Unexpected Pleasures

Posted on Tue Jul 19th, 2011 @ 4:45pm by Lieutenant Commander Aral Aix & Lieutenant Torrna Maliya MD

Mission: Too Close for Comfort...
Location: Science Lab 1, USS Arizona
Timeline: Prior to 'The Great Unknown'

"Nose!" Aral Aix called across Science Lab 1 as he waved the Chief Medical Officer in the direction of his desk, "Come have coffee." Science Lab 1 was the largest of the Labs aboard the Arizona and it was equipped for general purpose scientific research, its capacity greatly enhanced by the vessel's integrated holographic technology. For whatever reason, the Chief Science Officer was not afforded an 'office' as such; instead he or she was allocated a sparse compartment partitioned from the main lab by a glass screen. The space was small and more or less entirely filled by a moderately sized desk and three chairs. The bulkhead behind the desk was furnished with a food replicator while the other two bulkheads were covered in large LCARS displays which defaulted to a rotational display of sensor information.

By the Dr Torrna had entered Aral's office he was applying firm but gentle pressure to a cafetiere plunger with the ball of his hand. Its metallic mesh grid slid down through the hot, thick brown liquid, Aral watched carefully as it filtered the sublime from the unpalatable. "What an unexpected pleasure."

It always brought out a chuckle in Maliya when Aral called her nose. And she was in the mood for some coffee when he'd waved her over, so she felt good. And Aix was always decent company, so sharing a coffee, seemed like a plan. As she walked over she watched him prepare the coffee with a grin in her features.

"Hey Spotty.." she returned the greeting, "Good mood today?" she asked, her blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Always." Replied Aral as he poured the coffee and handed Maylia her cup. "What brings you to the land of real science?"

She took the cup gratefully, with both hands and took a whiff, eyes closed. It smelled good. It smelled real.

"Thank you, my friend." she said, taking a sip. "Have you ever considered this as your day job?" she asked, chuckling, purposefully ignoring the 'real science' question.

Aral looked up amused, "It's basic organic chemistry."

Maliya pulled over one of the chairs and sat. "I was on a break so I decided to take a walk, familiarize myself with the ship. And then you bellowed after me." she smiled at him, scrutinizing him over the brim of her cup.

"Called." Corrected the Trill. "The Commodore bellows, I call." He picked up his own cup and settled into the chair behind his desk. "The Colonel hollers; the Major barks and you, you have a good left hook."

"Same shit, different wrapping." Maliya chuckled. "So...how are you? Now that it's been some time after ther Away Mission." she asked cautiously, which was a rarity for her.

She was wondering how he was dealing with the whole aftermath of being captured and the trauma of it. From her own experience she knew that it never NOT affected people. Spotty was a friend, and she actually liked him, so she asked. When the Counselor got here, and she was told by the Surgeon General that one had been assigned and shipped over, she hoped he'd talk to them. Not talking about it was never the way to go. She'd learned it the hard way.

Aral sighed. "It's over. I'm still here." He took a sip of coffee, his mood had shifted, Torrna had dragged up dark memories that had begun to settle. Reading her face he realised he owed her a less cryptic reply. "I am okay. It's out of my system." The Trill had tried to wash away the away mission's mental hangover with two nights of heavy drinking and burying himself in Lieutenant Lischka's proverbial bed.

She looked at him in silence for a few moments, reading his body language. "So...we're getting a Counselor it seems. A full time one..." she said suddenly, crossing her legs underneath the chair, leaning back. "I am so not looking froward to that."

~Spotty, you are not okay. This kind of thing doesn't go away~ she thought as she watched him.

One of the features of the Arizona Aral had most approved of was the absence of a Counselor. After more than fifteen years of counselling and psychotherapy he had had his fill. He fixed Torrna with a sharp look, realising she had almost certainly by now read his medical file. "I'll be right behind you and the Commodore in the queue and just before the Colonel." Oh physician heal thyself.

Maliya chuckled, "Hey, I have it worst off. I actually have to work in tandem with this person. But seriously though...I pity the poor sod who has to listen to me." she continued on, not commenting on his obvious dodge tactic.

She couldn't call him out on it yet. He needed to say more. Of course, she knew he had to have regular sessions. Frankly a lot of joined Trill have to. Naria had to do it monthly, being the thirteenth host of an ancient symbiont. Maliya didn't see it as a wrong thing. She herself had to have bi-yearly sessions as par of the course for staying in service aswell. Valeris, the poor girl had to have it twice a month, to deal with her incarceration at the hands of Cardassians, and the repeated rape sessions whilst there. It was something that was inevitable to keep them all going, functioning. There was no weakness in it. In fact, Maliya considered it a strength...to be able to talk about your innermost issues with someone and be able to overcome them. Alone...alone it just festered. It took her years to get over the guilt of the Rishan village massacre she thought herself responsible for. She was responsible for it, by way of executing the wishes of the villagers, to die rather than fall into Cardassian hands.

Years and years of nightmares, guilt, suffocating feeling. Until she finally got help.

Aral sighed. Despite his friendly regard for Torrna he did not want to discuss the mental health of himself or anyone else. He decided to level with her. "We've both probably spent more time on the couch than we'd care to admit." He took a sip from his cup, regarding her over its rim. "I'll make an appointment and go." The doctor knew best, she certainly believed she did and in all honestly Aral knew she probably did. However she did not know psychotherapy, or at least the psychotherapy he had endured. His entire identity had been reconstructed over several years of analysis and drug treatment, first on Trill and later on Earth. Every aspect of his personality had been dissected, reflected upon and set to rest. His doctor, Dr Kara Pela had been the catalyst for his joining, she would spend the rest of her life attempting to make it right. She had been a second mother to Aral as well as a lightening rod for his anger. She had forgiven him everything.

She nodded simply, knowing when not to pursue a subject. So, instead she decided to share something with Aral. Little did she know of the events that unfolded on the Trill's side of this story. "So, I met Broca..." she said, staring down into her cup, eyes fixed at no particular point.

Aral smiled, "Ah, charming man." He noticed Torrna's face before qualifying his statement, "... for a Cardassian." Truth be told, Aral had been absolutely charmed by the Cardassian Engineer. Not only did the man have an astonishing command of lexis but was an admirer of Aral's own, much maligned, academic work. Aral felt himself too old to hold a true prejudice and had been willing to cast aside whatever latent fears still hung over him from the war.

Maliya facepalmed mentally. Naturally, another cruel joke of the Prophets. "Well, I managed not to kill him on sight. I reckon that's something to be sattisfied with." she sighed, looking over at him, "I take it you've had a more pleasant experience then?"

"I did," replied Aral. "But then again, his ilk did not brutally subdue my planet or reduce my race to starvation and slavery twice this century." His tone was even.

Maliya sighed, sipping her coffee, "I think...he has a thing for me..." she gave a small chuckle.

Aral smirked; the irony was delicious. "I wish him the best of luck with that," he toasted Malyia with his coffee cup before adding, "he'll definitely need it."

Maliya raised her cup, "You do anything to encourage him, I will hurt you, Spotty. Friend or no friend." she smiled sweetly at him.

"I like the guy Maliya, why the hell would I encourage him?"