A Green Lady and a Wedding

Posted on Thu Apr 13th, 2023 @ 11:50am by

Mission: Shoreleave
Location: USS Resolution

Robert was feeling a little pale in the face not that he was sick just the gossip about a wedding taking place in the holodeck between the trio of lovers he had a hard time coping with. Sure Sky asked him to try to treat them like normal people but he was not used to that sort of stuff.

Sure Robert knew he see weird shit in Starfleet when he joined hell he thought he could handle it but no Robert was having a hard time coping. He rounded the corner stopping to rest his forehead on the wall.

"Lieutenant Carver?" The voice interrupted. Tale Gilohesh stood with a tall maroon cup of strong-smelling coffee as dark as the space out the port window. She hoped she got the name right, memorizing dossiers was a specialty, but she loved to spook people out. "I am Doctor Gilohesh... Are you alright?"

Robert lifted his finger to give him a moment to compose himself before standing straight up. "Sorry, just needed a moment was all." He turned around. "Yes, I am...fine." Robert saw the coffee thinking that was what he needed. "Actually I could use a coffee and a quiet place to sit."

"Follow me," Tale said reassuringly. She navigated her way back to her small makeshift office, tapping on a padd to adjust light and oxygen levels to replicate Galveston at dawn - minus that one weird gulf smell. The room was as ready as she could make it when they entered. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll even share some of my coffee -- shh don't tell anyone."

Robert sat down in the nearest empty chair and set his toolbox down before rubbing the dimples on his head. "I won't say a peep." He was more focused on trying to get the horrendous images out of his head.

Using the small grinder, Tale cautiously made as little noise as she could as she ground the coffee beans and poured them into the top of her coffee maker. Using the same hot water pot with the long twilled stem she used for tea, she slowly poured it over the grounds, releasing the smell of acid, chocolate, wood, and heat into the room. By the Gods, I love coffee.

Quietly, she poured it into one of the larger handled mugs from the shelf behind her. Doc Hesh didn't bring many mugs with her, delicate tea cups, yes, but hearty coffee mugs were strictly for herself. She was making exceptions for the troubled man in front of her. She gently touched his shoulder and handed him the steaming mug of coffee.

"Care to talk about it?" She asked as she sat down across from him.

Robert took a sip before setting the cup on the table. "Where should I start?"

"I find the beginning is the most helpful, but wherever is fine. You seem very troubled."

"You ever feel like you are in over your head?" Robert began feeling like he needed a goddamn glass of scotch. He honestly wasn't sure it was a good idea to even talk about his issues with a random person let alone an Orion. The last he needed was her using her pheromones to get him to do anything crazy.

"Constantly, but I remember to bring myself back to the ground," Tale could see that Robert was struggling. "What are you knee-deep in?"

Robert looked at Tale. "Ethics."

Tale sipped her coffee. You and everyone else I've met on this ship. "Okay, ethics, your ethical code? Starfleet ethical code? Religious ethical code? Ethics could mean you knocked over a 5 and dime when you were ten years old or it could be you're coveting your friend's partner."

"Oh hell no I am a very happy married man," Robert showed Tale his wedding ring. "It's just certain marriages I am struggling to cope with." He finally confessed.

"Ahh," Tale nodded. "The Captain."

"How the Fuck you know that?!" Robert began before rolling his eyes and resting his face in his hand. "Sorry..."

"Big wedding, just happened, just used deductive reasoning," Tale answered.

"You are in the wrong field, Detective." Robert wasn't insulting Tale he was actually really impressed by her intelligence. "But yes the wedding the whole relationship thing it's just..." The poor guy trailed off having trouble finding the right word.

"Unconventional?"

Robert snapped his fingers. "Yes, exactly!"

"Polygamy used to be common practice in some societies, but I honestly haven't encountered it much in my travels in my life," Tale replied.

Robert leaned forward sitting on the edge of the chair. "Look, where I come from on Earth is a bit uh, old-fashioned, you might say. I guess the best way to describe it is that we don't really keep up with the times. It's just how a lot of people are where I grew up."

"Tell me about that," Tale replied. Doc Hesh certainly toured Earth in her time at the Academy, and she was thankful for it now. "Was it the place where if your equipment broke down, someone was right next door to help?"

Robert sat back in his chair properly again resting his hands on his lap and crossing his ankles. "If you mean a small Texas town then yes but I lived on a 15,000 Acre ranch near the mountains." He missed his childhood home he wasn't going to lie. "I miss it, but I don't miss helping out in the family business of running our small chain of steakhouses."

"Everyone knows everyone's business in Texas," Tale quipped. "My friend from the Academy told me that one time. It sounds like you were heavily relied on at home, and now you're being heavily relied on here. Would that assumption be correct?"

"This has nothing to do with my engineering skills." Robert began to get frustrated. "You are missing the point!"

"I'm getting to know you, Lieutenant, I don't know you from Bob down the hall," Tale replied. "Getting frustrated with me trying to get to know you aren't going to help anyone."

"Sorry, it's just been a hell of a couple of days."

"You're really this wound up about the Captain being in a consensual marriage that doesn't affect you at all?" Tale tapped her fingers on her padd. "I highly doubt that is the real root of the problem. I have two modes here Lieutenant, I can slowly ease you into the session. We can do the dance, but it seems to aggravate you. Or you can spill it."

Robert lowered his head in shame. "I was raised that Polygamy was wrong okay? The issue is I have a hard time trying to adjust still to living in Starfleet sure I was aware there be really weird things I see but, I always had that problem should I just resign? Go back to ranching and live in my own little dull world of taking over the family business?" He asked.

"Ask yourself this, is your fear rooted in fact?" Tale asked carefully.

Robert shrugged his shoulders he never really thought about it. "I don't know, Doc, it just," He paused maybe it be better if he used an example to help her understand. "Okay, I am going to tell you something about my relationship with my wife."

"Please."

Robert hoped Kiera not hear about this or he probably winds up in the dog house for a month. "You see, we are very sexually active, in our relationship, and Kiera was raised that sex is a sign of love but to my parents? Well, they would look down on that." His face turned red embarrassed as he told a complete stranger of their love life.

"Sex is for procreation only?"

Robert could only nod ashamed.

"Surprisingly, that's not uncommon, among the many planets in the galaxy," Tale replied. "You're not alone. You have no shame to feel. Lieutenant, remember to what I said earlier? Is your fear rooted in fact? Fears are never rooted in fact. They're always rooted in baseless perceptions that we assign to meanings we've made over the years. You love your wife. I'm sure you love to make love to your wife."

"Absolutely she is everything to me, but what if I turn into my parents on this matter? I never wish to be judgmental like you for example I see a very lovely green skinned woman. But in my mind I worry you will use your pheromones to get me to do something stupid."

Tale burst into laughter. "Oh I'm so sorry Lieutenant! That's not just something I would do or would allow. Just because I am a lady, that is not permission. You're not your parents! You know why? You came to a therapist to ask for help. Something your parents would've never done.'

She got serious and leaned in, 'You're not going to stop looking at your wife one day and think of her as an object, she's always going to be that person to be cared for and to be desired. I can tell it from just listening to you talk about your wife."

Robert nervously rubbed his hands together. "She means the galaxy to me, Doc," He looked up at her Tale. "So you don't think it's bad how sexually active we are?"

"You could be Tellerian rabbits and it would be absolutely fine, I promise," Tale assured him.

"So what about my issue with our local trio? Do I avoid them like a disease or what?"

"Give them space and pay them no mind, like it doesn't affect you, right?"

"No, not really." Robert replied hesitantly.

"My suggestion is to put a boundary on it for yourself for now," Tale suggested. "When you're asking the Captain or Lieutenant Jansen-Carey, say about their weekend, say something along the lines of just that. How was your weekend? Keep it on the line. When you start feeling like the discussion is deviating to a bit to where you're feeling a but uncomfortable, since like you said this new territory, just change the subject. We're on a big ship and there's a lot going on. Keep your boundaries firm and in place, but you don't have to be rigid or even stern about them, they'll appear just like flows in conversation."

Robert was silent going over what Tale said in his mind for a few moments. He picked up his coffee damn it was good like it came from heaven itself. "I suppose I can try that," Robert took a sip. "If not could always use your pheromones to make me not think about it." He teased in a playful tone.

Tale laughed and finished her the last dredge of her coffee. "In your dreams."

Robert could only grin slightly this lady was alright he thought in the back of his mind. "Yeah, you're probably right last you want to see is my wife pissed off...trust me." He joked.

"Let your wife have you," Tale joked back. "Well, my door is open if you need."

Downed the rest of the coffee. "Don't want me to come back again and follow up with you?" He asked curiously.

"In your case," Tale looked at the padd she had been jotting her haphazard notes away on. "I'm was going to suggest a biweekly basis. Nothing crazy. But I generally let a person seek me out for a second session. Since, I am here for crew assessments, I can take you on as a patient if you request it. Not by my suggestion. Unless ordered by the Brass."

"Well if you want me to come back just say so you seemed like you enjoyed our conversation at least." Robert said collecting his tools and resting them on his lap.

"Oh the fun we're going to have dissecting that brain of yours Lieutenant," Tale sighed.

Robert merely tilted his head wondering if he just had a so called brain fart but he merely shrugged and stood up. "Just don't play with it too much I need it back." He retorted.

"Have a good rest of your day Lieutenant."

Robert nodded as he left. "Yup, see you then."