Escort

Posted on Tue Dec 15th, 2020 @ 8:49pm by Lieutenant Kevan Dash & Commander Taeler Santu M.D. & Lieutenant Ausra Danton

Mission: The Shadow of Arachne
Location: Turbolift
Timeline: MD-05
852 words - 1.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Kevan and Ausra flanked the XO in a strange sort of silence as they headed for the turbolift. The bridge crew could sense that something was up, but none of them spoke up. It wasn't until they reached the safety of the lift that Kevan cleared his throat.

"So...what *did* you see?" he asked quietly.

She bristled at his question but since he didn't know her history he wouldn't know it was something she didn't like to talk about. "My baby sister was in a horrible accident when we were kids. I saw what she looked like right after it happened. That's what I saw."

Santu looked up at Ausra, "I'm sorry to hear that," she was glad Ausra had spoken up first, it was the perfect opportunity for her to dodge Kevan's question herself, she had read up on the senior staff and this was mentioned in one of the psych reports from her early days in the academy, "I hope she won't be worried by any premature report from Starfleet about our current situation."

"Sorry..." Kevan mumbled, not really sure how to react to Ausra's admission. "Given where we are, I wonder if anyone even knows about our current situation. Hell, are we even sure ourselves?" he asked.

Ausra shook her head. She was sure no one knew where they were or what was happening. "How do we know that life itself isn't one big shared delusion? But . . . I don't think it's where we are that's causing this. I've heard of ships entering a type of fluidic space before and hallucinations weren't reported. Unless this is something different than where they were."

"Hallucinations. Makes sense. People seeing and hearing things." Kevan shrugged a little. The science was beyond him, but it made a weird sort of sense. He glanced at Taeler. "I guess if you were under the influence of something outside of your control that can't come back on you, right?"

"We expect a high level of psychological stability from Starfleet Officers, especially first officers on a vessel," Santu shrugged a bit, she knew that there were going to be consequences, however dire those consequences would be would also depend heavily on how the Captain was going to be reporting on the incident afterwards.

"True . . . . but we're only Human. Or er, Bajoran, trill, bolian. You get the idea. We aren't perfect and I'm sure there are reasonable explanations for what we've experienced. I Don't know what they are yet, but they're out there somewhere. We'll find them." Ausra said with a sure nod of her head. "So don't start beating yourself up, that's not useful."

"I'd love a reasonable explanation right now..." Kevan mumbled. "All these people acting crazy. It's a wonder nobody's been killed yet. Right? Nobody's dead?"

Ausra raised her eyebrows at him. "Not that I am aware of. Take a deep breath Lieutenant. Have you been seeing anything . . . odd?" Now that she'd experienced what she had, she seemed to be no longer afraid of the visions or whatever they were.

"Uh, actually...no." Kevan blinked. "Nothing. At least not yet. Wonder if there's a reason why?"

"Maybe it only happens to people who have some sort of trauma in their past? I have no idea," Ausra answered truthfully.

"If that's true, some people around here must have been through hell," he retorted with a wry grin. "Not that I'm complaining, myself."

"Uhuh," Ausra said giving him a quizzical look, not understanding where that expression was coming from at all.

"Just that-" Kevan glanced at Taeler, who remained silently contemplative. Maybe he needed to be a fraction less insensitive. "I suppose some people have been through a lot worse than me."

"Yes," I imagine so." Ausra replied, deciding she really didn't like him all that much.

There had been so many things Santu had wanted to say to that, hell did sound about right though. And if that was affecting her now, in this present moment, it didn't really bode well for the continued safety of the crew and, apparently, the Captain, "I think it's best if you confine me to the brig, the doctor can see to me there. At least I won't be able to harm anyone else."

"That's up to Lt Sar. Or the Captain." Kevan knew it was a bit of a cop-out as answers went, but he wasn't really in the place to tell the XO she was going to the brig. Besides, he'd not seen the Security Chief all day and the Captain was stunned unconscious.

"I don't see how that's going to do any good. If this doesn't stop soon the entire crew might end up there," Ausra replied. "We just need to get to the bottom of it and the sooner we get to sickbay, the sooner they can run some tests and figure this out."

"You're right, I guess." He just shrugged. They were the senior officers. It was their job to figure it out. The turbolift doors finally slid open and deposited them just down the hallway from sickbay. "Hope the Captain feels the same way..."