Title: Symphony
Category: TV Shows » StarTrek: The Next Generation
Author: Kitty'sGotANewName
Language: English, Rating: Rated: M
Genre: Romance/General
Published: 09-30-09, Updated: 10-02-09
Chapters: 2, Words: 5,745
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
I do not own the characters or settings in this story.
a/n: This is my first attempt at a ST:TNG fic, so please forgive any inconsistencies, though instructive reviews are welcomed.
Chapter 1
Melody sat in her seat aboard the shuttle, chewing her nails nervously. Her shipsuit-clad body plastered against the bulkhead, she waited for the transport to dock with her first assignment: the S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D. She was strung tight as a bowstring. Packed into a 10-seater shuttle with 15 other ensigns, (most of them male) was not her idea of a good time. In fact, being this close to this many men was a horribly slow torture. After having been raped in her first year at Starfleet Academy, men terrified Melody Beck like nothing else.
Watching the faces of the ensigns around her as they laughed and joked with each other, Melody could almost feel the men's lust closing in around her. The buzzing in her ears got louder as the minutes passed, drowning out all other sound. At this rate, I won't be able to stand, let alone present myself by the time we get there! Melody thought, smiling nervously around her well-chewed fingers, Get a grip, Mel! There're plenty of people here. You're not going to get ravaged with everyone looking on!
Relief stole over her as the shuttle decelerated, landing smoothly on the deck of what she had been told would be Shuttlebay 3. Letting the others file out ahead of her, Melody closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She stood, grabbed her flight bag, and took her place at the back of the line. Beating the wrinkles out of her uniform, she surveyed her appearance in the courtesy mirror just inside the shuttle door. Long wavy blonde hair, pale skin, and black eyes set in a heart-shaped face, combined with a trim, petite frame had earned her many compliments since hitting puberty. The last few years, though, her features had been the bane of her existence. They attracted far too much male attention.
As the line of ensigns trooped out onto the deck, Melody found herself filled with awe, almost overshadowing the ever-present fear she lived with. This was the legendary Starship Enterprise. The flagship of the fleet. Diplomatic vessel. Scientific explorer. Battleship. Most Starfleet graduates never even got to see her in person, let alone serve on her decks. Less than 1% of each year's students worked here as ensigns. 1% of those made a rank on board. It was almost unheard of to make a career from ensign up among her crew.
Looking at the faces of the 15 Starfleet graduates standing beside the shuttle, Melody knew she was looking at the best of the best. Out of the 1600 students from her year, these were the lucky ones selected for this honor. Technically, at 23, she should have been considered too young for this. No ensign had graduated younger than her; and no one younger than she had ever served on a federation-class vessel.
"Attention arriving ensigns! Please line up left to right along the yellow line, in alphabetical order! Adams, Veronica! Alvarez, Carlos! Beck, Melody! Dean, Viktor! Harper, Andrew, Muniez…" a commanding voice out of nowhere began reciting the names of the ensigns in attendance. Getting into place, Melody cringed inwardly. Great, she was bracketed by men. How the hell was she supposed to keep her cool well enough to meet her commanding officers with the fear rising inside her? She set her jaw, concentrating on keeping her breathing even and her face neutral. Arms by her side, chest out, head up, eyes forward.
"Officer on deck!" the voice called. A group of figures emerged from a set of lift doors facing the line of new crewmembers. A dark-haired and bearded man was in the lead, flanked by two women. One was cheerful looking, with straight reddish hair, and the other was kind faced and dark complexioned. She scanned the faces of those before her and a worried look briefly crossed her face.
Stopping before the gathered ensigns, the bearded man addressed them. "Good morning, everyone, I am First Officer William Riker. I will be in charge of your placement and training while you remain ensigns on this ship." The man's deep, resounding voice, so much like Professor Allen's, startled Melody away from her study of the group. She took a deep shuddering breath and tried to reassure herself that he was not the teacher who had so abused her.
Gesturing to his left, Commander Riker indicated each of the two women in turn."This is Counselor Deanna Troi, who will monitor your emotional well-being, and this is Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher, in charge of your physical well-being. You will all be reporting to her for a full check up shortly. In the mean time, I would like all of you to report to your new quarters, get settled in and meet your roommates. Each of you has been paired with another ensign that has been with us longer. The computer will direct you as a group to the crew quarters and each of you separately from there to your rooms. Please remain in those rooms until you have received your schedules. We hope your time on the Enterprise will be informative and well-spent." With that, Riker and the two women turned and left.
Shortly thereafter, a section of the wall before the new ensigns lit up and a computerized voice spoke. "Follow the lighted panels on the wall, please." The group picked up their bags and followed, talking animatedly as they walked. All except for Melody, walking alone at the back of the group.
"Commander?" Deanna began as Beverly excused herself to attend to a medical emercency at Sick Bay. Riker turned to his friend and sometime lover, knowing that she only used his title when official business needed to be addressed.
"Yes, Counselor Troi?"
"There is something amiss with one of the new ensigns, I believe. An almost overwhelming sense of terror and shame emanating from one of them."
"Hmm…okay. Did you get a sense of which one?" Riker queried.
Deanna thought for a moment. "Not really… although I think there was a feminine tone to the mind. I'd like to have a consult with all of them individually to try to sort out the source of the emotion. Fear that strong can cripple someone both personally and professionally."
"We can schedule each of them for a short interview with the two of us for later today if that's alright wit you… I'm free starting at 1400 hours. Does that work with your schedule?"
Deanna accessed her data pad for her appointments. "Yes, that should be fine. Sixteen of them… so at 15 minute intervals, that makes four hours… ending at 1800." Deanna smiled at Riker, tipping her head to one side and placing one hand on her hip. "That will leave us time for dinner at my place later… Work for you?"
Will's lips twitched "I think I can work that in, Counselor…"
Reaching her quarters, Melody saw that the left-side berth was already taken, with a violin on a stand and several history books scattered about. Respectable pursuits for an ambitious young ensign, though she'd see what the girl was like before drawing any real conclusions. After setting her carry-sack down on the bed, she turned to her trunk, which had been delivered prior to her arrival. She broke the seal, lifted the lid and set about putting away her meager possessions. All she had were her shipsuits, a few changes of civilian clothes, a few books, and some keepsakes from her parents.
She caressed them as she placed her treasures on the headboard. A holo-pic of her parents, young, vibrant, and in love. A small robot she'd built herself at age 4. A small, esoteric bit of unknown alien tech from her parents' last trip. The little cube had no buttons or controls, but it occasionally blinked with amber lights. Her parents had figured it for a magnetic field locator. They had given it to her only days before the strange virus had killed them.
As she was finishing up, a message chime sounded from the comm. unit. "Computer, please identify." She commanded.
"Incoming message from Commander Riker for Ensign Beck. Priority."
Probably my schedule, she thought to herself as she instructed the computer to play the message.
Commander Riker's strong, authoritative voice filled the room, sending a thrill of fear through her, though she had braced for it.
"Your itinerary for the next few days has been posted to the computer in your quarters. Please access this file immediately, as some of you may have duties beginning shortly. We request that, until you have been given the tour tomorrow, any off-duty time be spent within the purview of the crew quarters. Again, welcome to the Enterprise."
Melody sat down at her desk and accessed the schedule on her computer.
1100-1200 Quarters
1200-1300 Luncheon at Ten Forward
1300-1645 Quarters/Supper
1645-1700 Meeting with Counselor Troi
1700-0700 Quarters/Breakfast
0700-0900 Debriefing
0900-1000 Sickbay
1100-1200 Luncheon
1200-1400 Bridge, Comm, Teleporter Room
1400-1500 Science
1500-1600 Engineering
1600-1700 Sickbay
1700-1800 Security
1800-1900 Supper
1900-2000 Debriefing/Assignments
2000-0700 Quarters/Breakfast
Melody sighed. She could see that it was going to be a long, slow day.
After lunch, which she decided to take in her quarters, as they had a small food replicator in them, Melody decided to pass the time until her appointment with Counselor Troi by studying the ship's schematics. Knowing how to get from Point A to Point B without the computer's help would be useful if she wanted to be known for punctuality.
When the chime sounded to let her know it was time to go to Counselor Troi's office, Melody had memorized the ship's deck layout and the names and ranks of all its top personnel and was halfway through reading the Enterprise's general specs list. Marking her place, she got up and set out for the main office level. Confident in her memorization skills, Melody declined to use the in-ship navigator.
As she walked, Mel watched the people she passed. Most of them seemed oblivious to her presence, intent on their conversations, data padds, or lost in their own thoughts. The one crew member who didn't ignore her was an odd-looking man. He was pale, with a strange, metallic gleam to his skin and pale gold eyes that seemed to stare into her soul as she passed. And, even stranger… she wasn't afraid of him. She didn't think he was even human.
Melody paused and turned to watch his back as he moved beyond her along the curving corridor and out of sight. Disturbed, she resumed her walk.
Upon reaching her destination, Melody realized she was a few minutes early. She hit the key pad beside the door to let Counselor Troi know she was there.
"Just a minute, we're almost done here." Counselor Troi's voice came over the comm. unit. Melody stood beside the door to wait.
Shortly, the door panel slid aside and short, stocky, Viktor Dean stepped out. He gestured for her to enter, which she did, edging around the door frame, trying to stay as far away from him as possible. Coming into the room, Melody froze. Sitting on one of the deep blue chairs next to the expected figure of Deanna Troi, was the thoroughly unexpected Commander Riker.
Melody took a deep breath to regain her composure and proceeded into the room. She sat down stiffly on the edge of the third seat in the triangle, keeping her face carefully neutral.
Deanna Troi knew she had found the source of the fear as soon as the petite blonde edged around the door frame, cringing away from her fellow ensign. She was doubly sure when the girl froze upon spotting Will Riker. Now it was up to her to find the source of the fear and help Ensign Beck overcome it.
Exchanging a communicative glance with her fellow officer, Deanna excused herself to the back room to reschedule her appointments with the other two ensigns left on the list. This would take longer than the fifteen minutes allotted for each consult.
Re-entering the counseling room, Deanna took a closer look at Melody Beck. She was perched stiffly on the edge of her chair, playing with the ends of her long, wavy golden hair in a nervous gesture that she obviously didn't realize she was doing. Her black eyes, half-hidden beneath long, black lashes, were trained on Will with a wary, almost panicked look. She was also set, Deanna noticed, as far on her chair from Will as possible. So then, did she suffer from a fear of men, or of people, in general?
As Deanna approached, she noted that Melody relaxed perceptibly and shifted in her seat to face her. The problem, then, was men.
"Ensign Beck, there is something you should know before we begin. I am an empath. When we met your group, I sensed a great deal of fear in one of you. I believe you are the source of that emotion. I would like to help you if I can." Deanna smiled reassuringly as she sat down in the vacant seat. "I noticed as you entered, you kept away from Ensign Dean. Are men a factor in your fear?"
Melody seemed to fold in on herself. Sinking back into her seat, a brittle look crept over her face. Eyes that had been stony cold moments before became dark, endless pits of agony. Deanna knew trouble was coming only in enough time to shield her own mind before torrents of despair and terror washed over the room, leaving tears coursing down the empath's face. She looked over at Will, and seeing him sitting rigidly in his seat, a pained expression on his face, gripping the arms of the chair with white-knuckled hands, she reached over and placed one of her own hands over his. Will's face cleared instantly and he even managed to send her a weak smile.
Deanna turned back to the young woman cringing into her chair. An empath. She had to have had no training or knowledge of her talent for Deanna not to have sensed such a strong ability before. This could either ease things along or complicate the hell out of them…
On the bright side, with Melody now projecting her emotions so vividly, Deanna knew without a doubt that her fear of men stemmed from a personal event, probably a rape, as opposed to a history of suggestion from others or lack of exposure to them.
"Melody? Melody, you're safe here. I won't let anything happen. You're safe…" Deanna continued a soothing monologue as she moved closer to the girl and took her in her arms. Contact would ease the projection of calming thoughts.
"Will, would you mind leaving us for a bit? I'll call you later." Deanna needed to calm Melody down now, and Will's presence wouldn't help.
As he exited, Will sent Deanna a wink and a lopsided grin over Melody's head. Dinner probably wouldn't be happening tonight. He hadn't realized just how big the problem was until he's seen the naked fear on the girl's face and felt her emotions come crashing through his brain. She was terrified of him. He didn't like that. He considered himself to be a likeable guy and her fear disturbed him.
And, too, where, the blazes, was he going to put her? That level of fear coupled with obvious empathic talent could cause trouble… He resolved to give the problem more thought. Once he was safely away from this melange of emotional distress.
Melody relaxed in Deanna's arms once Riker left. After a moment, though, she pulled away and wrapped her own arms around herself. Deanna moved back to her own seat and considered her newest challenge.
"Can you tell me what happened to you, Melody?" Deanna queried, although she didn't expect an answer to that question this early.
An angry look stole over Melody's face, leaving her eyes dark holes of malice. "If you really want to know, look at my first year disciplinary records." She grated out through tightly clenched jaws. "That should tell you everything."
Deanna moved to her desk, watching Melody warily. Sudden mood changes could be dangerous in a traumatized individual. She didn't want to have to call Security on the girl. That would get them nowhere. Worf would probably send her over the edge.
She pulled up Melody's file on the screen and found the section labeled 'Disciplinary Action'. The only item there was a citation for slander. The article detailed how Melody had accused the xenolingustics professor at the Academy of raping her in her first year. The rape kit had been deemed 'inconclusive' and the teacher had provided an alibi. Melody was docked 16 credits and forced to write a formal letter of apology. She had also been made to stay in the teacher's class for the remainder of the year, resulting in atrocious grades.
Stars! Deanna thought, if they had only had an empath on staff, no one would have ever doubted that this traumatized young woman had been raped. Now it was Deanna's job to help Melody to overcome her fear so she could live again.
Sitting back in her chair, Deanna looked over at Melody, who was staring back at her with dead eyes."Well, I think you were subjected to a horrific experience, and then grossly mistreated by the very people you should have been able to trust on top of it."
Melody's eyes got big, and then she abruptly covered her face with her hands. Dry sobs shook her thin frame as she asked, "Why do you believe me when they didn't? You don't even know me!"
"I am an empath, Melody; I can feel what you're feeling. No one could fake this much fear well enough for me to be mistaken. You were raped, and the bastard did get away with it. And now you are not alone. I know it, too. You're safe here."
Deanna and Melody talked for a while more, and then Melody asked to be excused as she was going to have an early morning.
"I'll talk to Commander Riker tonight about placement for you. Where do your specialties and interests lie?" Deanna asked her.
Melody ducked her head as she answered. "Science is my best subject. Before they died, I lived with my parents on board a Science and Exploration vessel. I've always wanted to follow in their footsteps," she explained. "That's why I joined Starfleet in the first place."
Deanna thought for a moment, and then a smile bloomed across her face. "Yes! I think that's a great idea. If you are stationed in Science, you'll be working with Commander Data. He's an android, so you'll have nothing to fear from him. I'll make the recommendation to Commander Riker."
Melody thanked Counselor Troi with a dubious look on her face and took her leave. An android? She thought. Could that be who I met in the corridor earlier?