Afraid Of The Dark

Posted on Oct 22, 2014 @ 1:10am by Commander Jacob Crichton & Lieutenant Eve Dalziel
Edited on on Oct 22, 2014 @ 1:10am

Mission: Birth Of An Empire

"Afraid of the Dark"

(Continued from "14-10")



=[/\]=



“When its dark enough you can see the stars.”
-Charles A. Beard



=[/\]=




LOCATION: USS PHOENIX

SCENE: Main Engineering

STARDATE: [2.14]1021.1400



The 37 members of Jake Crichton’s engineering team had filled most of the empty space between the various terminals and workstations of Main Engineering’s lower level. It was still a small team, but PHOENIX’s engineering section wasn’t designed to accommodate all of them in that one space, but it was the only spot Jake could think to gather them for this first briefing. Jake himself stood on the second level, looking down at them on the floor below. It gave the whole scene a flavor Jake didn’t exactly like- he always liked to think of himself as hip-deep in trouble with the rest of him team, not standing above them making pronouncements- but Jake was exhausted and there was too much work to do and this just needed to get done quickly so they could get on with everything else they had on their plate.



Jake sipped at his third cup of coffee, but it wasn’t helping. He didn’t sleep again last night. He laid down next to Xana and closed his eyes. He listened as her breathing slowed into the steady rhythm of deep sleep. He turned to one side, then another, and even tried flipping his pillow over. It didn’t help; Jake laid there until his alarm went off at 0600.



Or maybe that wasn’t true. Jake thought he almost remembered a dream, a brief sense that he was back in Papakura Stockade, that Colonel T’Prell was standing over him again asking questions, that his rescue to the PHOENIX and his reunion with his family had all been a dream…



But the feeling slipped away, leaving only dull fatigue in its place.



“Jake?”



Jake shook his head and turned. Cindy Rochemonte stood beside him, a PADD tucked under her arm. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, in anticipation of the work they had ahead of them. As Jake’s second in command, Cindy would be in command whenever Jake wasn’t around, and so he’d asked that she join him up on the second level to address the staff. Really, though, Jake just felt embarrassed standing above everyone like this all by himself.



“Lieutenant Rochemonte,” Jake said. “Sorry, I was a thousand miles away.”



“The whole team has arrived,” Cindy said. “I’ve got the initial duty rosters drawn-up. It’s going to be tough on everyone, Jake, the only way I could find to make it work was to put everyone on 16-hour shifts, two days on, one day off.”



“And I assume we don’t get that luxury ourselves,” Jake said, taking the PADD from Cindy and looking it over.



“Warren and Maynell will help, but all four of us are still looking at maybe one day off a week,” Rochemonte said.



“I’ll talk to them separately,” Jake said. “We’re just going to have to do our best until we get some more hands.”



“They’re ready for you,” Cindy said, glancing down at the engineering staff. The crew was talking to each other, going through the introductions, the re-introductions, and hopefully doing what they could to get to know each other while they had the time. They were going to have to learn to trust each other, and quick.



“Okay everyone,” Jake said, loud enough to be heard over the din. “Hey. Eyes up here.”



The engineering staff all quieted down and looked up to see Jake standing above them on the second tier, leaning against the railing there. Jake again felt embarrassed, but he didn’t have time to indulge the feeling for long.



“So by now you must all know what our situation is,” Jake said. “We’re in possession of one of the most advanced, complex starships in the Federation fleet. Nobody’s flown a ship like this one before, which means there’s no instruction manual. New ship, new specifications, new problems. And on top of that… we’re understaffed by at least a third.”



Jake took a moment to let all that sink in. It wasn’t the rosiest picture of their prospects, but Jake didn’t want to sugarcoat things either. What lay ahead of them would be difficult, but it wasn’t impossible, and Jake did not intend to screw it up.



“This means that, for the immediate future, we’ve got some long days ahead of us,” Jake said. “Lt. Rochemonte has created a duty roster which will be made available to you. We’ve already prioritized the work that needs to be done, talk to your team supervisor if you’re not sure where you should go and what you should do when you get there. If anyone has any concerns, you can bring them to me, Rochemonte, Maynell, or Warren.”



Maynell and Warren raised their hands at the mention of their names.



“I don’t really do speeches,” Jake said. “We have a job to do, and we’re the only ones that can do it. As of this moment, we’re flying by the seat of our pants here, people. But luckily, I’m standing in a room full of intelligence, resourcefulness, and experience. And we’re going to need all of that if we’re going to make this work. So let’s all go be geniuses. Dismissed.”



There was no applause, which was good because Jake already felt embarrassed enough. He turned to Cindy.



“You know what to do, Specs,” he said. “I want the fusion stabilizer systems running at optimum efficiency ASAP.”



“We’ll get it done, Jake,” Cindy said. “Are you okay? You look…”



“Tired?” Jake asked, taking another sip of his coffee.



“No,” Cindy said. “I mean, yes, you do, but it’s not just that. You look… I don’t know… distracted, I guess.”



“There’s a lot on my mind just now,” Jake said, gesturing around him.



“Of course,” Cindy said. She wanted to press him further, but something in Jake’s tone suggested that wasn’t the best idea. And anyway, there was a lot of work to be done.



“I’m here if you need me,” Cindy said.



“I know,” Jake smiled. “Thanks, Specs.”



Cindy turned and walked off to find her project leaders and get them set about their tasks for the day. Jake took a final swig of his coffee, finished it, and set to work himself. A few hours later, Jake was up to his chest in the gutted chassis of an inertial drive coil and feeling altogether more comfortable.



=[/\]=



SCENE: Jake and Xana’s quarters

TIME INDEX: That night



Jake didn’t get home until after the kids had gone to bed. Xana was still awake, going over news reports of the Romulan attack on BOLARUS. Jake sat by her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders, but the truth was Jake was so worn out that he almost started dozing off right there.



Xana, seeing how tired Jake was, kissed him lightly on the forehead to rouse him and led him to bed. Jake was asleep immediately. The nightmare came on slowly, so that at first Jake couldn’t tell what it was. He was on his knees, somewhere he didn’t recognize. His hands were bound. Something stood over him, an inky cloud of darkness that eventually resolved itself into the passive face of Colonel T’Prell. The Colonel’s guards weren’t unarmed this time, setting to work on Jake with a variety of implements that Jake was happy not to remember when his eyes snapped open in the darkness only a few hours later.



His heart was racing, and Jake realized he was sweating. Xana lay beside him, snoring softly. Jake carefully got out of bed so as not to disturb her, and made his way to the fresher. He splashed some cool water on his face, dried it off, then spent a moment inspecting his bruises in the mirror. They were almost totally gone now; soon, there’d be nothing left to show what Jake had endured in Papakura stockade.



“Bad dream?” came a voice from the doorway. Jake turned and saw Xana standing there, looking at him with concern.



“Yeah,” Jake said. “About the stockade.”



“That’s two nights in a row,” Xana said, walking over to him to brush her fingers lightly through his hair.



“I thought you slept through the first one,” Jake said.



“No,” Xana said, shaking her head. “I didn’t say anything because you didn’t seem to want to talk about it.”



“It was a traumatic experience,” Jake said, with a casual shrug that seemed to contradict his statement. “People have bad dreams after stuff like that.”



“Yes they do,” Xana said. “And it’s natural if you need to talk about it. About what you went through.”



“I’d rather not relive it,” Jake said, taking Xana’s hands and kissing them. “Come on, let’s just go back to bed.”



“Jake, you’re exhausted and you’re scared to fall asleep,” Xana said. There wasn’t any scolding in her tone, no hint of judgement or reproach, just genuine concern. Jake felt it wash over him like a warm tide, and it made him feel better.



“Dreams go away after awhile,” Jake said. “This one will too.”



“But in the meantime you need rest,” Xana said. “Have you talked to Medical? They could give you something to help you sleep.”



“I could have an arm cut off and still not want to talk to Foster.”



“He’s not the only doctor aboard,” Xana said. “The counselor’s office could prescribe you something to help you sleep.”



“They’ll want me to talk about how it all makes me *feel*,” Jake said, wiggling his fingers in the air as if he were describing some vague, inherently unknowable concept. “It makes me feel tired, Xana. That’s how it makes me feel.”



“Kane’s going to make you go sooner or later,” Xana said. “We don’t have a list of transfers or cadets waiting for us at the next starbase if someone breaks down.”



“I’m not going to have a break down,” Jake said, a little defensively.



“Or collapses from exhaustion,” Xana continued.



“Right,” Jake said. He rubbed his eyes. “Okay. I’ll schedule some time to meet with the headshrinkers.”



“They just want to help,” Xana reminded him. “Let them do their job, so you can do yours.”



“I will,” Jake said. Xana took him by the hand, and they returned to bed. Eventually, they both managed to fall asleep, yet though he had his loving wife by his side, Jake’s rest was no less fitful.



=[/\]=



Scene: Main Engineering

Time Index: The next morning



Crichton settled in with the positronic induction chamber and a calibration device, ready to hit the ground running. He took a moment to survey the department. Everyone was where they should be, doing what they should be. He hadn’t expected anything different, but he still had gratitude for it.



Warren was about ten feet away, at the next coupling, and he saw Jake looking at him and motioned a ‘hello’. Jake nodded and turned to focus on the task at hand.



He examined the readings and made the necessary adjustments. It came instinctively and automatically to him, as natural as breathing. He stifled a yawn, rubbing his eyes. He looked over to the coupling, but instead of Warren he saw the malevolent face of Colonel T’Prell. His uniform was stained with blood, and the lighting in Engineering made him look like the Devil incarnate. “Crichton,” he said, “You will not escape.”



“Jake?”



Jake felt a wetness trickling down his forehead. He put the tool down and touched his face. His shaking hand came away with a syrupy, bloody stain.

“Jake?”



He looked over again and T’Prell was breathing in his face, fist clenched. He could feel the wounds in his face stinging with his words. “You will never see your wife or family… *again*.”



“NO!” he yelled, throwing the calibrator at the General and watching it sail through thin air instead, hitting the floor with a clatter.



“Jake!-” Cindy’s voice, and her hand on his shoulder finally cut through the fog of his hallucination. “Are you alright?”



Jake looked up and around to realize everyone in the immediate vicinity was staring at him. “I’m fine,” he snapped in embarrassment.



“You sure?” Rochemonté asked.



“Yes Lieutenant. I’m sure... Back to work, people,” he said as he tried to shrug off the uncertainty. Maybe if he kept saying it, he would believe it.



=[/\]=



Scene: Counsellor’s Office

Time Index: That afternoon



Jake hesitated before stepping into the office. He wanted to let things run their course, but there just wasn’t time for that. His staff seemed to understand when he excused himself for a ‘meeting’, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving them when they were so short handed. On the other hand, there was a limit to how much coffee one person could drink. And how many times he could ‘rest his eyes’ while on a break. On top of everything else, this morning’s interruption was impossible to ignore. It was with a reluctant relief that he let himself enter. “Lieutenant Dalziel?” he asked the dark haired woman behind the desk.



“Yes.” She stood and went over to shake his hand. She was taller that he expected. “Eve is fine, though. Although I thought I would be meeting your wife?”



“She let me have her appointment,” he answered truthfully. Actually, forced was more like it. The school idea was on the back burner for now, and his need for rest trumped any educational concerns at the moment.



“My mistake. You’re Commander Crichton?”



Jake nodded.



“Please,” she said gesturing to some chairs across from her desk.



“I thought all Counsellors had couches,” he said, looking around.



“And I thought all Engineers had no sense of humor,” she smirked back.



“Touché.”



Eve glanced at her PADD with a serious look in her gray eyes. “Captain Kane had you beamed directly aboard from the Papakura Stockade?”



“There weren’t any other options,” Crichton admitted.



“It’s highly irregular to put someone back in active duty rotation so soon after an event,” she thought aloud. “But I’m guessing you’re just as busy with the warp core as everyone else is with their respective departments.”



“You’ve got that whole mind-reader thing down.” Jake answered, trying not to squirm.



“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Eve said as she sighed gently. “I’m guessing you’re suffering the effects of a classic case of PTSD. The notes here state Neo-Essentialists were primarily in charge of your ‘care’. They wanted to see how much you knew,” she said, gesturing to his healing bruises and contusions. When are you having the most difficulty?”



“Trying to sleep… something just takes over and I... wake up.” Obvious pain showed in his icy blue eyes.



“That’s very common,” Eve said soothingly.



“Great- so what do I do about it?” He hadn’t meant to sound irritated, but fatigue and fragmented memories had crept into his routine already too much for his taste. Now he was sitting in the last place he wanted to be. *No, wait, make that Sickbay.*



Eve laid the PADD on her desk. “There’s only one way over a pit of hot coals- to walk through them.”



“You just lost me, Counsellor.”



She walked around the desk and sat on the edge, so that she and Crichton were only a few feet apart. “The mind is a very resilient thing. Its very structure is designed to have a much greater capacity than we can ever utilize. But that same power gives rise to nightmares, visions, hallucinations, and other things that go bump in the night. Being subjected to high stress situations in which the fight-or-flight response is tested dozens of times leaves an imprint that is impossible to erase in a short period of time.”



“So it’s going to take time,” Jake said, feeling like he had won the argument, but lost the battle. “Is there a stimulant you can prescribe so I can keep the department running smoothly?”



“I can… but that’s not what I’m saying. We need to face the issue head on in order to shorten its effect on your daily life. Would you consider hypnotherapy? A guided meditation?”



Jake stared at her like she’d grown an extra head. “I don’t even want to *talk* about it.”



“Exactly,” she said with a touch of smugness. “Your subconscious *owns* you right now because you’re not allowing your conscious mind any say in the matter. Until you admit that and do something about it, you’re not going to get any better.”



“You sound like my wife,” Jake said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.



“Well, one of you has to have the common sense,” she quipped back, writing down a prescription. “Here.”



“There’s two medications.”



“Yes, one’s the stimulant and one’s a sleep aid.”



“There’s only two days’ worth,” he said, puzzled.



“Because, you will be seeing me again in two days. Closely monitoring you is the best thing I can do, besides some form of therapy, which you are currently refusing. And don’t get any bright ideas about going to Sickbay for refills. Cade’s on my shit list.”



At the mention of Cade Foster, Jake perked up. “I’m not the only one who’s annoyed by him?”



“Apparently, in addition to his medical wisdom, that’s another service he provides.”



Jake stood up. “This wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.”



“That’s because I haven’t *done* anything yet,” she reminded him. “See you in two days. Remember, I know where you live.”



Eve stood up to show Jake out. They had made it only a few steps across her office when the lights in the room flickered and died, accompanied by a whine from the power-exchange systems. Jake and Eve froze in place, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the dark. A moment later, the room filled with an infernal red glow as the emergency power kicked on throughout the ship.



“Power outage,” Jake said, looking back at Eve apologetically. “Someone must have knocked out a plug or something.”



[[Bridge to Commander Crichton,]] came a voice over the comm. It took Jake a moment to place it- Aerdan Jos.



“Crichton here.”



[[We’re reading a power failure on decks 4 through 15,]] Jos reported. [[Is everything okay?]]



“I’m on my way to Main Engineering now,” Jake said. “I’ll advise when I get there. Crichton out.”



“It’s nothing serious, is it?” Eve asked.



“I’ve got a team working on automating the energy allocation processors for some of the secondary systems,” Jake said. “I’m guessing they blew a fuse. Shouldn’t take us long to get the lights back on. Thanks for the help, Doc.”



“Don’t work too hard,” Eve said. “You’re under doctor’s orders, Jake.”



“Sure, you say that now,” Jake said, a touch of weariness in his voice as he turned to exit her office. “Then the artificial gravity fails and suddenly *everybody* wants a piece of me.”



=[/\]=



A Joint Post by

Shawn Collins

a.k.a.

Jake Crichton

Chief of Engineering

USS PHOENIX



and



Susan Ledbetter

Lieutenant Eve Dalziel

Counsellor

USS PHOENIX