CIS Debriefing-Suteyo-Part 1

Posted on 05 Jan 2014 @ 7:42pm by Lieutenant Elas Vonti & Lieutenant JG Suteyo Alahanu

1,686 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: M11: Feet to the fire
Location: U.S.S. Achilles, Poisoned Arrow Lounge

It had been a grueling day, the therapy on his wounds was progressing, albeit too slowly for his tastes. He was trying to recapture youth they claimed, or imagining his abilities were once greater but denying reality etc... Suteyo didnt care. They were working hard to get him back to healthy and he would push himself as hard as he damn well pleased. He spoke to nobody, even the nurses were beginning to relent in their incessant peppering for signs of life underneath the dismal bloodshot eyes. He was no longer young, this was something he knew now was beyond question.

But his years had given him something else, a perspective on life, a filter that all reality ran through in his mind and could sense problems. He had a suspicion it was no accident what happened to him but he also felt it could be unfounded paranoia. Neither XO Lantiq, nor Chief Radhe had followed up on his report, for varying reasons Suteyo couldn't decide on. Add that to his career slump and Suteyo wondered if he was just grabbing at phantoms to make himself relevant.

He walked into his quarters, the arid Capellan desert rolled out to greet him until he turned the lights on, revealing the lavishly appointed yet standard issue cabin. He missed his home, he knew he did but would not allow himself to return. 'Just another burden on the heap' he thought to himself as the dark thoughts swirled around a darker premise. He had no home, or family; nothing to rally for or lean upon. He stood alone in his cabin, feeling more solitary than he ever had. The long dead sprang to life inside his mind torturing him for past events he could do nothing to change.

Outwardly Suteyo remained placid, a silent and nearly indistinguishable twitch in his left hand. His family was murdered, or cuckolded far away, he had nobody, and now in his later life he found this terrifying and desperately tragic. Synthehol wouldn't do the job tonight, Suteyo had swiped Caloxan, a pharmaceutical narcotic for pain. The violation of his Starfleet oath stared at him in his palm, the river still uncrossed in his mind. He popped off the hypospray safety, and loaded the cartridge, a hiss sounding as the connection secured... he stared at it, the war had brought him to some low points, he had taken drugs before to stay alive, but this was different... this didnt feel like he was preserving life anymore.

Three deep breaths later Stueyo moves to depress the nozzle to his bicep...

=/\= Elas Vonti, to Lt. Alahanu..."

Suteyo said nothing, frozen in place and totally transfixed on the moment.

=/\= Suteyo please respond, I am the new Chief Counselor..."

Suteyo responded out loud as his badge was stowed in his gear. "Suteyo here." his voice sounded haggard, shaky... he sterned himself.

=/\= Sorry to catch you at a bad time I see you just finished PT for the day, At your leisure this evening please meet me at the Poisoned Arrow, We need to discuss a few matters, nothing serious, just a chat with some new crew."

=/\= I see sir... would 2100 be a good time?" Suteyo swore to himself, the last thing he wanted was social chat with a psychotherapist.

=/\= Anytime Lt, I am here and have no plans of leaving for some time. I have Tranya if that favors the occasion a little for you."

Suteyo looked at the stolen medicine in his hand, the alternative wasnt so bad, so long as Tranya was involved. This could wait.

-Outside the Poisoned Arrow-
Suteyo was sweating bullets as he walked in the door. Elas could sense the waves of tension rolling off of him, but one didn't need to be a trained counselor or telepath to tell this man was carrying the weight of the worlds. Realizing he may not recognize the new Chief counselor Elas raised his hand in greeting waving him over to one of the cavernous booths overlooking an observation port. Despite the years, Suteyo felt a stir in the deeper repressed parts of himself. He couldn't place it at first but the mans open smile, sleek frame and bubbly eagerness gave him a... boost.

The lounge was undergoing a redecoration of sorts, a small crew of people were stocking the bar with all manner of exotic bottles and other containers of potentially wondrous libation. Decorations hung half arrayed, while tables were being removed with new ones brought in, jet black and seamless to the floor somehow. Partitions in the rooms created a feel for separation, but the clutter and clamor of scattered crew and partially assembled backdrops mostly gave him more stress. As he made his way through he pondered on what it might become, and two small leaps over ladders and boxes got him to the booth.

Elas was mid conversation with another crewman Suteyo hadn't seen until just now. He hadnt met the young lady before, but did not wish to intrude. Elas appeared to be saying his farewells and soon enough as he waited for a beat at the booth she left, not making eye contact and appearing to be deep in thought. This added more stress, and Suteyo felt more than nervous, he was almost in a panic, the adrenaline and hormones rising in him preparing his body for a fight.

"Lt. Suteyo... right?" Elas was doing the small smile he probably gave everyone but his name spoken in that voice had brought him down from the panic he was fighting to a small blush on his cheeks. Elas motioned to the booth, and the various seats and cushions for him to sit down on. "Please have a seat, I wont take up too much of your time, you have nothing to worry about, this is purely for our mutual benefit." His smile remained as he spoke, and the eyes told the truth with every word. He felt the faint edge of telepathic intrusion but it was gentle and highly restrained. Suteyo knew his counter telepathy skills by instinct but felt oddly at ease. This man... was here to help.

Setting aside his reservations for the Ullian and his mental abilities Suteyo sat at the edge of the booth in a measured relaxation pose. Elas pursed his lips and made his point by reclining on two cushions on the floor , propped up against the wall. "If it is okay by you to call you Suteyo... one doesnt have to be a skilled observer to see you carry weight on your shoulders."

Suteyo began to withdraw and put his usual mental shields back up. "Thank you Counselor, but I have been cleared for light duty pending a recovery from my present injuries. I have also passed my psych screenings, is there anything else I require?" He blinked impassively at Elas, in defiance of the mans attempts to be relaxed with him. What was charming started to become condescending.

"I rarely indulge in hierarchal orders Lieutenant, I despise receiving orders and I don't dole them out lightly. I don't want to order you to relax but I will." Elas laughed, and ordered two tranya by the holo-waiters on his display.

Suteyo relaxed all of a millimeter, but he did mentally resign himself to staying, Elas felt the surrender and grinned. "I am going out of my way Suteyo, to show you I am only here as a friend to you. I am the new Chief Counselor aboard, and you are a current medical case, so naturally I wanted to get caught up with all current medical reviews in progress. How is your healing coming, and I dont just mean physically. Your logs indicate troubling thoughts as well"

Suteyo knew he was right to never trust his personal logs to be private. This man had listened to them, and was now judging him based on private thoughts never meant to be shared. "I am not comforted by the thought of you reading or listening to my personal thoughts Lt."

With a sigh Elas mumbled, "Well you wont like what comes next either." Elas mentally shrugged, the intent he was getting off of Suteyo was deflection, he wanted to talk about everything but a very specific few things and would derail all conversation that dug to that point. He felt the isolation, sadness, empathy, egalitarian sentiment, Cultural pride and shame, personal regrets... all pouring from the soldier emotionally, though he appeared as a stone on the outside. 'Now to solve for x' Elas thought mentally.

The tranya arrived via the brusque barman, Arran who plopped the drinks down on the table with an inaudible snarl. The clutter of the room had set him off earlier, Elas had watched it, the psychic projection from Capim was so sudden but Elas could actually feel a new consciousness come into form. Halanans were an incredible species whose abilities had so much potential.

Suteyo was glad for the break, he wasnt sure what to expect and needed time to anticipate his likely course of action. The tranya was delightful, a rare drink that provided a near narcotic euphoria for a few moments as one drank it, and a most stimulating buzz to follow. Suteyo drank the entire glass in a swallow and set it on the table, quickly returning to a stoic sitting pose.

'ahhhh' Elas thought to himself, his empathy receiving scattered data, 'an itch scratched it seems... dependency issues, due to slow recovery... ageism, self-doubt...self doubt...' an image of a falling crate occurred to him before he realized he had subconsciously probed the grizzled veterans memories.

Suteyo hadn't noticed, the tranya still in its grip on him. Elas felt the longing to stay there in the place of peace, but knew the crash that would follow would break the spell he was briefly under. Moving quickly Elas asked him telepathically with a speed unmeasurable by definition if he could help him find what was lost, help him understand the anchors on his spirit. Suteyo, in his truest and deepest self responded positively. Elas went in.

 

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