Counsel for Kittens
Posted on Thu Jun 30th, 2022 @ 12:23pm by Petty Officer 2nd Class Tarel Rilem & Lieutenant Njalia Sayffier
Mission:
Back Post
Location: Counseling Office
1959 words - 3.9 OF Standard Post Measure
Today's meeting would have been a typical first counseling meeting for Tarel, if it were not for the ball of yarn her cats had found while she was out on meeting. A ball of yarn she assumed was gifted to them by a certain Intelligence Chief, and one that was currently a mess of glitter, sparkles, and multiple colors all over the floor. She had plopped down on the floor while both of her little ragdolls decided to continue terrorizing the office, bouncing between batting at the yarn in her hands and the yarn strewn about. They were both covered in glitter and yarn themselves.
So, when the door opened, neither Tarel nor her two kittens noticed, not until the smaller of the two cats caught sight of person who was at the doorway. He made for under the desk, settling and staring in wide-eyed curiosity. From the floor, Tarel looked up. "Ah, Lieutenant Sayffier. Right on time! You'll have to excuse me, Kava and Jumja decided to redecorate. But please, sit." She gestured toward the various types of seats about the room. "Make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you, counselor," Njalia said while tucking away a datapad into her satchel.
"They seem friendly cats," she said, moving carefully to avoid potential dashing kittens and took a seat on the edge of a chair. "Are problems with glitter common aboard? When I met with the intelligence officer, he was having trouble with a replicator producing unasked for glitter."
Tarel's eyes narrowed. "Oh did he now?" But she brushed the thought aside, scooping up the unhidden cat in her arms. She ignored the creature's mewls as she left the mess of yarn and glitter all over the floor, sitting herself in one of the various seats. "It's nothing to worry about. Unless you think you can track down people as opposed to shipboard issues."
She gave Njalia a pleasant smile, "But you're not here for any of that. How about you tell me a little bit about yourself, and how you've been settling in?"
The Andorian laughed. "Well, tracking people down aboard ship is not that difficult, we can discuss it later if you wish." She leaned forward. "Me? I am sure you read my bio, Andorian family with a tradition of serving in Starfleet. Complete the Academy with decent marks. Assigned directly to a unit travelling across Starfleet doing emergency software and hardware upgrades. It was a high-intensity, high stress posting. During an upgrade on Starbase 12, there was a malfunction, which I contained but in the process, I was almost frozen to death." She paused. "Really, it was luck it was me who discovered it, anyone else would probably have been killed."
"So, after that, I was assigned to the Vesta," Njalia continued. "Which has been challenging . . . new department head. An iceberg worth of new responsibilities for me. Fitting in with a crew that has a lot of experience together, while doing a new job." She leaned back. "I am feeling a little overwhelmed."
Tarel had the more adventurous kitten in her lap, as she sat in the cushioned seat cross-legged and listening intently. "Overwhelmed? That seems to be commonplace here. If it isn't because of all the chaos that occurs during a mission, it's whatever chaos manages to crop up between the orders. I guess when you're on a ship with such high caliber as the Vesta, it does tend to be... much."
She set the fluffy grey and white kitten down to explore the room again. Naturally, it went straight for the pile of yarn and glitter. Tarel didn't even bother swooping in this time. "I do find that reading a file only tells me what you've done. That's for the brass to read and Doctor Sorenson to skim through and see if anything caused potential medical issue. No, I find that it's better to ask. Because you're living your life. But, and do correct me if I'm wrong, if you've come from a high stress posting already, then something like this should, at least on the surface, be less stressful. So, do you have an idea of what's making it overwhelming for you?"
"Honestly, people," said Njalia. "Systems, those I understand and I am good at working with. People . . . not as much. Luckily, this is Starfleet, I can show people a problem and they are ready to try and solve it. But I am the Department Chief, I should be a leader but I feel more like a peer."
She leaned back. "We are working together well in Ops, Operations, but I am not sure if I am being an effective Chief. While I want to complete the bridge officers sequence, I am not really planning to try for command. I am happy with my programs and systems."
Giving a neutral nod, Tarel offered her patented smile. She had many a person come to her door about worries over crew, whether they were limited to the Vesta or otherwise. But, they were always valid concerns for her. People were complicated. "What makes you feel more like a peer and less like an effective chief?"
"Youth, I am younger than many of my subordinates," replies Njalia, she had obviously been thinking about this. "I still feel fresh out of the Academy even though I know on a rational level that I am not, I have a fairly wide range of experiences and have dealt with some tricky issues. But for all that, I still feel like the new kid at school." She pauses. "None of this is unique to me, I suspect, but it is still tricky to work through."
"On the general? Not a unique concern, but-" Tarel stopped when the more shy of the two cats leapt up into her lap, surprised, but it would not last long. "But that does not mean the experience is exactly cookie cutter. It simply means there are more resources out there of found and tried experiences. But I do also know that, on this ship, age is a... it's a construct here, so I can't imagine that's helped much either. Have you attempted to speak on this matter to the other department heads, or even... anyone else?"
Njalia laughed, not hysterically, but just a genuine laugh. "When has there been time? I have met with most of them, even managed to have dinner with the CMO, but actually talk about departmental business recently, no."
Tarel tilted her head to one side. "There's never time for anything, but would it be something you'd be open to doing? Because if so, it might be something you should make time for."
Njalia nods. "It certainly is something I would like to do. For interpersonal skills, I think I learn better when working from an example. Though I am not sure that I could replicate anything useful from the Mirian Department heads . . ." she trails off.
"What makes you think that?" Tarel asked coolly. While she had limited interactions with the two Miran boys, she had heard multiple comments about them. Some good, some... well, left to be reworked. If there was truly something about Jack and Nolan that was that detrimental to the Vesta, then they simply would not have been in their positions or on the vessel at all. That was how Tarel saw it. There were worse people out there for her to worry about than two Commanders getting their jobs done, no matter how unconventional they tended to be.
"I can not exactly replicate their boyish charm can I?" Njalia replied with a quirk of her antenna. "Their nature gives them a certain leeway. And while I may have a boyish figure . . ." she smiled. "They are an interesting pair, they are both exceedingly enthusiastic. And while quite different people but their are certain . . . echoes? of personality. Though that may just be a projection of mine. Though my experience with them is limited so far."
Tarel smiled at the thought. "They are something else, or so I've heard. I've only had a chance to see them in passing thus far. But maybe this is a chance to see things from another perspective. Perhaps make time to talk to one of them? I'm sure you and Commander Mantrell have something in common. It may not immediately alleviate your concern of being younger than most of your staff, but it may provide a solution for you in another manner. Or, perhaps talking to someone who is older in both mind and body may help. An opposite opinion, perhaps. Simply to see another perspective. Not that yours is wrong. It isn't at all, it's your own. But that doesn't mean stepping out of it to give yourself a break couldn't hurt."
"Time, that is the trick, everyone is so busy right now," Najalia sighed. "However, better than sitting around some distant outpost with nothing to do. Once things calm down, I will find time to meet up with all of the other section chiefs and see what I can learn."
"Oh I can facilitate that, if you'd like." Tarel pointed at her PaDD. "I may not have full capabilities to prescribe medications, but I do have the ability to strongly suggest that you take time out of your busy schedule for yourself. If you're amiable to it, I can make the recommendation to our staff physicians now."
Njalia laughed, startling the kittens. "That is a very kind offer, counselor, but no. Like most people in Starfleet I suspect, I love my work. And if there is work to be done, I want to be doing it. In fact, it is more . . . mentally taxing to me to know there is something I can help with if I am not helping." She leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "Work is relaxing, mostly, and it gives me a great sense of wellbeing knowing I am contributing to keeping the Vesta and its crew in top shape. My small contribution to Starfleet and the Federation."
"It's the little things," Tarel agreed, resting a hand on one of the cat's heads to calm it, scratching behind it's ears. "But making work your only routine, even on a ship full of workaholic mindsets, may have you losing sight of what's most important. You. Because if you are in tip top shape, not only physically, but mentally as well, then your work may benefit from that as well. Does that, perhaps, help you a little more?"
"I am more than happy to take time for myself, play games, catch up with friends, once the work has been done," Njalia says. "Once this mission is over and things are running smoothly, I look forward to relaxing. But things have to be running smoothly first. Now I am not a perfectionist or a micro-manager, I know there will always be things to be done, but many of those can be done on a simple, ordinary schedule, giving everyone time to do more fun and interesting things as well as keeping everything running properly."
"Of course." With both cats now in her lap, Tarel let out a relaxed sigh. It might not have been the most professional thing of her to do, but the small kittens had that effect on her. "Now, I'm sure you've got quite a bit to take care of. I don't want to rush you out, but would you say this is a sufficient place to start for you?"
Njalia nods. "It has given my thoughts some direction, which is good. Thank you for your time, Counselor, we will have to meet again sometime." She reached down to stroke one of the kittens, "even if only to visit the kittens."
