Joint Duty Log | Cmdr Logan Grant, LtCmdr Tristan Neyes - "Why Hello, Counselor"

Posted on Tue Sep 23rd, 2014 @ 7:01am by Commander Tristan Neyes PhD. & Commander Logan Grant, PhD.

2,265 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Are You Touched?
Location: Counseling Offices, Deck 3

=/\= Counseling Offices =/\=

Tristan had all but intercepted the other new counselor who'd come aboard that morning. He'd made all the effort he could with Ivanova, and now that he was relatively settled with their issues, the time had come to put his own house in order. Starting with the Commander Logan Grant, a human around his own age who'd joined the Counseling department. Naturally, he was unsure about Starfleet regulations surrounding junior officers whose rank surpassed their department head, but Tristan was sure it wouldn't pose a problem.

Neyes entered the newly refinished office for Commander Grant, and was surprised to find the man inside. "Oh I'm sorry, Commander. I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Of course you did. Have a seat." Logan had been working on a message to his wife having heard from Rochelle that the ability to send word somehow existed. Something to do with Dani and one of her scatter brained creations that managed to come together in a working order. He didn't really want to know the details, only the outcome of being able to communicate with the rest of his family after such an extravagant separation from them. And then came the distracting sound of his door opening and the voice of another man polluting his thoughts. His eyes sparkled in a thick combination of annoyance and curiosity as he looked up at the Trill, gesturing for him to make himself at home.

"You must be Commander Neyes."

"I am." Tristan offered with a smile, "I am pleased to meet you, Commander Grant. I have to admit glad to have you on board, and if I might say so a little relieved. How was your erm... trip. If you can call it that."

The counselor shifted in his seat, his posture far less casual and more attentive as he regarded his new chief. “The pleasure is mine.” He replied with a nod and a smile, “That trip... You’ll have to forgive me; you caught me in the middle of trying to tie up loose ends after that absolutely darling little excursion to Hell and back.” The man chuckled with a shake of his head as he recollected the sheer stupidity he’d endured.

There were bigger problems than playing with children who thought that slimy used cooking water was a holy anointment. Much bigger. There was an entire race of beings that were now being taught that a tangle of noodles was some sort of savior and then… Then there was Rochelle.

“There’s actually something I want to talk to you about.” The Kiwi drawled as he slid away what he’d been working on and folded his hands in front of him. It was time to kill the pleasantries and the small talk and just get right on down to business. “I’m requesting that you allow me to stand in with the Captain as a patient. I’ve read the reports and the files, took me all night, and I believe I can help her get through this time in her life.” He said and then shook his head realizing how blunt he may have sounded. “What I’m saying is that I know her and how incredibly strong she is, she’s bloody titanium, but I also know how defiant she can be. She can’t do this alone, no one can. Not even her.”

Tristan went to speak, but held it back for a moment as he processed the request. He was certainly open to the idea of assistance when it came to the Captain, and quite honestly he wasn't the least bit surprised to feel relief at the man's suggestion. Neyes leaned back in his chair, settling in for a discussion. "You two served together on a previous ship, correct?"

“That would be correct.” The counselor nodded, “The Griffin to be exact.”

The stories behind the origins of the Chief’s time aboard the Vindicator meant exactly nothing to Logan. They were whispers of a past gone by and executed by tragedy itself. Holding Tristan Neyes responsible for the emotional anguish surrounding his little scarlet friend would have been illogical, immoral and… Well… Stupid. Three things that Logan Grant most certainly wasn't. He offered the Trill a smile, a show of welcoming as he rested an arm on its elbow and gestured to a photo he’d hung on his wall. In it a slightly younger Rochelle Ivanova stood proudly beside a taller, elegant blonde Commodore, his beautiful Andrea, on the bridge of a Nebula class ship. “Seems like ages ago now, but those were some of the best and worst times of our lives. She’s been through so much in just a few short years, but nothing quite comes close to losing someone special.”

He wasn't speaking as a counselor; he was speaking as a friend and comrade. The soft shining emerald of his eyes left the picture to address Tristan again directly, “She really loves your brother, hasn't stopped and I don’t think she ever will.”

Neyes swallowed, and the blaring emotional turmoil of Landon and Rochelle flared up again. He closed his eyes, feeling the swelling discomfort and tension, and silently cursing himself for not having total control over those feelings yet. Rochelle was a point of pride for him, both with her ability to cope and their partial victory in conquering the issues surrounding their past. Having Neyes' memories swimming around every thought Tristan had was striking enough of a change, but being dropped into his dead brother's previous life had rattled the young counselor more than he'd allowed others to see.

Being in the company of a skilled peer had rattled his defenses, however.

Sipping his drink he took a moment to collect himself before speaking again, then set the mug down in his lap. No one had talked to him about the... situation, really. He hadn't had the fortune of taking a counselor of his own to talk through Landon's history on the ship.

"Of that I have no doubt, Mr. Grant. Rochelle is a particular kind of leader, and I imagine her past with you on that ship has a lot to do with how she will adapt to her role as Captain on the Vindicator. It certainly either surpasses or rivals her time with my brother, as far as influencing her style of leadership.

"I will discuss with Ivanova what she would like as far as sitting with one or both of us. In truth she hasn't been to a formal sit down with me or any of the other counseling staff on board. You are obviously very qualified, but we both seem to have a history with her. Obviously this puts both of us in an awkward position, but given the current state of the fleet we're fortunate either of us is here at all. We'll need to make due, so perhaps a joint effort is appropriate."

An eyebrow quirked as the Kiwi watched the Trill react to the morsel of information he'd been hand fed. The one thing the ship hadn't taken into concern was how the young counselor before him was handling everything in stride. Newly joined with a symbiont that had seen its last host perish rescuing the woman he loved. The new host being forced back into the fray where the old host held so many connections and emotions. The new host having to deal with the emotions brought up each and every time he saw the old host's lover and friends. The new host having to wrestle with everything all on his wee lonesome and still come out looking like some sort of iron clad symbol of strength and dexterity. Logan knew it was a recipe for trouble and it wasn't fair that Tristan had been expected to have a go at this alone.

"Rochelle is a selfless champion who's been dealt a shit hand. All she knows how to do is fight and win because losing usually means death so..." He trailed off and tugged out a PADD, "I'm sure you can imagine the type of damage this entire ordeal has done. Talk with her. See what she wants and I'll help where I can how I can regardless of the outcome of that conversation. She's a jewel, Starfleet's brightest and most magnificent." He chuckled, glancing to the photo on the wall once again, "My wife was immediately drawn to her when she went through the academy, just about went to Hell and back to make sure Rochelle was assigned to the Griffin as her Ex-Oh. Wouldn't accept anyone else and that was after Rochelle had been there once before under a different Captain, had him stripped of his credentials and then took up a desk job vowing never to serve on a ship again."

There was a pause then, the memories and the stories all resting at the surface of his mind and glittering behind his eyes. "She reminds me a lot of you and your situation. Always having to play strong in the face of diversity."

Tristan kept running into the glaringly high opinions of Rochelle from every attractive male figure in the fleet. Was it some phenomenon he wasn't aware of? Landon loved her, certainly, but their relationship was created slowly on a solid foundation. It had been built on their shared commitment to their crew. Landon had made sure to keep his relationship with her secondary to the Vindicator, at least right up until the end. Now rumors of suitors circling the fiery Captain spread like the wildfire he knew she could become, and yet he wasn't able to talk to her about it. He understood their perspective, of course, because she was an exceptional woman. Tristan was just surprised how vocal all these men were about extolling her virtues.

Neyes nodded, if only slightly recognizing Grant's point. "I believe my situation has the advantage of feeling more personal than it actually is. I haven't been in contact with Landon for eight years, and what I know of this ship and its crew is second-hand. While I might feel like I was here with them for those years he served Vindicator... Tristan wasn't. Putting on a strong face means doing my job."

Tristan's face softened a little, "You are right, though. The re-association has been difficult."

"Difficult?" Logan snorted, "Mate, you're a breakdown waiting to happen if you don't take time to figure yourself our first and foremost." The counselor cast a worried look towards his Chief as he shook his head and gathered up his steaming mug. As he leaned back in his chair he couldn't help but wonder exactly what it was that went through the Trill's mind about the ship, Rochelle and the situation at hand. "It isn't about Landon or any of the Neyes symbiont's previous hosts. My concern is for Tristan and, to that end, I'll be here to catch you when you need to let your hair down."

Maybe it was his previous command experience or the need to bond with those around him or his loyalty to Rochelle, but Logan felt the burgeoning need to help the man sitting in front of him through what he could only imagine was the most trying time of his life. The scope of someone, any one entity, trying to sort out six or seven others all swirling around inside their mind seemed maddening to him.

Tristan felt his breath catch, and his eyes stuck on the Commander's. For just a moment he was terrified to respond, and the dam of thoughts he'd been having since joining both Neyes and the Vindicator threatened to spill out. What had been looming at the back recesses of his thoughts seemed suddenly urgent, tempted with the help Logan was offering him. Neyes' inner conflict with Rochelle's personal life, as well as Landon, and the thoughts about losing not only his brother but eight years of life to a terrorist organization that claimed his family. What might have been different. His son Zed remained the keystone to his routine, and was Tristan's anchor in a sea of uncertainty. The feeling lingered for a moment as Tristan was stared down by his fellow, who seemed open to it all.

"Ok." He said softly. It would never serve him to keep it all to himself, and as a counselor he knew better. The training he'd received left him, though. When it came to his own issues the shields of logical separation failed, and the distance which afforded him objectivity vanished. Neyes would constantly question his own reasoning until someone else stepped in to offer an alternative viewpoint. Tristan looked away and down into his mug.

"I would appreciate that."

Watching the storm rage in the young Trill's eyes, Logan knew he'd made the right decision in cornering him off the cuff. Being alone in such a situation was harrowing at best and crippling at worst. The ship couldn't afford another loss, not so close to the death of their dauntless leader and their insecurity beginning to wane with the Neyes symbiont being back. "We can begin at your leisure." he nodded, knowing Tristan had made the best choice possible. He'd be gentle, whatever it took to solve the turmoil that roared like thunder through the freshly joined Commander's mind. "I don't even need warning."

Neyes nodded, knowing Grant's dedication was as good as his word.

=/\= END LOG =/\=

Commander Logan Grant, PhD
Counselor
USS Vindicator

Lt. Commander Tristan Neyes, PhD
Chief Counseling Officer
USS Vindicator

 

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