Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Morella Allan (Nurse) in Counseling Suite - Phil’s Boarding Evaluation

Posted by Staff Sergeant Philip Hewson-Williams (Security Officer / RTF) in Counseling Suite - Phil’s Boarding Evaluation

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Morella Allan (Nurse) in Counseling Suite - Phil’s Boarding Evaluation
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻
OOC: I can see from the roster we don’t have CNS at the moment, but if someone would like to jump in and play one for Phil’s evaluation, please feel free.

IC: The last place that Phil needed to check in before being signed off for duty was also his least favourite. When Phil married Steven, Counsellors had always asked him if their marriage would interfere with their duties. Since losing Steven he was always being asked about how he felt about it. The uncomfortable truth was that Steven, like Phil, had known the risks of being a marine and would have wanted Phil to move on.

In his mind he could see how the conversation ahead of him would play out…

-Phil

The counseling suite on the USS Leviathan was one of considerable size. Morella Allan considered it the largest and most well-equipped department of its type that she had ever encountered onboard a Starfleet vessel. In fact, on more than a few occasions the young nurse had found herself wondering why a response vessel like the Leviathan would have such an array of psychological and wellness resources on hand. It was almost as if mental trauma was all-but-guaranteed in the ARU flagship’s crew…

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the staff. Or, not since they last left the starbase, at least. Over the past few weeks most of the counseling team had seen themselves reassigned to other vessels. The head of counseling services herself notwithstanding. Which is why a young nurse with barely little more than an academy elective in trauma management and a passing interest in meditation was now pulling double shifts as a temporary CNS.

Still, the office was nice. And it was a welcome respite from the chaos of the Leviathan’s medical wings. So as the door chime twittered to signal her next appointment, the raven-haired woman shook off her own exhaustion and adopted her best and most welcoming smile as she called out “Please, enter.”

• Nurse Morella (Temporary CNS)

The door parted and Phil marched into the room in a manor that experienced fleet personnel would recognise as typical marine fashion. There was no visible sign of what the man entering was thinking or feeling.

Phil halted and remained stood at attention.

“Staff-Sergeant Philip Hewson-Williams. Reporting for my boarding evaluation,” he said crisply and firmly.

-Phil

“At ease, Sergeant,” Morella smiled. “I’m no drill instructor. In truth, I’m not exactly a counselor either. Or, not a fully qualified one.” She offered the man an apologetic shrug. “But, staffing issues and all that…”

Phil moved his left foot so that his feet were now parted to shoulder width apart and his hands from his sides to behind his back so that he was in a formal ‘at ease posture’

The room remained as Morella had found it, all personal accoutrements belonging to the previous CNS now removed, only plain white furniture and plain white walls left in the wake. It had an unfortunately clinical atmosphere. But the sofa and chairs were comfortable and the replicator nice to have on hand. So it was in this direction that the nurse decided to head, musing as she went, “I need a coffee. Can I get you anything to drink, Sergeant Hewson-Williams? Or would you mind if I called you Philip?”

• Nurse Morella

“No thank you, sir” Phil replied. This seemed to go against his instincts. Despite sir having become a gender-neutral title in recent times it had not been and there were many female officers that preferred ma’am due to sir’s historical male only usage. He obvserved Morella’s reaction to try and gauge her preference on this matter.

“Phil is sufficient,” he added politely.

-Phil

“Okay, Phil,” the woman replied, returning with her coffee to settle into a vacant armchair. “And you can call me Morella. No need for all of that ‘Sir’ business when we’re in here.”
It was her wish to create an atmosphere of relaxation and calm, but a glance at the marine indicated her to be somewhat wide of the mark. Still undeterred, the nurse indicated towards the vacant seats with her free hand. Phil could choose between a long sofa directly across from her, or another chair at right angles to her own.

“Please, sit. I would prefer for this to feel less like an interrogation and more like a friendly chat. So, let’s start with something simple. How was your journey here?”

• Nurse Morella

Phil accepted the seat in the chair. “Sorry,” he said as he took his seat, “But some habits die hard. Everything in the corps is so regimented and formal that we sometimes forget about the more social and personal touch instilled into the way things are done in fleet.” He paused briefly before adding, “The difference between soldier and diplomat.”

“The transfer shuttle from Starbase was interesting. I met Ensign Luna,” he offered by means of answering the counsellor’s question.

-Phil

“You did?” Morella smiled. “Myself and Luna go way back. We served together on the Viking and then years later found ourselves crossing paths on this ship as well. The Federation can be a small world at times.” She laughed gently, sipped at her coffee. “In fact, I’ve found several familiar faces as part of this crew. The Leviathan seems to be a magnet for those who have…”
The pause was abrupt, the woman’s face blanching as she acknowledged internally her statement’s natural end. She was not counselee today but counselor. Her conspiracy theory on the Leviathan’s crew would wait for a more appropriate, and possibly alcohol-infused, time.

“You mentioned the corps?” she tried to steer her own thoughts back to the matter at hand. “What tempted you away from them and towards the Leviathan?”

• Nurse Morella

“I haven’t left the corp to join the Leviathan,” Phil replied, “I’ve been assigned here by them. I gather the Leviathan’s unique mission requires a diverse and unique mix of crew with all sections and divisions coming together to provide the necessary personnel to do the job.”

-Phil

“Ah, I see.” The nurse silently chastised herself for not studying her patient’s transfer orders more closely. “But, you are right about the diverse and unique crew. I can honestly say I have met some very interesting people on the Leviathan.”
Sitting back, Morella offered Phil a smile. “So, what diverse and unique qualities will you be bringing to our crew then?”

• Nurse Morella

Phil consider red his answer carefully. It was not a question he had expected from a counsellor.

“Well my experience and training over the years has taught me a great deal about dealing with the unexpected.”

“The way marines are trained to think is different to how fleet are trained to think,” he added, “For example even the toughest of fleet security officers is trained to think like a diplomat first, where as we’re trained to think of adversaries as… Well just that rather than as people with a different view point. In truth, reality is somewhere in between. Does that make sense?”

Phil felt like he was rambling a bit.

-Phil