Science Projects

Posted on Fri Sep 6th, 2024 @ 7:09am by Lieutenant Darru & Ensign Anne Marie "Ree" Beckett

Mission: Remnant
Location: Science Lab 2
Timeline: Day 399
1520 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure

For once Anne Marie wasn't bopping around science to her own internal concert, vibing happily in her favorite place. In fact, she was she was unusually quiet period and had barely uttered a word all day. Not many had said anything since it actually made her immediate vicinity easier to focus in, but it did cast a gloomy air around the almost always chipper young woman. She stood at the workspace she'd been doing her research at, deeply focused on the subject at hand until she looked away with a sigh and a frown. No matter how hard she tried it wasn't working. The pep in her step just wasn't there and she couldn't summon up the gumption to make it happen. There was no 'fake it until you make it', the 'make it' part had called out sick.

Finally she took her break to get a drink and watch the stars for awhile while she reflected on what was going on. She wasn't sad. Not depressed. Wasn't having a crisis or a particularly bad day. Something was just missing, and she wasn't sure what it was. Ree felt thoughtful and a little pensive, but about what, she wasn't sure. When she returned she gave her typical wave to Lt. Darru- though somewhat half-hearted- before going back to her station.

Darru had noticed that the woman was no longer quite as bright and breezy as she had been once upon a time. He knew that the science department was struggling with the pressure of trying to find something to help them. He glanced at Mercy and requested that she go to his meeting instead of him which left himself and Beckett alone in the lab. "Fancy some coffee, Ensign?" He wondered.

"I would, in fact, fancy a coffee, please. I need a perk me up," Ree said as she settled at her accustomed spot and set her elbows on the table top. "Do I look it?"

Darru nodded. A lot of the science officers were starting to look like they needed a perk up but she by far looked the worse there and then which meant she was the priority. "Let us walk to the mess." He advised indicating the door and led the way down the corridor and the familiar route to the mess. It was early enough in the day that it would not be busy.

"I'm sorry," Ree apologized as they walked together. "My head's been a mess. I keep thinking that I'm not doing enough and then I end up doing something stupid in return. It's my default setting. I'm trying really hard to fix it."

Darru said nothing for a moment before he offered a hand to her shoulder. "Sometimes we are not able to fix things without others' support. That would be illogical would it not?" He wondered thinking that default settings were going to do no good for anyone if they were not working.

"I know. I was just fussing at myself that I was being a bad friend because I'd sequestered myself away a bit. I totally missed that I needed others, too. Just stuck in my own head, I guess..."

"Have you spoken to our doctors about these feelings?" He asked stepping into the mess hall pleased to see that it was indeed empty of people. "Usual coffee style?" He asked already moving to where the coffee pot was. He knew after a year most of the ways his officers took their coffee.

"You know how I take my coffee?" As silly as it sounded, that made her feel a little better. ""Yes. And no I haven't spoken with the doctors. They're probably sick of seeing me. I've mostly been talking to my journal."

Darru inclined his head in agreement. He tried to learn how everyone took their favourite beverage on the ship. It had been one of his earliest attempts to try and integrate himself into the crew and get to know everyone. He moved away making both her coffee and his own herbal concoction of a herbal tea that he was trying out for Crewman Jones. "And you should speak to Doctor Hughes," he said trying to phrase it less as an order and more of a request at this stage.

"You think it's that bad? Has my work been lacking? I know I hurt my arm and was out for a few days, but I... Don't want to let anyone down. I'll talk to Dr. Hughes," she sighed.

Why did humans always get so sad when confronted by the truth in front of themselves around mental health or seeing a doctor? It was something no book had ever explained to him. "I have learnt that humans do not need to be bad as you put it to see a doctor. They should see it before it gets to that stage. I believe it is called upkeep and I do not know of any other organ in the body as important other than your heart." Darru commented.

"Upkeep," Ree repeated. "I like that. It sounds better than being a mess and needing someone else to put you straight again. I don't want to get to that point."

"I do not believe anyone does. Vulcans deal with things like that my mediation and other things but talking to a doctor seems like a better approach. I do not understand you humans properly enough to be able to help with that but Ensign Hughes and Lieutenant zh'Kenarh are." He said taking a sip of his tea as she tried to think on more that he could say to help the woman.

"I'll do that as soon as I'm off shift," she promised. Ree held her coffee close to her chest and let the vapor warm her face. "Thank you again for taking the time to just talk to me. It means a lot."

The man had been trying to find ways to approach his crew and talking seemed to be the best way to do it. Humans liked to speak and he was a good listener even if he did not always understand everything that was going on with them. "I do not believe I did much more than anyone else and bring what you are not seeing to light."

"You took the time, though. That's what's important." She offered him a small smile over the rim of her coffee mug. "And I do feel a bit better having a plan to move forward."

“Momentum is healthy.” He advised knowing that it was the advice they had been given to him after he lost his wife. He had taken it to heart and why he had ended up where he had.

"It can be. It can also be daunting," admitted Ree with a slight shrug. "I'm still getting used to asking for help. I'm not used to there being anyone *to* ask for help. It's a learned trait, I guess..."

“Doctor Hughes is a good man.” Darru did not often praise people like that he had to have a high opinion of the man. The doctor had been privy to many of things that the Science Officer would rather not discuss but he had always found him approachable.

Beckett nodded. "I'm sure that he is. Everyone has been super nice here even when under duress." Name a bigger stressor than being stranded with thin supplies. All things considered, this was the height of professionalism.

Darru nodded. Super nice was not a word that he understood but he did enjoy how unique everyone made each word seem to him. "Well I am sure that things will get better once you have support and feeling better." Darru made a mental note to check in a couple of days on the woman and that she had contacted Hughes.

"I'm sure that I will. I'm already feeling a little more upbeat," Beckett finished her coffee in one last swig. "Should I get out of your hair now? I'm sure that you have really important things to do..."

"I do but I have been learning recently that I have to make time for the people in my department. We can just sit here in silence if you prefer that but I have nowhere else to be." He assured trying to not think about how he had made mistakes with the people in his department recently and he had been researching ways to make changes for himself in managing them as well as building relationships.

"Talking is good. I mean, I like to talk, I just didn't want to keep you if you were busy. I can... Update you on some of the side projects? Or get your feedback on some ideas that I had?" Make it somewhat productive that she was taking up his time, she thought.

“Let’s hear about the side projects and I will offer feedback if I can.” The man was learning that if someone offered him that to take it. It would be enlightening either way to him in how humans behaved and thought, he was always wanting to learn more.