The Psyche

Posted on Fri Dec 22nd, 2017 @ 2:04pm by Fleet Admiral Donatella Figueroa & Lieutenant Aeryn Vinia

Mission: S01E02 D-8 With the Devil
Location: Elba II

Captain Figueroa took a deep breath. Seeing Kelvar Garth again was not on her lists of things to do anytime soon, if ever again. Now, she was about to do it. She was about to walk into that room with the man and stare him right in the eyes and question him about the 'intel' he was claiming to have about a prototype Kilingon battlecruiser that could bring the Federation to its knees. She was not sure she believed him. The majority of Starfleet Brass sure the hell did not. That was why she was here. She was one of the very few who could not quite roll over and cover their ears with a pillow to quell his nightmarish chattering.

Doctor Hill had downright objected to any sort of truth serum. As much as Fig wanted to pump him full of such serum in order to knock down his walls and guard and drive him into a state of willing openness, she could not. She could not do it without Doctor Hill coming down hard on her. It would go against him as Chief Medical Officer and a physician. If she tried to go around him or have it done, he would protest and raise holy hell against her. In the short run, she probably could get it done and do it, but Zeke would be willing to go to war with her over it and she knew despite her being Captain...her career would go through the wringer and potentially be destroyed. It was a risk she was not willing to take.

Her chest was tightening. The anxiety was getting to her and she felt like she was going to vomit. She had several minutes until the tricorder device would be jerry-rigged together to act as a 23rd century polygraph. Not admissible in any Federation court of law, but if she could not get truth serum, she had to widen the tools available to her that Dr. Hill would permit. The Captain had convinced him to do this much as it was non invasive.

She needed some air...well air was a questionable term or expression in this case as going 'outside' would kill anyone in a matter of seconds or minutes depending on the species. Instead, she proceeded into a longue room. It was small and had several plants about to help give that nice oxygen feel to it. It was there that she saw another woman. "Oh I'm sorry" she said to the other woman. "I did not think anyone would be in here" she explained.

There was something in the tone of the apology that had Aeryn on her feet, to look at the newcomer. She was pale and trembling, with a faint hint of green to her complexion. Opening a drawer she drew a microfiber cloth out of it, and dipped it into the tiny desktop fountain which held filtered water. Wringing it out she approached the Captain. "Please sit Captain."

Fig let out a heavy sigh. “Thank you” she said as she approached an empty seat and slipped right down into it. “I guess this place isn’t quite the same in person as it is in the brochures” teased the Captain. “No offense intended” she added. “I think the medical staff here is wonderful. I just wasn’t prepared for the emotional drain when you walk through the door” explained Fig.

"You still look a little green." She asked softly as she pressed the cool cloth onto the back of her neck. "Are you sure youre alright?"

The Captain let out a heavy sigh. “I’m a Starfleet Captain, we are never alright, but we Fake it well enough and pretend to be to convince ourselves that we are” she replied scoffing at her response. “I’m here to see one of the patients...Garth” she said looking at the woman. “We were close once” she added.

"No need for masks and deception here captain. " Aeryn said softly, hoping that the woman might choose to unburden herself. The psychological aspect to care was a part of her training, which she found especially useful here at this facility. It was more than a bit concerning to see a Captain say that those in the command eschelons were never alright.

Fig raised a brow and scoffed. "Alright, mask lowering" she replied as she looked at the woman and 'seized her up' a bit. She looked interesting. Her hair was blue, but that did not take away from her looking professional and confident. "He was my former Commanding Officer. I was his First Officer...a while back. Things became more complicated and it was decided that I would not be doing either of us any justice by staying. I needed to keep my career alive. We became involved romantically. For a time we were even engaged to be wed, but that all came to an end when he....well, when he killed two of his crew and ended up here" she said sharing the full scoop.

"That does complicate things certainly. I cant imagine that you want to be here. It must be terribly important to subject yourself to such an emotional rollercoaster."

The Captain took a deep breath and looked at the nurse. "He claims to have information that could jeopardize the safety of the Federation. The problem is given its messenger, Starfleet Command is not inclined to believe him nor bother to listen. I could not sleep soundly at night knowing that what information he has may actually carry merit."

"What does he want in return for the information he possesses?" Aeryn asked as she watched the Captain before her. It wasn't the first time she'd seen someone at the edges of a anxiety attack and was fascinated watching this woman regain her control of herself and her visible emotional state.

Donatella looked at the nurse. She was frozen for a moment, trapped by the ensnaring of memories. Her pause was probably more telling than anything she could have said initially. Though she slowly but surely returned to the here and now. "Nothing" she said almost eerily. "He wants nothing. He has made no demands at all. No requests for a facility transfer...no request for a better room. Hell, he hasn't even asked for a fluffier pillow" she added. The realization hit her. "He hasn't asked for anything except to be heard" she said raising a brow of suspicion. Perhaps this information is true she thought nervously.

"Now that is interesting" came the comment from the nurse who continued to watch her for signs of increased anxiety. "Do you want someone to go with you when you go to see him? I know you won't be deterred from doing this personally."

The Captain sighed "I do have to see to this personally" she replied. "My Chief Medical Officer objected to the use of any sort of truth serum. We were able to meet one another at an ethical level. He agreed that a polygraph would be acceptable by use of a modified tricorder and monitoring Captain Garth's life signs. As a medical professional and one who knows this patient. Do you believe it justified to administer a polygraph and psychologically will the results be reliable?" Fig asked.

"I believe they can, in subjects where lying isn't a pathology. For human subjects its more effective because we know what the physiological symptoms of lying are. I would think, that a tricorder assessment would not harm him in any way, and honestly were it me, I wouldn't even tell him." she shrugged "You don't lie, if you don't know you're being monitored. Do a vidrecording and have the tricorder somewhere, unseen."

Fig smirked "Like a duck blind" she said thinking back to the times her father used to take her out hunting. It was a rather barbaric practice from ancient Earth that used to be simply a means of providing food for one's family, sometimes fur and bones for trading or creating clothing and tools. Eventually it became rather distasteful and was used as a means of 'sport' before it was eventually phased out over the years almost entirely. However, her father took her to a few places where it was allowed within reason. Though Fig was never a fan of taking an animal's life. She appreciated learning old survival tricks and traits.

Coming back to the here and now, she looked at the woman. "Something that can allow some of my people to see him without him seeing them. Perhaps we can place him into a room that can be observed from the outside, but that he cannot see out of. My people can take the scans they need while we question him" explained Fig. "I would like you there in the room with Garth. He may respond better with familiar medical staff present."

"My pleasure sir." she paused a moment and toyed with a lock of blue hair before continuing "If i might suggest we take him to Therapy 2. He's been there enough times to not think anything of it, and it has the observation area already built in."

The Captain nodded in agreement. “Therapy 2 it is then. My helmsmen will be joining us.”