Despite her excitement, Thrala was a bit nervous. She was on her first assignment, fully aware that it demanded her absolute best to impress the high command of Starbase Bravo. As she navigated through the bustling corridors of the Starbase toward the counselor’s office, she couldn’t shake off a sense of apprehension. She had received orders to visit the counselor without a clear explanation, but she dismissed it as a routine evaluation. Finally reaching the office, Thrala’s patience wore thin. The wait seemed interminable amidst the sea of individuals in the waiting room. Ever since her arrival at Starbase Bravo, Thrala had been tirelessly dedicated to her duties, regardless of their nature. Whether it was a coveted task or a tedious chore, she threw herself into it wholeheartedly. Just recently, a confrontation with an engineering crew member over minor discrepancies in her calculations had escalated into a heated argument, leaving her frustrated and drained. 

As Thrala looked around to where to sit within the waiting room she had lost almost all hope of having any sort of space to herself seeing all other spots having been taken up by a ginormous mix of humans and other federation species. The only spot that she had seen that was available however was next to an absolute tank of a Kzinti and by the look he had on his face he looked like he was in the exact same mood that Thrala was in. Seeing no other option Thrala had simply decided to just bite the proverbial bullet and just approach the Kzinti, upon approaching the Kzinti it had almost immediately gave her a bit of a mean look as the looked on her at for what felt like a couple of painful minutes, he would then begin to speak in a very deep and raspy voice. “What do ya want?” with little bits of sweat going down Thrala’s face she would then ask, “Uhhhh, would you mind if I sat here it seems like all the other chairs around us are taken.” Thrala said. The kzinti would then just give her a long stare and would then just sigh seeming to want to tell her off but clearly not having the energy to do so, “Fine but other than that I’m about spent. So don’t try and drum up some dumb conversation or whatever.” 

He would then fold his arms and look to his right and said nothing else. Quietly sighing in relief and some semblance of joy of not being told off by the large cat she would then move to sit down and wait for her name to be shallowed so that she could finally meet with the counselor, after having waited for about a half an hour for the counselor she would then see some other girl leave the office appearing to be in a bit of a more happier mood then she had clearly been before she had went in. As Thrala had sat there with her own thoughts she had become a bit more gleeful about her appointment with the counselor, thinking that if that one girl that she had seen earlier was in that really down and depressed mood then maybe just maybe they would be able to give her some good advice and guidance about on her new life within her fresh career within the service of the Federation. As she had patiently waited then she would then hear her name being called to the office and upon this happening Thrala then made her way over to the office and stepped inside to meet with the counselor for the very first time.  

Stretching behind her desk as Arwa has been adding it for hours behind her PC. She took a deep breath and saw a notification that her next appointment was already waiting. As a cadet, new and fresh to the base, it was always fun to meet new people and try to understand them, their passion, their motivation, and their willpower. The door opened before Arwa. As she looked into the waiting room, her eyes stopped at the Andorian female. “Cadet Ojhosi? You are up next,” Arwa offered a warm smile in her direction before turning back into her office to take her seat again behind her desk. As Thrala had entered the inviting office of the counselor, her hopes, and her predictions that she had were pleasantly proven to be true, but she had still held a lot of built-up anger over the amount of stress that she had found herself under at engineering, with her both antennae lowered. She then quietly went over to the seat that was in front of her as she greeted the counselor. 

“Hello Counselor Arwa, nice to meet you sorry about my current abrasiveness it’s just that……” she would then take a short pause. “Stressed out and overwhelmed regarding my current duties aboard this Starbase, and I just wanted some advice on how I would go about dealing with this built-in stress that I have over it all if that makes any sense to you.” Thrala would then proceed to pour out what was on her mind in an almost perfect stream of consciousness. “When I decided to join into the Federation as my mother had done a long while ago and served during the time of the Dominion War. I’ve come to realize the huge amount of importance and impact that my line of work has to the others aboard Bravo.” As Thrala spoke, her mind would then go back to memories of some of the things that her mother had told her that she would inevitably have to face going down this path that she has chosen with serving with the Federation. “I don’t know if you were told but I had gotten into a bit of an argument with one of the other engineers over numbers and really complicated stuff and I simply could not keep a clear head over the number of insults that came my way over some minor miscalculations.” Not wanting to plague the counselor from anymore of her thoughts she had finally began to draw her thoughts to a close. “…. But other than that, I just really wanted to know how I should maybe go about handling situations like this in the future.”

Placed a glass of water before the cadet as Arwa smiled. “Take a deep breath, Cadet, and take it all in.” Arwa sat down and looked at her. She points a finger up. “First things first, I am Lieutenant el-Imam; it is ….frown upon while being on duty to address a senior by their first name, especially if you don’t know that person.” She winks at her. She sat a little back in her chair pointing her second finger up “Secondly being stressed out is a natural reaction, you are new to do job, to Starfleet and being placed in a huge place such as Starbase Bravo is overwhelming. That is understandable; it is no crime to take a step back to let it sink in.” A third finger goes up. “And finally, getting into arguments is not a real good start; try to understand the situation. Ask if you do not understand, if your counterparty is frustrated, ask why they are frustrated and how you can improve the situation. Well, got to say, the last one is one out of the counseling books.” She smiled. 

After absorbing Lieutenant el-Imam’s words, she reached for the glass of water placed within her reach. A sip followed, and she settled back, crossing her legs as she spoke, her tone subdued. “Apologies for my earlier candor, Lieutenant el-Imam. I’ll temper it in the future.” Another sip punctuated her sentiment. “I’ve struggled to showcase my abilities due to past traumas. Previous holodeck simulations at the Academy subjected me to relentless scrutiny for minor errors, evoking memories of a pivotal failure among a bridge crew.”

Shifting in her seat, Thrala reflected, “Advancing in Starfleet has taught me much. The constant risks we face perhaps make me more cautious, influenced by my mother’s ordeals during the Dominion War.” With a final placement of the glass on the table between them, her thoughts hung in the air. Thrala’s thoughts turned inward, dwelling on the haunting echoes of her mother’s PTSD. She recalled the nights when her mother’s cries reverberated through the halls of their home, mourning the friends lost and the burdens carried from past horrors. As these memories resurfaced, she fought against the rising tide of tears threatening to overwhelm her. “I revisit those moments from my childhood every day,” she admitted softly. “It’s a constant weight on my mind, a fear that I’ll mirror my mother’s struggles.” With a gentle swipe, she brushed away tears tracing down her cheeks, a physical manifestation of the emotional turmoil within herself.

Arwa rubbed her chin for a brief moment and nodded while listening to Thrala. “Alright, let’s park the trauma for now. I do not think taking a deep dive into your history right now is wise. This is an evaluation step. It requires more time and space to talk about it. I advise you to make an additional appointment for this subject after this. It is good to talk about it and share your experience of that time and learn how to deal with it.” Arwa leaned forward and looked at her. “The question that is needed for this evaluation is, does your past trauma affect your ability to work right now?” 

Lieutenant el-Imams pragmatic response brought a sense of relief to Thrala. Nodding in agreement after having calmed herself down, she appreciated the suggestion to table the discussion of her past traumas for another time, acknowledging that delving into such deep-rooted issues required a dedicated space.

“Thank you, Lieutenant el-Imam ,” Thrala responded, her voice carrying a note of gratitude. “I’ll definitely consider scheduling another appointment to explore this further.”

As Lieutenant el-Imam leaned forward, Thrala met her gaze, recognizing the seriousness of the evaluation. The question posed lingered in the air, prompting Thrala to pause and reflect. After a moment of contemplation, she replied, “I don’t believe my past trauma directly affects my ability to perform my duties. I guess that this is just something that I need to work on more in future. As to not help make any of my deepest fears become a reality.” Being that this would be how the way that things were going to be for the rest of her career, she knew that this will have to be the moment where she makes a change for the better for not only herself but for her career within the Federation.

“Good, I was afraid you were in the position of denial or grievance. But you have come to terms of your trauma and accept it. That is a good first step. I do advice you to take it to a Chief if you do experience symptoms of trauma that could effect your work. There is no shame is stepping back and take a moment for yourself” Arwa smiled in her direction “How is your experience with Starfleet so far? Is it what you dreamt off? Or did you get a cultural shock?”

Thrala would then take a couple of moments to think about this question and would finally finish off her replicated glass of water that the Lieutenant had given to her to drink at the beginning of her session and would set it down at the table. “You know despite some of my short comings that I’m still in the process of overcoming. I’ve really just adored having been chosen to come here work as it would really help me perfect my craft within the operations department. .”

Nodding towards her, “How are you settling into your department? Are there any hiccups or problems you are currently having? I mean it is important to get yourself into a warm welcome and be happy where you work” Arwa asked with a smile. 

Thrala then returned the Lieutenants overwhelming kindness with a small smile, appreciating the genuine concern in her superior’s inquiry. “I’m settling in quite well, thank you,” she replied her voice steady. “The department has been very welcoming and kind, and I’m slowly but surely gaining my footing.” 

Thrala then took a beat to quickly think about anything that had she had found challenging, “Overall, things are going smoothly,” she began, “though there have been a few minor hiccups with coordination between teams, as I have pointed out to you before. Nothing insurmountable, but it’s something I’m actively working on improving.” She then met the Lieutenants smile with her own, reassured by the supportive environment she found herself in. “Despite some of the proverbial bumps in the roads, working here so far has really been pushing me to assure that I am a valuable asset to my crew.” 

As Thrala’s conversation with the counselor stretched on, she found herself immersed in their dialogue, each moment feeling like a lifeline in the midst of her struggles. Lieutenant el-Imam’s genuine concern and compassionate words provided a sense of solace she hadn’t realized she needed.

After enduring what felt like an endless barrage of challenges aboard Starbase Bravo, Thrala finally glimpsed a ray of hope. The weight that had burdened her for days seemed to lift, replaced by a newfound sense of optimism. In those moments with the counselor, she dared to believe that things were indeed looking up. 

– Part 1 concluded –