240010.01.0600

Officer quarters – room 211

Her eyes opened slowly showing a scene from what could only be described as hell. She was obviously lying on the floor, thrown out of her chair. All around her she could hear screams and moans from others on the bridge. Fires raged across several consoles while others were throwing sparks across the width of the bridge. 

She felt trapped, she couldn’t move. She knew why but it always came to this. 

She yelled for help, from anyone. She looked down by her feet and saw the captain also thrown from his chair a pool of blood forming on the carpet from the wound on his head. She knew he was dead, how? She didn’t know but she knew it. Finally a pair of boots appeared by her head. 

“Commander, are you ok? Can you hear me?” She looked up to see the yellow ripped and burnt tunic of the chief engineer. “ I’m trapped, my arm is pinned below the ceiling girder.”

“I’ll try to move it.” It won’t work. it never did.

“Behind the Captain’s chair, attached to the back. You’ll find his Mek’leth.”

Several moments later . “ I got it, now what?”

“you must, you must cut me free.” Why was it always about this point in her life?

‘But that means,”

“Amputating my arm, I know. But if you don’t then I’ll die. You have to do it. Rigras says he will slow the bleeding but you will need to get me to medical quickly.”

“ I, I, I…”

“Do it, damn it. The blade is sharp and it will finish the job that the girder started.”

I looked up at the tall orion as she held the blade over her head and then swung down. Blackness

BLEEP, BLEEP, BLEEP

A hand came across and slapped at the chrono several times till it stopped making noise.

<<“Well. that won’t do young lady, now you’ll have to get another one…again.”

“Shut up Rigras, let me go back to sleep.” She pulled a pillow over her head.

“No can do, you know what we have to do today.”

“Crap, is that today?”

“You know it is, and you know you have been counting down the days since you woke up from the surgery after we got back.”>>

She pulled the pillow from over her head and looked up at the ceiling of her room. “ Stupid docs, telling me to much trauma needed to be healed before they would sign off on me returning to duty on a ship. I would  think I would know when I was ready.”

<<“And hence the reason why they do not let the patient tell them when they are ready to return to duty, if it was up to you. You would have walked from the recovery room right back onto a ship.”

“And, what is wrong with that?”

“We both know the answer to that one, you weren’t ready.”

“I guess you’re right, but still four months. Four months of talking to various doctors, four months of therapy, and now I have to go face them and have them decide my future.”

“Yaaa it sucks, but act right today show them you are fully mentaly and physically capable and they will have no other choice but to return us to full duty.”>>

“Ugghh, you know i hate it when your right.” She stood as she got out of bed and looked herself over in the mirror. “The burn scars faded nicely, almost can’t tell where they were.”

<< “Hmmmm mmmmm, they did a good job. You know, even after all these years I still can’t get over how it feels to look at a female’s body from this side.”

“Maybe you’re the one who needs to talk to a shrink or two.”

“Naaaa, just something I still marvel at.”

“Ok old man, Nothing you haven’t seen before. Ha, ha, ha.” >>

-Later that Afternoon-

“Commander Rigras, Your board is scheduled to start in thirty minutes in room two.” The petty officer behind the desk informed her and then handed her PADD back to the Commander.

“Room two, thank you petty officer.” As she took the PADD.

 << “ask her. What harm could it be? I for one would like to know who is deciding our future.” “We have already had this discussion, Rigras, I thought we agreed.”

 “You thought, I didn’t”

 “Uugghh, ok fine.”>>

“Excuse me Petty Officer, but would you by chance know who is sitting on my board?”

“Hmmmm, let me look.” She entered something on her console. “Looks like your board is composed of two Starship Captains, a Doctor and a Counsellor.”

“Ummm can you give me any names?”

“No Ma’am, I’m not allowed to divulge that information.”

“Ok that will do then. Thank you Petty Officer.”

<< ”Well that’s better than nothing, though I find it odd from my experience that there would be two Starship Captains on the board.”

 “I was just thinking the same thing, but if someone has to decide if one is mentaly and physically capable of going back to active duties on a star ship who better than those who command one.”

“True, know what you’re going to say yet?”

“I’m working on it. Though I’m thinking after hearing who is on the board that directing my words towards the two Captains may be what is called for.”

“I would have to agree, the doctor is here for the medical questions on your readiness, same as the counsellor. But I would have to agree with you that the two who will really decide what happens here today are those two.”

“Well, that’s settled then.”>>

 Aryanne found the small waiting area outside of room two and took a seat, back in the corner and positioned where she could see what was going on around her. Several minutes later a small group of officers approached the room, several nodded in acknowledgement as they entered the room. 

Several minutes later a young lieutenant exited the room and approached her. “Commander Rigras?”

“Yes, lieutenant.”

“Ma’am, they will be ready for you in a few minutes. Besides the officers on the board I’ll be the only other person in the room as I’m the communications officer assigned to be the recorder for the proceedings.”

“Ok, Thank you.”

“Also, in case you were not aware, this is mainly a records review from the incident till now. They may ask questions they may not. Usually they will ask if you would like to make an opening statement.”

Aryanna nodded.

The lieutenant gave her a pleasant smile and made her way back to the room.

<< ”Pleasant enough young lady, Probably does several of these a day.”

“Probably.”>>

Aryanna looked down at her black gloved hand, remembering what brought her to this point in time.

Several minutes later the lieutenant came out of the room and approached the commander. “ Ma’am, they are ready for you now. If you would like to follow me?”

<<” Well, here we go. Go get’m tiger.”

“Thanks Rigras, I knew I could count on you for such a morale boosting speech.”

“I’m here all day, and  night.”>>

Aryanna followed the young Lieutenant into the room till she saw the table in the center of the room facing a larger slightly elevated table with four four Officers seated behind it. The Lieutenant went to a smaller side table and took a seat. She went to the center table and stood next to the seat. Looking at the four officers in front of her she locked eyes with each one, mentally sizing them up as if they were opponents waiting to see who would make the first move.

“Lieutenant Commander Rigras you may be seated, this is not a trial, you know. More of a formality than anything else.”The human male in command red, wearing the pips of a captain, stated as he watched Aryanna enter the room and then stand at the table.

“Sir.” Aryanna nodded in reply and took a seat in the chair, placing her PADD on the table in front of her. Then looking at each one of the officers seated in front of her.

<<”Wonder which one will be the first?” 

“The first?”

“Yaaa, which one will make the first move?”

“This isn’t a fight you know.”

“Isn’t it, Though.”>>

Commander, as the Captain stated this is a mere formality. Oh sure we may ask some questions of you but those will be more for giving us insight into the overall question. Maybe they will help us see or understand something in these records that we have questions about.”  The female officer in medical teal, wearing the pips of a commander, stated from her seat.”

<<”Well that’s interesting, A Deltan medical officer. Don’t see many of those. Why this one time at the Utopia Fleet Yards I had a cough, friend, cough. She was a Deltan too. I could curl your toes with stories of our time together.”

“What question would that be Commander?” Aryanaa asked as she looked at the Commander.

The Deltan officer looked at the rest of the officers at the table. “Why the question, is she fit for duty aboard a starship?”

“And ?” taking in the group in front of her again.

The other officer in medical blue tilted her head slightly and gave her a slight smile.

“Counselor, didn’t expect to see you here. You look different. Sometimes one can forget that counsellors are officers as well.”

“Yes, Commander. It’s not often that I have to put this on.” she ran her hands down the sides of the medical blue tunic. 

Aryanna returned the slight smile with a nod and turned her focus back to the other three.

<<” I’m guessing that’s a vote for us, you have to admit she is a good shrink and has helped us, well you, out alot.”

“Not now, Rigras”>>

The commander in medical blue looked over at the counselor who just gave her a shoulder shrug and a slight chuckle. “ Told you she has spunk. You would have to,to endure what she has.” The medical officer nodded. “Yes, indeed.But?”

<<” Well i guess we know who the doubter is now. Always has to be the Doc.”

“We don’t know about the other two yet.”

“hmmmmmm”>>

“But, what?” Aryanna looked at the Commander.

“If you must know Commander, I have my doubts on your readiness. You’re still reporting nightmares and various other signs of PTSD. “ she looked at the counsellor.

“Which are under control and becoming less of a thing over time. As for the other stuff.” She looked over at the two captains in red. “Show me an officer onboard any ship in the fleet who doesn’t, isn’t or hasn’t dealt with those issues. It’s part of the job commander. We have to learn to deal with it and move on. I promise they will not or have not affected my mental abilities to perform the duties of my position or rank. If they did, we wouldn’t be here today, would we?”

The Tellarite captain looked at the other captain. “Ohhhhh, I like her. She still has some fire in there.”

“Commander, you have filled your report on your view of Lieutenant Commander Rigras’s readiness as the rest of us have done. We are here to conduct a final records review and ask any questions and to hear her answers. We will then make our recommendations based on those records, I’m sure you know the procedures for these boards just as much as the rest of us.”

The counsellor leaned forward  in her chair and looked at the doctor. “ Besides that, I’m the one who makes the final call on her mental health and as we both know I have already signed off on her being fit to resume her duties.”

The two captains look at each other, “Well that answers that then.” The human said as he looked back at the doctor. 

The Commander shook her head and picked up her PADD. “Physically there is nothing that would stop the Lieutenant Commander from resuming her duties in the fleet, though I want it put on record for the board that I, as a medical professional, do not think she is fully ready and I recommend that if she is returned the fleet that she continues to have ongoing sessions with a counsellor.”

The young lieutenant  looked up from her console. “It has been noted in the records, Commander.”’’

The commander nodded and sat back in her chair crossing her arms.

<<”Why do i get the feeling that this is a normal thing with her?”

“You think, what clued you in on that nugget.”>>

“Lieutenant Commander Rigras, I for one do not have any questions for you.” He looked at the other captain who shook his head. “Ok then, I guess we don’t have any questions for you. You will be notified of the board’s decision in forty eight to seventy two hours.  I believe this will conclude today’s proceedings for Lieutenant Commander Rigras. Good luck commander in whatever your future path is.”

Aryanna stood and looked at each of the officers in front of her.” Thank you for your time.” As she locked eyes with the Tellerite she caught just the briefest of winks and a slight smile. The lieutenant came forward and escorted her out of the room.