LtJG Gila Sadar - Blockheads and Night Phantoms
Gila Sadar
((Primary Sickbay - Deck 7, USS Artemis-A ))
Was this Lieutenant obtuse? Situationally dense? Was Yellikan society incapable of reading the atmosphere, or were they just simply so completely uninterested in the concept of decorum that there was no cause for the Lieutenant to catch onto the marginal lack of reverence with which Gila treated her?
No, wait. Blockheaded.
That was the word Gila needed. Lieutenant Yellir was a blockhead, only logical explanation.
Sadar: S-So, Lieutenant, any specific health concerns? Between being held hostage in Main Engineering, retaking the Artemis from Jem’Hadar and getting into a firefight with a Betazed warship, you’ve seen a lot of ::hesistant pause:: conflict in the recent past. Must’ve been… An overwhelming couple of months…
Lieutenant Yellir’s head tilted slightly to the side, as she considered Gila’s invasive query.
Yellir: I appreciate the concern— but my cortisol levels are thankfully normal. With the coolant leak finally prepared.
Gila blinked. Coolant leak? Realizing that the Lieutenant was referring to the firefight that had occurred near the Artemis’ warp core - an extremely disconcerting and downright outrageous concept - Gila nodded.
Another notch in the ‘blockhead’ theory. Firefight by the Warp Core… Ludicrous.
Sadar: Of course, but even if the events didn’t take place in this reality, the memories and experiences could be enough to trigger psychosomatic symptoms. Phantom pains, nightmares… Loss of memory.
oO I CANNOT POSSIBLY BE MORE CLEAR THAN THIS! Oo
The Lieutenant grimaced before leaning back on her hands. She cast her mind backwards, and Gila felt like she was a child, watching with great interest how a hatching Matasha (similar in appearance to a cross between the Sol ‘butterfly’ and ‘dragonfly’) broke free of its pupae casing. Surely this was the moment when this dreadful business could be concluded?
Gila felt excitement as the Lieutenant’s eyes fluttered open, a realization setting in... Only for every ounce of pent-up energy to escape her in a slight sigh, alongside any hope she’d had of reaching an appropriate conversational frame.
Yellir: More or less fine… but after the incident in Engineering there was a.. recurring nightmare that I ran into for a while.
Sadar: Oh… I-I’m, uhh, pleased to hear that, Sir… ::awkward pause:: I-I’ll start with a neurological scan. It’s not yet ascertained whether time travel or dimension-hopping has a specific effect on the neurological health of species living on linear time, but… Never be too careful.
Yellir: Do you think it could be something like sensory aphasia, Doctor? There are some cases of time travel causing brain damage — do you think that might be a symptom?
oO Well, something’s certainly- No, nope, nuh-uh, there are telepaths on board. Oo
Sadar: I-It’s possible, but it’s also reasonable to think of it as your mind attempting to come to terms with a rather… Challenging and uniquely traumatic incident. ::thinks as she reads the tricorder’s data:: Your scans are coming out as normal…
Considering the conundrum before her, Gila must’ve let some of her concern or doubt appear on her face - not the first time one of her crew had been able to read her face like an open book, regardless of whether they possessed telepathic abilities or no - for the Lieutenant seemed to want to comfort her.
Which was paradoxical, considering the utter lack of helpful amendments to her own lack of decorum the Lieutenant had shown thus far.
Yellir: In moments such as these, I defer to your professional opinion.
Sadar: This recurring nightmare you say you’ve experienced. It is one you have seen prior? ::pause:: And in days not directly preceded by an encounter with a time-obsessed Q?
Yellir: Response
Sadar: Hmm... Unfortunately, as I’m sure you’re aware, there’s no cure for night phantoms. If it’s a severe impediment in your sleep schedule, I can prescribe you something that will help you reach REM sleep without the interference?
Yellir: Response
Sadar: ::nods in agreement:: Unfortunately, in terms of the nightmares themselves, it’s likely not a medical issue, but a psychological one. Your brain trying to tell you something, for instance. Have you addressed them with a counselor before?
Yellir: Response
Tags/TBC
LtJG Gila Sadar
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1