Posted by Captain Jonathan McBride (CO, USS Centurion) in Plaza Exchange- Sounding Boards

Posted by Lieutenant Séan Iven (Counselor) in Plaza Exchange- Sounding Boards

Posted by Captain Jonathan McBride (CO, USS Centurion) in Plaza Exchange- Sounding Boards
Posted by… suppressed (16) by the Post Ghost! 👻
He chose a different spot than the last time, but then again, Jonathan was attempting to try as many different places as possible on Oed. It was quite the feat, all told.

Today’s pick was a small 10-table pop-up place serving rotisserie chicken with a wide variety of seasoning types and swath of sides. He had messaged Séan and asked to meet outside of the Complex in a professional capacity regarding some personal stuff. They settled on lunch and he was in uniform.

He picked this place because it was new to him, but also since he wasn’t a regular unless he saw someone he knew, or there were other Starfleet personnel dining here, he would be able to go mostly unnoticed.

He ordered a couple waters and sat at a table in a corner where he felt like he could have a quiet conversation and waited for Iven

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Séan arrived ten minutes later than the agreed upon time and slightly out of breath. It took him a second to spot the Captain in the corner before he approached with a short hand gesture and an apologetic look. “My apologies Captain.” He said as he took a seat opposite the other man. “My last session before lunch ran over time and it was difficult to disentangle myself.” He reached for his water and took a sip before he asked. “How have you been since last we talked?”

Counselor Iven

“No worries, I know how it is,” Jonathan said in his typical relaxed manner. But then he sighed. “As for how I’ve been, I would say pretty good given the chaos that seems to show up at every turn around here.” McBride snorted. “I don’t know how to contextualize everything some days. Objectively, things are good.”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Séan nodded sympathetically. His own recent experiences had been far outside the norm. Though it really begs the question; what really is normal in Starfleet? His musing was interrupted as a server approached their table to take food orders. “I would love to go with three thighs, the greenbeans with bacon, sweet buttered rolls, mac n cheese with brisket, and a sweet tea please.”

Counselor Iven

“I’ll have the herb-basted quarter of a chicken, with the garlic mashed potatoes, lemon green beans and a plate of garlic toast. Plus a lemonade, thanks,” Jonathan said to the server.

Alone again, McBride folded his arms over the edge of the table. “So, I bet you are wondering why I called you out here.”

Taking a deep breath, Jonathan gazed at the table before looking at Séan again. “I feel like a duck some days. On the surface everything is calm and under control, but underwater I’m kicking furiously. And it’s not just the unique challenges that Oed and my position here bring. I have stuff going on in my personal life and I was able to keep it compartmentalized, but it’s getting harder.”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Séan nodded as he focused on Jonathan during the explanation. “I can understand how that can get harder. Keeping a facet of yourself separate from the rest tends to complicate things when they start to bleed over.”

Counselor Iven

He nodded slowly. “And as much as I want to know my senior staff better, it’s been hard to have time for us to do so. Those that have stuck around, anyway. I have to admit, I’m missing my starship days. At least, regardless of the size of your crew, you were essentially all in the same place consistently and you got to know each other just through the daily interactions. I can’t say I get the same opportunities and even when we’re all in meetings, there’s just so much going on right now there isn’t time or energy. And I need my team to have the downtime they need to be at their best.” Jonathan shrugged. “It’s just left me in that unenviable position of watching from the sidelines. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I realized yesterday when I snapped at Lieutenant Watts, Dasca’s aide-de-camp, that I needed to talk to someone. Fortunately she was good about it. I apologized and she made a comment about everyone needing a way to vent lately and that she didn’t take it personally because she knew it wasn’t directed at her.”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Séan nodded again with a smile. “Sounds like you both handled it like adults after the initial faux pas. No harm no foul as they say. What was it that caused the outburst at Lt Watts?”

Counselor Iven

He shook his head, more out of frustration. “I’m behind on a couple things. Report stuff. Which right now, with all the extra scrutiny on Oed and our Starfleet presence here, means other people will notice any little thing that isn’t perfect. And it’s my fault for not getting those reports done on time, but I had something personal come up that took my attention that last few evenings. Family stuff,” Jonathan said with a sigh.

“Do you have siblings?”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Séan resisted the urge to nod along as Jonathan went into further detail. He did however shake his head at the question posed to him. “No, I’m an only child. That could change if my dad ever settles down and remarries but I’d be surprised if he did honestly.”

Counselor Iven

Jonathan nodded. “I have a sister, but we’re estranged. More like she’s estranged herself from the whole family. Her birthday was this week and my mother was taking it rather hard. She has some medical issues and my father was really worried about my declining mental health complicated the physical stuff. I tried to reassure both of them and be there for them, but it’s hard being almost 40 light years away. I can go visit them if I need to, but it’s not a weekend jaunt and right now I just can’t get away. Certainly not until the initial negotiations with the Vren are complete and we have an idea about how everything will proceed.”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

OOC: Go ahead and correct me if I get this wrong.

Their server arrived with the food, and after a nod of thanks, Séan took a drink of his sweet tea. It gave him a chance to collect his thoughts and wet his throat. “Your father is worried about your mental health complicating the physical stuff? What physical stuff do you have going on?”

Counselor Iven

Jonathan waved his hand. “Sorry, my error. I meant to say my father was worried about my mother’s mental health adding to her physical issues. And then in turn I worry about them both. I’ve been fortunate to not have had too many times when personal issues got in the way of my work, but right now is about the worst possible time. It’s distracting me in a way I can’t afford to be.”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

Séan nodded as Jonathan corrected himself. “Ah okay. That makes more sense.”

He ate some of his food as the explanation continued. He paused to ask a pertinent question. “What have you used to cope with your personal ‘issues’ affecting your work in the past?”

Counselor Iven

Jonathan cut into his chicken and popped a bite into his mouth, stealing time to think while he chewed. “Well, before I was the captain of a starship, so when the usual downtime activities didn’t work, I’d take a shuttle out and do some stunt flying. With a co-pilot, of course, for safety, but when you’re guiding a vessel manually in space that fast, you don’t have time to think about anything else but what is happening right there in that moment. It gives me an adrenaline rush that’s hard to compete with and usually I feel relaxed afterwards.”

He stabbed a green bean and cleared his throat. “Other things that helped got more difficult after I became a CO and I was everyone’s boss. Some people are more lax about fraternization with subordinates, and I trusted my crew to be adults, but I couldn’t go there myself.” He arched his brows for added emphasis. “So it’s been awhile.”

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

“It can be hard to be friends with those under your command. Especially when you need to be the figure of authority and keep certain boundaries maintained.” Séan agreed then took a drink of his tea before he continued. “As for ways to blow off steam, I’m guessing simulating stunt piloting in a holodeck won’t achieve the same sort of adrenaline rush you’re looking for. What’s stopping you from taking a shuttle out for a spin when you need to let off steam?”

Counselor Iven

McBride snorted, nearly choking on a green bean. He took a sip of his lemonade. “I might have pips and I’m sure people would be fine with it, but there are a lot more people who have to be brought in to things. You can’t just fly a vessel around here willy nilly, especially with the Vren here. Everything is locked down tight in this system, especially after Jones was killed. I’m too visible here Séan. It would be ill-advised risk to take when I’m the CO of twenty to twenty-five thousand personnel. Right now, more than anything, its the timing. When things calm down a bit, sure, I probably can, so long as the CCDA will play nice, but it’s likely going to be awhile. So I’m stuck with more pedestrian activities,” he said, stabbing another green bean with more force than was necessary.

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

“Is there no legitimate reason you could use to take a shuttle out? Inspection of the Centurion, patrol of the space around Oed, or a wargame to keep the readiness of your crew up?” Séan asked in return. “If nothing else including your crew in an activity that could release tension for not just you but also them would be beneficial I would say. The number of patients coming in has almost doubled since the whole diplomatic endeavour started and more still since the death of Jones. Something seems poised on overflowing emotionally and a controlled venting is much preferable to an explosion.”

Counselor Iven

Jonathan twirled his fork and pointed it at Iven. “You’re not wrong, and maybe there is something to be said for a little organized chaos. When we went on our shakedown cruise, Dasca and I had a plan. But this time maybe we do go into the Kuiper belt and blow up a few asteroids,” he said with a smirk and a one-shouldered shrug. “But unfortunately, that won’t solve the issue on your end for more than those assigned to the Centurion.” It also wasn’t quite the same for him as a pilot, but it was something that was hard to put into words.

Captain McBride, Starfleet CO

“Well my ‘problem’ is something for me and the department to worry about. Like you said however that will ease the tension, somewhat anyway, of nearly twenty-five thousand persons.” Séan pointed at Jonathan with his own fork. “These Starfleet members are the bulk of who we see with some community outreach. Not everyone wants to see a counselor or trusts the Federation.”

He savored a few bites of brisket before he continued. “Either way I do recommend some form of outlet for as many Starfleet people as possible and since you’ve sought me out I definitely recommend it for you.”

Counselor Iven