"A Little Bit of Light in the Darkness"
Previous post was the philosophical "Means and the Ends and Everything Inbetween "
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Setting: USS ANUBIS, Black Hole Lounge
Stardate: 60326.1830
For the first hour the celebrations had gone well. Susan had matched the other two drink for drink... which may have been why things went steadily downhill during the second hour. Neither giant had had the heart to tell Susan that they had seen no point in celebrating with sinthahol... either that or they hadn't had the guts to find out if celebrating with alcohol was permitted on the ANUBIS. Being that they were both warriors, the latter couldn't possibly be true... and after all, couldn't she *taste* the difference?
"You know, I've never appreciated how good looking Nausicaans are before..." her eyes went squint and she tottered on her chair before righting herself and propping her head on her elbow.
Obviously not.
Nico and Uxtar shared a rather concerned (and slightly amused) glance.
"That's not to say" Susan carried on regardless, "that Hirogens don't have their benefits too" she held up her other hand as if making a point "You know, back at the Academy..." abruptly she forgot what the point had been and furrowed her eyebrows.
"Umm..." Nico got the counselor's attention and she looked at him as if hoping he could remind her of the point she'd been trying to make. "I think it might be time you... retired"
She looked shocked, "I'm as bad as that?"
Not quite sure how to answer, the giants remained silent. Quite unexpectedly, Susan collapsed head in hands, "My father was right, I never should have taken this post. I'm not good enough. I never will be."
Nico and Uxtar looked at eachother again, this time slightly surprised. Then Uxtar seemed to click. "Poor choice of words." he told Nico in a hushed tone before attempting to console Susan.
"What Nico meant was that it might be time for you to go to bed. Not to quit your career..."
Susan looked up hopefully "Really?"
They nodded in perfect unison. Susan wasn't sure whether she was seeing double or quadruple and then decided it didn't matter. Her brow furrowed again, "How do you know?"
Before she could get worked up again, Nico jumped in, "He is correct. That is what I meant."
"No, I mean, how do you know that I should not quit my career? I'm a terrible" this last word came out slurred so she said it again for emphasis, "terrible counselor. Look what I did to the captain. Tried to counsel her and now she's trying to take David to the washers - cleaners I mean." She paused and then something else hit her, "And look what I did to David! Regular counseling sessions. Huh! what a laugh. Look at all the good that did! Real or not, I should have picked up the SDD... SSD... DSD?"
Once again confused, she stopped for a second. Nico and Uxtar didn't know quite how to deal with this situation. She was referring to things they new nothing about.
She plowed on, regardless. "Whatever. point is... point is... there is no point. You know what? There is no point to anything. We live, we die, we try bring light, they try bring darkness. Forever. There will always be a Zulot and he will always have a Matt to walk all over who walks all over others and so on and so on..."
While Nico had given up on trying to make sense of her ramblings, Uxtar leaned forward slightly, "If that is so, why are you here? There must be a reason you try?"
Susan stared at him for a long time before she declared "Because if the people who fought the darkness gave up there would be nothing but darkness and all that is good and just would disappear."
Astounded by the philosophical sense of the drunk woman, Uxtar prompted, "Really?"
Susan shrugged as she downed the rest of her drink, "No. I'm just here to find my mother."
With that she let her head collapse onto her arms on the smooth surface of the table. "God knows why" and promptly passed out.
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Setting: USS ANUBIS, en route to Mei quarters
Stardate: 60326.1900
It was no trouble at all for the Nausicaan to get Susan back to her quarters. To someone of his size and build, she was nothing but a feather in his arms. Luckily for her, the odd hour meant there weren't many people about and so no curious crew members had a chance to gawk at the strange site in the corridor.
Nico had offered to 'escort' her to her quarters because, being the sec/tac, he had the codes that would get her safely inside her quarters and, being the sec/tac, he felt personally responsible for letting her get into this state. Some job he was doing protecting the crew!
He keyed in the code to open the door to her quarters and the doors slid aside. Suddenly out of the darkness came a shrill Cockney voice. "Who are you?"
Nico got such a shock that he almost dropped the ensign onto the threshold. Being the warrior he was, however, he did not let this show but squinted into the darkness.
"Hello?"
Suddenly a rather short mousy-haired figure appeared before him, dressed in a toweling gown with curlers in her hair and hands on her hips. She looked up at him with the conviction of a Klingon. "Who are you?"
Nico looked down at the small woman and realized she was wearing pink fluffy slippers, "I am sorry, I was under the impression that these were the quarters of Ensign Susan Mei?"
Seeing the passed-out figure for the first time, the woman's green eyes became wide and fearful. "What 'appened? What's wrong? Should I call sickbay?"
Nico quickly cut in, "No, no... she just needs some sleep."
Hearing this, the woman spun on her heal, "lights!" and made her way to the bedroom, leaving Nico to follow.
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Setting: USS ANUBIS, Mei quarters
Stardate: 60326.1905
Remembering some of Susan's mumbling and trying to make sense of it, Nico asked, "Are you her mother?"
The woman pulled the bedcovers down and puffed up a pillow, "Goodness, no. What gave you that idea?"
Electing not to answer, Nico lay Susan down on the bed, then returned his attention to the strange woman considering it his duty, he asked "May I ask who you are then?"
"The name's Lindsey Donavan. I'm a friend of Miss Mei's" she smiled, "can I offer you a cup of tea?"
Nico was surprised, "tea?"
The woman was already making her way out of the room, Nico followed. "no, no... I should be going."
"Alright then." Lindsey said with a cheerful smile and saw him to the door, "do call again!"
As the doors slid closed in front of him, Nico wondered if it had been safe to leave Susan alone with that woman. Granted she had seemed friendly. Friendly but strange nonetheless. Definitely strange. Nico made a mental note to check up who Susan was meant to be sharing quarters with. He had a strange feeling, however, that the head counselor on a ship such as the ANUBIS, would not be required to share quarters.
--------------- 2005 post #431
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
