<USS Meridian> A Painless Evaluation
- From: scurrdi@xxxxxxx
- To: ussmeridian@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 03 Aug 2005 16:32:25 -0400
A Painless Evaluation
By, Rini Midorikawa and Oridian Starfire
All the recent events of late had made things quite a mess for Oridian. First
it was tracking down and helping out Mirrie, but now Mirrie was gone so now it
was helping with the delegates. However, his priority was to the crew and since
there were new members onboard he decided to take the time to meet some of
them. Perhaps I may find a new friend among them...
He smiled as he read over the profiles and tapped his commbadge. "Ensign Rini
Midorikawa this is Oridian Starfire the ship's counselor. Please come by my
office if you have a spare moment." He smiled again to himself. Lets see how
this one turns out.
"Lieutenant," Rini said as she tapped her badge in response, "is that a request
or an order?" She eyed the pile of PADDs on her desk with baleful eyes,
praying it was a request.
He sat down at his traditional Japanese table and closed his eyes calmly. "I
would prefer to be a request Ms. Midorikawa," he said without a falter in the
name. "But if necessary I will make it an order."
Her sigh echoed over the open comm link. "Yes sir, I will be right there,
Midorikawa out." Grabbing the top PADD, she slumped out, reading the report as
she walked. Weaving and meandering, she did everything she could think of to
put off getting to Oridian's office but inevitably she got there. There are
times when I wish I could get lost reliably. Ringing the chime, she stood at
attention outside.
Still with his eyes closed, Oridian relaxed himself completely and spoke.
"Enter."
As she entered his office Rini saw a small rock garden in the far corner, a
traditional Japanese place set in the middle with a couch to the side, and on
the other near wall a Samurai sword set hung on the wall. There was a window
looking out which was located next to the sword rack, and what looked to be
Oridian's desk in the back, a small ceramic cup perched on it.
Gazing around, Rini immediately relaxed, despite herself. "You wished to see
me, sir," she mumbled in hushed awe.
"Yes please come in and sit down Ms. Midorikawa." He opened his eyes after he
finished speaking and smiled. "Please call me Oridian if you feel comfortable
doing so. Would you like something to drink? Green tea perhaps?"
"No." Remaining on her feet, Rini fixed her eyes on his swords. "They are not
ornamental, are they?"
"Hand forged and folded by Mitushi Kotso, if you happen to know the maker." He
smiled as he motioned for her to have a took and take them down. "I imagine
those blades are not unfamiliar to you, considering your background."
With deep reverence, she took the top sword down and unsheathed it. "Yes, I
know the maker, one of my father's swords is a Mitushi Kotso." With the same
respect, she replaced it on its stand.
Oridian smiled and stood quietly. "Yes, he is a very gifted craftsman and a
good friend as well." He walked back to his desk and picked up the cup,
smelling it as he took in its fragrance. "I would be most interesting in having
a friendly sparing match with you sometime, assuming you feel up for it of
course?" He turned and looked at her.
?Yes sir, that would be most felicific, sir." She turned to face him, her dark
eyes watching him like a cat.
He watched her, his eyes locking with her for a moment. "You can relax Ensign,
there are no need for any rank formalities here. Consider this a sanctuary in
which you can whenever you may need it." He motioned to his office. "If you may
ever need it, that is of course."
"It's beautiful here, sir." Even in the easy stance she was in, there was no
mistaking her discomfort. "Why did you wish to see me?"
"Well Ensign, if you wish for the technical answer this is simply your
physiological evaluation. A requirement for all crew who serve on Phoenix Force
ships due to our increased borg encounters." He shook his head and sighed.
"Aside from that, it was simply a chance for us to meet and know each other
beyond just the profile I receive on my console. Most people avoid myself and
this place as though the Black Plague originated from here, so unfortunately
orders must be given which in turn makes people more uncomfortable when they
arrive." He turned and looked out the window, admiring the stars as they flew
by.
"I have had a psychological evaluation recently." She liked him, he felt
normal, sweet and welcoming. "But you need to do another, right?" she asked
with a lop-sided grin as she finally sat down.
He turned back to her and smiled, glad that she was finally beginning to relax.
"You will find that as long as you work within the Federation, evaluations of
your mind will be a never-ending matter." He moved back to his place and sat
down. "However, mine are slightly differently then what they suggest I should
do." He took a sip from his cup before speaking again. "How has your stay been
onboard the Meridian so far?"
A slow, warm grin spread over her face. "It's been good. I like it here a
lot."
"Excellent." He smiled back, looking at her over the rim of his cup. "The
Meridian has a sound and good crew, true to their duty and their comradery." He
put the cup down and placed his hands in front of his face for a moment, still
keeping his eyes on her. "This is your first assignment no?"
"Yes, I've only been out of the Academy a few weeks."
He nodded and smiled. "Well then, sounds like you've found yourself quite at
home." He stood up and walked over to his desk. "Our evaluation is complete Ms.
Midorikawa, you are fit to serve on this ship and with the phoenix force.
Hopefully we'll be able to have more conversations in the future, but on a more
voluntary basis." He grinned to himself as he searched his desk.
"Err... that was painless." Rini just kind of gaped at him, not moving.
"Aren't you supposed to ask probing and uncomfortable questions about my family
and such?"
"I can if you would like me to." He turned and smiled, a small paper crane in
his hands. "But I doubt that you would enjoy that too much. There are certain
questions that will have to come in due time, but you'd be surprised how much
information one can gain when you ask simple questions."
He sat back down, still holding the crane in his hands. "I do not like to
simply bring people into my room and interrogate them, it?s not my view of what
a counselor should be. In my view, a counselor should be a friend whom you come
freely to speak with when you feel like it."
"You sound like Byron," she said simply. "Although, you seem a lot more normal
than him."
"Are there a few of us who don't follow exactly what Starfleet Medical dictates
we should follow." He smiled at the thought and then quietly handed Rini the
crane. "Put this somewhere you might find it whenever you might need it the
most, or where ever you find yourself most at peace. Consider it a gift, not a
prize from visiting the evil Counselor." He knew about some people's opinions
of him, especially some of the Security folks. 'Ninja-Shrink' as it were at
least.
With great care, Rini took the crane and bowed her head to Oridian. "You are
not an evil man, sir."
He chuckled to himself silently. "That all depends. If you wish to see evil,
just wait until we are actually assigned a borg related mission." He smiled as
he rose and motioned to the door. "If I followed the paper work you'd be in
here for 6 hours, at least that?s the recommended time."
"How long?!" Rini followed him to the door. "Thanks for not imprisoning me
here for longer than necessary." Carrying the bird close to her chest, she
gave him a small bow as she crossed the threshold. "Perhaps next time you
would consider counseling me in the dojo."
He nodded. "Of course. It would be a pleasure." He bowed once more and watched
her leave. Good then, she'll make an excellent addition to the crew of this
ship. He mused to himself quietly.
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