Tessera

Posted on 28 Apr 2013 @ 1:12am by Crewman Neo & Commander Scarlet Blake

2,159 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo: LTjg Blake's Office
Timeline: MD6 0830

ON:

Neo walked unobtrusively through Galileo's halls. They were oddly empty considering the time of day. Off on away missions, organizing science teams. Neo was neither a scientist nor at all interested in doing work when he wasn't required to. What he was interested in, was this ship. He liked it. It was sturdy, and small. Toe to toe in a single walkabout. Efficient. Neo liked small spaces. With little need for a uniform, Neo strode into Scarlet Blake's office clad only in a knit sweater of alien origin and black slacks.

The sweater was garish and awful, but it was the warmest thing he owned. Shen really did think she could knit. The ship was cold and Neo had no dignity, so the horribly mismatched, weirdly patterned thing rested over his thin, bony shoulders. His bearing was one less of formality and one of sustained apathy, hands in his pockets, spine slouched comfortably, feet shuffled. Still, he had the facial mobility of a mannequin, so there was that. He bumped the edge of his booted foot into Blake's desk and tilted his head as she looked up. "I'm here for the psychological evaluation," he said tonelessly. "Crewman Neo." The same amber isolinear rod that followed him to Mialin's office migrated to Blake's as well, but he didn't think it held any useful information. Desert. Desert. Ship. Ship. Boiling hot lava. Desert. Bomb. Bomb again. Starfleet.

Scarlet looked from her padd, watching with mild surprise as she sat back. She gave a small smile, looking him over for a moment. She couldn't quite help her slow intake of breath at the very strange jumper he wore. Had a replicator gone wrong? She felt an overwhelming need to go through the replicator catalogues with him. "Scarlet Blake, it's nice to meet you. Come and get comfortable," Scarlet stood up from the desk and motioned him to the sofa. "Can I get you anything?" she asked, already moving to get tea for herself.

Oblivious to the woman's staring, or perhaps uncaring entirely, Neo ambled over to her sofa and eased into it, crossing his legs. "No," he said mindlessly. Counselors did have an interestingly consistent method of approaching their sessions. Can I get you anything must have been the first thing they taught in Terran counseling school.

Scarlet moved to join him, settling back as she crossed her legs and balanced her cup on her knee, her hand wrapped tightly around the cup. "How have you been, Neo?" she asked, allowing the session to start on a light note.

Neo blinked slowly and leaned back. "Fine," he answered predictably, lengthening his vowels a little dryly. Blake hadn't taken his transfer chip, so he fiddled with it, looping it through his fingers.

Scarlet just watched him for a long moment. His face was as still as most Vulcans. But that fiddling with the chip. That was interesting. It was a tell of agitation or nervousness in most people. "How are you finding the Galileo?"

"A day old." He watched her watching him and flipped the chip up in the air, catching it between his index and middle finger.

A small smile pulled at Scarlet's lips and she leaned forward a little, sipping her tea. "Do you like the ship so far?" she asked, putting it a little more bluntly for him.

"No, I'm Vulcan. I don't like anything," he replied.

Scarlet had to stop her smile widening at the words, and the way he said them. Why did she get the feeling he was being purposefully obtuse? "You know, I've always found that interesting," she sat back as she sipped her tea, thinking on it. "How often Vulcans say 'I am Vulcan, I do not...etc.' As if being Vulcan meant that every single Vulcan was the same. Because in my experience, every Vulcan I have ever met is different in what they do and don't do, and what they are and aren't. Some have suppressed emotions deeply, while others have their emotion still rather close to the surface," her eyes went to the way he fiddled with the chip at that. "And all, at the very least, have preferences, for whatever reason and motivation, logic or otherwise."

Neo barely blinked. The way his head drifted to the side lazily didn't reveal much. "Existential, Counselor," he said, an eyebrow lifting vaguely. "Go on," he gestured a hand outward.

Scarlet chuckled softly, nodding to him. And yet, it was also true. "Where do you consider your own discipline and control to be on that scale?" she asked lightly.

"It's subjective. There is no scale. Either a Vulcan is well-adjusted or they're not. People consider me emotional since I don't believe appearance, vernacular or hobbies are related to logic or emotional suppression in any way." His face was utterly still as it had been the entire session. "And I was a military officer. In the V'Ket we're taught to use alternate ways to deal with our emotions that rely on situational awareness and socialization. I can't explain it any better than that."

"No, that's good," Scarlet assured with a small smile, motioning with her hand that he'd done well, at least enough for her to get the gist even with their culture differences. "How are those methods working for you here amongst - different people?"

"No idea," Neo said candidly. "I don't talk to humans much."

"Not even here?" she asked, a hint of surprise in her voice. They were a multicultural crew, that had to limit his social interactions. "What about other races?"

"Who is it you think I'm talking to?" Neo asked curiously. "I've been on board this ship less than twenty-four hours."

"Yes, but this isn't your first posting on a Starfleet vessel," Scarlet replied with a light shake of her head. "And then there's training. Starfleet is a multicultural organisation. You said you don't talk to humans much. My question was to try and establish if that is true of other races also, or just humans. Because if it's the same for other races too, that doesn't leave you with a particularly wide social circle, especially on a small ship like this," she replied, making her line of thought more straight forward for him.

He realized she was referring to the Venture. That had been such a short trip he'd hardly considered it a posting on its own merits, but he nodded in understanding. "I see. No, don't talk to non-Vulcans in general. I've met them. It's not as if I know any of them. Not as if they know me."

Scarlet nodded, to let him know she understood. There was certainly a difference. "Do you think that detachment from non-Vulcans is deliberate?" she asked gently. "Or is it just how it turns out with little time available?"

Neo moved his head and shoulder very slightly in a shrug. "Probably. I find conversations with non-Vulcans tedious," he told her.

Scarlet tilted her head at that. Interesting, and worrying at the same time. "What makes them tedious in comparison to another Vulcan?" she asked, leaning forward a little as she watched him, setting her cup down carefully on the table.

"I have to repeat myself constantly. They're easily offended and most of them can't wait to get into some kind of philosophical argument with me," Neo reported honestly. Did anyone really prefer another species over their own?

"I hope you give the people here a chance to change your opinion," Scarlet replied with a shake of her head, smiling to him. "Not everyone is like that. You might be surprised at who you find here, if you give them a try."

"Yeah," Neo acknowledged without any particular enthusiasm.

Scarlet watched him for a moment in silence, a small smile on her lips, her blue eyes a shade brighter. "It's also important for being a part of a crew," she added softly, crossing her legs. "Interaction is what makes a crew work well together."

"They'll survive," Neo said up at the ceiling, tilting his head back on the sofa. "I'm not the interactive type."

"Yes, but to give a ship the best chance of surviving? The crew should know each other well," she pointed out, lifting her hands slightly and spreading them. "As well as possible."

"I'm not the interactive type," Neo repeated. "Now you know me."

"I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about the rest of the crew. Taking the time to interact with other crew members make the way you work together smoother and more integrated," she replied, giving a slight nod in his direction.

"Yeah. If it comes up, I'll keep that in mind." Neo didn't give the impression that he found her input all that thrilling, but then again, he hadn't given that impression the entire session.

"I hope so," she replied gently, holding his eyes as she took a breath. "It's even more important for pilots. Styles can differ greatly. Knowing the pilot helps with that," Scarlet added, to try and get the importance of it home to him. This wasn't a human sentimental whim, it was a practical importance to crew dynamic. "Do you find this posting - adequate?" she chose the word carefully.

"No idea," Neo said. "I've been with Starfleet a little over a month. Most of it in training. I don't form opinions or conclusions until I've properly experienced something."

"Which is fair enough," Scarlet nodded firmly. He's answered her real question anyway. Did he not like the idea of serving on a ship like Galileo. If he'd not formed an opinion either way yet, then it answered that nicely for her. "Do you find it difficult working alongside people who show and express their emotions?"

"I don't know," Neo said, injecting a small bit of honesty into his answer again. "The cultural brief discussed how most other species have different brain structures to Vulcans." The cultural briefing had actually been much more involved, but Neo obviously had no problem paraphrasing. "Signs of emotionalism that mean one thing to us, mean something different to you. I'll handle it."

Scarlet nodded, smiling gently at that, resting her clasped hands on her knees. "It's another advantage of social interaction. If you get used to dealing with emotional behaviour and responses in a social situation where there's no danger or pressure, it will be less jarring and disconcerting in a professional or dangerous situation." She considered for a moment, tilting her head. "Do you have enough support here? For your Vulcan meditations and exercises to help with your control, I mean. I don't know if you've seen yet, but we have other Vulcan crew members, and a chaplaincy that can assist in practices and rituals from all different cultures." In her experience, different individual Vulcans were at different levels of keeping their control. Some were experienced enough to use rituals in a solitary fashion, others needed the experience and teachings of other Vulcans to keep their own discipline at a higher level. Especially when they weren't yet used to being in a community of emotionally expressive people. Although they did tend to be younger Vulcans.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Neo said with a small nod. Since arriving at Starfleet and reemerging into mainstream Vulcan society he noticed that people tended to be lulled into a sense that he was too casual. To Terrans, too normal; just like them. To Vulcans, off the rails. In reality, neither was true. "I've learned to cope with extensive stress in high-pressure environments."

Scarlet nodded at that, taking his word for it, and trusting him to know himself well enough and be sensible enough to seek out the help if he ever did need it. "Is there anything you'd like to ask or talk about?" she asked with a small smile, although she suspected she knew the answer. She'd raised her main concerns from what that spoken about, there was no use pushing at him anymore.

As predicted, Neo's answer came as an abrupt, "Nope."

Scarlet nodded in return, a small, wry smile on her features. "Then you're free to go. You're cleared for duty."

He stood up rather promptly and bowed from the head. "See you," he said as he headed toward the door.

Scarlet watched him leave with a small smile, letting out a long breath. She arched an eyebrow and moved to her computer, noting her concern for his reluctance to interact socially with non-Vulcans, but clearing him for duty. She stretched out as she leant back in the chair, rubbing the back of her neck. They were getting there. Slowly, but surely, they were getting there.

OFF:

Lieutenant (JG) Scarlet Blake
Chief Counselor, SFM
USS Galileo

Crewman Neo
Support Craft Pilot, FCON
USS Galileo

RSS Feed