Just Roll With It (5/5)

Posted on Sat Apr 11th, 2026 @ 12:22pm by Lieutenant Elara PsyD & Captain Jaro

732 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Episode 0: 48 Hours and Counting
Location: USS Amazonia: Mess Hall
Timeline: T - 36hours

Elara tried to be more careful this time as she applied the solvent to the paper on the square; once again trying to remove the colour. This meeting wasn’t going as she had anticipated and prepared for. She had anticipated a focus on the crew at large and somehow the scales had shifted and it felt like the lines between this being a meeting between Captain and his staff were beginning to blur; what was meeting and what might be counselling was starting to confuse her.

The feeling was extremely unsettling to the woman. In her own life Elara devised her actions, thoughts and schedules to run methodically. In her field you always had to be prepared for the balls that came at you from the opposite direction but you could always count on those in a safe environment in which you could control and support. The mess hall was not one such space.

Looking up as she moved the block back across the table to Jaro; a flush crossed her face once again as she realised that focusing on the task at hand and her own thoughts had left the male awaiting an answer from her. “Sorry…You were asking about my hand? The Doctors seem to think it relates back to the assimilation. Did you know that a person's hands require the most complex neural coordination compared to any other part of the body? When you are assimilated, the nanites reconfigures your central nervous system to compensate for the new implants and how your brain controls them. When you are deassimilated; the nanites are essentially powered down and implants removed which send said nervous system into panic because there is no link to help it to relearn how things are now…”

Elara glanced away as the colour of her cheeks darkened slightly more as she pulled a new cube towards her. “I’ve been told before that I can be too frank in my responses to people’s questions. I guess the answer to your question is, I’m ok. It’s something I’ve had to learn to adapt to. It’s easier when I have a focus like a stylus when taking written notes or even your cubes. I’m able to narrow my brain to the function I am carrying out.”

Jaro listened with quiet intensity, absorbing her explanation as if it was the most fascinating thing he’d heard all day. He continued to let silence stretch between them for a moment before he spoke.

"When the reports on my desk begin to blur into a single, grey smudge of quasi interconnected worry, then I come back to things like this to find my focus. It requires just enough of the mind to keep it from wandering into places it shouldn't, while letting the rest of the spirit re-center itself."

Elara glanced up at the Captain with a small smile on her lips before focusing back down to the cubes. She appreciated his analysis; techniques with which to calm the mind were important; especially in roles of responsibility. There was a big load on Jaro’s shoulders between commanding a ship and having responsibility for the lives he was bringing to the Delta Quadrant: people who would leave families and friends behind.

Jaro examined the points of his tweezers for a moment before offering her a genuine smile. "If you think it might help you narrow your focus as well, Counselor, then by all means, join me for a while. It’s a magnificent way to pass the time when the rest of the ship is in turmoil.”

“I would…” A momentary flicker of Elara’s time table crossed her mind but perhaps the Captain was right; maybe taking some time to refocus and breath was not that bad of an idea. Her colleague would be able to cope for a small while. “I would like that. Thank you.” Even though she hadn't paid attention to it when it happened, she felt how mind and body had relaxed, her hand included. The conversation and the cubes were easier when she stopped resisting and just allowed herself to lean into it.

They sat there for a good while longer, anchored at a small table while the maelstrom of activity continued to churn around them.

[END]

Captain Jaro
Captain
USS Amazonia

Lieutenant Elara
Chief Counsellor
USS Amazonia

 

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