Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Chandel (Chief Diplomatic Officer) in Counsellor’s Office - Boarding Evaluation

Posted by Captain Benjamin Gillespie (Incoming Commanding Officer) in Counsellor’s Office - Boarding Evaluation

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Chandel (Chief Diplomatic Officer) in Counsellor’s Office - Boarding Evaluation
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
After his physical evaluation, Ben headed for the Counsellor’s office for his boarding evaluation. Only then would he be in a position to take take over command from the Officer in Charge.

He expected that the Counsellor would have checked Ben’s Service Record and already be aware of the incident on the promenade that had led to his transfer away from the Outpost as an ensign. That said, the subject came up at each of his evaluations. It was still a topic that was uncomfortable for Ben to talk about. It was his past. Everyone was in agreement that he had done the right thing, but it is not what most would have done. If Ben had done what most would have, his life and career would have been so very different, maybe even better, but who knew?

‘I am not my father,’ Ben said to himself as he gathered his thoughts, focused on the moment and rang the chime…

-Ben

“Come.” Came the deep contralto voice from within as the doors whooshed open at her command. The new CO would immediately see the office which was furnished in the deep rich tones of a planet’s autumn. The carpet was deep rich burnt orange and the colors were reflected in the various prints on the walls which were of planetary nature themes. The Counselors desk and official chairs immediately faced the entry doors but off to the side and inset by a drop of several steps was a sitting area that were all in autumn tones of brown and orange as well.
The carpretry continued down the stairs into this area as well. There was a long plush couch and several plush arm chairs with a Vulcan sand garden table in the middle. The table had a wide flat ledge around the outside where items could be set. There were a few padds there and a cup of coffee as the Captain would see the Counselor rising from the couch and coming around the low table to greet him.
“Captain Gillespie. A pleasure to meet you, sir.” She said as she walked forward, offering her hand to shake if he wished it. Chandel was an ebony skinned El Aurian with her rich dark hair down up in corn braids and under a richly brown scarf that matched her robe. A flash of her bright white teeth showed when she smiled in greeting. “Please, come in and join me. I saw you at your arrival but thought our meeting could wait until now.”

Counselor Chandel

“The pleasure would be mine if this were a social call,” Ben replied, “I am here now for my boarding evaluation before I formally take up command. What kind of example would I be setting for the crew if I didn’t follow the rules?”

-Ben

“Indeed.” Chandel said with a twinkle in her eye. “Can I get you a drink before we get started?” She asked as she indicated the sitting area and let him choose a place first.

Counselor Chandel

“Coffee would be grand,” Ben replied, “The Romulan replicators do their best to produce decent coffee, but it just isn’t the same. You k now what I mean?”

-Ben

“Absolutely,” Chandel said with a mischievous smile as she ordered two coffees from the replicator and brought one to the Captain and then took her own seat.”Fortunately the coffee here is very good. Almost too good as I find myself drinking quite a bit of it.” She added with a laugh as she waited for Ben to get settled with his own coffee.

“Well I’m glad you approve of my programming skills - Assuming the core replicator database wasn’t purged during the refit,” Ben said and sipped his coffee. The familiar bitterness of the blend reminded him of home almost putting him at ease.

“Did you request this position, Captain?” She finally asked as her opening question.

Counselor Chandel

“To be honest. No,” Ben replied as he took a seat, “I never expected to ever be posted back here, but I would never turn it down. Almost all of my pre-command experience has been at outposts, starbases and groundside. Perhaps that is why I’ve only ever been a caretaker of ships.”

Ben sipped his coffee, “Stabases are more like small cities than starships.”

-Ben

“I have found that as well!” Chandel said with a wide smile.”This is my first starbase as all my postings have always been aboard ship and I was raised aboard a freighter. So this is a first for me and I have been very much struck by how similar it is to an actual village or city. It is a very interesting atmosphere that I find interesting. Do crew tend to serve longer at bases then ships do you think?” She asked curiously.

Counselor Chandel

“Crews tend to get closer on a ship, because some missions are months or even years long,” Ben said, “But I’d say that crews tend to serve shorter periods on Starbases. Many do not get the buzz of travelling to new and wonderous places when their workbase simply sits in orbit.”

-Ben