Ready, Set ...

Posted on Wed Dec 4th, 2024 @ 8:39pm by Lieutenant Ame Solis M.D. & Jerant van Rijn
Edited on on Wed Dec 4th, 2024 @ 8:41pm

Mission: Character Development
Location: USS Athena
Timeline: MD1
3642 words - 7.3 OF Standard Post Measure

As much of a swerve, as Zora thought her plans were, it pained her to abandon such good chocolate and the chance to get to know her better. The Bajoran tightened the laces on her trainers and pushed herself upright in the warm artificial sunlight of Holodeck One. She had selected a sunrise trail along the Guadalupe Mountains, a dry and rugged terrain that contrasted with the forest trails popular among the crew.

The crunch of gravel underfoot was a stark difference from the smoothness of the ship's corridors or the softness of mossy dirt. The vast open canyons, with tall stripped pillars kissed by the golden hour, were a sight to behold and a place she missed dearly. "Let’s get going." Ame urged herself into a slow but steady pace, grimacing at the tightness in her chest as she moved onto the beginning of an incline.

A warm golden haze burst over the horizon, casting changing hues on the rocks and brushing against hardy, dry plants that swayed slowly in the breeze. The jagged skyline was framed by fading grey-purple clouds, so light and delicate in comparison. Memories trickled back to days spent in the mountains, sitting on the bonnet of a truck and gazing up at the sky. She let the artificial sunlight guide her and tried to keep ill feelings from ruining the moment.

Even after travelling the stars and living in deep space, there was something special about terrestrial landscapes and the array of colours they offered. She missed her time on Earth. Her mind wandered to the message Jackson had sent, reminding her to reply before heading down to Sickbay.

The path wound uphill, and she felt a dull ache settling in her calves and fine beads of sweat forming on her brow. She dropped down to a brisk walk but kept moving—she couldn't just stop. Glancing down at the timer on her wrist, she winced at the sight. Only twenty-two minutes in. "No way..." Ame muttered, her self-motivation wavering as her mind drifted from positivity to sheer determination.

There weren't many places aboard the ship to run. A treadmill didn't really offer any challenges but scaling the Jeffries tubes often didn't really get appreciated. And then there were places that were generally off-limits such as engineering. Jerant found himself once again resigned to the holodeck when he really wanted a good workout. Something to get his mind away from the chaos and pain he felt.

At first he didn't realise the holodeck was already running, not even realising that the program he tried to enter failed to load. He was blasted with hot air as the doors parted and he blinked in surprise. Then, he shrugged to himself and walked in anyway, figuring that if the person or persons already here wanted privacy, they would've locked others out.

He glanced around, eyes narrowed because of the rising sun, but he couldn't see anyone. What he did see was a wall he could scale, and a path that wound up. Glancing down at his feet, he told the computer to give him footwear suitable for running and climbing. Once that was changed he approached the wall and started his way up, occasionally scraping a leg or arm as his handhold or footing wasn't as solid as he thought.

After a while, he hoisted himself onto a path, his dark hair plastered against his face but his eyes held a look of determination as he looked across the path to the rest of the cliff. Assuming the safeties were on full, he started across the wide path, breaking into a run to leap against the wall and reach out towards his first intended handhold. It snapped and he slid down the wall, grunting in annoyance before walking back. This time, he studied the wall for a more secure hold, taking his time.

Given the scale and setting of the program, the Bajoran didn’t lock the entrance as it was improbable she’d bump into anyone once she started her run. With her being the newest senior staff it would be a good opportunity to be approachable and get to know the crew outside of Sickbay. Her brisk walk slowed to let her catch her breath as the temperature increased with the rising of the sun.

It was a glorious warmth that took her back to her first visit all those years ago. She could hear the encouraging chides as Jackson bounded ahead and he explained about where they were going and what they would see. His enthusiasm for his home was something that always drew her back. “Come on, its just a little hill and you’re, you’re a Starfleet Officer who keeps her cool when the ship is falling about around her.” She pushed through the ache and picked up the pace again, lifting her chin toward the sun.

She’d gained some considerable height and the quiet of nature was interrupted by the unexpected scrunching and scraping of stone and gravel. Ame did a quick visual sweep fo the area, nothing stood out. Yucca’s rustled, their white bell-like flowers carrying on the breeze and the light floral scent wasn’t quite the same. She shook off the sound as wildlife this was a large programme after all.

Her quiet musings were interrupted by a dusty and damp figure crawling onto the path. His face was flushed and his breath came in short pants due to the thin air. He too had gained considerable height despite losing his footing a few times along the way. It showed on his arms and legs, and there was a bloody scrape on his left cheek where a protruding rock had been less than kind. Still, the obsidian eyes held a look of sheer determination as he looked up before doing a double take as he finally seemed to spot the woman. "Sorry for intruding," he breathed, "good program... I'm Jerant, ship's language monkey and counselor's aide."

In her musings, the Bajoran almost leapt out of her skin as the dishevelled figure flung themselves onto the dusty incline in front of her. There was a look of concern before she realised who it was that had stumbled upon her program, she skirted over and offered a hand to help him upright.

“You okay?” Ame’s brow creased with concern as she checked the timer on her wrist. “I’m glad you like it. It’s a change from the usual forests, suburbs and beaches. I know who you are, Savin told me, briefly. I’m Ame.” She checked him over for other injuries, what was it about holodeck and minor scrapes? Nothing serious none the less.

"I'm fine," the Betazoid lied, "just a little scratched, nothing a dermal regenerator can't fix. I like it alright, it's a challenging climb for sure, though I'm grateful for the safety settings being engaged, or I wouldn't be just scratched." He wiped the back of his hand across his bleeding cheek, gritting his teeth as the dust and grit on his hand caused exactly opposite of what he tried to achieve. "Savin told you about me? Nothing bad I hope?" He smirked, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Nah he wouldn't, we practically grew up together. He's as close to me as my blood siblings are, I know him better than I know my own sisters. What did he tell you?"

A narrowing of the woman’s eye was followed by a raise of her brows, “If you're sure you're fine.” Ame answered taking a moment to catch her breath, the slow steps forward and around the man kept her moving but not enough to put too much distance between them. “He did, it was part of our introduction. Other than the Transporter Officer, there wasn’t much to say other than he had an aide.”

She turned, taking a few steps backwards. “He mentioned someone who’d be good at helping me learn to sign.” It was interesting to hear about the pair's dynamic; from what she’d seen so far, they seemed a little chalk and cheese. “Unfortunately today wouldn’t be the day for that, I’ve got a deadline and some things I need to do before a new officer appears in a few hours.”

"You want to learn how to sign?" Jerant crawled to his feet and dusted himself off before catching up with her. "And he said I could teach you?" The Betazoid looked perplexed. "Sure, I could and I'm happy to as linguistics is part of my job, we could even speak in bajoran if you wish to, though I'm not fluent in it. But why would he refer you to me when he could do it just as well if not better than me? Surely you noticed that in private he pretty much always signs? It's second nature to him. Even your surgeon, doctor tr'Rehu could do it as it's second nature to him too. And they are probably closer to you, professionally, than me."

He paused, allowing his words to land. "I'm happy to, please don't get me wrong, I just wonder why. Especially since he's the one who could do with a friend or two. Being a counselor is a very... lonely... existence, I've noticed. You probably experience the same, being a doctor?"

The Bajoran nodded as she continued to walk up the incline the angle seemed to be much steeper than she anticipated. “Mhmm. Picking up a new skill is a good way to get to know people better. He might have said that?” Ame scratched the side of her head in thought, there had been so many introductions and names over the week that some things were blending. “I mean he definitely said NVeid and himself. We’ve had a few chats, my routine and general stuff, you know?”

Ame sucked in a deep breath and pushed through the warmth in her calves, swinging her arms a little more. “Do you want to keep up or are you going to keep scrambling?” Her eyes moved up the crumbling rock face. “I think he and I would make good friends. Counsellors and Doctors get a little bit left out or avoided, I’ll not let that happen considering I’m just down the corridor.” She flashed a smile waiting for his response before she picked up the pace.

"I'm keeping up," Jerant protested, "how else would we converse? Gets rather difficult if you were to walk on and I'd continue to climb wouldn't it?" He increased pace to get to her side, then had to increase again as she did. "Are we walking or running?" He asked, "Savin and doctor tr'Rehu definitely should be more adept than I am, especially Savin as he's done it all his life. You know he's hearing impaired right? Though I suppose impaired is an understatement as he has no hearing whatsoever, but he's incredibly adept at reading someone, without telepathy I mean. He could fool me, if I didn't know any better."

Ame wasn’t sure if him comment about walking or running was a jibe, “We’re running but I didn’t really consider the inclines around here and I’m very out of practice…” She couldn’t help but laugh a little at his explanation of Savin’s hearing.

“You know I’m the CMO right? It’s my job to know people’s medical business.” Her eyes narrowed at him playfully. “I like him, we’ll get along just fine. I’m not evasive like some people, I think that’s refreshing to counsellors. Plus I’m sure he’s invested in my mental trauma.” She shrugged and attempted to step up, there was a schedule to keep after all. “Civilians on a border patrol? Pretty unusual.”

"I'm not out of practice but mountains are a wholly different cup of tea compared to ship halls or buildings," Jerant smirked, "and I know you're the doctor, and should know these things. As far as trauma, you'll find he won't bring it up unless you're ready to talk about it." He shrugged. "So what if I'm a civvie? I got the training I need and I'm assigned to Savin as his interpreter. Away missions as required, bridge duty when he is assigned there. I make sure he doesn't miss anything, either through sign so others can see we're communicating, or through telepathy which really is more efficient. I'm mostly Betazoid, after all, and since we grew up together we know each other's mind very well. Private stuff aside if course..I don't pry."

The Bajoran’s smile widened as she glanced over to the man beside her and pushed on. “I have regrets.” She admitted with a slight wheeze followed by a puff, she was the little engine that could. Even with a steady huff and puff she’d get to the top and the descent would be a piece of cake. “It’s not exactly a secret, just an irritant. A pesky little gnat that’s had your blood then won’t go away.”

It was evasive enough not to directly out her issue but the analogy was concise enough to allude to hint at what she was referring to. “Friendship is a magical thing. Sometimes you end up knowing the ins and outs without being told. It’s good to hear he's got friends like that. Does he snack? I know he’s more of a tea drinker, which is a little apt.” She smirked at her own reference to people talking. The summit was slowly coming into sight, she glanced at her wrist to check her progress. Perhaps this was the wrong program to start out on, the burn in her calves would definitely cause some issues later in the day.

"Friendship has its perks," Jerant agreed, "but Savin honestly is as close as a brother. I'm closer to him than my sisters. Snack?" Surprise registered on his flushed face. "If he does he's got some explaining to do on how he kept that a secret from me," he chuckled, "I honestly don't know. I think he prefers savoury over sweets and no dairy I think it was. No meat either, he's a veggie. Why is drinking tea apt? And who's a pesky irritant? Someone bothering you ma'am?"

“It does indeed.” Ame concurred before the faux gasp at the stumble about food. “There’ll be something. I’m a savoury girl, this shouldn’t be too hard to figure out, I just won’t be serving him BBQ.” Each word was interrupted by a breathy pant and an exaggerated swing of her arms to keep her momentum going.

“There’s a human reference for tea being the gossip and giving your truth. Sharing the tea.” There wasn’t much longer, they were almost there. “The irritant is … he’s someone I’m trying to cut out and move on from. But like a bad rash, he’s itchy and painful.”

"Would you like to take a rest?" Jerant queried as he kept up with her, watching her closely for a moment. "Ah .. an ex boyfriend or husband? I suppose this program is a good one to get your mind off of that..." His somewhat cheerful demeanour seemed to change a little as his expression sobered considerably. "I don't have an irritant like you seem to have but..." He stopped walking. "I did just break up with my partner. He and I had different ideas of our relationship and well..." He paused, feeling that pain in his chest again. "It hurts."

She lifted her arm as if it weighed five times heavier to check the timer with an awkward squint. “Uh … I don’t think I have time to stop,” Ame answered dragging her feet on the dusty path with a plume trailing behind her. “Maybe when I get to the top.” The feeling reminded her of the training for high-gravity planets and how she longed to just collapse in the dirt.

“Yea, one of those.” She agreed not explaining to the fullest extent, her eyes darted over with the change in his disposition and her bedraggled run slowed to a laboured walk with a paggard pant then a stop beside him. “I know that feeling … I thought I was in a monogamous relationship with the man I’d married and I guess he just had other ideas about that.”

Her eyes lingered on the summit ahead before shifting to the sun cresting the peaks and spines across the desert. “It does hurt when you think you know someone and they don’t realise.” The Bajoran’s lips pinched in acknowledgement. “I know it’s not the same.”

"I'm a telepath. My partner, I mean ex...is a telepath who practically begged me to open up to him. But when I asked him to do the same...I got nothing. I'm an open book doc, easily read emotionally. And yet when I told him I loved him, he claimed not to know anything about it. He wasn't aware at all of my feelings apparently. And that....hurt. I got so angry, I walked away."

This was something she could relate to, it was more than apparent that this was raw. “My husband wasn’t a telepath, but I’d hoped that he could keep a promise or at least talk to me. He didn’t. People sometimes fail to see outside of their own needs, and it shouldn’t be an excuse. We get caught in the fallout. And it really hurts.” Ame frowned, moving in beside Jerant. “I’m not really a huggy kind of person, but would you like one?” She awkwardly looked at the floor and then at the man in front of her.

"I'm not a buggy kind either," the Betazoid confessed though he walked up to be within reach. "But I suppose I could use one... I don't know what is wrong with Xav...I can't just not love him just like that but being shut out hurts. I wish he'd let me in but until he does, I'm not going to try and I'll shut him out too. I just need something to reset my focus on.. like a good climb or a linguistic puzzle. What do you do, to reset your mind?"

Ame didn’t need a second invitation, and she stepped in to wrap her arms awkwardly around the slightly smaller man whom she’d only just met. “I ignore all of my sad, angry feelings and lock myself in a research lab choosing never to acknowledge my pent-up feelings of inadequacy.” She thought a moment about the last time she’d hugged someone. It might have been her dad when she left 621 or perhaps it was saying goodbye to Mira before she boarded the Corvus, she struggled to recall. “And that is why I should really sit and talk to Savin.”

Returning the hug equally awkwardly, Jerant then pulled away. "You'll find that despite his disability, Savin is creepily perceptive. He gets things without you telling him simply watching you. And he's a good friend, to me anyway. He'll give you all the time you need unless he already had plans, and he's not turned anyone away so far. I've known him for most of my life. I probably know him better than his own brother does."

“Isn’t that just the counsellor in him, see everything and only mention it when relevant or concerned?” The Bajoran answered with a narrowing of her eyes. This was how she found most counsellors regardless, it was rare that they missed anything even the shift of eye contact. “I will bring him snacks and we can unpack my emotional trauma and resentment. It’s not like he can really escape me, we’re supposed to work together. The two go hand in hand. I’m sure we’ll all spend plenty of time together.”

Ame extended her hand up toward the summit, “Come on .. we might as well reach the top before I need to head back down again.”

"No I don't think it's just the counselor in him. He's deaf remember, he has to be paying attention or he misses everything." Jerant braved a smile. "I think he'll appreciate snacks all he same, half the time he forgets to eat. And yes we should head for the top. Run, or climb?"

The woman let out an exasperated groan as she mustered everything she could to power up the last stretch. Small clouds of fine desert dust puffed out behind her with each laboured stride, the crunch of gravel grinding underfoot. “Maybe he’ll get sick of me.” She huffed swinging her arms with gusto.

"Now why would he do that?" The Betazoid asked as he charged after her. He kept up with relative ease now that he had somewhat recovered from his earlier climb. From the look of him however, one could just as easily assume he had been in a scuffle rather than a climb. "He needs to get out more," he finally said as they reached the top at last.

Ame couldn’t help but laugh between pants. Indeed, who in their right mind would get sick of someone like her? It didn’t take much for Jerant to catch up and surpass her but she hauled herself up and double over, planting both hands on her knees. “Prophet’s have mercy.” She wheezed the final burst clearly finishing her off.

“I’m working on it. I’m sure he’ll despise it.” Her hand dismissively waved as she slowly propped herself upright. “But, I’ll have snacks and a smile. I promise I’ll take care of him.”