Chapter III
Joanna woke up to the sound of the door chime. She got up and smoothed her pajamas as she said, "Come." The door opened and Commander Riker walked in. He saw that he had woken her, and he grinned good-naturedly. "Sorry to wake you, but the Captain wants to meet with you in his Waiting Room, to brief you on our new mission." Joanna grimaced inwardly, but, using her Vulcan training, showed no emotion. "All right, Commander, tell Captain Picard that I will be right there." Riker nodded and walked out, trying hard not to laugh. Joanna put on her uniform, mumbling about Starfleet not being able to let their new officers sleep in the first day of duty (because while she was by herself she would permit herself to show emotion), and when she had her uniform on she went to the Waiting Room.
When she got there, Captain Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher were waiting for her. "Good morning, Captain, and Doctor," she said stiffly. Dr. Crusher smiled warmly and replied, "Good morning." Captain Picard gestured to a seat and said, "Please, sit." Joanna sat, and Dr. Crusher turned to Picard and told him that she would be in sickbay if he needed her. He nodded, and she left. "Now, Joanna, we are assigned a mission that could be dangerous. We have been assigned to the Klingon Neutral Zone to patrol for Borg activities with the Klingons." Joanna's eyes had widened, and she had slid a little lower in her seat, but Picard hadn't noticed, so he continued, "You are going to be our second helmsman, and doing other various tasks around the ship . . ." He then noticed Joanna's reaction and called for sickbay. Dr. Crusher arrived and scanned Joanna, but she didn't find anything. Dr. Crusher asked her, "Joanna, what is it?" Joanna's breathing was a little ragged, and she was having a huge emotional reaction, in terms of being raised on Vulcan. Then, she seemed to notice where she was and who was around her, and she whispered, "To monitor Borg activities?" The Captain nodded, and asked, "Is that a problem?" Joanna slowly recovered her shock, and said confidently, "No. I was just a little . . . surprised, that the Borg were still a threat." Then she asked to be excused, and left before Dr. Crusher or Captain Picard could ask anything else.
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"Beverly," Picard asked once Joanna left, "What was that about?" Dr. Crusher shrugged, and answered, "I don't know, but her pulse shot up to about 200 when you said that you were monitoring Borg." Captain Picard decided to send a subspace transmission to Commander Shelby, and ask her what was going on. As he was composing it, Commander Data walked in, and said, "Captain, I couldn't help but notice that Ensign Joanna left the bridge in a hurry. I have done a little bit of research on her, and I thought you might like to know what I found out." Picard raised his eyebrow in the tradition of the Vulcans, and Data sat down to tell Picard what he had foundout.
When Captain Picard and Commander Data left the Waiting Room, Picard gave Riker the conn and went down to Ten-Forward for a drink. He now understood Joanna's reaction, but he didn't understand why it would still affect her in such a way. It had been a long time ago, and the doctors had done everything in there power to make her forget. But, he thought, Maybe the doctors missed something. He decided to have a talk with Joanna as soon as they got a bit closer to the Klingon Neutral Zone. Until then, he decided just to put it out of his mind.
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Joanna sighed as she sat down in her room. She knew that the Captain was going to want to talk to her, as soon as he found out why she had reacted to his news the way she did. She hoped to avoid that confrontation for as long as she could, but she knew that with the crew that he had, he would find out her secret quickly. Perhaps he had already found out. She ran her fingers over her left temple, and could almost feel the implant that the doctors hadn't been able to get rid of. She could hear the faint whisperings in her head. Resistance is futile. She shuddered, and decided to meditate, to try and get these voices out of her head.
Joanna woke up to the sound of the door chime. She got up and smoothed her pajamas as she said, "Come." The door opened and Commander Riker walked in. He saw that he had woken her, and he grinned good-naturedly. "Sorry to wake you, but the Captain wants to meet with you in his Waiting Room, to brief you on our new mission." Joanna grimaced inwardly, but, using her Vulcan training, showed no emotion. "All right, Commander, tell Captain Picard that I will be right there." Riker nodded and walked out, trying hard not to laugh. Joanna put on her uniform, mumbling about Starfleet not being able to let their new officers sleep in the first day of duty (because while she was by herself she would permit herself to show emotion), and when she had her uniform on she went to the Waiting Room.
When she got there, Captain Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher were waiting for her. "Good morning, Captain, and Doctor," she said stiffly. Dr. Crusher smiled warmly and replied, "Good morning." Captain Picard gestured to a seat and said, "Please, sit." Joanna sat, and Dr. Crusher turned to Picard and told him that she would be in sickbay if he needed her. He nodded, and she left. "Now, Joanna, we are assigned a mission that could be dangerous. We have been assigned to the Klingon Neutral Zone to patrol for Borg activities with the Klingons." Joanna's eyes had widened, and she had slid a little lower in her seat, but Picard hadn't noticed, so he continued, "You are going to be our second helmsman, and doing other various tasks around the ship . . ." He then noticed Joanna's reaction and called for sickbay. Dr. Crusher arrived and scanned Joanna, but she didn't find anything. Dr. Crusher asked her, "Joanna, what is it?" Joanna's breathing was a little ragged, and she was having a huge emotional reaction, in terms of being raised on Vulcan. Then, she seemed to notice where she was and who was around her, and she whispered, "To monitor Borg activities?" The Captain nodded, and asked, "Is that a problem?" Joanna slowly recovered her shock, and said confidently, "No. I was just a little . . . surprised, that the Borg were still a threat." Then she asked to be excused, and left before Dr. Crusher or Captain Picard could ask anything else.
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"Beverly," Picard asked once Joanna left, "What was that about?" Dr. Crusher shrugged, and answered, "I don't know, but her pulse shot up to about 200 when you said that you were monitoring Borg." Captain Picard decided to send a subspace transmission to Commander Shelby, and ask her what was going on. As he was composing it, Commander Data walked in, and said, "Captain, I couldn't help but notice that Ensign Joanna left the bridge in a hurry. I have done a little bit of research on her, and I thought you might like to know what I found out." Picard raised his eyebrow in the tradition of the Vulcans, and Data sat down to tell Picard what he had foundout.
When Captain Picard and Commander Data left the Waiting Room, Picard gave Riker the conn and went down to Ten-Forward for a drink. He now understood Joanna's reaction, but he didn't understand why it would still affect her in such a way. It had been a long time ago, and the doctors had done everything in there power to make her forget. But, he thought, Maybe the doctors missed something. He decided to have a talk with Joanna as soon as they got a bit closer to the Klingon Neutral Zone. Until then, he decided just to put it out of his mind.
********************
Joanna sighed as she sat down in her room. She knew that the Captain was going to want to talk to her, as soon as he found out why she had reacted to his news the way she did. She hoped to avoid that confrontation for as long as she could, but she knew that with the crew that he had, he would find out her secret quickly. Perhaps he had already found out. She ran her fingers over her left temple, and could almost feel the implant that the doctors hadn't been able to get rid of. She could hear the faint whisperings in her head. Resistance is futile. She shuddered, and decided to meditate, to try and get these voices out of her head.