The CMO had been in surgery most of the day, but everything had gone well. The patients were resting in a recovery area of medical and she expected at least one of them to be released that evening. Divesting herself of the personal protection scrubs and cap, she left the surgical suite. Headed for her office and a replicated cup of coffee, she noticed Bren on one of the terminals updating patient charts.

Gritting her teeth, she made herself walk over to him. “I’d like to see you in my office as soon as possible.” Not waiting for his response, Aurra kept walking, heading for that caffeine boost.

—Talisse

bump

Bren had felt himself in an uneasy limbo over the last few days, doing his best to adapt to his new assignment, unsure of just how long he’d be here. Staffing requirements aboard the Atlantis had often left him covering night shifts when Aurra was off duty, but that sort of détente could only last so long. And as he watched her walk back to her office, order given without waiting for a response, he knew the phase of tense avoidance had ended.

It was best he didn’t keep her waiting. He closed out the chart he was updating and followed Aurra into her office. Assuming a pose of deference was the most logical choice at this time, he neither took a seat, nor sought his own caffeine boost from the replicator, but stood at ease and waited.

Satis, MO

OOC: Sorry to make you wait, Charley. The doctor has me on three new meds for my migraines and this week has been difficult.

IC: Aurra sat at her desk and watched as Bren entered the office. She couldn’t help but wish they were on better terms because when they had been friends it had all been so comfortable. Taking in a long breath, she finally got to the point. “I want to talk to you about Jessa.” Here, she motioned to the chair in front of her desk. Expecting the conversation to be lengthy, it wasn’t in good form to make him stand throughout it.

So it was business that had called Bren into Aurra’s office. The realist in Bren knew that was a good sign and so he took the offered seat and waited for the CMO to continue.

“I’ve only treated her once—well, that might be a stretch.” She sipped her coffee. “We didn’t hit it off, she and I, but I noticed when you treated her she was more open to what you had to say and to the treatment you advised. So, I’d like to pick your brain about the best way to deal with her. She has been a threat in one way or another, to the people on this ship since she arrived. I’d like to find a way to neutralize her power so the crew can return to their jobs instead of babysitting a pre-teen.”

Was there a compliment in there? Bren felt the edge of his mouth turn up slightly before returning his expression to one of professional neutrality.

Relaxing back into her chair, Aurra looked unemotionally across the desk. “Thoughts?”

—Talisse

“My initial assessment is that there are two parallel avenues of treatment needed for Jessa to transition from soldier to adolescent, one more direct than the other. During my examination I discovered that she had been administered a narcotic. From what I could gather she calls this her “battle drug” and is most likely administered through the armor she wears when threatened or in combat. As any narcotic it is addictive and has significant symptoms when one is going through withdrawal. If her access to this drug is restricted and her symptoms are treated, it should only be a matter of time before she physically recovers.”

Aurra nodded and waited for him to continue.

Bren paused. He knew nothing he described about narcotics and their effects would be unknown to Aurra. It was the second part that was contained more gray areas, a place he’d always believed himself to be more comfortable in than his former friend.

“The second avenue of treatment is therapeutic. My knowledge of Jessa’s background is limited, but during our time together I sensed a number of conflicting emotions warring within her. More than I might expect from your average pre-teen. She feels a need for control, but it seems to come as much from an external indoctrination of expected behavior as it does from an internal need to exert her own autonomy. She’s scared, but feels nothing but negative emotions toward herself when she feels fear. It’s as if the emotion is a sign of weakness. She strives toward a perfection that you and I know is unachievable by any humanoid, but she doesn’t realize its unattainability, so this provides an additional sense of guilt, weakness, or simply lack of control. A direct approach puts up her defenses. She needs to feel she’s had her say in her treatment.”

Satis, MO

She stood and placed her body behind the chair, leaning her elbows on it and clasping her hands together. “Okay, your assessment of the girl sounds on point. The way she spouts all the religious/political dogma, its obvious its what she believes, but it seems to resemble brainwashing or indoctrination from what I’ve observed. What information do you have on the nanites in her blood?” They needed to find a way to neutralize the battle drug if they were going to have any kind of chance to take Jessa into custody without damaging the ship or the crew.

“Do you think we can separate her from the impenetrable suit she wears?”

—Talisse

Aurra was keeping their conversation on track and he sensed little from her other than professional curiosity and competence. She’d always had the ability to compartmentalize when necessary.

“Any understanding of her nanites are limited. Jessa’s claims are that they are extremely efficient in helping to repair any injuries or damage to her health that she may receive. The suit…I don’t know. I haven’t had the opportunity to study it in any detail. A permanent attachment doesn’t make sense, though. It’s an advanced technology. At the least I would assume there would be a mechanism to prevent the technology from falling into enemy hands if a soldier falls in battle. Similarly, what if a person outfitted with the suit were to turn on their superior? It’s possible that the military elite within her society feel their mental control of their people would prevent that sort of outcome, but I would think they’d have a Plan B, just in case. I know I’m simply thinking out loud, but it wouldn’t make sense for there to not be a way to separate person from suit.”

Satis, MO

That made a lot of sense. “Did you get a chance to examine the point that activates her suit?”

Bren shook his head, “I’ve only had the chance to examine her the one time and was careful to keep a balance between pushing and respecting her boundaries.”

It was only after he said this that he realized the potentially loaded nature of his statement. His dark lashes swept downwards, involuntarily breaking eye contact for a moment.

Aurra didn’t know why she was so put off by the young girl, but it was a stroke of luck that Bren had bonded with her to some extent. She chewed at her bottom lip as she tried to work out how they might find the answers they were looking for. “We don’t want to do anything that would put her into ‘battle mode’, but I’d give a lot to get a chance to examine that suit.”

“It may be worth approaching Commander Bordeaux about the possibility, or the Captain. They may have insight about how to best to approach the possibility without immediately sending Jessa into a defensive reaction. I think we could make a valid argument that understanding the connection between Jessa and the suit is vital to fully assessing her physical well-being.”

As she looked across the desk to where he sat, her face showed sudden signs of pain. It only lasted for three or four seconds but it would be noticed by her co-worker.

—Talisse

bump

Even if he’s been looking away, Bren would have sensed the sudden mental tightening that accompanied acute pain.

“What is it?” his voice was a balance of concern and insistence. He doubted Aurra would appreciate any attempt to display his usually successful bedside manner and so he showed her the respect of directness.

Satis, MO

She’d recovered quickly, but any Betazoid worth their salt would have felt the sudden shift in her psyche. “It’s nothing, just a little cramp. Probably too much coffee.” It was true she’d had far more of the stimulating drink than food in the last 48 hours, but a niggling worry began to blossom in the back of her mind. Making an effort not to think about the possibilities, Aurra continued. “Do you think you can talk Jessa into letting us examine her ‘battle suit’? You’d have to convince her that my presence was necessary, but I know you have a good imagination and insuring a place for me shouldn’t be a problem.”

—Talisse

BUMP

OOC: I’m bumping for Charley, but he caught COVID so he may be slow to answer. I’ll get involved in another area.

Bren didn’t push his personal query. The last thing he needed was for Aurra to close off the slightest opening she had decided to afford him during this meeting.

“Jessa’s guard isn’t completely up with me, but our relationship is far from trusting. She’s prideful, more so than normal for her age. I think that’s where we could find our leverage.”

The Captain had given Bren the green light to include Aurra, if needed, in the plan to better understand Jessa and her suit. He could have put her off, used Jessa’s naturally hostile and defensive nature as an excuse, but the truth was he wanted to partner with Aurra on this. He wanted to rebuild whatever trust he could with her.

“Let’s ask her to show it off, let us see some of it’s more spectacular features.”

Satis, MO

Aurra let the thought roll around in her mind for a minute. It could work. The child had received a lot of negative attitude/attention according to her so appealing to her sense of importance might afford them a chance.

“It sounds like a plan. I’ll let you take the lead on this, she and I didn’t hit it off—which I will have to apologize for, I suppose.”

—Talisse

bump

“Probably. She’s touchy, to say the least. She’s also afraid. I don’t know that she even knows how readily that emotion courses through her as she navigates the ship and all of us on it, but it’s there. When I was twelve I thought I was invincible and I didn’t have a suit like Jessa. The possibility of death is very present in her mind.”

Bren looked away for a moment, still second guessing his interactions with Aurra. What he’d just revealed about Jessa came almost entirely from his empathic abilities to sense her emotions. His passive empathic senses had never been Aurra’s problem with Bren, but any mention of what he’d gleaned from an unwitting person threatened to remind her of their own falling out.

“The Captain is organizing a test of Jessa’s suit later today. Let’s start there.”

OOC: Hope this somewhat clumsily connects Bren’s thread with Bordeaux, Aurra, and Jessa.

Satis, MO

“Sounds good. Do we know where it’s happening?” Aurra attempted to calm herself in Bren’s presence. Dealing with him plus planning to interact with Jessa, topped off with the pain from a few moments ago that hinted at something dire from her past, put the doctor in a tenuous mind set. For a brief moment, Aurra wished she were back home on Re’mar with her family to have support for what was coming—all of it.

—Talisse