Revelations, Part One
Posted on December 11th, 2003 by T'Kirr

“Revelations, Part One”
T’Kirr

The chemical displacement scan beeped its initiation on the center
console in Science Lab 1, but T’Kirr only remotely noted it. She was
staring at the reflection the environmental lighting overhead
illuminated on the glassy console’s surface, lost in thought. An event
of formidable magnitude inflicted great suffering on not only the
Atlantis’ hull integrity, but on the crew’s complement as well. It was
still unknown how many were actually killed upon the blast, or as a
result of secondary explosions, hull compromises, and immediate and
delayed life support failure, people having been blown out into space.
Despite her logical approach to the situation, the way it was all
affecting her was unnerving.

Of course, it was only natural to be affected to some extent. Many
lives had been lost. The loss of skill and ability of those lost would
be felt by those left behind. Daily life would be greatly altered for
most. Doctors and engineers already had more work than they could
handle. But to feel what she did was… illogical.

The wave of fear that had assaulted her in the Ready Room when
confronted with the possibility that Chief Engineer Drake could have
been violently killed had caught her off guard. Part of Atlantis’
secondary hull had been destroyed, and at that moment, she didn’t know
how much. Fortunately, Main Engineering had been deep enough to be
unaffected structurally, where he most likely would have been. Still,
he spent more time in the bowels of the ship than in the saucer
section…

What possibly annoyed her even more than the fear was the relief she
felt when Admiral Blackthorne told her he was still alive. Guilt, an
emotion she was not accustomed to, then presented itself, scolding her
for favoring one individual over another. To favor one for one’s skill
and usefullness was one thing. She would not delude herself into
thinking that applied to this case.

For four decades of her life, these feelings were unwelcome in her
mind. Perhaps as many Vulcans before her, she was beginning to become
permeated by an emotional culture, largely Human. She retreated from
the path her thoughts were heading in favor of another topic.

Having left the Atlantis when docked at Starbase__ to assist with the
Mreian integration to the current century, she had been out of touch for
several weeks. The USS Discovery had been dispatched to aid Atlantis,
and T’Kirr had caught a ride home aboard it. She had realized how much
she had missed the crew during her short time away, and in her slightly
unbalanced emotional state, had not been prepared to find the ship
navigationally crippled and a fraction of her crew suddenly dead.

That had to be it.

She would recover. It would be difficult finding the time to meditate,
however, as she planned to be assisting in repairs straight through the
next several days.

“Lieutenant?”

T’Kirr tore her gaze from the console, which apparently displayed a
completed scan, to look at Lieutenant JG Ellis behind her. Lieutenant
JG. Much had happened indeed. “Yes?”

Elllis closed the lid of a sample container and walked around it. “I’m
famished, and have a few minutes while this congeals. I was going to go
see what’s set up out in the Lounge… with all the replicators busy and
all. Do you want me to pick you up anything? I figure we’re going to
be at this for a while.”

Food was the last thing on her mind right then, and she wondered how
Ellis could be distracted with a meal at such a time. “No, thank you.”

The woman shrugged and headed for the door, closing an instrument
drawer on her way out. T’Kirr had had time to let her mind wander.
Certainly there was time for Ellis to eat. She was right–they had to
keep up their strength. “Ms. Ellis?”

She whirled. “Yeah?”

“Cinnamon tea. Hot.”

Ellis smiled and disappeared behind the door.