Blue as the Ocean

Posted on Sun Aug 9th, 2026 @ 7:24pm by Lieutenant Zoren Valyus & Lieutenant B'Lakkam Slichez
Edited on on Sun Aug 9th, 2026 @ 8:10pm

2,350 words; about a 12 minute read

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

ON: [Counselor's Office]

There was an intimacy developed with a regular care provider that had nothing to do with sex. In many ways, it could be much deeper.

A physician seen regularly would come to know you physically better than any lover. A counselor would come to know recesses of your hidden mind that even a wife might not guess at.

So it was a difficult thing when one was forced to enter treatment under a new provider. Zoren had met the notion of therapy with resistance. He'd been broken down by relentless Vulcan resolve. Then he'd confessed his greatest sin: The self-indulgence of guilt.

He'd gotten past the crisis of the moment. He was himself again. Functioning again. Well-balanced and whole. But once you realized there were cracks in your foundation, you couldn't go on ignoring them like before.

So Zoren had decided to continue seeing a Counselor to discuss his little troubles before they became big troubles. Before they could endanger anyone other than himself.

It was a strange realization. Everyone knew the body needed regular maintenance and checkups. But it was easy to forget that the mind needed this, too.

Now he was coming to see his new Counselor for the first time: Lieutenant Slichez. An Orion. That fact at least gave him some hope. If anyone could understand the yearning which sometimes troubled him, it would be an Orion man.

He touched the door chime, and when granted permission, he stepped inside.

B'Lakkam wondered who was ringing his chime. He did not remember scheduling an appointment at this hour. However, there was something that he knew: he was at the crew's disposal. With practiced ease, he called out, "Come in."

A practiced eye would see that everything in B'Lakkam's office was placed in the position and location very purposefully. The room itself had no large desk. Nothing would separate B'Lakkam from his patients. He believed this arrangement would make patients feel more comfortable, as if they were equals with him in conversation. In fact, nothing indicated where B'Lakkam would sit. The three places to sit in the room were situated in a loose semi-circle. One of them was a sturdy, wooden chair with comfortable cushions and arm rests. There was a comfortable looking, light blue couch that was soft to the touch. Then, there was a navy seat that was slightly reclined and allowed the person sitting in it to lie down if they so chose and use a half arm as a head rest. In between all three of these was a circular table with a deck of cards and some poker tokens.

The room, itself, contained no direct light. It was all diffused in a warm yellowish-white hue. The floor was made to look and feel like stone and had a matte finish. On a small table near the entrance of the room was a small statue of the Betelgeusian hero/arch-type Slichez. From the left of the entrance on the wall was a sand sculpture that moved slowly and malleably, changing its shape and designs randomly. On the right side of the entrance on the wall were several interstellar art pieces. Discretely built into them were sensor grids that registered micro expressions, vocal patterns, and other biometrics for his further study and use. At the far end of the room, there was a simulated viewscreen that showed the outside universe as the Fenrir flew.

The moment that Zoren entered, B'Lakkam paused. Subconsciously, he even took a step back from where he was standing. Deltans were another species that could take over your independent will. Caution was in order.

Putting on his best, easy smile, and forcing himself to relax, B'Lakkam said, "Welcome. I am Counselor B'Lakkam Slichez. You may call me B'Lakkam. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting today?"

Zoren usually took in the details of a room immediately upon entering it. In this case, however, there was something much more striking that drew his eye.

Slichez was blue. Not just somewhat blue. He was very nearly the deepest blue one could imagine. Like the deep reflection of a sapphire sky. It was quite striking.

Zoren had asked the computer to prepare him a quick briefing on the crew and senior officers. He had not asked for images, and so for the second time since coming aboard, someone's appearance caught him by surprise.

"Good afternoon," Zoren said, "I am Lieutenant Zoren Valyus, newly assigned Assistant Chief of Medicine here. I hope it was not inappropriate to drop in. The system calendar suggested you had an opening for walk-in patients this hour, and I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to introduce myself.

My former therapist, Doctor T'Vara, had good things to say about you. Which set me somewhat more at ease at the prospect of seeing a new Counselor."

He finally turned to look at his surroundings. The room was designed to eliminate barriers.

Perhaps it might have been better to have one, in this case.

The Counselor looked at Zoren and considered his options. As Zoren was the ACMO, he had better make himself as comfortable as he could. The two of them would be working together. "Your analysis was correct. I am available for walk in appointments at this hour."

B'Lakkam then started laughing at himself. "My goodness, I sounded like a computer, didn't I?" He straightened himself and said, "Please, make yourself comfortable. If you have come here just to meet me, then you should be comfortable. Please, take a seat. I could get you a drink or some food, if you would like. Would it be alright to address you as Zoren?"

Zoren considered the question as he took a seat. Not in the place that would allow a lie-down.

"That's probably best in this case. It seems formalities are pointless when someone is going to know your most intimate secrets, anyway."

He considered the question of food and drink. It was always a prickly starfruit. Depending on the culture, accepting such an offer might be required. Or ill-advised. Or the type of food or drink might communicate all kinds of subtle messages.

But B'Lakkam was a counselor, schooled on the customs of dozens of worlds, so Zoren decided that such a concern was probably misplaced, here. The man would not expect Zoren to know or follow whatever the intricacies of Orion custom suggested about hospitality.

"Nothing for me, thank you. Though, perhaps we can dine together at some future occasion."

He paused to consider what he'd just said. "With the other officers," he added somewhat hastily.

Deltans had their preferences, but they weren't particularly strict in adherence to them. He wouldn't want the handsome Orion man to think he was suggesting a date... as such a notion was far from inconceivable.

"I don't know if it's appropriate to comment on it, but you are the first Blue Orion I've ever met. I have a complete lack of any context. Is this part of normal color palette for your species, indicative of nothing beyond aesthetic variety, or is there a culture of Blue Orions that have deeper differences from the Green Orions I am familiar with?"

This is what he got for reading the abbreviated notes on the crew instead of the full personnel files. Hopefully the question was not touching upon a sensitivity, or perceived to be speciest.

Dine together? That was rather forward. It is likely the Deltan custom though. Keep your cool, B'Lakkam. Don't get speciest yourself. You know how you hate that. This is your own test. He's a crew member and apparently has a history where he needs assistance. You will give it to him, the best that you can. Then the question came about Blue Orions. That helped him relax and caused him to smile broadly, comfort taking hold. "Blue Orions, are no different than green ones physiologically. It is like humans and their multi-colored pallet. However, greens and blues do not care for one another. You might call it racism or competition."

Zoren would have noted that when B'Lakkam pronounced the word "Orion," his pronounciation was "OH-ree-uh," as opposed to "oh-RYE-un."

Zoren's lips puckered slightly as he considered this new information. He had met seven Orions in his life. Treated three for critical injuries. He'd held long conversations with at least two of them. Never once had the existence of another color of Orion come up. He wondered if he'd breached a taboo by mentioning it.

"Most cultures have some history of bias, on some criteria or another," Zoren said. "I think the Blue is quite striking."

That... wasn't appropriate. He quickly changed the subject.

"I do not know if my therapist forwarded my file, but I feel I should briefly acquaint you with my previous challenges. There was a mass-casualty incident on my last posting. I attempted excessive empathic analgesic treatment of critically injured personnel. This left me subject to an empathic overload event.

Doctor T'Vara helped me to come to terms with it."

He paused, reminding himself this was a getting-to-know-you meeting, not a therapy session. "Anyway, I thought we might schedule a departmental meeting on a bi-weekly basis to discuss any concerns I pick up during my treatment of patients. Things I feel you may want to address. Hints of depression. Anxiety. That sort of thing. Non-critical articles of concern that might benefit from follow-up."

His gaze lingered briefly on B'Lakkam's lips before he blinked and looked away. The blue of the man was even deeper than an Andorian's. It was almost mesmerizing.

He'd have to look up Blue Orions in the ship's library later, to be sure there wasn't anything different about them that he needed to know. B'Lakkam had said there was no physiological difference other than the color, but it could be easy to overlook something about one's own species. Often, things natural to oneself did not even occur to someone as being worthy of notice or mention.

He's scoping me. Is it curiosity? Is he homosexual? Bisexual? Or pansexual? Or something else entirely? Was this just part of Deltan mystique? Or am I just reading too much into this? I don't think that I am. He looked away after looking at my face mroe intently. There's something about me that intrigues him. No matter. Best to be friendly with everyone. You never know who you might need in the future. Lucy could depend up on him at some point, if I can find her.

"I'm pleased that you like my coloring," B'Lakkam answered easily. "It has suited me well throughout my life," he replied with a laugh. "It is just embarassing when I get confused for an Andorian who has lost their antennae...." He chuckled at his small sense of humor.

He then shifted to a slightly more professional and caring tone. "I am sorry to hear about your past troubles. I have, unfortunately, not had time to review your file yet. Even so, I would prefer to make my own observations." He shrugged as if that was the most natural answer in the world. "See, I am rather new here myself. So, I've barely had time to set up my office and meet a few people, including my own department, on the ship. The hard work will come soon enough."

Zoren smirked somewhat sheepishly, as 'Andorian' was indeed the first thought that came to mind.

Then he nodded, "I would not begrudge you the opportunity to make your own judgments. It seems we share the experience of being newcomers, here. If there's anything I can do to help you settle in, do not hesitate to mention it..."

He trailed off. He'd momentarily gotten the feeling something was bothering the counselor.

Zoren was not a counselor himself. Despite being an empath, he tried not to pay too much attention to every random impression that drifted his way. But he did try to pick up on cues that were actually communicated. B'Lakkam had just told him he hadn't really settled in, yet.

Zoren was imposing on him.

He stood up again. "Well, I have some settling in to do, myself.

I really just wanted to come by and introduce myself. I'll reach out soon to make a personal appointment schedule. My experiences with T'Vara have convinced me that it'll be useful to discuss my feelings with someone outside of myself."

He cleared his throat.

"It has been a pleasure meeting you."

Zoren began a slow retreat towards the exit.

Did I offend him in some way? Is my own discomfort with anyone that can overwhelm another's mind transmit in some way? No, I only had a momentary bobble. He seems kind enough and he needs help, so this was just an introduction. I probably am overthinking this. It is a habit after years with Betelgeusians.

"I'm quite fine," B'Lakkam assured Zoren. "There's just a great deal to do when you are setting up a department and you are three weeks behind when you get here. Did you want to set up an appointment now or when you are more sorted?"

Zoren offered up a smile as he reached the door. "Once I've got my patient schedule dialed in, I'll reach out and see if an available slot works for you. Something regular, but not too frequent. I'm not experiencing a problem at the moment, thankfully."

The door slid open, seemingly gaping in surprise at that self-assessment.

"I look forward to our next encounter," Zoren said, "Soon."

And then he slipped outside and away.

The door slid shut again behind him, and the ventilation system worked hard to clear away the awkwardness from the air.

B’Lakkam mused the encounter as Zoren left. Something felt off but what it was, the counselor could not yet say. Was it himself or was there something about the Deltan that seemed incorrect? Whatever it was, it was not getting solved at the moment.


OFF:


Lt. Zoren Valyus
Asst Chief Med Officer
USS Fenrir

&

Lieutenant B’Lakkam Slichez
Chief Counselor
USS Fenrir

 

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