Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (Counsellor) in Ens Donivas CNS Checkin (Deck 11 Counseling Suites)

Posted by Ensign Khiryn Donivas (Scientist) in Ens Donivas CNS Checkin (Deck 11 Counseling Suites)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (Counsellor) in Ens Donivas CNS Checkin (Deck 11 Counseling Suites)
Posted by… suppressed (13) by the Post Ghost! 👻

Snip.

She flashed him a grin. “You were in luck that my schedule was flexible today. But we’ve had to keep things that way lately with all the crew transitions in progress currently. I’m a fan of being on a first name basis too. So, call me Janna.”

Kingston gestured with her head. “Follow me.”

Stepping through the red door, Janna’s office was a modest space rather fitting the petite woman. She didn’t go to great lengths to decorate, but it was definitely more than the standard grey furniture and carpet. On the wall above the couch was an image of an ocean scene that could be almost anywhere and the standard grey slim arm chairs had been replaced with softer larger armchairs in a dark blue that looked inviting to curl up into. On top of the standard carpet, the sitting area was covered in a plush rug in different shades of blues that matched the ocean in the photo. On the other side of the room where she mostly worked, there was a tall leafy plant near her desk and a single silver photo frame on the corner of the desk where she could easily see it when she worked at the computer terminal. Overall, the place was warm but practical and uncluttered- much like Janna.

Khiryn followed Janna into the office and took in the décor. Some counselors seemed to go out of their way to make their offices seem homey and welcoming, but it always felt like they were trying to hard to set the tone that it felt artificial.

That wasn’t the case with Janna’s almost spartan furnishings. Understated, but not impersonal. That suited the young Science Officer just fine. He was not a fan of clutter, neither the physical nor mental varieties.

“Can I get you anything to eat or drink? I could use a coffee myself,” Janna asked, gesturing to the sitting area for him to sit.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

“I’ll take a Janaran tea, thank you.” Khiryn glanced around and and selected one end of the couch to sit on. The armchairs looked comfortable… almost too comfortable. Years of collaborating with stuffy academics had ingrained the habit of not wanting to lounge while working. He acknowledged the counseling sessions were supposed to be somewhat informal, but this was a mandatory requirement. That made it feel a bit more formal than the average session.

“Janaran tea it is,” she said moving over to the replicator and ordering their drinks.

“Have you been onboard the Athena long, Janna?” Khiryn asked. It was both to fill the silence and perhaps learn a bit more about his new ship and crewmates.

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

She paused and pivoted at the hip, gazing over at him, her grass green eyes going wide. “Wow, it is, isn’t it? Huh,” she said, her face shifting into a smirk before she turned back to the replicator and picked up their drinks.

Ensign Donivas quirked an eyebrow again while she was turned away. That was a rather odd response to a question about how long she’d been onboard.

“It’ll be ten years this year. Feels like twenty, some days, which is lot unusual on this ship,” she said with a throaty chuckle.

Ten years is a long time. He thought, suddenly worried about his plan to earn promotions while onboard and make up for lost time.

She walked over to the table, set the drinks down and took up the arm chair closest to him and the couch. Janna lifted the coffee to her lips and took a brief moment to pause and simply enjoy the sip as it passed through her mouth. The warmth of it never ceased to be soothing.

Khirin took his cup as well, breathing in the aroma as he waited for it to cool. The replicator’s default settings always made it a little to hot for his preference.

Coffee in hand, she settled back in her chair, though she had angled her body so she was more directly facing him. “What about you? I’ve had had the briefest of skims of your file , so I get to learn everything from you directly. Tell me about your last posting and how you came to be on the Athena.”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

“My last post was pretty much intensive shipboard familiarization out of Starbase 157.” He grimaced slightly. “To make up for four yours as a principle research assistant on a handful of projects. This is my first fleet position.”

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

She nodded and took a sip of her coffee. “What do you anticipate being the biggest challenges as you settle into this new setting?” She could think of many but everyone coped differently and Janna tried to never assume anything about the person in front of her, letting them reveal things as they chose to, and of course the hidden things they might not even be aware they were revealing.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

The answer that came to him immediately was that he’d likely have issues with senior officers playing politics. But I’m definitely not going to say that. Khiryn leaned back and took a moment to think.

“I’ve been a principal research assistant for the last couple of years, which meant most of the information came through me. I collated reports and shared findings with different teams. I’m used to being involved in everything. So… I imagine I’ll chafe a bit at not having my hands in multiple pots. At not being able to see the big picture.” He shook his head. “I accept that I’ll need to build up my reputation onboard… I am just another Ensign that needs to prove himself… but I believe I’ll have to remind myself of that fact fairly often during the first part of my tour.”

Janna nodded, making mental notes. She didn’t like to write while in conversation, but there were times when a particular patient gave her a lot to note and it became easier to write it down in the present moment. Time would tell if she would need that here or not.

Which led into another concern… and arguably the most pressing one on the young academic’s mind. “This might seem a little selfish… but I’m behind the advancement curve for my year group… even accounting for my shift in specialty. I need… I want…” He corrected himself. “…to start earning promotions so I’ll be entrusted with greater authority. Like the ability to lead my own research projects.”

“I worry that if I am too ambitious in pursuit of that goal, I’ll alienate my peers. I need to make sure I’m balancing my own personal desires with work, and not putting myself first.” I’ve seen plenty of young scientists that operate that way… and honestly its worked out for a lot of them. Khiryn had always had a bit of distain for those individuals, but now that he was faced with a ticking clock of his own, he was worried he’d fall into similar bad habits.

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

Kingston gave a small nod and gazed at Khiryn. “So, you’re not wrong that there are often certain expectations for time served and the rank you are at. And there will be some decision makers you come across who are very particular about that promotion schedule. But I would like us to challenge that. The reality is that rank does not equate role. And you can accomplish a lot, including being given greater latitude and responsibility, even if you are a lower rank than others we perceive to be the ones who have that freedom and breadth of work.”

Khiryn nodded, feeling slightly relieved, and yet still wary.

He was well aware that he had no real experience with how the Fleet side of Starfleet actually operated. He’d been on multiple academic or scientific research teams, and had been told multiple times how ‘this’ team or ‘that’ Commander was different. Those were merely subjective assessments however… and the objective data he collected through his own experience had disproved the rather optimistic hypotheses previously offered by his peers.

If Janna was telling him there were opportunities onboard, Ensign Donivas would do his best to keep an open mind.

She tapped her chest. “Take me for example. I told you I had been here ten years. I am the same rank now that I was when I arrived. But I went from the assistant department head, to the department head. My promotion at the time didn’t include a bump in rank that I might have expected. I didn’t ask at the time because I understood that I was being recognized for my efforts and abilities by gaining more responsibility. And on this ship, with such a large crew, there can be a lot of turnover.
Had I wanted to climb the ranks faster, I could have requested a new assignment. But I chose to stay here. Can you guess why?”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Khiryn had wondered why she was still a Lt J.G. after serving for 10 years and being a fairly senior Department Head. But there there was no way I was going to ask such an invasive question after just meeting her. Instead… he thought about what she’d said.

“Self actualization, I’m assuming.” He replied after a moment’s consideration. “You are able to do the type of work you find both rewarding and fulfilling. And perhaps you like working with a team that supports and challenges you.” The Akaali sighed. “That’s all I want as well. So you’re saying I can achieve this onboard without the blind pursuit of rank?” He shook his head. “You seem to be an example that it is possible at least.”

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

She grinned. “Rank means nothing if you don’t have the experience to back it up. But perception can be a strange thing. People have all kinds of preconceptions about what they expect each role to equate to. But you are correct that I enjoy what I do. I always have, but”-she leaned forward a little, her demeanour almost conspiratorial-“I’ll tell you a little secret only some know. I didn’t want to be here. The Athena is a big ship that finds itself in a lot of unexpected and dicey situations. I had been on a medical ship that was a part of an exploratory fleet the Athena was in charge of and that suited me perfectly. But the they lost a key member of their counselling team and I was reassigned. It took awhile for me to get comfortable here, to find my place. But I’m glad I stuck it out. I’m glad I challenged myself to be a part of this ship and not just someone passing through.

“There is never a dull day here. Sometimes they are quieter and I take those when I can get them, but in general I am always challenged and in that space I get to grow. I’m not the same person I was when I first boarded, and neither will you. Who you evolve to be as you settle in here is entirely up to you and how you view the challenges. You are not the first person there o have something of a different start than the average officer. I think you’ll find there are people you can learn from and enjoy that journey if you’re open to the possibilities.” She leaned back and gave him a soft smile.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Ensign Donivas leaned back as well. I suppose I can believe that… ship duty wasn’t my first choice either. Had things with senior academics gone differently, he might be on another research project right now. He had been leery of ship life at first… but this last month had opened his eyes to the possibilities it offered.

“I… will do my best to keep my mind open.” He said finally. Khiryn would love it if Athena proved to be as ideocratic as Janna implied. He could not ignore his past experiences… but he could try to segregate those feelings from the shipboard culture for the time being. “I’ll remind myself that all I really want is to do my job and contribute to my field.” The Akaali chuckled. “I didn’t much care about rank until it became a barrier to that goal. And I have already met a few interesting people onboard.”

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena

“Tell me more,” Kingston said. “You don’t have to name names or anything, but just any of the encounters that felt notable.” Coming from such a different career space before, ship life could be a challenge. It was important that he keep himself open to what all that might look like.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

Khiryn smiled. “James Rowe. A fellow Science officer. I was on my way to check in with the CSO and the Lt roped me in to investigate some anamolous sensor readings.” He’d become so invested that it had actually consumed a huge chunk of time, leaving Ensign Donivas only a small window before he made his way to the Counseling suites.

He blushed slightly… but hoped it wasnt visible beneath his complexion. “We… actually got a little caught up in it. I just realized I’ll need to reschedule my check in with the Chief Science Officer.”

Ensign Khiryn Donivas - Science Officer - U.S.S. Athena