Posted by Lieutenant Tandra Mika (Counselor / Diplomatic Officer) in CNS Office - Dante Meets the Counselor

Posted by Captain Dante Knight (Commanding Officer) in CNS Office - Dante Meets the Counselor

Posted by Lieutenant Tandra Mika (Counselor / Diplomatic Officer) in CNS Office - Dante Meets the Counselor
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
It was early, first call of the day in fact. Oscar had been up a lot the previous night and as Nat had night shift, covering for one of her staff that had something special going on it had been Dante that had to dance the delicate line between keeping Bruce happy and Oscar content when mommy wasn’t around.

The yawn that suddenly erupted as he approached the Counselor’s door was long and hard, emphasized by the oversized cup of coffee in his hand and a relaxed two fingered acknowledgement from his forehead as a pair of crew walked past and said good morning to him.

He wasn’t due for a CNS session, but he had yet to meet the ships new Counselor slash Diplomatic Officer so what better way than early in the morning, over coffee and not a counseling session.

Reaching out with his hand he went to press the chime, realized that he was holding a cup of coffee in that hand and switched hands so smoothly that the next pair of Ensigns walking past only slightly noticed his oopsie.

Chime ringing out, he covered a second smaller yawn and then blinked and took a swig of his drink.

Captain Knight, CO

A few moments went by and nothing happens. Then, the door opened, and out stormed an NEnsign, looking upset. The NEnsign waved a rushed, polite greeting as he pushed passed Knight, and then disappeared down the hall.

The Captain was let in straight away then, and Mika’s office was neat and orderly. Several pictures hung on the wall over her desk. A bookshelf lined one wall, books ordered neatly. Three chairs sat in the middle of the room. They were those little, barely cushioned foldout chairs, she hadn’t had the time to find or pick anything better. One of them had been shoved to the side, breaking the neat little triangle they usually sat in. Mika pushed it back into its place. She appeared perhaps slightly shaken, but she was good at hiding those things. At that moment, she was thinking today was going to be a very long day.

“Hello, did you… Oh, Captain!” She said. Turning as she spoke, she caught sight of his uniform. Of his rank. Yeah, this was the ship’s captain. She had yet to meet him, so she hadn’t recognized him straight away. But she knew his name already. “You must be Captain Knight. I’m Lieutenant Mika,” she said, and she smiled a big, friendly smile. “What brings you here this morning?” She asked brightly.

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

“That I am,” he smiled, and took another sip of his coffee. “I thought it about time I came and met my new Counselor slash Diplomatic Officer and check how you have settled in so far.”

“It’s a great crew. Settling in hasn’t been too hard,” Mika replied.

He took a step closer to the wall with the pictures and slowly cast his gaze over them. “Usually I find early morning to be a little quieter around the ship, although you seem to have jumped in headfirst this morning.” His head nod indicated the crew member who had left In a hurry. “Everything going ok here?”

Captain Knight, CO

The pictures were all of Starfleet officers, some of which wore Cadet uniforms. It could be assumed these were people Mika had known in the past. And then there was a picture of her family, too. “I like to get a headstart,” she replied. Her earliest appointments were around 7am, though generally few people chose those slots. In that case, she’d simply carry out other tasks to fill time. “Without divulging too much detail, my answers weren’t what the crewman was hoping to hear,” she said with a shrug. “He got upset, but I’m alright.” That was something Mika prided herself on, and she’d gotten plenty of practice working as a doctor. No matter how angry a patient got, she was confident she could handle it.

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

“I’m glad you are, how about that crewmember? Is there anything to be concerned about from here or does he need to just cool down a bit? By the looks of your record you have a fair bit of experience already. Taking on the CMO role on the Challenger I mean and then on to the Pacific to the same.” He looked back at her and smiled, then back to the pictures.

“Were these people in your class in the Academy? Do you still keep in touch?”

Captain Knight, CO

“It was a personal question,” she replied, “I don’t believe there’s anything duty related to be concerned about.” It was true - the crewman would be sound for duty. But the way she phrased it, the crewman must have something personal going on. She nodded in response to his next statement and said, “Yes, I was promoted shortly after my graduation from the Academy to CMO on the Challenger, and when my time there came to an end, the command staff aboard the Pacific considered me perfectly qualified to fill their position. I did really like being a CMO on both ships, but I needed to broaden my horizons.” Then the conversation turned to the photos and she nodded, if a bit excitedly, “I try my best to keep in touch with everyone on that wall.”

“Was there something specific you came to talk about?” Mika asked finally, curious to the reason for the captain’s visit.

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

“Specifically, no, other than to meet the latest member of my Senior Staff, my new Ships Counselor and Diplomatic Advisor.” Dante admitted, “I’m quite sane, I assure you.” He smiled at that, considering his fiesty Russian wife who was also the CMO and his large and unusual pet Monitor Lizard, some might wonder at that claim.

“How much time do you have before your next appointment, Counselor? Enough to take a walk and talk with me?” He asked the question as he moved to the bookcase now, real books were something of a collectors item these days. Anyone could replicate a book, but to have a real one that was centuries old was something of a collectors hobby. He knew, as he himself had a number of them so he was interested in whether the books here were of a work nature or a more personal touch.

Captain Knight, CO

“Enough time for sure. Most people don’t go for the early morning appointments,” Mika replied. Many of her books were newer, few were actually all that old, but she did prefer reading a physical copy to using a PaDD and e-reading everything.

~ Lt Mika, CNS/DO

“Excellent, then walk and talk with me.” Dante turned for the door, inviting with his hand for her to head out ahead of him.

“So what do you read?” He asked the question as he turned in a seemingly random direction after leaving the Counselor’s room behind them. “Do you tend to go for fictional works or more non-fiction? I collect books myself when I can, although there aren’t many old Earth books out here,” he grinned. “I have to confess that I go for the epic fantasy, sometimes science fiction.”

Captain Knight