Shock factor

Posted on Saturday 8 June 2019 @ 20:38 by Commander Caroline Miller & Lieutenant Michael Ki MD

Mission: The New Collective
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Current
1339 words - 2.7 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

Caroline just needed to lock herself somewhere. Bairstow was dead. O'Hara was waging war on her both professionally and personally which was just getting tedious, and that bridge experience of command had been stressful and thanks to O'Hara downright humiliating. She could have got to her office directly but the doctor in her automatically headed to sickbay so now she would have to walk through.

She was angry and devastated at the same time. Soon she would have people knocking at her door and would need to comfort them. Which meant she had to channel this somehow and fast. She had never walked through sickbay so fast, stopping for no one. Reaching her office she stood and for the first time in a long time really had no idea what to do.

Ki was working late in his office. He refused to believe that the Captain was gone, and as every good diagnostician would he was researching. Michael's theory was that somehow the Puppet Master took Barstow's consciousness and while his physical form died the Captain is alive. Currently he read a mission log for the Enterprise D that touched on the subject. The sound of the doors opening brought Michael out of his thoughts. He was surprised to see the Counselor at such a late hour. "Caroline! Everything okay?" The woman seemed a little out of sorts.

Ki was suddenly there and she just burst into tears at the sight of the man. Caroline found herself just stepping towards him right into his arms, then sobbing into his chest.

Michael took the embrace, and at first was not sure what to make of it. He rather relished in the embrace as he had been attracted to her since he met her. But that would have to wait as the woman seemed to be in dire straights. "What is going on Caroline?" He broke the embrace after a moment and walked the woman over to the couch. Michael knew the cure for this and he quickly retrieved his saki set. "Warm saki will always cure..."

Caroline wiped her eyes and nodded, "I'm sorry it just got too much. Saki yes. Thank you."

Michael poured the Saki, it was not the replicated stuff, he used some of the Saki he had that was handmade in Japan. "Here now sip... Doctor's orders." He smiled as he finished the saki ritual that was taught to him by his grandparents, an ancient rite and custom.

She took the cup after watching him very orderly prepare the drink. She had meant to ask more about his custom but now was likely the wrong time.

"To absent friends," she said quietly.

"Indeed to absent friends." Michael responded and clinked her cup. "Now tell me what has you so upset. After all who counsels the counselor." He spoke softly but reassuringly. Michael had never really had to be the one who consoled people. He was not sure if he rather liked it or if he simply liked her.

"Like I said, it just got too much, the XO going awol and suddenly having to step up. Ohara being as unprofessional as possible, getting into a fire fight with the Borg, almost loosing Melody and loosing the Captain. I haven't stood still at all since getting here. It got too much, I'm sorry for crying on you. I got your uniform wet," she said cheeks flushing embarrassed.

He blushed a moment at the thought of her tears on his uniform. "I understand how you feel, and feel the same way. Since I met Stephanie she has vexed me. As you can imagine it is quite hard to vex me as hard of a person as I am. But that woman just brings out the worst in people I think." Michael smiled softly as he dared to wipe the tears from her eyes. "As for Cale I am under the belief that he went AWOL, and as for the Captain I do not believe he is gone. Not for one minute. In fact I have a theory..." His voice trailed off he realized exactly how beautiful this woman was. He sipped his saki to cover any expression his thoughts might have given him.

Caroline looked at him eyes wide and curious. "I hope your right about the Captain. What's your theory?"

"I believe that the Puppet Master has a way to remove and isolate consciousness. Like when it inhabited O'hara, the real Stephanie was pushed to the side in favor of the Puppet Master. I think that the Captain's consciousness was removed from his body before his body was destroyed. For what reason I do not know, at least not yet. If I am correct then Apollo is still out there. When we find him we can create a new body for him using his transport patterns and then I would have to reintegrate his consciousness. Something that is very hard to do without a Vulcan or Betazoid present. I just can't shake that feeling, the feeling that he is still out there somewhere. It is possible that I am wrong, everything is purely theoretical. However, even if I am he IS out there I know it." Michael spoke emphatically, there was no doubt in his mind that the Captain was alive and out there. Right now he hated to admit it but he felt comfortable in her arms.

"I can't shake the feeling he's alive too," Caroline nodded. "And I think we can find a Vulcan or Betazoid who will help us if we have to reintegrate his consciousness. Even if its just having them on the comm. to advise."

"I hope so, but a comm wouldn't do it. We would need their mental capabilities, to guide his consciousness. However that would not be needed until we find out if I am correct or not. So tell me what makes you think the Captain is still alive?" Michael spoke as he guided her to the couch and sat down next to her.

"Its just a feeling I can't seem to shake, now you said that out loud …. I can't explain it, just a feeling," she said simply. "Like hes out there and we just have to trust and go with the flow into the mystic to find him again."

He smiled and nodded his agreement to her statement. "We are medical professionals and as such very often the unknown or mystical as you put it can create a problem for us. I find that in diagnostics as it is in life if we go with the flow all seems to work itself out." The urge to kiss her was a little overwhelming, however, Michael decided that it was perhaps best to keep it professional. That is until he could gauge where she stood.

"You are a wise one Dr Ki. Perhaps the mystic is also within," she commented smiling.

Michael smiled back and pulled her close. He was quite content at the moment.

Caroline closed her eyes feeling safe and warm for a moment and then an alarm went off on her PADD. She leaned forward eyes opening in surprised at what it was telling her.

"Someone's created a holodec programme with my image in. Three guesses," she frowned in annoyance. "I'm better go view it and make sure its deleted."

She stood up, thought for a moment and leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for the Sake and Sympathy. I appreciate it."

He blushed intensely when she kissed his cheek. He tried so well to hide the attraction and failed miserably at it. "Anytime... Perhaps dinner soon..." He was as awkward asking a woman out as a teenage boy asking a girl to the prom.

Caroline nodded, not realising it was a date but happy at the idea.

OFF:

●● Lieutenant Michael Ki
Chief Medical Officer
USS Merlin


●●● Commander Caroline Miller
Chief Counselor
USS Merlin