[I-Arb] [JP] Reynolds & Skyfire -- Chance Encounters & Telepathic Conundrums (Part I)

[chythar skyfire]

(( USS Invicta -- Deck 7 Arboretum ))

:: CD had been here once before since launch, when he was comforting Ris after her breakup with Carter. He was awe-struck at its beauty, as long as the plants didn't try to attack him. The doctor's mind was filled with events over the last couple of days: his patients, his duties, his role in interpersonal relationships that he probably had no business interfering with in the first place, and now his role as a lieutenant commander. ::

:: Chance encounters were more common on the Invicta than they had been on the Garuda, due to the ship and crew compliment being smaller in size. It was perhaps no surprise that he found Captain Quinn Reynolds admiring the view. Something within Chythar's mind stirred, as though he wanted to get a perspective on telepathy from someone who wasn't Vulcan. Reynolds was the first one of this new crew he was asked to sense, back when he had trouble reading people who were part non-human. Since he'd passively mentioned his abilities to her, it seemed that he should elaborate, especially since she was the chief of intelligence aboard this vessel. He stopped a few feet away before he spoke. ::

Skyfire: Captain Reynolds?

::Wherever her mind had been, it had been a thousand light years from here. She startled slightly, looking over at the source of the voice.:: 

Reynolds: Hello, doctor. Something I can do for you?

Skyfire: Can you spare me a few moments? I would like to talk to you in greater detail concerning… :: He paused and hesitated over his word choice for a moment before deciding on something neutral. :: ...recent events.

Reynolds: Of course. What's on your mind?

Skyfire:  A mix of professional and personal things, in truth. :: He paused again and took a breath. :: I'll start with the most recent developments and work backwards.

Reynolds: ::Mildly,:: Whatever suits you best. I'm all ears.

:: He smirked softly at the reference to Saveron and the ears, then schooled his face to neutrality once again. Speaking of Saveron, that was where he wanted to start. ::

Skyfire: I've reviewed the proposed treatment that Dr. Saveron has submitted, and I do agree that there may not be an alternative. In addition to monitoring their vitals, I volunteer to sit with you as there was a note you wished to be nearby as it occurs.

::She hesitated before answering, starting with a slow nod and speaking with sincerity.::

Reynolds: That's very kind, thank you. ::She offered him a small, wry smile.::Though I make no promises about the quality of my company. 

Skyfire: I doubt mine will be much better. :: He paused again, assuming the practiced calm that he put into his voice. :: Which brings me to my next point, on a personal level. You recall the conversation we had a few days ago involving Ross' treatment, and I seemed surprised when you asked about how I was doing?

Reynolds: I remember.

Skyfire: When we first met last year, I couldn't get much of a read on you at all, or any non-Terran with great accuracy. According to my recent test assessment, it seems I'm now a T4/E6. I'm coping, though how well remains to be seen.

::She looked without speaking for a few moments. Thoughtful, evaluating.::

Reynolds: That's unusual, no?

:: Unusual for a Terran without some sort of reader ancestry, yes. Very much not the norm. He recalled his earlier conversation with Captain Kells on the subject, and thought back to that conversation. ::

(( Flashback -- Invicta CRR, SD 239206.27))

:: Aron leaned back in his chair, taking the old converter of Egan Manno's as he did so. He stashed it away, thinking about the best way to respond. ::

Kells: I was worried about you during the last mission. I'm afraid that you may have moved too quickly back into the full scope of your duties following what I understand was a rather traumatic assumption of some advanced telepathic powers.

:: Truth be told, the only reason why it was so incredibly painful was because Ris was recovering from a rather significant loss. When she lashed out as she did, it was a sudden burst of anger that had punched right through his shields and did actually hurt like bloody hell. ::

Skyfire: It was actually Raissa's loss of the Community that affected me as such, which caused a severe headache and made it necessary for me to take the inhibitor in the first place. The Community provided shielding that she lost when they were returned. As a result, it made my life just a wee bit more complicated for a while.

Kells: I'm no counselor, Doctor -- but I'll ask you to self-assess. How are you doing? Really?

:: That was a good question -- how was he doing? He'd met with Saveron sometime in the last twenty four hours, and gotten temporary shields he'd been studying and rebuilding for twelve. He got maybe five hours sleep at best, and was still a little coffee-deprived. He had another sip of his drink to contemplate the answer. ::

Skyfire: I'm not good at it, but honestly? I feel fine. The ambient noise level has dropped since Saveron helped me out with some shielding. If I had to take a guess at my telepathic and empathic level right now, I'd say T4/E6? :: He paused and and took a moment to gather the words to put that into Standard. :: I can read two-lobed species telepathically without contact and anyone empathically without contact.

Kells: Oh? That is ::beat:: quite a leap over the human standard.

:: And certainly more powerful than anything Aron had ever had to contend with. Now that this had happened, Aron wondered if it wasn't time to consult with Saveron and Alora both, ask them if they recalled where they'd left off years ago in the investigation of his experimental weak telepathy. He hadn't really thought about it in a while -- it was barely an ability, really, no more than occasional ESP -- but it might help him better understand what Skyfire was going through if he considered his own experience. ::

Skyfire: You said you wish to know me better. Would understanding how I got these strange powers in the first place help? I don't mind explaining how it happened.

Kells: Yes, it would. If you don't mind.

:: He nodded slowly and had another sip of coffee before recounting his tale, as strange as it sounded. ::

Skyfire: For the longest time, I had been building up my mental resistance to avoid setting off the Betazoid chief of medicine I served under. I had a patient of the Dokkaran species who came to me with sensory difficulties. In preventing him collapsing to the ground, I tried to catch him in order to keep him on the bio-bed, and was successful. In that moment, our nervous systems linked and I woke up on the floor with no mental shields. When he asked me for his help, I agreed. Then our minds melded. He needed my mental resistance to overcome his problem, and somehow he lost control of it. When contact was broken, I was once again on the floor and without that mental resistance with a splitting headache. Somehow during a drug induced haze, I came to the realization I was telepathic and empathic with other humans only, no contact. Thus my last recorded rating of T2/E2. I will need to undergo a new set of scans to record my current rating.

(( End Flashback ))

TBC

====

Captain Quinn Reynolds

Director of Intelligence

USS Invicta

&

Lt. Cmdr Chythar Skyfire

Chief Medical Officer

USS Invicta