Star Trek: Theurgy

CH02: S [D02|1615] A Gardening Gorn

December 28, 2020, 12:59:57 AM

[ CPO Sithick | Arboretum - Memorial Terrace | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @P.C. Haring

The initial jump to slipstream had put stress on the Theurgy and her delicate systems. The maintenance log grew longer minute by minute as more and more system diagnostics were completed. There were microfractures in various EPS conduits. There were reports of system crashes in Stellar Cartography and throughout Theurgy.

Sithick had initially been on duty in the fighter bay but found it difficult to work after reviewing the operation and engineering maintenance log. It was the report that all power to the arboretum was out that caused the greatest anxiety for the Gorn. It was only days after arriving at Aldea that he was summoned to sickbay to retrieve an unique item. The medical team routinely collected organic samples of each crew member to keep on file for medical purposes and sometimes research. Typically upon the death of a sample's owner, the material was disposed of. However, in the case of Ensign Saugn, her sample had taken root and bloomed upon her death. Despite the mystery of it, the medical staff didn't feel that they could risk destroying the last remnants of their colleague by subjecting it to testing. Instead they had decided to gift it to Saugn's closest thing to next of kin. They knew of the budding relationship between Saugn and Sithick and knew how the Gorn had slipped into a depression following Saugn's death. He had taken the flower, not knowing what to do with it. He was an engineer, not a botanist.

Initially he had thought to put it in his room where it could receive light from his many solar lamps, however he recalled how his environmental settings would dry Lahkesis out. Then he knew exactly what would be appropriate, planting the sapling in the arboretum as a memoral to his lost love. His Lahkesis deserved more than a metal plaque on the wall or a lifeless holographic image. She was life itself to him and this sapling was a living representation of the brief love they shared. And that love was in danger without power to the Arboretum. He had ran the moment his shift was over to reach the green space and restore full power, which he and a crew of other techs were able to do. With the job done, he took a break in the Spearhead lounge only to have disaster strike again. More lives lost, those close to him, those not.

Since that eventful day, only yesterday, Sithick had made a point to spend every available moment tending to his Lahkesis flower and a growing garden of other plants representing the close friends he had lost.  Aside for his required shift duties, nothing else mattered but the care of these plants, not even his annual psychological evaluation. It had taken Dr. Hernandez threatening him to get Sithick to report for a physical. At what length would the Counceling staff have to go?

It was here, tending his garden that they would likely find him.

Re: Chapter 02: S [D02 1615] - A Gardening Gorn

Reply #1 – December 29, 2020, 02:49:49 AM

[ Lt. Cmdr. Hathev | Arboretum - Memorial Terrace | Deck 21 | Vector 03| USS Theurgy ] Attn: @jreeves1701 
 
Of all the places aboard ship she could find a crewman who had been ducking his annual psych eval, the Arboretum seemed quite appropriate.  Hathev had only found occasion to come down here twice during the Aldea layover.  She had come down to take in the environment, of course, but also to visit the ship’s memorial wall.

Most of the named deceased, she had never known.  Yet she owed it to herself and, more importantly, to her patients to know their names.   They had been crewmates with her patients.  It was logical these names would come up in her sessions and she had a responsibility to be reasonably informed.

Hathev had not been back since she had committed those names to her eidetic memory.

There had been no reason for her absence.  She simply had not found reason to return until now and, as she walked the path, she found reason to question that decision.   There was a certain serenity, a sense that despite everything going on back home, aboard this ship, and with her personally all took a break once she stepped into the Arboretum.  It agreed with her.

She found him on the Memorial Terrace, and as she approached, her path drew her to the Wall.  She stole a glance at it, seeing the names she had seen before, registering the names that had been added since her visit, and realizing just how many names would have to be added again.  Too many victims of the bombing.

Seren.

Less than 24 hours after receiving word of the attack on Paris and understanding the statistical likelihood that her estranged wife had perished in the attack, a bomb on board ship had caused serious injury to the son of the father of her child whom she had lost.

Her estranged Wife lost to an act of war.  Her son lost to the Maquis.  Saren, critically injured in a bombing.

Her list of familial connections grew short.

Grief and despair came to her unbidden and just as quickly she fought to suppress it   Tonight, when she went off duty, she would make a point to mediate and reinforce her mental discipline.

But until then, she had patients to counsel and, until she went off duty, her own needs would take a back seat.

Being the only of his kind aboard ship, the Gorn stuck out.  He was hunched over, tending to a small garden.  It was a stark contrast to what she had read about the species, but the more time she spent aboard ship, the more she realized just how many of her preconceptions would be similarly challenged.

She held her place, a respectful distance away; far enough to not be intrusive, but close enough that she could be heard without having to raise her voice.

Hathev cleared her throat, a subtle attempt to draw his attention.   “Your work on this garden is impressive.”

Re: Chapter 02: S [D02 1615] - A Gardening Gorn

Reply #2 – December 29, 2020, 03:47:08 AM

[ CPO Sithick | Arboretum - Memorial Terrace | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @P.C. Haring

Sithick gently caressed the Lahkesis plant as he adjusted one of the solar lamps providing it with nourishing illumination. It was still nothing more than a sapling. With a flick of his tongue, he took in the surrounding smell/tastes of the arboretum. It was filled with a cornucopia of flora. Beneath the potential allergy-inducing pollen of them, all were the subtle flavors of the Theurgy crew recreating amid the green space. Only those with heightened senses of smell could recognize register the aroma of individual species, but Gorn with their added sense of taste could refine it further to specific individuals.

With a flick of the tongue, he had registered her present the moment she entered the room. With a shudder and a huff of air through his snout, he stiffened in preparation for a confrontation he had been avoiding. The ship's Chief Counselor Hathev's taste/smell was unmistakable, the copper flavor of their sweat, the subtle hint of desert heat that no amount of time away from their homeworld could erase. Perhaps if he stood still long enough she wouldn't notice him. With mental determination, Sithick focused on blending in with the space around him. He had heard rumors of Gorn gifted with the ability to change their scale pigment to camouflage with their surroundings. Perhaps he could too.

Wishful thinking and hoping would not succeed him today, as the distant but too close clearing of a female throat would indicate. If only she knew what throat calls meant to giant reptiles like the Gorn. Sithick was confident Hathev was neither interested in confronting him for dominance or for a mating challenging.

"Thanksss yousss counselorsss." He responded, the universal translator doing its best to interpret the hisses and clicks of the Gorn language. It was grossly inaccurate as the Gorn language incorporated pheromone production. However, it succeeded in inferring a polite response. Sithick knew that Vulcan's possessed a heightened sense of smell too, but found humans and other races to possess a strong odor and would deaden the smell receptors in order to work among them. Had Counselor Hathev likewise deadened her smell receptors or could she smell the defensive musk Sithick began producing the moment she began approaching him?

Re: Chapter 02: S [D02 1615] - A Gardening Gorn

Reply #3 – January 02, 2021, 02:51:36 AM

[ Lt. Cmdr. Hathev | Arboretum - Memorial Terrace | Deck 21 | Vector 03| USS Theurgy ] Attn: @jreeves1701 
 
Hathev did not need a heightened sense of smell to understand the off standish nature of the Gorn in front of her.   She had made a mistake, she realized, by not researching the Gorn use of physiology and she suspected she might have errored in the way in which she approached him, though she could identify where said error had occurred.

She took a few steps closer and noticed the bench along the side of the path, only a meter away from where the Gorn was working.  Normally social courtesy would require her to ask permission before she proceeded.  But the arboretum was a public space and with that in mind she took a seat.  

She sat in silence for several minutes allowing the Gorn to acclimate to her presence.   Although she observed casually, she did not speak to him nor did she offer her assistance.  She noted his gentle work with the flowers, a state seemingly at odds the aggression and viciousness he was more than capable of displaying.   She wondered if this was his way of finding a balance but dismissed the thought just as quickly as too presumptuous on her part.  She did not know his nature any more than she knew the nature of any other individual whom she had met only minutes prior.  But there was an undeniable tenderness in him as she observed his work.   This was not the effort of someone who merely gardened to pass the time, letting come what may.  No.   There was carefully crafted and cultivated intention in his meticulous work, an intention that spoke to something deeper.

“This garden holds significance to you, does it not?”

Re: Chapter 02: S [D02 1615] - A Gardening Gorn

Reply #4 – January 18, 2021, 05:10:53 PM

[ CPO Sithick | Arboretum - Memorial Terrace | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @P.C. Haring

Sithick rotated his snout clockwise cracking the joints in his neck. There were not many sanctuaries aboard a starship, not one as populated as the Theurgy. He had tried to relax in his quarters, but with his new female Klingon roommate that environment was filling with tension. He had tried to relax in the steam baths only to have that space invaded by an orion female whose odor triggered pleasant yet unpleasant memories. So it was here near the memorial wall that he began nurturing plants in honor of the Theurgy's fallen.

Each officer's life would be commemorated by a living legacy in the form of a plant native to or special to them. Sithick, suspected this garden would soon grow the longer Theurgy's mission continued.

As the awkward silence ticked on, Sithick prepared his response. "It'sss isss Lieutenantsss." The Gorn suspected he knew why Hathev had tracked him down. He had avoided his yearly medical examination for as long as he could. He was attempting to postpone his psych evaluation for indefinitely longer.  As part of his avoidance of confronting his grief of losing Lahkesis, he had avoided All of Decks 7 and 11, the location of her quarters and duty station respectfully. So why was it that he was avoiding Deck 9 and the Counseling Department?

Hathev, would have her work cut out breaking through Sithick's reptilian thick skin just to reach his equally tough stubborn psyche.

Re: CH02: S [D02|1615] A Gardening Gorn

Reply #5 – January 27, 2021, 04:52:47 AM

[ Lt. Cmdr. Hathev | Arboretum - Memorial Terrace | Deck 21 | Vector 03| USS Theurgy ] Attn:  @jreeves1701 

In her 77-year career with Starfleet, Hathev had not had the opportunity to counsel a Gorn and to say she had her work cut out for her, to coin the human expression, might have been an understatement.  She had counseled many stubborn patients in her time and had concluded that Klingons proved the most stubborn of all.   To seek counseling was a sign of weakness, and there was no honor in talking.  She had managed to crack that patients shields by posing her mental health needs as a different type of battle, but one worthy of fight.  She had not seen her in decades now.

But this Gorn, her shipmate, might put that Klingon to shame. He displayed a stubbornness borne out of silence.  Under most circumstances she might chose a direct approach, in essence cutting through the niceties and social courtesies in order to address the issue at hand directly.   However, in this case, doing so might yield undesired results.     Although she trusted Mr. Sithick to maintain a professional demeanor, she also had to respect the fact that if he wanted to, he could literally tear her into pieces.

Yet this tenderness he continued to display as he worked in the garden.   She did not recognize the species of flower he worked with, but she noted the proximity of the garden to the Memorial Wall and the care he continued to display as he doted on this single plant.

The logic fell into place and she regretted not having seen it before.  This flower, this single plant, was Sithick’s own memorial to someone…someone close to him.

“In whose memory do you tend to the garden?”

She dared to move a little closer to him, still seated on the bench but maintaining a professional distance.  Hathev did not want to intrude, but her duty demanded she persist as he was well overdue for his annual evaluation.   She found herself hoping that he would open up to her willingly, as she preferred not to issue a medically mandated order.

We return, once more, to the concept of hope, why do those on the emotional spectrum focus so heavily on the idea that wishing something were true made it so.  What power this irrational construct has in the psyche of the emotional spectrum that it returns to the forefront of the mind of one who spent the past century rooted in logic.

Only one race of beings had the omnipotence to make such a thing occur and Hathev did not relish a visit from any member of the Q Continuum any more than she relished the possibility this conversation might turn even colder.

Re: CH02: S [D02|1615] A Gardening Gorn

Reply #6 – February 11, 2021, 04:39:24 AM

[ CPO Sithick | Arboretum - Memorial Terrace | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @P.C. Haring

Sithick continued to care for the plants with a delicate claw. He needed to meditate a moment before responding.

"Thisss gardensss insss honorsss ofsss allsss whosss servesss andsss gavesss theirsss livesss." The Gorn pointed toward the memorial wall without turning his attention away from the plants in his care. "Theresss notsss roomsss heresss forsss memoralizesss everyonesss. Eyesss startsss withsss Lakesisss, thisss isss thesss lastsss ofsss hersss essencesss." Sithick nuzzled the unique orchid that he had spent most of his energy caring for. "Itsss allsss eyesss hasss ofsss hersss."

The Gorn had tried to plant items representative of each person lost aboard Theurgy since he had joined the crew. That number kept ticking upwards the longer the fight against the infested went on. Since joining Starfleet, Sithick considered each member of the crew he served with as part of his clutch, his broodmates. Gorn were not particularly a pack species but were known to hold close attachments to those within their social groupings be it clutch, brood, clan, or sect.

Re: CH02: S [D02|1615] A Gardening Gorn

Reply #7 – February 22, 2021, 12:13:49 AM

[ Lt. Cmdr. Hathev | Arboretum - Memorial Terrace | Deck 21 | Vector 03| USS Theurgy ] Attn: @jreeves1701 

Hathev had only heard Dr. Lahkesis Saugn, having never had the opportunity to meet her.  She had read the service file, of course, and was generally familiar with the circumstances of the officer’s death.  She had never before encountered a Teslyliac, but in her botany studies, she had heard of the species and their unique way of death and rebirth, much akin to that of a mythical phoenix.  She had never the opportunity to study one close up.

She put her intrigue in check.  Her priority was her patient first.  Even if it was not, she needed to remember that the Teslyliac plant was not some common form of vegetation, not a subject to be studied.  At their core resided a sentient being, one whose essence deserved no less than the same respect of any other humanoid.

Sliding off the park bench, she folded her legs to her side as she sat in a clear patch of grass near where the Gorn was working, showing her interest in his work, but still maintaining a respectful distance.

“Tell me about her?  I did not have the opportunity to meet her before she died, and I have only a basic understanding of their species.  You must have cared deeply for her if you are going to the effort required to attempt to birth her duplicate.”

Re: CH02: S [D02|1615] A Gardening Gorn

Reply #8 – February 22, 2021, 12:45:58 PM

[ CPO Sithick | Arboretum - Memorial Terrace | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @P.C. Haring

"Lahkesisss andsss eyesss weresss bondedsss." The universal translation of the words Sithick spoke did not do the true meaning justice. The chemical emotional bond shared between Lahkesis and him went well beyond the norm for relationships. Even this small plant held enough of Lahkesis's essence to bring Sithick comfort.

Hathev had mentioned a duplicate. Was that even possible. Sithick was unaware that it was. Lahkesis and he had mated but both believed it impossible for her to get pregnant. Their biologies were too different. It was one of the reasons they had through caution to the wind. The relationship had no risks of complications. That was until Lahkesis's death.

Noticing the councilors cautious maneuvers to get closer, "Unlikesss othersss ofsss mysss speciesss, eyesss noesss bitesss." It wasn't completely true as he thought back on Lahkesis. He was known to delicately nibble, or as delicately as he could with razor-sharp teeth.

Re: CH02: S [D02|1615] A Gardening Gorn

Reply #9 – May 04, 2021, 05:50:52 PM

[ Lt. Cmdr. Hathev & CPO Sithick| Arboretum - Memorial Terrace | Deck 21 | Vector 03| USS Theurgy ]

A joint post between @jreeves1701  and  @P.C. Haring

Hathev stifled a laugh as a smile curled up at the corners of her mouth, an unexpected sensation to be sure, but a welcome one. 

“I have no doubt that I am safe in your presence.  Even so, I wish to be respectful of your space and as non-intrusive as the circumstances will permit.  That said, I would welcome the opportunity to join you, perhaps help you with your work, and talk with you.”

She paused.

“Logic would dictate that we are both aware of the reasons I have come to see you today.”

Hathev shifted in her place, letting some of the tension in her legs out.  She hadn’t sat with her legs curled to her side in quite some time and in that interval her muscles had atrophied more than she had expected.  Sithick was not the only one here who was negligent in their self care.  Time had long since passed for her to resume her own exercise regimen.  The pool down in the public baths was more than sufficient for her needs.

"Yousss maysss sitsss. Joinsss. Lotsss ofsss flowersss toosss plantsss." Sithick nodded to the memorial wall where two crewmen were installing new names. "Andsss yesss, Eyesss beensss avoidingsss sickbaysss."

Hathev gave a nod, acknowledging the invitation and slid herself closer to the Gorn so now she was next to him and within arms reach. 

“Where would you like me to start?”

It was an honest question, though one that had a double meaning.

“Do you have a preference as to plant or location for me?”

Sithick was not prepared to have someone willingly assist in his personal pet project of cultivating a memorial garden. The crew assigned to maintaining the green space had even raised concern about what they saw as an invasion into their work detail, but who was going to argue with a Gorn.

"Yousss maysss beginsss bysss pruningsss thatsss kal'tasss." Sithick pointed to a plant native to Hathev's homeworld. It had deep violet leaves edged with iridescent blue. It had started to grow large, and Sithick had yet to research how to properly prune it.

“So,” she said as if by way of making small talk, “Can you…” her voice trailed off as she re-considered her choice of words.  Of course he *could*, but *would* he?

“Would you tell me why you’re avoiding sickbay?”


"Sickbaysss isss uncomfortablesss spacesss forsss messs." In more than one way. Sickbay retained the scents of Lahkesis. Its environmental settings were also set too low for Gorn anatomy. Sithick often felt sluggish in Sickbay, that is unless Lahksis was present. Just the site of her caused his body temperature to rise, but alas she was gone.

"Environmentalsss setsss toosss lowsss. Gornsss likesss itsss hotsss." He continued to explain, admitting only half of the truth.

It had been several years since Hathev had tended to Vulcan Kal’Tas.  She had tried to put them in her garden back on Earth, but they never took.  She suspected an issue with the soil, but had not had the opportunity to properly test it.  To see the Kal’Tas not only growing, but thriving aboard ship was a welcome moment, and a fond reminder of her home world.  Theurgy was her home now, she knew.  The home in Brussels belonged to Triss.  With her death, it stood to reason that, unless she had had their marriage dissolved that the house would fall to her.  However, Hathev was presumed dead so more than likely the house had gone into probate.

Yes.  Theurgy was her new home, the crew her new family and one of her family was neglecting his health.  She knew his statements were true, but she also knew they were not complete.

“Again, Petty Officer, we both know that is not a complete answer.  I know for a fact that Dr. Hernandez told you I was looking for you, and I also know that you told him you would report to me.  I also know, that when I was unexpectedly called away to the bridge, I saw you leaving without stopping.  Logically, it is reasonable to conclude you are avoiding me.”  She paused to consider whether an attempt at humor would help.  “If I have caused you any offense, there are other counselors aboard whose help you could seek.”

"Noesss offensess counselorsss." Sithick continued to tend his garden as he pondered the questions Hathev posed. "Contendsss withsss manysss newsss emotionsss sincesss joiningsss starfleetsss. Manysss yearsss asss slavesss. Friendsss nonesss. Aboardsss Theurgysss manysss friendsss. Matesss. Lakesisss. Deathsss manysss. Sorrowsss muchsss. Worksss, gardensss, emptiesss thoughtsss ofsss painsss."

Hathev empathized, she realized and, she also realized, this was the first time she really…felt…that empathy.  Not just as a result of whatever was going on with her burgeoning emotional self, but that the two of them had somewhat of a common set of recent circumstances.  Both had lost loved ones recently, both had seen death aboard the Theurgy.  It was…not necessarily a lot to go on.  But it was better than nothing.

She clipped a diseased leaf off the Kal’Tas and pruned the now bare twig back to the main stem leaving a far more agreeable shape to the plant than had been there before.  Her training told her to pause her work and attempt to make eye contact with the patient again, but she bypassed that thought and instead acted on her instinct.

“I can empathize,” she offered as she worked to allow just enough emotion into her voice to convey the sincerity of her words.  “I have reason to believe my spouse was killed in Paris.  Even though we were estranged, I still find it difficult to reconcile her loss.  I can bury myself in work, in distraction too.  But inevitably all that accomplishes is a delay in the emotional acknowledgment.”

She dug her hand into the soil around the Kal’Tas, checking it’s consistency and breaking up the large clumps, making it easier for the root structure to expand.  A plant of Vulcan, the Kal’Tas had to burrow deep and find whatever moisture it could.

“If it helps, think of me not as an officer trying to coerce you, but rather a friend and colleague offering an open ear. Our conversation need not be formal in order to meet the requirements of a the annual psych evaluation.”

Sithick continued to caress the plants within his garden. He absorbed the words the Vulcan counselor spoke. His tongue tasting the air sensing the sincerity of her words.

"Amsss sorriesss toosss hearsss aboutsss matesss insss Parisss." With a throat chordal common among reptiles, he continued. "Meezzze willsss welcomesss yoursss conversationsss."

Sithick watched as the Counselor cared for the Vulcan plant. It would be awkward opening up to another female about his feelings so soon. It seemed like every female he opened up to ended up dead. Would this be the fate of Hathev too?

"Thank you," Hathev responded as she offered a professional nod.  The hard part, seemed done, but she knew she had not broken through is armor entirely.  No, she'd managed to put a dent in it and give herself an opening.  But now the real work began, both in this garden and with this Gorn patient of hers.  It was time to get started.

-FIN-