Road to Recovery and Discovery

Posted on 02 Feb 2020 @ 3:19am by Lieutenant Commander Remington Dodd
Edited on on 20 Mar 2020 @ 12:40pm

4,897 words; about a 24 minute read

Mission: General Sim Postings
Location: Starbase 51
Timeline: After the Ceremony of Light but before the next mission

[ON]

Dodd and Walon sat in the temporary quarters on Starbase 51. They had been through a lot. Dodd had undergone having shots twice a day in sickbay after their rescue and then got to spend a single night in his quarters on the Tomcat with Rocky. Then he attended a memorial for his daughter that was conceived while he and Arderne were held captive by the Orions and under the effects of the pheromones and hormones of their scientific meddling in genetics. Then after the awards ceremony and buffet that Captain Somers held on the Starbase to wrap up the mission, Dodd finally had to report of his psychological therapy sessions as ordered by Starfleet.

Dodd had two nights with Walon in their quarters and then reported to Starbase 51's counselling offices to begin his required therapy after being taken captive and used in a slave breeding program.

This starbase has become a pivot point in his life. This particular starbase was where he first took his position as a chief engineer on the USS Tomcat. It is where he came for downtime after his trip to the Xindi past. It is where he proposed to Iria and where he said goodbye to a daughter he would never know. The starbase was a source of many beginnings for Remy and yet it was also the ending of many chapters of his life.

Remington finally arrived at the outer office of the starbase's counselling offices. He checked in and then took a seat. Across the room was a young female Andorian in a command uniform. He didn't mean to stare at her but he could not help but momentarily see her as an Orion and that made him nervous. He had always been comfortable with just about every situation due to his abilities to sense the thoughts of others around him. However, the blue skin of this Andorian triggered something that deeply affected Remy.

While Remy was at his appointment for his first session without her presence for counselling over the events of their captivity and other hardships endured during Orion's experiments on them, Iria had decided to go shopping to keep busy until her appointment.

A new store that was called Hobbies drew her attention and she walked in. There was a lot crammed in the store a very chaotic theme, there were shelves of books hard backed and soft covers, shelves with dolls, shelves with skeins of yarn and various needles, hooks to work with them. There were bins with dice, as well as an impressive collection of comic books. Iria browsed a while before she made a few purchases and was decidedly happier than when she had first entered.

After what felt like a lifetime to Remy, the counsellor came out and called him back. Remy was instructed to make himself comfortable. Remy was already somewhat comfortable as he was in a pair of sweatpants he had from the academy and a t-shirt. He was on medical leave and thus did not need to put on a uniform. As he sat in the chair, he looked around the room. He saw some odd plants on the counsellor's desk and few sculptures around the room.

"Would you care for a beverage, Remington?" The counsellor asked.

"I would like a glass of water, Thank you," Remy replied.

The counsellor stepped over to the replicator and got Remy a glass of water and took it to him.

"Here you go, Remington." the counsellor said as he offered Remy the glass.

"Thank you," Remy stated as he accepted the glass.

"Well, Remington. Welcome, I am Doctor Venkman and I will be conducting your therapy here at Starbase 51."

The counsellor was a human male about five foot eleven inches and in good shape with no telepathic abilities at all.

"So today we will just open the gate and see what happens. How does that sound?" Dr Venkman stated.

"I guess that is a good place to start," Remy replied.

"Okay, just relax and say whatever you want to say about anything," Venkman said.

"Well, I am not happy but I am relieved it is over," Remy stated.

"That is an interesting statement. Let's look at that differently. What makes you not feel happy?" Venkman asked.

"I am not happy that I have to do this therapy," Remy replied.

"That is understandable. I am only here to help you come to terms with what has transpired and thus help you regain normalcy." Venkman added.

"I am engaged to a counsellor and I have never had to speak to one before for any reason until she came along. She was the one able to help me with some issues and as a result of her guidance, I was able to better understand myself and then I found myself missing her and that is how I fell in love with her. When I go on away missions, she is there when I return and she helps to ground me, thus allowing me to become a better man." Remy stated.

"Good, that is a good release," Venkman stated. "Now let us address the relief you are feeling."

"I am relieved that Iria and all of the others are safe now. I am relieved that for the most part, most of us were not abused. I am relieved that I get to spend more time with Iria and that we can work to continue building our future together and be happy." Remy replied.

"Great, sounds like you are happy in some aspects of your life," Venkman added. "But now let's address the issue of the unplanned parenting of a child under distress of captivity and experimentation."

"I do not want to talk about the parenting issue," Remy added. "While I do accept the fact that I did father a child with Mia, she is lost to both of us and all of us. She will never have the chance to grow and learn what life and love are all about. Fathering a child was not something I planned nor did I have any say in the issue. She will be a scar on my heart and I will deal with it in my manner with Iria and Mia and that is not something I will speak of again in this or any other session while in therapy."

"Okay, we will move on and I am certain that in time you will be more open with that part of your experience. But let us address the use of your body as a scientific tool or breeding stallion so to speak." Venkman added.

"I was not myself during all of the events in captivity. I was forced by exposure to pheromones to perform sexual acts against my better judgement. I betrayed my Imzadi and I got another crew member pregnant. I was expected to seed as many women as I could but I was not willingly doing it. I was forced to do this with my Imzadi in the cell with me but I don't think the captors knew she was my chosen mate." Dodd stated with tears rolling down his face.

"That was a terrible thing to have to undergo, but you are letting it out and keep going with that and push out all the negative you have in you regarding the events of your captivity," Venkman added.

"Doc, I am not feeling like you are respecting my perspective of how I want to deal with this," Remy stated. "I don't want to talk about what happened not even to Iria. I just want us to rekindle the love and move onward with our lives."

"I do respect your perspective, that is why I am working with you as you undergo therapy. You know that Starfleet will not allow you to continue in your role of Chief Engineer on the Tomcat if you do not at least attend four sessions of therapy." Venkman added.

"Very well," Remy replied and then just gazed at the doctor.

"Okay, I will see what I can do to make this a better experience for you," Venkman stated.

The Doctor then got up from his chair and went to a cabinet. He opened a door and took out a device and then moved to set it on a table in front of Remy.

"Remington, I have this idea. This device will allow you to focus on your thoughts unlike you normally do. I know you are a telepath and this device will be more beneficial for you than any non-telepath." Venkman stated. "Just look at it and start to talk about what you dreaded the most about what just happened to you and the others. This device will allow your thoughts to be more flowing and thus you can work through it all at once and maybe we can call this a double session to help you go forward sooner."

"Alright, let's get to it," Remy replied and then gazed at the device and started to talk about waking up in the slaver camp.

The device allowed Remy to recount the whole ordeal and what happened without the emotions tied to the experiences but it allowed him to realize just what happened overall. At the end of Remy's statements, the doctor realized that Remy was more at ease and yet there was the sign that a few tears had rolled down Remy's cheeks during the monologue.

"Very good, Remington," Venkman replied. "I can tell you do appear to feel better that you got that out even if it was to me and not Iria or anyone else involved. A bonus of this device is that you can have it submit this session as your report of the event to your captain if you so choose to do so. This device is yours to keep and it will store what you just said for you to review if you choose to do so at any time in the future."

"I do not choose to keep this device. I have the memories of what happened and that is more than I wish to keep. I will use this to provide my report to the captain." Remy responded.

"Great, the device will be encrypted and locked for only your captain to review and log it as your companion incident report," Venkman replied. "So you have made some great progress and opened up so, I will give you the green light to return to duty after a week of relaxation. This relaxation is to be your top priority as per my medical orders. I have reserved one of the station's holodecks for your use starting this afternoon and every day for the next six days. It is yours to use exclusively until you return to duty. Part of the orders is that you are not to return to the Tomcat until after your relaxation time has ended. You may have Iria Walon join you if you desire for a fraction of the time, but you need to limit any other visitors unless you need to include them."

"Seriously, I get exclusive use of a holodeck on this station to relax with Iria!" Remy was surprised by this prescription from Doctor Venkman. "That seems a little much but I am not going to complain."

"Great, but know that there will be the occasional character in any program you run, that will be there to check up on you and that data will be recorded and sent to me," Venkman added. "Also, be advised that if any emergency arises outside the holodeck, there will be a character appear to you to warn you of anything you need to be aware of."

"Okay, so this is the only session I need to do with you?" Remy asked.

"Yes, I feel you moved forward and you did not use any telepathic means to alter the session and you got as much of it out as you could in this environment, so my prescription is to relax in a way that you can control what happens," Venkman answered. "This session will count as a double session and the relaxation part will count for the rest of your therapy. You are dismissed. My summary of what happened here along with my prescription will be sent to Starfleet Medical, Doctor Cahill for your records on the Tomcat, and your Captain for your personnel record."

Remy stood up and reached out his right hand. "Thank you, doctor. Have a great day."

Venkman stood up and shook Remy's hand. "You are very welcome and please do not hesitate to come to see me if you need to for any reason in the future."

"I will keep that in mind, but I truly hope I do not need to see you again for this reason," Remy replied and then he turned and exited Venkman's office. He headed straight for the holodeck the doctor reserved for him. He set up a tropical forest with lots of winding trails. He entered the program and once inside he requested the computer to replicate a pair of hiking boots. He then undressed and put on his replicated hiking boots and took off hiking. His favourite hobby is being naked in the outdoors, mainly hiking naked. So he was going to spend the rest of the day doing just that as he was very relaxing for him.

He had replicated an old place called Starved Rock which is located in the Illinois River Valley in the prairie region of the North American Continent in a state called Illinois. It was a wonderful location to hike. He selected the late spring so the leaves were on the trees and the temperature would be warm but not too hot. These trails were full of twists and turns and even had some bluffs. The history of the area is that the natives were being forced off their land and a tribe got trapped at the top of a bluff, and they were starving to death because the Europeans would not let them down nor would they give them food and water. The natives either died from hunger, thirst or jumped off the bluff to their death in the river. That is how the area became Starved Rock. He only picked this location because of the water eroded features that also included some larger ponds which he could swim in if he chooses.

While Remy was in his session, Iria had gotten her shopping put away and since her session was due to begin soon she changed her clothes, from casual to her uniform, she pulled her hair into a tight french twist braid then headed out of the shared quarters.

Dodd also had the liberty to activate his holo programs without people so that he could be as naked as he wanted to be. He did not even have to leave the holodeck as it was secured for his use as he needed for the six days. He could have the scenery change as he wanted, so after a good six hours of Starved Rock, he then replicated the Shawnee Forest which is located in the southern part of Illinois and more of a vast trail system along with a river that is almost completely continuous in the region. He would enjoy this time.

The next day would fly by and if the sun was real, he would be completely sunburnt from head to ankle. The next day Iria would join him for three days. While he enjoyed his solo time, Iria was a welcome sight and companion, but they were only to spend three days in the holodeck together.

Iria paced the waiting room as she waited for her appointment time, she saw no familiar faces among the folks waiting and was torn between relief and surprise, Tamara and the rest had resigned from their positions aboard the Tomcat, to leave herself, Aldana and Lamia once they were all cleared for duty once more. Iria jumped at hearing her name called by the station's counsellor, she shook her head slightly and headed towards the office.

"Would you like something to drink before we begin Iria or would you prefer I call you Lieutenant Walon?"

Iria shook her head softly as she glanced around the office it was a very different set up than she employed, it wasn't as soothing in her opinion but it wasn't her call to make, "Iria is fine and I am not thirsty right now, thanks for the offer though."

The counsellor nodded and offered her a seat which she declined as well.

"I wasn't able to move freely as I would like so if you don't mind I am going to walk around as I talk."

"Whatever makes this easier for you that's fine." He replied through his smile was a little too forced, but for the moment Iria was going to pretend to not have noticed.

She started talking about how confusing it was at first then the feeling of betrayal, upset over the whole situation, the shame that she hadn't been able to avoid being assaulted by an "owner and some of his male slaves". The anger about their treatment the fact that her fiance had been used against his will to get another pregnant, while for some reason she hadn't gotten pregnant, her feelings of inadequacy over that. Her concern that she might not be worthy of her fiance anymore. The hurt that his child was gone before anyone could know her. All because some Orion's slavers' had kidnapped them all, experimented upon them.

By the time she finished speaking her throat was rough and her voice had gone hoarse but she was not furiously pacing anymore she answered each question asked without hesitation. By the time she finished her session, Iria felt emotionally lighter but physically very drained.

The station's counsellor sent his evaluation to along with her detailed account as her report of the ordeal to Doctor Cahill and Fleet Captain Somers, she was scheduled for another session in a few days but he forwarded the invitation for her to join Remy in his exclusive holo-deck therapy program.

Just as Iria arrived, a character appeared in the program dressed in medical attire and requested several questions be addressed.

"How are you feeling?" The character asked.

"I am feeling wonderful at the moment," Dodd replied.

"Are you enjoying the use of the holodeck in a relaxing manner?" asked the character.

"Yes, hiking to me is relaxing and now that Iria has joined me, I am going to enjoy it more for the next few days," Remy responded.

"Alright, that is all I have for you at this time, please be sure to get the necessary nutrition while inside the holodeck and continue to enjoy yourself." the character replied and then deactivated.

Iria and Remy then got to the hiking and swimming and whatever other activities two consenting adults could do without interruptions.

The first fifteen to twenty minutes after the two were alone, all Remy could do was hold Iria in his arms and feel her in his embrace. He was indeed very happy to see her and she noticed this right away. She then returned a passionate kiss and then decided to join in his relaxation program and removed her clothing as well.

Iria spent time in both her feline form and humanoid form just enjoying her time with Remy and the various adventures in the holo-deck, she was getting used to just walking around with him with just sandals on her feet her hair loose around her bare shoulders. It was huge freedom being out of uniform and other forms of a dress if when they decided it was time to get married if he wanted a traditional Betazed wedding, she wouldn't be very embarrassed to walk towards him. She was proud of Remy and happy they had survived the events to rekindle their love and trust.

The last day of Iria's time with Remy was one of the indulgences. Remy recreated a lovers' spa day at Risa. The mud baths, the lusty sauna, and he only created four staff members to help them with the massages and other luxurious elements of Risa.

Iria squeaked as they got into the mud bath. It wasn't something she normally tried but it was surprisingly very fun; silky-textured mud and it was warm but overly so. After a bit though Iria eyed Remy before she scooped up a small bit of the silky warm mud and pitched it playfully at her fiance a cheeky grin on he face.

The small glob of mud hit Remy's cheek just as he noticed the cheesy grin on Iria's face. However, he just laughed and then managed to use his foot under the mud to tickle Iria's foot and got her laughing. He would have used his toes to do something else but the mud was thick enough to keep him from reaching any other part of Iria.

Iria laughed as she threw a few more mud balls at Remy playfully. It was all in good fun she laughed as he tickled her while tossing a few globs of the mud of his own.

The four staff members were only there to assist in services and not for other interactions. Remy did his best to make it as romantic as he could. He knew that Iria was dealing with her demons just as he was, but some of those demons were the same ones: him feeling like he betrayed her and her feeling as he did betray her. The loss of an innocent life that would have been a part of both of their lives.

That segment of the relaxation program on that last day Iria was to be with Remy in the holodeck was one of bliss and made Remy realize that he could do what it took to make Iria happy and he was more in love with her than ever.

The three days, while Iria was with Remy, went by very fast, Remy enjoyed every moment with Iria as he was free to be himself in all his glory and that helped him move onward with everything.

Iria had just recomposed herself and was hugging Remy farewell when the Holo-Deck medical assistant reappeared for a final check-in.

"Your vitals have been recorded and indicate you have been very active over the last five days with activity peaking during the last three days. Are you still feeling relaxed in this holodeck?" The character asked of Remy.

"Yes, this is a personal time for me. I like to be active when I am not on duty when I can be. As I stated earlier, hiking and this sort of physical activity are relaxing to me." Remy responded.

"If you were not prescribed the use of this holodeck by Dr Venkman, would you have requested the use of this holodeck or any other holodeck for the activity you have been enjoying?" the character asked.

"Oh, heaven's eyes. I would have still found a way to get in some hiking as well as spending time with Iria. Only I would have likely had to go hiking fully clothed and it would have not been as enjoyable." Remy replied.

"You have only twenty-four more hours of reserved time in this holodeck. Would you be doing any different activities on this last day of your time?" The character asked.

"I actually might twist things up and recreate a Klingon mountain range to see if I can make it on Quonos, but I will likely adjust the environmental setting so I can enjoy it naked. That is one hiking environment I have yet to experience and I feel that would be nice for my last day of prescribed relaxation." Remy responded.

"Excellent choice. While it has no consequences with your report, your vitals will still be monitored for the next day." The character replied and then disappeared.

Iria then gave Remy a parting embrace and kiss, then exited the holodeck. Remy then replicated the largest mountain range on Quonos and altered the environmental parameters to make it more tropical and lust and a little more of a sunnier disposition. His program contained no lifeforms other than the plants and non-harmful lower lifeforms such as bugs, birds, reptiles, small mammals and fish in the ponds and such. This day was going to be a day of indulging a new experience that he would likely not get to do in a format he would enjoy. And besides the fact, not too many non-Klingons go hiking on Quonos at any time. Just not a tourists dream. And since Remy preferred hiking in the buff this was the best way for him to conquer the desire to hike on Qo'noS.

For Remy's last two hours of solitude in the holo-deck, he turned the program into a white sandy beach and he just laid out on the sand soaking in the sun against his bare skin and dreaming of Iria at his side.

At the end of the six days of relaxation, Remy had to put his uniform back on and return to his engineering department and the team that he had come to call family. He was a much better man and he knew he would one day be a great husband to Iria, his beloved Imzadi.

Iria walked around the quarters as she waited for Remy to return, she hoped he would like the present she had wrapped for him.

In her time apart from him, she had started crocheting and going to her counselling sessions, and now she was feeling very accomplished for her time spent relaxing with him and apart.

The doors to their quarters opened and Remy walked in. He walked right up to Iria, grabbed her in his arms and kissed her like he was going to never see her again. He never noticed any present as the only present he wanted was her as his soulmate and wife.

Iria hugged him tight returned his kiss then pulled back to look him in the eyes, she smiled up at him, "Nice to have you back, you have a welcome home gift here somewhere."

"No gifts are ever needed, Imzadi. When you are with me, I have the only gift I need. You love is all I ever need." Dodd replied as he pulled her back in for another kiss.

Iria smiled as she snuggled against him, "Fine it will keep for later since you sound so certain you don't want anything besides my love. Then Iria kissed him...

"After what has happened, you are all that I want and need outside of my duties to the ship," Dodd replied as he held her tight against his chest. "While I am certain I will like the gift, I want you to know that you are the only material object I want as you are my world and my pride and joy in life."

Iria hugged Remy as he spoke, she felt her eyes tearing up with happiness. Iria couldn't think of anything to add to his words he made her happier than she had been in her life to this point and she hoped that the future was going to be just as amazing with him.

So after what seemed like hours in one another's embraces, Remy was dripping with sweat and needed some hydration. Ht got up and walked to the replicator to get some water for Iria and himself. The quarters were dark other than the light coming in from the porthole. In the pale lighting, Remy's sweat-drenched body reflected the pale blue hue to Iria, who was watching the light glisten off of his body in the dark. He returned and handed her a glass of water as the then took a drink from his glass.

"So I bet you would like to get a nice cool skating session in before we depart the station. Wouldn't you?" Remy asked Iria.

Iria smiled up at him, "I wouldn't mind but do we have the time before we need to report back to the ship?"

"I have already made the arrangements for private holodeck access for three hours of ice skating," Remy replied. "But that is all the time I could get. We should have worked in ice skating when I was on therapy but I did not want to get dressed at that time."

Iria walked over to him and hugged him giggling softly, "I wasn't complaining about it we can go skating anytime but spending time with you means more to me than what we're doing." She stretched on her tiptoes to kiss him, "What do you want to wear simple or fancy?"

"Let's dress as Tarzan and Jane so therefor it is simple," Dodd replied with a huge smirk on his face as he wanted any chance to wear a little clothing as possible or none at all for as long as possible.

Iria laughed softly as she shook her head, "You're incorrigible but I am not complaining too much." She kissed him again softly and then turned to get her skates.

[OFF]

LT Remington Dodd
Chief Engineer, USS Tomcat

Lieutenant JG Iria Walon
Chief Counselor, USS Tomcat

Dr Peter Venkman [NPC: Dodd]
Director of Counseling, Starbase 51

 

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