JP: Ens Morton & LT Saa: Mandatory Counselling
James
((Saa’s Counseling Office, Deck 6, USS Octavia E. Butler))
Comfort was something Sevantha prided her office in offering the officers onboard of the USS Octavia E. Butler when they came in to discuss their problems. Nesre’s office was comfortable and offered the warmth of specially licensed tribbles and sugar gliders, where she used the holo-emitters to reshape the environment to areas in nature. A small waterfall poured onto the carpet that was remapped into a small pond with white lotuses with the couch and her counselor chair right at the edge.
Dressed in a skant variation of the uniform, wrapped in the blue medical coat, Sevantha lounged in a comfortable position with her pad to encourage the Ensign to the same. While modern medicine had sealed the phaser wound she’d taken to the right side part of the aftercare was taking it easy and sitting normally irritated the muscles in the area.
Vala had never seen a counselling suite like this. She hadn’t been thrilled at the prospect of mandatory counselling and didn’t feel it was necessary. However, she was glad to have come along and seen this. The sound of the running water was so peaceful and comforting. Half an hour listening to this was all the counselling the scientist felt she needed. She sat with an awkward smile, waiting for the counsellor to break the silence.
Saa: Thank you for following up on your orders for mandatory Counseling, I don’t have to bribe Nilsen to catch my runners.
Morton: Oh. No problem. Runners, huh?
The Counselor just smiled.
Saa: Medical and Counseling share the same problem, crew members want to avoid them for some reason or another. We call them runners, and I like to find chasers that people don’t expect.
Morton: Ah, I see. Noted.
Saa: Firstly, would you prefer informal or formal addressing in our sessions. I simply prefer to be called Sevantha while we’re in here… but I’d like to respect your boundaries.
Morton: Thanks for asking, ::beat:: Sevantha. Vala is fine.
At Vala’s answer, Sevantha made sure to jot down the details on her file to reference for future sessions.
Saa: You’ve recently graduated from Academy, the Butler is your first posting, and you’ve just finished work on your first mission under Commander Arlill… how are you feeling afterwards?
Vala leaned back in her seat some more and paused for thought. She listened to the sound of the water and considered what to say.
Morton: I’m feeling a lot of ways. Mostly, I’m relieved to be alive - that was dicey beyond my wildest nightmares. I know we have to be prepared for anything but I wasn’t expecting my first mission. Scratch that - I thought I’d have a lot more experience before facing something of that magnitude. ::Leaning forward conspiratorially:: May I ask you something?
No one was really ever prepared for their first mission, were they? Sevantha set her PADD aside and would make notes in the replay of the session.
Saa: Of course you may.
Morton: How long have you been with Starfleet?
Saa: Nearly. ::pauses:: Almost exactly a year now.
Morton: ::Nodding:: I see. And if I may… How does this mission stack up in intensity compared to other missions?
Vala expected there would be a mixed bag. If you could give missions a rating, there are not all going to be 10s. Was this a 10? And if it wasn’t, how much worse could it get? She shook her head slowly as her imagination tried to answer, choosing instead to focus on the counselor. What she really wanted to know was whether this was just ‘another day at the office’ or a more extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime type deal.
The Counselor did not immediately answer as she took time to process the question. Vala hadn’t a clue how heavy that question had been considering her own first mission but after a moment, she answered.
Saa: My first mission was Frontier Day as a member of a Galaxy Class Medical Team, few things will ever match that intensity for me.
Vala wondered what that had been like and she wanted to ask about it. At the same time it felt more than a little rude to pry. And it would probably have been interpreted as a deflection maneuver by the counselor, who undoubtedly had a lot of experience talking with people who wanted nothing more than to evade the difficult topics.
Morton: I can scarcely imagine what that must have been like. What about your other missions?
Taking the holoprojector remote, Sevantha tapped a few buttons and little koi fish began swimming beneath their seats. Vala started watching the fish swimming about; she loved their vibrant colours and graceful movement.
Saa: My other missions have had some high intensity moments but as Counselor I am often advising the Captain or Diplomacy team, I’ve heard the scientific endeavors on the ship have had quite wonderful discovery experiences.
Morton: No doubt. This mission was filled with wonderful discovery experiences too. We discovered a new crystalline lifeform, one that can form wormholes to alternate dimensions. We’ve barely scratched the surface. It was completely exhilarating! I could spend the rest of my career writing papers about our discoveries. We’ve barely scratched the surface. Of course, being slapped by it. Ugh - for a moment I felt- well nevermind. The existential peril… It was intense.
Saa: Some are intense but there are quiet moments, explorative, did… ::considering:: Are you concerned about missions in the future following this experience? I… it was my first time with multiversal experiences as well, it can be a lot.
Morton: It was a lot. I keep reminding myself not to future-cast. One intense mission does not form a pattern, after all. Coming out of this, I want to focus on the positives. There’s a lot to be grateful for.
The Counselor extended the remote out for Vala to play with as she sat there.
Saa: Feel free to change the environment to anything you want, the remote has standard environmental settings associated with seasons, features and locations… you can also just ask the computer to generate a completely new environment.
Sevantha was giving her the power to play around, to adjust the parameters of the environment until her heart was content. She wondered if the ‘runners’ got this kind of session too. She could imagine this would be the ultimate gift to someone looking for excuses to avoid their feelings. She could hear an imaginary patient saying that they just needed to find the right environment to feel comfortable so they could open up, while flicking through options like a permanently bored teenager flicks through holoprograms.
Morton: Thanks, but as cool as this is, I’ll pass. You know. I think I’m good with things just as they are.
Vala realised she wasn’t just talking about the surroundings here. A lot of the emotional turmoil she’d been feeling melted away. Her shoulders relaxed.
The counselor accepted the answer and looked around the environment once with a small smile then settling back on Vala.
Saa: Of course. ::she adjusts her position:: Is there anything you struggled with in your first mission?
Morton: There is one thing I have been going back and forth about. It’s silly though.
At that Sevantha frowned a little and gave a shake of her head.
Saa: No thought on this matter is silly, Vala, and worth discussing. ::Motions around:: This is a safe environment with no judgement.
Morton: When so many of the crew were meeting alternate versions of themselves, there was none for me. I didn’t even get the faintest sense that there was another Vala. I’ve been wondering about my alternate selves. Where was the fork in the road? Did the other Vala’s decide not to go to Starfleet Academy after the gap year?
Saa: Mayhaps the paths were so wide they did not collide, the what-ifs can be debilitating, especially when you see those members of your crew who seem to always be Starfleet.
Nilsen specifically came to mind as she made her statement.
Saa: …do you feel who you might have been, is important for you to think about?
Morton: I’m not sure it matters ultimately but there’s one more thing. ::She chuckled. This was the second extra ‘one’:: It’s ridiculous and I know it is but I can’t help but catch myself thinking about it. Now, I know you can’t place a value on a person. But this slaver business - some people being more valuable than others got me wondering, whether I’m completely worthless. And maybe if I am, I should be grateful for it, because it allowed me to go under the radar. No one was concerned about collecting me. But then again, if I am the only Vala, or rare at least, doesn’t that make me especially valuable?
Sevantha felt it best to finally sit up right as she spoke to Vala. This matter had crossed her own mind and she had grappled with, after all, someone had gone around killing versions of herself through multiple universes. Her expression softened on the Haliian as she spoke.
Saa: Maybe the other Valas weren’t of value to them because they fail to value what you excel at. These Collectors all had their interests and others likely Collected what they wanted and decided how to extort one another, while ultimately deciding the will and independence of those they collected had no value. ::she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear:: Maybe Vala is someone else with a different name in another universe, maybe she has made a step to the left and chose a yellow uniform over the blue… but, they fact no one was collecting you… focusing on their value system will only pain you.
Morton: I can see that. And why should the opinion of people with such poor moral values matter in the slightest?
Saa: Perspective is important… so I challenge you to think, if no one was collecting you, maybe Valas across the universes actively made it impossible to be captured or found ways to keep herself and others safe.
Morton: ::Smiling:: If I know Valas, they were probably off on their own. Living off-grid in the middle of a forest somewhere, cataloguing rare species, conserving at risk biome and species.
Saa: I have heard you performed very admirably at your station under Commander Arlill. ::She smiles:: An Ensign handling a multiverse situation along with working outside her usual science scope to discover the aether stones were living… I don’t see how a Vala wouldn’t find ways to trick Collectors or make it hard to justify the risk vs reward of capture.
Morton: Maybe so! ::She chuckled, smiled and took a long breath.:: The only small regret I had was that we couldn’t gather more data from our sensors in the lab due to the brownouts. We still got a lot though, and I don’t think it serves anyone well to wallow in regret. No amount of regret will change the past, so I choose to be satisfied with what we have and make the best of that.
Sevantha’s smile widened a little and she nodded.
Saa: As you should and there are always new ways to explore what data you have. ::Considers:: Have you collaborated with the rest of the science crew on board yet?
Morton: Not much.
Saa: Lieutenant Rivka Brzezinski comes immediately to mind, she’s a neuroscientist and specializes in neurogel packs, but also like myself takes a deep interest in telepathic development, communications, and entities. A transdimensional being attached to the aether stones would be of great interest to her. ::She considers:: I’m sure Commander Katsim, the Chief Science Officer would enjoy finally getting to see the reports as a scientist and not Captain.
The Betazoid tilted her head thoughtfully, had the Haliian’s experience been different due to her people’s empathic abilities and connections to the canar crystals. At that moment, Sevantha remembered a few details she might want to note about Rivka's methods.
Saa: As… an empath, I will say, Rivka may enthusiastically inquire about your gifts and the canar. I promise she means it only in the scientific aspect and how it activates your mind.
Vala had to wear gloves when on duty or out in public so that if she made contact with others she wouldn’t read their emotions. In Haliian culture sharing emotions was accepted and normal but most non-reader species were very private about their emotions and were often reluctant to talk about them much less share them. Perhaps being from a reader species made it much easier for her to open up to the counselor even though they had only just met.
Morton: That would be a welcome change of pace.
Saa: Officially you’re on shore leave, while you have your duties, there will be more time for recreational activities and pursuits of personal projects, a good time to settle in.
Morton: Yes, I suppose so.
Saa: Do you have any plans yet?
Morton: Not a lot, no. I’ll call home and plan on exploring Cryethrae. I hear the Mirror Gardens are fantastic. Or maybe I’ll join a stillness walk. Do you have any plans?
Saa: I believe the Echo Pools are calling to me, but due to needing to take it easy. ::motioning to her hip:: A little adventure and shopping may be the extent for exciting activities.
Taking the remote back, Sevantha clicked and turned off the koi in the pond. She returned to her more relaxed position, her right side moaning a little in annoyance at her movement with a deep ache.
Morton: I hope you enjoy it.
Saa: Shore leave is when a lot of the crew take time to socialize with one another to relax after the stress of missions, you’ll find the crew of the Butler enjoy their sense of community and interconnectedness, and you are now a part of it.
Morton: I’m looking forward to this more relaxed time to start getting to know my colleagues and making some friends. I’ll make the effort to start forming some connections.
Saa: At your own pace of course.
There was no need to push Vala to make friends immediately, but it was good to hear she intended to use the time to relax. Sevantha couldn't criticize anyone for working during shore leave, considering she had spent her own first shore leave working in sickbay and earning her counselor's certificate.
Morton: Was there anything else you wanted to ask?
Saa: I think we’ve found the natural end of this session. ::She smiled:: You’ve fulfilled the mandatory requirement, but if you do find need to talk without judgement, my door is open.
Morton: Thanks for the talk - it helped a lot. And I hope we can get to know each other in a more social setting too.
She’d rise up along with Vala to walk her to the door.
Saa: I would enjoy that.
Morton: Take care, Sevantha. I’ll see you soon.
Saa: ::gently whispered:: Vala, when you get a chance, go to Dr. Jania Nis, and ask about the poetry society. Say I sent you.
Once the message had been delivered, she smiled and stepped back into her office. She’d done both of her jobs now.
[[End Scene]]
Lieutenant Sevantha Saa
Counselor
Acting CMO of Mental Health
USS Octavia E. Butler
A240105SS2
Science Officer
USS Octavia E Butler NCC-82850
O240205VM3