Airing Concerns
Posted on Sat Oct 25th, 2025 @ 7:14pm by Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble & Lieutenant Mira Jayna & Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhara Rynn
Edited on on Sat Oct 25th, 2025 @ 7:24pm
1,919 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Episode 17 - Going Home
Location: Sickbay - Deck 5 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD003 1000 hrs.
Zhara was still concerned about Vura, but with everything going on around the Silence, she didn't think it the right time to voice them. However, now that everyone was back on the ship and the colonel was recovering in sickbay, she decided this was the best time to talk to the first officer.
She chose to bring Sophia with her as the dog liked to do her own rounds, visiting patients and sitting by them or letting them pet her. As the two entered, Sophia went off to say hello to some of the wounded while Zhara went to see the colonel.
She found Jayna sitting by his biobed. "Is the colonel awake?"
There was a twinkle in Jayna's eye as she turned to Neil and said. "Are you awake?"
"No," Neil murmured, keeping his eyes closed. Prying one eye open he glanced at his still missing leg and said, "I also can't run away."
"I'm sorry you were injured," Zhara replied. "But I'm glad everyone came back. I...wanted to talk to you a moment about Commander Vura."
Jayna squeezed Neil's hand. "Want me to step away?"
Neil considered that, then decided he didn't need to make that particular decision and opened the other eye and looked at Zhara. "I don't know. Do I want Jayna to step away, Counselor?"
"I don't think anything I have to say will be a surprise to her," Zhara admitted.
Jayna nodded. "Probably not."
Grunting, Neil debated pushing himself up further in the bed but decided the discomfort wasn't worth Jayna moving her hand. Instead, he said, "Rommie. Activate your Hush Field generator and disable all recording devices for this room. Authorization code Zulu Two Seven Zero. Also seal and dog that hatch."
"Aye, aye, sir," Rommie's voice sounded but the AI didn't appear. Instead, a loud hum resonated then thrummed and went quiet as the door to Neil's room cycled. Then Rommie, in AI-in white and black german shepherd form materialized and lay down in front of the door.
After four heartbeats and a low woof sounded, Neil nodded to Zhara, "Ok, Zhara. Vent your spleen."
"Before we knew about the Silence and many of the crew were experiencing nightmares, Vura asked me in for a departmental evaluation. During our discussion, I asked her how she was doing." Zhara paused. "She deflected the question and said she was fine. That if she needed help, she would ask for it. But I noticed she was under some of the same stress I felt from other crew members. I'm an empath, sir, so I pick up on emotions. When I asked her again in a different way, she got irritated. Then she seemed to think I was after her job. I know some of it was because of the nightmares from the crew, but I don't think all of it can be attributed to the effects of the Silence. She says she has a counselor, but I know there's more going on that she won't discuss, and I wonder if she's actually talking to someone or not."
Neil listened as the words spilled out of the counselor and forced himself not to sigh.
"So," Neil said, "What you're saying is that you're concerned for Lieutenant Vura's mental state. Based on the reports from Commander Maren, could some of this be attributed to the Silences effects on the crew? She has her own form of telepathic feels."
"Some of it is, yes," Zhara admitted. "But I do not feel that it's entirely due to the current situation. I feel this has been building for a while."
Jayna nodded. "I think some of it has to do with Edmund Merrick." She glanced down at Neil. "Just my observation. I do wander around the ship a lot."
Neil met Jayna's eyes in acknowledgement and then looked back to the counselor. Without thinking, he reached down to itch a calf that wasn't there anymore and eased back, irritated at himself. "Lieutenant..." he paused for a moment then amended, "If I may...Zhara...in your professional opinion, does she pose a risk to the ship, the crew or herself?"
"A risk? No. Do I think she is in the best frame of mind to help some of the crew?" Zhara glanced at Jayna. "No. I would classify her as a concern rather than a risk. She needs to talk to someone, and she won't talk to me. I don't know if she's even spoken to Lieutenant Zano."
Smiling slightly, Neil said, "Putting it another way because needs must, could you put that into an official report or aren't we there yet?"
"I don't think we're there yet, but only because most of what I have is hearsay. But if I do get something official, I will file a report." Zhara knew that hearsay was as reliable as the paper it was written on.
"Right," Neil said, "And if I go talk to her, I'm likely to get into a pissing match. But, that might be what it takes."
Rubbing at one eye and feeling gunk Neil asked, "Off the record. Are you getting vibes of low to no confidence in Vura from among the crew? How many are feeling the same, if you can quantify it?"
"I don't see most of the crew," Zhara admitted. "But of those I see, half love her and half aren't sure what to think of her. There are only a few who have significant problems with her. I have two people who come to me because they won't go to her."
"One is me," Jayna admitted quietly.
Nodding, Neil could feel a headache building behind the same eye and said, "And there's the twitch." Looking Zhara in the eye, he said, "I hear what you're saying and tend to agree that Vura may some issues that haven't been resolved. I will have a quiet word with the Captain. Perhaps the best we can do for now is keep an eye on her and do her best to help her."
Zhara relaxed. "Thank you. That's what I was hoping you'd say."
Sophia came over to them and sat beside the biobed, looking at Neil. "She wants to know if you need her, sir. She's a therapy dog," Zhara said quietly. "She's offering comfort."
Considering the canine, then the counselor, Neil reached out to ruffle the dog's ears and said, "Honestly, I don't know how to feel about losing the leg, Counselor. I'll either get a regrown leg or a synthetic. The meds I'm on are keeping away any phantom pains."
Then he glanced at Jayna and said, "I'm told a one legged marine can always transfer into the fleet and become an Admiral."
"A headless Marine can do that, too," she quipped back. "But don't give the general another reason to promote you to a desk job just yet." She knew that Neil wasn't ready to be pulled from the field--if he ever would be.
"Have you decided what you'd prefer?" Zhara asked Neil. "A bionic leg or a natural one? I hear they're giving you the option."
"Don't know," Neil admitted. "Regrowing one seems the popular option but there's maybe a sick part of me that thinks a bionic one fits the marine look and public expectation. I'll see what O'Rourke recommends, I suppose, though whichever one gets me back to work fastest might win."
"Whichever one gives you less trouble over time," Jayna said. "You don't need to deal with future aches and pains if you don't have to."
Smiling slightly, Neil said, "A wise man once said: Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lives forever." Meeting Jayna's eyes he said, "My father also called them life lessons. We're meant to carry some pain with us, so I'll settle for what I can live with. I also need something that's un-hackable by bad actors and won't cause flags when scanned by routine security sweeps. Gonna need a stealth leg..."
"I'll leave you two to decide that," Zhara said. "Thank you for your time, colonel." She waved at Jayna and headed for the door.
"A stealth leg could be interesting. You could do all sorts of things with that," Jayna said, smiling. "Have you decided on a bionic leg, then?"
"Rommie," Neil said as Zhara neared the door. "As you were."
At that phrasing, the AI's guard form dematerialized (un-dogging the hatch) and all the safety protocols on the room lifted. After the door cycled close at the counselor's exit, Neil considered. "I don't know, it really doesn't matter I suppose." Glancing at Jayna, he asked, "What do you think?"
"I want you to have two legs that function as they should," she replied, kissing him. "I can see benefits to both. A human leg would let you do everything you did before. You could even get your old scar back. On the other hand, a bionic leg could let you carry an AI with you everywhere. You'd need no contact lenses or HUDs. You could also have your own personal comms in there as well. The new leg will have to be a lot like your real leg, but there are some things you could add. So, it really comes down to what you want. I'm just happy you're alive."
Taking her fingers and kissing them, Neil replied "You forget. I already have a comm repeater just forward of the Tragus." He touched a spot near the top of the jaw on his left side. "And the benefit of the contact is I can take it out and leave it behind." Grinning, he said, "Which is a good thing. Otherwise, that calendar of you on Risa would have been more..." Failing to find a word he liked, he just let a smirk touch his lips and said. "Well. More."
"Then there would have been one calendar only because you are the only one allowed to have those images," she teased. Then she leaned closer and whispered, "When you get out of here, I might even pose for you."
Grinning nearer her lips, Neil made a point of looking past at the sealed again hatch and said, "Well. It does seem a shame to waist this semi-private room."
"It's the semi that concerns me," she teased. "And I don't want to hurt you." She put her hand on his chest and leaned in for a long, slow kiss.
Wrapping his arms around her, Neil hoisted her up onto the bed with him as they kissed. When they both came up for air a few minutes later he said. "Hurt me? Well, that sounds interesting...exactly what did you have in mind?"
A slow smile spread across her face... "Nothing too strenuous. You're supposed to be resting."
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Mira Jayna
Intelligence Officer, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble
Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
Battalion Commander, The Cure
Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhara Rynn
Counselor, USS Pioneer
Sofia
Therapy Dog, USS Pioneer
Staff Warrant Officer Rommie;
Artificial Intelligence, The Cure;
USS Pioneer;
RSS Feed