AN 1: This chapter is slightly out of hand length wise. Still, I hope it brings some of the initial levity back to the story.
AN 2: This is not entirely shameless filler as it fills that time gap between Kirk being jettisoned and his return to the ship.
Harriet left the bridge and headed straight to her quarters for supplies. Every sickbay, including medical central, remained full to overflowing. In addition to the Elders, a number of other citizens of Vulcan had managed to survive the catastrophe that had eradicated their home world. Most had been working in bases on T'Khul, the Vulcan system's third world, and had been beamed aboard the Enterprise subsequent to Vulcan's destruction. As Spock had stated, many were traumatized in ways that humans could not understand and the Elders could only do so much.
That was where Hari came in. It took some Very Vulcan ™ forcefulness on Spock and Bone's part to pave the way, but in the end, Hari was "surprisingly" adept at helping mentally distressed telepaths, empaths, and other types of psionic energy users. Well, Vulcans weren't properly telepaths or empaths, but the concept was close enough for her mind healer studies and centuries of experience to prove exceedingly useful in assisting those on the psionic spectrum.
It began in the bay where the Vulcan elders had gathered to treat the "least" severely affected with a very typical Harriet approach: tea. She arrived with her personal med kit and several carafes of different concentrations of "calming draught" and "tension relief." She gave the two elders present a perfunctory introduction, then went to set up a "tea service" station off to the side.
The Vulcans, at least those who were aware enough to properly realize what she was up to, were a mix of weary, grateful, and confused. But given Spock and all of her Death directed Vulcan studies, she had some training and experience with that as well.
At the moment, she was pouring a carafe of tea into cups. She was sure the Vulcans would give her what equated to an odd look or so when she bypassed one or another of their number without sharing her bounty but those missed this round would have their tea soon enough.
"What are you pouring Healer Luna?" a voice asked from over her shoulder.
"A tea to help relax tension in the body. Calming the flesh is an important step in calming the mind."
The elder, as only one of the elders would have come to question her, didn't seem particularly convinced. She finished off her pouring regardless of his skepticism.
"Who do you believe would be better served by your tea when our own medicines are more likely to prevail?"
"Tea is a form of medicine all its own. But it is not intended to heal all ailments. As someone aware of how medicines work, you cannot deny a less distressed body receives treatment more readily." She supposed Spock never mentioned she spoke Vulcan, given the brief look on his face when she replied in Spock's particular dialect. "This particular tea is not for everyone however. I will deliver it now and come back for you to identify those patients that require something to aid with shock."
Well, she would have come back, if the elder had not decided to follow her as she completed her round of the bay the elders were using.
As expected, there were those who were unsure of why their neighbors received a tea cup when they did not. They said nothing however, merely glancing at the elder over her shoulder without a word to her person.
Irrelevant. She continued her round.
"You have a good eye Healer Luna," the elder commented in Vulcan.
"I have a good memory Elder. Between your descriptions to our doctors, my studies, and my experience, I've learned what to look for."
"There are matters surrounding Vulcan physiology and psychology that only a Vulcan can truly understand Healer."
Hari only hmmed, completed her round, and returned to the makeshift station she had created. This time she picked up several smaller carafes and began pouring sparingly into the sterilized medbay cuppettes she had found.
She really needed to come up with a better name for the little things.
On her next round, she passed a cup of her choosing to those she had missed, sometimes one of each blend she had poured. Again, the elder followed her and again, he commented.
"Do you believe you will affect much change with so little, so broadly targeted?" he asked. It was a test. Vulcans were not fond of treating ailments with medications and preferred more natural, targeted remedies. She respected the approach given it was so close her own. Heal the mind, respect the body, soothe the soul: the improved health of the whole will follow. She said as much when she returned for one last time to her station. Her patients, after everything, deserved a sweet.
The elder eyed her now open box of small Vulcan hard spice candies. "I was not aware one of the crew carried such an inventory as yourself, Healer Luna." For something said with very little inflection, it was quite the pointed question. She ignored the inflection, placed the box on the station, and began to clean up. If said sweet just so happened to be dosed with a bit of nutrient potion, so be it.
"Yes, well, no one was quite sure what we were doing or where we were going. It's always better to be overprepared with the sweeter bits of life in such cases," she said casually.
When she was done packing up her kit of carafes and cups, and had placed several trays next to the sweets where the others could be returned, she turned properly to the elder and held out a sweet. "When they are ready, any who are willing are welcome to come visit the room I have commandeered. I believe it will be quite soothing. At the very least, it will be an environment conducive to the healing process."
The elder took the sweet, likely out of politeness, and followed her to the door.
Then followed her out of the door.
"I can only assume you wish to see the space immediately Elder."
"You assume correctly Healer." So then all Vulcan males were just short of verbose – exceedingly short. Well that answered that question.
"Then you are welcomed to follow," she intoned, leading the elder through the halls and up a level to her space. It was rather unfortunate her "treatment" room wasn't particularly close. It wasn't far per se but it certainly wasn't as convenient as she would have liked. Still, it would serve its purpose well now that she was done redecorating. She wondered if the Vulcan would appreciate it… Bones certainly hadn't.
When she arrived at the appropriate door, she touched her hand to the rune she had etched into the side of the door without the interface. She staunchly ignored the small medallion sized mark centered on the door just about eye level.
"I do not recognize the symbol placed upon your door."
"No, most do not," she said without any hint of forthcoming elaboration. The door opened, letting her and the elder in.
… How did one ask for a name when one had not been polite enough to stick around to receive it the first time?
"Yet you take it as your personal mark," the elder stated as he followed her in.
"I did not choose the mark, the mark chose me."
She swept her gaze around the room after stepping off to the side. It was relatively plain: simply painted coffee cream walls, shelves of dark wood of various lengths in groups of three here and there on the walls, and tall paper lanterns rising from the floor. There was a tasteful Vulcan sandrock colored fainting couch upon which to read or daydream, a three-dimensional chess set on a table with additional chairs for spectators, and a lower circular table, complete with a full tea service, surrounded by cushions with stylistic Vulcan designs.
Eventually she would add plants, but they were a bit hard to come by at the moment.
The sound of the door opening caught Harriet's attention.
"Amanda! How can I help you?" she asked, her face lighting up in delight.
"I came to ask for a bit more tea." She paused, looking at one of the furniture pieces in the room. "Hari dear, how did you get that couch onboard? I'm quite sure I remember asking Spock to deliver that to you – on Earth." At Harriet's 'who, me?' expression, she merely shook her head and made to greet the elder across from her. Before she could reach him however, she stopped again.
"Hari, is that your cat? The one you've purposely left in Spock's apartment several times?" At Harriet's honest look of confusion, she pointed to a spot between the cushions on the floor. She couldn't quite see what Amanda was pointing to, so she bent down to get a better look… only to find a very real Smaug the Terrible lounging on a fluffy gold pillow as if he were sitting upon a throne in a castle only he could see. Harriet drooped and shook her head before getting back up.
"Well, animals can be very therapeutic," she stated unconvincingly.
Amanda briefly had a slightly worried look but blinked it away before turning back to the elder. "Sarek, husband, it is good to see you." Cue finger touching. "What do you think of Hari's office?"
Wait, husband? Had she just met the family?
O dear.
Well, at least she now knew the elder's name, right?
On the topic of meeting the family, Harriet still had a bone (ha!) to pick with Bones. It wasn't entirely his fault impossible time travel was apparently a thing in this universe, dimension, whatever. No, it wasn't his fault. However, it was his fault -definitely, largely, partially, kind of, maybe - she was annoyed. Afterall, it was he who smuggled Kirk on board.
And it had been Kirk who had made to threaten her – multiple times in multiple ways.
In the end, however, Kirk was effectively a child. An adult child but one that was in the very real process of possiblelt losing the closest person to a parental figure he had. But that didn't excuse his behavior. In fact, in light of his entirely inappropriate promotion to Second Officer, and subsequent temporary promotion to First while Cristians remained confined and unconscious in a biobed, his lack of comportment was more than sufficient means for disciplinary action. That he sought to disobey a direct order, one that was lawful and within the captain's right to issue, when he was effectively a stow away, was grounds for a court martial all its own. His abysmal attempt at mutiny and subsequent resistance to being detained only improved his chances of losing that court martial.
Further, his behavior had done nothing to increase or even maintain the moral of the crew; united leadership was essential. If he had something so contentious to say or argue, it should have been done privately, not on the bridge for the crew to witness. Now there would be rumors to fight as well as low moral; the last thing the Enterprise and its crew needed to add to their plate.
Harriet shook her head as she quietly made her way back to medical. The Room of Rest, as she mentally thought of the space she'd created, could easily handle Amanda and Sarek and the conversation she was sure they needed to have. Perhaps, after they were done, the elder would grant his blessing to the space and endorse the endeavor to see it used for healing purposes.
In the meantime, she would seek out Bones and, rather counter intuitively, help him deal with the loss of his friend and any guilt he may feel for his perceived role in it. She would do it in spite of her annoyance and general dislike of Kirk.
Really, the only reason she was still annoyed with Bones was due to the fact she considered him - just possibly, maybe, kind of, not really, sorta - family. The only reason she knew that? She hadn't been able to default into a strictly professional, emotion free relationship with him after the fiasco on the bridge. The very fact she couldn't default to either war general mode or general apathy regarding his person and his actions made that readily apparent to her analytical mind; still running roughshod over her emotions.
'Emotions! Really,' she mentally huffed, 'this is hardly the time! Behave!'
No, it was the time for pranks! Pranks were as cathartic as crying and meditating, so why not?
*nodnod*
This happened to be part of the reason why she was carrying Smaug. What better way to prank someone than to show up with an animal that very well shouldn't be anywhere on board? That she could truthfully say she hadn't brought on board? Of course, if anyone asked, she'd tell them the same thing she told Amanda: animals were therapeutic. If the presence of Smaug could help calm any amongst the crew or refugees, then she considered it worth the hassle of having Smaug the Terrible around.
But dropping Smaug into the hands of Bones, and his reaction, weren't really going to be enough to settle her annoyance with him. She'd have to do something else, something more exacting …and she'd have to get Nurse Chapel in on it. Merlin knew that woman needed both an award for putting up with Bones and a good laugh.
And Amanda – Amanda needed some fun too. She knew for a fact that Amanda was still struggling to reconcile the fact she was still alive and millions of others were not. She was also simultaneously coping with the loss of her adopted home as the Vulcans politely implying, by implication if not by spoken word, she did not feel the loss a deeply as they did. While physiologically speaking that was true, it was a logical fallacy to say that truth carried over psychologically.
… Did Bones have a dating profile? If not… well, she could fix that for him…
So, half-baked plan in hand, she detoured from her walk to central medical.
Space on the Enterprise was limited given the number of refugees she had taken in. Still, when a request was put out for those willing to share their living space with survivors, every member of the crew promptly volunteered. In fact, where possible, healthy crew members had moved in with friends and turned their private quarters over to dazed Vulcans. While it was clear to everyone that the Vulcans were handling the tragedy far better than would a comparable group of humans, there were still far too many cases of mind-shock.
As such, Amanda was far too grateful of the private quarters she and her husband enjoyed as they struggled to come to terms with her new reality to care how "basic" or "small" they were. She was even in a form of dazed awe she had the luxury of a small sitting room to enjoy. Of course, there wasn't much for her to enjoy at the moment.
Nonetheless, the small space was a breath of fresh air, much as the small space Harriet had created promised to be. She didn't know where or how the young woman had acquired the decorations or had time to set up the space in so short a period of time but she knew her insight, generosity, and strangely effective teas had already left their mark on her fellow refugees.
She wondered if she could work her magic in her sitting room…
And really, she felt it was magic, for nothing short of magic could have accomplished so much in so short a time.
Including the not so small act of somehow transporting her from Vulcan to the Enterprise without the use of a transporter.
Dear heavens, the very idea that Harriet could teleport was disorienting.
She would have to address the issue with Harriet. Soon. She needed to know. She needed to properly thank her. She needed to –
"Amanda," Harriet's voice suddenly asked, "do you have a moment?"
Well then. This was a surprise. A not entirely unpleasant surprise, punctuated by her wonder at Harriet's ability to simply walk in to her quarters, but a surprise that caught her flatfooted all the same.
"Yes, of course." Wherever had she gotten that carafe from though? In addition to that satchel she always wore, she seemed to be carrying one around with her wherever she went now. Combined with whatever she was wearing under her 'uniform,' it made her look somehow like a cross between one of those old Earth field medics and an especially prepared waitress – who wasn't wearing earrings of any sort today. Strange.
"Wonderful. Tea?" she asked with a sincere smile. It was rather disconcerting given she knew full well Harriet had a mild obsession with coffee.
"Yes, thank you." She would address the matter later. Perhaps she simply hadn't had the time to stop by a replicator or was still a bit too tired from whatever she had done to rescue her? "Why don't you take a seat dear."
"This is going to seem completely random, but I have a few questions." Nothing Hari said was completely random. Strange on occasion, but never random. Amanda politely hid her skepticism and amusement behind the small cup of tea Hari poured for her.
'Lovely,' she thought, 'she really does have an excellent taste for tea for someone with a close to severe coffee addiction.' Okay, maybe she should bring it up sooner rather than later.
"First, what are some good 'get to know you' questions?" Well this certainly wasn't what she had been expecting.
"Depends on the purpose and occasion," she settled on, truly quite curious as to where this conversation was headed.
"Well, I'm looking for a distraction and Bones is unattached. Naturally, a single man of his caliber, in possession of such graces, must be in want of a wife."
Amanda smiled, understanding the reference for what it was. "Now is hardly the time for him to be considering such things," she suggested with a smile. Oh, this had potential.
"That's why he has us!" Harriett nodded and lightly tapped a fist into her open palm for emphasis.
Amanda couldn't help the laughter that escaped. Her – a match making mama! Well, if Harriet wanted to play, so be it. She had no qualms using all of her hard won diplomatic skills to guide this to a most desirable end.
"It's always best to start off with simpler questions; questions that can establish some sort of connection. Any provided answers should do the same." Harriet nodded again, clearly focused on taking the information in. "For example, what is the last book you read and did you enjoy it?"
Then she waited for Harriet to catch on to the fact she wanted an actual answer. After a moment, a confused response came.
"Do you, do you want me to answer?" she asked, furrowing her brow and leaning slightly back on her chair.
"What better way to practice?" she asked. "Then perhaps after you've discovered a few that you like and work well for you, we can get answers out of Bones." Oh, this was truly the breath of fresh air she'd needed! If only Spock were here! …or did he already know the answers to these sorts of questions? Hmmm. They had known each other for some time now … and all those small get-togethers they had…
Amanda smiled a bit too widely into her cup. She quite knew now wasn't the proper time, but, as a mother, that didn't mean she couldn't take advantage of an opportunity presented.
Harriet was not entirely oblivious to what Amanda was up to. Still, she'd let it play out and allow the woman the distraction she needed. In the meantime, she had a Smaug to relocate. It turns out he was a little too popular for his taste amongst the younger Vulcan children on board and had taken to hiding in Bones' office. A pity really – it was doing the children a world of good to have their own cuddly distraction. The problem was just that Smaug wasn't exactly the cuddly type.
He really had a bad case of Angry Cat at the moment.
'Why don't I have a camera!' she lamented. He was just so cute when he got into one of his moods!
Alas, there were other, more important things to for her to consider at the moment. Like her patients – who likely thought she was some sort of Barista from Hell at this point. She didn't really think that particular title/ rumor was deserved. Yes, her remedies could be particularly foul tasting but they were effective. In fact, they were so effective Bones had sent a few of his staff to her newly dubbed Relaxation Corner with express orders to ask for something for stress relief.
Of course, she didn't just give out calming draught willy nilly. No, the runic array she'd finished etching onto the door saw to it that only those truly seeking, and in need of, mental rest could find her door. A notice-me-not spell could certainly have done the trick. Yet magic, while a most wonderful thing, simply wasn't meant to be combined directly with technology. It was too primal, too naturally chaotic to fit the constraints that transmitters and transformers and ducting imposed. It needed a buffer of some sort and runes provided that buffer. In the simplest terms, she had discovered over time that runic arrays could be employed to direct and contain the flow of magic simply by giving it a purpose and subjecting it to her will. It was the sort of mastery one did not truly appreciate until your very ability to breathe was dependent upon the very technology your magic essentially thought was unnatural.
She had no desire for the life support systems to fail thankyouverymuch!
"Bones~" she sing-songed. "I'm here for Smaug. Where'd he get to?"
"What the hell kinda name is Smaug?"
"A very apt one," she deadpanned. "All he needs to make him a true calamity are a few fire glands and a distaste for dwarves."
Bones stared at her. "Right," he said after a moment. "He's somewhere under one of the consoles."
Harriet pouted. "I thought you'd already found and contained him."
"I did. The little piece of hell decided to un-contain himself. I want him out of my office."
"Why? He looks quite comfortable."
"If you've already found him, take him. Last thing I want is cat hair all over the place."
"Meh, it's not that bad. He surprisingly sheds very little. I have a more important issue to discuss with you." Bones tensed, likely suspecting she was eventually going to have a very serious, very opinionated, and rather passionate conversation with him about Kirk. And she was, but she'd get around to that at a more appropriate time. For now: "what's your favorite color?"
For his part, Spock took a moment to review the last hour and twenty-three point three minutes since they'd dropped from warp into the Vulcan system. Head slightly bowed in thought, he considered both Harriet's and his former acting First Officer's input as he once more took a seat in the captain's chair. Twenty-three point four seconds later, and thirty-five minutes and 43 seconds after the incident on the bridge, he made a decision and locked eyes with Helmsmen Sulu.
"Mister Sulu, plot a course for the Sol system, warp factor three."
Prompt: Meet the Family (fill for Pygmy Hippo); Smuggling Smaug (partial fill for Pygmy Hippo); Hari is "surprisingly" adept at helping mentally distressed telepaths (partial fill for Jane Doe Re Me); The Dating Game (get a move on!); A prankster barista from hades! (inspired by jostanos, partial fill)
