Posted by Lieutenant Commander Stephen Stous (XO) in Counselor’s Office - Meeting the CNS

Posted by Lieutenant Siennadye Nox (Counselor) in Counselor’s Office - Meeting the CNS

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Stephen Stous (XO) in Counselor’s Office - Meeting the CNS
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<snip>
She watched him enter, taking in his pace and general demeanor as he approached her. Sienna automatically reached up a hand to give him the firm handshake he was requesting with the extension of his own. “The pleasure is mine Lieutenant Commander Stous. I am often in the Arboretum of the Europa on my day off. It is a very peaceful space and a great place to people watch. Won’t you join me for lunch? The lounge is a very nice place to, and I am there for meals a lot but we are passing by a binary star today and it is giving off a beautiful light through the windows I wish to take advantage of.”

Nox, CNS

Stephen’s eyes widened slightly as Nox spoke. “Oh, I - I’m sorry to disturb you on your day off, I hadn’t noticed on the duty schedule. But yes, I’d love to join if it’s no trouble.” He sat down beside her, eyes moving to the windows across from them. “What star system are we passing? I’m not up-to-date on our heading just yet.”

~ Stephen Stous - XO

She smiled warmly. “It is no trouble. When you said you were on your way, I made sure to accommodate another person’s appetite. I enjoy company.”

Sienna turned and looked at the view of space offered by the windows. “I believe this is System 500227886Beta. The stars are quite dim compared to say… the Earth’s sun so the light is just very pleasant. I do love traveling through the stars. My parent’s think I am rather crazy. They much prefer their feet on solid ground with an atmosphere over their heads.”

Nox, CNS

“My parents were…” he hesitated, picking his words carefully, “…of a similar vein. But I’ve always enjoyed the variety out here. Keeps the boring times tolerable.”

He squinted out the window, reaching down to retrieve an apple slice as he did so. “That system, the name suggests it’s a dual-M-class. Any idea if there’re any planets?” He stuck the apple slice into his mouth, quickly realized it was too big to take in one bite, and slid it partway back out of his mouth as he bit it in half, trying to keep his face from turning red as he did so.

~ Stephen Stous - XO

She nibbled on a sandwich triangle and pretended not to notice his too big bite. Used to giving people the space to feel their feelings while not looking like she was watching, she simply ate and tried to remember what was in this system. “I think there are, but I am not an astrophysicist. Give me biological life forms or mysterious ailments either physical or psychological and I am your girl… planets… not so much. This is your first time as an XO?”

Nox, CNS

“Yep. First time in a command position, actually. It was quite a surprise to get the assignment, but the change is more than welcome.” He finished the apple slice and reached for a piece of cheese. “Weird to be delegating the busywork, though. Busywork was always my specialty.”

Stous took a short pause, allowing himself to gaze out the window. He would have to study the local stellar landscape later that night in preparation for his morning shift. He hoped the system before them did indeed contain a planet or two - something unique in the otherwise typical star system. “Not to be forward, but I know this is far from your first assignment. Anything you’d care to share from your… travels?”

~ Stephen Stous - XO

She smiled though there was an edge of sadness to it. “Well I started out as a medical doctor. A battle doctor. Ran a field hospital during the Dominion War. After that, I saw the mental stress of those who had fought in those battles and decided to change to Psychology and Psychiatry. I have seen many people with many scars. Then I got ripped from my home and my husband so here I am in this place doing what I can to find a sort of life here.”

Nox, CNS

OOC: Welcome back! Hope things are going a little better on your end, or at least as much better as they can be.

IC:
Stephen had read much of that information in Nox’s file, but to hear it straight from her was still something to behold. It was quite humbling, really, especially for newly-minted senior officer with almost no combat experience.

“I can’t imagine. As good a reason to make a career change as I’ve ever come across. I hope your life here’s been rewarding, at least.” He paused, figuring out how best to say what he wanted to say without being terribly awkward. “Many officers I’ve known see counseling appointments as a chore, which I’ve never understood. I always saw them as a way to look at myself as impartially as I could.”

~ Stephen Stous - XO

“Oh yes. The work here on the Europa has been quite challenging. By the time I was assigned here, the Europa has not had a counselor for quite a few years. They had been through many traumatizing events and had not had anyone here to treat or work through that stress. They had not had much in the way of vacation time or morale boosters. I believe I have done good work here thus far and intend to continue to do so.”

He frowned, wondering how such a lapse in personnel could’ve slipped through the cracks. Something to fix if you ever make it that high up, he thought.

She smiled softly, all to aware of that sentiment. “I can say I think I have helped many a person here to look upon appointments with me with more respect and interest than a chore. I strive to keep my work unique to the person and their needs. You will find that the Europa has an incredible crew. They are all quite passionate about their jobs. They work fairly well together as a crew and handle extraordinary circumstances with valor and determination. As a first assignment, this could either be the best or the worst for you.”

Nox, CNS

Despite his excitement, Stephen didn’t want to risk upsetting the Counselor with any more questions pertaining to her former life in another universe. At least, not yet, he thought. “I’ve seen some of that already. Lieutenant Abrams seems to just… well, have it all figured out, really. And Dvorak is just another animal. I look forward to seeing how we all interact in mission circumstances, whether good or worst.”

He gazed again out the window, the binary system slowly passing them by. “Forgive me if I’ve asked already, but do you have any questions about me? My life, experience… anything, really. I like to be transparent on a basic level, and your Counselorship makes that all the more normal.

~ Stephen Stous - XO

She shrugged and then started shuffling around, pulling out grapes and cheese. “Well, people tell me a lot more without words usually, but I suppose a question I could ask is how do you feel about not really having been belonged to one particular department? Most people have one they belonged to exclusively and it creates a sort of family feel. But from your job duty descriptions, I would say you didn’t have that sort of relationship with Engineering crew. Am I right?”

Nox, CNS