Stress

Humanity was crafted in the fire of adversity. On a planet where everything is stronger, faster, and more dangerous than them, they still manage reign supreme. Looking back at their history, the human came down from the trees and developed primarily on hot, hostile prairies of Africa relying on their small bands of family to keep them safe.


Due to the hostile nature of their planet the human has one of the most remarkable and advanced reactions to stress in the sympathetic response of their body, known as the fight or flight system. In response to say, sight of a predator, the human brain immediately releases stress hormones into the blood activating adrenaline and cortisol production. In states like these humans, run faster, jump higher, react quicker, feel less pain, increase their strength, and recognize more frames per second (described by humans as the world slowing down). Additionally the sympathetic response shuts down all parasympathetic actions, which include digestion, growth, ovulation, sex drive, hunger, and other additional functions.


However, this remarkable stress system, which the humans are renowned for, has one horrible downside..... The human body cannot tell the difference between the stress of a predator attack or the stress of a long-term work environment. The human body reacts to deadlines the same way it evolved to react to the chase on the prairies thousands of years ago. Chronic stress is one of the largest dangers posed to your human companions, and should be taken seriously. Long term effects of stress can results in depressed immune systems, sickness, skin problems, high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, digestive issues, sexual dysfunction, depression, anxiety etc.


Chronic stress is a human's worst enemy.


***


"I swear by all nine circles of Dante's hell that if the assembly refuses to hear me out than we are going to have galaxy wide rioting on our hands, and you know who is going to have to deal with it. Me, yeah that's right, me, just like every other riot, protest, demonstration and sit-in this side of the sector. Just let them be together if they really want, just get them immunized first, Damn!" Commander Vir marched onto the bridge angrily pulling on his jacket and throwing himself down in the Captain's chair, "Four hours of sleep last night, four, and I have to tell you I am sick and tired of this shit. LIEUTENANT!"


"Yes, Sir." She asked hesitantly


"What do we have TODAY? What could have possible gone wrong on this fine morning?" The man snarled sarcastically. Krill glanced at Sunny with a worried expression. This was hardly behavior they had come to expect from their friend.


"Well sir, paperwork, as usual, and then you have a conference with the GA at 9, and a report due to the Fleet Admiral at 10. Captain Kamma and Captain Roll need your opinion on dealing with a Finneri dispute over airspace in the Alpha sector, plus the ship is due for routine maintenance, but there is still a little matter about that Vrul scientist that the GA wants transported back to HQ. If you have the reports, I can send them in now....." She trailed off.


Commander Vir took a deep breath and rested his forehead against one hand messaging his temples, "I haven't finished the reports yet, I haven't had enough time to finish the reports, I was doing more important things than finishing the reports like.... Oh, I don't know trying to put down riots and prevent luting. I think humanity's public image is more important than some stupid piece of paper. Kind of hard to get anything done when you are trying to keep the entirety of the GA to stop seeing humans as violent militants."


"Sir, I can-"


"No, I will have the stupid reports done, just give me an hour." He stood from his chair, "Walk with me." The supporting crew barely had time to leap from their seats and follow after the man as he marched out of the room. Usually silent, the prosthetic on his leg whirred with excess power as if aware of the man's agitation. Sunny followed behind the only one able to keep up without jogging. She held Krill by the hand as he floated behind her. Commander Vir answered rapid fire questions left and right as he marched on down the hall. A marine appeared form one of the side halls.


"Captain,"


"Make it quick, Corporal." The man fell into a jogging step beside him.


"Uh, yes Commander, there seems to be a problem." A single green eye turned upon the man and narrowed. The entire crew stiffened a little. Krill hid behind Sunny's bulk. The entire crew had been on edge for weeks now. All of them begged to whatever deity out there that things would get better for their Commander. The crew, once so laid back, and relaxing now found themselves in an enviornment of stress like a rubber band close to sapping, all caused by a triangular ripple effect coming down from on high. When the Commander wasn't happy, no one was.


Generally, goofy, friendly, social, and fun, the man had slowly grown, irritable, reclusive, and tense as sarcasm and jokes began to fly right over his head..... Accept for the biter angry kind.


"What NOW."


"Well, sir, the last armament shipment..... well they got our order wrong. We got only two cases of .223." The man had to speed up a little to keep up


"Two cases! The F*ck are we supposed to do with that. We needed two Pallets not two cases."


"Yes sir, I know but-"


"Ahg never mind, I'll call in to the supply department later." He coughed once or twice, wiping his mouth before pushing past the marine and into the chow hall marching up to the coffee maker and angrily shoving mug under the nozzle. Another glance was exchanged between Sunny and Krill, the man didn't drink coffee at least he hadn't until about a week ago. All around, the breakfast crowd looked up from their meals nervously fiddling with their forks and spoons as they watched.


Cup filled up, the man turned in a circle.


It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Could it have been the unusual power of the prosthetic, the fact that he turned in the direction of his missing eye, or could it have just been coincidence that his leg knocked against the counter sending a wave of hot liquid over his arm and onto the floor as the cup dropped from his hands. The entire room went silent, which only made the shattering of the glass louder followed by the string of abusive, vulgar curses spilling form the man's mouth that much more poignant. Sure, he wasn't opposed to cursing, but THAT was excessive.


He waved his arm hissing in pain. Before growing silent, horribly silent. The entire room was still hands raised halfway to their mouths food dripping form forks. He stood very still shoulders hunched hands clenched into half claws. From their position, Krill and sunny watched as the man's slow, even breathing began to speed up, blood rushed up to his face, a vein pulsed in his neck.


The expression that came over the human's face was one of pure animal rage completely out of place in such a setting. Humans and Drev alike ducked for cover, especially telling when it came to the humans, as the man spun in a circle and violently ripped the machine from the wall and throwing it to the floor. Glass and plastic shattered, but that didn't seem to be enough. The advanced military prosthetic, sensing his anger, whirred to life powerful hydraulics and pistons crackling to life as he engaged the foot. Metal screeched and screamed as it was crushed. Crewmembers cowered further under their tables as the wreckage was kicked violently into the air. The power of the prosthetic sent it halfway across the room where it smashed into the ground shattering whatever piece of equipment was left.


Then slowly they looked up watching as the man spun in an agitated circle, paced to the right, then to the left before screaming through his teeth and running out of the room leaving a scene of carnage behind him.


***


Krill and Sunny found him three hours later forced to explain to the admiral and the GA of the commander's absence.


They found him in a service tunnel running the side of the engine room sitting in the red emergency lights on the floor with his legs curled to his chest, and his arms about his dog's neck. The animal had her head resting on his shoulder tail tucked between her legs as if she knew something was terribly wrong.


Sunny had trouble squirming through the close opening, but eventually hauled her bulk into the small space, "Adam?"


The man didn't look up but a desperate chuckle broke from his lips cracked and breathless, "Great, just what I needed, for you guys to see me like this...... what did the admiral say? Am I fired?"


Krill scuttled around the side of Sunny squeezing himself past her bulk with a huff, "Commander, why would they fire you. Preposterous, that doesn't make any sense."


Sunny managed to make it to her knees and then into a low crouch, "Vir, the Admiral actually said that.... Now maybe you'll understand because I didn't and I quote, 'I'm impressed the boy managed to make it this long, my first breakdown was two weeks after I started, and I nearly ran my car into a tree."


The dog whimpered as the man lifted his head, throwing it back with a shaky breath, "You don't have to try and make me feel better Sunny. The damage is done, I messed up, and I lost in in front of the crew like a child, and I can't help but think about how much of a jackass I've been for the last few weeks. I'm garbage at this, I should never have taken the job."


Krill huffed scuttling down the short hallway and over to the man, "Oh what is it you humans say...... pity party is over. Man up and talk to us, you are being horribly illogical, and that is something I cannot abide. Start from the beginning and tell us what's wrong so we can fix it. You ARE the commander of this ship and you deserve to be here, so might as well fix the problem while we can."


Fifteen minute later, Krill had ushered them out of the engine room and back to his infirmary where the Commander now hunched on the edge of one of the beds elbows resting on his knees as he stared down at the floor. Krill bustled around him like krill always did examining his burned arm, if there was a problem, he fixed it. That's just the way he was, Sunny listened.


He rubbed the sides of his head again, "I've just been so..... Stressed, I have so much to do, and I don't have enough time, everyone is counting on me, and now with the riots.... I just..... my body is falling apart, I can't sleep, I can't eat because when I do I get nauseous, my head hurts all the time, I've bene sick for like.... I don't know, a month. Feels like my heart never slows down, and someone has their hand around my chest just.... Squeezing. Plus." He lifted up his shirt exposing his pale stomach, and the livid red bumps across his stomach raised and strangely discolored, "I broke out in hives yesterday, haven't done that since I was a kid."


Krill paused shooting the man a glower, hands resting on his hip equivalent, "And you never thought to, oh I don't know talk to a DOCTOR because you don't have one of those just conveniently lying around."


Vir rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh, "I.... its stress related Krill, there's nothing you can do medically for me." Sunny had moved at this point slowly walking over towards her two friends, and before Krill or Vir could say anything, she pulled the man into her arms, all four of them, and hugged him lifting him completely and easily off the ground. He went quiet in surprise and Krill looked up at her in annoyance.


"Hugs are good for humans. Supposed to relieve stress.... I think." Sunny said. She thought for a moment he would pull away, but after a few seconds he sagged against her read resting against her chest. Krill relented with a sigh and stepped back.


A muffled voice, "What am I supposed to do Sunny?"


Krill tapped one of his feet on the floor, "The way I see it, Commander, there is only one logical course of action."


***


The crew watched from where they sat or stood around the chow hall, on or around the tables as the man, their Commander, awkwardly shuffled his feet and stared down at the floor, "I.... have to apologize to.... To all of you for my..... Deplorable behavior lately. "He took a deep breath and looked up with clear difficulty, "The way I have been acting is very unprofessional, and the outbursts are just as bad. I know there are no excuses for what I have done, and I take responsibility but I have been under a lot of stress lately, and I am still learning how to deal with it."


Some members of the crowd nodded along with him, some frowned, but the vast majority gave encouraging smiles. "That's alright, Commander, we understand." Someone said from the back followed by a chorus of agreement.


One of the marines stood up, "We forgive you, Commander, and I have one word for you...." He turned to the room and waved his hand in a wide arc over his head, "Delegation."


"Delegation?" The man questioned


"Yeah." The marine said, "Like since you're a boss you can make everyone else do the work for you."


The commander shook his head, "I no... I couldn't"


Just then the lieutenant took to her feet, "Just hear him out, sir. He's right, you've been trying to do everything yourself, and it isn't healthy. There are plenty of things you can outsource. I mean some of the other captains have specialties in certain areas, and you could put them in charge. And here, on the crew, you could appoint someone as the head of a sector, and just have them report in. They can deal with the little stuff and you can do the big stuff. For instance, I'm great at writing, I was an English major before joining the army, so I can write the reports..... and no offence, but you suck ass at writing... sir."


The crew broke out into laughter, Vir grinned sheepishly, "Alright, maybe you have a point."


Other members of the crew agreed, "You're forgetting we've had almost as much contact with E.Ts as you, sir. We can deal with some of the little stuff, so you don't have to worry."


The commander took a seat on one of the tables facing the crowd, "I just don't want it to seem like I'm pawning all my work off on others."


Another crewmember waved the comment off, "Give us some credit, we know you better than that. Besides everyone deserves a little downtime."


"Yeah a little stress relief is good. Man you need to get some kind of hobby." The marine who spoke leaned over towards his companion and quietly.... But not to quietly whispered, "Either that, or get laid."


The comment hadn't been quiet enough, and a row of marines broke into fits of giggling. Vir flushed bright red trying to ignore the comment, "Alright, first thing's first, we need to have a meeting, decide how to divide things up. I'm thinking the marines, the bridge crew a -" A glare from Krill silenced him, "Of course.... We can talk about that tomorrow..... you.... Are all dismissed."


The crew shifted to their feet. A few of the marines walked past still laughing causing the blush to flare up again. The marine that had spoken shoved him lightly, "You're such a boy scout, you know that right?" Vir grumbled as he moved past. The marine turned to walk backwards down the hallway, "Come on man, just saying great stress relief. Woman, dude...... alien if you're into that."


Vir raised his hands, "Ok, ok, stop, I get it." More laughter as the marines walked away. He sighed, but was immediately accosted from behind. The floor fell out from under him, and suddenly his only view was blue armor, "F***, Sunny what the hell."


She shifted him into a more comfortable position over her shoulder, "This is a hostage situation. You will not be released till you get at least eight hours of sleep, there are no other options."


Vir sighed, "Guess I don't have much say."


"Nope."


Stress is a human's worst enemy, and it is our job to make sure our humans stay healthy.

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