"Midnight & Mint Tea"
Posted on 10 Sep 2026 @ 12:46am by Lieutenant Commander Riah Amberlyn XMD & Lieutenant Commander Aev Flammia
1,687 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
The Doldrums
Location: Officer's Mess - Midnight Ship's Time
// Officer's Mess - Midnight Ship's Time //
Changing time zones. That always happened when leaving a station or a planet. But that, for whatever reason, did not apply to Riah Amberlyn, who, at midnight on the ship was still wide awake. She'd been to the gym, done 30 minutes of calming yoga, and visited the hydroponic lab for a sprig of fresh mint. As she walked, still wide awake, but definitely relaxed, into the Officer's Mess, her heart was set upon a cup of old fashioned chamomile tea, brewed from fresh, if dried, tea, which was available in the Officers' dining room.
"Hot water in a 12 oz stoneware mug" she requested of the replicator.
After dunking the tea bag into the water several times, she gently bruised the mint leaves and dropped the sprig to float in the mug, breathing in the earthy, fresh scent of the herb from her fingertips. She dipped the tea bag a couple more times before discarding it in the recycle bin and selected a nearby table by a viewport.
The room was empty save a Lieutenant Commander from Ops, who seemed lost reading on her tablet and didn't even look up.
It was a little strange getting ready to start a shift near midnight, ship’s time, but Aev had felt it was necessary to work alongside every rotation after their recent engagements. He wanted a better sense of his staff across the board, not just the officers and enlisted personnel he saw during alpha shift. After this week, he would rotate to back alpha shift while Areet-Ok switched to gamma for the duration.
The mess hall was, more often than not, a storm of jumbled thoughts and emotions. For the past few months, Aev had made a deliberate effort to avoid large gatherings of ship personnel for the sake of his own sanity. Since beginning his more intensive psychic training sessions, though, he had challenged himself to spend time in at least one busy area of the ship each day. Normally, stepping into the mess after a long shift would have meant putting those newly built mental walls to the test. Tonight, however, it seemed relatively quiet when he stepped inside.
A small cluster of security officers trailed in behind him, getting ready for the third shift themselves. Aev offered a faint smile and an acknowledging nod to a young ensign who gestured toward an open seat at their table, the invitation given without expectation.
Instead, he made his way to the replicator and ordered a simple plomeek soup with mint tea. He didn’t want anything heavy before his shift, especially anything that might make him tired.
Riah watched Aev enter, order his soup and turn to move away, she called out softly, "Commander Flammia." He turned and offered a brief nod. "If you want a little company, care to join me?" His expression reflected something between curiosity and mild surprise. "No ulterior motives. Can't sleep. Just trying to relax. How about you?"
Aev had an isolated corner near the broad mess windows in mind when he stepped away from the replicator. At the sound of the Doctor’s voice, he turned toward her, his left brow lifting slightly in curiosity. “Typically, Doctor, when one declares no ulterior motives, there are ulterior motives,” he mused.
Her intention reached him a moment later, curiosity and concern washing over him like a sudden splash of cool water to the face. With a small nod, he crossed to her table and sat across from her.
“Just finished beta shift,” he said, setting his tray down. “I’ve decided to rotate through the other security shifts so I can personally assess and work with my team members.”
His gaze drifted briefly toward the table of security officers on the far side of the mess. The group had gathered close together, laughing collectively at something one of them had said." The entire department is young,” Aev added, his voice quieter, “and they need additional direction after our recent engagements.”
"I agree," she replied with a relaxing sigh. "This whole ship is young and yet, most have stood up to the line and held it. How's their fearless leader doing, other than making a wise appearance on all shifts? Still receiving a lot of emotional feedback? Or feedforward as the case may better be described."
“Feedback or feedforward is certainly an interesting way to describe it,” Aev said, his eyes lowering to the steaming bowl of soup before him. He stirred it gently with his spoon, watching the ripples spread across the surface. “It feels less like information and more like pressure. Intense, constant pressure at the edge of my senses. Like the beginning of a sinus infection, only psychic.”
He looked up then, his expression quiet but honest. “Everyone pours out their emotions constantly. The entire ship feels like an ocean of competing currents, and I am just trying to wade through it without being pulled under. The medication has been my life raft. The training is me learning how to swim in this new ocean.”
"Sounds frightening and exhausting," asked Riah. "I know you have meditation, and medication. What seems to help most? How can I help?"
“I don’t believe there’s much more to be done, Doctor,” Aev said, his expression tightening slightly. “I simply have to… adjust to this new reality. Beyond monitoring the medication, the rest is up to me.”
Riah nodded, smiling. "You know you can always come to me if things get ... complicated. But in the meantime, don't discount the value of your former favorite pastimes and hobbies. Play is a magical thing and often it is while the mind is softened and playful that the biggest insights come to light. Thanks for talking to me, Aev. How's your cat?"
Aev was taken aback by the abrupt change in subject and, for a moment, forgot about the feline that delighted in terrorizing Ignis whenever he assumed his fox form. “Cat…” he repeated with a trace of confusion before realizing what the Doctor meant. “Ah, yes. The cat. He seems to be well. He eats profusely and appears to take great pleasure in destroying the carpeting in my quarters.”
"Sounds like he's doing superbly," Riah chuckled. The two remained quiet for a few moments. "Lieutenant, thank you ...for the way you handled Aster. You likely saved us all. You know that." It wasn't a question. "Thank you."
“He was afraid,” Aev said matter-of-factly. “I know he was alien, but his emotions were remarkably similar to those most humanoids experience, and I could feel his fear. Perhaps the form of a child was disarming, or perhaps I have simply grown more attuned to emotion as I learn to navigate this…ability. Either way, I wanted to ease that fear.”
He paused briefly. “As a child, I was often plagued by nightmares, an intense fear of shadows and darkness. My mother, and later my father, could make those things seem less frightening simply by being there. When I felt that same fear from Aster…” Aev hesitated. “It may sound strange, but I wanted to do the same for him.”
"Not strange at all, Aev." She realized she'd used his first name in this more intimate conversation. She decided not to acknowledge that fact. "Your ability is bound to be shaped a great deal by your natural personality. It sounds like you have a very empathic sensibility to being with and I'm glad the intense and chaotic changes you are dealing with have not jaded you to that. While challenging, it will serve you well, I predict."
“Perhaps,” Aev said, his tone quiet and restrained. His gaze lowered for a moment as he considered the weight of it. “There is still much I do not understand, and I have a long way to go before I can claim anything resembling full control. This ability has altered the way I experience the people around me, and, in some ways, how I understand myself. It has changed the entire dynamic of my life.”
"I'm sure it has. It couldn't help but change everything. Would you say you are seeing some progress toward understanding and adjusting? You sound like you are pretty positive and are beyond mere coping." observed the doctor.
“I have made progress in learning to adjust,” Aev said, though a weary sigh followed the admission. “But I fear it may take years, perhaps even decades, before I truly master this… ability. Reman children born with such gifts are trained for years simply to ensure they do not become a danger to others. Vulcans devote decades to mastering their own minds. By comparison, I am little more than an infant, blindly feeling his way through unfamiliar surroundings.”
"Do you have support from anyone else with this same ability? Long or short distance," queried Riah.
“I have worked with Jorik from your department to control it using Vulcan techniques, though my ability is considerably less subtle than what they are accustomed to.” Aev fell quiet for a moment, turning his attention back to his soup and taking a few more measured bites before looking up again. A faint smile touched his expression. “It is certainly a difficult circumstance, but I have very little choice in the matter. I will have to learn to master it.”
He set the spoon aside and rose from the table, smoothing the front of his uniform almost absently. “Thank you for the conversation, Doctor. I should probably return to my quarters and make sure my little friend has had his dinner before I start my shift.”
Riah nodded, a slight smile softening her features. "I should do the same. I have a rabbit now. Spencer joined me when Lt Collingway departed. It is nice to go back to quarters and find someone happy to see me. You have a good shift, Commander." With a brief thank you, he departed and Riah took the last sips of her tea. Even cool, mint tea was pleasant to the senses.
~~~
LtCmdr Riah Amberlyn, MD
Chief Medical Officer
LtCmdr Aev Flammia
Chief Security Officer
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