Nearly there, just not quite

Posted on Fri Mar 26th, 2021 @ 4:38am by Lieutenant JG Damien Blackford & Lieutenant Commander Alicia Kelea-Salik

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: USS Elysium - Counsellor's office
Timeline: 18/11/2396
1765 words - 3.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Damien was sat at his desk, looking over his PaDD. This was now his third day on the Elysium and as far as he was aware, there was only one thing that now stood between him and active duty. His Counselling review. His Medical had gone fine. The Gorn doctor had assured him that there was nothing wrong physically. Huh. A Gorn doctor. He was still getting used to that. He shook his head. He was getting off track. Now all that remained was to reassure everyone that he was mentally ready. Hence looking at his PaDD. He'd received confirmation that it was time to check in with the Counsellor. Who, he recalled, was the Doctor's adopted daughter. He was sure there was a story there but made a mental note against asking. There were some things the new guy didn't need to pry into.

So it was, at the appointed time, Damien found himself stood outside the Counsellor's door. Straightening his uniform, and making sure his hair was as tidy as he could make it, he rang the doorbell.

Alicia was sat feet up with a cushion behind her back, carrying around a bump wasn’t easy on the back. She had everything around her she needed to save having to keep getting up and down. Hearing the door chime she called out “Come in”

Upon hearing the voice, Damien opened the door, and stepped inside. “Good afternoon Commander. Ensign Damien Blackford, reporting.” He said, probably sounding a little too formal. He knew there were some Counsellor’s who were a little more lax in regards to the rules and rankings. Hell, one of the Counsellors at the Academy had a strict, ‘No Ranks Past The Door’ policy. But he didn’t know what the Commander’s preference would be. And until he did, he’d stick to formality.

Alicia smiled warmly. “Please make yourself at home. The replicator is there for use if you would like anything, Oh and please feel free to call me Alicia.”

He nodded as he walked into the office, glancing around. "Thank you Comm... Alicia." He said, quickly correcting himself. Much like with S'hib, that would take a little getting used too..

Walking over to the Replicator, he said, "Lemonade. With a lemon wedge." When it appeared, he took it, and walked back over to one of the seats, settling down, taking a sip of his drink.

“Do you mind if I call you Damien?” Alicia offered a warm smile as she glanced at him. It just saves the titles.”

He shook his head, taking another sip of the drink. "Not at all." He said, returning the smile, albeit a little more nervous than Alicia's was.

“Thank you, So how are you settling in aboard ship?” She looked at him curiously.

"Pretty well, I guess." He said. "I've already met Lieutenant Commander S'hib. And I had my check-up with Commander Sthilg yesterday. Both seemed really nice and we're welcoming enough." He took a short breath, running a hand through his hair, an old habit he performed whenever he felt slightly nervous, something he'd never grown out of. "I can't wait to get properly settled in and start working.”

“In that case let’s get you cleared for duty, I promise you I won’t make this evaluation difficult.” Alicia grinned as she repositioned the cushion that was behind her back supporting her aching back muscles. “You can relax, I promise I don’t bite.”

He chuckled, nodding, taking a sip of his drink, smiling back at her again, leaning back in his chair slightly. "Thank you, Alicia." He said. "Well, feel free to ask me anything. I'm an open book."

Alicia grinned, “See it’s not so bad being in this Counsellor’s Office, I know a lot of people dread these evaluations!” She picked up a PADD. “So tell me Damien, what would your greatest fear be?”

He bit his lip. "My greatest fear?" He repeated. "Erm, well...." He sighed. "I guess.... I'm terrified of disappointing my family. Or, more specifically, my father." He sighed again. "But... I think I'd be lying if I said that was my greatest fear." He took a few seconds, draining his drink, before continuing.

"I'm scared of dying. Or, more specifically, dying without leaving some kind of legacy. I'm terrified that one day I'm going to die, and no-one will know who I was. That my name will be forgotten. History is full of famous people, names we grow up learning. I mean, take William Shakespeare. We all know who he is. But no-one knows who his neighbor was. Who's to say they weren't important to someone. But, because they didn't do anything history deems important, we don't know who they are...."

Alicia nodded. “That’s fair enough, everyone wants to make their mark and to be remembered for that mark. To leave a legacy that would be remembered is something that I think we’d all like, rather than to pass on and just be forgotten.” She paused to sip the drink she had nearby. “Do you have children or do you plan to have a family in the future?”

"Family?" He said, biting lip, before shrugging slightly. "No. I don't have any kids currently. I suppose one day, maybe." He paused for a few seconds, before continuing. "I mean, yeah, kids and a family would be nice, but I guess I'd be worried about how they'd fit into life. My father wasn't around an awful lot because he was away on missions, and every time he left, my mother always worried about him until he came back. I'm not sure I'd want to put that kind of stress on anyone myself."

Alicia nodded. “I guess I can understand that, I have a son and in a couple of months or so there’ll be another addition when this little one arrives.” She grinned.

He smiled, nodding at her. "That's amazing. Congratulations. Do you know what the sex is?" He asked.

“A girl” Alicia smiled warmly. “I’ve been doing my best to keep it hidden from my husband, I want it to be a surprise for Savar.”

"Amazing." He said, running a hand through his hair. "Have you thought of a name yet?"

“Not as yet” She smiled warmly. “Do you have any siblings? I could look in your file but I don’t tend to rely on files unless absolutely necessary.”

He shook his head. "No. Only child." He said. "My mum tried to get me to make friends with the kids in her class though."

“That’s what mother’s do, they look out for their children” Alicia smiled warmly. “I have a brother but we haven’t spoken in a while, I miss seeing him.”

He smiled, nodding. "I think really she was just trying to stop me worrying about my father. He wasn't home much during the first few years of my life. He was posted on a Medical ship that made runs between the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants during the Dominion War. Even after the war, he wasn't around for a while because he was sent on missions to provide aid to planets that were effected by the War."

Alicia nodded. “That must have been pretty hard not seeing him. That’s the problem with life in Starfleet, there’s always the possibility of families being separated. Are you close to your father?”

"I think that's why my mother was a little apprehensive about me joining Starfleet when I first expressed interest in joining. She was worried about never seeing me or something happening to me."

He nodded. "I am now. After making runs for a couple of years after the war, once things had calmed down, he requested a transfer to a Starfleet facility on Earth, so he could be around more often. He never specifically said, but I think he felt bad about not being around for the first few years." He sighed softly, before continuing. "I think the war terrified him if I'm being honest. We spent a lot of weekends camping, without using any technology. He always wanted me to be prepared, in case something happened and I ended up somewhere without technology."

“That’s a good idea” Alicia smiled. “We’re all so reliant on technology it’s good to be prepared incase we lose that technology. Your father was a cautious man, not that I can blame him.”

He nodded. I don't think he would have bothered, if it wasn't for the war. He rarely spoke about his experiences, but I got the feeling something similar happened to him, which is why he wanted to make sure that I was always prepared. He always said, no matter what I did at the Academy, make sure I took Survival Training."

Alicia nodded. “A very wise piece of advice. You never know what you might face during life in Starfleet, it does tend to throw you into all kinds of situations.”

He nodded, saying, "Agreed. It's a life full of mystery, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. At the end of the day, it's a big universe out there, and I leap at the chance to explore even just a little bit of it."

“Now that I agree with you on!” Alicia grinned. “I love exploration, even with its inherent dangers. Now is there anything you need to talk about that we haven’t already spoken about?”

He nodded. "'The greatest danger in life is not to take the adventure.'" He said, grinning back at her, before shaking his head. "Nothing that I can immediately think of." He said. "Not unless there's anything else you want to ask me."

“I don’t think so right now” Alicia smiled warmly. “I’m happy to give you a pass on your evaluation.”

He smiled back at her, clasping his hands together. "Thank you... Alicia." He said. "It's been a pleasure talking to you. I hope everything goes okay with your new arrival."

“Thank you” Alicia smiled warmly. “I’m sure it will, we have the best CMO and medical staff in the fleet.” She grinned.

"Indeed we do." He said with a smile, standing up, and offering her his hand. "Thank you, again."

Alicia shook the hand being offered. “My pleasure, it’s been nice meeting you. I’ll no doubt see you around.

He smiled warmly, nodding. "I'm sure you will." He said, before placing his glass back near the replicator, and heading out the office.