USS Dark Fire (IC)

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870526.1300

“I’ll inform your companion that you’ve returned to your quarters and are resting.”

“I do not need to alter your appearance; I can perform a site-to-site transport and return you to your quarters. Do you prefer bedroom, living room, restroom, or your office? I've also taken the liberty of feeding your mouse in your absence."​

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ XIANA MARLOWE ▻​

At the reminder of her mouse, her heart sank. She had neglected that as well? What was wrong with her? “You’re a saint, Dark Fire, thank you.”

“Please, my bathroom,” she groaned, attempting to stand as straight as she was used to. Instead, she held onto her hips and kept her head down, the tile on the ground moving. It only made her feel more lightheaded. Xiana squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m not dying, right?”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870526.1305

“Medical analysis indicates you are not dying. However you do have a .18 blood alcohol level. Would you like me to purge that during transport?” The AI asked as the distinctive whine of a transporter engaging reached her ears.

Seconds after her answer she was in her bathroom, the floor beneath her feet comforting in it’s simpleness.

“It is currently 1305 hrs, and you have no appointments for today. I recommend water and rest.”​

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ XIANA MARLOWE ▻​

“Purge the note on the levels or the alcohol level?” She asked, confused. She couldn’t even be sure she was understanding correctly. Was .18 bad or not?

Sensing her return to her bathroom, Xiana opened her eyes and slowly lowered herself onto the ground. With her back against the bathtub, she was thankful she kept her home alarmingly neat. It made begging her sickness on her bathroom floor much more pleasant.

She sat close to her toilet, throwing her head back and taking a few breaths. More vile was inevitable, so she planned to enjoy the few minutes she’d have before a second round.

“It’s that early?” she asked in disbelief. What level of pathetic had she dropped to to be this wasted in the afternoon?

What the hell is wrong with me?

“Dark Fire, please send… um, send a general notice that I’m ill and can’t perform any duties for the rest of the day. Just in case.”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870526.1305

“The alcohol level.” Dark Fire replied stepping through the door. “18 Percent of your blood has been replaced by alcohol. At 10 percent you are restricted from duty. At 20 percent emergency protocols are involved. I will inform anyone requesting your presence that you are ill.”

“There are also physical medications that you can take that will alleviate some of the symptoms. They are less harsh on your body, but take longer to be effective.”

“Would you prefer a medical team?”​

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ XIANA MARLOWE ▻
​

At the suggestion of a medical team, she dropped her head and looked up to the AI. “Oh no, absolutely not. I don’t want anyone to know. If anyone asks for details on my condition, deny them that information, please,” Xiana replied.

She felt the disgustingly familiar mass coming up her throat and quickly crawled to the toilet bowl. “Don’t look! Step out!” she insisted before throwing up. Yes, it wasn’t as if a program could or would judge her, but Xiana felt too vulnerable to allow even Dark Fire to see her like that.

 

[milkmaiden38]

Hora

“The whole bridge team? I agree” Hora replied. “Dark Fire, contact Dr Marlowe and get her up here, Stat!” Hora ordered.

“Dr Marlowe is ill and can’t perform any duties for the rest of the day” Dark Fire reported.

“What? She is sick? from what? Most common colds and flu are treatable in minutes. And the bio-filter clean people up before coming aboard” Hora said more to herself than everyone else on the bridge.

“Excuse me Captain, but there is Regulan fever, Rigelian fever, and Rudellian brain fever and those are just the sicknesses that begin with R” Lt Harris said.

“Dr Marlowe does not any of those, right Dark Fire?” Hora asked the ship’s AI.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870526.1305

“No Captain, she does not have a communicable disease or virus. She is not feeling well and is taking the remainder of the day off from her normal duties. I cannot tell you what she has as that is a violation of regulations.”

“Will she die, or be unable to perform her duties tomorrow?” Commander Reeves asked.

“Negative Commander, by my calculations she’ll be able to resume her normal schedule tomorrow. And she has no appointments for the remainder of the day that would require rescheduling.”​

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ XIANA MARLOWE ▻​

A few consecutive appearances of bile later, Xiana was convinced her stomach couldn’t possibly have more to give. She considered a shower but didn’t want to risk a fall. She settled for freshening up with a face rinse, brushing her hair, and at least three thorough mouth washes, making sure no millimeter was left untouched by her toothbrush.

Lacking the desire to find her typical sleepwear, she tossed her clothes on the ground without a care and crawled into bed. Under her sheets, she prayed to go to sleep and let her miserable state be in the past. Her heavy head had other plans. Her bloodshot eyes stuck to her ceiling. “Dark Fire, am I able to get medication without staff knowing?” she asked hoarsely. "Or at least, could I get it delivered?"

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870526.1330

“That depends on the nature and dosage of the medication desired, for both questions,” Dark Fire replied.

“Narcotics require a medical visitation and prescription. Anti-nausea or mild pain killers do not.”

“All medical staff are professional and discreet. Shall I have one come and visit you?” The AI asked, it’s tone changing to sound like someone that cared.​

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ XIANA MARLOWE ▻​

She groaned. “No. If anyone sees me in this condition, I want you to shoot me; I’m being sarcastic, just to be clear. I value my life every hour but this one.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the medical staff on board. She believed they were professional and discreet. The issue was that in her condition she wasn’t. For all she knew, she’d be giving them counseling soon. She was in charge of the honorary ceremonies as well—how could they take her seriously after seeing her indulging in day drinking? How could she make sure she was presentable with a distorted vision?

Xiana took a deep breath. “What if they think less of me?”

 

[milkmaiden38]

Hora

“That is a shame, group counseling on the bridge with the bridge team would have been fun!” Hora groaned. Most of the bridge team was relieved Dr Marlowe was not available not wanting to discuss their issue in front of the captain. But Hora did not pick up on their body language or she did and suggested her next idea.

“Wait, we can still have a “fun” group session without the counselor. Each of us can one person on the team a psychological question. A fun question, nothing too serious. This will be a great team building game. I’ll start” She looked at the team, her eyes landing on Commander Reeves “Nope, not going ask the XO a question” she said out loud. Then she looked Lt Harris.

“Ok, Lt Harris, on a scale of 1 to 10, how strongly would you rate yourself on the trait of feeling guilty? And record the number" Hora told the communication officer

He thought for a moment and then recorded a number on his computer consol.

“Since I asked the question… I’ll be guessing his answer. But first, Ensign Newton, what do you think he wrote?” Hora asked the young human female manning astrometric charts.

“Oh… well, I think he feels guilty about a lot of things. I mean the other day he apologized about stepping off the turbo lift before I did. I’d give him a solid 7” She answered.

“I was trying to be polite” Lt Harris said to defend himself.

“I agree… I’m going to guess an 8” Hora answered.

“You nailed it, Captain” Lt Harris answered “I wrote down an 8.”

“Yes!” Hora laughed “Your turn to asked a question, Lt Harris”

“Oh… I’m not sure what to ask?” He said trying to come up with an idea.

“Anything…” Hora encouraged him “if it is stupid, we’ll all judge you and you will feel guilty about it” She joked.

“Ok” Lt Harris started a bit unsure of his question. “On a scale 1-10 how angry are you at Dark Fire for psychoanalyzing you?”

Hora laughed “That is easy, I’d say a 2. It is his job to point item out things like that. The only reason I’m slightly irked is the lack of understanding. You see, the planet of Orion has an unusual planetary feature due to its tilted axis, which caused the planet to experience just one day and night every 796 days. The equatorial region of the planet however, experienced a rapid day-night cycle during the dawn and dusk equinox, when the equator was closest to the sun and rotating on axis.

The Orion people use to believe that their protector, their god, kept them bathed in light in order to look down at the people for entertainment. In response to this belief, Orions would celebrate the protector with great carnal demonstrations, erotic dances, performative sexual demonstrations, depraved and kinky sexual displays and having orgies with dozens of participants. As our science developed, we knew this belief was wrong. But these practices had become so embedded in Orion lifestyle that they continued, despite no the lack of a deity. Now we do them instead simply for pleasure.

The Orion’s base their life on hedonistic principals. They believe their entire existence centered around concepts of self-indulgence, fun, and hedonism. We are an opportunistic race that have very few ethical and moral laws.

So, joining the federation was a learning experience for me. I’ve had to adjust to your rules and laws. I think I might be a bit slower at adapting than other Orions based upon Dark Fire’s comments.” Hora explained. “Or as captain, I’m a little freer with my comments and thoughts” Hora added with a naughty grin.

“Ok, Commander Reeves… your turn to ask a question, and so far, I'm winning the game” Hora said

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870526.1345

Dark Fire:​

“I cannot injure or kill any crew member except to save the life of another crewmember. And I do understand the concept of sarcasm, although I have not fully processed the subtle nuances of the speech inflections when it is being used. So thank you for clarifying your desire to live.”

“Why would they think less of you? Would you like a physician that drinks more or earlier than you?” As Dark Fire spoke a glass of water materialized next to her. “You need to hydrate more to assist in flushing the alcohol from your system and to properly saturate the brain. The headaches and nausea are a result of insufficient hydration.”

Cmdr. Reeves:​

Looking up Reeves raised his left eyebrow. “Without using the computer in any way, what is my wife’s second name?” Humans called it a middle name, Klingon's called it a personal name, some species didn’t even have them.

Returning to his station he directed the repair teams to focus on one section of the ship as the internal and external bulkheads were replaced with new panels, the wiring and conduits also being replaced simultaneously.

Thankfully they had a good crew and ship that were exceedingly competent at their jobs. Engineering was also constructing the caskets for those that had died and plaques were being made for the hall of memories for each crewman, pilot, and marine that had died in the attack. The plaques weren’t large, but just touching one would bring up a full 3D image and bio of the dead.​

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ XIANA MARLOWE ▻​

Xiana turned to the side and sat up, reaching for the glass. “You’re a darling, Dark Fire, thank you,” she expressed, polishing off the water. For a few moments, she stayed still in contemplation.

“How about this—is there anyone on the medical staff who can check me out, but someone with a terrible record? I don’t mean one or two incidents—I mean downright awful. The kind who everyone wonders how they still have their position.”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870526.1350

Dark Fire:​

“Negative, all staff are thoroughly vetted before being assigned aboard. Even yourself went though an extensive background screen process. Any person of the nature you are requesting would be found in the red section and would not be listed in my database as a viable physician.”

“The Marines do have their own Medic teams that are not part of the ship rotation. They are qualified for emergency combat situations and for the prescription of medications. None of them are in high enough authority for you to ever give them counseling, excepting the Marine Major.”​

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ XIANA MARLOWE ▻​

She could work with that. “Okay, marine medic it is, at their earliest convenience please. Thank you, Dark Fire.”

Xiana sunk back into the bed and tugged her blanket over her torso. “Add a note of discretion and preferably shoulders up. I don’t think I can stand right now.”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870526.1430

Thirty plus minutes later a chime sounded at the door. “The Medic is outside, shall I grant them access?” Dark fire inquired. “They are required to physically meet with you to properly access your injuries and or illness before prescribing medications.”

Thirty minutes was impressive considering the distance from the Marine zone to the Counselors quarters. Most likely they’d used the internal transporter system or a turbolift. Otherwise it would have taken hours to reach her.
​

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ XIANA MARLOWE ▻​

“Please do. Thank you, Dark Fire. Don’t motion them into my room until I’m covered,” she instructed, getting out of her bed with great difficulty. With the existence of stethoscopes, she doubted she could get away with just lying in bed for an inspection.

Trailing a hand on the wall to support herself up, it took Xiana a bit to get to her wardrobe and slip a robe on. Typically, she’d appreciate the warmth of cotton. At the moment, she swore it’d roast her alive. It’d have to make do.

She made her way back to her bed, sitting stiffly in preparation. “Let them in, please,” she spoke, running her fingers over and over through her hair so it’d be at least presentable.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870526.1435

Stepping into the main room the Marine waited until Dark Fire informed them that the Counselor was ready, then they stepped into the bedroom and looked around for a moment before moving to her side with a rather large medical pack sliding from his shoulders.

“Symptoms?” He asked as he pulled out a data padd and took her vitals plus got her baselines from Dark Fires medical files. His name strip on his chest said McPherson and the rank pins showed he was Gunnery Sergeant (three up, one down, no pip) with a caduceus on the Opposite Lapel.​

View attachment 2492305

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ XIANA MARLOWE ▻​

“Thank you for your time. Headache, sore throat, nausea, heartburn, frizzy hair,” she replied, offering her arm for the subsequent testing. She hadn’t considered what excuse she’d give if asked for context. If she trusted Dark Fire, she wouldn’t need to lie. If she let her fear of professional criticism speak, she’d have to come up with a reason to justify her condition, and quick.

She cleared her throat and looked at the marine. “It’s nothing grave, I promise. I just need some good painkillers to help me sleep it off, and you’ll be free to return to your responsibilities.”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870526.1440

“Well, from what can can see you have dehydration, and a mild case of alcohol poisoning.” He told her as he built a hypospray.

“This will help the alcohol break down faster in your system, and prevent anymore from entering your bloodstream.” He told her with a quick hiss to her arm. “The second one will help with oxygenating your bloodstream, and should alleviate the headaches.”

“I’ve also sent a prescription to the ship for a mild painkiller in case you need it later.” He said looking at her. “I’d advise staying in bed and sleeping it off. The sore throat should pass in a few hours, as long as you don’t throw up anymore.”

“If this happens again, see a doctor faster, before it gets this bad.” he told her as he put his stuff away. “Anything else?” he asked with a smile.​

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ XIANA MARLOWE ▻​

Not much she could do from the truth, then. She avoided the man’s eyes at the mention of alcohol poisoning and resisted the urge to tug at her face in shame. Instead, she promised herself to not get to that level ever again… at least not so early in the day.

The idea of feeling like her old self led to a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Sergeant. I’m sorry for my appearance as well. I’m normally more collected,” she explained.

“It won’t be happening again,” Xiana noted. She already knew she wouldn’t be calling a doctor but had the new idea of stockpiling medications just in case. If they were under her name, what could be the harm? “Just out of curiosity, will this be documented? And can my superiors access it?”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870526.1445

“It’s Gunny,” He replied as he stood up. “And I’ll log this medication usage as being in the red section, patient unknown female. Early twenties.”

“It happens to the best of us. At least us Marines get subdermal patches so we never get poisoned.”

“And if it does happen again, just have Dark Fire get me. If I’m not on mission or training I have the time.”​

 

[sereneotter00]

◅ XIANA MARLOWE ▻​

Xiana stifled a chuckle. That was most certainly a name she hadn’t come across, particularly for a marine. “Out of respect, I’d prefer Sergeant.”

Except it shouldn’t happen to her, or so Xiana thought. The subdermal patches piqued her interest. She wondered if K’alena benefited from them or if she was struggling as much as she had. One thing was certain—she’d limit her visits to the Red Section.

“Late twenties as well, but thank you for doing me a solid. If it weren’t for your assistance, I likely would’ve been complaining to Dark Fire for the rest of the day.”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870526.1445

“I’m sure the AI is used to hearing a number of people bitching and complaining throughout the day, mostly about their jobs and personal issues. So adding one more to the batch probably wouldn’t over load the system, but why risk it. Right?” he replied with a chuckle.

“I’ll see myself out while you rest, and remember, just call if you need me later. Especially if you don’t get better, or if it gets worse.”​