STF

When Life does a 180

Posted April 25, 2021, 3:17 p.m. by Lieutenant Tandra Mika (Counselor / Diplomatic Officer) (Lucas Foxley)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Hannah Lori Asimina (Doctor) in When Life does a 180

Posted by Lieutenant Tandra Mika (Counselor / Diplomatic Officer) in When Life does a 180

(snip)
“Well I love anything to do with nature. On my last ship we stopped at a lot of worlds, colonies, places we could go planet side. We don’t do a lot of that on Saracen, but there are holodecks…but I guess that’s another issue I need to talk about.” Hannah sighed and then returned to the topic. “I spent a lot of time over the last few years writing letters, documenting anything I thought Daniel wouldn’t want to miss. I mean I guess I could keep doing that, but I’d rather talk to him.” Hannah grinned. “I used to climb on the holodeck, but I don’t like to climb alone.” Her facial expression, more than her tone of voice, would tell Mika it wasn’t a matter of having a friend to do something with, but something deeper than that.
Lt jg Asimina, doctor

Well, yes. Writing letters was quite time consuming, of that, Mika was sure. Writing letters to Aili took up a significant portion of her free time. “Is there something you do like to do alone?” She asked at last.

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

“I like to nature journal, but,” Hannah shrugged, Saracen didn’t even have an arboretum. “I…I used to climb in the holodeck alone. There are so many safety protocols it’s safe. But,” Hannah pauses taking one of her implants off. Holding it in her palm she looks at if flipping it over a few times before putting it back on. “I had internal implants a few years ago. I was hiking in the holodeck, nothing dangerous or risky. My implants, malfunctioned and sent an electrical shock through me. I fell almost 30 feet before the protocols kicked in. The fall didn’t really hurt me but I was in sickbay for awhile because of the malfunction. I’ve tried a few times to go hiking or climbing, but…” Hannah raises her hands palm up in not quite a shrug, “I get scared and turn the program off.”
Lt jg Asimina, doctor

Mika nodded, listening intently. “Do you want to get back into climbing?” She asked. Anyone would be afraid after that, but Mika was certain it was workable, if Hannah wanted it to be. That was something she’d been taught. Any problem was fixable, as long as the person wanted the change. Was willing to work for it.

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

Hannah’s hands started and stopped. “I still climb. Real climbing I would never do alone. It’s foolish and dangerous. I climbed on the Fearless, but we had a group that climbed together. On the holodeck, yes, I would like to be able to climb or even, just, some difficult hikes alone. I know the programs are safe and my implants work fine. I just can’t seem to get past it. Even with a group I get really worried. But I would like to get past it.”
Lt jg Asimina, Doctor

“Then why don’t we work on that?” Mika asked, watching Hannah. “Start small, with a partner. Someone you trust. And try not to let the fear stop you,” She said. She found it kind of hard to explain, but the idea was that, one would start with a small hike or climb, with little or no perceived risk besides the anxiety, and keep doing that one until it could be done at least somewhat comfortably.

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

Hannah nodded eagerly, “I would like to do that.” She didn’t want to be difficult, “I promise I’m not being difficult. I need to find a new climbing partner. I was climbing with the old CO before he left. Daniel would climb with me.” She paused and liked her lips thinking. “I don’t want to lose myself in us. We used to climb together all the time. I want to climb with him. We always,” a smile, “made a good team. And he would do this for me, but…” She didn’t know how to put it into words, and her hands were still as well. Daniel could easily be her savior but they were phenomenal partners.
Lt jg Asimina Doctor

“You want someone else to partner with.” Mika wanted to double check she had that right. “Can you think of someone else you’d trust that’s still here?” it seemed like there was a bit of turnover on this ship. A lot of coming and going. But then again, a lot of ships had a lot of comers and goers. It wasn’t a bad thing, in Mika’s mind, if Hannah did not want to partner with Commander Colter to work on the climbing problem. But she would need, in Mika’s opinion, someone she’d trust to climb with. “And I don’t think you’re being difficult at all,” she added finally.

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

Hannah thought, “I don’t want someone else to partner with, but I think it’s prudent. I trust Daniel completely, but I…I think it would be tempting to allow my trust in him to override my trust in myself.” She didn’t know anyone else on board enough to say she trusted them. “Maybe I should just talk to him about and see what he says?” She was thinking out loud, “I don’t know very many people on board so I haven’t met anyone else who likes to climb. Of course hiking isn’t as risky.”
Lt jg Asimina Doctor

“Hiking is fun, though I have never been climbing myself,” Mika said. “A talk with him may be helpful, but if you feel you’ll rely too much on him, you may be correct in assuming trying to find someone else would be better.” Right about then, Mika was feeling in a little over her head, and was wishing she could talk to her old mentor. Was she handling this correctly? She hoped so. She missed the confidence she had in her medical knowledge. But it wasn’t as if she weren’t enjoying this job, either. She just felt… new again. She had to remind herself that would pass with time and experience.

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

Hannah nodded. “I will work on both. I will talk to him about and see if I can find another partner as well.” She thought about why she had come in the first place. “I was hoping you could help me with my hobby problem. Most of my hobbies involve being outside or holodeck simulations of outside. And I can’t exactly have the holodeck all the time.” Hannah grinned just a bit. “I study new medical advances, I love it, but, well I feel like maybe I want to do more or I should have. I’m still a jr Lt which I’m fine with but as a doctor I want to do more. I also recognize that I need something other than my work or I can burn out on it. And since you said you made a change in your career you might have a suggestion for me?”
Lt jg Asimina Doctor

“Well, I certainly didn’t burn out, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Mika said with a quick sigh. “But you are most definitely right. A hobby that has nothing to do with medicine can be quite helpful to take your mind off the things you do and see for work. What kind of thing are you interested in? Do you like to read? Or what about the arts? Like, creating things?” Mika suggested. “Personally, in my off time, I like to read. I do a lot of reading,” she said, “And I keep up on my self defense training.”

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

“Oh no, I didn’t mean that.” Hannah had to stop herself from letting her hands fly off the handle trying to explain what she meant. She found sign so much more expressive and specific to what she was thinking. “I was just referring to myself, in general. I’m sorry.” Hannah still, at times, had a hard time expressing herself verbally. Not because she didn’t have the words, but she felt like words didn’t do her thoughts justice. “I do read, but I’ve never been a big reader. I like football. Watching it anyway. I like to do nature journaling. I picked it up on Catabwa growing up. Making notes about the plants and animals. I wish Saracen had an arboretum.” Hannah blinked, once. “Now there’s an idea. Self defense classes. I’ll as Cmdr Sinclair if any are offered on board. Other than what we learned at the Academy…hmmm…” Daniel had shown her a few, what he called ‘dirty tricks,’ that he insisted she should know. But with her search and rescue training it wouldn’t hurt to build upon that basic self defense knowledge. “Oh I like that idea. And it’s not sitting still. I really can’t stand to sit still.”
Lt jg Asimina, Doctor

“No, no, no offense taken at all,” Mika assured her. “Martial arts are pretty fun and they’re good for getting your frustration out,” she said. She’d taken classes on Earth, and then continued her training in Starfleet. She just liked practicing them, but should she ever have gone on an away mission, they could’ve been quite useful. She could relate to the sentiment of hating sitting still. Martial arts gave her an out for frustration, as well as something active to burn time on.

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

Hannah nodded, “I can see how it would. I’ve never really been interested in that sort of thing. I mean I understand the practicality of it and did well in my academy classes, but I was more concerned with emergency medicine than combat training.” Hannah grins a little. “Cliché of a doctor I guess, but it’s the truth.” She thought about it some more and then nodded. “Yes I think that’s a good idea. And it’s something I can practice on my own as well. Do you have any particular style you would recommend?”
Lt jg Asimina, Doctor

“Judo is one where the skills can transfer better into real fights. That’s what I do, personally. But I’d pick one that interests you,” Mika said. “I studied emergency medicine as well, but I found some form of self defense to be nearly as, if not more, important than study time.” That was Mika’s personal view, in fact, she’d started training after her parent’s store had been broken into when she was a teenager. But that was something she never talked about. “Whatever you end up choosing, the Holodeck makes a great practice partner.”

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

Hannah nodded. “I did some basic self defense when I got my search and rescue certifications. But never went beyond what was required there. Cmdr Sinclair should know what’s offered, and might have some suggestions as to what would be a good fit for me. I’ll make sure to ask him.” Hannah’s voice had become clearer over the last few minutes. Mika could safely make the assumption that she was less tense and anxious than when she came in. “Would it be alright if I got a glass of water?” she asked, not hesitant but polite in the request. She looked around the room and noticed the pictures. “Family?”
Lt jg Asimina, Doctor

Mika noticed the change in Hannah’s voice, and she hoped that meant she’d been of some help. “Of course,” she replied. She turned to look herself when her pictures were mentioned and smiled one of those sad and happy all in one smiles. “Friends, mostly. But that one is of my family.” She pointed to a framed picture on the wall of a woman who looked remarkably like Tandra, if a tad older, a nicely dressed, tall man with brown hair, Tandra herself, except she was perhaps ten in the photo, and a young boy of asian descent. A contrast to the rest of the family’s tan skin but definitely western descent, this was Tandra’s adopted brother.

Hannah got a glass of water from the replicator and sipped it slowly as she looked at the pictures. She stared at the picture of her family for a moment, her hands moving gracefully in expression. She smiled ruefully. “Forgive me, that was rude.” The comment made in reference to her signing without speaking. She pointed at the picture, “Love doesn’t see with eyes, does it?”

“I’m not offended,” Mika replied with a shrug. “No, it doesn’t,” she said. “He’s sixteen now.”

“I don’t have any siblings, well not in the traditional sense. All of the children on Catabwa, we grew up together. We were all like brothers and sisters. 2 years ago I ran into Charles, my younger by two years, on starbase 12. I couldn’t believe how much he seemed to have grown up after not seeing him for so long.”

Next to it was a photo of a quite fit woman with curly red hair, ginger to be sure, and pale blue eyes, with quite pale skin, and just around Tandra’s age. Tandra was in the photo was well, and they were hugging and smiling at the camera. They both wore blue Starfleet uniforms, but Tandra’s was for medical, and the other a science officer. Along the wall were pictures of probably seven other Starfleet officers, some just the person, some with Tandra in them as well.

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

Hannah looked at them all, “My father would say you are very blessed. A life should be told in strength of friendships and not possessions.”
Lt jg Asimina, Doctor

She nodded. “I can agree with that. I still write to some of them, when I can.” The people she hadn’t kept in touch with she missed dearly, and those she did, she still missed, but she loved learning what they were up to through their communications.

Lt Mika, CNS/DO

Hannah passed a huge grin Mika’s way. “Letters are wonderful. I write to my parents often. My great great grandmother writes to me frequently. She always wants to know if I have visited any of the places she did when she served. The universe is a lot bigger now than it was then.”
Lt jg Asimina, Doctor

Mika nodded. “It is. I am the first in my family to join Starfleet. Everyone else has lived on Earth,” she said. Sometimes she felt she had the most boring family in all of Starfleet. There was a chance that once he was old enough, Tao would follow her footsteps. But she wasn’t sure whether he would or not. “I keep all of my letters,” she said.

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO


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