concept to him.

He quickly spotted his CO sitting on the bench, and he made his way over to him. "Hello, Commander. Is there something I can do for you?"

“Ah, Mr. Larkin. Would you sit with me?� he said with a smile. “Beautiful, isn’t it?� he remarked taking his eyes off the CSO and looking once more upon the luscious greenery surrounding them both. “There’s something magical about trees, don’t you think? You know, Rory’s at that age now where convincing her of the battles between the Wood Elves and Tree Fairies is becoming harder to maintain.� He chuckled quietly to himself. “I’m sure I should be glad of her growing adult mind but I can’t help but sadden at the thought of her childhood slipping from her grasp.�

He snapped out of his personal train of thought, something that he found rather difficult to do while in this environment. “Sorry, Lieutenant. I can get lost in here sometimes and ramble foolishly. But I’ve requested your company here to discuss a member of your staff. Dhindara Vrel.� The Trill sighed and shook his head a little. “As you are aware, a few weeks ago she was involved in an incident with our Assistant Chief SEC/TAC officer, Ensign Turoc. It’s come to my attention that, yet again, the Betazoid has struck out again. Only this time, at a civilian. Now, myself and Commander Arkham have already spoken to her about this, but as her Department Head, I need you to persist with the discipline. Both my own and the Commander's attempt have fallen by the wayside.�

"Understood," Larkin responded slowly. This was something of a new situation for him, which meant he was unsure of exactly how to proceed. "Do you have any suggestions, sir, or..." He trailed off. The CSO was more than a little curious about what had transpired, but he wasn't sure whether or not an inquiry was appropriate.

“Lieutenant, you are her Department Head. Regardless of whether her work is up to scratch or not is not my concern this time around. She reports directly to you and in that you must find your confidence. Her behaviour has been aggressive of late and as a Starfleet Officer, she will have to suffer the consequences of assaulting a civilian onboard my ship. Am I understood, Mr. Larkin?�

"Completely, Commander. I'll make sure that this doesn't happen again, sir." Larkin still had no idea what he would do to punish her. 'I'll come up with something,' he thought. "I'm sorry, sir, I probably should have made a bigger deal out of the first time. I did speak with her about it, but I didn't think that she'd..." He trailed. "I'll make sure she understands that it won't be tolerated, sir."

"That's all I need you to do, Mr. Larkin. With Commander Arkham on the surface and myself occupied with the mission details, I'm gonna need you to step in and bridge the gaps with this, so to speak." The Trill heavily sighed and shook his head. "I just wish that I could get through to her, myself. I'm not even sure what to do. I understand that she's seen a lot of pain in her life, but we all have. And she was already under probation-restrictions when the second assault occurred. I'm not sure whether coming down on her like a ton of bricks or the softly-softly approach will be best for you. But, nothing has worked for me so far. And my efforts are needed elsewhere currently."

"Understandable, sir. I'll take care of it." Silence fell between the two men, but the surroundings made it feel appropriate. For the moment, Larkin was content to enjoy the atmosphere with his CO. "You're right, sir. It is beautiful here."

“I’m glad that you appreciate nature, Mr. Larkin,� Lane replied after a spell. Inhaling the fragrant air deeply, he smiled, contented in the peace and company of the young officer sat near to him. “How have you come aboard my ship, Lieutenant?� he ventured ponderously, allowing the sentiment to become personal for a moment. “You seem to come from such troubled and shadowed times, Kevin, with demons scratching at your heels as you emerge, and yet I have this overwhelming feeling that the Archimedes will be the making of you somehow. One way or another, at least, it will. No matter what you find when you go searching, you will forever have a place on any ship I command.�

"Thank you, Commander. I really appreciate that. You know, it's strange," Larkin leaned against the back of the bench. "Despite the fact that we've only been here for a short time, I think I'm already starting to feel at home here." He smiled, and put his thoughts in terms of his CO's own words. "Essentially, if I do have demons scratching at my heels, sir, they're going to have to go through me get to this ship and crew."

"I understand that, Kevin. And you'll have the rest of the crew by your side should that happen. And with that, you have my word."

He smiled at his CSO and returned his attention to the peace and quiet surrounding them both. He knew that the times that try the soul were scratching upon the hull of the ship as they spoke. What lay in store for all of them, however, not even the Trill had an inkling of. The times that try the soul, indeed.



Commander Coltan Lane
Commanding Officer

AND

Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Kevin Larkin
Chief Science Officer

 

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