Subspace counselling

Posted on Sat Jul 31st, 2021 @ 3:35pm by Captain Taliserra Tigran

1,414 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Silent Scream
Location: Captains Quarters
Timeline: 18th April 2395 1900hrs

ON:

=/\= Binea to Captain Tigran =/\= The Andorians voice reverberated around Taliserra's quarters.

Opening her eyes Taliserra looked around, the movie she was watching while laying on her sofa was still playing on the screen nearby and Lashell still lay comfortably asleep on her chest. Carefully reaching out she made a grab for her combadge on the coffee table beside her only succeeding in knocking it off the table, probing at the ground she eventually grabbed it. =/\= Go ahead Lieutenant. =/\= She said quietly.

=/\= There is a subspace call coming in for you, from Dr El-Azar.=/\=

'from Deepak?' Taliserra thought, =/\= Put it through to my quarters please.=/\=

=/\= Aye Sir. =/\=

Deepak was dressed in some garish civilian attire, vibrant in both color and pattern. His hair was not as wild as it usually was, shaved down a bit and he was looking more 'regulsted' than he normally was. "Hope I didn't wake the little one," he said with a charming tone. "I have missed hearing Lashell's cooing."

The Wolff's Ship's Counselor had a dormitory looking background, and a mug with the academy logo was in his hands. "So, how are things? Where is the Wolff going, and have you been getting enough sleep?"

"Not enough I think, I fell asleep watching a film." Taliserra replied, not wanting to wake Lashell she stayed laying on the sofa.

"Sounds like you are going through the stages of parenting," he said with a mischievous smirk soon after. "Though you should definitely get plenty of rest whenever you can. I cannot stress enough how terrible stress can be physically and psychologically, and you? Let's just say in my professional opinion, you have too much of it in your life as it is, and you do not handle it well."

"50 light years away and I still can't escape your counselling," Taliserra chuckled slightly. "How is OCS? I still find it strange that after all this time you wanted to get commissioned."

"It wasn't like you or Starfleet was going to just let me hold Chief Medical Officer of the Wolff," replied Deepak. "Besides, the commission will be a nice change of pace for me, and when I get to assert authority over you on medical matters or file a formal protest, I will feel more comfortable doing it now." He was partially teasing. "You can be all the way in the Delta Quadrant, and I would still find a way to be counselling you."

Taliserra chuckled again flashing a rare smile. "I can believe that."

"OCS is going alright," Deepak said with a smile of his own. "I do not think the instructors really know how to handle me. On the plus side, I am starting to realize what a pain it is like to have to wear a uniform, and seriously, all these rules and regulations that you need to abide by. Just practicing medicine is hard enough, add the Federation and Starfleet breathing down your neck? Insanity."

"You think that is bad wait till you're actually an officer." Taliserra remarked. "I'm not surprised they can't handle you, you're a most unusual person Deepak."

He scoffed and chuckled. "Once upon a time, I would have said the same thing about all of you, but coming here has made me realize that I am different and unusual to most people. One of my medical instructors nearly fainted when I brought in some leeches to use for medicinal purposes."

Taliserra had no idea what leeches were but from Deepak's words it sounded like something extremely old fashioned. "Sometimes problems require old fashioned solutions."

"Old fashion to some, just commonplace for others," he quipped back with a smile. "I don't mind being called weird or old-fashioned. Apothecary seems like it has become obsolete on Earth."

"Other than coming across as 'old fashioned' and instructors that can't handle you, is everything else alright?" Taliserra asked.

The man nodded. "Yeah, I just miss seeing patients," he said admitting his missing of the starship. "Studying constantly and reading about medical issues, learning treatments and terminologies. All of it is draining and challenging, but nothing beats actually having a patient."

Taliserra smiled. "Keep it up, you'll be back here in no time, with our record you'll have plenty of patients to treat soon enough."

Though he appreciated the optimism, Deepak was not fond of the situation. Casualties. The starship had a knack for suffering a lot. "Hopefully, I won't have too many patients. The Wolff has endured a lot lately, too much loss."

"It has." Taliserra remarked. "I'm hoping that our next assignment goes better than our usual."

"One can only hope," replied Deepak. "You need to make sure that you and the crew have enough rest and relaxation every so often. I don't need to remind of that, hopefully. It is essential."

"We have a lot of time to kill before we arrive out our new assignment, there's plenty of time for the crew to relax."

Deepak chuckled. "That is something that I love to hear. Now, remember, the Captain is technically part of the crew...so when you say plenty of time for the crew to relax, I would hope that means you have plans of relaxing as well?"

"As best I can," Taliserra replied. "I went swimming on the holodeck with Ensign Larson."

"Dipping your toes into the water with Debbie?" Deepak was now intrigued even more so. "How did that go? Ensign Larson always struck me as a bit interesting."

Taliserra smiled slightly. "We didn't do too much actual swimming but we did a lot of talking, she is a good engineer and a good friend."

Deepak cleared his throat. "Friends are good, but have you considered finding something more? Dating would be beneficial to your socialization."

Cradling Lashell Taliserra slowly stood up and took her into the bedroom before returning, she went to fetch a tea from her replicator. "I don't know..." She told him.

"Sometimes, the best healing is to commiserate with someone romantically or platonically," he said with a small smirk. "Whichever Debbie is...or could be is out of my control."

"I can't dump a load of emotional baggage onto someone like that, especially Debbie." Careful not to spill her tea Taliserra sat back down on her sofa.

"Can't or won't?" Deepak countered. "If you are too afraid of letting someone in, unloading all of your issues and ghosts on them, then you will condemn yourself to a very lonely life."

"Both, and there's Lashell too," Taliserra said, she knew they were heading into the 'self doubting and raised voices' part of their discussions but couldn't help it. "I don't think many would want an emotionally scarred woman who is a single mother to a 18 month old child."

Deepak gestured dismissively. "No, not with that attitude and mentality. You deserve someone, and that someone would be very fortunate to become involved with you and Lashell's life."

"Assuming I don't scare them off by having an incident right infront of them and curl up into a ball screaming with terror and crying as soon as they get close to me." Taliserra said, while she hadn't had one for a while she'd so far not let herself get into a situation where it could happen.

"Date a counselor," he said teasingly though he wasn't putting himself forward. "Or find someone who has or is dealing with a similar experience as you. Someone with a bit of even ground to you could be beneficial."

Taliserra laughed somewhat sarcastically "Find someone equally as messed up as me so we can be messed up together."

Deepak scoffed. "You are such a poet," he replied sarcastically. "However, you are not wrong in what I am suggesting. It is a bit risky and has the potential to be explosive, but if it works...it would work well."

"I would call that very risky," Taliserra said after sipping her tea "and difficult, especially if they're like me and don't want to let people know we're.... having problems."

"What was that?" he said as if he could not hear her. "I'm sorry Captain...I..trouble..my end" he clearly was having a bit of fun at her expense. "Find you a date you said? Of course! I would be happy to. Deepak out."

"That's not...." Taliserra started to say when the screen turned black for a moment before the starfleet logo reappeared on the screen. "You bastard."

OFF:

Captain Taliserra Tigran
Commanding Officer

Dr. Deepak El-Azar
Chief Counselor

 

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