Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Cara Meow (Ship’s Xenoanthropologist and Sociologist) in Main Sim - Bridge - Unexpected Visitor?
[snip]

Her thoughts now turned to the ascended and trying to figure out the reason that they so desperately wanted to research .Sure they had been studying the inhabitants for quiet some time , yet she wondered if or how in dept that study of learning or attaining knowledge had been.

The power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments logically. The doctor knew full well that it was not just the biological body but the fact of not just existing. The very nature and essence of a person ............taking into account the psychological , emotional ,maybe even spiritual of that being. At that point she stopped stood up and thought * Have I been mislead by my own thinking ....was it the other way round, they had been organic before ascending to an energy form? *.

If so what is it that they so desperately needed to know ?.

Cara arrived on the Bridge from Sickbay. At first, she didn’t notice Cross sitting in the dark with no one else on the Bridge. She hadn’t heard the announcement about the Conference Room meeting of Department Heads.

“Computer! Raise lighting 30%!” Cara instructed. As the lights came up, she finally saw the CMO in the Captain’s Chair, deep in her own thoughts.

“Oh! Sorry! I thought no one was here,” Cara said. “Though that would be odd, leaving no one in charge. Say, where is everyone anyway?”

Cross took a deep breath before replying ‘’The Captain, Cmdr and all D’H’s are in the conference room ..a meeting of sorts with an ascended I guess ‘’ and with a slight lift of her eyebrows went on ‘’The few that were left I send them away to take a break ,say why raised the lights ? ‘’ the doctor asked ‘’ I thought you can see better in the dark then us mere humans ‘’ .

“Well, you’re the doctor,” Cara replied, “Yeah, apparently I have more light sensitive receptors in my eyes my pupils expand wider to allow in more light, but honestly, I still walk into things in the dark!”

‘’Hunter told me the good news about your immune system destroying the bacteria ,one less problem to worry about ‘’.

“Yes, but I kinda liked having a super strong tail,” Cara replied. “I felt like a MARVEL character from those ancient books! After being bitten by a radioactive child, I develop superpowers!”

’’ I bet now everyone’s feels more relaxed and hassle - free around that tail of yours ‘’ Cross replied as her thoughts went back to Glen and Hunter doing their best to hold her tail still.

And again Cross jumped from one conversation to another ‘’ I’m wondering why nobody has given me any hint about what’s going on, guess I’m irrelevant ,of little importance and inappreciable ‘’ Cara could see her most remarkable feature .....her red eyes glowed with a savage inner fire.

“I can’t help you there, I don’t know either,” Cara said, “but I heard a rumor that these people wiped out a whole Klingon fleet, just by snapping their fingers, so the best thing Starfleet could do is slap a new General Order on this system, that no vessel under any condition, emergency or otherwise, is to visit this planet. Of course, there is Dilithium here, so that changes things. It’s always about the planetary resources rather than about health and safety, or security!”

‘’According to their AI ,they destroyed just one and not the whole Klingon Fleet ‘’ the female doctor went on ‘’But other ‘s were destroyed as they posed a threat to the structure ‘’ .

“The Federation doesn’t know quite how to deal with a dominant partner like these Ascended beings. I’m sure that the Captain will be finding that out, right about now. I’ve seen it before with the Klingons, and a little less so with the Xindi, the Tholians, and the Gorn. The galling bottom line is that Starfleet always wants it both ways – to stand up for the values of the UFP while still trading with partners who do not – torn between security and commerce – and as a result they will continue to send mixed signals from their inconsistency and short-termism, and ultimately they fail to advance either objective. But, I guess that is a subject for my future public roving lecture series!”

She nodded ‘’ True Cara,the problem I have with these Ascended beings at least from my perspective is they don’t really care about the inhabitants ,to them they are no more then an experiment and that’s what bothers me ‘’ Cross went on ‘’ Hunter is also preoccupied he had been down on the plant , he feels a connection with these people more so then I , for he has mingled with them and came to know them as individuals ‘’ she ran her fingers through her hair which Cross did when agitated or troubled........... especially when she had no solution to offer causing distress, sadness or anxiety .

“It’s all well above our pay grade!” Cara replied, as she could see that the subject was troubling Cross. “If we can’t do anything about it, then we should just let it go. You can’t make yourself a prisoner to things you cannot change!”.

“Are you the only person aboard qualified to sit here?” Cara asked. “You need a break! Go down to the Fantail Lounge and get a large Pina Colada. Then, I’ve heard that crewman McCarthy has a Hot Tub and Sauna in his quarters that he built himself, and he will allow the use of it in exchange for Andorian chocolate, which I just happen to have.”

‘’Really Cara is that how you deal with what bothers you ‘’ Cross clicked two of her fingers ‘’ Just like that, do you understand what the word empathy means !’‘

“As a Xenoanthropologist and sociologist, I should hope so,” Cara replied, “but sometimes I’m not so good at picking up on more nuanced human emotions. I guess that’s a feline thing. I obviously said something wrong, and I apologise. I know nothing about what you’ve been through today. I just thought you needed cheering up.”

‘’For the time being yes, I’m not about to leave the bridge unless the Captain or Cmdr show up and just for the record I have already had a jug of ice cold water doused and drenched on my head , which is more then enough for one day ‘’ the doctor touched her hair which by now had dried up along with her tunic .

Cara had no idea why the doctor had been doused with a jug of water, but while she was intrigued, she wasn’t going to ask and get her head bitten off again.

Turning back to Cara she asked ‘’ How about making yourself useful while you’re here just in case some boogeyman comes out of that darkness ? ‘’ while pointing at the screen.

“Aye!” Cara replied and took her place at the science station. It had been left running an automated sequence of scans, but they were all negative. Cara stopped those and instead began some more targeted scans, to try and track down this boogeyman, if he was there. She could also operate navigation from her station, but she left that as it was, with the ship in a standard orbit around EP19.

Cross started pacing and maybe to Cara’s surprise started to sing a song in her native language .’’ Meta il qanpiena ddoqq ghalija.............’‘.

Cara found the melody soothing, and if that was what Cross needed for comfort, then she had no problem with it.

• Cara Meow

Cross was still singing when she heard the turbolift open and saw Hunter stepping on the bridge, her first thought was that he came to check on Cara but quickly realized he was coming towards her ,he’s handsome face was stone hard ‘’Cross I have just heard what happened inside your office care to explain !’‘
For a moment the female doctor gave a quiet shifty look at Cara ‘’Could you keep your voice down ? ‘’ she asked.

All she got was an expression of disapproval ‘’ The nursing officer told me what happened, the COS had to be called and what they saw left them bewildered shocked and stunned while you were slumped on the floor having injected yourself with a sedative …why ‘’ . Cross just shrugged her shoulders and said nothing but Hunter went on ‘’All Kate asked you was if I was okay down at the planet and instead of responding in an appropriate way , told her that she was an idiot and dumb-head and that I would give a smile to a wall and call it dear ....why?’’ the male doctor asked ‘’Why?’’ he repeated .

The CMO replied ‘’I do not need to tell you or for that matter anyone else anything ‘’ Hunter’s look of disbelief and frustration was evident ‘’Maybe not to me but when the Captain finds out, you my dear would have a lot of explaining to do ‘’ he turned around to leave ‘’ Not only should they have poured the ice cold water but once emptied they should have cracked it on your thick head’’ and with those last words he left.

Cross CMO.