"Staring at Shadows"
(Previous was the friendly "An Escape is Just What the Doctor Ordered")
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Stardate: 60324.1145
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Susan hovered around sickbay, watching carefully for any opportunity to help out – or any signs of trauma that would require her skills. Thankfully, she found neither. Sickbay was well staffed and the creatures’ attacks, while frightening, were not traumatizing for the well-trained Starfleet officers that staffed the ANUBIS.
As a result, however, Susan found herself constantly getting in the way.
"I'll be in my office if anyone needs me" she explained before making her hasty retreat.
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Stardate: 60324.1150
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Once the door was securely closed behind her, Susan collapsed onto the sofa and promptly began trembling. **Delayed shock** her mind told her. She laughed hollowly, **great, the rest of the crew is just dandy and it’s the counselor who’s traumatized.**
Maybe traumatized wasn’t the right word. She certainly was shocked. Frightened maybe. Who wouldn't be? What she'd just seen appear in front of her was akin to a giant spider – but much, much worse. She closed her eyes and began to focus her thoughts on what about the creature had managed to freak her out so badly. It couldn't have been the arachnid appearance. She didn't like spiders, sure… but she'd never been particularly afraid of them either. Growing up in that old family house, there had been plenty of spiders lurking in the woodwork. No… she hadn't been freaked out by the creatures' appearance… or maybe…
Her eyes shot open and she found herself staring at the dark shadows beyond her desk. Maybe it *had* been their appearance. Their sudden appearance out of nowhere. It could happen again any time, she realized. Any time. Out of nowhere. Like… right now.
She jumped up off the couch and took one more look around her before quickly heading out of the room.
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Stardate: 60324.1325
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
After the senior staff meeting, the last thing Susan wanted to do was return to her office.
She spent a few minutes talking with Lea, then left her to her work and returned herself to the useful job of hovering.
Sickbay was mostly empty. Anyone who had needed treatment had got it and had either left to return to duty or was lying peacefully on a biobed, enjoying the time off. Susan was not surprised to see that David was not one of those people, even though his injuries had been more severe than a lot of them. Pausing in the doorway, Susan looked around to see if there was anywhere she could make herself useful. There was a large figure standing at the opposite end of sickbay that was not at all difficult to spot and, curiosity piqued, Susan made her way towards him.
"Lieutenant Elan… what brings you into sickbay?"
The giant looked down and Susan and gave her one of his benevolent smiles, "Ensign Mei, how are you today?"
Susan smiled and nodded, "Well… aside from being unexpectedly graced by the presence of two giant spider-like beings from another dimension…" she let her sentence trail off.
Elan smiled knowingly, "Well, it is just these creatures that bring me to sickbay."
Susan looked shocked, "They didn't attack you did they?"
He shook his head, "no, but I have been asked to assist in the development of a possible security solution." He smiled again, obviously happy with the idea.
"Oh, I'm sorry" Susan apologized, "I didn't realize you were working!"
"It's quite alright, ensign. But I must ask if you will excuse me… I've been asked to report to the conference lounge."
"Of course!" Susan stepped aside and watched the giant leave, uncertain quite what to do with herself. " "Boo."
Susan spun around and saw Lea sitting on a biobed, grinning. "Need something, counselor?"
Susan shook her head and went to sit beside Lea, "You ever feel like the rest of the universe is just moving on without you?"
Lea’s brow furrowed, "Is this one of those 'if your house was burning down and you could only save one item what would it be questions?'"
Susan laughed, "No… it's more like one of those ink-blot questions."
Lea laughed with her, "well, in that case I think I’m afraid to answer."
Susan looked at her dangling feet, "I guess I just don't like feeling helpless."
"Helpless?" Lea looked concerned, "Is there something happening I should know about?"
Susan sighed, "No… I just wish that there was something I could do to help."
Lea’s eyes narrowed, "I thought you told me that there wasn't much chance that Zulot and T’Preel let them get ahold of the crew of the MERCURY…"
Susan smile wryly, "I did…" she then looked up and met Lea’s eyes, "It's not the MERCURY I’m worried about."
Lea wasn't accustomed to playing counselor, but she patted her friend on the back, "Don't worry… if I were you, I'd be more concerned about those poor creatures' dimension once our crew is through with them."
Susan smiled despite herself, "I know, I know… I'm just getting first mission jitters, I guess." **After all,** she thought **TANGIERS can't really be considered a real mission** "For all I know, those creatures are long gone."
"They were horrible." Lea admitted.
The two woman shared a look as they remembered the sudden appearance of those dark arachnids then Susan nodded, "That, they were."
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Stardate: 60324.1430
Setting: USS ANUBIS, counselor’s office
Back in her office, Susan stared at the shadows and frowned. They were just shadows. That's all they were. Not portals to another dimension…. Just spaces where the light didn't shine. Just spaces. In space. In an office in the middle of a ship in the middle of space up against the universe…
The door burst open. "I need help."
Susan blinked and stared up into the face of her CO. Without thinking, Susan jumped to her feet and to attention, "Whatever I can do, sir."
Sabrina waved a hand in a dismissive gesture, "at ease. I need help."
Having finally decided that her brain wasn't big enough to deal with everything that was on her mind, Sabrina had forced herself to come to the one person who she could reveal everything to but would be unable to judge her or share anything she said with anyone else.
Holding her breath for what the captain had in mind and partly greatful for the chance to do something, Susan stepped aside and gesture for the CO to have a seat, "Is there a problem with a member of the crew?" she asked.
The red-headed woman pressed her pink lips together in a thoughtful manner, "Maybe a few…"
However, the words were muttered at a much softer level than Susan's human ears could pick up. "Would you like something to drink?" she offered, stepping up to the replicator.
"No – thank you." Sabrina sat fidgeting while she waited for Susan to get herself a cup of tea. She wasn't used to being on this end of the couch and was wondering if she’d made the right decision to come here.
Susan came and sat down, smiling amiabley, "What can I do to help, captain?"
The young woman attempted to formulate an answer, then abruptly stood up, "I'm sorry, to have wasted your time. It's nothing."
"Nothing?" Susan asked, feigning confusion, while also getting to her feet "That's a pity because I was looking for a way of wasting my time."
Sabrina looked slightly amused, "Are you sure that's something you should be telling your captain?"
Susan grinned, "Well, my hope is that she'll give me something to occupy my time other than staring into dark corners and worrying about the happenings in other dimensions."
The captain of the ANUBIS also smiled and sat back down. "Well, I'm not sure I can help with that… but I do need someone to talk to, which could occupy… ten minutes? That alright?"
Susan nodded, and also sat down again, "Ten minutes less of staring at shadows."
Sabrina folded her arms, "where to begin…" and that started up what turned out to be a fifteen minute long conversation.
"It's not just keeping David happy that I'm worried about." The young woman ended, smiling wryly, "it's keeping the rest of the crew – including Enaii – happy too."
Susan sat back in her chair and smiled, "Well, it sounds to me like you're doing a terrific job, captain."
Sabrina eyed her, "You forget, I was also a counselor. You're supposed to say that."
Susan laughed, "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. Look at what you've accomplished: you've got David to stay in Starfleet – which is no mean feat – and you have him working happily on a ship that he doesn't even *like*."
The red haired woman’s eyes narrowed, "I wouldn't say he's working 'happily'…"
"*and*" Susan steamrollered, "you've managed to keep your marriage together, your spouse happy… the ANUBIS wasn't destroyed in the last attack…"
Sabrina laughed, "Well, that's something I guess."
"It *is*" Susan insisted. "Many other people would have frozen in fright the second those strange things invaded – but you managed to shake them off."
She was thinking of one person in particular…
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Stardate: 60324.1530
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Black Hole, crew Lounge
After her session with the captain, Susan decided that it was time to take a break and headed up to the BLACK HOLE.
insert Tiffany’s last post
--------------- 2005 post #298
Tallulah Habib {thabib@eject.co.za}
Ensign Susan Mei
Head Counselor
USS ANUBIS
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"Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in your own." - Adam Lindsay Gordon
