Lt. Commander Yogan Yalu — Crunchy
Yogan Yalu
(( First Officer’s Office, Deck 2, USS Artemis ))
After Genkos recounted some of the greatest hits of their adventures on Resolution and Excalibur, Yogan conceded the point with a flourish of the hand. Starships had counselors for a reason, and flying from one disaster to the next must leave some lingering effect on one’s mental health. It was hard for Yogan to believe that he’d only been out of the Academy three years. With all he’d experienced, it felt like a lot longer.
Yalu: I bow to your logic, commander. ::beat:: To be honest, you’re right. I’ve been avoiding the counselor’s office for a while. Too long. We only had Jolara in the position for a short time before changing ships. Prior to that, our options had been pretty terrible.
Adea: When was Rune counsellor?! But yes, I get your point. Sornax is… well, changed, Gott was arguably the worst person I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and Meidra, well, let’s not talk about Meidra. Jashkaa, however, seems hugely competent. She had me dead to rights within seconds of us meeting.
There was something both comforting and disquieting about a counselor who possessed such perceptive insight into their patients. On the one hand, they could “cut to the chase,” as Humans were so fond of saying. On the other hand, even the slightest attempts at obfuscation would likely be called out. Yogan wanted to discuss his problems without the counselor thinking he had problems, which itself was likely a problem which needed to be discussed with a counselor.
Yalu: Well, if you vouch for the new counselor, that’s a good enough referral for me. Even if you’re not my doctor anymore.
Genkos raised a single, pale forefinger.
Adea: I will never not be your doctor, Yogan. You can take the doctor out of sickbay, etc, etc.
Yogan smiled. Genkos was a lot of things to Yogan: friend, crewmate, superior officer, role model. It was nice to know that he’d continue looking out for Yogan in a medical capacity as well, if only informally. But, as much as Genkos was and would always be a doctor, there was another, more pressing job for him to do on Artemis.
Yalu: How do you like the second chair? ::beat:: Executive officer suits you, and with the gold standard of former executive officers in command, I feel like we’re getting two experts for the price of one.
Yogan thought he noticed a tinge of crimson appear in Genkos’ cheeks. It was amazing how someone for whom a cutting remark barely registered a response could be disarmed by a simple compliment.
Adea: Well you’re very kind to say so. In a lot of ways, CMO and XO are very similar roles. Although I do miss the hubbub of sickbay, I don’t think Kyle treats the biobeds quite right.
Yogan briefly pondered how one might mistreat a biobed. He had noticed one of them had a noticeable wobble on his last visit, but had just assumed it was one of those new ship quirks that get worked out during shakedown. He changed the subject.
Yalu: I guess that’s a challenge of the big chairs. You can’t possibly micromanage everything but you're still responsible for everything.
Adea: Kalianna once told me that the Captain takes care of the ship, and the XO looks after the crew. A CMO does much the same thing, only in a more literal sense. I might not be setting broken bones anymore, but I like to think I’m preventing those bones from being broken in the first place.
Yalu: Preventive medicine. ::grins:: “You can’t take the sickbay out of the doctor,” indeed.
Yogan made a mental note to remember Genkos’ words the next time Artemis was fired upon and everyone was flung about the bridge like rag dolls, twisting ankles and bashing foreheads against disco balls.
End scene.
Lieutenant Commander Yogan Yalu
Second Officer & Strategic Operations Officer
USS Artemis NCC-81287
D238804DS0