A Change of Focus

Posted on Tuesday February 6th, 2024 @ 9:27am by Crewman Eradaar Ezazzan & Commander Kanaka Shakura

1,555 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Grand Tour: Part Two
Location: USS Poseidon; Corridor Meeting
Timeline: Before Departure from Tellar
Tags: 2396, Character Development

[ON]

Following the events above Tellar, Eradaar had never realized the capability she had for empathy. She had purposefully gone out of her way to reassure her fellow crewmen and cadets of the situation and even kept them appraised of updates. It had been a stressful time for all. However things were coming to a head and she felt compelled to continue her training under Lieutenant Kord - one half because he was a fellow Gorn whom she was growing to like and respect and the other half because she didn't know where else to go. As she rounded a corner on her way to Engineering, she bumped into someone. So lost in her thoughts she was surprised when she turned to apologize to see the Chief Counsellor.

"Oh! I'm so- Oh my! Commander!" Eradaar said, flustering in a Gornish way with brightened scales near her neck. "I am so sorry!"

Had Kana not firmly found her feet as soon as she collided with Eradaar, she would certainly have found herself planted to the floor. Caught by surprise by the collision, she quickly collected herself and maintained a patient grace as she straightened her jacket. "That's quite alright..." As she turned, she had to look up to see her interlocutors face. To add to her surprise, it turned out to be one of the Poseidon's Gorn crewmen, whom Kana knew by name purely due to how few there were.

"Ah, Crewman Ezazzan." Kana turned her body completely as she resumed her natural resting posture, with one hand held behind her back. "There's no need to apologise, though I do recommend taking greater care when walking so close to the wall when coming round the corner..." She paused briefly. "...though I am also guilty in this situation, so let's say we're even. Just, try and give us short folks a fairer chance next time." She cracked a smile with the intent of alleviating the crewman's embarrassment for colliding with a superior officer.

"Are you holding up alright?" The Chief Counsellor asked, almost reflexively.

Eradaar let loose a rather feminine, if reptilian, giggle. It was oddly sounding, throaty, but the definition and volume were correct. She corrected her posture and gingerly moved a step back to give her superior officer her space. Collecting herself and straightening her uniform, the Gorn gave a sigh at the question asked.

"I... suppose, though I admit recent events are weighing heavily on me," she said. Eradaar was rather articulate for a Gorn, moreso than Lazarus, and demonstrated it well. That also meant that she expressed emotions far better, those emotions including visible distress and sadness, though admittedly not severe. "Lieutenant Kord had volunteered to be my mentor in Engineering and around the time we were supposed to conduct our third walkthrough to demonstrate my learned skills, the accident happened. Now he's in sickbay and ... and well, I've found myself more often than not doing what you do with other cadets. I've become a sort of therapist for a few, and a listener for more. Normally this would distress me, anxiety and all, but .... but well, Commander, I am finding I may actually be apt at it."

Her toeclaws tapped the flooring. However carpeted it was, they still tacked metal as they did.

"I'm not... I'm not sure I may be on the right path," Eradaar said, looking away briefly. "Now I'm confused. That was why I wasn't paying attention. Apologies again, Commander."

Kana patiently listened to the young Gorn as she opened up. Truth was that the Chief Counsellor clearly already sensed her anxiety and sadness in light of recent events, as she could feel throughout most of the ship, though she noticed that Eradaar seemed to be handling it better than most of her same peers in the younger percentile of the ships crew. She nodded reassuringly when Lieutenant Kord was mentioned, as it was clear the young Crewman was naturally rather attached to him.

When the Gorn confided that she wasn't sure whether her current path was the correct one, the Chief Counsellor gave the silence a few brief seconds to settle to allow the point to rest, before responding. "You're young, Crewman. It's OK to be unsure; your posting here on the Poseidon affords you the freedom to explore which paths are the right ones for you, and it's certainly not out of the ordinary for even the most seasoned of Starfleet officers to change their station over the course of service. That's growth."

She smiled up at Eradaar, before continuing. "You mentioned that you've been supporting your peers, which I'm glad to hear. How have you been finding that? Does it feel natural to you?"

"It does," Eradaar admitted, reassured that the Chief Counsellor gave her undivided attention despite the impromptu start of the conversation. "I did a little research in Counselling, actually. I wasn't sure about it and, honestly, I wanted to talk to Laz- erm.. Lieutenant Kord about it. He's been a big part of my confidence boost and has helped me immensely. My parents even seem to like him. But um..."

She looked around the slightly busy corridor. Any cadets or crew going about politely ignored them or gave some manner of recognition with a wave or greeting. She sighed as she looked back to Kanaka.

"But... now that you're here...I suppose it's right I ask for your opinion?" Eradaar asked.

Kana was polite enough not to show any noticeable reaction when Eradaar almost addressed a superior officer by his first name, or made allusion to her parents having met him. She had been around long enough to know what that signified, and while it was a bit of a grey area as far as Starfleet was concerned, she was willing to be more forgiving about it due to how rare it was for both Eradaar and Lazarus to have each other in this setting. It was only natural, after all.

What got more of a noticeable reaction from the Chief Counsellor was the Gorn's consideration of Counselling as a potential career path. It was a pleasant, almost excited thought that came across her face. She was always keen to have new students, and Eradaar on first encounter did seem like someone who had put in a considerable amount of thought into what she was doing. Furthermore, everything she had heard from the other cadets who had found solace in the Crewman's company all showed potential.

"Well..." Kana pondered for a moment. "The Poseidon is certainly your best chance to try out new things. I can tell you now, that Counselling is certainly a different toolset from something like Engineering. True enough, there is a degree of common method - analytical thinking, patience, trial and error - but the blueprints of the mind are nowhere near as complete as the blueprints of a starship, and there's only so much common wiring between different systems."

The Counsellor allowed those words to hang for a moment, before continuing. "And, I suppose, we have very different philosophies on fixing things. For an Engineer, something is either functional or it is broken. But for the psyche, we are always evolving and growing. There is never a 'complete' or 'default' state. When someone comes to us seeking restoration, we must guide them to see that there will always be some things that are lost, but that does not mean that in their absence a new thing cannot take it's place. What do you say to that?"

Eradaar pondered for a moment. She then nodded after scratching her snout with a talon.

"With your permission ... and perhaps assistance? ... I'd like to transfer divisions if that's okay. I'm sure Lieutenant Kord would understand, as would my parents, but they're typically very supportive anyway," the Crewman said. "I want to get this right as soon as possible so my future career has the doors open I want to be open. I could be an Engineer, true, but a lot of my family are engineers. I thought about it. Not many Ezazzan's are Counselors. It would be a great honor for my Clan to have at least one lead the way in this life-path."

There was an awkward silence then, before the Gorn glanced around then back at Kana. "Please?" she asked.

"Well..." Kana thought on it for a moment, before nodding enthusiastically. "I don't see any reason why we can't give it a shot. I'll put in the transfer order with Lieutenant Commander Williams and the Captain; once things are settled, you'll receive your new orders and rota. In the meantime, perhaps you should visit Lieutenant Kord and let him know of your decision?"

"I think I will, thank you Commander!" the Gorn replied, almost leaving, but turning to lean and gently hug Kanaka. She gave a shy glance, then left promptly, visibly more happy than before.

The Commander was caught a little off-guard by the Crewman's hug, but gladly accepted it. Giving her a light pat on the back of her shoulder as she left, Kana watched them leave with a tinge of excitement and satisfaction at the recruitment of a new pupil.

[OFF]

Crewman Eradaar Ezazzan
Engineering Officer
USS Poseidon

&

Cmdr. Kanaka "Kana" Shakura
Chief Counsellor
U.S.S. Poseidon

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