Chief Counselor's Log 001

Posted on 30 Aug 2016 @ 1:45am by Lieutenant JG Jonas Flynn PsyD

843 words; about a 4 minute read

Chief Counselor's Personal Log, Stardate 67966.8

It's been a week since I've joined the crew of the Federation Starship Galileo, and it's been a fairly remarkable one. Not only because of the distress call we received this morning - I'll get to that in a minute - but also because I believe this has been one of the busiest weeks I've ever had in my career as a counselor. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. The mix of new arrivals and backed up appointments, seasoned with a couple of emergency sessions, has helped me get to know several of the crew in a very short matter of time. Having Dora on board was an unexpected but extremely welcome surprise, and she has certainly been handling her fair share of the caseload. While I cannot in good conscience say we are 'caught up', we are much farther along than we would be thanks to the hard work of my staff.

So, that's where things stand professionally. Personally? I think I might be on the way to building some new friendships, and at the very least, friendly acquaintances. The best news on that front - again, besides Dora - has got to be my quarters. For a ship this size, they are far more comfortable than I would have imagined. The word luxurious comes to mind, especially in relation to the queen sized bed. I repeat, Queen. Sized. Bed. I've never slept on anything so large, and I'm actually having some trouble trying to figure out how to decorate, or at least arrange the space. I actually feel a little guilty, with some of the crew practically packed in like sardines. But not too guilty...

I suppose I should mention the day's big news, which admittedly might have excited me a bit more than most of the others on board. We are on our way to the Paulson Nebula right now in response to a distress call from the SS Recluse. Yep, The Recluse.

I couldn't believe it when I heard, but apparently we were able to confirm the transponder signal. I spent my entire life hearing stories about this ship. I even grew up on the same class of freighter! To actually be a part of the crew that finds it after all these years...

Of course no one really knows what to expect, and if they've been in the nebula this entire time, the chances of finding survivors are not good. I've been refreshing myself on what to expect from extreme isolation just in case, but its been hard to focus as my mind flits from one theory to the next on how the ship ended up where we expect to find it. Of all the rumors and speculation I heard growing up, getting lost in the nebula had been a possibility but a boring one. Especially when each new threat encountered by the Federation could be made to answer the question. For the longest time it was believed Recluse had fallen victim to an advance scout of Borg, a theory which held up until the Dominion War when somehow the Founders had been behind it in some nefarious plot to infiltrate the Alpha Quadrant years before formal contact had been made. When Voyager returned, many believed that Recluse had been an early abductee of the Caretaker. But now we're actually going to find out the truth! Here's hoping I don't come off as a first year cadet when we actually find it.

One last thing before I turn in - Brax. I've had the pleasure of getting to know our Chief Science Officer pretty well this past week, and he is someone that I feel I can already consider a friend. However, according to his medical records, he endured some kind of trauma the last time he was in the Paulson Nebula. While our friendship is off to a solid start, our relationship as counselor and client is in its infancy, and I'm not entirely sure we're at the point in which I can bring this up directly without shattering the trust we've built so far. Whatever happened there needs to be addressed, but it needs to be addressed on Brax's terms, when he's ready to do so. I'm afraid this search-and-rescue might force some things to the surface sooner than they should be forced. But at the same time, we all must face our demons, and most people are not able to choose the time and place.

At present, I feel it best to give Brax the benefit of the doubt, and let him face our destination head on. I'll be keeping a close eye on him just in case, so I don't feel it necessary to speak with the Admiral or any of the other members of the command staff at this time. If circumstances change, I'll take the needed action. Until then, we all have our jobs to do.

Computer, end log.

RSS Feed