Quarantine

Posted on Sat Sep 27th, 2025 @ 6:13pm by Lieutenant JG Lyras & Lieutenant Alena Alessa

1,849 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 9: Across Time
Location: Sickbay

As soon as the doctor had left, a forcefield had snapped into place. It left him with a little room to move around the bed if he really wanted to, but it wasn't much. Besides, it had been made clear he wasn't to do any work, but he wasn't to leave either. What if this creature had gained some level of control? As far as Lyras was concerned that wasn't a question of 'if' that would happen but rather 'when'.

As a Vulcan, he was trained against mental influence and he could fight it like he had been doing subconsciously already. But his skills only went so far and now that his sleep was invaded he knew it was a losing battle. So confinement was better, than risking being made to do something he had no control of. So.. he had resigned himself to sitting on the bed and read.

Alena wondered whether it was a good idea to visit Lyras. From what she had been told, Lyras was struggling big time with his mental state. As she entered, she noticed the forcefield around the man's bed. "Hello", she greeted him as the first thing. Then she waited. She wasn't going to push him too far. Not after what she had been told by the doctor.

The young doctor looked up from his reading, the exhaustion quite evident in his eyes. "Hello counselor," he returned the greeting. "Are you alright?"

Alena sighed. "To be honest? I'm not, not really. So many things are going on and I have barely had to time for for a coffee", she told the man. "What about you? The senior doctor mentioned that you are having a hard time with your telepathy?", Alena then inquired. While she did sense that Lyras was in a lot of telepathic and mental distress, she wasn't entirely sure how to help. It was worth a try though.

"Not quite," Lyras answered, shaking his head. "I am suffering nightmares. I rarely dream but these are so vivid, and after examination by Doctor Pazon, he discovered there is another presence in my subconscious. A telepathic presence, which may be controlling my sleep. The lack of rest, however is starting to affect my ability to function, hence my confinement."

Alena looked at the man more closely. He looked exhausted. "I wish I knew how to help", she said slowly. "You have my respect. Not everyone would do what you are doing now", she said and went silent. She had no idea how to help this man. "Is there anything in particular that stands out? Something specific?", Alena then asked, hoping there was something she could help with. At the moment, she was powerless to help Lyras. It was something she didn't like. Not at all.

"Being trained in mental control does help," Lyras admitted, "though I am not full Vulcan and I do not possess full control thanks to my Romulan genetics." He paused to think, the question giving him a moment of focus. "Bright eyes in a mist, a strong compelling voice calling my name. My full name. While it is listed in my personnel file, I have never shared my full name with anyone."

Alena frowned. "So, either it's someone with immense telepathic skills, or someone has access to your personal file", she said. She didn't like either possibility. It meant that there was danger nearby. Too close for comfort.

"Or both... but given my nightmares...I believe the first." He stiffled a yawn as he watched her, sensing her concern. "You seem to have thoughts about this too?" He prompted, "you are a telepath too, correct? What do you sense? I am a touch telepath, but I am capable of communicating with a full telepath, and I am able to sense them, and sense feelings. It helps me with my medical duties though I would never read a patient's thoughts without permission or medical emergency."

Alena nodded. "This telepath seems to be able reach you without getting sensed", she said slowly. She wasn't overly fond of that possibility. It meant that they might get a set of problems that no one would be prepared for.
"As for what I sense. Nothing out of the ordinary. While I sense nothing new with telepathy, I have a feeling that things will soon come to a head."

"You were part of the away team, you do not suffer nightmares of any kind after you encountered...what was her name?" Perhaps it was exhaustion but for some reason he couldn't remember the entity's name.

"Euryale", Alena told the man. "Her and her carefully made trap nearly got us all killed. I won't dismiss that, since we've come across one deadly telepath, there might be more of them. It seems like there is a network of telepathic presence", Alena said as she thought it over. "Personally, I've encountered a weak link, here and there. But nowhere close to be able to narrow down anything. Or anyone", she said.

"But she does not haunt you like she haunts me." He almost sounded envious, but if she wasn't, why then was he? "You are a full telepath, are you not? I am only a touch telepath and empath, and I am not even full Vulcan, contrary to what people may think." He wasn't secretive about it but he was sure it wasn't common knowledge either.

"I'm part betazoid. But I don't know the full range of my bloodline. I've had some talks with my mother, and it turned out I'm 25% betazoid, 25% human, and 50% I don't know what. It's not that long ago that my mom told me about her being the human/betazoid. As for the telepath part, I wish I could mute it. I seem to pick up a lot of the emotions from surrounding people. There's no filter whatsoever", Alena said and rubbed her temples. "Euryale... I think she did trigger something in me. There is no barrier between my peace of mind and what people around me feels. Not anymore. I've tried getting the barriers back up, but no such luck".

"That kind of control can be mastered," Lyras offered quietly. "I am not certain if I am the best person to help you with it but I am willing to try once I am released from quarantine. You need to learn to build a mental wall and learn a new kind of focus. There are also other Betazoids on the station who may be willing to help. And other Vulcans."

"True", Alena said. "It was first as a teenager that the telepathy started showing. At first it was just headache. By the time my mother said i was part Betazoid, the pain was pretty bad. I grew up with next to no assistance. The town I grew up in, was pretty much void of any modern technology. The people there were all human, and they heavily disliked any outsiders. I remember having to curb the need to listen what was going on around me. Being a neutral party in a town that weas pretty much a political warzone, was... tough, to be honest. I wonder whether the lack of influence from other kind of people could have given me issues with my telepathy", she went on, thinking back to that town where violence and polite smiles came together.
"I'm going to ask around. This can't go on. I need some sort of filter, preferably before I go insane".

"You should talk to Lieutenant Faye... He has the exact opposite. From what I heard, he left Betazed to avoid his heritage but it caught up with him anyway." Lyras allowed that to sink in before continuing. "Not knowing your heritage can feel as though you are lacking," he continued softly. "All my life, I was taught that hybrids were inferior, especially Vulcan hybrids. My mother lied to me, and I suppose indirectly taught me I was inferior. I did not know until I came to this time and had several medical exams, that I am a hybrid myself."

Alena smiled weakly. "For me, it didn't matter much to me about being a hybrid. The worst was that my mom lied to me about my lineage", she admitted. "Knowing that she, and likely Mrs. Anderson, the woman we lived with, had been lying to me about so many things".

"My mother lied too," he repeated, "but the lies shaped us into who we are today. I cannot confront my mother about hers, as she is no longer alive. I have never known my father, and while I probably should, I currently have no desire to seek out my father's family."

"To be completely honest, I'm more upset by the lies than by my father not being here. If i come across him, that'd would give me answers only he would have. But I'll be satisfied if my mom stops lying to me", Alena admitted. "I grew up with secrets about, and from, other people. It wasn't pleasant, putting it mildly". She stopped talking, thinking. It was a void, but not for the reasons some people thought. Had it been just her father's absence, she would likely have been able to deal with it. But her mother's lies, as well as all the small trinkets that appeared in her quarters, were making her uneasy.

Lyras started to reach out, remembering the forcefield a fraction too late. It sparkled as his fingers barely touched it and he yanked his hand back, grimacing as he flexed his fingers to stop them from tingling. "You are here now," he told her, "a valued and respected counselor on this crew. Noone is going to take that from you or tell you otherwise."

Alena smiled to Lyras, grateful for his reassurance. "I just hope things will settle soon. I could use a break", she said. "Is there anything you want? I can grab something for you if you have anything you want", she offered.

The Vulcan hybrid shook his head. "No, not at present. Thank you though, for offering. Perhaps you can come by again later and keep me updated on what is happening?"

Alena smiled. "Of course. I'll let you know about anything new", she said. She hesitated. "I wish I knew how to help you out of this situation", she then admitted. "I hate being unable to be of any use".

"You are of use counselor," Lyras smiled thinly, "you are here, and you are listening. For now that is enough. Being quarantined is extremely lonely."

Alena smiled. "Thank you", she said as she looked at the time. "I need to get going. I got a session in 15 minutes. I'll talk to you later", she said. While she still felt helpless, she appreciates Lyras's words. She left, trying to make sense of the telepathic presence in his mind. This could, and would, take time. She was determined to at least try to find a cause.

Watching her leave, Lyras settled back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

 

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