[Paradise-IV] 961202.02 Anchors and Sanity PL - Cmdr T. Blake, XO

[Paradise-IV Logs]

[Blake Family Quarters]

 

After the meeting Toby had spent no time in lingering about, people’s reactions their behaviors his own reactions in the meeting, gave him some ideas. He nearly walked into the door he was moving so fast and it was going so slow, or so it seemed, and got into his quarters, he started to strip out of the blue uniform before he even got to the bedroom and the storage chest that held the red uniforms he’d arrived with.

 

He dug a uniform out and ran his hand over the red, he could still feel a sense of his nightmare self an echo it seemed, or perhaps a flaw as a result of too much conscious contact, he could also feel the echo cringe back away from the symbol of power and command that he held at the moment. He quickly put the new uniform on, and took the pips off one collar to place them on this collar with a sense of relief, a sense of calm. He moved to splash a little water on his face and straighten his hair and noticed that his hands were steady once more, and he no longer felt so… disjointed. He removed the clip holding his hair, and brushed it out and gathered it at the nape of his neck once more before refastening the silver clasp. Then he stood straight and straightened the uniform jacket. Two tone blue eyes looked back at him, and there was something else slightly different about his features, something more about the eyes that he couldn’t quite place, but he was, once again, Commander Tobias Blake and he was the First Officer of this facility.

 

Out of the bedroom he stepped and mentally called to Ali Saffie, encouraging the sapphire fairy lizard to curl around his neck like some fancy collar reaching up to pet her head before he started looking through his and his wife’s, as yet, unpacked things for the papers and texts that had come to mind. Then he began to read and take notes, often reaching up to pet Ali, and he had himself a half cup of his wife’s precious dwindling coffee supply as he worked. The more he read, the more he researched the more he was convinced that he had found something to help keep the crew from losing themselves. Anchors, they needed something to anchor them to this reality.

 

He took the time to write up the release, then with Ali still firmly around his neck and doing her collar/necklace impersonation, beautiful deep and iridescent sapphire hues against the black and red of his uniform top, he made his way back to Command, where he snagged several people, “Make sure this gets out to everyone, immediately if not sooner.” He looked around, “And someone tell me what is going on with Jobel Andil. As well if there have been any incidents among the civilian population.”

 

He didn’t want to spend any more time in the captain’s office than necessary, but his office was not yet ready though he could see them working on it, so he moved over to the officer of the day’s duty station, and exercised command prerogative to take it over and read reports and see what else was happening. Meanwhile his orders were carried out, and by computer, coms and word of mouth the following went out to all personnel and many civilians as well.

 

“During this current crisis, it is advised that all personnel find themselves an anchor. By an anchor it is meant that you find something that is a symbol of you, something that, in your mind, defines you. Be this a uniform, a keepsake, an award, perhaps a childhood toy. Meditation, training, or something you were taught to do to deal with stress, panic, or worry. Perhaps a mantra you whisper to yourself before battle, or when you are terrified, perhaps a prayer to a god you believe in. Try to avoid stressful situations and extreme emotions as these will make it easier for you to lose yourselves in the nightmares. Remember first and foremost who and what you are. We are all Federation together, those of us in Starfleet are all Starfleet personnel together and Starfleet protects the Federation from all threats. Should you find yourself losing yourself or becoming disoriented remember your anchor, and report the incident to medical and science immediately.”

 

Several of the personnel in Command gave Toby strange looks as he sat there idly stroking what was obviously not a regulation decoration, and others swore that sometimes it seemed to purr or trill, and would open or close its eyes and sometimes shift its position a foot a wing, the head the tail. Yet, the Commander was calm, and he was keeping up on things and right now that meant more to them than some lizard necklace.

 

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Cmdr. Tobias “Toby” Blake

XO