Ens Chevalier - Calmness in the eye of the storm
CPT Arianus
(( Chevalier’s room, Quarter 0712, USS Artemis-A ))
The final movement was slow, and definitely not spontaneous.
Chevalier: Like I said. If I lose attention even for a moment, he hardly listens to me.
Benny nodded in understanding. It didn't seem to Jaseb that his failure would cause him any worries.
Cliffhigh: Well, since it's a leg, not an ear I would be concerned if he did. Relax for a moment, will you let me try something?
Jaseb sank into the chair, hoping to find some relief from the whirlwind of thoughts racing through his mind and the muscle tension gripping his chest.
Chevalier: I will try…
Cliffhigh: It is very common to be eager to walk back again. And to take time adjusting to the prosthetic. Close your eyes and let me move your knee a few times. If you feel any pain, let me know.
Chevalier closed his eyes and focused on himself, on the center of himself, the point of calmness and tranquility in the center of the tumultuous emotional storm.
Chevalier: I’m ready…
Benny slowly lifted his leg and caught it above the knee, lowering it down at the same pace before straightening it out—once, twice, third, and fourth times. Ensign focused intently on the electrical impulses coursing through his body and transmitting to his brain, traveling along the intricate pathways of his neurons until they reached the core where he hid from the storm.
Cliffhigh: Keep your eyes closed as I move it. Don’t try and move it yourself, I want you to feel it moving. Once you do, then try and keep the motion exactly as I am doing it.
Jaseb's mind floated in the waves of the silence of his own thoughts. He didn't listen to them. He let them go. He concentrated on the wind of impulse that rested against the sail of his neuron. He tried to set them in the wind, capture the momentum, and understand.
His leg, straightened up, began to push strongly against Benny's hand. After a while, the pressure eased, and he surrendered to his hands. The knee creaked slightly, and the electric motors roared to life in an attempt to respond.
Jaseb's leg, the part below the knee, sank slowly. When her heel touched the floor, she rested on it for a moment, as if enjoying the feeling of embrace and success. And then, just as she went down, she straightened up.
Chevalier opened his eyes and smiled at Benny.
Chevalier: Did I make it? Did a leg move?
Cliffhigh: Response