Getting It Done

Posted on Sun Jun 21st, 2020 @ 8:46am by Captain Nycolas Temple & Lieutenant Mera Richmond MD
Edited on on Tue Jul 7th, 2020 @ 1:51pm

Mission: Into the Wild
Location: Counselor's Office

A Mission Post by Captain Nycolas Temple & Lieutenant Mera Richmond MD
Mission: Into The Wild
Location: Counselor's Office
Timeline:
Mon Jan 1st, 2018 @ 6:27am


ON:

As if dealing with Mendazians and Ravagers weren't troubling enough, Captain Temple had a pressing and confusing crew matter that he was desperate to resolve. Like many others on the ship, Nyx was appalled by Lieutenant K'Laus actions against Lieutenant Mindo; it represented a serious breach in protocol and trust that would take time to heal. But Nyx was also learning very quickly that time was not on their side - he needed to deal with the matter and move on to solving their other problems.

After their family Christmas morning, Nyx had waved goodbye to Emilie and Katrine as they went off on their field trip. Then, he presented himself to Counsellor Richmond's office, with the intention of finding out what exactly they could do about Lieutenant K'Laus. Nyx pressed the chime to Mera's door and waited with a heavy knot in his stomach.

Counselor Mera sat on the couch staring out the bay window into space. A soft electronic song from decades past replaced the silence as a titanic debate waged in her head. The actions of Lieutenant K’Laus were extremely troubling, and the Klingon’s career in Starfleet hinged on her report. She had been in this situation a dozen times before, but this time it was different. She was alone here. There were no senior counselors to garner advice from; no panel of old doctors with the clout to defend her when she made an unpopular decision. She would have to come face-to-face with the Captain with her report, and she was petrified.

The chime of the door brought her back to her office. “Come in.” she shouted as she stood, throwing her long, black hair into a low messy bun.

Entering, Nyx gave his formal greetings and followed Lieutenant Richmond to her seating area, where he sat pensively on the edge of the Counsellor's couch.

"Let me get straight to it," Nyx began, "The situation with Lieutenant K'Laus needs to be resolved and I'm keen for us to move on from the matter."

"I couldn't agree more. There is far too much at stake for this distraction to stretch on any longer." Mera folded her fingers together. "We need to ensure that we maintain a trusting and ordered environment so that outbursts like this don't become a pattern."

"Absolutely," Nyx replied with confidence, "I'm satisfied with the Security department's response to the incident, as well as your presence on the scene. While I expected there to be personality conflicts between the crew during such a long tour, I hadn't expected this. And yet, I feel it was handled efficiently and effectively."

"Yes, I can't picture Lieutenant Griffin handling it any other way." she said with a short chuckle. "Unfortunately, that's only the beginning. Has Security offered a recommendation on what to do with Lieutenant K'Laus?"

"Not as yet," Nyx answered, "But as K'Laus isn't an ongoing threat to the crew, I would assume they would defer to our judgement. What matters now is ensuring that K'Laus has the tools available to deal with his issues without effecting the crew, as well as ensuring everyone involved can learn to move on from the situation."

"That's where my concerns lie, Captain." Mera looked down at her hands, straightening the sleeve of her uniform to release nervous energy before summoning the courage to start again. "I have no doubt that Lieutenant K'Laus can learn to control his emotions with a bit of training, but I don't know if the crew will welcome him back so easily. I don't doubt their professionalism, but they watched an officer lose control and nearly murder a senior officer - drunk no less. I fear that this will intimidate the crew on a subconscious level."

Nyx nodded as he contemplated the Counsellor's warning, "That's certainly something I don't want to happen. I like K'Laus as an officer but I'm not going to risk the well-being of the rest of the crew just for him. However, I suppose it's more my Security background talking here, but we can't let singular incidents control our lives. There needs to be a point where we say, 'let's move on', and this is a prime opportunity to teach the crew how to put the mission ahead of personal feelings. I think that's a healthy thing to do."

"I agree with what you say about the crew," she said with a nod, "but this isn't a singular incident for K'laus. He has been dealing with this for a long time. Silent as all sorts of hormones and instincts wreak havoc on his ego." Mera put her open palm on her PADD. "The outburst in Engineering was just the dam of frustrations finally bursting. For his sake, I cannot recommend anything other than his temporary reassignment to a Starfleet
psychiatric clinic. The younger crewmen will just have to make due with the examples set by their senior officers."

Nyx was taken aback by the statement and he had to stare at the Counsellor for a moment to digest it. He cleared his throat, "Don't you think that's a bit extreme? From what I have seen from K'Laus, he shows true remorse and a genuine commitment to make amends. In my judgement, that shows he's in a much better mental state now."

"Yes, he found an outlet." she said, nodding her head. "But what happens next time some one doesn't reciprocate his feelings or inadvertently takes something he believes is his? He needs the tools to deal wit these realities because they will definitely happen at some point in our mission. I think that sending him away temporarily will yield quicker results than I can achieve alone. I don' t mean to be argumentative, Captain, but I am not comfortable making any other recommendation."

Nyx sighed and stood, deciding to pace around the room a bit to see if he could find a way forward. He wasn't much of negotiator; he liked to find a plan and stick to it. If he though a plan would work then that's what they just decided to do. He frowned as he looked at the Counsellor, knowing that she was only doing her job but that her recommendation would cause significant delays to his ship's operations.

He shrugged, "I am prepared to give K'Laus a suspension from active duties for the time being, with the undertaking that he enrols in counselling sessions. We are expecting another member of the counselling staff, she could certainly help in that regard. But he will remain on the ship and once he successfully completes the course, at your approval, he will return to duties." The Captain gave a shrug, "That is the position I wish to take and I hope you will support that decision."

Mera stared down at her hands and bit her lip. She was uncomfortable. All of her experience told her that keeping K'Laus aboard was a safety risk, but she understood the Captain's practical response. She had dealt with several commanders who hadn't been nearly as reasonable. Still - she needed to make her opinion known.

"I cannot fully back that decision, Commander, but perhaps with additional staff we can provide the dedicated treatment that he will need. I am not going to force him away, but when we return to Federation space I hope that you would consider granting him extended leave before he rejoin the crew."

Nyx folded his arms across his chest, “I appreciate your candour, Counsellor, and will take your recommendations under advisement. If we can agree that we won’t be forcing K’Laus off the ship, and that he could return to full active duty in the future - then I believe we should make this our official decision and move on. I will write up the paperwork and give K’Laus the news.”

"I have no other option than to be honest, Captain, but thank you for understanding my position. Hopefully it won't be so difficult to compromise in the future." she said softly.

“Very well.” Nyx replied before giving a sigh, “Thank you for your time, Doctor.”

"Thank you, Captain."


------OOC------
Nate: Is that other writer you mentioned a few weeks ago still looking to take the Counselor position? If not, the I will just keep it as I think the others will find the change really confusing. By the way, I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I don't have much of an excuse other than I just didn't realize how long it had been since I responded. I won't let it happen again.

AJ: No worries, whatever you're happy to do. There's no reason you can't be Counselor and a research psychologist as well. Did you still want to proceed with Nyx pressuring Mera to keep K'Laus onboard? Also, K'Laus just got back to me on our JP, so I haven't really talked to him yet. I will continue as if I had because I doubt that it will really change anything.

Nate: Alright. I'll stay with counselor and we can step into research when it feels more natural. I definitely want to continue with the pressuring/disagreeing. Is 100% in her character to want to me sent off.