Posted by Commander D’Vash Odinson (First Officer) in Side Sim - Facing her fears TAG D’Vash

Posted by Commander D’Vash Odinson (First Officer) in Side Sim - Facing her fears TAG D’Vash

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Pretha Oberon (Chief Security Officer) in Side Sim - Facing her fears TAG D’Vash
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Her shift was over and her schedule was shot. She usually did this weekly, but it had been over a month.

Moving down the corridor to the holodeck, she chose a vacant room and tapped the console. “Computer, open program ‘Overlook’.” A moment later the computer voice rang back, “Program ready.” The door opened and Pretha hit the ‘not public’ code to let others know it wasn’t an open invite program. What she ‘forgot’ to do was also lock out anyone who did happen to come along.

**
She stepped into the room and looked around. It was a beautiful ocean side house with a balcony that looked out over the ocean. Moving thru the room and out onto the deck, you would have thought it the perfect vacation house. The young security officer took a look across the expanse and sat on the edge of the deck. Crossing her legs she took a deep breath, heart racing, and spoke out loud. “Start at one mile. 50 foot intervals on my mark.”

The ocean’s edge seemed to move much closer. Pretha took a deep breath and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment. Her voice, shaky but clear, spoke to the computer. “One notch…” She closed her eyes and shivered. When she opened them, there was a fifty foot drop between her and the waves below. Her vision was set on the horizon line. If anyone was monitoring her vitals, her heart rate increased a bit and her endorphins were starting to kick in. She clenched her fists and tried to calm herself.

It was nearly 30 minutes before her voice piped up once more. “Again…” Again she closed her eyes in anticipation and when she opened them, 100 feet were between her and the ocean. This time her heart rate increased a bit more than last time. Her palms, sweaty and shaking, were constantly rubbing back and forth on her leggings as she tried to keep from balling them up in panic.

This time it was nearly 40 minutes before she found enough volume to increase it again. But this time, her heart rate soared and her hands balled into fists. Her nails leaving tiny moon shaped crescents on her palms. Tears welled in her eyes as she murmured and berated herself for her weakness. All the while unable to remove herself because she couldn’t stand up. It took every ounce of determination not to close her eyes and curl into a ball of fear and panic. At this point, even if a red alert claxon had sounded, the roaring in her ears as her phobia began to consume her would have drown it out.

Pretha
CoS

It had been a while since D’vash and Pretha had spent the night together. He smiled at the memory of her lying beside him, his hands and lips caressing her warm skin. They had both been busy lately and he hoped that was the only reason they hadn’t gotten together again, But, something in the back of his mind was trying to convince him that she was avoiding him. Did she think it was a mistake? Was she embarrassed about what had happened, or maybe she just wasn’t as interested as he was.

He was used to one-night stands, but Pretha didn’t seem to be that type of girl. And strangely enough, D’vash was hoping that night was the start of something more. . .

With those questions in his mind, he made it a point to track her down and get some answers.

As he left his quarters, he requested of the computer to give him her location. After the reply, he made his way to the holodeck. He saw that she was alone in there and decided to join her whether she wanted company or not.

Years of training allowed him to silently move through the house without attracting any attention. Finally, he found her sitting at the edge of the deck, clearly experiencing some a great deal of stress. Softly, he cleared his throat. “Pretha? Are you okay?”

Odinson (XO)

“I can’t… I tried…” Her voice was half whisper, half whimper, as she responded to the question.

Slowly she glanced around, probably thinking the question had come from her subconscious, only to discover Odinson, the XO, standing behind her in the shadows just inside the glass doors. Pretha’s hands rose swiftly, nearly beating the tears from her cheeks as she turned her back to him to try and compose herself. “I’m… fine… Computer, end simulation!” She managed to get out without her voice cracking. The scene of the rising cliffside house was instantly replaced by the black walls and floors with faint lines graphing out the space.

She turned around to face D’Vash, but remained on her knees. She was afraid if she tried to get up, she would further embarrass herself. “Sir… I mean…” she sighed as she struggled for the words. “It’s nothing, D. I am sorry you came in on it. Was I needed somewhere?” She looked down, away from his gaze, not realizing she had called him ‘D’… something she hadn’t called him since that night together. Her hands were flexing on her knees as she tried to work out the cramps from the tightening of her fists earlier. As she opened them, palms up, he would catch glimpses of the small blood dots if he was looking.

Pretha
CoS

He knelt down in front of her, speaking softky. “No,” he began, “you aren’t needed anywhere on official business.”

D’vash looked down and gently held her hands, caressing them. “But this,” he said indicating the small wounds on her palms, “isn’t nothing. People don’t dig their fingernails in until they bleed over ‘nothing’. What is it? Let me help. I . . . .care about you, in more ways than just as shipmates, or friends. Whatever it is, you don’t have to go through it alone. . .. . “

He took her chin and directed her gaze to his face. The sincereity in his words clearly etched in his expression.

Odinson (XO)

She was so used to other’s reactions, which weren’t kind, that she was almost undone by the kindness and confession in the XO’s voice and face. “Heights… I can’t do heights.” She said it with a voice so helpless and scared that he wouldn’t recognize it as her voice if he wasn’t looking right at her. “In space, I am fine. There is no ‘ground’. But over a planet, or above a city on a beam in… I am lost. How can I protect this ship if I’m useless when something like that happens?” She tried to pull her hands back, but it wasn’t a concerted effort.

He kept a gentle grip on her hands, not allowing her to pull away. “It’s alright. We’ve all got fears. Different things to different degrees. It’s part of what makes us. . .human. For me, it’s snakes. I can’t stand snakes. I’m not even a fan of squiggly little worms.” At the thought of the nasty, slithering creatures, D’vash let loose with a quick shiver.

She looked down from him and took another deep breath. She was starting to compose herself once more and her voice was a bit steadier. “I come in here when I get the chance. I set the cliff to rise a little at a time. So far, that, what you saw, is the best I’ve been able to do. I can go higher over water than on land. I used to use a building balcony as the setting, but I couldn’t get past the second floor. Over water, I can do better.” Her voice trembled a moment before she bit her lip and looked back up at him.

She took another breath, tried to smile and shake him off. “It’s all right… really…” she moved to stand up and furrowed her brow as she did it too fast and her vision swam a moment. “I can try again another time. Nothing to worry about.” She looked at him and wondered if his professed feelings were about to be drawn back as easily as they had covered her in warmth a moment ago.

Pretha
CoS

D’vash caught her in his arms as the sudden rush washed over her, holding her tight, but gentle. “Next time you decide to try, let me know. Let me help. Let me be your support, your anchor. We’ll beat it together, okay?”

Odinson (XO)

Pretha almost melted into his embrace. How was it he always knew what she needed even when she didn’t? After taking a breath, she shook her head and tried to step back. “Really?” she looked at him to see if he was serious, then she quickly added, “No, it’s all right. I mean, I’m ok. You need to see to the ship, not worry about some crew member that can’t look at a space station.” She laughed but it was hollow. “I’ll be all right.”

But in the back of her mind, where logic still reigned, she wanted nothing more than to have him at her back when she tried again. She had planned to use this shift to try and move higher. But when she had hit her panic threshold, she had stopped. The Chief of Security was fearful that her biometrics would set off the safety protocols and Medical would be alerted. She didn’t want it on her official record, despite it being in her psych eval.

Pretha
CoS