Snip

Starfleet protocol said not to intrude in somebody’s mind without invitation, but this was an exception! On Heel, one had the right to defend oneself and those close to her if attacked with the use of their channel - if it was of any use - and Shalahn’s channel sure was. She was not sure about Starfleet protocol in such circumstances, but surely nobody would fault her to act according to Heel law.
She entered Mario’s mind, it was unsurprisingly easy. It was all fuzzy from the alcohol he must have had, his thoughts were chaotic and spiked with irrational agression that stemmed from an issue buried much deeper in his psyche. But she was not really interested in that. She listened to his thoughts and emotions as he was further enraged at being told to stand down by an Engineer and as he formed the plan to fake a blow with his right and barrel his left fist into Dagen’s stomach. After all that was where those symbionts lived…

That in turn enraged her even more. He was not only threatening Dagen, but also Thor, that marvellous, amazing being… she was a bit out of practice but Mario had a simple mind and it was a lot easier than it would have been with a Heleen to find his consciousness and shut it down, after just a little pull that would cause him some pain… not a lot, just so much that he would remember it.

• Shalahn, nurse

Mario was in the motion to punch with his right while fisting his left hand… when suddenly he grabbed his head with both of his hands, let out a piercing scream and then dropped unconscious to the floor like a deflated sack.

• Mario Gobel, sec

Dagen was making a quick examination of his options. If he still persisted and actually came at him, he would use his skills to defend and get out of the way before trying to act. His consideration was to spin and kick at the side of his knee and so disable him. Mobility limitations tended to take the fight out of a person. That and the sight of one’s own blood, but Dagen wasn’t wanting to do anything like that. He felt a confidence that was based partly on his own slightly inebriated state mixed with the knowledge that Mario was a lot farther along and his coordination and speed were hindered. That evened it up, but the man was still a tank and Dagen was not. He just wanted the man to stand down. He would ‘chat’ with him the next day over his inappropriate speech; now would be a useless venture as he had seen.

His left hand came up to strike. Dagen was watching his eyes. That was a crude blunt force choice and his, if rusty, muscle memory shifted to a move to defend when he screamed and went down. Mario hit the deck hard but with what he had drank he likely would not have felt it. After a moment’s pause he reacted and moved to the fallen man. Checking for a pulse, and to see that he was breathing, Dagen looked around. Surely there was a medic about - completely forgetting in that moment that Shalahn was one. What had happened? Had he some kind of aneurysm? None of his past hosts had been medics - science, poet, xeno-biologist yes. That just gave a chunk of options but nothing firm. “Is there a doctor in the house?” he called, shifting the big lug into a kind of recovery position.
- Dagen

Shalahn had already stepped away and told a fellow nurse to get the guy to sickbay for sobering out, giving her his condition. She was back with Dagen in seconds and looked into his eyes, smiling softly.
“They’ll pick him up for sobering out in sickbay in a minute. Don’t worry, he’s just unconscious, there’s nothing wrong with him. I just shut down his consciousness telepathically, I couldn’t let him hurt you or Thor.” she said softly.

• Shalahn, nurse

The sudden changes here from his quiet intimate moment to offensive challenge to a collapse had rattled Dagen. He picked himself up from where he knelt as Shalahn came up to him. Her gaze calmed him. This was nothing earth shattering; these kinds of things at parties were not unheard of at all in the Academy or on world or even in the junior ranks. It was definitely a commonplace thing on OP42. He had simply been isolated for a time here and this had come as a surprise in the unexpected environment. Unconsciously he reached out and squeezed her hand. It was so warm. Soft.

He found himself nodding at her explanation and warmed by her concern for him. And Thor. His male sense wanted to say he could have handled things. Maybe. His moral sense was mixed in thinking that there was something inherently wrong in what she did, but how much different was that than a sucker punch? It may not have been totally fair, but it ended what could have been messy and gotten more than him into trouble. Speaking of which. “He needed a nap,” Dagen said, eyes smiling out relief and appreciation. He leaned in and said in a low voice, “Lets get out of here.” With a glance he noted that things had thinned out considerably, and those who were still around were not ‘that’ concerned over someone who may have drank a bit much; they themselves were on the way there as well.

Without waiting for her reply, his hand moved to her waist to guide her around to the exit. He may think more on this night later. Right now his thoughts were going in another direction.
- Thor, CE