[Citadel, Alliance Tower] The Examination [SOLO, CLOSED]

The room was as sunlit-colored as any psychologist's office would be, with a large comfortable couch towards the back wall and a chair facing it complete with a small coffee table and various knick-knacks. Paintings on the wall were relatively new works by Channing, Keylsa and Sutho-moxxal, all artists famous for depictions of flowers, these multiple from either European fields, the bays of Thessia or the gravity-pounded fields of Dekunna.

The psychologist had a friendly face, with pronounced cheeks and bright eyes. His dark hair was trimmed short, and his complexion didn't hide the fact he was pushing his mid 40's. An intricate tribal tattoo was etched into the side of his neck, and traces of it remained visible on the edges of his uniform's long sleeves at his wrists. He glanced down at the datafile in his grasp and then up to the blonde woman sitting in the couch opposite him.

"Lieutenant Thompson, it says here that you've been seeking out psychotherapy on your own time, as you've been before you joined the Systems Alliance. Things have been rough, haven't they?" He raised a brow, resting his fingers against the screen of his datapad. Sarah eyed the tablet briefly, pressed her hands against her forehead and spoke after a deep breath.


"...Yeah. They've been rough. I miss my partner and the life we had." She shoved her hands into her pockets and leaned back, her weight creasing the leather behind her. "Nothing that happened seems to make any sense. We bickered and fought like anyone but I'd never have thought she would do a thing like she did." The woman's blue eyes followed the man's hand as he made deft movements, filling in boxes on the datapad.

"How has it been affecting you?" The doctor glanced up, laying his hand flat momentarily. "Any changes to sleep patterns? Erratic behavior? Spur-of-the-moment flights of fancy?" He crossed a leg over his knee. His voice was calm and reassuring. Sarah seemed to rapidly pace through her thoughts, her lips pressing tight together before speaking, as to not say anything abruptly.

"I've been sleeping regularly given my new baby. I go to bed at seven after I put the baby away, wake up when I need to feed him, and sleep when I can in shifts between this." She rolled a hand, as if trying to push a point across. "I go to bed early so I can get as much sleep as possible, up by seven or eight for my shift."

"And .. erratic behavior?" The psychologist continued his notes and pulled his attention away from her briefly. A fist collided with Sarah's nose outside of the Leaving the Ducts office, cracking cartilage and throwing the woman off the deep end. Sarah traveled across star systems to visit a friend on a whim; and petitioning to aid a drell-centric charity for the sake of charity; All ran through on Sarah's mind. She rubbed her elbows briefly and her expression went stiff.

"Nothing in particular." She spoke quietly, coming out of her brief haze. The psychologist glanced up from his datapad and briefly brushed his thumb against his right nostril. He shifted his leg. Sarah shut her eyes and sighed.

"Okay. I've been trying to involve myself in a lot of charities. Last count is six. I've been trying to scrub my mind clean of all the awful things I've done, I got into a fight with a criminal and I visited someone halfway across the galaxy for just a day. I've also been exercising fanatically. I need something to focus on, which is why I want to go back to work."

The doctor wrote this down, then scrolled the datapad up. "Okay, Sarah. You can relax, the worst part is over." He attempted a warm smile, despite his thoughts on her response, and spoke again, and set the pad down on the coffee table. "Do you feel as if you are capable of returning to work?" Sarah dropped her arms by her sides and gave a slow nod.

"I think I'm ready. I'm in shape, I've got someone at home to provide for and I think I can contribute for the team." She leaned forward, draping her forearms onto her knees. "I want this. I need this." The woman studied the doctor's face, her eyes focusing like a laser. The doctor set his datapad down and folded his hands together.

"I think you should return to work, Lieutenant. I can refer you to one of our psychiatrists here in the Tower, unless you wish to continue to see your current one, in which case I'd suggest submitting the costs to your command chain for compensation. It's best to keep an eye on your mental health after a traumatic event such as the one you've been through. Do you have anyone to watch your son while you are at work? Or will you require childcare services?"

Sarah buried her face in her hands and cracked an hidden grin. "You know, I really need to read the benefits package again. Half of my problems, if not more, can just be solved by the military. I'm used to having it out on my own. Yes, I'll take childcare services, that's like, a house-nanny, correct?"

"No, it's an on-site care facility for children, but again, the Alliance will compensate you should you choose to hire someone to stay at your housing." The psychologist shook his head. "There's no need to be too embarrassed. I can forward you details to your extranet address. You're new around here. You never really had much time to acclimate yourself." He leaned back into his chair briefly, then slowly shifted his weight forward to stand.

Sarah slowly stood and saluted the doctor, who saluted her in return.. He folded his arms behind his back. "Lieutenant, you have passed a psychological exam as per my inspection. I highly recommend you heed the advice I have given you to continue your recovery. Chain of command will give you your new schedule via encrypted mail. That will be all, Lieutenant."

Sarah gave an affirmative nod, and with that, proudly strode out of the doctor's office.