Lieutenant JG Meris: Having the Discipline to Pause
Meris/Brian
((Inside Ero’doth Temple, Gathering Area, Sonoe))
The aftermath of the body swap was less frightening for what the temple had done than for how close fear and confusion had pushed the team toward harming one another. Watching Taj’el struggle under the weight of unfamiliar emotions forced Meris to confront the limits of logic alone and to slow down instead of repeating old mistakes born from urgency. Choosing to stay and investigate felt risky, but it was grounded in a growing sense of responsibility for the people involved, not just the problem itself. Establishing ground rules and creating space was not retreat, but the first real step toward regaining control in a situation that demanded patience, care, and trust.
That fragile sense of order barely had time to settle before Meris heard Saa’s raised voice echo down the length of the chamber.
The pilot stiffened, instinct taking over as they turned and broke into a jog, urging the Intelligence Officer beside them to keep pace.
Taj’el (as Saa): Meris medical bag! I had it before we passed out!
Alarm spiked sharply as Meris closed the distance. Saa, in their body, looked unwell, and that alone was enough to set their nerves on edge. Their gaze flicked briefly toward the entrance of the gathering area, remembering that Taj’el had been closest to it when they had all been knocked unconscious.
Meris (as Więcek): ::to Więcek as Taj’el:: Find the medical kit!
Więcek (as Taj’el): Response
Meris scrambled up the stairs and across the tiered seating, eyes sweeping left and right in quick, methodical passes. If there was any upside to being in Aleks Więcek’s body, it was the longer stride and added reach. They covered ground quickly… just not productively. They saw nothing.
Behind them, the Vulcan in a Betazoid's body managed to scoop up the creature.
Taj’el (as Saa): Ha! I got it! ::beat:: Commander! How do you feel?
Meris spun back toward the others wondering how wise it was for their Doctor to have done that.
Meris (as Więcek): ::to Więcek as Taj’el:: Do you see the kit?
Więcek (as Taj’el)/Saa (as Meris): Response
Relief loosened the tight knot in Meris’s chest as Więcek indicated they had found the medical kit. The pilot turned back toward the group just as their Doctor, in Saa’s body, rejoined them with the spider cupped in their hands.
Taj’el (as Saa): Need… um… sample from creature medical file on Saa… wait Meris. Meris’s physical body… wait my PADD stuck translating. ::they looked for Saa’s PADD::
Panic crept into Taj’el’s voice, sharp and uneven. Meris closed the last step between them and gently but firmly took them by the shoulders.
Meris (as Więcek): Slow down. Take a breath.
They waited, counting silently until their friends breathing steadied, then they released them and knelt beside the medical kit as Więcek handed it over. Meris opened it quickly, movements practiced and sure despite being in the wrong body. A biohazard containment bag came out first. They soaked two cotton balls with chloroform, dropped them inside the bag, and then held it open towards the Betazoid.
Meris (as Więcek): Put the spider in here.
Once the creature was secured, Meris sealed the bag and handed it to Więcek.
Więcek (as Taj’el)/Saa (as Meris): Response
Taj’el (as Saa): So-sorry, should I not use your PADD? Can you tell me what you are feeling? We need to tie off the arm if it’s venomous. ::speaking a bit fast and breathless::
Saa (as Meris): Response
Meris was already reaching back into the kit as Taj’el spoke. They withdrew a tourniquet and shifted closer to their own body, the dissonance of it sending a faint shiver through them. They took Saa’s arm gently, positioning it before tightening the band with careful precision. As they did, a flicker of sensation slid sideways through their awareness - not their own. Fear, sharp and intimate, surged briefly up their arm, paired with a dull throb of pain that was not actually being felt through their hands. For a heartbeat, their chest tightened as if it were their arm bound beneath the strap, and they had to consciously remind themself to breathe.
oO That’s not mine… stay focused. Oo
They kept their grip steady anyway, jaw tightening just a fraction as they forced the feeling back down where it belonged.
Meris (as Więcek): ::to Saa (as Meris):: Sorry about this. When I walked into that cobweb, a spider must have fallen into my uniform…
Więcek (as Taj’el)/Saa (as Meris): Response
Meris swallowed down the instinctive guilt that followed. It had been an accident, they knew that logically, but emotion had a way of ignoring reason. They focused instead on the arm beneath their hands, now mottled with deep purpling beneath the tourniquet.
Meris (as Więcek): How do we determine how dangerous this is? If it injected venom, we need to know how fast it spreads and whether the tourniquet is enough.
Taj’el (as Saa)/Więcek (as Taj’el)/Saa (as Meris): Response
Meris glanced back toward the far end of the chamber, toward the flat area they had scouted earlier and the raised platform beyond it.
Meris (as Więcek): There’s a wide, flat section at the far end of the chamber. It’s stable, clear, and quiet. Perhaps we should move her there so you have more room to work. It’s the best spot I’ve seen so far.
The incongruity of referring to their own body as 'she' was not lost on the J'naii psyche that currently inhabited Aleks Więcek's body.
Taj’el (as Saa)/Więcek (as Taj’el)/Saa (as Meris): Response
((Tags/TBC))
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Lieutenant JG Meris
Helmsperson
USS Thor
A240207M14