Posted by Lieutenant Bryson Kale (Psychiatrist) in Dome Hotel and Conference Center - Lounge

Posted by Civilian Caitlyn Dillon (Director, The House Sanctuary) in Dome Hotel and Conference Center - Lounge

Posted by Lieutenant Bryson Kale (Psychiatrist) in Dome Hotel and Conference Center - Lounge
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The hum of quiet conversation filled the Dome Hotel’s lounge — a mix of travelers in civilian dress, a few uniformed Starfleet officers on shore leave, and the occasional dignitary with a small security detail seated at a discreet distance. The lighting was warm, a deliberate contrast to the glass-and-steel geometry of the Commercial District just outside.

Bryson Kale had claimed a table near the wide curved window overlooking the plaza. Beyond the glass, the evening light caught on the water features and scattered through the motion of pedestrians threading their way between restaurants and shops. It was the first stretch of unhurried observation he’d had since stepping off the shuttle two days ago.

A half-empty mug of Tarkalean tea sat on the table beside his padd, its steam long since faded. The padd’s display cycled slowly through a map of Oed City — not the tactical or political overlays he’d been given in his Starfleet orientation packet, but something more mundane: cafés, walking routes, bookshops. Places that might help turn a temporary posting into something that felt like a home.

He’d told himself the hotel stay was practical — his assigned apartment in the Medical Residences was still being prepared — but there was a kind of anonymity here he found unexpectedly useful. The flow of guests meant he could sit unnoticed when he wanted, and strike up conversation when the opportunity seemed right.

Tonight, the lounge was in that in-between stage — not empty, but not yet at its evening peak. Which meant there was space for a new arrival to choose their own level of company.

Bryson glanced up as a server passed, the question forming almost automatically: “Another tea? Or maybe something stronger to welcome the evening?”

“I think I’ll switch gears,” he said, his tone even but warm. “A Saurian brandy, neat.”

The server nodded, disappearing toward the bar.

He leaned back in his chair, letting his gaze wander again over the room. It was the kind of drink that invited lingering — and maybe, if the evening decided to lean that way, conversation.

Bryson Kale, PhD ∆
Psychiatrist

Ashran was an older Andorian. He wore simple clothes, but carried himself like the lethal Andorian soldier he used to be. It never left you. He sat at the bar nursing an ale. These days he didn’t do this type of thing, he had a whole team. But he felt this particular piece of information warranted his particular attention to verify. He was watching the crowd, the interactions, but his attention was caught on one man who seemed to be studying the crowd as intently as he was. The other man was relaxed as he watched everything around him. Was he curious or was he looking for something specific?

Ashran, ex-soldier turned – ???

The glass of Saurian brandy arrived with a soft clink against the tabletop. Bryson inclined his head to the server, fingers wrapping briefly around the bowl of the glass before letting it rest untouched.

It was in that moment he felt the weight of another’s attention — not invasive, but sharp enough to be unmistakable. He let his gaze travel, unhurried, until it found the source.

An Andorian, older, seated at the bar. Civilian clothes, but nothing about his bearing suggested ease. The discipline lingered in the set of his shoulders, the way he held his drink like a man used to holding a weapon.

Bryson’s dark eyes met his across the distance. He didn’t hold the look too long, just enough to acknowledge the awareness between them. A small smile curved at the corner of his mouth — not an invitation, not a challenge, but a recognition.

And beneath the steady calm of his expression, he let his empathic sense brush outward in the way one might hold out a hand without touching. He felt the edge of vigilance there, the compressed steel of an old soldier’s habits. But threaded through it was something more layered: fatigue, a searching undertone, and the kind of solitude that no room full of voices could really dissolve.

Bryson withdrew just as easily, never prying, never pressing. Everyone had a right to their armor.

He lifted the brandy, savoring the first measured sip, the amber catching in the lounge’s soft light. Whatever came of the evening — conversation, or just a shared silence across the room — he was content to let it unfold on its own terms.

Bryson Kale, PhD
Psychiatrist

The man’s antenna waved slowly, but upright and alert. He met Kale’s gaze and lifted his ale, in a silent I see you, type of gesture.

Ashran, ex-soldier turned – ???

Bryson inclined his glass slightly in return, the movement measured, unhurried — not a toast, but the quiet acknowledgment of two watchers recognizing each other.

He let the brandy rest in his hand, swirling it once as his gaze drifted away, not to dismiss the moment but to give it space. The lounge buzzed softly around them — muted laughter, the low hum of conversation, glassware catching the light — but the exchange across the room had drawn a quiet line, a thread of awareness.

There was something in the Andorian’s gesture that carried weight beyond courtesy. A man who didn’t raise his drink unless it meant something. Bryson noted that, stored it the way he did fragments of expression or cadence in a patient — not to dissect, only to remember.

After a thoughtful sip, he leaned back, posture relaxed, and let his attention settle near the Andorian again. This time, he gave a small, open gesture with his free hand — a simple tilt, as if to say: I’m not in a hurry. If you’d like company, the seat across is yours.

Not a demand, not even an invitation spoken aloud. Just an opening.

Whatever came next, Bryson knew better than to expect it. Soldiers, like psychiatrists, chose their moments carefully.

Bryson Kale, PhD
Psychiatrist

Ashran kept his seat for a moment watching. The man was not his quarry, but was he connected? If he was, his quarry had gotten smarter. He set his cup down and tapped the counter with two finger tips. The bartender brought another glass and took the empty one. Ashran sipped it once and then stood.

The Andorian walked with a significant limp, but that seemed to make him seem more formidable rather than a weak target. He still carried the discipline and economy of movement that his time in the Andorian Imperial Guard. He slipped silently into the empty seat. He lifted his glass and drank before setting it purposely on the table. “Amazing what people give away without realizing it.”

Ashran, ex-soldier turned – ???