A Heart to Heart

Posted on Sun Mar 24th, 2024 @ 5:00pm by Lieutenant T'Pralik & Commander Kevin Lance

Mission: Thunderdome
Location: USS Chuck Norris
Timeline: Current

on:
{Captain's Ready Room, Deck One}

Kevin was sitting in one of the guest chairs in the Captain’s Ready Room awaiting the arrival of Lieutenant T'Pralik. He had asked Mira for permission to use the room as he felt the conversation required some privacy but not the intimacy of the Executive Officer's quarters. She had readily agreed.

The chime for the Ready Room's door sounded. Kevin stood and said, "Enter."

T'Pralik, still a little shaken from the last mission, quietly entered. "Hello, Lieutenant Commander." she said, keeping her tone neutral.

Kevin adopted a friendly continance just short of a smile. "Thank you for coming, Counsellor, " he said indicating the other guest chair, "Please have a seat."

T'Pralik sat but remained non-committal.

"I was wanting to check in with you," Kevin began, "It seemed like you were shaken by our action against Grendaas."

"Yes." she replied.

As the commander stayed silent, awaiting a more through answer, she continued "I wasn't expecting that to happen. It all just happened so fast, and I kind of, freaked out I guess. I don't think it'll happen again commander."

"What won't happen again?" Kevin asked, "A life or death situation? Or you getting 'freaked out'?"

T'Pralik blushed slightly, answering "Well, hopefully neither, although knowing this is Starfleet, the latter mainly. Although I have thought of maybe asking the Captain if I could be transferred to just working on the Starbase."

Kevin's eyes narrowed. There wasn't any environmental reason for the Vulcan to blush. It must have been a physiological reaction to emotion. Was she Romulan or only half Vulcan? "Hope is not a method, Lieutenant. And dangerous missions are our coin of the realm as it were. If you only 'hope' that you won't freak out then perhaps you should speak to the Captain about transferring."

There was something about Kevin that was making T'Pralik feel a little nervous, as if she was being told off in primary school. "Y-Yes, maybe. I’m simply not sure yet how I can best serve starfleet."

Kevin looked at his PADD and confirmed what he had suspected. A direct commission to full Lieutenant. Recognition of advanced skills with higher rank was all fine and good but the lack of seasoning as an Ensign was often telling.

He looked back at the counsellor, fidgeting in her chair, and asked, "What are your strengths? Tell me something that your service record doesn't. "

"Well, I like to think of myself as multifaceted. I can serve starfleet in any way it requires me to."

It was an unhelpful answer, one that told Kevin nothing. "Any way except combat," he observed, "Lieutenant, this crew need to operate like a highly lubricated mechanical-electronic component. Everyone has their function and must perform that function to the highest degree. If any part fails, the whole component fails. And in our line of work, failure costs people their lives. I need to how far I can trust you."

"As you have said, as far as combat, I am trustworthy." T'Pralik began to slowly rise up from her seat. This conversation was going nowhere.

Kevin sensed the futility as well. For someone whose job depended on the openness, the Counsellor was extremely tight-lipped about herself. "Thank you for your time, Counsellor," he said.

:off

Lieutenant Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

and

Lieutenant T'Pralik
Counsellor
USS Chuck Norris