Posted by Lieutenant Commander Pilar Halcyone (Counselor) in A Much Anticipated Meeting [Tag CMO]

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Dr. Rahm Vesta (Chief Medical Officer) in A Much Anticipated Meeting [Tag CMO]

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Pilar Halcyone (Counselor) in A Much Anticipated Meeting [Tag CMO]
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Pilar had heard a lot about the new CMO and she couldn’t wait to meet the woman for herself. It had been a while since she had encountered another Bajoran. Pilar immediately thought of her dear friend, Brey, also godmother to her first child. Brey had gone missing on a Starfleet mission and was presumed dead per her official Starfleet record. Pilar never believed that. She always knew in her heart that Brey had defecting and joined the Marquis, similar to what Ro Laren had done when she was apart of Picard’s crew. While she was on leave on Vulcan, a small package had been delivered to her. When she opened it, inside was Brey’s d’ja pagh with a small handwritten note that said Worst Case Scenario. They were the same words Brey said would be the cause of her leaving Starfleet. There was no sender to indicate where package had come from. Savid wanted her to discard it, reminding her that if Brey had in fact joined the Marquis then she was a traitor. But Pilar refused. It was her only reminder that her friend was alive.
Pilar tapped her comm and said, =^=Counselor Halcyone to Dr. Rahm. Are by any chance available for a chat?=^=

Halcyone, Counselor

=^=Absolutely, Counselor Halcyone! I’ll be right there,=^= Dr. Rahm Vesta said.

Since she wasn’t officially on duty, she’d been exploring the ship. She’d spent the previous evening in Nine Forward, chatting with one of the ship’s civilian support staff over synthale and peanuts and had spent the morning chatting with a Risan contact she’d made years ago during a theater festival on Bajor.

She wore a bright yellow dress and a big blue sweater over it–still too cold on the ship–and made her way into the turbolift and then to the Counselor’s Office. She rang the bell.

“Ramh here! May I come in, Counselor?” she called, breathing heavy, resting her hand against her hip to straighten her right leg. She was still getting used to all the walking on this ship.

-CMO Rahm Vesta

“Of course, Dr. Rahm!” Pilar hurried to assist her. “Here have a seat,” she guided the woman to a chair.

“Thank you, Counselor. I appreciate the offer, but I can manage,” Vesta said, giving Pilar friendly pat on the arm and landing on the chair in a poof of yellow fabric.

“Yes, of course. Can I get you anything? Water, Tea, something stronger?”

“Stronger!” Rahm Vesta laughed–a distinctive laugh that sounded like a gong. “A glass of Moscato, ice cold, sounds absolutely lovely. I thought you’d have to go to Nine Forward for the good stuff. It’s lovely to meet you, by the way. I’ve read up on what little files they gave me–you served on the Genny, didn’t you?”

She nodded in agreement at the request, “I think I will have the same.” She went to the replicator and programmed their drinks in. “I was on the Genny as a Yeoman. I had been stationed with my husband before that.” She was impressed the woman had taken the time to read her profile. After the replicator completed both drinks, she grabbed them and gave one to Dr. Rahm.

Pilar sat and said, “You know I have heard so much about you and I have been anticipating a meeting with you. I hear you taught at the Academy? What brings you aboard the Challenger?”

Halycone, Counselor

Rahm touched her earring reflexively. “It was very random, actually. And a bit of a tale.” She dropped her arm and looked Pilar in the face. “I occasionally lecture at the Academy, and officially I’ve been traveling on behalf of Starfleet as a diplomat, but when the position opened up, I had to take it. I love mentoring new physicians, and your graduating Ensigns, Dawes and Baptiste, seem like good ones.”

“They are. I can attest to that. Although I think I have rubbed Baptiste in the wrong way. He is a little apprehensive around me and I just don’t know how to break through the tension with him.”
She shook her head. “It takes a lot for me to admit that, as a Counselor.”

“Oh, Counselor, I understand,” Vesta said. “As Counselor, it must be hard to balance the needs of the crew and wanting to serve them with the mortal need to be appreciated on one’s own terms. As I’ve gotten older, I have grown more selfish with my appreciation,” she chuckled.

She smiled at the woman pushing the thought of Baptiste out of her head for the time being. “So you couldn’t resist the call of duty from the Challenger, huh?”

Dr. Rahm coughed. “In a way.” She thought about her words carefully.

She continued, “It seemed like you all could use a CMO with some broader experience in field medicine and strange phenomena. Especially after hearing about the accident with Ensign Morton. I thought, perhapsthis would be the next place for me to land for a little while.”

-CMO Rahm Vesta

“Yeah what happened with Morton, I’d never experienced anything like it. To be honest, I was just focused on preparing for the worst. You know notifying his family, helping him get his affairs in order. Your Cadets, now Ensigns, worked hard to ensure he made it through his ordeal. Especially, Ensign Dawes. It was her idea that saved him. Baptiste was prepared to provide the medical help he needed after he brought back from the brink of....who knows what and worked around the clock to ensure his swift recovery. You are coming in and taking command of a great team.”

Halcyone, Counselor

“In what little I’ve interacted with them, they seem a competent pair. Both on to other ships, soon, I hear. And then they’ll be go, and it’ll be just us. To tell you the truth, I have questions about such an incident happening on a Cadet cruise,” Dr. Rahm said, “But that’s another subject.”

She took a gulp of moscato. “So, Counselor Halcyone, tell me a little about yourself!” she laughed, banging the base of her glass a little on the table. “I’d like to get to know who I’m going to be serving with. Together, we really will be able to provide full medical care for the crew, and I include mental health in that!” she said.

-CMO Rahm Vesta

“I am so glad you said that. Most still don’t associate mental health as health care. Its one of the most overlooked as it relates to one’s well-being.”

Vesta nodded. “It’s true. Full body care, including mental health, is one subject I can go on and on about–especially in my earlier life, on Bajor.” Her voice cracked a little. “But excuse me, Counselor. I was asking about you!” she said.

She took a small sip of her Moscato and thought about the parts of her background she wanted to share with the woman. “Well this is my first station as a counselor so I guess I am still learning the ropes. I do love the job, mostly because I like learning about people.” She shrugged then said, “Married, mom of three. My husband says I have a restless mind. He can give you a very detailed synopsis of my personality. The man knows everything about me, things I am sure I don’t really know about myself. If that makes sense.” She laughed a little then said. “However he is okay with it all and I think that is why I love him so much.”

Halcyone, Counselor

Vesta smiled. “It is nice to have deep connections, especially when you spend all this time amo g the stars, as we do!” She gestured her arms widely, like the whole universe was between them–then took a gulp of wine. “And your children! What are their names? Are they on board?”

-CMO Rahm