Litany
Posted on Sat Feb 28th, 2026 @ 6:26pm by Lieutenant JG T'Lar
882 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
Character Development
Location: USS Sunfire
T’Lar entered the counseling suite to find a blonde human crewman sitting in the waiting area.
“Good morning, Crewman. I do hope you have not been waiting long,” she said.
The man stood to attention.
“No, Counselor. I only arrived a few minutes ago.”
“At ease, Crewman. The Counseling Suite is an informal area of the ship. Are you here looking to speak with one of the ship’s counselors?” T’Lar asked consulting her PADD. “I do not see any appointments scheduled at this time.”
“Yes, Counselor. Er. No, Counselor. I do not have an appointment. I was hoping one of you could squeeze me in,” came the crewman’s reply.
“I am the only one available currently, but I would be able to see you if that is agreeable. Please step into my office and have a seat.”
T’Lar led the young man to her office and proffered him a chair before taking a seat at a forty five degree angle from his.
“I am Lieutenant T’Lar. What is your name, Crewman and what is your occupation aboard the Sunfire?”
“Crewman First Class Charles Lockyear, Ship’s Security, Counselor.”
“And what is it you would like to talk about this morning Crewman Lockyear?” T’Lar asked, giving the man her full attention.
“I… hate to admit it, Counselor, but I am scared. Terrified to be honest. Do you know what we are trying to contain down there?” The man looked down at his wringing hands as he trembled. “It’s EVIL, PURE EVIL.”
“One must presume you are referring to the Vezda. I understand that they have been characterized as such. The historical record indicates an ancient malevolence. We are all concerned that they remain contained,” she acknowledged.
“You don’t understand. We don’t have any real way of fighting them if they get out. They are demons. They possess you and make you do things against your will and we’ll be forced to kill our friends.”
“On the contrary. I am familiar with the Enterprise logs detailing the last time Starfleet faced this threat. I would remind you that the Vezda were defeated that time, and I assure you that the senior staff are working on a plan to neutralize the threat this time. Does that not give you hope?”
“My brain says yes but my gut is all tied in knots and I feel sick to my stomach. I wish I could be like you and not have emotions.” the crewman answered weakly
T’Lar cocked an eyebrow.
“Crewman Lockyear, you are mistaken. Vulcans are not devoid of emotions. We have them as well; very strong ones in fact. Would it surprise you to know that there are times when I feel fear?”
“Really?”
“Yes. The difference is that Vulcans have learned through mental discipline and meditation to suppress our emotional responses in order to allow ourselves to respond logically to any number of circumstances. You say you envy me, but it was a human who gave me what I consider to be my greatest insight into conquering fear.”
“A human? Who?”
"Who is not relevant to the story. The point is I was having a philosophical discussion with this person at the Academy about fear and how Vulcans process it through various mantras and meditations and he brought up a 20th Century Human literary work by Frank Herbert called the Litany Against Fear. It was so logical that I believed he was playing a trick on me and quoting a previously unknown Vulcan mantra until he showed it to me in the original text. I memorized it and have used it and meditated on it to this day whenever I am facing a frightening situation. Would you like me to share it with you?"
“Yes, please…”
“Close your eyes,” T’Lar instructed, “This is the Litany Against Fear:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.”
She said it again, slowly, deliberately focusing on each word, then guided him to repeat it after her.
“How do you feel now”, she asked.
“Better. More grounded. Thank you so much!” he answered with real emotion in his voice.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, Crewman. It is taking action in the face of that fear. Do you understand?”
“I think so.” came his honest reply
“I want you to meditate on the Litany and the axiom I just shared with you about courage for 10 minutes each night before you go to bed. Will you commit to doing that?”
“Yes, Counselor”
“Very good. I will want to see you in a week to review your progress.”
“Yes, Counselor. Thank you.”
And with that the crewman left her to her own thoughts. She ordered a Pistachio cappuchino iced frappe from the replicator and sat down behind her desk.
“Computer, pull up the service record of Captain Marie Batel from 2 years leading up to her becoming the Beholder...”
TBC
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