Deception: The lesser part of Valour – Counselling? I do not need it! Do I? (Part 2)
by Captain Tasha Tahir (NPC) & Lieutenant Jana Kasikova
Post Details
Old:
"Great! Thank you." She smiled at the captain. "When can I book you in for your evaluation?" She asked.
New:
ON:
Zoranas' request came as a surprise to the Captain. She had not expected to be one of the first candidates. Her jaw dropped open and she was momentarily lost for words.
"Er, um. Really. me? Do I need counselling?" She said and before the woman opposite had a chance to reply she continued, "I have got free time now if you want?" She offered, pulling at her hair.
"Captain, I never said that you need counselling. I just need to know how each crew member deals with stress and traumatic events...if I find that they bottle things up or lash out during stressful situations, then of course I will recommend counselling." Zorana explained.
"Of course we can start now if you wish." She stood up and grabbed an empty PADD from her bag and sat back down across from the captain.
"Now, how would you say that you deal with the every day of being a captain?"
Tasha blew out her breath. "Now that is a question a a half!" Tasha exclaimed. She thought for a moment, looking at the PADD that Zorana was holding, knowing this would be on the record.
"If I am honest, in fact, if any Captain is honest, there is no way to express how to deal with the every day life of being in command." She shifted her weight by swinging her leg across her other. "Each day throws up a new challenge, or a series of them, and I have to calculate the best way to deal with each and every situation. This evening, I came this close to death, again." She held up her hand and displayed her finger and thumbs a gnat’s whisker apart. "Only the bravery of a security officer, who was willing to sacrifice his own life, saved mine. How would you cope with that, knowing that people will lay down their life for you?" The question rhetorical, she allowed the tears to fall again. "Sorry, its not easy being the Captain, but some of us bear our crosses on our chests, some don't." She didn't have a tissue so wiped them away with her fingers.
Zorana stood up and left the room for a moment and when she came back she handed the captain tissues. She handed the captain the tissues and sat back down taking up the PADD again.
Tasha took the paper towel with a nod and pressed it into her hand.
"It is understandable Captain, we have all dealt with the lose of a comrade, or in this case a crewmate that literally put himself in the line of fire." She sighed, she knew all of this all too well...she had lost someone too, someone close. 'Ok Zor, the captain is having problems, it is her time not yours.' She thought to herself.
"Pardon me for asking but how many attempts have been made on your life exactly?"
Tasha smile, not a joyful one, but forced. "Today? This month? This year?" Intentional or unintentional? During battle or just in the line of duty?" She fired off the mini tirade of questions, not really looking for specifics, just offering forward what was on her mind.
"Let’s keep it simple, since I took over the station, today was the first direct attempt. During the Boaoran battle, the same as everybody else on this station. Since I joined Starfleet, there have been 11 attempts, 3 whilst I worked at HQ. One was too close, had I not leant to whisper to a dear friend, then my head would not have been here now." She tapped her temple, remembering how she had heard the fizzle of phaser fire as it singed her hair and the shock that she felt that somebody wanted her dead.
Of course, she later found out the target was not her, but the now Fleet Commander of Starfleet HQ, her friend and mentor, Robert Hardy Dowel. Just a few seconds later, another phaser blast had caught him squarely in the arm, as he had reached for her, hearing the impact blast behind him. Just a few days after that, he had nearly lost the same arm when a bomb had exploded upon the steps of the HQ, which had taken her husband from her.
"But death is a part of life we have to live with." She added, shaking off the melancholy that had clouded upon her.
"Yes Captain, of course.' Zorana sighed inwardly and made notes on the PADD, she had the feeling that they were going to start talking in circles. She always hated not getting anywhere when she was trying to do an evaluation.
"Do you believe that you handle this sort of stress well or do you tend to bottle things up to the point where you can't hold the emotions in anymore?"
Without thinking, "I can handle the stress and I keep my feelings in check mostly, but occasionally, I do tend to let my emotions get the better of me. Commander Rakka can attest to that." She recalled how she nearly collapsed when the Hunter rammed a Boaoran ship.
"Have you lashed out at any of your crewmembers or friends after a stressful or traumatic event?"
Tasha shook her head. "No, never. I have reached out for support, but never lashed out in anger, not while I have been in command. When I was younger yes." She said honestly.
"Very good, and I hope that you would come to me if things started to get out of hand." She looked directly at the captain.
Tahir was not sure how to respond, she had always felt that she was capable enough to handle her emotions, it was her mouth that got her into trouble more often than her hands.
“If things get out of hand, you would probably be the last to know,” She said with a wry smile. “but thanks for the offer. May I ask you a question?” She asked, leaning forward in her seat.
Zorana was taken aback by the captain's answer and wanted to ask why but she instead replied "of course.''
"Why did you choose DS5? It’s a bit remote for a young woman." It was a personal question and though everybody had different reasons for joining, she wondered what the attraction to serve on a deep space station was. In her case, it was for all the wrong reasons.
She looked away from the captain as the tears welled in her eyes. She took a deep breath and looked back at the captain. "My father went missing in this area of space quite a few years ago, twenty to be exact. I came here hoping someone might have some information as Starfleet has the entire crew of his ship as MIA." She didn't want to also tell the captain that she left Earth again because she caught her fiancé cheating on her with her best friend and was running away from her problems, instead of facing them head on. She was a counsellor for crying out loud and a good one at that and here she was running away, telling the captain that she should come and see her if her emotions were going to take control of her. She didn't want to look at the captain and prayed that the captain didn't see that she was holding back.
It was a logical reason, better than Tasha’s though the pause for thought didn’t pass unnoticed. Tasha had come to the station to take command of a special ship, the USS Hunter, only to become embroiled in the battle for the station and at times she hated O’Dwyer for making the decision for her, to let the then XO take command of the ship. The rest as they say, is history.
“What was his ship?” She asked her tone now gentle and soothing, reversing the role.
"The St. Charles." She said.
~ St Charles ~ The name of the ship didn’t mean anything to Tasha, but she would see if she could find out anything about her. “Would you know her registry or class?” She enquired standing from the chair that had begun to feel uncomfortable.
"It was a classified ship. That was the only information I got from Starfleet. I was hoping to get information from..."
“From who?” Tasha responded to the unfinished sentence, her own interest piqued.
"Well...I guess from the less than honourable inhabitants of the starbase..." She sighed.
With that said, a call from Ops came through.
=^= "Captain, sorry to disturb you, we have an urgent docking request from Runabout Aristotle. They are badly damaged. Looks like they have taken a beating!" =^=
Tashas' eyes opened wide as she tapped her comm in response.
=^= Full safety protocols, inform Commander McCallum. Tahir out.=^=
She turned back to face Zorana.
"Well, I shall see what I can find out about the St Charles and get back to you." The Captain said, standing and smoothing down her dress. "Thank you for a most enlightening evening, counsellor. If you'll excuse?" She enquired, looking for a dismissal.
"Duty calls...Of course captain. Thank you for our...chat" She smiled.
Tasha bid the counsellor a goodnight, before heading to her quarters, thinking of Isha along with Dorian and the St Charles, Death and Riley, Petro and Rakka.
OFF:
CO: Capt Tasha Tahir
Counsellor: Lt JG Zorana Kasikova
by Captain Tasha Tahir (NPC) & Lieutenant Jana Kasikova
Post Details
| Title | Counselling? I do not need it! Do I? (Part 2) | |
| Mission | Deception: The lesser part of Valour | |
| Author(s) | Captain Tasha Tahir (NPC) & Lieutenant Jana Kasikova | |
| Posted | Sun Nov 16, 2008 @ 9:01am | |
| Location | Deck 55 - Counsellors Office | |
| Timeline | SD3 20:10 |
"Great! Thank you." She smiled at the captain. "When can I book you in for your evaluation?" She asked.
New:
ON:
Zoranas' request came as a surprise to the Captain. She had not expected to be one of the first candidates. Her jaw dropped open and she was momentarily lost for words.
"Er, um. Really. me? Do I need counselling?" She said and before the woman opposite had a chance to reply she continued, "I have got free time now if you want?" She offered, pulling at her hair.
"Captain, I never said that you need counselling. I just need to know how each crew member deals with stress and traumatic events...if I find that they bottle things up or lash out during stressful situations, then of course I will recommend counselling." Zorana explained.
"Of course we can start now if you wish." She stood up and grabbed an empty PADD from her bag and sat back down across from the captain.
"Now, how would you say that you deal with the every day of being a captain?"
Tasha blew out her breath. "Now that is a question a a half!" Tasha exclaimed. She thought for a moment, looking at the PADD that Zorana was holding, knowing this would be on the record.
"If I am honest, in fact, if any Captain is honest, there is no way to express how to deal with the every day life of being in command." She shifted her weight by swinging her leg across her other. "Each day throws up a new challenge, or a series of them, and I have to calculate the best way to deal with each and every situation. This evening, I came this close to death, again." She held up her hand and displayed her finger and thumbs a gnat’s whisker apart. "Only the bravery of a security officer, who was willing to sacrifice his own life, saved mine. How would you cope with that, knowing that people will lay down their life for you?" The question rhetorical, she allowed the tears to fall again. "Sorry, its not easy being the Captain, but some of us bear our crosses on our chests, some don't." She didn't have a tissue so wiped them away with her fingers.
Zorana stood up and left the room for a moment and when she came back she handed the captain tissues. She handed the captain the tissues and sat back down taking up the PADD again.
Tasha took the paper towel with a nod and pressed it into her hand.
"It is understandable Captain, we have all dealt with the lose of a comrade, or in this case a crewmate that literally put himself in the line of fire." She sighed, she knew all of this all too well...she had lost someone too, someone close. 'Ok Zor, the captain is having problems, it is her time not yours.' She thought to herself.
"Pardon me for asking but how many attempts have been made on your life exactly?"
Tasha smile, not a joyful one, but forced. "Today? This month? This year?" Intentional or unintentional? During battle or just in the line of duty?" She fired off the mini tirade of questions, not really looking for specifics, just offering forward what was on her mind.
"Let’s keep it simple, since I took over the station, today was the first direct attempt. During the Boaoran battle, the same as everybody else on this station. Since I joined Starfleet, there have been 11 attempts, 3 whilst I worked at HQ. One was too close, had I not leant to whisper to a dear friend, then my head would not have been here now." She tapped her temple, remembering how she had heard the fizzle of phaser fire as it singed her hair and the shock that she felt that somebody wanted her dead.
Of course, she later found out the target was not her, but the now Fleet Commander of Starfleet HQ, her friend and mentor, Robert Hardy Dowel. Just a few seconds later, another phaser blast had caught him squarely in the arm, as he had reached for her, hearing the impact blast behind him. Just a few days after that, he had nearly lost the same arm when a bomb had exploded upon the steps of the HQ, which had taken her husband from her.
"But death is a part of life we have to live with." She added, shaking off the melancholy that had clouded upon her.
"Yes Captain, of course.' Zorana sighed inwardly and made notes on the PADD, she had the feeling that they were going to start talking in circles. She always hated not getting anywhere when she was trying to do an evaluation.
"Do you believe that you handle this sort of stress well or do you tend to bottle things up to the point where you can't hold the emotions in anymore?"
Without thinking, "I can handle the stress and I keep my feelings in check mostly, but occasionally, I do tend to let my emotions get the better of me. Commander Rakka can attest to that." She recalled how she nearly collapsed when the Hunter rammed a Boaoran ship.
"Have you lashed out at any of your crewmembers or friends after a stressful or traumatic event?"
Tasha shook her head. "No, never. I have reached out for support, but never lashed out in anger, not while I have been in command. When I was younger yes." She said honestly.
"Very good, and I hope that you would come to me if things started to get out of hand." She looked directly at the captain.
Tahir was not sure how to respond, she had always felt that she was capable enough to handle her emotions, it was her mouth that got her into trouble more often than her hands.
“If things get out of hand, you would probably be the last to know,” She said with a wry smile. “but thanks for the offer. May I ask you a question?” She asked, leaning forward in her seat.
Zorana was taken aback by the captain's answer and wanted to ask why but she instead replied "of course.''
"Why did you choose DS5? It’s a bit remote for a young woman." It was a personal question and though everybody had different reasons for joining, she wondered what the attraction to serve on a deep space station was. In her case, it was for all the wrong reasons.
She looked away from the captain as the tears welled in her eyes. She took a deep breath and looked back at the captain. "My father went missing in this area of space quite a few years ago, twenty to be exact. I came here hoping someone might have some information as Starfleet has the entire crew of his ship as MIA." She didn't want to also tell the captain that she left Earth again because she caught her fiancé cheating on her with her best friend and was running away from her problems, instead of facing them head on. She was a counsellor for crying out loud and a good one at that and here she was running away, telling the captain that she should come and see her if her emotions were going to take control of her. She didn't want to look at the captain and prayed that the captain didn't see that she was holding back.
It was a logical reason, better than Tasha’s though the pause for thought didn’t pass unnoticed. Tasha had come to the station to take command of a special ship, the USS Hunter, only to become embroiled in the battle for the station and at times she hated O’Dwyer for making the decision for her, to let the then XO take command of the ship. The rest as they say, is history.
“What was his ship?” She asked her tone now gentle and soothing, reversing the role.
"The St. Charles." She said.
~ St Charles ~ The name of the ship didn’t mean anything to Tasha, but she would see if she could find out anything about her. “Would you know her registry or class?” She enquired standing from the chair that had begun to feel uncomfortable.
"It was a classified ship. That was the only information I got from Starfleet. I was hoping to get information from..."
“From who?” Tasha responded to the unfinished sentence, her own interest piqued.
"Well...I guess from the less than honourable inhabitants of the starbase..." She sighed.
With that said, a call from Ops came through.
=^= "Captain, sorry to disturb you, we have an urgent docking request from Runabout Aristotle. They are badly damaged. Looks like they have taken a beating!" =^=
Tashas' eyes opened wide as she tapped her comm in response.
=^= Full safety protocols, inform Commander McCallum. Tahir out.=^=
She turned back to face Zorana.
"Well, I shall see what I can find out about the St Charles and get back to you." The Captain said, standing and smoothing down her dress. "Thank you for a most enlightening evening, counsellor. If you'll excuse?" She enquired, looking for a dismissal.
"Duty calls...Of course captain. Thank you for our...chat" She smiled.
Tasha bid the counsellor a goodnight, before heading to her quarters, thinking of Isha along with Dorian and the St Charles, Death and Riley, Petro and Rakka.
OFF:
CO: Capt Tasha Tahir
Counsellor: Lt JG Zorana Kasikova