Esquimalt: A Telepath's Nightmare
Posted on Wed Aug 16th, 2023 @ 11:27pm by Ensign Evanora Drei
Mission:
Shakedown Shake-Up
Location: Esquimalt Station
Timeline: Pre-Vesta :: After "Actions Have Consequences"
993 words - 2 OF Standard Post Measure
The second the transport finished, Eva grimaced at how loud the station was. The transporter room itself was rather quiet, with about a half dozen people present, and the audible noise of the rest of the station was muted by the door, which served as a firm barrier. It was the mental noise that the door failed to keep at bay, instead slamming into Eva with full force. So many images. So many voices. Doubling down on her efforts to block out the noise in her head, she stepped off the transporter pad and approached the transporter specialist. "Excuse me," she said, a hint of strain in her voice. "Can you point me in the direction of the USS Vesta?"
*... on my way to level 36, but I told her that I wanted to-- believe that Richard is telling me this now! Why should I-- next is the conduit on level 16-- reconfigure the coils so they-- by 0800 tomorrow, so we can be ready for the-- almost forgot about the order of Ravian tea...*
The thoughts coming in were not being read intentionally. Eva could see the transporter specialist's mouth moving, but whatever he was saying was lost in the collective noise of what everyone else was thinking. She could block out a couple hundred thoughts without issue, she trained for it and was used to it after her time on starships, but keeping several thousand voices out of her head was a battle she was quickly losing. "I... sorry, could I get that in writing, please? It's a little... little loud here." With an apologetic look, she pointed to her temple, referencing all the mental traffic that was assaulting her senses.
The specialist looked at the Ensign for a moment, then at the people waiting to transport, before holding up a finger in a silent gesture to wait a moment so he could keep foot traffic moving. Once the transport was complete, he held out his hand, seeking the PADD the woman was holding. It took a moment to load a station map onto it before highlighting the route to her destination.
"Th-thanks," she said, offering a faint smile as she accepted the PADD back. Looking at the doors, she dreaded going out into the station, judging by just how loud it was from within the transporter room. Just get to the ship, she thought, feeling her collar stick to the back of her neck. Taking a moment to look at the directions the officer had provided, she took a deep breath before passing through the doors.
The audible noise was about as aggressive as the mental noise, now that there wasn't a door muffling it. There were many officers moving around, some carrying supplies or tools but all of them moving with purpose. There were some civilians moving crates, officers moving crates, there were orders being given, voices, thoughts... Eva stood frozen for a moment, the pressure of the activity around her anchoring her in place. Her breath caught in her throat as thousands of voices tickled her mind in the form of images.
*Spanner. Corridor. Faces. Many different faces. Tea. Food. Starship. Blue uniform. Tools. Shuttle. Yellow uniform. Crates. Starship. Bulkhead. Console.*
Taking a shaky breath, Eva pushed herself to take a step, her feet heavy as she wanted nothing more than to return to the transporter room. Looking down at the PADD in her already trembling hands, she tried to focus on where she needed to go. She tried to remember Lovora's advice as she forced herself to try and take some steps, to focus on physical things while she tried to block out the noise. Her fingers gripped the PADD tightly, as if dropping it would make the noise a hundred times worse.
A short gasp left Eva's lips when she bumped into someone, something resembling an apology tumbling out of her mouth as she attempted to stay focused. Just keep moving... Her breathing was fast, trying to outpace her racing heart, as she attempted to convince herself to continue into the station.
*Console. Cargo Bay. Lieutenant. Yellow. Face. Starship. Face. Hatch. Relay. Panel. Turbolift.*
The overwhelming thoughts-turned-images began to disorient Eva, and she gently touched the wall in an effort to try and keep herself grounded. She was close to hyperventilating, each breath short and shaky. I can't... I can't do this! she thought, shaking her head. Thankfully, she hadn't gone too far from the transporter room, so it took her just a few seconds to make it back. At least she could muffle the audible noise.
"S-sorry," she stumbled out, between efforts to try and keep her composure. "C-can I just... be t-transported to my... s-ship, please?" Following the confused look from the specialist, she added, "it's... t-too loud. I c-can't..."
Seeing the obvious stress in the woman's... well, every part of her, the specialist gave a curt nod and gestured to the newly available transporter pad. Once she was on the pad, he dismissed her stammered gratitude with a 'Don't Mention It' wave of his hand before initiating the transport.
Once she was on the ship, Eva gave a tense nod to the new transporter specialist before exiting the transporter room, trying to not rush out. Not long after the doors shut behind her, she moved to the side and put her hands on her knees, relieved that the noise was now greatly diminished. She could still sense the many voices, but they were distant, and easier to ignore. Lovora was right, stations were completely different than starships. Even the Academy wasn't that bad. Eva was fortunate enough that her shore leaves happened either on planets or with minimal station interaction.
She certainly wasn't going to accept any future positions that put her on a station. Not after that experience.
