Roads Untravelled
Posted on Wed Sep 17th, 2025 @ 5:13pm by Lieutenant Rio Kholin MD & Commander Zhora zh'Roothi & Lieutenant Commander Kuzos & Lieutenant Amber Laurell & Crewman Tiazal Jiru
4,462 words; about a 22 minute read
Mission:
Madre
Location: Sickbay, U.S.S. Enterprise
Timeline: 2439-06-30, 22:45
Amber walked along the corridor to Sickbay, her head was pounding and it didn’t help that it made the deck lighting seem too much for her eyes. She could only hazard a guess that she had the start of a migraine after the length of time she’d been suffering from her headache. She was also feeling emotionally drained, but then feeling off had that effect anyway. Her sleep pattern had gone to hell in a hand basket the last few nights, which wasn't helping at all. She had a full schedule today so she needed to start feeling better, and soon.
Walking into Sickbay Amber looked around for Rio, hoping the doctor could help with getting her feeling better again.
Rio saw her colleague seeming to be coming into Sickbay looking less than her usual cheerful self.
"Amber? Is everything okay? You look exhausted." the CMO said as she approached the Chief Counsellor, looking very concerned and opening one arm towards a cubicle with a biobed inside, indicating an invitation to come inside.
“I have no idea” Amber frowned as she walked over to the biobed and took a seat. “I think I may have a migraine, my head is pounding, the lights seem way too bright, any noise hurts like hell, and I really don’t feel like myself. I’ve not been sleeping very well either and I don’t know why.”
"That doesn't sound good." Rio agreed. "Those symptoms sound as if it could well be a migraine, have you had any visual disturbances? Fuzzy areas within your sightlines? Perhaps in a circular pattern?" Once on the biobed, Rio was able to key in some instructions into the internal scanner to try to take an MRI scan into Amber's cerebral cortex and for surety a CT scan to back it up. As her fingers flickered over the LCARS on the control extension, the bio-arch raised itself and Rio had to ask Amber to lay down beneath it for the scans to take their readings.
"Allowing for your mixed heritage, your Vulcan side might be sensitive to some stress related reaction, but your betazoid mind might be sending out on overtime, due to all the recent barrier interference? Either way, you're probably exhausted!" Rio ran through a few possible avenues to investigate as she was setting up the tests, seeing that they were running properly and reading off the results, interpreting what she was seeing all at the same time. It was force of habit, extensive training and plenty of experience, all working together but most of it going on underneath the surface of one, sympathetic, gentle approach from the CMO.
“I’ll admit I’m tired, I haven’t been able to sleep like I usually do, but I don’t usually get migraines. In-fact this is only the second time I’ve ever had one in all the years I’ve had my abilities.” Amber sighed.
As the scans ran some data began to show itself on the monitor in the control panel of the bio-bridge. Rio read them silently and processed them.
"Are you using your powers right now?" Rio asked, nonchalantly as if asking about the weather.
“Not actively, though my abilities are constantly active in the background of my mind. Due to my Betazoid abilities manifesting early I’ve never been able to fully shut them off.”
Rio frowned and took a second, closer look at the scans the bio-bed was producing as they were speaking.
"Never been able to fully shut them off?" Rio repeated, almost absently but in fact there was a whole confusion of overload in her own head right now, never mind that which would appear to be going on in Amber's brain as well.
"Has that never become a problem for you? I mean does it mean you're constantly in contact with others and you're never able to just be alone?" the CMO asked, still frowning at the scan data that was still streaming relentlessly in front of her, but away from amber who was behind the screen on the bed looking up.
“Those Betazoids born with, or who develop their gifts early, never lead normal lives. I’ve been quite lucky in the fact that I was trained early.” Amber added to give some context. “In answer to your question, the voices are always there in the background, I’ve grown accustomed to never being alone. It’s the empathic side of things that make it more difficult, I don’t ever get to fully shut out other people’s feelings. However, it’s not usually this bad!”
Crewman Tiazal Jiru approached from the side and handed a hypospray over to the Chief Medical Officer. Filled with Lexorin, a drug developed during the late 23rd century, the medication would help to alleviate symptoms of malaise and/or overexertion in those who were experiencing telepathic contact. The medication had its origin in that it was developed for people who experienced complications from a Vulcan mind meld.
"The hypo you requested, Doctor."
"Thank you Tiazal" Rio replied and held the hypo-spray in her hand. She looked at Amber and before even approaching her with the medication she had first to explain what it was and why she was offering it.
"Lieutenant Laurell" she began gently. "From the scans, I'm getting readings that are way over the top of what I would expect for a telepath with her powers in action. It's almost as if you're battling something rather than just using the skills in the usual amicable ways. I can't be sure what it is that is overstimulating your telepathy but if you say you are always hearing other minds, then perhaps it is normal, although there's nothing on your medical records that mention this over-action in the past. I'm thinking that, with your full understanding and informed permission, it might be helpful to offer you this medication - its called Lexorin - I don't know if you've heard of it? It was developed to disconnect or lessen the effects of telepathic contact or entanglement. It should be able to soothe and slow the overload you're going through and give you a chance to define what you're experiencing from a slower rate in order to determine what is actually happening."
"I suppose in very oversimplified terms, it's like a psychic sedative of a kind." she surmised. "although I'm sure you're familiar with it. I'm hoping that your mind and abilities, once calmer and slower, might be easier for you to analyse?" the CMO had the hypo-spray still resting in the palms of both hands. She had made no attempt to administer it yet. "How would you feel about this for a means of trying to work out what's happening to you?"
“I’m more than happy to try it” Amber offered. “I have appointments this morning so I need to be able to work. At least the Lexorin will still allow me to use my abilities and keep functioning normally.”
"I hope so. I was over simplifying it when I said to compare it to a psycho sedative perhaps, I know it can be used to disentangle vulcan mind melds that go wrong so if it gets to work on anything unusual or complicated, it might make you tired? Although I suppose you're that already but I have to warn you of all the possible side effects to be completely fair to you. Have you undergone a mind meld recently? - or Ever for that matter? I wonder if we should just do a quick psych work up first?" she seemed to be thinking aloud as much as asking the Chief Counsellor's opinion. "The scan results were exceptionally high!"
“I haven’t been part of a mind meld recently, but I have been involved in one once before.” Amber offered as she tried thinking back. “Plus there's the Trellium exposure but I don’t feel ill, and have had no other problems up until now. If you think a work up is necessary then do it, I need to be at my peak to help my patients.”
"I'm sorry to make this complicated for you but I'm uneasy about this. I'm sure the Lexorin will still be the correct medication but I have no papers to refer to with regard to how Lexorin and Trellium work with or against one another. It could be nothing but as you say, you need to help your patients and I need to be sure not to rush this. There's no point in making you worse for not being careful enough." Rio responded, explaining her misgivings.
“I understand, there’s no Trellium left in my system to worry about in that respect, but I know you have to take that previous exposure into account. I’ve been fine until now so it can’t be that, maybe I’ve just not taken enough time to adjust to being in a new environment. Do what you need to do.”
While the Counselor and the Doctor were talking, Nurse Jiru had taken a moment to review the readouts on patients from the body function sensors at the nurse's station. Pulling up Lieutenant Laurell's reports, she checked over the readouts. Circulation, respiration, and temperature all looked good, the brain activity though were somewhat abnormal. Pressing a control, she transferred the details to a PADD and walked to Doctor Kholin.
"The report that you requested, Doctor," she handed off the datapad that showed the abnormal brain activity so that the CMO could review it.
“How does it look?” Amber gave Rio a curious look as she massaged her temples, whatever was bothering her was definitely persistent.
"I'm far from happy about the amount of activity going on inside your head, Amber." Rio said, frowning deeper. "I think I should give you the Lexorin to see if it clears any tangle going on - to be honest, it does LOOK the way I'd expect it to look if you had got stuck in a malfunctioning mind-meld. It seems as if you still have a struggle going on of some kind?"
The CMO administered the hypospray of Lexorin and continued the monitoring in as great a level of detail as she could get the BioArch to explore.
"Please let me know anything you feel, whether it's different or the same?" she asked the Chief Counsellor.
Amber gave it a few moments before answering. “It’s having an effect, my head is pounding less than it was a few moments ago. Now I feel…a little fuzzy, what I mean is, my senses are foggy.” She tried to word it as best as she could. “Better than having no senses at all I guess.”
"Fuzzy?" Rio made it into a query. "Fuzzy as in slower, as in sleepy? as in reduced?" she asked, hoping that the Chief Counsellor would say no because that would make no sense at all, but yet, to look at her, she did seem to be succumbing to something like sleepiness? It made no sense at all to the confused CMO.
“Sorry!” Amber offered apologetically. “I mean as in my senses are foggy, I can feel you but not fully. It’s like using a neural inhibitor on a low level if that helps to describe it better?”
Still at the computer workstation, Nurse Jiru closely monitored the readouts from the overhead sensor telescopes. Typing on the display, the sensors were showing the neural energy output of Counselor Laurell pretty closely. Briefly though a large spike appeared within her EEG scan that almost appeared to be a second consciousness. Typing quickly, she watched as it spiked again and then troughed. "Doctor?"
Amber looked towards Jiru curiously. “Is there something there?”
Rio had seen the spikes too. "Try to stay as calm as you can please Amber, the scans are just now showing us some spiking and we need to look into this further." She put her hand onto Amber's reassuringly.
"Nurse Jiru" Rio answered Jiru's fractionally earlier question. "Deepen those scans please, running a full range and collating the frequency , the strength and any evidence if these are any form of input from another mind. We need data on how often they're happening how powerful they are and of course, if it really is as suspected, then who is doing it?"
"Amber?" Rio turned back to the Chief Counsellor. "We've detected what looked like a couple of flashes of another consciousness but we need to see how often it's happening to get an idea of how serious it might be. If you're being compromised or attacked mentally or emotionally by someone, either inside or outside the ship, then the matter will very serious indeed but we shouldn't jump straight to that conclusion until we ascertain what is truly going on, or if it's just a memory or echo of a former mind-meld."
"I do have to say, that the amount of activity we're seeing, seems unlikely to be the latter but we need answers so I want to keep scanning and intensify our range looking for answers. First of all, I need to ask if you're okay with this proposal so far?" she asked.
“I’m fine with it” Amber nodded. “If this is telepathic contact then I need to know why I haven’t connected with it that way.”
The CMO did her best not to show any emotion at all and to stay as calm as she could so as not to add to the naturally alarming situation that Amber was facing but Rio silently and subtly assisted with what Nurse Jiru was doing, in an attempt to hurry the scans through - this was getting serious and more and more urgent by the minute and she needed answers fast.
“I’ll admit I don’t use my telepathy that much, but for me not to have picked up on a message of any sort it must be pretty alien, or at least something unknown.” Amber paused. “Should I try sending a response? See if it changes anything on your readouts?”
"I honestly don't know the answer to that. It would help with the scan results but we don't yet know if that's what it wants of you and whether or not it's unwise to comply in case whatever it is would ensnare you that way or if it's a perfectly reasonable being that is just making contact. I do have to wonder though, if it were the latter, why not contact you direct and with clarity of intention and purpose." Rio answered Amber's question with a leaning to caution and non-response for now.
Still working on the computer console, Nurse Jiru adjusted the scan frequencies to try to pinpoint for certain whether someone was trying to communicate with the Counselor. Trying not to be overheard, she whispered to Doctor Kholin, "If she is being contacted, do we have to alert security?"
“You don’t need to whisper crewman” Amber looked at both Rio and Jiru. “I know the protocols, if I’m considered a risk to this ship then I’ll comply with whatever steps security and the Commodore deem necessary.”
Jiru blushed in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, Lieutenant, my comments were meant to try to keep the protocols from whomever is contacting you, if you are being contacted." Checking the monitor that looked more and more likely.
“No, I’m sorry” Amber offered a smile. “I get a little…snippy when my abilities aren’t as they should be. I’m not at full strength and I hate it. Rather that than be in pain though.”
"Well, we're getting inexplicable readings so I imagine we do probably need to share our suspicions as per the protocols, especially if we're talking about responding. So yes, that is my interpretation of what I should do next." Rio agreed, putting her hand upwards to tap her communicator badge.
"I'm sorry we don't have more time to do this ourselves, Lt Laurel but if whatever, or whomever, is causing these readings really IS an outsider attempting to make contact then we are denied the luxury of dealing with it informally. I know you understand Counsellor." Rio spoke to Amber in an almost apologetic way, feeling a little bit regretful that this was escalating so fast and scooping her up into the higher levels of safekeeping.
The badge chirped in response to the tap of the CMO's fingers and Rio had to then speak first to Security and then the XO to let the upper ranks know what was happening in Sickbay. The Comm answered and the voice that replied first was that of LTC Kuzos, the Security Chief.
Kuzos voice came through the combadge. "Kuzos here Doctor. How may I be of assistance?"
=^= Commander, I have to report that the Chief Counsellor is experiencing some para-telepathic reactions that appear to be indicative of some form of intrusion from outside.
We haven't been able to ascertain whomever or whatever is attempting to make connect with her and she is not receiving any messages or identification, however her scans haven't indicated any response to Lexorin so that eliminates an old or entangled mind-meld still within. We are in agreement that Protocol needs to be observed at this point before any further investigation is carried out.
I have also sent to the XO to speak with us as well. Please advise, Sir. =^= Kholin reported via the comm link.
"Keep the Counselor there and continue with your monitoring of her. I am on my way to your location." Kuzos replied quickly and firmly.
Amber nodded letting Rio know that she was going to cooperate, she knew the rules and she was going to adhere to them.
"Thanks" Rio mouthed to Amber in silent reply to show she was glad of this reassurance.
=^= Aye Sir =^= the CMO responded to LTC Kuzos and closed the channel ready to wait for him to arrive.
As they waited, Rio tried the XO, realising that she wouldn't have been able to get through whilst Kuzos was already connected. She tapped the Comm badge again and spoke.
=^="Sickbay to Commander zh'Roothi - Kholin here =^=
"Yes, Doctor." The voice of the XO sounded. "Go ahead."
=^= Commander, I need to report that we have an incident taking place in Sickbay currently. Lieutenant Laurell is showing some excessive scan results that aren't explicable in the normal templates of her abilities - I've eliminated any form of internal cause so we are looking at the possibility that she's receiving some form of attempt to contact her from outside. I've asked Commander Kuzos to join us and we have stopped investigating awaiting his arrival. It is also necessary - for proper Protocol - for us to ask you to assist as well please? =^= Kholin explained.
"Understood, please maintain. I'll be along shortly. zh'Roothi out."
It didn't take long for Commander Zhora zh'Roothi to arrive in Sickbay aboard the Enterprise. Passing into the Emergency Department section, the Andorian found that the Counselor was being treated by the Chief Medical Officer and one of the Nurses. Hearing the door opened, Zhora saw Commander Kuzos enter from the opposite side. Nodding slightly, she focused on the Doctor, "Report, please."
Kuzos saw zh'Roothi and gave a short, curt nod as he closed on her location, arriving just in time to hear her ask for a report.
"Ambe..... Lieutenant Laurel reported headaches and we scanned her. We found no physical explanation for her malaise but there was a large amount of mental and emotional activity showing. I administered medication to eliminate possible unreleased history mind-meld or other, and nothing ceased. The next step in diagnosing would suggest perhaps an outside source attempting to contact her but she reports no messages or interaction within her conscious mind." the CMO began to explain the situation.
"Naturally, as this does not eliminate the possibility of an intrusion, we discussed and decided together to initiate the Security Protocol for protection of the ship and crew hence my calls to both of you, Commanders. May I just ask Sirs, if I might hand over to the Chief Counsellor before concluding to ascertain if she has anything to add or correct from my summary?"
The Andorian XO crossed her arms. A million questions ran through her head, but she knew one that she needed to ask. She looked at the Vorta, "Thoughts, Commander?"
Kuzos turned his head slightly to look at zh'Roothi. "Thoughts plenty Commander. However from what Lieutenant Laurel and the CMO have stated it appears that due to her abilities, the good counselor has been involuntarily picking up and holding on to past sessions/conversations and this has caused and overload or leakage where the conversations have moved from her subconscious to her conscious mind."
“With all due respect Commander” Amber looked towards Kuzos. “If I was being affected by the crew I’d feel it. This is different, I don’t normally experience migraines. I haven’t had problems with my abilities in a while now, until now. This is something…strong, at least strong enough to affect me, if not other telepaths.”
Kuzos looked at Amber, "I don't recall saying crew Lieutenant as I'm sure you have patients who weren't crew but no matter. You say this is different. I shall refrain from making any other suggestions."
"I'm not certain that's the best course of action," Zhora answered, with Occam's Razor supporting the Tactical Officer's answer. "We're all a little frayed with the potential of a telepathic intrusion. Counselor, you said it's different and you're having migraines. What if this is an active contact with something we don't recognize or haven't encountered? Could something alien be contacting you?" She thought back to their encounter with the Founder Progenitor and how the creatures acted in unison. Then she realized neither the Counselor or Doctor were aboard then.
Amber took a deep breath. “Commander Kuzos, I wasn’t intending to offend you. I thought you meant the crew, I apologise if it came out as my being snippy. As a Counsellor I do my best not to upset people if I can help it.” She looked at Zhora. “I haven’t experienced this kind of telepathic contact before, but then I’m more used to relying on my empathic not telepathic abilities. I think if this is telepathic contact then maybe we should attempt to try communicating back, how else are we going to know one way or the other?”
Kuzos shook his head. "No explanation or apology is necessary Lieutenant. I apologize for my previous behavior and comment. Please forgive me."
Amber nodded and offered a smile. “No apology necessary, I would like to learn more about the Founders once this is all over with, something which I would like your assistance with.”
Kuzos's smile grew even larger and brighter if that was possible. "By all means I will be happy to assist you in learning more about the Founders. Just let me know when you would like to start."
Zh'Roothi took it all in and listened to the Counselor's suggestion, intrigued too that Kuzos was planning to share his views on the Founders. That was a lesson for another time.
Crossing her arms, "I'm not really prepared to offer you up to whatever that is out there, Counselor, especially if you are being contacted. We have to assume, if it is a contact, that whoever it is is watching us through you. They may try more direct intervention now that we know. Doctor, can you monitor Counselor Laurell remotely to make sure that the contact isn't progressing and I'll speak with the Science Officer about methods of potentially tracing this telepathic contact to the source."
"Of course Commander" Rio agreed immediately. "Might I just add, Ma'am that we did administer "Lexorin" to the Counsellor in an early effort to eliminate any internal, residual that may have been entangled and there was no effect. I'm confident in that particular medication for its effectiveness but naturally every patient is different."
Zh'Roothi: "Counselor Laurell is not back on duty until tomorrow at 07:00. I don't know if we'll have more information by then, but I'm also not certain about adding undue stress into the Counselor's life for right now. Why don't you return to your Quarters and settle in for the night? I would like for Security to monitor your location as well, but not assign a guard, unless Commander Kuzos feels otherwise?"
Kuzos shook his head, "I see no reason to post a guard outside the Counselor's quarters. That would in my opinion add to her stress not alleviate it. as long as she can be monitored for her own well being. I'm good."
“Thank you” Amber nodded thankful that she wouldn’t need to be assigned a security officer. “If anything changes I’ll report it straight away.”
Rio turned to the two Senior Officers and nodded to each respectfully before handing a small, black, smooth data-rod to Amber, closing the medical scanner files on her, adding a final note of discharge and signing them off first.
"This hardcopy of your discharge summary is yours to do with as you wish, Counsellor. Please try to rest. Do you require a sleeping draught to help you relax or some analgesic for your migraine before you go?"
“An analgesic would be good, thank you.” Amber offered a brief smile as she stood ready to head back to her quarters. “Looks like I have some appointments to rearrange before I can get any sleep.”
The XO looked at those gathered, "If there's nothing else for now, unless Commander Kuzos has anything, I think we should go get some sleep. Just in case," she said glancing at the Counselor.
Rio took up a preloaded hypospray filled with a normal sized dose of painkiller and administered it to the neck of the Chief Counsellor, nodding to her and asking her: "would you like me to send Nurse Kensington round to assist you with your rearranging of appointments? You have enough on you plate and she would be happy to help?"
Amber nodded offering the best smile she could muster. “That would be a great help, thank you.”
Kuzos was deep in thought and didn't hear zh'Roothi's at first after a moment it registered and he shook his head, "No, I have nothing else to add." he said simply.
"Alright then. Call if you need me, Doctor," the Andorian answered with a polite nod, "Let's go, Commander."
Kuzos gave a short quick nod. "By all means, let us go."
End
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