Just a moment before Ella’s finger hit the door chime, Luca’s head snapped up as he felt something push at his mind. The PADD in his hand was completely forgotten (poor Ensign Clish wouldn’t be getting a reply today) as, for the first time in a long time, his empathic senses - something Lumerians kept coiled tightly within them around people from other species, could not help but feel the equally coiled (and yet brimming with the potential one might attribute to an earthquake) emotion of whoever it was who had just pressed his door chime.

Luca rose to his feet and stepped round his desk. He wasn’t afraid; he didn’t for a moment think the person on the other side of the door was going to harm him, but the fact that whoever it was had such a roil of emotion churning about them to the extent where even his withdrawn abilities had perked up, the Lumerian was still going to prepare himself. Whoever it was had a big personality … or a strong one … or an angry one … or all of them and more besides. He was not in the business of ‘sensing’ people, finding the act a little too intimate to be using as an aid to his work as a psychologist. He supposed he would just have to let them in … how long had he been stood there?! “Come!” was his voice a little higher than usual?

Ella strolled into the room, she scanned the room not really initially paying any attention to the person infront of her. She wasnt being rude, or atleast in her mind she wasn’t being rude by not immediately acknowledging him but she was checking to make sure nobody was lurking in any corner ready to kill her, again another perk to being elasian, you never really trust anyone not even your own family since everyone wants a nice slice of power.

And in walked a woman of rare beauty; a picture of regal serenity in a sense. Hell, even Crewman Siath could be seen behind her gawking.

Luca’s eyes scanned her features, but he found he could not place her species. She wasn’t human (they really do get everywhere though, so he made sure he was sure … and he was), and there was something about her; a draw on him, a flash of desire to please swept through him and unconsciously he reached up to tap his temple, eyes narrowing as the feeling passed and he was simply standing in front of an officer he did not recognise. And the fascination she inspired within him had nothing to do with desires of the flash, but how that very same pull seemed to work against the push of deep, powerful emotion, tamed (as much as it might be) through, he guessed, years of training and therapy.

Ella’s eyes finally settled on the man Infront of her. great she had hoped, and would later request a female or at a compromise a non-human counsellor more for their safety than hers. She’d soon realised neither of them in the short few seconds they’d seen each other had spoken. Ella could sense however that he maybe different after all. His eyes had wandered but now seemed settled and resolute. Perhaps not entirely human? she mused to herself.

Vilyan raised his chin ever so slightly, cocking his head a little, appearing curious. “May I be of assistance, Lieutenant?” he asked, then looking just passed her he scowled. “If you have nothing better to do than stare, crewman, your chief is obviously not working you hard enough, and that can be changed with a quick word. Go away.” He nodded as Siath (reluctantly) moved along. Luca looked back to Ella. “Do you get that often?”

Lt. Vilyan
CNS

Ella looked over her shoulder as if she’d not even realised the Crewman was there gawking, “Oh that?” She said acting nonchalant. “I barely even notice any more, I’ve seen worst” One of those comments was a lie and one was the truth, the former being the lie.

‘It shouldn’t be,’ he thought. This was Starfleet not some Risan beauty contest! She deserved the opportunity to do her job without being drooled over as she went about her day. But … why would any crew member (even a someone with as little tact as Liath) be so overt in their attentions?

“I am here for initial counselling session, I would recommend setting up a bi weekly session” Ella didn’t move, she’d gotten better at stopping herself from walking straight into a room and sitting down. Instead she went for a similarly rude approach, “You are not human, or you’re married, I found married men are less prone to Elasian pheromones, its refreshing either way.” She studied him, “You’re not human.” She finally decided.

It was now Ella actually looked at the man infront of her. He was older than she was, If she counted the years in human standard. He was also taller which meant so had to look up at him if they were chest to chest, not that she planned on ever getting that close. He carried his masculine well, and found a blanace between charming and handsome in Elasian terms he’d probably make a good addition to her entourage, of she had one.

Luca couldn’t help himself. “How astute,” he said, breaking eye contact to move over to his desk, picking up his PADD and tapping, quickly bringing up the new arrivals and finding her file. “Science is truly lucky to have you. I should request you go around the crew and inform them of which species they are not; just in case of them get mixed up.” The quip without him even looking away from her records. “Take a seat, Lieutenant.”

Ella frowned, if she wasn’t mistaken he seemed to be trying to pluck a nerve. She’d worked harder than most could imagine to just get Into starfleet, breaking down stereo types, adapting her very way if thinking and it wasn’t easy. None the less she smiled, “Thankyou.” She took the seat, sitting with a healthy posture.

His display not only had her psychological evaluation from her previous post, nor was it only sporting her service record, but Luca had hastily brought up what he could about Elasians as though he knew the race by name, they were so rare that he doubted he had ever read much about them … they were fascinating! He needed hours to go through this! How this woman had even ended up in a Starfleet uniform was, frankly, astounding. The Elasians made the Klingons looks tame! “I’d offer you a drink but since you can’t afford me the respect of using my rank or role, I’m afraid the cucumber water will have to wait until our next session …” he moved round the desk and took a seat across from her. “What was it, again? Biweekly sessions?” He was being purposely antagonistic. It was not, perhaps, the best tactic when he was sat across from someone who had been trained to be a deadly warrior while he was … well … not; not even close. “Will you be requiring the standard therapy sessions or shall I have the Commodore come along and serve us figs?” Luca gave her a broad smile, tilting his head to the side. “She’s Romulan, so you can even inform her of all the races she isn’t; I hear she adores hearing the blatantly obvious spoke at her, unnecessarily.”

Ella was certain now, she believed the counsellor was trying to get a rise out of her which oddly caused the Elasian to smile. She chose to ignore his comments about the Commodore being Romulan, though the thought of a Romulan serving her figs was a pleasing idea. “Oh, I do apologies Lieutenant, I suppose in some way I should consider myself lucky, cucumber water wouldn’t have been my choice sir.” she remarked enjoying this refreshing chat. He was beggeining to truly intrigue her, even half humans had some distinct pull to her and yet he seemed to be more than capable of ignoring it if he even had any.

Luca did not take his eyes from hers, which she met with a steady, confident and gaze of her own, one that seemed set to tell him that she would refuse to rise to his (less than subtle) baiting and a part that even seemed to challenge him to bring what he may; this was a young officer who had no doubt faced many challenges on her path to her current position, and there was some silent declaration there, he read into her manner, that told him that he was not going to be the one to break her; that she was here in spite of what she had endured, probably both before and during her time in Starfleet.

He cocked his head as he regarded her small smile. It was outright disrespect, in one sense, but then; had he not offered her just that? Was it the role of the junior officer to put up with whatever a senior might throw their way? She obviously did not think so.

Neither did he. “I’ll send you a menu for future sessions,” he said, dryly.

Silently, he sent a prayer to the Spirits of the Mount that he lived to see out the end of this day.

Lt. Vilyan
CNS

“I am just trying to save you the trouble of having to decipher my mind in one session sir, its the same everywhere I go with almost every counsellor they want to find out how I even managed to join Starfleet, pass the academy and find myself in a ship.” She gave him a sad knowing smile, “I can already guess that perhaps you’ve downloaded everything the Federation has on my people and can’t wait to spend hours if not days lost in those observation.” Ella paused wondering how far to take her little speech, one she’d given to plenty of counsellors before him.

“My people are barbaric uncivilised savages, who enslave their men, among some other choice words but that’s the first reports Starfleet made and if I am to be honest and open Starfleet has changed my people, have not.” Ella sighed, “I apologies for my abruptness, my room mate once said “You can take the Elasian out of Elas but not Elas out of the Elasian, I don’t entirely get the meaning yet people seem to understand. Sir.” Ella hadn’t unpacked her bags yet, she knew how often someone would take offence and request she be transferred, luckily her professional record spoke for itself as much as her social record hindered it. She truly tried, it just wasn’t always easy when starting somewhere new.

• Lt JG Ella Lokaa, Science

The counsellor listened intently as she spoke, first with a kind of petulance … no, a sardonic weariness that said that she had indeed been sat in front of many of his peers as they marvelled at the savage who had picked up a tricorder and who had probably looked at her and thought ‘publishable study subject’. Though her assumptions irked him, Luca was a counsellor as much as he was a psychologist and realised that this was a game she had had to play with many a Ship’s Counsellor, the same who insisted on asking the same questions during every psych evaluation.

The Lumerian set the PADD he held aside and sighed. “It seems the physical similarities between myself and a human male have clouded your view, as does my holding the role of ship’s counsellor.” He gave a slight eye-roll. “Yes, I am aware that most of my colleagues will have asked you many times about your journey to the uniform, but the thing is,” he leant forward slightly. “I really don’t care.” He spread his hands as he did, a gesture of openness. “You are in Starfleet; people much more qualaified than I decided there was a place for you in the ranks and so you are here. What more could I possibly need to know? The Academy does its job well enough that I am not going to waste time asking questions that will mean nothing in terms of your evaluation today. I’m not here to ask why you are in Starfleet, or why you chose to be a scientist; I am here to decide if I believe you are able, from a psychological perspective, to do your job. That you will be safe, and that your crewmates will be safe.” He sat back and now he gave a smile. “Either you think yourself so fascinating that I would be at all interested in what you were like as a cadet or, and I suspect it is this and not the former, you have been incredibly unlucky to have met some exceptionally dull counsellors who have regarded you more a curiosity than a person, hmm?”

“I am Lumerian; I believe we two share the commonality of being a rarity in Starfleet.” He explained, realising (and even feeling a tad guilty for not having cleared it up earlier) that he had not cleared that up. “Lumerians don’t join Starfleet; Elasians don’t join Starfleet!” He shrugged. “And yet here we sit. Though I rather think I have had an easier time of it than you, considering your penchant for second guessing me, assuming I would treat you differently because of your race, and because you seem well aware of your own psycho-social needs … biweekly appointments?” He swiped the PADD and tapped at it. “Done … congratulations.” But then he stopped tapping. “That is; if I decide to declare you fit for duty. I mean; I will because not doing so would make me petty and bad at my job, and I am only one of those things.”

“‘Barbaric uncivilised savages’,” he echoed the description she had given of her fellow Elasians. There was no mockery to his tone, however, perhaps a sad curiosity, perhaps? “Are those your words? Or the words of others describing your people which you now echo? Afterall, it stands to reason that if one Elasian breaks with tradition and becomes a scientist with Starfleet, wouldn’t there be others? Is there anything you might offer up in description that could be at all positive?”

Luca was interested in the answer he would get. He was not interested in making her proud of her heritage; that was not his to give if she really found nothing to be proud of. What concerned him was that, regardless of the uniform, the training, the record; she was an Elasian; she didn’t shy away from letting him know. It was his job now to find out if she had internalised that disdain for her own people, and if she had not only managed to busy that self-loathing behind the cool gaze and coiled self-control.

Lt. Vilyan
CNS