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Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: CH. 3 S [Day 01 | 1315] Growing New Roots
Last post by P.C. Haring -On the surface, Artimis Saugn seemed a pleasant enough individual, but there was something about the woman that left Reggie a bit unsettled. She had only just met the Petty Officer, so the pilot wrongly assumed that it was just a matter of initial nerves. As such, the Betazoid pushed down whatever unease she felt and channeled her efforts into being as pleasant as possible.
“I’d be happy to help. Can you grab one end and I’ll grab the other?”
It took them an extra minute or two to load the trunk, but once the gear was secured in the Faraday’s hold, Reggie took her seat, strapped in and began running pre-flight. She had left the main engines on line, as she hadn’t planned to be staying any longer than necessary so in this case the pre-flight checklist was somewhat short, though none the less important. Even so, Reggie allowed herself to take the list a little more slowly than normal if for no other reason than to allow Saugn enough time to settle in.
The Betazoid jumped, startled by the normal noises her passenger made as she took own seat and strapped in and it was in that moment when she realized why she felt so unsettled.
She couldn't read Saugn at all.
Stay calm, she admonished herself.
It was not like this was her first time around someone she couldn’t sense. There were many species in the galaxy who were telepathically mute, Ferengi for one and while she had long since come to accept that inevitable fact, it had always left her feeling a bit… empty. Without trying, betazoids were always able to, on some level or another, sense and discern the thoughts and feelings of those around them and while she, like every other of her race, had learned at a young age how to filter out the telepathic ‘noise’ when so desired, the sounds of others had always brought her comfort even just knowing they were there in her presence. Telepathic ‘mutes’ had likewise stuck out like a sore thumb; a cloud of darkness in an otherwise bright array of minds and thoughts.
[Faraday, standby for departure clearance,] came the voice of the Klingon over the comm. He did not comment on the nature of the delay, but given the circumstances, Reggie suspected there was traffic along her departure vector back to the Helmet.
“So,” she finally said. “What brings you to Theurgy?”
It was a horribly awkward question, Reggie knew, but without any sense of how Petty Officer Saugn felt at the moment, it was the best she had to go on.