Possession or Psychosis
Posted on Thu Oct 12th, 2023 @ 7:10am by Lieutenant Commander Rowena McGowen & Lieutenant Vura
Edited on on Sat Oct 14th, 2023 @ 8:24pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 14 - The Poseidon Adventure
Location: Chief Counselor's Office - Deck 5 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD005 1300 hrs
The day had been busy, and she had only just arrived on the ship. She tried to mentally tick off all the crew members she had met so far. First, she met Thex and the Commander on their shore leaves. She met Paisley, who popped in on her, as well as Alyssa Maren, Ensign Mignon Mejia (the poor dear), Zharia, and Sophia. Mentally she corrected herself and added her lunch meeting with Hermia at lunch.
That would be enough to exhaust anyone, but the Deltan was still pleased with her day, because she now had the time to hopefully complete the design of her office. The first thing that she had done was to put up a copy of Katsushika Hokusai's "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" above a periwinkle couch that swooped up and then down in the middle and then back up again. The couch had definite sensual innuendos written all over the convenient shaping. Then, she decided that she would have the computer change her walls from the sterile white to a deep rose with hints of purple hues. From there, she opted only for a small desk, so the desk would not set a barrier between her and her clients. It was a semi-circle and she placed it carefully in such a way where she could swivel on a chair and quickly type something on a computer or PADD and not interfere with her relationship with her client. The color of the desk nearly blended into the wall but was more mauve on closer inspection.
She looked around and considered her next modifications. There would have to be more comfortable chairs and much more decoration, but this was a much better look so far.
Rowena was walking the long hallways to the counselor's office. She didn't have an appointment, but she figured that with her recent arrival and the ship docked for shore leave, she might be able to catch up with the new counselor before busy ship's life would start up again. She stopped in front of the office. She looked a moment at the door. It's been a while since she seen a counselor. But she had to bite the bullet and get it over with.
She reached over to the button for the door chime and gently pushed it and then waited for the counselor to answer, while she looked over the doors in thought. Somehow thoughts of where to start went through her mind.
Another visitor? Vura considered. She could not recall when so many people were anxious to see a counselor, let alone when one just appeared on the ship. However, apparently there was a great deal of trauma and it needed to be addressed. The remaining decorating would have to wait. "Come in," Vura called out melodiously.
As the doors slid open Rowena stepped in, a little reluctant. "Counselor," Her first was calm, with maybe an uneasy tone. She then smiled to the counselor, "I am Lieutenant Commander Rowena McGowen. But I am sure you know all that. Is this a good time, or should I return on a more convenient time? I wouldn't want to intrude on your shore leave. "
Melodiously, Vura laughed before responding. "It is hard to intrude on shoreleave when one has just transferred to the ship. I'm still decorating, as you can see...." She swung her arm out dramatically, yet welcomingly, with her palm facing upwards. "But, I always have time to talk...."
Vura noted that the Commander's tone was uncertain or uneasy. Something was on her mind, otherwise, Rowena would not have come to her. "Would you mind if I called you Rowena? I do not often stand on formalities. I'm Vura."
Rowena was a little taken back by her request, but she then nodded. "Oh yes, of course, Vura." She then took a 360 of the office with her eyes, as she remembered the comment about Vura still decorating. "This looks really nice. I can tell what you were going for. And thank you for having some time for me. Ehm.." She looked around again. "Where do we do this?" Every counselor seemed to have their own working procedure.
The discomfort on Rowena’s face was evident, but Vura could not help but have a little fun. “What exactly do you think I am going for and what exactly do you think we’re going to do?” She stifled a snicker for herself and continued, “You do know that we Deltans are required to take an Oath of Celibacy, right?” She blinked her eyes innocently at Rowena.
Rowena looked the counselor up and down a moment. I am possessed and you want to go the joke route. Rowena thought to herself, but out loud she said, "Well that's too bad. Shall we then just sit down and have a talk." Rowena smiled sweetly and blinked back.
A simple dismissal and did not even tell me what I was going for? My, my. She is wound up tight. What is she guarding? "Please have a seat wherever you're comfortable. So, Rowena, what brings you to my door? I get the impression that this is not just a meet and greet."
Rowena dropped down on the nearest chair. "No, Vura, this is not. I have been putting off this visit for some time, but I was told by Starfleet I had to see a counselor upon my return. So here I am per orders. You can find a lot in my personnel psychiatric files. I am not unaccustomed to the counseling department." She unconsciously rubbed her left arm. She could tell it was hurting again. She really needed to let the doctor look at it, but it could wait.
Vura sat on a nearby seat and moved it to Rowena's side so that she did not appear directly opposite her and potentially in a position of adversarial nature to Rowena. Side by side seemed to help patients feel like, at least in Vura's opinion, that patient and client were travelling on the same path.
Vura's act of sitting was well orchestrated and smooth, almost as if someone was pulling her downwards from the chair on a loose string. Once seated, she informed Rowena, "Certainly, I could look up all of your psychiatric files but that tells me diagnoses and what other people think of you and their conclusions. I do not like to come into a first meeting with preconceived notions, so why don't you tell me why you were ordered to meet with me."
"Five years ago..." Rowena took a deep breath. "Five years ago, I was assigned to the USS Maleficus. An Interceptor class. This is what most officers hope to achieve, climb the rank in the fleet. I was assigned as Chief Intelligence officer and later promoted to second officer. The things I have seen and heard and felt on that ship. I don't want others to ever experience in their life or even their career. There are no official records of her missions, at least none that I could find. Except one. The one where the Maleficus was captured and her crew imprisoned in a prison camp. We managed to escape. But that wasn't the worst of our ordeal."
She closed her eyes as she could hear the cries of her crew mates again. "Starfleet denies everything that I experienced, but I was entrusted on a first mission to monitor the away team and beam them back. Do you know what it does to a person to hear your crew mates screaming in agony while you work real hard to regain control of the transporters only to get everything working right after the entire away team was slaughtered?" She opened her eyes. "And I have so many things I could tell you. I served 3 years on that ship. I still have nightmares, haunting me. This is probably why I am here."
Undercover officers were definitely people that did a lot of dirty work and none of it would ever be reported. Those that survived, well, they were never the same as when they went in, but they deserved a lot of credit for what they did for the Federation. Vura's voice was calm and reassuring, "This is a safe space, Rowena. Nothing that we talk about will ever get reported to anyone unless it proves to be a threat to yourself or the crew. So, whatever happened. Whatever nightmares you experience, I assure you, that we will help you through them, one at a time. History is littered with a lot of heroism that works in the nick of time. Sadly, we never discuss those occasions where it does not work out, and there are just as many of those, or even more than the miracle rescues. I wonder how lonely it must feel to be in your position, having nobody acknowledge all that you have done, not being able to talk about it outside a room like this, and then expected to live as though nothing ever happened."
"Vura," Rowena began, "I am not looking for recognition. I am looking for help." She was weighing the options of telling her or not. Each time it had crossed her lips, it had sound crazy. So what was the right way to say this. She took a deep breath and then said, "Whatever happened, it is still happening. And I don't know if I can stop it alone." She rubbed her temples. "The work I did on the Maleficus, wasn't exactly your run off the mill undercover work. You won't believe the things I heard or seen. And if I hadn't seen and heard, and even experienced, I wouldn't even believe it myself." She held out her arm and pulled her sleeve back. The red hand mark was now clearly seen. She could really feel it too. "I got this when I got on board. It may sound unbelievable but try to be open minded. No one touched me, no one hurt me, this just appeared."
Vura looked at the red hand on Rowena's arm but did not touch it. "I believe you," she told Rowena. "I expect that you have not had this analyzed by the Doctor, have you...." Vura hoped that she was wrong. Why wouldn't Rowena reach out for that help?
"The Doctor," Rowena Started, "she is aware of this, I have yet to go in and have this analysed. Unfortunately at the time she saw this, there were other urgent pressing matters for the both of us. At the moment I thought it was important after the mission we just had we all had some relaxation." She rolled her sleeve back. "Pioneer's recent mission wasn't exactly standard either. I still don't remember everything from that day either. But something happened to me there, and I don't remember it. But I think the entity that possessed me did something, I don't remember what, when I woke up, everything was blank from the moment we entered the room with Kavicus. I don't remember anything after that up until I woke up in sickbay."
How could the Doctor have allowed something like this to not be addressed for so long? Pressing matters are important, but the crew's health, especially for someone in Rowena's position would seem to have urgency, especially on shoreleave. "What is the last things that you remember just before you have a gap?" Vura asked, trying to piece anything together.
"So we walked into this huge room. I saw this creature. As I was looking at it, it looked straight back to me. And I felt a force knocking me back. That's when I blacked out. When I woke up, I was in sickbay. I feel like there is a lot I should remember, I lot I have experienced after that force hit me, but I can't get to it." Rowena nervously moved her hands and sighed frustrated at the last bit. "Something I should be remembering."
"Can you tell me what the creature looked like?" Vura wondered. She considered the possibility of regression hypnosis or a mind meld. Maybe that would unlock something. At the moment, she kept those thoughts to herself. Hypnosis was not her strength, but she was trained to do it. As to Vulcans, she would have to see if there was one in counseling. She wished she had that unusual Vulcan, T'Lul to assist with this.
Rowena sighed and thought as she closed her eyes. "I think I remember a giant octopus. He was filling up the room. It was really huge. It could also been a jellyfish. As I said as soon as I saw it, I was hit by a force. And everything went blank."
"And that's the last thing you remember until you woke up in sickbay? And there's been no follow up?"
"I don't remember a follow up, it is a bit of a haze, like a dream I don't remember after waking up. So maybe it is there, but I have no idea what exactly happened." Rowena rubbed her head as she tried to remember. "I just remember waking up in sickbay after. I don't even remember how I got there."
"Hmmm," Vura mused. "Did Doctor O'Rourke run the scans or was it another doctor?"
Rowena shrugged. "I don't really know who did my scans. I do remember this grumpy hologram of Doctor McCoy complaining about something. All seems like such a haze to me right now from that whole period and experience. Like a dream. If you know what I mean."
"Maybe we should look into following up with that. Holograms are good but only can do what they're programmed to do and this seems like a personal touch might be necessary."
Rowena nodded, "I will schedule a meeting with Doctor O'Rourke. I am pretty sure that I was supposed to have a meeting with her anyways, but somehow that never happened." She looked around the room and got on her feet. "Maybe it's time for me to go now. I have some things I still need to do. Maybe I have the doctor contact you?"
"Please," Vura replied, also standing up. "Should you remember anything more or want to discuss this more, please reach out. I will always be available for you."
"Thank you, Lieutenant, I will most definitely reach out to you if I know more." Rowene then walked out of the room. She turned around looking at the counselor one more time before the door closed.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Commander Rowena McGowen
Chief Intelligence Officer/Second Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Vura
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
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