A Quiet Word

Posted on Wed Jun 23rd, 2021 @ 3:36pm by Captain Abigail Laurens & Lieutenant Veznia MD PSyD

Mission: Pathstone to History
Location: Conference Room

"Alright, you all know what what needs to be done, so go do it. Lieutenant Veznia, if you aren't busy I'd appreciate a moment of your time?" Abigail asked, looking up at the Denobulan counsellor, motioning for her to take a seat closer. "I promise I won't keep you long."

Veznia began silently cursing herself as she stood and made her way to the indicated chair. “I am so so so sorry I was late ma’am. I assure you it probably won’t happen again.” She sat and faced the Commanding Officer, waiting for a response or a reprimand.

Abigail offered a smile, a small smile, but a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's quite okay," she said softly. "I understand that sometimes it's difficult adjusting to new ships, new schedules, especially moving to a ship like this one." She paused for a few moments, leaning back in her seat, studying the ridges around the Denobulan's face. "I actually wanted to speak to you about the crew," she finally confessed.

Veznia's face broke into a wide Denobulan grin. Relief poured over her. "What about the crew?" she asked. Deep down she was regretting not having read the dossiers on the Astraea's previous mission profiles. It was on her to-do list, she just hadn't gotten around to it as of yet.

"I'd like you to schedule evaluations, especially with our senior staff," Abigail replied quietly. "With the destruction of the previous ship and then the sudden reassignment to the Delta Quadrant, I just want to make sure everyone is in a good state of mind. "

The Denobulan's smile receded. She nodded her understanding. "Were there any particular concerns?" She asked, attempting to assign discretion to her words.

Abigail paused momentarily, drumming fingers of one hand on the table, watching her fingernails as they moved. "Start with Commander Morgan," she finally said quietly. "I'm concerned about his well being. He took the destruction of the ship hard, especially given the loss of lives. I think he takes it especially personally, that he thinks he should have been able to save them." She sighed softly, leaning back, running her fingers through her hair. "I think he's the one most immediately in need of review."

There was a small part of Abigail that loathed the fact that she had even uttered those words, that she was somehow betraying someone who trusted her by 'selling them out' to the counselor. "I just want to know that he's okay," she finally added quietly.

Veznia pursed her lips and nodded. "I can certainly make him a priority." She said. "I'm glad you brought this to me personally Captain. Was there anything you wanted to talk about?"

Abigail paused for a moment, contemplating. Was there anything she wanted to talk about? Such a loaded question. So many possible responses, so many things she could say, but she knew if she started speaking now, chances were she would never stop and she needed the counselors attention to be on the crew, not on her. Instead she forced a smile, a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes as she shook her head. "No, I just need to know that the crew are okay. That is my priority at this point."

Veznia's voice betrayed her careful handling of the situation. "My priority is making sure everyone is okay. and that includes you, Captain." She paused and puffed her face slightly. "It must be hard for any Commanding Officer to lose her ship like that."

"The ship..." Abigail shook her head. "It is a thing, a structure." She paused momentarily and then sighed. "It's the loss of crew that hurts. The loss of lives. The questioning whether or not the right decision was made. What could have been done differently? What choice was it that led to that outcome? That cost the lives." For the briefest of moments she saw Charlotte's face as she lay in the Ts'usugi sickbay. She could almost feel the Engineer's hand in hers, her own fingers curling ever so slightly by instinct.

Quickly she shook her head. "The crew are the ones that have lost the most, they are my primary concern. They are who I want you to focus on."

Veznia nodded her understanding, but couldn't help but notice a particular haunted look that the Captain betrayed for the briefest of moments. "I can start scheduling evaluations starting tomorrow. What time slot would you prefer ma'am?"

"Once the Dalacari negotiations are finished," Abigail replied easily. "I have enough on my plate for right now." She offered a faint smile. "Now, if there's nothing else you need from me, you have a job to do and I have a puzzle to solve."

Placing her hands on her knees, Veznia let out an involuntary groan as she stood. Her face contorted into a wide Denobulan smile. "Thank you Captain. I'll be sure to pencil you in as soon as we're done with the Dalacari." She winked, and turned to leave the room.

Abigail gave a distracted nod before she turned her attention back to the PaDD on the desk in front of her, leaving the Counselor to depart. She had more than enough to focus on without worrying about someone trying to get into her head, especially now. She needed to focus.