"Feeling Stressed"

Posted on Friday July 24th, 2020 @ 12:51pm by Commander Kanaka Shakura

1,186 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Shakedown Cruise
Location: U.S.S. Poseidon; Counsellor's Office, Deck 6
Timeline: Day 001 - 1020 Hours
Tags: Post-Departure, Post-Fighter Incident, Counselling

[ON]

Neteri had finished going over the flight simulations of her pilots and some needed improvement. Sighing, she stood up and stretched trying to get the kinks out of her back. "Damned chairs! Always messed with my back since the explosion", Neteri said to Lt. Hanson. Hanson was her lead pilot in her flight training. Her record spoke for itself, 145 kills, no losses. She should prove to be a good flight leader very soon.

Her com panel went off making her jump slightly. "Neteri here, what happened now?", she asked.

"Well boss the last pilot to do his qualification.....well.....", he suddenly fell silent.

Neteri, tired already, was short on patience, "Well out with it....Damn it!", she barked.

"Well he kinda destroyed the simulation and the program boss", came the reply.

"Oh my GOD! That is the third one this week. Oh damn it, just repair the damn thing and put his name on the soon to be washed out list! Neteri out!", she said, her fist coming down hard on the desk. Between the simulations, training flights, and the possible washout's the stress was eating at her. She needed to talk to someone, anyone, and she took off for her friend Kana.

Stopping in front of Kana's office she hit the chime and waited.

Kana had just gotten back from the Science Labs as she had introduced Lieutenant Serine to Ensign Finnegan when she heard the chime go off at her door. Slightly surprised, as she had no scheduled appointments for at least another hour, she quickly set about putting away the PADD she was reading before calling in her mystery guest. "Come!" she called out clearly.

Neteri's face said it all as she walked in. The stress showed and lack of sleep also showed. Instead of going to medical for help in sleeping, she did not and her mind was exhausted allowing for past memories to surface again.

"I know I look like shit and I feel like shit but between the stress and lack of sleep, I am losing my mind. The memories are beginning to surface again. I keep getting these flashbacks of past missions. Missions where I have lost pilots. I can't keep going on like this. I need to find......", she suddenly stopped and she started to cry.

The temporarily bewildered Counsellor looked on as the Starfighter Group Commander verbally spilled out in front of her, before breaking down in tears. Kana felt a tinge of sadness for her fellow Betazoid as it was clearly evident - and understandably so - that she was still feeling quite raw in the wake of what had happened to Lieutenant Pavan. Walking around her desk, she approached Neteri and placed her arms firmly on the woman's shoulders. "Calm, Lieutenant, calm. Deep breaths. Follow my breathing."

She then spent the next few moments guiding Neteri through her breathing, trying to get her to slow down and focus. Kana waited until she had calmed her breathing before moving any further. "How much have you slept since yesterday? Are you having nightmares?"

"Very little, an hour or two here and there. As for nightmares...yes. I don't want to sleep...I'm scared to sleep. I know I need to sleep but how do I get some sleep if these nightmares keep popping up", Neteri cried. "How do I keep my position, teach my cadets how fly their missions, if I can't get any sleep?", she added wiping the tears away. Now she was scared that this would ground her for sure. Trying to contain her emotions, she did a piss poor job simply because the counsellor was also Betazoid as well....

Kana looked on with sadness conveyed in her eyes as her fellow Betazoid crumpled under the weight of her own emotions. Taking her over to the seats she often used for counselling, she sat Neteri down but instead of sitting across decided to instead kneel in front of her. Taking her hand, she squeezed it gently as she talked her through. "Alright...alright. There are a number of things we can consider: I'm sure Lieutenant T'vek can, for a start, prescribe medicines to ease your anxieties about sleep. Aside from that, though, I think perhaps we can consider some joint meditation through telepathy, so that I may perhaps help you make sense of the nightmares and thoughts you've been having?"

"I am willing to try anything to keep me sane. I need to get a handle on this Kana. I don't want to be grounded or relieved from duty. I'm missing a piece of my heart in all this as well. How do I cope with all this?" Neteri pleaded with Kana. Suddenly Neteri realised she was on a first name basis with the counsellor, which was a breach of protocol, "Oh....oh Counsellor......I'm so sorry....I've been calling you by your first name", she said starting to cry again. Neteri was really an emotional mess and she knew it. Yet she remembered a phrase she had been told years ago, the first step in getting a grip on your problems is to ask for help, and she was doing just that.

"During these meetings, I will forgive it, Neteri." Kana tried to reassure the grief-stricken ace. "During our counselling sessions I want you to focus on our relationship as that of a patient to their therapist. We can leave our ranks at the door; so long as you are comfortable with picking them up again once we leave." While she did her best to be compassionate, Kana had to also ensure - for both her safety and Neteri's - that they maintained a professional boundary. Yet there was of course no denying that she had somewhat of a personal stake in this, witnessing the plight of a fellow Betazoid.

She had been through that once and been unable to help; that would not happen again.

"So..." Kana sought to bring the conversation back to the matter at hand, "Are we agreed on the immediate plan going forward? You and I will meditate together going forward to address these visions you're having, and you will go and see T'vek about your sleeping problem?"

"Yes Kana....I mean counsellor, very much so. I will go see T'vek about the sleep issue, and straight away" Neteri said smiling. Her talks with Kana always helped her and she felt comfortable around her.

The Chief Counsellor gave Neteri a warm smile and an affirmative nod. "Very good. I'll arrange for my Aide to contact you soon about setting up a regular counselling session. Keep me abreast of how things go in the meantime." She made her way to her desk and started making the first few arrangements.

Neteri got up and made her way to the door turning again, "Again thank you counsellor for taking the time to help me." Breathing a little bit easier, Neteri walked out of Kana's office with a smile on her face.

[OFF]

Lt. Cmdr. Neteri "Ikran" Shannon
CAG
USS Poseidon

&

Cmdr. Kanaka "Kana" Shakura
XO [2XO in-post] & Chief Counsellor
USS Poseidon

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