Surefoot 07: Uncertainty Principle

"No! They won't have Level-7 Security Clearance! You have no right to do so!"

"You gave me the right, under Starfleet General Order 18: 'In the event of an emergency involving potential loss of life, a commanding officer may temporarily rescind any and all Security protocols deemed necessary to protect said life'. The moment you mentioned the malfunctions on the system included life support, I could legally classify the situation as an emergency."

"What? That's outrageous! I won't stand for it! I'll protest to the Council!"

"You will be free to do so, of course. However, I will be taking action regardless - and if you refuse to allow my team over to make an unobtrusive examination, I will simply order the full evacuation and quarantine of the station for an indefinite period, thus delaying any further research on your artefacts." She steepled her fingers together on the table. "The choice is yours."

Solberg told her what she could do with herself - but then added, "Send your team over."

"A wise decision, Professor - as I am physiologically incapable of carrying out your other suggestion." She tapped her combadge. "Chief Grev, select a small team and prepare to transport over to Tyche Station to run a series of diagnostics on their major systems."

The gruff voice returned loud and clear. "I'll probably be all day over there, that fool Solberg has probably run the facility to the ground. Grev out."

"What did he say?" the Professor exclaimed in outrage.

"Ignore the Chief, Professor, he's a Tellarite," Hrelle said, rising to his feet and looking at T'Varik. "Shall I escort the Professor back to the Transporter Room?"

"If you would please, Sir."

"And perhaps I could accompany them over there as well? For security purposes? My schedule is... quite open right now, and I could do with keeping myself busy."

"Another good suggestion, Sir."

He winked at her as he walked around, and gently took Solberg by the arm and guided him out of the briefing room, rather than let the man lean on his cane.

*

Kami was sitting on her couch, looking at images of her cub, sent with his last message: he had his father's ears, and that cheeky glint. There he was, with his fiancée, looking so happy. She missed him, so much-

Her door opened without a chime; Sasha stormed in, her face a mask of fury. "Why? Why did you have to interfere?"

Kami got to her feet, setting aside her PADD. "Sasha, what's wrong-"

"What's wrong is that you're a sad, pathetic old woman who has to fixate on a vulnerable man to make up for the one you lost! Becoming so obsessed with him that you'll do anything to get him!"

Kami's hackles rose, and felt like she'd been slapped at the venom in the girl's look and voice. "Sasha, that's not true-"

"And you had the gall to tell me that you loved me! That I should think of you like a second mother! Because you were already setting your sights on marrying my Dad!"

"Sasha, please-"

"And now he's in danger of losing his command! Because you couldn't keep your hands to yourself! I wish we'd never met you!"

Kami had to fight the shock she felt at the verbal assault. "Sasha, please, calm down-"

She reached for her, but Sasha drew back a fist, baring her teeth. "Just stay away from us! We don't want you near us!"

Then she stormed out, as quickly and furiously as she had stormed in.

Kami stood there, stunned by the encounter, before leaving her quarters - but not in pursuit of the girl.

*

"Lieutenant!"

Aiken was crossing over from the office to the waiting room, when he stopped and glared at her with disdain. "I'm not ready for you, Counselor-"

"You'd better get ready. What have you been saying to Sasha? She's upset!"

"Yes. She is." Aiken indicated the open doorway to the office. "Shall we discuss it privately?"

Kami glanced inside the waiting room, aware of the attention they were getting from the cadets. And there had been more than enough of that. She followed Aiken inside the office. "Well? What have you been saying to her?"

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't discuss confidential matters like that."

"Don't give me that!" she snapped. "I care for her!"

"You do more than that. You love her. Didn't you say that to her?"

Kami froze, her tail agitated, her hackles raised. "How did you know that?"

"I was given access to all your notes and your Personal Logs when I was authorised to conduct this investigation. And the cadets have been very forthcoming."

"Forthcoming? She came to me, angry and upset! Accused me of the most horrible things! What have you been saying to her?"

Aiken regarded the woman for a moment, before he moved over to the desk and lifted up the PADD. "Our interview will be recorded. Counselor Kami Shall, a number of allegations have been raised against you, namely that you have engaged in an improper relationship with one of your Compulsory patients, Captain Esek Hrelle."

"I still want to know who made these false allegations!"

"That's not relevant now."

"I have the right to face my accuser!"

"All in good time. When Captain Hrelle was declared fit to return to duty, why didn't you return to Starbase 74?"

Kami wanted to stay on the subject at hand, but she also knew that this was inevitable. Calming down a little, she answered, "He still needed Compulsory Counseling, and I didn't want to interrupt his progress. And the Academy's Program for gifted cadets that he was joining sounded intriguing, he would need a Counselor onboard his ship to help them-"

"You stated in your notes that you have frequently appeared naked in front of him, and have compelled him to do the same, too."

"There's nothing wrong with that; Caitians are psychologically comfortable with nudity. And in Captain Hrelle's case, he has had issues with self-image as a result of the physical torture he has undergone-"

"When did you two start sleeping together?"

"Weeks ago - and it was just that, literally sleeping together. There was no sex involved. Caitians need physical closeness, too."

"Is that going to be your defence throughout this?" he sneered. "It's what Caitians do?"

"It is, when it's one Caitian dealing with another! I'm not going to use the same tactics with a human or a Vulcan or a Qarari."

"But you are in general friendlier, more emotional with your patients than other Counselors might be? You like to hug them?"

"The ones that like to be hugged, yes. The ones who sometimes need a hug."

"These are members of Starfleet, adults!"

"I know that. But even adults in Starfleet need hugs now and then. As for the cadets, they're young people, many far away from their homes, their families, for the first time. It can be daunting for them-"

He scowled. "They need to be strengthened, not coddled! And not used as pawns in your obsession with Captain Hrelle."

Kami stiffened, baring her teeth. "You'd better be prepared to explain that."

Aiken looked confident - unnervingly so. "On Stardate 35000.24, you allowed Sasha to engage in an illicit relationship with Jared Miro, a cadet with problems involving relationships with women to the degree where he was expelled-"

"Jared Miro was also under my care, and his issues were protected by medical confidentiality; I could hardly warn her about him. And she was mature and astute enough to recognise him for what he was without my intervention. She suffered no more trauma than anyone else with a disappointing first love."

"But if it hadn't been disappointing, if it had distracted her from becoming possessive of your growing relationship with her stepfather, that would have been advantageous for you, wouldn't it? It certainly was when she subsequently entered into a relationship with Giles Arrington. That was even better for you, wasn't it? It kept her distracted, and made Giles feel loyalty towards the man he was secretly watching on behalf of his family!"

"It was never like that! Giles had been pressured by his family, but he never took action. As for their relationship, she's a legal adult. I'm not her mother."

Now he laughed, albeit with no trace of humour. "That's not what you told her on her return from seeing her mother's killer executed! Did you or did you not tell her you loved her, and that she could look upon you as a surrogate mother?"

"I said she could do so, or see me as a Counselor, or a friend."

"And that had nothing to do with your professed love for her stepfather?"

Kami didn't answer.

He pressed on. "Did you not think that by saying that, you placed her, an emotionally vulnerable girl, into an impossible position!"

"It was never like that-"

"Do you still go through Seasons? Still produce pheromones to attract mates?"

"That's none of your damn business!"

"I checked the medical records; you still obtain suppressants from Sickbay."

"Yes, that's what responsible Caitian females do."

"Yes. Responsible Caitians obtain them. As for actually using them?"

"I've always used the necessary dosage when necessary!"

"No you haven't! You mentioned as much in your Personal Log! Don't you remember?"

He reached out and took her by the wrist. Kami pulled back---

---She stood in her bathroom, grooming herself, readying for an evening with Esek, her thoughts filled with the sound of his laughter, the image of his broad shoulders. Such a gorgeous, gorgeous man!

She looked down at the strip of oral suppressants she had to take on a regular basis for the next fortnight; they made her mouth dry, but they were a necessary evil. She didn't want to lead the Captain astray.

On the other hand...

She needed a dose of three that evening to be effective. But what if she only took two? It wouldn't be fully effective, she'd still produce some pheromones. Not enough to be consciously detected, but enough to... catch his interest, keep him distracted.

She shouldn't. It wasn't ethical.

She did it anyway---

---Kami pulled back, shocked at the revelation. It was true! She had deliberately lessened her self-medication, to keep an edge, a hold on him! Shame gripped her.

And Aiken saw it, too. "Yes. You might be able to fool yourself, out here on your own, but it's obvious to anyone else. You saw Captain Hrelle as a potential mate, after years of loneliness following the cruel death of your husband Rmorra.

You became obsessed with Hrelle. And like an addict, deceiving themselves into thinking they can manage their addiction, you slid further and further into impropriety. You had 'sleepovers' with the Captain, appeared naked and flirted with him. You manipulated his stepdaughter and your other patients."

She felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Nothing seemed certain any more. "N-No-"

"Yes," he countered, simply, confidently. "You can see it all now, can't you? Grooming Sasha and Giles to fall in love, manipulating her friends to encourage them, making Sasha look upon you as a maternal figure, so when you and Hrelle finally mated and were openly a couple, she would not object-"

Tears poured down the sides of her muzzle. It was all so plain, so undeniable now.

Aiken drew closer again, taking her hand once more, his voice suffusing into her. "I'm not unsympathetic, Kami, so I'm going to make this offer to you: Resign, today. I won't interview the Captain, I'll certify him fit to return to duty. And I'll take over as Ship's Counselor until we reach Starbase 154, and from there, you can book passage back to Cait. You'll still be able to practice there, but your career in Starfleet is finished. As is your relationship with the Captain."

"N-No, I can't-"

"You must. Whatever you think you have with him, it was based on deception and manipulation. That's a terrible foundation. You know this."

Yes. She did...

*

Deck 4, Transporter Room:

"Jonas!" Grev smacked his combadge link shut. "Where's that boy? It's not like him to not respond!"

Beside him, Hrelle was strapping a phaser to his belt. "He might still be getting interviewed with that Lieutenant Aiken."

The Tellarite's blunt snout wrinkled. "Pity, he will be missed." He squinted his beady black eyes at the other Engineering Cadets, Soolamea and Yeager, and Ensign Utrech. "It'll just be the four of us, then. You have your tools?"

As they indicated the diagnostic instruments they carried on shoulder straps, Professor Solberg stood nearby, snapping, "We have tools of our own over there, Starfleet!"

"And yet you haven't identified the source of your problems, have you?" Grev nodded to his team. "I have something even better: an ingenious crew!"

Hrelle smiled - then started at the scent he could from a figure approaching from down the corridor. He turned. "Kami!"

She drew up to him, her face a mask of barely-controlled anguish, aware of the presence of others watching. "Captain... may I have a quick word with you?"

Hrelle looked around, before indicating the Main Computer Room, opposite the Transporter; as he expected, it was empty. Before the door even slid shut, he approached her. "What's wrong-"

She held up a hand to stop him. "Listen, I wanted to tell you, face to face, before word got out: I'm resigning."

"What? No!"

"Yes! Lieutenant Aiken has enough evidence to charge me with multiple counts of breaches of medical ethics! If it went to a tribunal I could be struck off! This way, I can still go back and practice on Cait, and you and the rest of the cadets don't have to go through any more questioning."

His heart was racing. "Kami, stop thinking like that-"

"One of us has to, Esek. One of us has to be realistic. No matter how we try to justify it... I was wrong. I let myself fall in love with you. I let you fall in love with me. I encouraged an inappropriate closeness that culminated in sex. And I- I used Sasha and the other cadets to further my selfish ends. I can't deny that anymore." Tears rolled down the sides of her muzzle. "I don't want to deny it, either. I have to face the consequences of my actions."

Hrelle stared at her for a moment, before forcing his voice into a soft and gentle and reassuring tone, "Kami... I understand. And you need to know, that no matter what happens, we'll get through it together."

"No! We can't be together! It's wrong, and it'd be a greater wrong if you throw away all you've taken back, just to be with me! You have Sasha again, you have a ship again! You're only just restarting your life. You can't discard all that for me."

"Don't you think that's my decision to make?"

He stepped forward, but she drew back again, anger flaring up now. "Stop being a lovesick idiot, Esek! We're adults, not cubs!"

"I know we're not, Kami. But I love you. That's how I know that this is the right thing-"

"What in the Seven Hells do you know? Look at you! A pathetic, disfigured wreck of a man! One who has to fall in love with his Counselor, for Mother's Sake! You say you love me? I bet you said that to Hannah all the time! When did you think of her last, Esek? That's how much your words are worth to any woman!"

He stepped back, shaking, eyes wide, looking as if she'd clawed his face off. Looking ready to claw back.

Instead, through clenched teeth, he snarled, "I have work to do. If you're smart, you'll get out of my way and not say another fucking word."

Kami stepped aside, allowing him to depart.

Then, instead of screaming and attracting attention, she swung back and slammed her fist into the wall, breaking four bones in her hand.

*

Deck 1, Bridge:

Commander T'Varik had noticed the change in the demeanour of Alpha Squad as they took their respective posts: there was a silence, a sullenness, which the Vulcan attributed to the emotional uncertainty over the fate of Kami and Hrelle - an uncertainty that T'Varik secretly shared, though of her course her discipline kept it under complete control.

She had been prepared to leave it at that, and perhaps speak with them privately during a break later - until she noted the appearance of Cadet Eydiir, carrying a psychotricorder. "Cadet, you are meant to be on duty in Sickbay."

"Yes," the Capellen admitted. "Dr Ling gave me leave to conduct a medical check." She moved to Sasha at the Ops console, passing the psychotricorder over the other girl and studying the resulting readings.

"Looking for something in particular?" Sasha asked.

"Yes." The Eydiir moved down to the helm, where Rrori received a similar scrutiny, before moving onto Neraxis at Tactical and finally Kit at Science, stopping and frowning. "You are different."

"I would expect to be, Friend Eydiir."

T'Varik rose from the Captain's chair. "Cadet, explain the nature of this check you are performing."

Eydiir faced her, collating the data on her screen. "I am examining everyone who has been alone with Lt. Aiken. With the exception of Kit and myself, they have experienced abnormally high levels of psilosynine."

The Vulcan frowned. "You are certain?"

"What's... psilosynine?" Sasha asked.

"A neurotransmitter produced in the brains of most humanoids, though to greater degrees in races with telepathic abilities, such as Vulcans and Betazoids," Eydiir explained. "Although when it appears in such amounts in non-telepathic races such as humans and Caitians, it is indicative of their having been on the receiving end of telepathic events such as mind melds."

T'Varik stepped forward, hand outstretched for the psychotricorder, which Eydiir proffered. She examined the readings herself. "This appears to be the case."

Eydiir looked to the others. "The three of you, and Jonas, came out of your interviews appearing distracted, almost traumatised."

"You can't blame us," Sasha defended, looking confused and alarmed. "After what he revealed about what Kami did-"

T'Varik faced her now. "What did he reveal?"

The younger girl swallowed, flushed. "He- He told me not to say anything to anyone-"

"Cadet, I am giving you a direct order. What did he reveal?"

Sasha looked pained now, as if fighting something. "She- She told me that she and my Dad had been... been lovers since coming onboard the Surefoot."

"No. They have not."

Sasha blinked. "But- But she said- I distinctly remember hearing her say it-"

"No," T'Varik repeated forcefully. "They have not. I will not detail the extent of my knowledge, but I can assure you that this is not the case."

"But, she-" Rrori began, looking just as confused. "I can vividly recall her telling me the same thing." But his expression belied how much he believed this. "I hear it, see it. And yet... my nose, my other senses, tells me that's not true."

T'Varik nodded. "The Caitian sensory receptors have different proportions to other humanoids."

"I remember one of my first sessions with her," Neraxis confessed warily. "She asked me to help get Sasha and Giles together, so that she could continue to be with the Captain. But that's not something I'd forget easily. Why am I only remembering it now?"

"A suppressed memory, perhaps," Eydiir considered.

"Or a false memory, implanted," T'Varik offered.

"If the protocols for interview confidentiality are rescinded," Kit began, rising to his feet. "I must recount that the Respected Lieutenant kept touching my hand, repeatedly insisting that Most Respected Counselor Kami had confessed an illicit relationship to me. This was not true, and I denied it as such. He then inquired about Qarari brain configurations and told me to leave."

"He touched my hand, too," Sasha confirmed, growing pale.

T'Varik looked to Neraxis and Rrori. "Did he make physical contact with either of you?"

They nodded together, looking to each other.

"He tried to touch me," Eydiir declared. "I did not let him."

"That is fortunate for you." T'Varik touched her combadge. "Cadet Ostrow, please respond." When there was no response, she asked, "Computer: locate Cadet Jonas Ostrow."