The Only Way Is Up
Posted on Sat Aug 30th, 2025 @ 8:01am by Lieutenant Aelira Valan’thir & Lieutenant JG Summer Wyse & Lieutenant Magnus Volsung
1,254 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
A marathon not a sprint
Location: Sickbay, USS Wolff
Timeline: After Debrief
Captivity done, with no harm done besides the discomfort of having her senses temporarily blocked, Summer had left the briefing on somewhat shaky legs. It wasn’t as though she’d been mistreated, or harmed, because she hadn’t but it had still been a frightening experience. She glanced at Magnus as he kept her company.
“I didn’t have chance to say thank you for the tea.” She smiled warmly. “I was running on an adrenaline high, I didn’t even feel it until I started coming down off that high. Now…” she paused as she clenched her hands. “Nerves suck don’t they? I dread to think how high my blood pressure is going to be, it’s not good for a pregnant woman to have high blood pressure.”
Magnus shook his head, but with a small smile as he gently touched her arm. "You are healthy and strong," he said, reassuringly. "And we're going to sickbay, just to check up on you. So deep breath. You're doing well."
Summer nodded offering a smile. “A deep breath it is.”
~ Sickbay ~
It didn’t take long to reach Sickbay, Summer was hoping that she could get her slightly foggy senses sorted out instead of having to wait for whatever she’d been given to wear off. That, and make sure that her wound up state wasn’t affecting her baby.
Aelira emerged from her office as the doors to Sickbay parted, her gaze sweeping with instinctive awareness over the arriving pair. She recognised Lieutenant Wyse immediately — the tension in her shoulders, the subtle wariness behind her eyes — and the man at her side, not a stranger to Sickbay either, if only by association.
She stepped forward, her tone warm and even as always. “Lieutenant Wyse,” she greeted gently, her eyes flicking briefly over Summer in quiet assessment. “I was told you’d been released. I’m glad to see you upright… even if a little rattled.”
She offered a half-smile, then glanced at Magnus. “And you must be the company she’s wisely kept at her side.” A nod of subtle approval followed. “Come, we’ll get you settled and have a look. Foggy senses and frayed nerves tend to linger longer than they’re welcome.” With a gentle gesture toward one of the quieter biobeds, Aelira added, “No rush — you’re not a patient here, just a visitor for now.”
Summer nodded offering Aelira a smile. “Dokken didn’t want my senses working incase I picked up on anything I shouldn’t. It’s been wearing off but hasn’t seemed to have fully gone, if there’s one thing Betazoids hate it’s not being able to sense anything, or hear the choir of voices that are always lingering in the back of our minds, it’s…lonely.”
Aelira gave a slow, understanding nod, her gaze softening. “Silencing a sense that deep… it’s more than discomfort — it’s disconnection.” She reached for a tricorder, activating it with a practiced sweep of her fingers, her tone remaining gentle. “We’ll see what residue remains and ease it along, if we can. You won’t be in that quiet much longer.”
She held the scanner close, watching the readouts as faint traces of a neuro-suppressant compound flickered across the Betazoid’s bio-neural pathways. “It’s subtle — designed to dampen psychic feedback rather than block it entirely. But it’s clinging, still interfering with the normal psionic rhythm.” Aelira glanced at Summer with a calm, reassuring look. “Your mind’s trying to reach out again. That’s a good sign. We’ll help it remember how.”
“I’d appreciate that” Summer smiled. “I developed my abilities earlier than I should have, so I’m never without the background voices. I can shut them out to a point, it’s something I’ve grown used to. Not being able to hear them, is…disconcerting to say the least. There won’t be any lingering effects on my baby will there?”
Aelira gave a slow, understanding nod, her gaze softening. “Silencing a sense that deep… it’s more than discomfort — it’s disconnection.” She reached for a tricorder, activating it with a practiced sweep of her fingers, her tone remaining gentle. “We’ll see what residue remains and ease it along, if we can. You won’t be in that quiet much longer.”
She held the scanner close, watching as faint traces of a neuro-suppressant compound flickered across Summer’s bio-neural pathways. “It’s subtle — designed to dampen, not block entirely. But it’s persistent.” Her focus shifted as she adjusted the scan parameters, catching the secondary data. “You’re about fourteen weeks?” she asked, almost as confirmation. At Summer’s nod, Aelira continued with calm clarity. “Foetal vitals are strong, no anomalies. There’s no sign the suppressant affected the neural or placental barriers — your body’s shielded the pregnancy exactly as it should.”
She glanced up, offering a faint but certain smile. “Your child is safe, Lieutenant. And we’ll let the rest of this clear at your body’s pace. No shocks to the system. Just care, and time.”
Summer nodded feeling a whole lot more relieved now she knew all was well. “Thank you, that lifts a weight off my mind. Now I understand how my patients feel when they come to see me!” She grinned.
Aelira smiled, the edges of her expression easing into something warm. “It’s a strange sort of empathy, isn’t it? Being on the other side of the bed.” She nodded slightly, as if to herself. “I think that’s what makes us better at what we do, though — not the knowledge, but remembering what it feels like to be uncertain.”
She stepped back just enough to give Summer breathing room, though her presence remained steady. “If anything changes, you come back — don’t second-guess it. You wouldn’t let your patients, and I won’t let you.” Her tone wasn’t firm, exactly — more a quiet promise, backed by instinct rather than protocol.
Then, after a small pause, Aelira reached into a drawer and pulled out a slim woven pouch. “Take this with you,” she said gently. “It’s a Toan’ta blend — nothing chemical, just scent and sound. Heat the stones inside and sit with them for a while, let your breath settle with the rhythm. It’s meant to help quiet what's jumbled and remind the rest to rise back in order.” A subtle smile followed. “It’s not standard Starfleet treatment… but sometimes, neither are we.”
“Thank you” Summer nodded as she gently took the pouch. “I like the idea of trying new methods of treatment, this sounds an easy enough method of relaxation.”
Aelira’s smile lingered, soft and approving. “I’m glad it speaks to you,” she said, then tilted her head gently. “Is there anything else I can do for you before you head out? No rush — I’m here if something’s still lingering.”
Summer shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I should allow Magnus to get back to his duties as well.” She gave Magnus a smile. “Thank you both for all your help."
Aelira inclined her head with an easy warmth. “You’re welcome, Lieutenant. And if you need anything — whether it’s medical or not — you know where to find me.”
Lieutenant Aelira Valan'thir
Chief Medical Officer
Lieutenant jg Summer Wyse
Chief Counsellor
Lt Magnus Volsung
Assistant Chief Security Officer
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