Appointing a New Chief Counsellor

Posted on 07 Sep 2021 @ 10:48pm by Lieutenant Colonel Alexandria Somers & Lieutenant Lamia ‘Mia’ Kildare

2,410 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: General Sim Postings
Location: Counsellors Officer/Various
Timeline: After Docking with SB51

[ON]

With the shock resignation of the current Chief Counsellor Lieutenant Walon, Lieutenant Colonel Somers decided that a replacement was required so she made her way down to the Counselling Office to see Lamia, she nodded to disembarking crew and entered the nearest turbo lift, the moment the doors closed "Counselling Offices" Alex said and felt the lift take her to her destination. A Moment later she stepped out onto the requested level and adeptly avoided the rushing personnel as she entered the reception area to the Counselling Offices and walked into the office and saw Arderne making to leave.

"Ah, Lieutenant Arderne, I am glad I caught you before you disembarked, might I have a word with you please?" Somers asked coming to a standstill in the middle of the office area.

Lamia smiled and nodded. “Of course Colonel, please take a seat.” Sitting down on the sofa she wondered what it was Somers wanted to talk about.

Taking the offered seat she sat back and crossed her legs and quickly gathered her thought "I am glad I caught you before you had disembarked, I would like to make you Chief Counsellor, Lieutenant Walon has stepped down from her position as Chief Counsellor and as her Deputy, the post is yours if you want it, it is yours by right anyways so what say you, Counsellor, you up for the job?" the Colonel asked.

Lamia stood looking at Somers in shock for a moment before she came to her senses and spoke up. “I err... Yes!, I accept. Thank you, Colonel. I’ll make sure you have the best Counselling department in the fleet!”

"I expect nothing less nor will the Fleet Captain when she returns, you may want to keep an open schedule as some may come to you for Counselling, speaking of are you currently available to do an impromptu Counselling session by any chance?" Somers asked.

Lamia nodded. “As I always tell those who come to see me, my door is always open. Is the session for you, or do you have someone else in mind?”

"No it is little 'ol me that needs some mental help, but I must warn you I do not have a good time with Counsellors" Somers warned as she stretched a little as she settled in.

“That’s okay, to be honest after what happened to me and the others. What the slavers did to us, and losing my and Remington’s baby...” Lamia paused. “I find helping others helps me just as much! As for you... just talk and I’ll listen.”

Scratching the back of her neck "um... I have not had the best of luck with Counsellors Mia, last one I saw I threw him out of the window! you sure you want to risk it?" She asked with an ashamed smile.

“Ohh I’ll risk it!” Lamia grinned. “After everything that’s happened to me of late, it can’t get any worse.”

"I was lucky there were safety repulsors at the bottom, of course, I did not know that at the time *shrugs* but still a reaction, now where to start, you may need to ask some questions about our last mission," Somers said and fell silent.

Lamia looked at Somers curiously. “Okay... so how do you personally feel about our last mission? About what the crew were assigned to do?”

With some difficulty "I feel for the crew I really do, I should also feel more for my actions, but I do not it feels like I am becoming detached from emotions!" she said then looked to the right "perhaps after so many years in my profession all professional soldiers end up like this" she said to herself then looked at the Counsellor again "I pulled the trigger on the corrupted Colony, I was the one that carried out the BDZ order and I am handling the event better than those who did not pull the trigger, I am becoming numb to the pain and I do not know if it is due to what happened to me years ago, or in recent events, even though I am indifferent on the fate of those colonists! Somers finished.

Lamia gave Somers a considered glance. “Have you stopped to think that maybe you’re burying how you truly feel? We all do it, sometimes on purpose and other times subconsciously. When you’re in Command you can’t show weakness, you have to be strong for your crew. What you may find is that once you’re off the ship relaxing it’ll catch up with you.”

*sighs heavily* "it is not that, I feel it steps from years ago, the decentralizing of the emotions where death is concerned as I have been in my fair share of combat since my first day at Seventeen years old. *looks at Mia* If only that were true Counsellor if only that bit were true, there have been times when I have as you say been relaxed, but no emotions came to the surface and I have had plenty of time off the ship before coming here and still what you suggested has not yet happened" Somers said.

Lamia nodded. “Exactly what do they do to decentralise your emotions? There’s advising someone on how to cope with death, but in the long run, we all have to feel. It’s part of what makes us who we are.”

"It is hard to explain to a non-marine, but basically our training has to be different from Fleet Security Officers as we have to do stuff that Security Officers would not or are trained to do. There is a reason why there are so few marine officers are so few in ship command positions, and one of the many reasons as to why when I finally return to earth I will be completing my Academy Command course, which I am expecting to pass, but what I fear is that they will ask me to change services from Marines to Fleet, for the reason I just said" Somers responded.

Lamia nodded. “I think you’ve more than proved worthy of Commanding a ship just as you are. I see no reason why you should change from marines to the fleet, your experience as a marine is currently putting you in a unique position... the CO of a Starship.”

"That is true Counsellor, but a Marine Commanding a ship is not a common event anymore, I am only commanding as a Marine as the ship's actual Captain," she said making quotation motions with her hands. The time of Marines commanding ships in the fleet is becoming fewer in number, as now science and exploration are taking point again and the Tomcat is one of the few classes that is not being kitted out for exploration and Science duties. The Leto is a Norway class designed and built to fight the Borg, like the Akira, Steamrunner and Sabre classes, The Akira will be relegated eventually to support Steamrunner and Sabre class ships in patroling the Federation borders, such ships will not be the beacons of the Federation, that will be left to Sovereign, Galaxy and Nebula Classes, heck even the Miranda Class is being phased out slowly as its space frame is coming to a stage where it can no longer be adjusted for modern roles, so my husband says" Alex responded, "but let's return to as yet unknown issues I seem to have!" She added.

Lamia nodded. “Let’s indeed. You’re worried that you can’t or don’t ‘feel’ the way you should anymore. That your lack of feelings makes you seem harsh and uncaring?”

"Look at me Counsellor, I may have softened my look with the bouffant hairstyle and stylish makeup, but I wear a green undershirt and Lieutenant Colonel rank and I am currently commanding a Fleet ship, surely in itself that would give any sane person cause for concern, I know the crew see me and think me a hard ass, and granted when crossed I can be, but Fleet Command are right in their thinking when they want to phase out Marine Officers Commanding Starships, the Dominion War is long over and there are new officers, fleet officers ready for command and the majority of the fleet now have Fleet Officers commanding said ships, I guess the current events are not bothering me as much as knowing that I will eventually have to change to Command Colours. I do believe that after passing my Academy classes it will be required of me, followed by doing some duty on earth as a Fleet Officer while I wait, I think that is what is getting to me!" Somers said.

Lamia nodded. “You don’t relish having to hang around while you wait, to be honest not being Marine trained I can only go by my own training and that inevitable wait. It’s not a comfortable one I’ll admit.”

"For a Marine it is torture, but even Marine training is not a priority these days, I feel like those MACO officers must have felt when the Federation was formed and most of the MACOs were merged into Starfleet Security and a few lucky MACO Officers were given command of a starship, granted times were different and the new Starfleet needed experienced officers, but I reckon before long the only Marine you will see will be on Starbases and those few ships out on the borders. I am a bit ansty I think because I will miss the green shirt, I have been a Marine all my life since I was 17, while I have accepted the fact that I will have to change over to Fleet eventually I am so not looking forward to it" Somers responded.

Lamia nodded. “So you think all marine crew will eventually be integrated as fleet crew?” Her thoughts went to Kildare, “Would they have marines leave ships to do that? I’ll admit the thought of losing Chris...” she shook her head. “I don’t like it.”

"I think there will still be marines on some ships, but before long you will not see any marines commanding ships or Starbases or as First Officers, they will be confined to duties that suit their skillsets, most will probably end up as training officers at the Academy those on primarily Exploration and Science ships will be either removed or merged with Starfleet Security, but I have a feeling Starfleet top brass will not put emphasis on Marine recruitment now, but on Fleet recruitment, as when there is no war, the need for dedicated soldiers is not required," Somers said then looked at Arderne "Oh Chris will be okay, he has worn Fleet uniform from Security before, but while the Command Staff on the Tomcat will eventually be only Fleet, the Tomcat will still retain her Rifles. Think about it if you were in an unknown species shoes who meets me on the viewscreen for the first time and see a green shirt, they are going to think that we are a shoot first ask questions later as the colour green is usually associated with combat to most species, or it used to. As word gets out about Starfleet and the work it does new Species would rather meet a Fleet Officer than a Warrior, but Chris should be safe. So you and Chris still going strong huh?" Somers asked.

Lamia smiled warmly and nodded. “I’d be lost without him. Ever since what happened to me during captivity with the slavers we encountered, he’s been my rock. Both Chris and Remington, I’ve gained a lifelong friend too.”

"In who?" Alex said with a mischievous look on her face "I know Chris would fall into that category, but I assume it is Remington?" She asked with a smile "Chris is a good guy, bit set in his ways where women are concerned, but if I had not met Paul when I was younger and met Chris I would likely be with him now, but it was my husband I met not Chris, that smile he can give you can make a girl weak at the knees if she lets it" Somers said wistfully and looks at Lamia "Fear not Lamia I am a happily married woman so Chris is safe, but I would be lying if I said his smile did not make me weak at the knees on occasion, but I terrify him he thinks I do not know, but I do" she said.

Lamia smiled. “Tell me about it! That smile floors me every time!” She grinned. “Oh, and the friend is Remington. We both share in the loss of our daughter, it’s changed my life in ways I can’t explain.

*looks at Lamia* "I hope you will not hurt Chris, Lamia?" Somers asked there was no hostility, it was just a simple question, but she looked up at the clock "wow, it is that time already I better let you get some shore leave in, I did not mean to take up so much of your time" Somers added.

“I promise you I will NEVER hurt Chris, I love him with all my heart.” Lamia smiled.

*Smiling back* "good, because I have a feeling that he too loves you, I have a feeling some surprises are coming your way soon, possibly from Chris, I am unsure, but I have this nice feeling, cannot explain it" Somers said standing up and stretching "okay, thanks for the unscheduled session Lieutenant, I will let you get sorted and go onto shore leave, I have the stuff of my own to do before I take mine. But you are now the new Chief Counsellor of the Tomcat and are responsible for the many crews of whose mental state you are now in charge of" Somers said.

“I’ll take care of each and every one of those who need me, and that’s a promise!” Lamia smiled warmly.

With a final nod and friendly smile, Somers tugged her tunic down and left Arderne's office and headed for the next thing she had to do leaving the Counsellor to do what she had to do, no doubt head straight to Chris's quarters to give him the good news.

[OFF]

Lieutenant Colonel Alexandria Somers [P: Somers]
Acting CO

Lieutenant Lamia 'Mia' Arderne
Chief Counsellor

 

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