Lieutenant Hallia Yellir - Lacking Resmorse
Ryan Fender
((Sickbay, Deck 07 — USS Artemis-A))
Yellir: More or less fine… but after the incident in Engineering there was a.. recurring nightmare that I ran into for a while.
Fleeting images and sounds were all that came to mind— but for a nightmare of all things they seemed all too vivid. Of course, there were some nights when she had found herself free from such restless sleep, but others, Hallia was back in that house. Not entirely alone, next to that abandoned dinner table.
Something about it was always familiar when she went there. But it seemed like any other house.
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?
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…
The moment before the Tricorder’s data ran through, she was unusually attentive— gnawing at her cheek in anticipation. But upon hearing that everything seemed normal, she gritted her teeth behind closed lips. Even now, a point had passed where she had grown beyond remorse. The part of her that wished she hadn’t granted that moment of mercy infested the memory, to the point where her heart would thrum even in her own workspace. Even Dakora’s face— the real Dakora, would be enough to make her heart sink.
The Yelikan’s eyes closed as her hands were brought forward. They rested in her lap as one leg folded onto the other.
Yellir: In moments such as these, I defer to your professional opinion.
Hallia’s tone was unusually chipper, at least that she could control.
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: ::nodding:: Yes. It started after the incursion from the other us.
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?
Even though she spoke beneath her wounded pride, Hallia denied the request with a raise of a hand.
Yellir: No no— it’s manageable, for now. However, If it worsens, I would happily seek guidance on such a prescription.
Her eyes drifted throughout the room and then back to Doctor Sadar— with her eyes falling on the, now Lieutenant’s, collar. She bit down on the inside of her lip, almost reminding herself of the earlier slip-up.
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: No. I suppose I haven’t quite had the time for it. Although, I wouldn’t want to add to their workload— they might be busy given the recent crises we’ve endured.
The thought of going to see a counsellor was a looming one— she hadn’t seen one ever since Sirin was ship’s counsellor, back then it was comforting to know for sure that there was a friend in that office.
Sadar: Response?
Yellir: In that case— would it be too much trouble ask for a referral, Lieutenant?
Sadar: Response?
TAG/TBC
_____________________
Lieutenant Hallia Yellir
Chief Engineer
USS Artemis-A
G239409EK0