Alone with their Thoughts

Posted on 16 Feb 2019 @ 7:23am by Lieutenant Lake ir-Llantrisant & EMH Mark X-C "Shirley" & Verity Thorne & LuAnn Lovegood PhD

2,096 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 7, Arboretum
Timeline: MD -30, 0230 hours

[ON]

The holographic night sky was an artifice, and yet those pinpricks of starlight in the dark brought a welcome change. The duranium overheads and lighting panels above every other compartment in Galileo brought with them an air of monotony, otherwise. Striding into the arboretum, Lake ir-Llantrisant looked up, just in time to catch a glimpse of an aurora borealis, shimmering streamers in the forced-perspective distance. The sky may have been artificial, but the scent of greenery and the hum of insects was real enough; they permeated Lake’s senses as he walked deeper into the large compartment. He had booked the arboretum for an hour, craving a bit of privacy for a post-midnight stroll with the counselling team. As he approached the duck pond, Lake could see the others were waiting for him.

“Good evening,” he said.

Verity Thorne smiled warmly when he saw him, shifting slightly to sit back a little more comfortably. "I like the meeting spot," he greeted him with a tilt of the head in his direction. "I think all meetings would be improved by being here. If they become dull they can be turned into a picnic."

Smirking tartly at the suggestion, Lake replied, "Rank hath its privileges." --He shrugged to communicate how little he cared if it sounded like an abuse of authority-- "I'm sure a scientist's mate could be influenced to pack us cream tarts and a pot of tea the next time we meet here," Lake said. Certainly, the late hour gave them more flexibility to use the space, but also Lake wanted to respect that once of them was always always on duty at this hour.

LuAnn walked in, barefoot an wearing a flowing dress in midnight blue. "Hello. What a lovely place to meet." She smiled at the two men.

In contrast to the ease LuAnn displayed in walking through this environment, Shirley came bounding out from her hiding spot behind a tree like a colt on new legs. Although the Emergency Medical Hologram's uniform gave her lithe form a muted appearance, her pixie-cut red hair was a shade that resembled radioactivity. In a deep voice, Shirley declared, "Boogie-boo," and even before she got the last syllable out, she began to laugh. "Ha ha ha, I'm so random," she said.

As she approached, Lake indicated Shirley with a wave of his hand. "I've asked the EMH to join us, given her psychiatric expertise," he said, "and the number of hours Doctor Allyndra has kept her active, to support physical examination and training among the Sickbay team." --Looking to each of them, one by one, Lake explained-- "I've asked you all here, together, because I'm curious about your experiences of our crew morale, of late."

LuAnn smiled at the EMH. "Yes, it's been interesting." She waved a hand around. "I like to spend time here, so I've seen a number of the scientists. They're busy enough, but they've become more reclusive. I see them here and around their department, but not so much around the ship. Medical doesn't seem to be faring much better." She looked to the EMH for more information.

Bobbing her head from side to side, Shirley considered LuAnn’s question. It took her longer to answer than it might have done if Shirley had been asked to diagnose a specific medic, or to assess epidemiological risks to the crew. “I don’t see what happens behind closed doors, after hours,” Shirley said, “but Sickbay has felt... heavier since Tuula left the ship. My colleagues come, and they serve their duty, and... and there’s not much else?”

"It's depressing," LuAnn agreed. She looked at Lake and then smiled. "Maybe you should throw another party?"

Lake smiled a thin smile at that. "I find it hard to celebrate under the shadow of a colony gone deathly silent," he said, shrugging mildly. Lake looked to each of them hopefully, asking, "What have you all been hearing about the crew's needs? Are they craving a venue to dance and blow off steam?"

"They need to blow off something," LuAnn replied. "To release the stress of ennui."

"Or just have something new to focus on," Verity suggested quietly, shaking his head with a frown as he rested back on his hands. "The activity groups were fine to start, but as they just became another piece of the same monotonous weekly routine, they lost some of their effect. It always happens when people are caught in the same endless circle of a routine with no new stimuli for relief. They become despondent...the more despondent they become, the more lethargic they feel...the more lethargic they feel, the less motivation and energy they have to actively find something to do...so they stay in their quarters and stare at a screen or into a glass, which makes them even more despondent and lethargic and the whole circle starts again..."

LuAnn nodded. "I've noticed more people hooking up, which is good for now, but may lead to problems down the road if the liaisons prove to be temporary."

Scrunching his face up in mild confusion, Lake frowned at LuAnn. "Is that--" he asked, "Is that what your moonlight strolls are about? Swinging?"

"No. They're about getting back to nature," she assured him. "But when you spend time in the arboretum and lounge areas, you see and hear things."

"That could be another symptom of our current state," Verity warned lightly, shaking his head. "Rumours. Boredom sparks a whole host of fake rumours. Gossiping is entertainment in the face of monotony," he shrugged gently, looking to Lake with a slight frown. "It can also...intensify problems. Without the distraction of challenges and variety in day to day life, people are left alone with their thoughts. It's easier to dwell on difficult feelings and events when you have nothing else to focus on," he glanced down, sighing as he rubbed his forehead. He was worried, and he wasn't very good at hiding it.

LuAnn nodded in agreement. "What worries you the most?" she asked.

"That people won't come to us for help if they need it," Verity replied bluntly, shaking his head as he let his hand drop.

"Yes. There's always that." LuAnn frowned. Even after centuries of information on the psyche and how to keep it healthy, there was still a stigma about talking to a counselor.

"Speaking of which," Lake said in a pointed interjection, "I feel more responsible for the two of you than most of the rest of the crew." He folded his arms over his abdomen --guarding himself-- preparing for the worst case scenario. Looking each of them in the eye for a moment, Lake asked, "How would you describe your own morale?"

"Better than yours," LuAnn replied blithely.

Lake frowned, and it was an expression with a little mirth. "That's not a very high bar."

LuAnn smiled. "True." She had her walks in the arboretum--if not the freedom to take a moonlight swim. With fewer people using the holodeck, she'd settled for that. But with the number of crew hooking up and breaking up, she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad one.

Verity glanced to LuAnn with a half smile, shaking his head lightly as he looked back to Lake. "I'm...." he hesitated. Unsure whether he should also be carefree about it, or honest. "I'm tired," he finally replied, shaking his head gently. "It'll pass, we just need to...arrive," it was the best way he could put it. "I'm lucky, I share with my other half. I can't tell you how many people have talked about the arguments they're getting into with their roommates. Cooped up with them this long with so few distractions...."

Ignoring the change in topic to the crew, Lake interjected with a question about the first thing Verity had said. He stared at Verity, unblinkingly, focused on where his curiosity was pointed. "What would you say," Lake asked, "is demanding most of your energy?"

"Worrying, most likely," Verity laughed softly at himself, shaking his head as he rubbed the back of his neck. "We have professional, skilled people here, I know they'll be okay, I just don't like seeing them so...on edge."

"That does sound particularly exhausting," Lake said, affirming Verity with a heavy. "It's got to be the number one occupational hazard in our field," Lake said, and when he had a second thought, he added, "On a Starfleet starship, at least." Looking back to LuAnn, Lake prodded, "You haven't said much. ...That's not like you. How're your energy reserves?"

"Fair. Everyone else's emotions are wearing on me," LuAnn admitted.

Lake chewed on his lower lip, as he considered LuAnn's words. He took a step back, rubbing the back of his neck. "We can't be on empty before we even truly start our tour of duty," he remarked. "It's like they say, we can't help others unless we help ourselves." --Lake looked to each of them, an expectant look in his eyes-- "Best to face it directly, really. What would you say you need?" Lake asked, "To slow down the drain or to recharge you properly?"

"We can only do so much to slow the drain, but a good recharge will give us the momentum we need to get through the next few weeks," LuAnn said, giving him an answer that was vague enough to let him come up with something.

"Back home, I would have organised a charity event in this kind of situation," Verity shrugged lightly with a slight frown. "Maybe some kind of fete with stalls, or a concert. Doing something for someone else both helps to make you feel a bit better about yourself and gets things back into perspective about your own circumstances. Plus, whoever we were giving to also gained from it, so win win. Unfortunately, I don't see how that can help out here in the middle of nowhere."

Planting himself on a park bench, Lake folded his left ankle over his right knee and lay his palms to rest on his leg. "There's always a way," Lake said. The words came out slowly as he parsed Verity's meaning and struggled to piece together the beginning whispers of a plan. "If we take your charity fete as a metaphor," Lake said, "what would you say our crew is starving for right now? What do they need that can't be provided by a replicator?"

"Something to bring everyone together," LuAnn said. "A cause, a competition, an event. Something that will get people to think of someone or something other than the monotony of the current routine." A smile began to spread across her face. "We do have children on the ship."

Verity considered it, looking between them for a long moment. "A reason to go through the 'front door', away from staring at the four walls. Something other than themselves to worry about."

"That's likely to happen when we reach our destination," LuAnn said. "But how can we engage them before then?"

"Really though," Lake said, and he shrugged helplessly, "we don't have to solve this by sunrise." --He slowly rose from the bench-- "Let's keep our ears open and keep talking about this. Inspiration will come," Lake said, "perhaps a competition that pits department against department, to use some rivalry as fuel."

"Yes," LuAnn said. "A little departmental competition could be a good thing. I'll let you both know if I think of anything specific."

"Agreed," chimed in Shirley. She nodded heavily. "Maybe a competition involving pies, or puppies," she said, basically listing off things a lot of humans liked, "or pillow-fights, or pornography."

LuAnn looked at the EMH. She couldn't help commenting. "Pornographic pillow fights? That could be quite popular."

"Yes!" Shirley chimed in excitedly, and she waved her hands in the air for emphasis. "Exactly that."

"Hm," Lake said and he breathed out through his nose. He frowned and his eyes darted about in consideration. Then he shrugged, and he said, "I'll propose it to the Captain. A pornographic pillow fight tournament elimination showdown!"

Verity shook his head slowly as he covered his eyes with a hand, letting out a long, tired, disbelieving, regretful breath. What had his life become?


[OFF]

Lieutenant Lake ir-Llantrisant
Chief Counselor
USS Galileo-A

Mark X-C (aka Shirley)
Emergency Medical Hologram
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC ir-Llantrisant]

LuAnn Lovegood
Counselor
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Sandoval]

Verity Thorne
Chaplain
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Blake]

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