Fit As A... Part I
Posted on Sat Dec 30th, 2023 @ 8:19pm by Lieutenant Vura & Lieutenant Junior Grade Sheldon Leonard PhD
Edited on on Tue Jan 2nd, 2024 @ 8:10pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 15 - The Evil That Lies Beneath
Location: Counselor's Office - Deck 5 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD001 1300 hrs
Sheldon had postponed his psychological evaluation for as long as he could, but it was now time to get it over with so he could relax and enjoy his job for a while. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy his job at other times. He did, but it was better when he didn't have the shadow of a counseling session looming over his head. Counselors were so picky sometimes.
He had an appointment and knew that Counselor Vura was expecting him, so he stopped in front of the open door and looked in to see if she was at her desk. When he saw the couch, he almost turned and ran. It almost looked like a... But no, that wasn't possible, was it?
Vura noticed the hesitation and mentally suppressed a laugh. Outwardly, she just smiled like the cat that ate the canary. "Shellllldon," she exhaled. "Welcome to my chambers. Please. Please. Find yourself a seat. Make yourself comfortable." She walked towards Sheldon, wondering what he must be feeling besides completely uncomfortable.
Sheldon tentatively sat on the edge of a chair, back straight and hands folded on his knees.
Just as I expected. He's going to try to be completely prim and proper. There's no saying that I can't have a little fun while getting the information that I need to determine that he is fit for duty. Vura moved to the other mahogany chair and sat close to him, leaning in. "Are you comfortable, Sheldon? That seems to be a rather rigid posture. Perhaps the couch would help you loosen up?"
"No, ma'am. What would help me relax is if you sit over there and I sit here and we keep a professional distance."
"Are you afraid of women?" Vura asked curiously. "Or perhaps you are partial to men?"
"No and no," he huffed. "I consider that question impertinent. I do not like people invading my personal space unless invited to do so." And she had definitely not been invited. He'd also been warned about Delta pheromones and wanted her nowhere near him.
"I see. Do you have a significant other, then?" Vura asked curiously.
"No. My work comes first, and I've only been on the Pioneer a short time. Besides, there's no rush. I see too many of my fellow crewmembers who rush into relationships, and they mostly end badly. I'm saving myself the mess."
"There is a lot more in life than work, Sheldon. You don't mind me calling you Sheldon, do you?" Without waiting, she continued, "Besides, messes can be a lot of fun. Tell me, what do you do when you're not working, Sheldon?"
Of course, there was more than work. There were superheroes and comic books. Oh, and graphic novels. "I create holographic superheroes," he said. "And I use them to guard my lab. They're very effective." He gave the counselor a brief, half smile. "And I read a lot. I also play holographic video games. My life is quite satisfactory."
"I see," responded Vura, already understanding who and what Sheldon was. "And what about friends? What do you do for socializing? Meeting people?"
"I meet people. Just the other day I met a nice man from operations. He helped me fix the lab computer. Not that I don't know how to take care of my computers, but someone had messed with it, and it wasn't working the way all the other computers were. I've also talked to other scientists. I met every one of them after I got here."
"But you did not answer the previous two questions. This is more than meeting people that you have encountered. What friends do you have? What do you do for socializing?"
"If I want to socialize, I go to the main science lab, or I sometimes go to After 11. Really, I'm quite happy with my life as it is."
"After 11?" Vura asked curiously. "And exactly who do you socialize with at After 11?"
"It depends on who's there. A fellow scientist or just someone sitting at the bar. But I don't go very often. There's always something to read or to do."
"I see," Vura acknowledged, understanding the complete picture. "So, tell me who your three best friends on this ship are and the last time that you did anything with them."
"I've been on this ship for less than two weeks," he said primly. "And most of that was shore leave. that's not time to get a best friend. But on my last ship, I had Cooper. He and I would play Battlebots together. And eat pizza."
He raised an eyebrow and asked, "You've been on this ship about as long as I have. Who are your three best friends and what do you do together?"
"Paisely F'rar is my best friend and we do all sorts of things - dinner, dancing, and talking. Then there's Edmund Merrick, he's a kindred spirit and we sketch together and talk a lot. After that, I might have to go with Hermia. We've dined and had some, um, interesting encounters together." She beamed a smile towards Sheldon. "Is that sufficient for you?" she asked with a small tilt of her head and smug smile.
"And how do you quantify a lot?" he asked. "How can you possibly know someone is a close friend after two weeks? How much do you really know them?" He shook his head. "Sounds to me like you make a lot of casual friends but don't take time to develop a friendship with someone you'd consider a kindred spirit." Then he shuddered. "I've heard about this Paisley F'rar. People go out of their way to avoid her. I'm glad she at least has you as a friend." But the implication was clear that he wanted nothing to do with the Carjoran.
Vura pulled her legs underneath her and studied Sheldon more carefully. "What have you heard about her?" she asked with a morbid curiosity. How would her negative reputation reached someone as isolated as Sheldon? "As to quantifying a lot, I would say that for the two weeks that I have been here, I have seen her or talked to her once a day. But certainly 'a lot' is more than a few. And as to finding a kindred spirit, when you know, you know, Sheldon. It is not a math problem. Do you believe in love at first sight?"
"I may hear gossip, but I don't spread it," he said primly. "But she has managed to make a spectacle of herself on more than one occasion. It's all over the lower decks." He raised an eyebrow and considered her question. "No. There may be a chemical attraction, or pheromones, if you wish, but that's not really love. That's just lust. To really love someone, you need to know them. Like Ensign F'rar who seems perfectly polite at first meeting and then she starts to act like a fishwife with no manners whatsoever. You won't know that about her until you spend time with her--or most people do.. And if you don't know what the gossip is, I suggest you listen more and flirt less. You have a reputation, too. Begging your pardon, ma'am, but I shouldn't have said that last part." Even if it was true, based on the gossip. "You are an outgoing and vivacious person with a predilection for wanting to get close to people."
Vura had to laugh at Sheldon's last statement. Rumors about her were far from uncommon. She was Deltan. She was used to being the center of attention. Between so few leaving Delta IV and pheromones, there was a complete recipe for gossip. She was far from surprised. "So, for you, love is just a matter of chemical attractions plus knowing someone? So what is to say that you cannot get to know someone on a first meeting and have love at first sight?" Vura seemed particularly amused by this conversation.
"You misunderstand. I'm saying that love at first sight is just pheromones," he replied, slightly irked that she failed to understand what he meant. "Real love takes time to develop and mature." She was also mildly amusing, in an academic way--and irritating in another. "Do all Deltans crave attention?" It was a legitimate question. He knew there was another Deltan on the ship, but he hadn't met her and so Vura was the only one he could honestly say he knew.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant JG Sheldon Leonard
Theoretical Physicist, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Vura
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
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