The Fallout Begins
Posted on Sunday 10 March 2019 @ 16:36 by Commander Caroline Miller & Lieutenant Michael Ki MD
Mission:
The New Collective
Location: O'Hara's quarters
Timeline: The morning following "The Silence"
1078 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure
MCPO Hale stood in the corridor ringing the bell to O'Hara's quarters. Each time she was greeted with a recording of O'Hara's voice saying 'I'm na acceptin' visitors. Kindly feck off an' don' bother callin' again."
"Charming as always. Allow me," Caroline arrived to hear the tail end of the CEO's rude message that she had seemly concocted to play to anyone ringing the bell. "You better be in there O'Hara because if you have done another bunk, I am not taking any prisoners today. Computer open the door to Lieutenant O'Hara's quarters. Security override Miller alpha 957 Beta."
The doors opened and Caroline casually stepped in, happy to see for once the woman was actually where she was supposed to be. "Well you look terrible," she commented.
This was an understatement. The room itself was a wreck. It reeked of stale whiskey, sweat and vomit. O'Hara lay on the floor among broken furniture, shards of glass, upended drawers and a graveyard of empty bottles. She didn't move when Caroline spoke to her. In fact, she hadn't moved at all.
When no snarky retort was hurled back at her, Caroline shifted into medic mode. After manually checking the CEO's pulse, she pulled her tricorder out. The toxic mix of post surgery meds and alcohol had knocked the woman totally out and she had some concerns for her liver.
=^=Miller to Ki. O'Hara has drunk herself into a right state. Shes alive, vitals a little shreddy Im going to administer some Relozio to counteract the blood alcohol. Can you get down here Doctor=^=
=/\=Very well Counselor. Thank you and I am on my way. Ki out=/\= Michael sighed heavily and began to Stephanie's quarters.
"You," she said to the other lady as she replicated the required drug. "Theres no time for introductions. Can you help clear some of this away so it doesn't look "so bad" once we "have" to get the CO down and ..... " she looked at the unconsious woman with a measure of pity and concern, "I need you to forgot you saw this. I would rather not make it an order but I can't press on you how serious it could be against her career and reputation if word of this got out. So we are going to minimise that damage. Can i count on you?"
Hale had peered in through the doorway, afraid to come in closer. When she realized Caroline was talking to her, she stepped fully into the room. She looked down at O'Hara then back over to Caroline. "Yes, sir." A note of symapthy tinged her voice as she busied herself collecting the empties and stuffing them into the replicator slot.
The hypospary hissed as Caroline administered the drug and when O'Hara started to stir with no doubt the worst headache imaginable.
Stephanie rolled over and groaned. She didn't open her eyes right away. She didn't want to know what was on the other side of them. She was too focused on the sensation that there were two little men with jackhammers who were chipping chunks out of her skull. When she finally decided she had to open her eyes she found herself staring up into Caroline's face. "Am I dead?" She asked blearily.
"The afterlife isn't run by me unfortunately. The universe is not that badly designed,," Caroline stated curtly.
"Well shite," She deadpanned as she reached up to message her temples. "If at first ya don' succeed..."
"So your a coward?" Caroline interrupted her. "Just going to take the easy way out? Rather than have the guts to deal with your shit and the consequences of it. I never pegged you for a coward. I mean full of hot air, an overinflated sense of self importance, and the drinking problem I could have hazarded a guess at bubbling just below the surface there but a coward. Disappointing Lieutenant."
O'Hara propped herself up on her elbows. "I have hurt EVERYONE in this universe who's ever cared about me." She slowly began getting to her feet. "I threatened th' life o' every man, woman an' child on this ship. I'm poison, Councilor! People suffer because of me! As long as I'm alive, I'll be th' source o' someone's misery. No one deserves that." She stumbled over to the replicator and ordered a glass of water and continued after a couple sips. "D' ya think I'm scared o' facin' th' music for what I've done? We're Federation citizens. The worst they're willin' t' do t' me is cashier me outta th' service an' stuff me in jail. I grew up on New Sydney. A Federation Penal Colony is like Risa t' me. If we were Klingons, I'd 've been executed already."
"Lieutenant thats quite enough of your pity party. The past is the past and wallowing in it like your doing right now isn't going to fix anything or make it go away. You can only move forward from this point. Okay you made some pretty lousy decisions. Do you think your the only person who ever did that? Do you think your the only person whos ever put someone in danger? Hell no.
I don't think your afraid of facing the music. I think your afraid of facing yourself. So you need to make a decision, and its the most important decision your ever going to make. Are you going to fight for yourself?" Caroline stated firmly. "Because you are the ONLY person who can do it and I can only help someone who is willing to help themselves."
Stephanie had managed to make it back over to the bed and she laid down on her stomach with her arms under her pillow. "Have ya met me, Councilor? If ya were me, would ya wanna face me? The news ain't all bad fer ya though. I've just made yer job a hundred percent easier. I'm na worth fightin' fer. Now if ye'll excuse me, I'd really like some quiet time. M' head is killin' me. "
TBC
LTjg Stephanie O'Hara
Chief Engineer
USS Merlin
MCPO Elizabeth Hale
Ranking Engineering NCO
USS Merlin
Commander Caroline Miller
Chief Counselor, USS Merlin
Lt Michael Ki
Chief Medical Offier
USS Merlin
