A chance to Live Long...

Posted on Wed Aug 7th, 2024 @ 9:13am by Commander Benjamin Jamesson & Sub-Lieutenant T'Hala & Lieutenant Avira zh'Kenarh M.D. & Ensign Isaac 'Zac' Hughes

Mission: Remnant
Location: Medical Bay
Timeline: Day 385
2146 words - 4.3 OF Standard Post Measure

"We're certain this will help bring her back." Avira looked over at Commander Jamesson before sharing a look with Hughes. After bringing back Kipling they had gone over all of the data they had gathered from the incident with the entity they knew as Smith as well as the medical records of those that recovered. There had been a neurological pattern they honed in on. It had helped them recover another two human crewmembers that had been incapacitated when Smith had left their messhall. It had taken some doing to recalibrate it for Vulcan physiology but with the help of their resident geneticist of the same green blooded persuasion they'd been able to match the brainwaves required to resuscitate T'Hala.

"I feel like I might need to leave the room for this one though, I'm not sure how well she'll cope with Andorians." It was always a toss up with Vulcans. For a species so single-mindedly focused on logic, they sure held a lot of beliefs seemingly informed by prejudice or stereotypes.

Benjamin was pacing but hopeful that he might have the last member of his crew that he had managed to save back in the land of the living and just at the right time to need another engineer. He offered a smile to the woman. "We did not have an Andorian so I cannot tell her reaction but if I have anything to do with it once she is stable and awake she will thank you." The man assured. He felt a certain amount of guilt suddenly that he had managed to save more engineers than anything else by default the pod he had been assigned had been one of the one closest to Engineering and it had been where he had been heading back to when he had found people still alive.

The first outward sign that anything had changed in the Vulcan woman was her hand started to move. Eyelids fluttered as she struggled to pull herself out of the strange torpor that had trapped her mind in the "calm space" used for meditation within for...awhile. T'Hala's normally impeccable internal chronometer appeared to be malfunctioning as she couldn't determine how much time had elapsed. Brows furrowing, her normally placid expression was marred by a pull of her mouth into a frown. Something was wrong. She was alone in her mind. The comforting background hum of the mental connections formed throughout her life were jarringly...absent. There were empty voids where the bonds to her family and betrothed had once occupied.

What did this mean? No answers could be obtained from within. It was necessary to seek answers externally. Wake up. Wake up!

T'Hala's eyes flew open, and she blinked furiously against the bright light assaulting the rods and cones that had not activated in some time. Finally what she was seeing was translated appropriately, and she recognized that she was on an exam bed. Sick bay? Why was she in sick bay? Was there an accident? Eyes darted, trying to find something familiar, but her eyes weren't yet accommodating appropriately so everything was a blur. Blue uniforms...the powerful scent of humans, and a...a blue woman? Antennae? Andorian?

"Vel tor riyeht..." Her first words were spoken in Vulkansu, in a harsh whisper from stiff vocal cords. The blue-skinned woman moved closer, and T'Hala jerked in an attempt to get away from her, arms flailing weakly in an attempt to defend herself. "Nirsh!"

It had become a delicate balance, one that Isaac liked to think they'd got the hang of pretty quickly. This was, unquestionably, Avira's Sickbay, but it was about as under-staffed as his had been and given their mutual obligation was to the ongoing well-being of the crew, shared responsibility had come naturally. Most of the time that meant their focus was determined by which cases walked through the doors during their duty shifts, but there had been an agreement early on, despite the wealth of assistance the Andorian had offered in terms of examining and ultimately resuscitating their comatose permanent residents, that Hughes would take responsibility for their primary care until such time as they felt comfortably integrated. In David's case, that had very quickly become a attentive eye kept from a distance and a quiet word to Ben, who had the better relationship with the man. In this case...

T'Hala was a different kind of challenge.

As much as he'd welcome the opportunity to broaden his skillset, Isaac had learned very early on that Vulcans were not particularly keen to talk at length about their biological processes, especially those sufficiently impaired enough to require medical aid. They were likewise not particularly taken, at least in his very limited and solitary experience, by his natural tendency to assess mental health alongside physical need, and of particularly reoccurring issue was a cultural chasm when it came to interpreting his admittedly-cheesy sense of humour. Zac wasn't overly sure T'Hala would be any more impressed to see him than she was to wake up with an Andorian hovering over her but he stepped forward in such a way to obscure the Vulcan's view of the other doctor and pressed a gentle yet firm hand against the woman's shoulder. "Easy, T'Hala. You're with friends."

"Maybe we should gotten Leutienant Darru to help with all of this," Benjamin whispered almost to himself before he sighed as he watched the situation play out. T'Hala had never been a bit of a bother in regards to her work ethic but this was a completely different situation that none of them knew how a Vulcan would react.

Avira had taken a step aside, allowing Benjamin and Isaac to step into the patient's field of vision. What she had also done was prepare a sedative strong enough to knock out the Vulcan should she choose to give in to some more primal urges. The Imperial Guard taught that while the Vulcans seemed stoic and emotionless from the outside, it was a façade. Underneath which they were aggressive and strong. Much stronger than their average build had any right to be.

Something gripped her shoulder firmly, making unasked for physical contact. Wide eyes darted from the Andorian to the one who was now touching her. "Ri tor esta nash-veh!" T'Hala snarled as the opposite hand snaked up and grasped Hughes' hand in a crushing grip in order to remove it. However, the physical contact with the medical officer helped to jar T'Hala from the rising panic threatening to overwhelm her. She had never touched a human before, and the contact allowed his feelings to transfer to her. Worry, concern...a feeling of being lost and yet projecting calm?
The sensations were utterly alien, but not outright distressing. It was a connection with another being, and upon waking and feeling so utterly alone - the sense of having someone else there, even if it was strange, was somehow...comforting.

Slowly T'Hala released her iron grip on Hughes' hand and forced herself to calm. "What...what has happened? I cannot seem to remember."

“We encountered a creature who made us all believe he was part of the crew and then tried to pick us off one by one.” Jamesson started to explain not knowing how far back she remembered. “The Captain started the self destruct process as there was no other way and well I found you unconscious on the floor and brought you to the escape pod. We escaped but we were dragged with Smith as he jumped somewhere else.” He did not need to give all the information when the basics were hard enough to wrap anyone’s head around.

Her normally expressionless facade had cracked and she frowned while listening to the executive officer. None of what Jamesson had just told her was familiar, nor did it make any sense. There was an almost painful emptiness inside of her, and it was...concerning. Her normally well-ordered mind was a jumble of, well, chaos, upon awakening.

"I do not...remember." T'Hala finally conceded after considerable thought. "Where did this Smith 'drag' us to and why is there an Andorian here? Are we in Andorian space, Commander? How long have I been incapacitated?"

"I am Doctor Chiyaviraglin zh'Kenarh, the Chief Medical Officer of the NX05 Atlantis. The being known to us as Smith pulled you across the barrier between alternate universes. You're on the NX05 Atlantis, you're still almost 100 years from known Coalition of Planets space, it's just that it's not the universe that you're familiar with."

"So much for easing her into it," Hughes murmured, not at all surprised that things hadn't gone exactly to plan. By now, the feeling had returned to his fingers and he felt inclined enough to take pity on T'Hala's equilibrium enough to interject. "You have been incapacitated for quite a while and our situation has changed drastically. But you are among allies, nobody in this room intends you any harm."

T'Hala looked beyond Hughes to the Andorian who had become visible again...and uttered the most preposterous tale, well beyond T'Hala's capabilities concoct. And yet...neither Hughes or Jamesson said anything to refute what Doctor zh'Kenarh was just said.

However, instead of rejecting what the doctor said, she turned inwards. The emptiness within her katra, they...they were gone. Her family...and Varin. Varin! she screamed silently within her mind, begging for any sort of acknowledgement, but the desolation that was her inner landscape was absolute in its vacancy. T'Hala was alone, utterly alone within her mind. Her body trembled imperceptibly as she struggled to maintain her control. A monotonous beeping noise started as the Vulcan woman's heart rate and respiration skyrocketed from psychological 'distress', and her right eye began to drain due to excess lacrimation that was definitely not a tear.

"I see..."

It had been difficult enough to view their situation through David's eyes, a man Isaac at least felt a degree of compatibility with when it came to predictable responses. It hadn't been much of a surprise that the engineer had tried to bury himself in whatever allowed him to remain busy, it was exactly the same tactic all of them had adopted and Hughes found himself wondering if T'Hala would be driven by the same compulsion. She'd always struck him as an officer who prioritised productivity and efficiency over most things.

"The Commander and I spent some time compiling a report that best outlines the events leading up to our current situation." Zac shared a brief glance with Jamesson before continuing. "If you are feeling up to it, perhaps we can leave you to study it at your own pace." A nod backwards saw the doctor add, "The on-duty staff won't be far away, I'll stick around myself for a while if you need anything."

Benjamin wished he could offer more than the simple report as it had been easier with his other engineer. The man was human and they had woken him up earlier but the Vulcan was Wild card that none of them knew how it was going to go. “And I will only be a communication away.” Benjamin assured knowing that it would not be much help but he would come and debrief more of it was needed.

"The report will be sufficient," T'Hala said in a tone that sounded dull to her own ears. She was not very good at reading human non-verbal cues but the two men appeared uncomfortable. She had volunteered for the purpose of trying to understand humanity better. Well, now it would appear she might have the rest of her life to do so. Would it be reciprocated? T'Hala was unsure.

"Please do not tarry on my account. I am certain you all have your duties to attend to and I find myself...tired."

"That's to be expected after the long period of distress your body has been under." Avira put away the sedatives and other gear she had at the ready in case this didn't go as well as they had planned. As far as Vulcans went, it was about as heartwarming and enthusiastic as she had expected. "There's an alarm button right by your side, feel free to let us know if you need anything. Even if it's just a glass of water." She pointed the alarm button on the side of the bed, "I'll be right over there." She pointed in the direction of the small office set aside for the on duty medical officer.

Benjamin nodded to the Vulcan and shared a look with Hughes before he disappeared out the door. He did have duties to attend to but he at the very least felt lighter in heart as everyone was now awake and his watch over them was now over.