There’s a lot on my mind

Posted on Sun Oct 31st, 2021 @ 10:09pm by Captain Shran dh'Klar & Lieutenant Commander Callie Raven-Grayson & Lieutenant JG Eislyn Jortho

Mission: Breen in Paradise
Location: Counselling office
Timeline: While the away team are off ship

Callie made her way to the counselling offices, even though she was Chief Counsellor she still had to pass a boarding psych evaluation, and right now her head was a mess. Walking into the waiting area she headed for Jortho’s office and pressed the chime.

"Come in" came the reply.

Walking in Callie offered a smile. “I hope I’m not interrupting you Lieutenant, I’m Callie Raven-Grayson the new Chief Counsellor. I thought I’d introduce myself and...” she paused. “Ask for your help.”

Eislyn rose from her chair, a smile on her face. "Not at all counselor. Please come in. I'm pleased to meet you. How can I be of help?"

“Thank you” Callie smiled as she took a seat, she wasn’t the best of patients in-fact she hated reviews. “Well I need my psych evaluation, and I...” She paused for a moment. “I recently learned that I might have been the victim of a err...invasive mind meld.”

Eislyn raised an eyebrow. "Are you certain?"

Callie nodded. “Unfortunately...yes.” She sighed.

"That does seem problematic. I think, assuming you are willing, we should take some time to discuss that in depth."

Callie nodded again. “I was helping with Lieutenant Dex, after err...some problems she’s been having. It was puss that wanted me to link with Dex, while I was in her mind she told me my mind meld was wrong.” She frowned. “I’ve been part of a mind meld before but that went just fine, it seems the memory of the meld Dex was talking about was hidden, or is blocked.”

Eislyn nodded. "Would you like some tea? I was going to have a cup of Vulcan spice tea. It may soothe you a bit."

Callie nodded. “Yes, please” She took a deep breath, her emotions were all of a jumble, What with just having found Jon again as well.

Eislyn brought in two ornate tea cups and sat one in front of Callie and then sat the other on the table in front of her chair. She sat back down and took a sip from her cup, closing her eyes as she slowly swallowed the tea and felt it make its way down. She returned to the task at hand, speaking with Callie. "Mind melds are a tricky thing, especially if one was done to you without your knowledge. Whoever did it would have to be a master. Such things are difficult enough with other Vulcans, but with aliens, it can be quite challenging. With someone like yourself, a person with telepathic abilities, it becomes a challenge that would certainly imply hubris at the least. I'd say you'd be looking for a rather devious Vulcan. What about this incident do you remember?"

Callie sipped her tea letting it go down, “Not a lot at all, During my original link with Dex I saw myself lying on a biobed, but I don’t remember that ever happening. Dex tried to warn me that my meld was wrong.”

"Let's try to see if you can remember more without a mind meld. You said you remember seeing yourself on a biobed. What happened next?" Eislyn hoped that she might be able to coax a bit more out of Callie.

Callie took a deep breath, just as she advised her own patients to do when they were nervous or afraid. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on what she saw. “At the time I was looking at Dex lying on the biobed, then it suddenly changed...it was me lying there.” She tried to hold onto the image to get some detail. “The medical staff seemed... concerned, something about neural activity...” She shook her head. “I can’t remember!”

Eislyn could see the frustration on Callie's face. "It's alright. Such events would surely be traumatic. I can understand why it would be difficult to recall. Other techniques exist to help you as you are aware. Would you be willing to agree to hypnosis?"

Callie paused, “I err...I guess if it can help. Heavens knows I need the help to get my head straight!”

Eislyn smiled. She understood the difficulty this was for Callie. "I am well practiced in two different hypnotic techniques. Considering your background I may have to go with the second one. Let's start with just getting you relaxed. Why don't you come and lay on this sofa. It is quite comfortable. I have a hypo if you think a sedative would help."

Callie nodded as she moved over to the sofa and made herself comfortable. “I think a sedative would probably be a good idea, I’m a little wound up to fully relax at the moment.”

Eislyn walked over to a table and opened a small chest and pulled out a hypo and checked it. She walked over to Callie and placed the hypo to her neck and injected her. "This should relax you." She sat down on a small stool that was next to the sofa and looked at Callie, "You should be feeling the sedative taking effect. I want you to listen to my voice and concentrate on nothing else. We are going to allow your mind to become relaxed, and as it does, your body will relax as well. You will only hear my voice and you will be able to respond, but you will continue to relax as you begin to feel yourself relaxing further, your eyes beginning to grow heavy and your body becoming fully relaxed and limp."

As the sedative took effect Callie’s body relaxed, all tension and fear slowly slid away as her breathing became slow and steady. Her eyes slowly closed as she listened to Eislyn’s voice, focussing on it and it alone.

Eislyn continued as she watched Callie slowly fall under the hypnotic trance. She watched as her colleague and would-be patient slowly drifted into a hypnotic slumber, her body now completely relaxed. It was time to do a basic check of things before pressing forward. "My voice is all that matters at this time. You will respond in complete honesty to any question I ask, fulfill any request I make. Now, what is your name?"

“My name is Callie Raven-Grayson.”

"Very good. And what is your current posting?"

“I am the Chief Counsellor of the USS Washington.”

Eislyn smiled knowing this had worked. Now came the more difficult part. "Very good. Now I want you to go deep into your mind. It is a large room laid out like a library. As you look at the shelves you take note that each file corresponds to an event in your life with all memory of it. Take a moment and search the library for important events, cross referenced with potential trauma and the subheading of mind melds, specifically a mind meld that may be listed as classified. Do you see it?"

Callie frowned as she searched through the library in her mind looking for the listing that she’d been told to look for. “I...I can’t...” she paused. “Wait...I see it!”

"Input your security clearance. You are fully authorized to see the file. Activate the replay function and describe the events you are viewing in detail."

Callie did as she was instructed. The scene was a difficult one, it began on the return from an away mission. Survivors from a crashed ship that needed help, only one of them had taken that help too far by taking advantage of her. “I...was helping some refugees from a civilian ship.”

"Very good. What is happening?"

Callie let out a deep breath. “I was helping to settle the refugees into quarters onboard ship, there was a Vulcan. He seemed...off to me so I offered to help him.” She took a deep breath. “It all happened so fast! I...I couldn’t get away from him! He forced his way into my mind!!”

"How did he force himself on you and into your mind? Were you alone? Where exactly were you?"

Callie’s emotions were running wild as she recalled what had happened. “We were...in one of the doctor’s offices. No sooner had I stepped through the door, he...he pinned me to the wall. His fingers on my face, and next thing I know he’s forcing his way into my mind. I couldn’t even call for help!!”

"And what happened during the meld? Remember, you are seeing what happened. You are safe. You can't be harmed further. Describe everything in detail." Eislyn waited with concern on her face as she listened for the details.

Callie calmed herself knowing she was safe. “When our minds touched, I saw images of his childhood. A tormented youth, feelings of being unwanted or unworthy. I saw images of myself and Jon, only it wasn’t Jon! The images changed to his face, making love to me...” She shook her head. “Next thing I know I’m waking up in Sickbay, I had no memory of who attacked me or what had truly happened...until now.”

Eislyn hesitated before speaking. This wasn't just an invasion of privacy she was dealing with, a mere mental trauma. The one that had medled with Callie had at the very least mentally raped her. It was an unforgivable act under Vulcan law and was harshly penalized under Federation law as well. Such raw trauma would require quite a bit of work to help Callie fully recover. The hardest part was underway though, uncovering the event and dealing with it. "You can see the face of the attacker. Do you recognize him?" she questioned delicately.

Callie frowned, She shook her head. “He was a stranger to me. I was just trying to help him.”

"Describe him. Do you have any understanding as to why he is assaulting you? His his meld with you only for this sexual purpose or is more going on? Take your time and remember you are safe."

Callie took a very deep breath. “He just...looks like any other Vulcan! short dark hair, piercing dark eyes. I...think I’m not the first woman he’s harmed. It’s just an impression but he knew exactly what he wanted.”

"Concentrate now. Is there anything distinctive?"

“Wait!” Callie opened her eyes and looked at Eislyn. “He called me Mia, right before we were interrupted and he let me go. Maybe that’ll give us something to go on?”

Eislyn looked at Callie in astonishment. The trauma and working through it had allowed her to break the hypnotic trance. That in itself told her that this would be something that would require a great deal of attention moving forward. But the information retrieved could be the the type of lead they needed to gather up more information and to eventually allow for some closure on the matter, which could then lead to healing.

Eislyn walked over to the computer terminal she kept on her desk and activated it. She input her search parameters, having the computer do a Federation search for anything that linked the name Mia, mindmelds, and Vulcans together. The computer began processing the search. She looked back at Callie, "You understand that this might take some time, assuming it provides us with any leads at all."

Callie nodded. “I know, how's about we call it a day? If anything turns up we can follow the lead, right now I need to clear my head.”

"As you wish." Eislyn stood and walked over to Callie. "You understand you will need to have continued sessions to help you past this. I will get back to you once I have any new information for you. Good day Callie. It was nice meeting you."