Resistance is Futile

Posted on Tue May 14th, 2013 @ 8:26pm by Lieutenant Anandra Delair
Edited on on Tue May 14th, 2013 @ 8:27pm

2,276 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Mission 82 - The Aggressor
Location: Counselor Delair's Office
Timeline: Concurrent with mission...

Warrant Officer Talan stood outside of Counselor Delair's office. He studied the imperfections in the door a little longer than he had intended. The concept of letting things pass through his view without constant scrutiny was still difficult for him to grasp. He was early for his appointment and waited for his internal chronometer to strike 1400 hours exactly before ringing the chime to signal his arrival.

Anan sat in her office, entering notes from her previous appointment with a patient suffering from complicated mental disorders. Anan loved the challenge as much as she relished the opportunity to bury herself in her notes and organize her thoughts afterward. She'd been so wrapped up in her duties this time that she hadn't realized it was time for her next appointment until someone chimed at the door. "Damn.." she sighed, closing her notes and opening the appointment schedule as she beckoned. "Enter!" She had not had time to read the personnel file of her next patient, Warrant Officer Talan. "You'll have to forgive me, I'm a little--" she began as the doors opened, her heart jumping up into her throat as her gaze landed on the man who entered. Despite her enormous reservations..not to mention emotional baggage surrounding the Borg, Anan managed to recover quickly, reminding herself of her sole purpose here - to help those in need. "I'm a little behind schedule today." She stood from her seat behind the desk, awkwardness infringing upon her usual professional, personable demeanor. "Please." she said, gesturing to the seating area in the adjacent part of the room. "Have a seat." She did not move from behind the desk until Talan was a distance ahead of her, then she moved to the opposite side of the room. "Regretfully, I have not had the opportunity to read over your file." she said, grabbing a PADD off of the small table in front of her. "But, why don't we begin with a little background in your own words." She managed a smile as she turned to return to her desk. "Tell me why you're here."

Talan fixed his gaze on Delair, completely unaware of how uncomfortable it would likely make her feel. He accepted the offered chair and sat stiffly. His corneal implant spun and adjusted as he studied Delair. Her heartrate had increased and her glands were beginning to prespire. He was cold and unemotional. "You can relax, Lieutenant. I mean you no harm. I was ordered to report to you for social and cultural integration."

Uncomfortable barely began to describe what she was feeling as he gazed coldly at her. His words only furthered her unease as it served as a reminder that he was more aware of her response to him than she would prefer. It was a fact that irked her as much as it was unsettling. In addition to her trepidation, Anan suddenly felt guilty for her response to him, as if she'd betrayed her role as a counselor. "I'm sorry," she admitted in something of a sheepish tone, looking down at the PADD in her hands. She was certain he was used to such responses, and likely unfazed by them due to his inherent lack of emotion..but it still did not make it right, nor fair, for her to prejudge him as a threat regardless of her history with the Borg. She took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts and attempting to still her nerves. "I would be happy to help, of course. I know it may be soon, but how do you feel about integration? Do you yet have any personal desire to explore these avenues?"

Talan's gaze remained unremoved from Delair as she sat behind the safety of her desk. "My desires are irrelevant, Lieutenant." Talan finally broke eye contact with Delair and began to slowly look around her office. "All freed Borg must go through integration training. Part of the process is to spend time with members of their own species or culture." He locked eyes with Delair once again. "I have no doubt you are a competent Counselor, but it is not your psychiatric abilities which brings me to you. You are an El-Aurian. No other El-Aurians, as spread thin as the species now is, are willing to take me on to complete my training. As a Starfleet Officer, you can be ordered to assist me."

Anandra's expression flattened. Despite her every effort not to turn this into a personal struggle, she could not ignore the jarring truth behind what he'd just said. She herself knew only a handful of El-Aurians, and she knew them well enough to ascertain that none of them would take him on either - some of them ironically would likely resist even if ordered to do so. "That won't be necessary." she asserted. "I will assist you willfully, but let's get one thing straight first - while we're in this office, what I say is relevant, IS relevant. You may not be here for my psychiatric abilities, but those are the skills I must rely on in order to assist you - therefore I will be the one to determine the relevance of my inquiries here." She set the PADD down on the desk with a thud, folding her hands in her lap. She looked at him, but her eye contact was only fleeting. She was agitated, nervous - though she could not fathom an explanation for the latter. Talan was clearly devoid of emotion at least as far as she could tell, so she did not fear any adverse reaction from him in terms of her demonstrating her authority. Yet still she felt a heavy tightness in her chest - anxiety. Mixed with the realization that he could essentially 'sense' her reactions to him, Anandra was faced with the desire to get away, to at least look away - but she resolved to meet his gaze. "I may be the only El-Aurian who will assist you, Talan, but I can only fulfill that duty as a counselor and I expect you to cooperate as I would expect any of my clients to do."

"Counselor," Talan said flatly, "I've been reminded several times by many superiors that in this matter, resistance is futile." He intended no pun, nor did he take into consideration how those words might impact Delair. "I will submit to your curriculum at regular intervals as directed by you in accordance with my mandate."

The choice of words was far from lost on Anandra, though she did not suspect he chose them specifically. She closed her eyes as she let out a sigh, as if her frustration would drift out of her with that breath. "Wonderful." she said, scooping up the PADD and punching something into the screen. Talan's personnel file popped up on the screen and she skimmed over it, her gaze drifting back up to him. "How did you choose your name?" she asked, curious if it was his real birth name or just a moniker adopted after being disconnected.

Talan's eyes moved back and forth as if he were searching some internal catalog for information. "As part of my acclimation to life outside of the Collective, I was provided a database of El-Aurian names. The Borg records did not indicate my birth name, only that I was a year old at the time of my assimilation." Talan's attention turned to his hand and it's metallic features. "My Borg designation was Three-of-Ten, Secondary Tactical Drone of Unimatrix 1274. It was the only name I ever knew. Selecting an El-Aurian name to ease the anxieties of others was purely arbitrary. 'Talan' had some modicum of appeal."

The way his eyes moved struck her as nothing short of creepy and Anandra averted her gaze back to the PADD in her hands to avoid his. The details he offered were useful to know, particularly the age of his assimilation. Anan closed her eyes at the mention of this fact, recalling a child she'd witnessed amid the horrors of that fateful day. The child was very young, five years old at best. He'd lost his sister in the chaos as they were evacuating the children from the infirmary - Anan tried to get him to come with her but the child ran off, and with only minutes to secure her only chance of escape, she could not chase after him. The fate of that child still haunted her - had he ever found his sister, Anandra doubted even then that the two of them would have survived. The memory brought a swell of anxiety, but she managed to keep her composure. "And have you done any reading on the El-Aurian history..or anything that might be relevant to your reintegration, as of yet?"

"I have assimilated a great deal of literature and references to art and culture of the El-Aurians. The information provided has not illicited the intended emotional response." Talan again perused the decor of Lieutenant Delair's office. He spotted a crude sculpture of a man in the far corner of the ante room and drew her attention to it. "There for example. That is a fabrication of Elos Tane's 'Man in Contemplation'. I know the message it is designed to convey, but I see it as nothing more than replicated clay." He looked back at Delair with his cold eyes. "You see, Lieutenant? We may share a common genetic origin, but for all intents and purposes I am as much Borg as you are El-Aurian."

Anan opened her mouth to protest his thoughts on an 'intended emotional response', but instead she drew her attention to the statue, allowing him to finish his point. Her expression was flat as she returned his cold gaze, and she found herself struck with the realization that she may have finally found a reason to hate her job, and suddenly her assignment to this station - a fact which had once thrilled her - had now lost it's luster. Mentally she reminded herself not to be melodramatic, but at the moment she really could just cry. And if it weren't for present company, she might have..but instead she chose to defy his lack of empathy by emotionally standing her ground. The meltdown would come later, no doubt, when she was left alone to her thoughts. "Your mind is Borg and your body is El-Aurian." Mostly, anyway; she thought, her gaze sweeping over his features - attractive in his own right, but sullied by metal implants. "YOU are El-Aurian, you are an individual - the Borg took that from you. You may choose to accept those circumstances in any manner you see fit, but it remains a fact. I suggest you file it away with the rest of the 'irrelevant' information you've assimilated; perhaps one day you will view it under a different light." She brought a hand to her forehead, massaging away the onset of a tension headache as she took a moment to consider where the hell to go with this now. "I want you to read the databases relating to the El-Aurian species - all of them - before our next appointment. I also want you to start paying attention to the interactions of those around you - consider it a study on social behaviors. I'll want you to come back to me with any observations you deduce from that."

Talan rose from his chair as his initial meeting with Delair was obviously coming to a close and stood at attention. "Aye, Lieutenant. I will complete my assignment as instructed." He gave a rehearsed nod of his head in an attempt to indicate a show of respect.

He made his way to the exit and checked his internal chronometer. The time indicated his next shift had begun. As the door to the office slid open, Talan stopped and turned to Delair. "Lieutenant, I noticed upon my entry into your office that you have a candle burning. I made no mention of it, but as I am now officially on duty I feel I am required to remind you that open flame aboard this station is strictly regulated and requires special permission. I also do not recall any dispensations in your name." Talan paused for a moment. It was clear by the gestures his face made that there was some internal conflict taking place. "Ensign Brody strongly suggested I not 'sweat the small stuff' and explore the concept of spirit of the law. Therefore, I will not document your infraction and afford you the opportunity to procure the proper authorizations." He turned around and exited her office. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant."

She stood from her seat as he spoke, and dipped her head in a lazy nod. "Thank you." she responded. She watched as he turned to leave before dropping back into her chair with a heavy sigh. Her attention shifted from the screen on her PADD to Talan as he stopped and addressed her once more, her jaw going slack with disbelief when she heard what he had to say. His haughty assertion of security protocols, the 'friendly' farewell, even the fact that Talan knew Brody pushed the limits of her tolerance for the man's presence. If she'd had the chance she probably would have shouted at him to get out but the doors swooshed shut behind him while she was stunned to silence. Her frustration boiled out of her as the doors closed and she jumped to her feet, hurling the PADD in Talan's direction. It hit the door with a crack and dropped to the floor as Anandra collapsed into her chair, emotions roiling within.

OFF.

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