The Council of Counsellors: Part 1/2

Posted on Wed May 20th, 2026 @ 5:22pm by Petty Officer 2nd Class Khlynt Medan & Lieutenant B'Lakkam Slichez & Petty Officer 1st Class Ember Locksley & Civilian Verity Thorne

1,697 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Prologue: To Boldly Go
Location: Counselling Office
Timeline: En Route

ON:

After having met with the Captain, XO, and Chief Medical Officer, B'Lakkam headed to the counseling department to get a sense of his surroundings. Unfortunately, they appeared quite stark. There was not anything in his office and he was going to have to figure out how to decorate it in a way that revealed nothing about his full past and yet made people comfortable. It was a bit of a precarious task, but this is something he asked for, was it not?

Well, that was of little consequence at the moment. He decided that he needed to figure out what the Captain and XO alluded to regarding the pressures on the counseling department. So, he looked up his staff and called on comm, =^= This is Lieutenant B'Lakkam Slichez, the new Chief Counselor. Would everyone from counseling and any chaplains come and meet with me in the meeting room in 30 minutes, please? =^=

"Acknowledged," Ember's response was to the point but delivered with a light, warm tone. She was in the middle of a personnel file, making notes in preparation for an upcoming evaluation, but she had plenty of time. Besides, she was curious about their new chief. The counselling department might not be run in as much of a military style as others on the ship, but a chief still had a good deal of influence throughout the team.

"Looking forward to it," the Chaplain's response came a moment or two later, slightly breathless. He was finishing up his physio, still in need after the long illness that had seen him checked in to Starfleet Medical. Thirty minutes would give him time to rest, hydrate and change before meeting the Chief Counsellor.

"Of course," Khlynt's voice was calm, a hint of curiosity lacing it. In his quarters, off duty, he put down the crystal glass and stood, moving to get dressed into something...a little bit more appropriate than a robe.


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Counselling Offices
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B'Lakkam stood around the long side of an oval table. He did not want to be at the head. That might seem to dictatorial and he wanted everyone to feel much more at home and to express their concerns. After all, he viewed this as a team effort. He would sit when he met everyone, but for now, he wanted to be available to shake hands, bow, or whatever anyone else might do upon their greeting. Sitting would make that more difficult.

Ember slid her hands into her pockets as she moved into the meeting room, a slight smile on her features. She wore her uniform, seeing as she'd been called to a meeting, but it wasn't unusual for her to conduct one-to-one sessions with crew in civilian clothing. She found it...useful. Her long, dark red hair had been twisted into a loose bun and she had a PADD tucked under her arm, just in case she needed to take notes. She nodded to the new Chief, her smile widening at seeing him. "A pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant. Ember Locksley."

Blue eyes B'Lakkam noticed rather interested. I wonder if it is a silent requirement to have blue eyes on this ship. The Captain has them. The commander has them. Now, this Ember has them. Interesting, especially considering that for humans blue is a recessive gene. He gave her a secretive smile, as he considered his own thoughts. "Please, no need to be so formal with me here. Just call me B'Lakkam. It is a pleasure to meet you, as well. I cannot wait to learn more about you and the rest of the team. Make yourself comfortable. If you need to replicate anything to eat or drink, feel free to do so."

"Hm...maybe a coffee, just in case..." Ember chuckled on her way to replicate a cup. In her previous life in the hospital, she'd survived more than just a few nights on nothing but coffee, gum and dark humour.

Counsellor Khlynt Medan did not wear his uniform as he walked into the room. Instead, he wore charcoal trousers with a matching waistcoat and a dusky purple shirt with careful embroideries around the collar and cuffs. A dark purple and teal scarf completed it, carefully draped over his neck and his greying hair was carefully combed. The El Aurian looked almost secretly pleased as he gave Locksley a nod before he looked at their new Chief. Ah. A Blue Orion. How very unusual. "I am Khlynt Medan," he introduced himself, with a polite little smile touching his lips.

"Nice to meet you, Khlynt Medan," B'Lakkam responded easily. Khlynt looked old and yet he was a petty officer second class. There had to be an interesting story there. B'Lakkam could almost taste it. Secrets to pry were just part of the fun of being a counselor and there was some history here. Now, however, was not the time to explore it. "Should I call you 'Khlynt,' 'Medan,' Or something else? Please feel free to call me B'Lakkam and do make yourself comfortable. Please replicate anything you desire to eat or drink, should you desire it."

Khlynt gave a polite smile, inclining his head slightly. "I am sure either will serve well, depending on situation," he said smoothly, before he moved to the replicator. He replicated some iced water with a slice of Betazoid pear, for tartness with a hint of sweet. Turning, he observed his new Chief at the table before he walked over.

B'Lakkam watched as the mysterious man moved to the replicator. B'Lakkam continued to be intrigued by Khlynt as he walked with a quiet confidence that did not match his rank. What was his story? Why would he not commit to a name? So many questions. "I believe that the chaplain is the only person missing at this point, correct?"

"Ensign Eridani is currently in their sleep cycle but you are correct that the chaplain is the only one awake who is not here," Khlynt sipped his drink before he pulled out a chair and sat down, his posture relaxed as he looked over at Ember. "He will be here shortly. Mister Thorne is a civilian, unlike us. He may have a different...time table."

"I see," B'Lakkam noted thoughtfully. That could both be useful and problematic. Would a civilian be willing to listen? Would he try to undermine him? Stop that Orion thinking! This is the Federation! That's unlikely! They just needed to get on the same page and at least be introduced. "Well, if he does not arrive shortly, then we can talk amongst ourselves. I will have to meet Ensign Eridani when they wake."

It was only a moment or two later before the doors opened to allow Verity in. He wore simple civilian clothing; black slacks with a black shirt, and he'd paused long enough to style his dark hair neatly back into place. "Hi," he lifted his hand in greeting before heading to a seat at seeing the others already there and waiting. He sighed softly at being able to take his weight off his feet, already feeling a touch of fatigue. "I'm Verity. Verity Thorne."

"Good to meet you, Verity." B'Lakkam noticed the sigh and asked, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, thank you," Verity glanced around the group before deciding he should probably be honest with his team. "I...recently recovered from an illness. This is my first posting back on duty. I'm fine, I just have a few lingering aches. I can still work though, and I'm very much looking forward to it," he assured.

"Alright," B'Lakkam replied, deciding to take Verity at his word. "I am glad to hear that you have recovered from your illness, because as I hear it, we're going to need your assistance."

He looked over the ecclectic group and said, "As I've introduced myself, already, my name is B'Lakkam Slichez. Please, just call me B'Lakkam. I am the new Chief, but I would hope that we could work more collaboratively together, after all, we are here for the crew, are we not?" He allowed the rhetorical question sit in the air for a few seconds before continuing, "So, while I have your names, perhaps you could tell me about yourselves, your specialties, and what you perceive the crew has been through over since the ship went into service. I hear that you all have been a bit stretched. Is that accurate?"

"More...waiting for full compliment to arrive and the usual comings and goings of staff in the run up to launch," Ember nodded as she chuckled, getting a little more comfortable as she crossed her legs. "But...most people seemed excited to be involved in a launch, from what I've seen at least. And the more experienced ones are mostly taking it in their stride. I think the real tell will be once we've arrived for our first mission. It's always...a little testing working with a new team for the first time, no matter how experienced you might be."

B'Lakkam nodded at Ember's statements, waiting for others to chime in. At this moment, he found it particularly interesting that Ember's name was the human word for smouldering fire, or a fire that was dying. Why would anyone give that name to a child? That was a conversation for later, perhaps.

Khlynt sipped his water, looking at Ember with a small smile as he placed the glass down. "And as it is an entire ship of new teams, there has been...some interesting conversations," he said with a glance over at B'Lakkam. "Nothing to worry over yet. Just a lot of people wanting this to go well."

"Yes, most people are all bright eyed and bushy tailed at the moment," Verity agreed with a soft chuckle, arching an eyebrow as he looked around the small group. "A few grey hairs from having to fix some last minute problems, but they got the job done."

TBC:

Lieutenant B'Lakkam Slichez
Chief Counselor
USS Fenrir

Dr. Ember Locksley
Counsellor
USS Fenrir
(PNPC Blake)

Verity Thorne
Chaplain
USS Fenrir
(PNPC Blake)

PO2 Khlynt Medan
Counsellor
USS Fenrir
(PNPC Hanlon)

 

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