The Thing Is...

Posted on Sun Oct 25th, 2026 @ 7:34pm by Lieutenant Sornax & Lieutenant Lanna Alexander

1,427 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Echoes in the Triangle
Location: Arboretum | Deck 10

Sornax had finally had the chance to discover one of his guilty pleasures: relaxing in the ship's arboretum. The one on Arcadia was much larger and admittedly more beautiful than the one aboard the Yggdrasil. But the ships were also vastly different in class. At the moment, he was inspecting the small pond that was filled with various plant life, including a beautiful Pacifican water tupelo. The trunk of the tree was much larger than the rest of it, almost looking swollen; the flower buds spread amongst its limbs were in pairs, denoting it was a female variety, and the petioles were much longer than a variety of water tupelo you might find on Earth or somewhere else.

From the corner of the scientist's eye, he spotted the real reason he was here; the computer had told him Counselor Alexander was in the arboretum, and he desperately needed to have a talk with her. Wandering over to where she was, he took a look at the variety of plant life and smiled. "Beautiful collection of cyclamen and chionodoxa flowers here. Did you know this particular variety is from Andoria? They bloom right as spring moves in on the planet. Well, if you could call it a true spring."

“Actually, no, I didn’t know that, but now I do.” Lanna smiled warmly. “I simply come here to enjoy the feel of nature and enjoy the plant life. It’s nice and relaxing.”

"It's something I have always personally enjoyed as well. I quite enjoyed walking through the gardens back at Starfleet Academy when I was a young cadet," reminisced the science officer as he stood next to the counselor. For a moment it may have appeared that he was taking in her features before he straightened himself up and folded his arms behind his back. "I'm sorry to interrupt your solitude, Counselor. I was hoping, however, we could talk if you have the time."

Lanna nodded. “I was just here trying to get this area of space out of my head for a little while; I’m free to talk. We can talk here, or go to my office if you prefer?”

“No, the arboretum is just fine. It’s rather relaxing, and there’s nobody else nearby who could overhear the conversation.” Sornax offered before explaining the purpose of the conversation. “I have some serious concerns about Lieutenant Poe. To the point that I’ve ordered him to report to you for mandatory weekly counseling sessions. He understands that if he fails to comply with this, I’ll be reconsidering his posting aboard the ship. However, that is the last thing I want. He has potential. But at the same time…” Sighing, one hand reached up and pinched his nose as he processed his thoughts.

Lanna nodded. “Poe is currently struggling. He has been talking to me, but there is much more work to do. Please be patient with him; reassigning him will cause a lot more problems for him in the long run. I believe he has a lot to give; he just needs to believe in himself.”

“I share those same beliefs, counselor. I told him I wanted to work with him as well, to mentor him as a leader and help him work on his confidence and leadership. In addition to whatever work he does with you.” There was a sigh that followed the last sentence, and the scientist turned around to look at the rest of the arboretum. “The problem is he rejected that offer. He told me he was done with false promises and being abandoned. He’s like a plant that’s experiencing nutrient lockout. The problem is, if he doesn’t fight for the nutrients being offered to him, his career is going to wither.”

Lanna nodded in agreement. “I know. Poe is a tough nut to crack, as the saying goes. He feels like he’s been let down by everyone, so his trust in everyone has eroded. Don’t let his response put you off; keep trying to help, show him that you meant what you said. Once he sees that you’re not giving up, he may just come round. Meanwhile, I’ll carry on trying to help him from my end, and hopefully between us we’ll succeed.”

“Thank you, counselor. I appreciate the reassurance, and the promise that you’ll keep working with him. I know your sessions are private, but if anything comes up that I should be worried about, I’ll hope that you let me know?”

He had to admit to himself that this was new territory, and he was trying to figure it all out the best he could while still getting used to a brand new team at the same time. “Counselor, tell me, do you know about his - his gift at all?”

Lanna shook her head. “Not really, all I know is he’s a talented officer who needs as much support as we can give him.”

The Lieutenant suddenly grew very serious and turned back around, looking at Lanna straight in the eyes. “I need to know that what I tell you next is kept medically confidential and not shared with anyone else. For his sake.”

Lanna nodded. “Of course, everything said here is confidential. It will go no further.”

Sornax took a deep breath and then shared what he knew. “I’ve been informed that Aiden has some unique…abilities? Perhaps even a hidden personality that he is not aware of, and that part I’ve seen. According to his former department head, there have been reports that the Lieutenant left his place because he started to display a rare ability for telekinesis. Supposedly not very powerful, but enough that when he was attacked once, he threw the attacker across the room.”

Pausing to let that sink in, he then moved to the second part. “He also has random moments of blacking out, and when that happens, a different personality takes over. One that sounds very ancient and wise. He is aware it happens but doesn’t remember what is said. It was described as the ability to pick up on dark shadows or the dead.”

Lanna nodded; she already knew about the fact that Poe was special from Zai, but she wasn’t permitted to say. “Telekinesis is quite the ability; that’s something I’ll need to talk to Poe about. As for blackouts, I had no idea about those, but it certainly sounds interesting. Am I permitted to mention any of this to Aiden, or would you prefer I didn’t raise it with him until I absolutely need to?”

"My first thought was not to raise it, but I experienced the second part firsthand. Perhaps we start there and not broach the telekinesis unless it becomes necessary? Then again, you are the ship's counselor, so I will trust your judgment on this too." Sornax sighed once more and shook his head. "You know, I had a lot of expectations and beliefs about what it would be like coming aboard Arcadia and taking over as a department head. I did not have such a complicated officer under my command as one of those expectations, though."

Lanna nodded. “I think that’s a good idea regarding the telekinesis; I don’t want Poe thinking I have been checking up on him by digging into his past. In fact, I think observation may be the key for now; see what triggers in the future, if in fact anything does.”

"I appreciate the discretion, Counselor. And thank you for taking the time to hear me out over all this. I feel like I've interrupted you twice now, and I have to admit this one was planned once the computer told me where you were. Honestly, I appreciate your willingness to be available when called upon; I owe you one."

“You owe me nothing at all,” Lanna offered a smile. “As I say, my door is always open, or maybe I should rephrase that and say my services are always available.”

"Well then, I'll close the door for now, as it were, and let you get back to enjoying the arboretum. Thank you again; I'm sure we'll be talking soon." And with that, Sornax dipped his head and then made for the exit. He'd have to come back here and enjoy the arboretum proper at some point. It was such a relaxing place after all.

OFF

Lieutenant Sornax
Chief Science Officer

Lieutenant Lanna Alexander
Ship's Counselor

 

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