Meet Lt. Zariel Sindile, temporarily assigned to Voyager for its rescue mission in the Badlands. Now she's stuck in the Delta Quadrant, her children are at home without her, she has no one to depend on, and her darkest secret is about to be laid ba...
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Stardate 51656.6
Zariel walked up to the door of Tuvok's quarters and pressed the chime precisely at 1930 hours. She shook her long hair back as Tuvok opened the door, but rather than beckoning her inside this time, he stepped out into the corridor and said, "Follow me, please." Shrugging, she did so.
It didn't take her long to figure out where he was going, and she smiled to herself as she did. He led her into the turbolift and then out again on Deck 3, and directly toward Zariel's infamous little cubbyhole. He stopped in the hallway, as though he was about to point out the little place, but she shot him a smug look, enjoying the rare chance to outdo her teacher, and stepped past him into the invisible space. He followed her inside, a quizzical look on his face.
"You were aware of this place?" he asked.
She turned and looked at him steadily. "Yes I was, too much so. I used to come here and just sit for hours, watching the stars streak by. It was what passed for managing my empathic sense back then."
Tuvok indicated that they should sit on the floor, and continued, "This is perhaps not an ideal location for that purpose, Zariel. There are cabins all around you and the mess hall immediately above you. Here you are nothing if not surrounded."
She smiled a bit, wryly. "No kidding. Well, this ship isn't big enough for me to actually get away from everybody. Anyway, back then it was more about..."
She trailed off, and he prompted, "About...?"
"I would lean against this bulkhead right here," she slapped it with her hand, "as hard as I could. Like I was pushing the ship home faster. Yeah, I know, not the best coping mechanism." She made a rueful face, a little sad at how ridiculous it seemed now.
Tuvok was gazing at her intently, fingers steepled in contemplation, and he said, "Zariel, please make a mental note of coping mechanisms. We will return to that in a moment."
Zariel nodded a little warily, and he continued, "You have learned how to reliably block stimuli from the outside and how to receive only the emanations you wish. This next technique will teach you how to maintain your mental shield despite distractions from the inside."
"The inside?"
"Yes. One's mental barrier is more difficult to maintain in times of heightened stress or distraction. I'm sure you have noticed."
"To a degree, but I'm so glad to be able to do it that I don't really care."
Tuvok tilted his head in acknowledgement of this, but went on, "However, our next step involves securing one's mental barrier against one's own mental turmoil. However, prior to beginning this instruction, which will be rather intense, I must teach you a... coping mechanism, if you will."
