Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vora Zorell (Scientist) in Johann’s Quarters- Suspicions

Posted by Captain Johann Dvorak (CO) in Johann’s Quarters- Suspicions

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vora Zorell (Scientist) in Johann’s Quarters- Suspicions
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“Certainly,” he said. “I think that’s entirely reasonable, even though it might not feel that way.” He seemed to stare into space for a second as he pondered it.

“I suppose… emotionally… it must be as if I had an ex suddenly show up,” he said. “Except she’s not my ex. And my exes would not ‘show up’ because they work hundreds of light years away. No, actually, I work hundreds of light years away. At the edge of the known universe. But that’s not why I hang my hat in Tennessee.”

He didn’t actually hang his hat in Tennessee. He didn’t even wear a hat, unless he was visiting a planet, and even then not every time. At least your ex wasn’t this confusing when he showed up, he thought. He just wanted to kidnap you… Very sensibly, Johann managed not to verbalize this thought.

– Johann Dvorak, CO

Vora frowned, the turn of phrase one she just couldn’t quite parse. She almost went to ask but then shook her head. No, it wasn’t the important part here. “I’s someone you know, but you don’t really know them the way they know you. Or, the way they think they know you. But I think that’s the hard part. You work closely together, so yes, you do have a connection, a working rapport. Like I said, I’m not worried about anyone’s intentions here, but…” Gah! Why was this so hard? “I think you need to clear the air with her, confirm what we’ve figured out and then let me know how you’re both going to proceed.”

~Vora Zorell, Sciences

“Right,” he said, confirming that was the course of action. There was a slight hesitation at the end of it.

“How you’re both going to proceed” repeated in his mind. There was something about the way she said that which didn’t sit quite right with him. There was something there left unstated. Something he wasn’t sure if he should probe at further.

“Is there a way you would prefer us not to proceed? Besides the obvious, I mean.”

– Johann Dvorak, CO

Vora fixed her maroon gaze on the floor, as if studying the tiny loops of the carpet. She wasn’t sure how to express the unease she was feeling, or if she could even qualify it properly in any way. “It’s… hard not to feel, to use a Terran saying, like a third wheel in all of this. I’m involved because I’m involved with you, but it doesn’t involve me directly. But what you two do with all of this does impact me. And it’s not like I’m expecting either of you to act in a way that would be hurtful to me. I just… maybe it’s this uncomfortable realization that I actually have something to lose here, even if it’s not realistic that it could happen. That’s not something that was always true for me. It’s a marker of how much life has changed for the better. I just.. it’s all very confusing for me and I’m not sure how I should feel about it all. And I’d go talk to the counsellor about that because it’s triggering some old things for me, but… well… that’s awkward.”

~Vora Zorell, Sciences

“You might want to do that anyway,” Johann said. “I mean, I think that’s the only way out of it being awkward for everybody. Just clearly acknowledge that it’s messed up and doesn’t make any sense.”

Then he actually thought about that for a second. “Triggering” implied that there was something traumatic that was directly relevant here. The sort of thing she’d need to talk to the counselor about to work through trauma. Oops, he thought.

“Though I guess that could be like… an ethics problem, actually, formally speaking… I mean, if you’re talking to her as the counselor in order to provide counseling about something she’s directly involved in.” There wasn’t anyone else on the ship who could do it. At least not now. Making some kind of alternate arrangement would be difficult at best, and start a paper trail on everybody.

Fleet Command had to know about this before they put her here, he thought. Why did they still do it? Then again, Johann never really understood why did Fleet Command did anything.

– Johann Dvorak, CO