A different kind of spar

Posted on Tue Mar 19th, 2024 @ 8:05am by Lieutenant Commander Savin & Lieutenant Commander P’rel M.D

Mission: Character Development
Location: Intelligence office
1457 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Knowing beforehand his visit would be a very unwelcome one, Savin had mad sure she would be alone in her office. "Doctor," he greeted, still insisting on using her medical title rather than her rank. "Rumour has it congratulations are in order."

'Forcefields' P'rel concluded. 'Forcefields. And automatic weapon emplacements'. Having perused much of the literature on effective leadership, she decided that the practice of a literal 'open door policy' was just not worth it. Recognising the Counsellor's oh so seemingly deliberately peaceful tones, she turned around in order for him to see her lips moving; "Is that a diagnosis?"

"A statement of fact," he corrected pleasantly as he nodded towards the additional pip at her collar. "I am pleased to note that you have returned safely to the ship and that rumours of a transfer were.. premature." It was an honest observation as he did enjoy their infrequent verbal sparring. "How do you feel, being back aboard?"

"Disturbed" she quipped in response, and gestured to the ever growing pile of PADDs and data-lock key devices assembling on her desk, at a rate faster than even she was able to get through...."as usual..." she finished, not wanting to turn back around to her main screen lest Savin not be able to 'hear' her visibly.

"Why do you feel disturbed by being here on board?" He gave her a single arched eyebrow glance as he watched her. "Where else would you like to be instead?"

"I should have undertaken Kohlinar..." P'rel muttered. "Disturbed by your disturbance, Counsellor" she continued, softening her voice a little. "Not just yours, but apparently my new rank and position requires me to be contacted every few minutes."

"Are you certain there is such a requirement?" Savin asked curiously, "and why do you feel you should have undertaken Kolinahr? I do not believe that course of action would actually be of benefit to you. Your ability to emote makes you unique, and uniquely suited for your profession."

For a deaf man, Savin was certainly good at lip reading a private mumble. It made sense, she supposed, that he would have honed such a skill to be able to fully interact. "Observation is a valid evidential tool Counsellor" P'rel began, "and my observation since the Commodore promoted me is, yes, that there is a requirement for me to be persistently disturbed regardless of the task I am undertaking." Her eyes searched the desk for one of the PADDs she had been working on, finding it she picked it up and handed it to Savin, waiting for his eyes to return to her lips before speaking; "why would anyone think I would care enough to authorise or not authorise an additional cleaning personnel requirement for the holodeck bio-waste extraction manifolds. Just..." she shook her head in disbelief "...clean them if they're that overused".

"I was not aware holodecks even needed cleaning," Savin admitted, briefly glancing at the PADD before handing it back to her. "However, surely you can delegate such tasks to department heads? Would this not be a task carried out by operations?" He cast her a small smile in understanding. "I do agree with you though, I do not see why you need to authorize it. However, if you despise this so much, why did you accept the promotion? I assume you also took the bridge officer's test?" Would she know he was undertaking it as well, he wondered.

Thinking back the conversation looking over the concourse, she thought of Kane's words. "Perhaps our translators are malfunctioning, I believe you are saying promotion when you should be saying punishment..." she threw the PADD over to Savin; "and as for cleaning, you are welcome to inspect the bio-waste extraction manifolds yourself and let me know...".

"Unfortunately, I am not in the operations department so you will have to delegate this to Lieutenant Leiko and his staff." Savin had caught the PADD and set it on the desk. "Why do you perceive this promotion as punishment? Why did you accept it when you seem to despise it?"

P'rel looked curiously at the Counsellor, and countered with a question; "Why would you perceive it as an act of benevolence on the part of the Commodore, is more so the question...?"

"I never said it was benevolent," Savin countered, "but it is you who are perceiving it as punishment. Why? And why did you choose to accept it anyway, when you could have declined?"

"I very much doubt Commodore Kane would have allowed me to decline..." she rued, wondering actually what her fate would have been if she had decided to part ways at that point. "Besides. The Commodore is a man of unique profile...at this point in time...he needs me" she suggested, not entirely convinced of her own lie but certainly getting there.

"That he does," Savin agreed with a nod, "but you still need to learn to delegate." He gestured towards the pile on her desk. "To the correct people, of course," he added with a smile, lest she toss a random one at him again. "And as indicated before, you need to learn to relax. Believe it or not, but even you do not need to be 'on' at all times."

"I meditate" she answered curtly, dismissively even, anything to get the Counsellor to wrap up and move on.

"Yes, we have discussed that priorly." The friendly smile maintained as he looked at her. "But when you meditate, you are still ready for work when it calls, are you not? Are you ever, not thinking of work? Is meditating really the same as engaging a different kind of activity? What do you do to keep fit, physically?"

"Counsellor" P'rel replied, turning her attention back to the PADD in her hand an then having to look up again so that Savin could read her lips. "Have you ever seen an obese Vulcan...is it perhaps not inherent in my species that we are physically healthy...". Surrendering she continued; "I do not have time to undertake any particular efforts at present..."

For a moment he studied her, saying nothing for several seconds. "I imagine not," he finally spoke, his voice eerily devoid of emotion. "You are acting like a drone in a hive, only seeing the tasks that are set to you without any regards to the social aspects involved with your well-being."

The words ran the Vulcan's blood cold for a moment. Drone. Hive.

M'Ttan

The vivid images - the cursed byproduct of a vastly intelligent imagination - of her assimilated brother shattered her calm demeanor as she felt a hot rage flood her cheeks, burn at her eyes and claw at her twitching right hand. "What did you say...?" she whispered, the rage now fighting for dominance with a painful sorrow as deep as space itself.

Sensing the shift in emotions, seeing the change in her expression and in her eyes, Savin instantly knew he had said something, that had hit a nerve. He watched her very closely, an edge of concern tugging at his own expression. "I said you act like a drone in a hive," he repeated slowly, his eyes never leaving her, "you do as you are told to do, and you fail to engage in social endeavours."

P'rel was uncharacteristically frozen as pain continued to fight with rage; which continued themselves to cling to eachother and claw for life against the suffocating suppression of Vulcan discipline. P'rel throttled Savin to the floor, his eyes bulging as he gasped for a last apologetic breath; she turned and left him standing on the other side of the desk whilst she wept and roared with pain at the thought of M'Ttan as a drone. Opening her eyes, Savin stood unharmed, and her own eyes remained dry.

Returning to a state of reality and spatial awareness, the Vulcan found no words. Intellectual function had yet to catch up with emotional suppression, and so she merely stared at Savin. Words did not come, and she could not yet even decipher the inner maelstrom to decide what those words would have even been; silence instead was her only reply.

"Doctor?" He queried, concerned etched on his face and filtering into his voice. Something was very wrong, he could see it but more importantly: he sensed it. Savin took a careful step forward, reaching out to gently tap her arm. It was a bare touch, not even lasting a single second. "P'rel?" He added in a rare use of her name. "Talk to me, I can see something is amiss.... I am here for you, nothing leaves this room, you know that. Whatever it is, it is safe with me."

:::tbc:::