It had been a long two week transfer from Europa to Ark Angel. Sharah had gotten the notice that she was transferring while she had still been on Earth. She had been there just short of 5 months working on her research for a new emergency first aid program. At the end she had spent 3 grueling hours in front of the review board being bombarded by questions. By the end, it had been hard for her to actually wait for them to speak their questions before she answered. The week long vacation, Ballaris, her academy psychiatrist, had sent her on had been a much needed reset. Of course she hadn’t know when he sent her off for her mental health, that Joseph had been waiting for her. Between Ballaris and Joseph she had been shocked and tremendously surprised.

A lot had happened that week. The memories, she held closely to her. She’d been close to mentally ill from the strain and number of people at the academy. The cabin on the southern gulf coast of N. America had been miles from most people and the quiet and Joseph’s presence had been soothing and healing. Sharah had a nasty habit of becoming so invested in her work and pet projects that she ignores a lot of things. Focusing on her work helped her to ignore the noise that always invaded her brain. Unable to turn it off it often overwhelmed her.

Sharah was not only Betazoid but she was an oversensitive telepath. Born with her talents turned on, she could always hear the thoughts and feel the emotions of those around her. It was like an ocean in the middle of a tropical storm. On good days she surfed the waves of noise and stayed above them. On bad days, it was all she could do to stop her ‘boat’ from capsizing, and on the worst days she was lucky she didn’t drown. She hadn’t had days like that in a long time. She didn’t count when she first boarded Challenger, she’d been sick from a parasite, and no one had known it till it was almost too late.

Sharah was a doctor by training, and a good one. She specialized in diagnostic and emergency medicine. But she was also a botanist. She’d discovered, when she was 10, that working with plants helped to calm her mind. She’d fallen in love with botany then. She had also been fascinated by the fact that plants could be used to treat many illnesses. She’d latched onto the idea and when old enough, she’d started researching to trying to discover if there was plant, herb, flower, something that would cure her and other Betazoids like her. That had led to her research project and that work had led to her appointment on the Arc Angel as a botanist. She was sad to be leaving sickbay, but her work would remain the same. And she got to work with plants all day, so she was excited.

The pilot of the transport came over the speaker, “En. Fayth, we are just coming into visual range of Ark Angel if you would like your first glimpse of her.” She’d made casual friends with the pilot during her two weeks on board. The woman was an excellent pilot and had a love of music. She was always giving Sharah files to listen to. Her favorite seemed to be Earth’s country music from N. America during the late 20th early 21st century.

Sharah moved over to a window and looked out and gasped. She sat down suddenly on one of the beds. She pulls out her PaDD and begins recording a message. She’s sitting on a bunk in the crew cabin on her transport. The look on her face can best be described as “deer in the headlights.” “So, I know I looked up the specs for Ark Angel when I got my orders, but it didn’t register. Joseph…she’s HUGE. Like a space station with warp capabilities! Do you know how many people are going to be on that ship? How many minds?! I wasn’t…I’m not sure I’m prepared for this…” Her voice sounds just a little stressed. Joseph knows the look on her face. She sorting her own thoughts and emotions and tossing out the ones that will weigh her down and make it hard to function. A trick he had taught her. “Okay well, I’m here, we are getting ready to dock in the shuttle bay. I arrived safe. I’ll message you tomorrow. I love you, Imzadi.”

The transport docks and she grabs her bag and heads for the air lock. Once through she hands her orders to the Duty Officer at the door. He looks over her orders and manifest of personal items and raises a brow. For someone so young, she has one chest. Most young officer carry a whole house with them. “Welcome to Ark Angel, En. Fayth. We’ll get your chest stowed in your quarters. Deck 27, 218. It’s all the way down on the port side left corridor. Kind of isolated, but it will put you near the science labs and the 2nd arboretum on deck 26.”

“Thank you Chief.” Sharah took her orders back and stepped on Ark Angel. She stepped to the side, out of sight. She leaned back and closed her eyes. Oddly enough for the number of people she could feel on the ship there was none of the chaos of her other two ships, for the moment. She took a moment to feel the rhythm and rose about it surfing the noise. She looked at the map that the Chief had added to her PaDD and headed down the corridor and to the right to the turbolift. She made her way to her quarters where she dropped off her bag and then it was time for her medical check-in.
En. Fayth, Science - Botanist