=/\= SB 234 - Borrowed Counseling Office =/\=
Athena sat in the bland office waiting for commander Harbirght to arrive for his counseling session. {He'll be on time unless he wants me to assume he has something to hide. Could they have made this office any more boring in its decor?} She drummed her fingers on the stand that sat between a couple of chairs.
Lernen floated up in his hoverchair and pressed the chime for the office. Annoyingly he had run out of reasons for busying himself elsewhere.
At the sound of the chime she looked up and noted the time before saying, "Enter." {At your own risk of being bored to death by plain white walls and colorless furniture as well.} She rose from the chair she'd been sitting in so that she was standing to greet her incoming guest.
"Commander Wellington, looks like you picked a nice venue for proceedings...no windows, all white, it's like one of the interrogation rooms at SFI Headquarters with more soft furnishings." Lernen said dryly as he floated in.
"I didn't pick it ... I was assigned to it... and you're late," Athena said in a matter of fact tone. More pleasantly she asked, "Could I offer you a drink?" She motioned to the replicator that was now supposed to be in working order.
"Tea if I can have it in some semi-acceptable form. IE no mugs or tasting like weak coffee." Lernen found a position in the room he could see all the necessary angles and stopped.
Athena nodded to his request and took a deep breath silently praying {Work this time damn it.} She hummed a tune in her head as she waited finally both tea cups on saucers appeared. {Right color.... hot... smells okay..} Athena picked up one of the cups and sipped. With a relieved sigh her shoulders relaxed. {Finally ... it got one right.} She placed her cup on the stand and handed the other Cup and saucer to Lernen. "I hope this meets with your approval," she said knowing she couldn't care less.
Lernen took a tentative sip then placed the cup down. He kept a poker face so she didn't know his exact thoughts for the foul tasting tea.
"So should we go right in for the routine questions or would you like a more original approach," she asked as she sat down.
"Well the original approach sounds interesting enough but its up to you to lead your own interrogation. Choose whichever approach you see fit." Lernen said evenly.
"Why do you assume its going to be an interrogation," she started.
"Because there's always certain information you want only you counselors always go for. It's much the same in my line of work only we have more methods of retrieving that information." Lernen stated.
"So, what information do you think I want," Athena asked as she took a sip of her tea.
"That would depend on what your goal is. Now all I'm bothered about is being able to get back to work so please just get your questions out of the way."
"Do you like your job," She inquired but answered it as well, "obviously, as you can't wait to be back to it." She set her cup back in the saucer, "So, let's move on to the next question.... What do you do for fun?"
Lernen pulled a face and looked at the hoverchair he was confined to before answering "I run marathons."
Athena held her composure and responded, "Do you win much?"
"Depends on how much faith you put in the rule book, I suppose. What about you counselor? What do you do for fun?" Lernen asked without showing a hint of interest.
"I'd tell you ... but I don't think it'd be good for your heart. There are rules about not causing harm to patients," she quipped. "Do you think it gives you respect to be so stern all the time ... or are you just afraid of making more mistakes," she asked before she could stop herself.
"It gives me respect but it also gives me fear. Besides considering I'm dying of a terminal illness and I'm not even sure which is more likely dying of what's currently killing me or dying by a Romulan or any other rival power's hand...would you expect me to have a sunny disposition? Also which mistakes are you talking about? It's intreaguing to know that you understand so much about me when you don't even have clearance to look at my proper file." Lernen stared at her intently.
"Most people who use sternness and fear to order others around and gain respect do so because they've made mistakes... it was an educated guess, you could say," she started. "I shouldn't have asked that way though... I'm not always politically correct... probably from all the time I used to spend with diplomats." She sighed and looked at her cup for a moment, "No you don't have to have a sunny disposition but does having such a dismal one make things any better either?"
"It was once said that being a leader was simply a case of making your subordinates and allies fear you more than they fear your enemies. If I'm this way it's because I have to be. If I don't smile I don't have anything to smile for. Does that answer your question?" Lernen said bluntly.
"More than aptly.... but its a shame.... because I think you have a very wicked but funny sense of humor."
"Well unfortunately all there's room for at the moment is dark humour. I may have heard something that might interest you although I don't know if you would necessarily find it comforting." Lernen said gravely.
Athena looked at him seriously, "And that would be?"
"Just over a month ago we received information that the Erassian Second Fleet engaged a Romulan Attack Force outside the Rios System. The information was sketchy at best but from what we can tell it was roughly a stalemate with both sides coming off badly. The Hermes and a few of the Destroyers haven't been seen publicly for some time." Lernen paused to take some of the foul tea.
{Not the first time I've heard something like that.} "I see," she said blandly, "Don't drink it.... its not really very good yet... needs more work." She stood and took her own cup and saucer and had them recycled.
"Still I suppose there is one good indicator that General Ivanov still lives...Romulus and Remus are still on the map. And one other reason I doubt he's dead...I helped train him." With that Lernen left Athena to digest that piece of information and floated off out of the room.
Athena waited until she heard the door hiss close until she let the tears fall down her cheeks.
=/\= End Log =/\=
Commander Lernen Harbright
1st Task Force Intelligence Advisor
1st Task Force Intelligence Advisor
SB 234: Unity
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Commander Athena Wellington
Chief Counselor
USS Chimera -C (?)
