[Backlog] Chief Counsellor's Log - Lt. Freya Svanirsdottir / Mannerheim #02

Posted on Monday July 27th, 2020 @ 3:12pm by Commander Kanaka Shakura

505 words; about a 3 minute read

Chief Counsellor's Log, Stardate 70639.6.

I met with Lieutenant Freya Svanirsdottir - who has chosen to now go by the last name 'Mannerheim', and will be referred to as such henceforth in these logs - this morning after our successful departure this morning from Starbase 99. We started with pleasantries, and she seemed pretty pleased with how things went and that we're now finally underway; an attitude that I think she shares along with several of her peers.

I have noticed that since our first discussion after her removal from the bridge, and since the breakfast with the Commander, Lieutenant Mannerheim seems to demonstrate a renewed sense of purpose. I'm glad that she seems to be more at peace then she was a few days ago, though there is still the outstanding issue as to her origins and her relationships with those on board.

We spoke at length about her experiences of this "Mirror Universe" that she has described to me, in quite some vivid detail; quite too vivid to be chalked up to simple delirium. Again, I sense no deception in her words or her feelings. To her, all of this is very much real. This "Imperial" reality, as she also refers to it, is a very authoritarian and despotic one, where executions and death and are commonplace.

It's obvious that death has been a big part of her life from an early age. Losing her parents and brother to pirates, along with having to amputate her leg, has left her with both physical and mental scars. It's likely that she became very withdrawn after the incident, hence this reality that she has devised; but in talking, I felt her strong feelings she held towards her sister - Sora - who survived along with her. Her life, and their shared experiences, feel very real to me. She claims to have served aboard a ship called the ISS Cromwell before arriving here; I shall need to do some thorough investigation in the coming days.

For now, I've ascertained that she has decided on this current course of life as she seeks to rectify whatever errors have happened to her (and those that she witnessed) in her life so far. Despite the tyranny she has clearly experienced, the sense of order and of duty mean a lot to her, and she has found it here in Starfleet. I will try and use her work and our missions going forward as a framing device to explore her deeper feelings and purposes.

Lastly, she seems to deny herself the hope of ever reconnecting with her sister and surviving relatives, even though records show they're still alive. Though, as mentioned in my last log, she claims these are not "her" relatives. For now I will continue to suggest minimal contact, while I figure out the best way to approach possible reconciliation - if that is indeed the case.

We will be meeting fortnightly going forward.

LCdr. Kanaka "Kana" Shakura
Chief Counsellor & Second Officer
U.S.S. Poseidon

Tags: Post-Departure, Post-Fighter Incident, Freya Mannerheim, Counselling

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