Pt 1, Counseling Session: LT Austin Brown
Posted on Sun Jul 19th, 2015 @ 8:27am by Lieutenant Arnon Barak MD, PsyD & Lieutenant Austin Brown
632 words; about a 3 minute read
Mission:
Deadly Diplomacy
Location: Arnon Barak's Office
Timeline: current
ON
"...and that's when she told me about the lasso, the ergonomic chair, and the rubber chicken," Arnon dictated. "I've been around a while but I must say I've never heard of anything like that before..."
Arnon's comm beeped.
"Go ahead," Arnon said, activating his side of the comm.
"Doctor," said Chief Petty Officer Markos Ileos. "Your next appointment has arrived."
"And the next contestant is?" Arnon asked.
"Lieutenant Austin Brown," replied the chief.
"Excellent," Arnon said. "Send her in. And see if you can find me a rubber chicken, would you?"
"Of course, Doctor," said Markos.
Lieutenant Brown walked in and nodded towards the doctor. "What's up doc? " she asked using an ancient reference to a character in a 20th century cartoon.
"Lieutenant Brown," Arnon said. "Welcome. Please make yourself comfortable. Is there anything I can get for you?"
"Green tea, Thank you. " she said taking a seat."Don't think I've ever seen your office, its nice."
"Thank you," Arnon replied getting the tea from the replicator. He brought the tea over and handed it to Austin. "So the purpose of this appointment is to determine your mental and emotional fitness. Since you'd know more about that than me at this point, why don't you tell me how mentally and emotionally fit you feel? Keep in mind that this is a confidential conversation. Even if I determine that you are somehow a danger to yourself or other members of the crew or the ship as a whole, I'm not obligated to inform command of any specifics. I will assume for the time being that you are not a spy or engaged in espionage for a foreign power, unless you tell me otherwise. That I would have to report."
"To be honest, I feel a little tired lately, unfocused. " she replied somewhat more honestly than she had anticipated. Though it had been true she hadn't been sleeping well lately.
"Are you getting enough sleep?" Arnon asked.
"It doesn't feel like it. I wake up feeling like I haven't slept at all. " she said pausing for a few moments. clearly struggling over what to say next.
"How many hours of sleep per night do you think you've gotten in the last week?" Arnon asked. "An average will do."
"I don't know, maybe 35-40 hours" she replied. "you know starships, always something needing fixing."
"So you are sleeping through the night, but not feeling rested, would that be accurate?" Arnon asked. "Or is that...what 7 or 8 hours of sleep each night actually spent tossing and turning and waking up throughout the night?"
"More like 6 hours, but it is a fair statement " she nodded. "feels like i hit the pillow and the alarm goes off."
Arnon nodded.
"One of my planet's largest exports is botanical medicine," he said. "I've done quite a bit of research into the use of these medicines in non-Rigelian species. I've come up with a natural medicine in the form of dry, crushed leaves that can be brewed into a tea. It has a naturally sweet flavor so you don't have to dilute the medicine with sweeteners. The tea will help you to relax and have a more restful sleep. I can't guarantee you there will be no side effects, but the medicine is extremely specific in effect. You can brew a cup of it at night and drink it before you go to bed. It can be served cold, but the best effect is when it is hot. Taking the time to drink the tea and unwind goes a long way towards a good night's sleep, and that's before the medicine takes effect. Would you like to try this? Excellent, let me get you the medicine..."
OFF
Lieutenant Arnon Barak MD, PsyD
Chief Counselor
Lieutenant Austin Brown
Chief Operations Officer
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