Inane or Insane?

Posted on 06 Feb 2019 @ 6:26pm by Lieutenant Lake ir-Llantrisant

689 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 3, Counseling Office
Timeline: MD -59, 1101 hours

[ON]

Stood at the replicator, Counselor Lake ir-Llantrisant glanced back over his shoulder to make brief eye-contact with his newest colleague and patient. "I've just finished reading your personnel file, Lieutenant," he admitted. Reaching into the replicator, Lake retrieved a tray topped with a bone china tea set. The delicate pattern on the pot and cups were reminiscent of the blue United Federation of Planets logo. As he turned away from the replicator, Lake said, "I must say, your service to Starfleet has been awesome. Truly inspiring of awe."

"I don't normally do this..." Lake said in a mien that was primarily matter of fact. Perhaps he sounded a little abashed too. Carrying the tea set towards the meeting table on one side of the compartment, Lake continued, "But I think I'm prepared to diagnose you, on the spot, as certifiably insane."

"I think I would have preferred even inane to insane, counselor," Soraya replied. To her credit, though taken aback by the pronouncement, she didn't miss a beat as she reached out to fix her own cup of tea. She doubled whatever amount of sugar an ordinary person might use before easing back into her seat. "Is that your considered medical opinion or something you're parroting out of my personnel file?"

Although he never said the words I'm sorry, a look of apology crossed his dark eyes. "Neither, if I'm honest. It's more of a first impression," Lake said to explain his earlier proclamation. He poured out a cup of black tea for himself and settled into a chair opposite Soraya. "It's not your past that surprises me," Lake went on, "it's your present. Starfleet chewed you up and spit you out.

"When the Daystrom Institute figuratively laughed in my face at my application interview," Lake remarked, "I offered my favourite curse words and turned my back on them. When Starfleet graduated me from eight years of education to become a researcher, I seriously debated a career as a merchant marine. Starfleet has demoted you. Starfleet has had it. Officially. With you." --Planting his elbows on the table, Lake rest his chin in his hands and leaned in; looking at Soraya, right at her-- "And yet you choose to serve aboard a Starfleet starship?"

Soraya laughed mirthlessly.

"Where else should I be? I assure you, counselor, the multitude of alternatives were all considered. For months I cloistered myself in my mother's apartment, sulked, contemplated, reviewed. A journey of self-exploration, the stuff Starfleet counselors' dreams are made of.

"I thought to myself, 'I could return to Setareh and take up a nice quiet job in a civil engineering firm. I could teach at a private institution of higher learning. I could become a government consultant. I might have even applied to be a civil servant. I could even settle down and start a family, much to my father's delight.'"

She paused and took a long draw from her tea, letting it sit in her mouth and warm it before swallowing.

"But the fact is all the alternatives are simply boring. Can you understand that?"

Taking it in, Lake stared at Soraya --stared right at her-- and he said nothing. A heartbeat later, he snorted out an abbreviated laugh. "Yes," he said with some relief, as if Soraya had been a tension-filled puzzle to him for all this time so far. "Yes, Starfleet offers truly unique opportunities, experiences. You can't get bored here..." Lake said. As his voice trailed off, his gaze cut away, searching for something wistful. "Although I do wonder if I would have been happier," he said, "as a bartender."

Laying his hands on a wooden box, Lake dragged it towards himself and he opened the top. He withdrew what looked like a stack of tarot cards from within and he proffered them to Soraya. "Shuffle the deck," he said. "Let's see what the cards have to say, and meditate on what it means to you to be here now..."


[OFF]

Lieutenant Lake ir-Llantrisant
Chief Counselor
USS Galileo-A

(and Soraya Rezvani)

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