S2-M3 CSI Starbase: Loss of Control

[Fala Awen]

[USS Shran, Bridge, Day 1, 0830]

Caelene stepped onto the bridge quietly and looked around. Even after damage control teams had been through, there was still a fair amount of damage and evidence of their battles with the Extinction. In fact, most of the ship still looked like it was in need of major repairs. There as a lot to be done and priorities had been assigned.

As she made her way to the center of the bridge, her eyes rested briefly on the engineering console, then swept around to take in the overly large bridge and the bridge crew. James was still in sickbay, recovering. The Trill was certain the crew felt his absence, but to their credit they performed to the best of their abilities regardless.

She'd broken the news to them the night before; when they arrived at Starbase 375, Ardyn would be leaving for the USS Discovery, Ruth was leaving for her next assignment, and both Caelene and James would be remaining on the Starbase - Starfleet Admiralty had questions for them regarding their experience with the Mirror Universe vessels. After that, there were no guarantees as to where they would end up. Caelene had been told that she would likely either be assigned to another ship or might be asked to assist Starfleet R&D with the information they gathered or with the USS Shran.

Beyond the personnel transfers, that had been the biggest shock to the crew. The Odyssey-class USS Shran was to be retired from service and returned to Starfleet R&D for additional research into the rather new class of ship. The remaining USS Shran crew would then be transferred to the brand new Sovereign class USS Shran-A, which was awaiting them at Starbase 375. It was there that they would also meet their new Commanding Officer.

The Trill had mixed feelings... On one hand, being able to work for Starfleet R&D - even for a short time - meant a chance to get back to her real love, Engineering. On the other, she would miss her crewmates and the Shran. Still, she had her orders.

Caelene's fingers trailed along the arm of the command chair until she reached the Main Viewscreen control and pressed the button. Before them was Starbase 375 - they had arrived. Looking towards the Flight Officer, she said, "Reduce speed for docking. Let's get clearance and bring the ship in, please."

---------------------------------------------------------
[Starbase  375, Awen's Temporary Quarters, Day 1, 0840]

Acting Captain Fala Awen sat at her desk in the temporary quarters she'd been assigned at Starbase 375, frowning slightly as she looked through the senior staff service records of the USS Shran. That crew would be transferred over to the USS Shran-A, which Awen had been given command of. She tucked a strand of her shoulder length dark hair behind her ear, idly brushing her d'ja pagh with a fingertip as she did. Although the Bajoran had turned down command before, Awen had decided that she was ready this time. Or so she hoped.

The ship was nearly complete and her crew was set to arrive within the next half hour when she had last checked. The Admiralty had insisted that she choose her command staff from the current crew as they were already losing the Commanding and Executive Officers they'd known. Awen nodded to herself and stood; she'd made her choices.

The terminal at her desk beeped and a notification popped up, indicating that the Odyssey-class Shran had arrived.

Awen stood, picking up the PADD she'd made her notes on, and walked out of the door. She wanted to be there to introduce herself to the crew when they arrived, announce the new command staff, and let them know they had a few days of shoreleave aboard the Starbase before the new Shran would be ready.

OFF: Tag crew!

[Kalro Zolarim]

USS Shran - Odyssey Class Starship - Counselor's Office

Calandra had been talking, but Kalro's attention was momentarily upon the window of her office.  A window where the distant form of Starbase 375 could be seen to become considerably less distant.   It was here that the Shran would make its final stop before being decommissioned and sent to Starfleet R&D.  Someone in the top brass was apparently not entirely happy with the performance of the Odyssey class vessel.

Did I kill you, too?

Perhaps it was paranoia for Kalro to think he might be at fault.  After all, it was rather unlikely that anyone of importance would take the report of a lowly green Tactical Ensign very seriously.

And yet, as he thought about the report he'd filed, he could see how it had been a harsh indictment of the ship.  Phrases from the report came to his mind, and he imagined someone at Starfleet Command reading them in his after-action report.

-----

Discounting the presence of unpredicted weapons (like the infiltrating AI programs, or the energetic superweapons developed by the Empire) the tactical effectiveness of the vessels which participated in this conflict can be measured by observing resilience against standard phaser and torpedo weaponry.  This, coupled with an evaluation of their ability to use standard weapons and tactics to impact enemy forces, paints an alarming picture.

Although the Odyssey class USS Shran was theoretically a more advanced platform than the Sovereign class Agincourt, the Agincourt proved more capable in a conventional weapons exchange.  Indeed, the arrival of the Agincourt was a tide-turner shifting the advantage far in the Shran's favor until the Extinction AI disabled the Agincourt's computer network.  It is the judgment of this Tactical Officer that the Odyssey class is severely under-performing in real world combat scenarios.  It may be desirable to re-examine this class and develop upgrades to ensure it achieves the theoretical capabilities that were suggested by pre-build simulations and wargame exercises...

-----

Suddenly, Kalro became aware of the fact that the counselor was waiting for him to answer a question.  As to what question that might be, he had no idea.

"I'm sorry, Counselor.  I became momentarily distracted when I saw that we were on final approach to Starbase 375.  I must admit that although I've only been on the ship a short while, I have some feelings of melancholy about her imminent decommissioning.  I... didn't actually hear what you said."

Speaking of tactical errors, he'd just made one.  This session was mandatory for any department head the first time they lost someone under their command.  Since Kalro had been the acting department head at the time of Briggs' death, he'd been hit with the tedious requirement.  Pointless red tape, in his opinion.  But if he didn't complete the session to the counselor's satisfaction, he wouldn't be returned to duty.

[Kachina Filitov]

[USS Shran, Bridge, Day 1, 0830]

Caelene stepped onto the bridge quietly and looked around. Even after damage control teams had been through, there was still a fair amount of damage and evidence of their battles with the Extinction. In fact, most of the ship still looked like it was in need of major repairs. There as a lot to be done and priorities had been assigned.

As she made her way to the center of the bridge, her eyes rested briefly on the engineering console, then swept around to take in the overly large bridge and the bridge crew. James was still in sickbay, recovering. The Trill was certain the crew felt his absence, but to their credit they performed to the best of their abilities regardless.

She'd broken the news to them the night before; when they arrived at Starbase 375, Ardyn would be leaving for the USS Discovery, Ruth was leaving for her next assignment, and both Caelene and James would be remaining on the Starbase - Starfleet Admiralty had questions for them regarding their experience with the Mirror Universe vessels. After that, there were no guarantees as to where they would end up. Caelene had been told that she would likely either be assigned to another ship or might be asked to assist Starfleet R&D with the information they gathered or with the USS Shran.

Beyond the personnel transfers, that had been the biggest shock to the crew. The Odyssey-class USS Shran was to be retired from service and returned to Starfleet R&D for additional research into the rather new class of ship. The remaining USS Shran crew would then be transferred to the brand new Sovereign class USS Shran-A, which was awaiting them at Starbase 375. It was there that they would also meet their new Commanding Officer.

The Trill had mixed feelings... On one hand, being able to work for Starfleet R&D - even for a short time - meant a chance to get back to her real love, Engineering. On the other, she would miss her crewmates and the Shran. Still, she had her orders.

Caelene's fingers trailed along the arm of the command chair until she reached the Main Viewscreen control and pressed the button. Before them was Starbase 375 - they had arrived. Looking towards the Flight Officer, she said, "Reduce speed for docking. Let's get clearance and bring the ship in, please."

OFF: Tag crew!

Bridge

Katcha nodded in response to the order.

"Da Kommander." She replied.

She reduced the ship to half Impulse and opened an channel.

USS Shran to Starbase 375. Requesting clearance and docking instructions.

This is Starbase 375 Operations. You are cleared to dock on Pylon Alpha Four. Please adjust your heading to 257 mark 64 and reduce speed to 1/4 impulse. We will lock on a tractor beam when you are in range. Once the tractor beam has enganges, please cut your engines.

Received Operations. Adjusting ze course and speed now.

Katcha did as ordered and soon the Shran was in position and the docking tractor beams engaged. She then did what was to be her final task on this particular ship and disengaged the Impulse engines.

She had heard that the Shran was going to go back to R&D for further testing. She was not surprised. While the ship had managed to handle itself well in most situations, it still needed more work.

Seconds later the Shran came to a halt and there was the sound of the airlock engaging. She then turned to Tam.

"Docking complete Kommander." She reported.

[Michael Ferdinand]

[USS Shran, Sickbay, Day 1 0830]
Sickbay had been in a flurry since the battle with the mirror universe ship. Alyssa had been dancing around her staff whilst barking orders in attempts to save the lives of her injured crew mates. She had been on duty for the past twenty-seven hours in order to keep an eye on her staff and give them the proper guidance. It wasn't that she distrusted her staff, it was more that her presence gave them a push that otherwise would not have been there. She knew they were afraid of her, of her spontaneous and somewhat erratic behavior, but there was nothing wrong with that. In Alyssa's mind it was a good thing they feared her: fear led to respect, and in her mind, Alyssa deserved all the respect she could get.

Alyssa's hands jittered from the copious amounts of caffeine she had consumed in order to stay awake. At this point, the teal stained coffee mug that she currently had in her hand was more for aesthetics than for caffeine consumption. She knew that at this point, if she were to get any drowsier, the only thing that would remedy that would be a long rest. Her piercing eyes had a cloud of fatigue over them. Every nerve in her body cried for her to take some rest on one of the bio beds. Alyssa resisted the temptation and continued to monitor the situation.

"Sam, what is the current time?" Alyssa asked. She was pretty sure she knew the time already, but it didn't hurt to double check.

"The time is currently 0835." Sam said. Alyssa nodded. It was time for her to send some of her staff to bed.

"Can I get everyone's attention!" Alyssa shouted. The flurry of activity in the room came to a halt as all heads turned to the doctor. The background noise dwindled down, leaving behind an eerie silence that made her feel uncomfortable. "Good work tonight. I want to thank you for working around the clock. Those in Gamma and Delta shifts, finish up what you are doing and hand your work over to alpha shift. Get some rest. You've earned it."

There were some murmurs and nodding and once again, the activity and noise picked right back up. Alyssa smiled to herself. They had done it-- they had survived the impossible. She strolled into her office and set her coffee cup down on her desk before taking a seat. Just one moment couldn't hurt, she thought to herself. She closed her eyes and began to drift. She was almost asleep when a voice began speaking in her head.

"Doctor Meadows, I believe we need to talk." Sam said.

Alyssa was awoken but she did not open her eyes. "What do you want?" she asked. "I am trying to rest."

"Moments ago the ship had arrived at Starbase 375. As you no doubt know, the ship is set to be decommissioned and the crew transferred to other assignments." Sam said. "What you probably didn't know was that I will not be accompanying you to your next assignment."

Alyssa opened her eyes. A look of confusion was written across her face. "What?"

"This is what I wanted to talk to you about." Sam said. "I will not be accompanying you on your next assignment as my purpose here has been completed."

"Your purpose?"

"It may come as somewhat of a shock to you, but I was not originally designed to act as your assistant." Sam said. "In fact, that was only part of my..how should I phrase it...cover."

"What are you getting at?"

"I am not at liberty to discuss the extensive details with you." Sam said. "Just know within the next several weeks, you will come into contact with the agency that helped purpose me and placed me in this sickbay. They know what you are."

"Who knows what now?" Alyssa was confused. What the hell was going on?

"I am Sam and I must say that it was a pleasure working with you Doctor Meadows. Good luck on your future endeavors as they will not be what you expect. End of transmission in 5...4...3...2...1."

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Holographics lab Á¢â,¬"œ Holodeck 2]

Ardyn was taking all the time she could, savoring every last minute she had on the Shran before her transfer. Currently, she was doing a little tinkering on her latest hobby project, a little goodbye gift, so to speak. Considering that she was stealing the resident ship Velociraptor with her transfer, she figured that another raptor would be necessary, especially as Steve had become a bit of a fixture here.  Anyhow, it was a perfect reason to implement some upgrades and little bug fixes that Steve wouldn't let her fix for some reason. The little raptor perked her head. "Hey there, Evie," Ardyn said, scratching the little raptor underneath the chin. The little raptor squeaked, purring and thumping her tail in happiness. "Okay girl. Time to introduce you to the crew before I head off."

[Kinley Garrison]

[Day 1, 0840]
[Crew Kitchens]
Kinley set down another failed Omelet attempt in disappointment, the eggs an unappetizing grayish looking and smoke slowly wafting from the pan. That's what she got for watching the Food Holonetwork when she was hungry. Dumping the contents into a waste receptacle,  she began the tedious process of cleaning up the messy expanse that lay before her. Fun.

[Calandra Trilarck]

[USS Shran - Odyssey Class - Former Counselor's Office/Weapons Locker]
... 0835 ...

It had taken several days for the Shran to limp through space and arrive to Jupiter Station. The restlessness that the crew had felt proved to be efficient towards getting repairs on time. With a crew running on fumes, the morale was uplifted just twelve hours before when the sonic showers went back online. For the first time in over a week, the counselor slept six hours and woke up feeling rested. Her shoulder had been set in place, her bruises had begun clearing up, and things were starting to settle once more. The counselor was glad that this morning was relegated to her counseling duties instead of having to support with the repair teams due to the short staff.

After Crewman Briggs was found dead on the transport pad, a formal investigation needed to take place. With no foul play declared, Ensign Zolarim had been cleared and all that was left was a proper psych evaluation to determine whether he was fit for duty. Nearing the tail-end of the session, the counselor's eyes drifted off to the wall behind the Zakdorn, who was seated across from the desk from her. The room, once belonging as an office to Counselor Lianez, had been converted to a weapons locker when the former counselor was transferred. Most of her days were spent working at a console out of Sickbay, but Calandra felt that the environment would help the Zakdorn feel a bit more at ease.

Their conversation was pretty standard, the Zakdorn weren't exactly known for their emotional responses. Almost as if reading the report out loud, the Zakdorn had given a very detached play by play of what had occurred. Their brains were analytical, strategical, and politically inclined. Although the Prime Directive supported the freedom of enslaved people, Zolarim had still disobeyed a direct order. The counselor did not know if he would receive any sort of infraction or blemish on his record, but they would soon find out at the conclusion of the second investigation into the escaped prisoners. The counselor had steered the focus of the conversation of the Zakdorn's involvement in Brigg's death.

The same methodical man who had impressed her with his ambitious plan to stop their mirror counterparts seemed distracted, lost in his thoughts. The counselor cleared her throat curtly, trying to jog Kalro from the fog that clouded his mind. When he finally snapped out of it, the counselor pursed her lips to the side in a disapproving manner. When he spoke up, she watched him sort of talk himself into a circle, finally admitting that he hadn't heard a word that she said. She folded her hands against her lap and leaned back into her chair, "Guilt. We were discussing guilt."

Calandra looked down to the PADD in front of her on the desk, before her gaze met his again. "Guilt can manifest subconsciously and consciously; lack of sleep, agitation, loss of hunger, in extreme cases, even hearing or seeing the deceased. Have you experienced any of these symptoms? Hallucinations even?" The counselor steadied her breath and opened up her empathetic sensitivity like a flower, gauging whether to see if the Zakdorn would tell the truth or lie right to her face.

[Julia Rellek]

[Starbase 375 - Guest Quarters 0803 Hours]

As a notorious early riser, Julia had been up and working since 0515. She was looking forward to a busy day. She had the wonderful responsibility of turning Command of the Shran over to her new Captain. She also planned to debrief Tam later in the day and was also continuing her never ending work as Starfleets resident expert on Omega. She was planning to issue orders later in the day; shutting down the research of a promising young scientist. It was reminiscent of how she was treated in the early days of her career, but she had to protect knowledge of Omega at all cost. The costs and risks are simply to high.

[0843 Hours]

Heading down the corridor lined with temporary guests quarters she noticed Awen leaving her quarters. "Captain!" Julia yelled down the corridor as she rushed to catch up with the captain. "Heading to the Shran? Mind some company?" She asked as she approached the new Captains position.

[Leela Kaz]

[Starbase 375 - Crew lounge/ Replimat 0820]

While many on both the Shran and Starbase slept; Leela had spent the evening at the local watering hole aboard the Starbase. New assignments historically made her nervous and this latest round of reassignment to the Shran was no different. She had received word earlier in the week that her skills were required on a new sovereign class vessel. Leela was excited, but the excitement did little to ease her nerves. She had a few rounds of Andorian whisky, in an effort to calm down. After closing down the bar at 0400 she moved to the replimat and switched to her favorite blend of Vulcan tea to both calm down and attempt to keep the inevitable hangover at bay. She passed the time with several rounds of Kal-Toh, one of her favorite past times. She was quite a skilled player but attributed much of that to Juval rather than herself.

Her orders indicated that she was to report to the Odyssey Shran at 0900 and the time was quickly approaching. She closed the game and finished her last sip of tea before heading to the vessel for some type of ceremony.

[Fala Awen]

[USS Shran (Odyssey Class), 0840 --Caelene]

Caelene took a deep breath and stood once the Shran was docked. They had arrived. This was it. She did her best to let whatever strength she had show through. The Trill reached over and picked up her engineering kit. She knew the rest of her things were boxed up already and ready to be transported over to the temporary quarters she'd been assigned on the Starbase.

A chirp at the command chair caught her attention. Caelene saw that it was an incoming message from an Acting Captain Fala. The Commanding Officer of the new Shran. =A=Good morning, Captain, this is Commander Tam. What can I do for you?=A=

=A=Hello Commander; I will be meeting with you and the crew before you disembark. Please meet me in the Main Shuttlebay at 0900. I look forward to meeting with you. Fala out.=A=

Caelene was a bit surprised at the sudden message, but perhaps it wasn't so strange. She didn't really know anything about the woman, though her message gave the impression of someone who was trying to be... efficient perhaps? Regardless, she had her orders.

"Open a channel ship-wide," the Trill ordered, pausing until it had been done. Nodding in thanks she addressed the crew, "Crew of the Odyssey-class Shran, this is Commander Tam. We have arrived at Starbase 375. As you know, Captain Hawke and I will not be joining you on the new Sovereign class USS Shran. I would like to say that it's been a pleasure working with all of you and I wish you the best. Maybe we'll serve together again someday. I have been asked to have everyone assemble in the Main Shuttlebay in fifteen minutes. Please make your way there. Good luck. Tam out."

[Starbase 375, Corridor, 0845 -- Awen]

After contacting the soon-to-be former Executive Officer of the Shran, Awen walked out of her temporary quarters. Truthfully this wasn't exactly turning out as she had initially anticipated; it seemed a bit impersonal to simply order them to their shuttlebay. But, it was the easiest way to get them all together, meet them, and speak to them for the frst time.

Heading down the corridor lined with temporary guests quarters she noticed Awen leaving her quarters. "Captain!" Julia yelled down the corridor as she rushed to catch up with the captain. "Heading to the Shran? Mind some company?" She asked as she approached the new Captains position.

Hearing someone calling, Awen slowed, but didn't quite stop until she heard someone hurrying after her. She still wasn't used to being a 'Captain' even if it was Acting for now. The Bajoran paused, allowing the woman to catch up to her. An admiral, though she hadn't met her before. "Good morning, Admiral. Yes, I'm heading to the Shran... I've asked Commander Tam to have the crew meet me in the shuttlebay. I wanted to announce the command staff I've chosen and officially send them on shoreleave here for the next few days while the new ship is finished up. Were you heading there as well?"

OFF: Tag Shran crew, Admiral Rellek

[Kalro Zolarim]

USS Shran - Odyssey Class - Former Counselor's Office/Weapons Locker

Part of Kalro wanted to huff in indignation at the suggestion that his mental faculties might break down in such a way.  But he suppressed the urge.  She was doing her duty.  And he... he had failed in his.

"No such symptoms, Counselor.  But I do have some feelings of guilt," he told her.

And shame.

"Given that I am a Tactical officer, and I made a Tactical error which cost the life of one of my team members, I think some degree of self-recrimination is appropriate."

After he spoke, he realized he was probably sounding defensive.   Another tactical error.

"But no unusual symptoms," he stressed.

Just then, an announcement came over the com system.

"Crew of the Odyssey-class Shran, this is Commander Tam. We have arrived at Starbase 375. As you know, Captain Hawke and I will not be joining you on the new Sovereign class USS Shran. I would like to say that it's been a pleasure working with all of you and I wish you the best. Maybe we'll serve together again someday. I have been asked to have everyone assemble in the Main Shuttlebay in fifteen minutes. Please make your way there. Good luck. Tam out."

[Kachina Filitov]

[USS Shran (Odyssey Class), 0840 --Caelene]

Caelene took a deep breath and stood once the Shran was docked. They had arrived. This was it. She did her best to let whatever strength she had show through. The Trill reached over and picked up her engineering kit. She knew the rest of her things were boxed up already and ready to be transported over to the temporary quarters she'd been assigned on the Starbase.

A chirp at the command chair caught her attention. Caelene saw that it was an incoming message from an Acting Captain Fala. The Commanding Officer of the new Shran. =A=Good morning, Captain, this is Commander Tam. What can I do for you?=A=

=A=Hello Commander; I will be meeting with you and the crew before you disembark. Please meet me in the Main Shuttlebay at 0900. I look forward to meeting with you. Fala out.=A=

Caelene was a bit surprised at the sudden message, but perhaps it wasn't so strange. She didn't really know anything about the woman, though her message gave the impression of someone who was trying to be... efficient perhaps? Regardless, she had her orders.

"Open a channel ship-wide," the Trill ordered, pausing until it had been done. Nodding in thanks she addressed the crew, "Crew of the Odyssey-class Shran, this is Commander Tam. We have arrived at Starbase 375. As you know, Captain Hawke and I will not be joining you on the new Sovereign class USS Shran. I would like to say that it's been a pleasure working with all of you and I wish you the best. Maybe we'll serve together again someday. I have been asked to have everyone assemble in the Main Shuttlebay in fifteen minutes. Please make your way there. Good luck. Tam out."

OFF: Tag Shran crew, Admiral Rellek

Bridge

Katcha had been shutting down the propulsion and navigation systems when Tam made her broadcast. He had heard the message from their new Captain and figured it was a formal meeting of some type. Once all flight systems were offline, she got up and along with several of the Bridge crew, made her way to the Main Shuttle Bay.

Main Shuttle Bay

Katcha entered the shuttle bay and found about half the ships company already there. She went over to the flight department and, as the CFO had been among the casualties, she took over his job of making sure her department could not be singled out. Well as much as she could withut knowing what was about to happen.

[Calandra Trilarck]

[USS Shran - Odyssey Class - Former Counselor's Officer/Weapons Locker]
... 0840 ...

Calandra sensed a flare of emotion spring up from within Kalro but she was unable to pinpoint what it specifically was. Losing someone while under one's command was very difficult, she had seen how it weighed Commander Tam down throughout their entire last mission and bothered her till this day. The counselor had planned over a hundred and fifteen funeral rites, she had combed endlessly through service records to gain information on last wishes, Briggs being her very last one. With every new file, a portrait of the person was etched into her mind; their faces, their hobbies, their family life, their careers sat right at the forefront of her memory.

The counselor scratched her temple as he admitted to his feelings of residual guilt and settled her hands in her lap again. The echo of shame of flowed freely from him and Calandra figured it was intertwined with his guilt, so she remained silent. Working one on one with a patient gave her a strong empathetic bond that she used to dig through what lies underneath. Even though she had already deduced that what had occurred on the Extinction was a bit complex, the Zakdorn's way of chalking it up to a 'tactical error' was typical. She nodded her head as he spoke to indicate that she was hearing what he had to say.

"Guilt is natural to feel. If you didn't show any remorse, I would be more worried." Lacking the emotional capacity to take blame in one's actions would have raised a red flag for the counselor. "In a case like this, you may never receive the closure that you hope for but you can heal without it. As long as you're grieving in a healthy manner, I don't see any reason for you to be prohibited from fulfilling your duties. I would recommend you using any downtime we may have before we disembark on the new Shran. If you have difficulty sleeping, I can recommend Doctor Meadows to prescribe you a mild sedative." Asking a Zakdorn to rest was the equivalent of asking a Klingon to walk away from a fight.

Before she could continue, a chime from the comm system interrupted her. Commander Tam's voice filled the channel, notifying the crew of their arrival to Starbase 375. Calandra was used to the revolving door of people entering and leaving her life, Starfleet was no different. The Haliian had grown accustomed to not becoming attached and so she preferred to stay aloof and distant. She stood up from her seat, adjusted the bottom half of her tunic then collected her PADD off of the desk.

Still feeling slightly annoyed that the Zakdorn had not paid attention to her while she spoke, she decided to dole out a minor punishment. "This concludes our session, Ensign Zolarim. Although I will recommend you clear for duty, command has asked me to lead a voluntary weekly support group for those affected by the crew's losses. Your participation, however, is mandatory for the next month," A little malice glinted in her eye as she arched a brow.

The counselor began making her way around the desk to the door, turning to face the seated Zakdorn, "Care to join me to the Shuttle Bay, Mr. Zolarim?" Her lip curled into a small smirk as she waited for him to rise.

[Kalro Zolarim]

[USS Shran - Odyssey Class - Former Counselor's Officer/Weapons Locker]
... 0840 ...

"This concludes our session, Ensign Zolarim. Although I will recommend you clear for duty, command has asked me to lead a voluntary weekly support group for those affected by the crew's losses. Your participation, however, is mandatory for the next month," A little malice glinted in her eye as she arched a brow.

The counselor began making her way around the desk to the door, turning to face the seated Zakdorn, "Care to join me to the Shuttle Bay, Mr. Zolarim?" Her lip curled into a small smirk as she waited for him to rise.

----------

Kalro was no empath, but he couldn't help but feel the sensation that there was something other than concern behind the Counselor's eyes, behind her slight smile.

Well, and why not?  Were counselors suddenly no longer frail, petty creatures once they'd earned their diploma?  Even the best people in the Galaxy were the product of primitive evolutionary processes that made them little more than highly refined animals.  He was no different.  Why should she be?  All in all, he thought he could work with this fellow animal.

Besides, failure required punishment.  Guilt required penance.  If that meant sitting in a room while people talked about their feelings, so be it.  It was almost literally the least he could do.

"It would be my pleasure, Miss Trilarck," he said, rising to follow her.

And so they were off together, shortly to arrive at the appointed location for what would doubtless be a final farewell... and a new beginning.

[Julia Rellek]

[Starbase 375, Corridor, 0845 -- Awen]

After contacting the soon-to-be former Executive Officer of the Shran, Awen walked out of her temporary quarters. Truthfully this wasn't exactly turning out as she had initially anticipated; it seemed a bit impersonal to simply order them to their shuttlebay. But, it was the easiest way to get them all together, meet them, and speak to them for the frst time.

Hearing someone calling, Awen slowed, but didn't quite stop until she heard someone hurrying after her. She still wasn't used to being a 'Captain' even if it was Acting for now. The Bajoran paused, allowing the woman to catch up to her. An admiral, though she hadn't met her before. "Good morning, Admiral. Yes, I'm heading to the Shran... I've asked Commander Tam to have the crew meet me in the shuttlebay. I wanted to announce the command staff I've chosen and officially send them on shoreleave here for the next few days while the new ship is finished up. Were you heading there as well?"

OFF: Tag Shran crew, Admiral Rellek

Julia walked along side Awen as they headed towards the Shran. "Yes Captain. I hope you don't mind me joining you for the ceremony. Are you nervous?" She asked inquisitively.