Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren (Doctor) in Pre - Sim Check in Counselor

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren (Doctor) in Pre - Sim Check in Counselor
The medical check went off without a hitch. It was what she’d expected, but there was always a chance, when you were safeguarding a secret that might mean an end to your career, that something might bleed through. Most of the time, Talia could manage the stress that went along with the situation—with no problem, but when she experienced one of the ‘visions’, it was more difficult. Because of her past, she was not a fan of counselors, always worried they would trick her into saying something damning about herself.

Having dropped her duffle at the quarters she’d been assigned after leaving medical, she’d made her way to Janna Kingston’s office. Taking a deep breath to relax her nerves, Talia palmed the chime for entrance.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena

As she stood in the corridor, Talia recalled the ‘neural echo’ she’d experienced on the shuttle. At first, there was the buzz beneath her skin, like standing too close to a transporter when it fired up, and then the gentle pressure behind her eyes. It had been months since she’d felt anything like it, so a second passed while her mind searched for the answer. The closer the shuttle got to the Athena, the more intense the the feelings became and she realized they weren’t coming from outside, but from inside her head.

For a second her vision blurred and suddenly she felt something that wasn’t hers. A sense of alertness–movement, someone standing somewhere on the ship, walking quickly through a corridor. Then the sensation quickly shifted again, like two radio signals briefly overlapping. Awareness. Confusion. And then—the faintest echo of her own presence returning back at her. As if somewhere inside that enormous starship…someone had just realized she was nearby.

Talia looked down and saw her hands were shaking and with every kilometer they grew closer to the Athena, the echo grew clearer in her mind. No words or thoughts, just the sensation of another consciousness brushing against hers. Alive–aware–and very close.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena

BUMP

Lieutenant Junior Grade Talia Ren
Doctor USS Athena