241 Resume on File

By Zanh Liis and Ensign Tryst

80329.19
About an hour after Pleased to Meet You

-=Guest Quarters, USS Serendipity=-

By now Vol had finally managed to have his shower, after his swim in the holodeck it was well needed. At the moment he was back in uniform, all packed and ready to go. He paced the length of his quarters, going over his report that he had just finished in his head, but speaking aloud from time to time.

"...and therefore.... and in conclusion I..." He mumbled to himself.

[Bridge to Ensign Tryst.] Vol blinked, wondering if the XO wanted a rematch from earlier. He certainly hoped not, he tapped his comm badge.

"Yes?"

[Subspace message coming in for you Ensign. It's on a secured channel.]

*Oh really?* Vol thought to himself. He bit his lower lip as he pondered on who it might be.

[Ensign?]

"Yes, yes, acknowledged. Patch it through to my quarters, if you will."

Vol sat down in front of the small communications console. Pushed a button, and up popped the Federation's insignia. Then who should appear on the screen other than. . .

"Admiral Vox."

[Ensign.] said the Admiral, apparently not surprised at Vol's... surprise.

"Didn't expect to hear from you Sir. I was just about to disembark..."

[You're finished your report then?]

"As ordered, Sir."

[Would you care to summarize it for me?]

Vol perked an eyebrow. He sensed that the Admiral had a vested interest in his report, one that went beyond Starfleet duty.

"Sir?"

[The Captain and I have a very. . . long history. . . and as her direct supervisor on the Alchemy Project, I am concerned to know if she's alright. I'd hate to have to order you Ensign.]

"Admiral, I have an oral contract with my patients which states that I cannot--" The Betazoid was cut off.

[Not the details ensign. Just the final verdict.] Vol was glad the Admiral wasn't here in person. He knew this was a losing battle. He sighed as he looked down at his report, reading the page of data over quickly so that he might shorten it into an abstract. He sat up straight and looked at the Admiral.

"The Captain is stable, fit, and fully capable of maintaining her post. That doesn't forego any future... obstacles for her however."

[Obstacles? How do you mean?]

Vol bit his lip, as he searched for the right words. How to adequately convey his meaning without breaching his confidentiality agreement.

"There were captains who were never the same after Wolf 359, or after the Dominion War as a whole. But many went on to continue in command of their vessels, or commanded different ones afterward.. They have all undergone the same mental and psychological evaluations as Captain Zanh just has with me. They were found to be fully capable of continue to be in Command of a Starfleet vessel, and that is exactly the same conclusion I have reached with the Sera's Captain. The safety of this ship, its crew, and of the Captain herself are as certain as they've ever been despite all Captain Zanh has been through in the past several months. Her abduction and near death. . .despite it all. Despite whatever happened on the last mission, which unfortunately is classified and I am not privy to the details."

Vol watched as the Admiral shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He, apparently, was up to speed on all that had occurred.

"I must stress, and repeat myself however, she has not fully recovered. But that will only come with time. I have made a number of recommendations Admiral, for some trained and experienced Counselors to be permanently posted aboard the Sera. I think it would do the Captain some good to have someone to turn to every now and again who isn't entrenched into her personal life." There was a pause before the Admiral responded.

[Very well Ensign, I will trust you on this matter. Can you name any of these recommendations of yours?]

"Certainly. First and foremost I suggest one--"

[Ensign Vol Tryst, this is the Captain] The sound of the Captains voice over the intercom was a mild shock. Vol excused himself from the Admiral, as he tapped his comm badge to reply to the Captain.

-=Captain's Quarters=-

Zanh paced around her living room. Still off for the rest of the day, she was dressed simply in monotone black pants and shirt, communicator clipped to her chest, just in case. She stopped for a moment and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Somehow, the Betazoid had gotten to her.

Usually, her mandatory counseling sessions and or evaluations ended with the counselor in question nodding politely, making a quick remark about the time, and then backing carefully and quickly out the door before writing up a report stating that she was completely bats, but right for the dangerous job they'd assigned her at the time, whatever that was.

But this one was different. Maybe she was different.

She thought about Tryst's comments about her relationship with Jariel, and the crew, senior staff especially. How relaxed could they be, really, knowing that she and Jariel were for all intents and purposes of common law, married- and that even though he respected counselor/patient confidence and would never repeat anything that they said to him to the Captain unless it was deemed vital and legally necessary to do so- that all the time, every time they considered voicing any kind of concern or question about the way she did her job or commanded her crew, they were doing so to the man who shared her life and her bed.

That had to give them pause.

She had also realized that given the stressful and secretive nature of the work going on in The Alchemy Project that there would be a greater need than anticipated for her crew to be able to open up completely to someone- someone with whom they could discuss such classified information without fear of reprisal. One man could not handle that job alone.

She thought, somehow, that if anyone could truly be a help to the crew in this manner, the unusual and spirited Vol Tryst was the man for the job.

She'd have preferred his rank to be a little higher, to be sure, but she knew that medical officers had a way of being delayed as far as promotions due to the longer course of study they were forced to undertake. If he'd had been in any other position with his age and experience he would likely be a Lieutenant senior grade by now. But he was a doctor, and an officer, and the issue of rank would resolve itself naturally in time and damn it, if she had to put up with someone aboard having the ability to shrink her brain, and sense her thoughts- she wanted it to be this inventive, quick-witted kid.

She reached up and tapped her combadge. "Ensign Vol Tryst, this is the Captain."

A surprised Tryst responded from the other end of the line. [Yes, Captain?]

"Are you in a big hurry to get back to Command?" She inquired, "Or do you have time for me to offer you a tour of our Arboretum?"

[I'm not in any hurry at all Captain. I'd be delighted to take you up on that offer. Thank you.]

"I'm heading over now. Meet me there when you're free. Zanh out."

She checked her reflection one last time in the mirror, and nodded.

This was the right thing to do.


*****

Striding into the arboretum, she smiled.

Jariel had one of her music files playing again, something that he had grown quite accustomed to doing while he was gardening. This time it was Sarah McLachlan keeping him company as he worked, her voice echoing softly through he expanse around him.

Her smile faded when she examined his visage more closely and realized that her suspicions were correct- given the circles under his eyes, there is no way he had gotten any sleep at all last night.

He looked up at her from his kneeling position and smiled, but the expression was as weary as he was. [[Captain.]]

[[Vedek.]]

Liis leaned down, and knowing they were alone, kissed him softly. [[Need any help?]] Somehow, she always persisted in using signs to speak to him lately, even though he could hear her voice just fine.

[[I am almost finished with this bed, then I am going to prune the roses,]] He answered. [[Would you like me to take some back to our quarters?]] He knew that as tough as she insisted that she was, she did have a weakness for fresh cut roses.

[[Thank you. Jariel,]] She reached out and stopped the motion of his hand, as she sat down on the grass beside him. [[You're worn out. How can I help?]]

[[I don't think it's anything you can help with. I just need. . .time.]] He replied.

[[You've been working too hard, and I'm not the only one who knows it. Listen, Starfleet sent someone to conduct my mental fitness exam today and...]]

Jariel's eyes flew wide open. He couldn't believe she was speaking of it so calmly. Usually anything to do with counselors or mental health exams would have her speaking much more quickly and at a much higher volume.

[[No, it's okay. It went well. Anyway, they're recommending placing a Starfleet counselor aboard, because you and I are,]] She wanted to be sure that he knew it was no reflection on the way he'd done the job so far. [[Well, we are. And to take the pressure off of you, and,]]

[[Liis,]] He waved for her to stop. [[This is welcome news. There are so many members of the crew seeking spiritual as well as secular counsel these days that my schedule is overbooked. I would welcome an official Starfleet counselor aboard.]]

[[Oh, I am glad to hear it. Then you'll have time to actually get some sleep yourself, and some down time.]]

[[Time is what I need.]] he repeated, eyes far away.

Liis touched his face softly. [[If there's anything at all I can do,]]

[[You'll be the first to know. I promise.]]

She nodded, and stood as she saw Vol approaching. He seemed to hesitate, recognizing Jariel from his file photo and not wanting to interrupt, but Zanh motioned him over for the official introduction.

"Ensign Tryst, this is Vedek Jariel Camen, Ship's Chaplain, and one hell of a gardener."

Vol didn't chuckle at the joke because he was racking his brain for what little he could remember of USL.

*Was it with the left, or right hand? Oh please don't make yourself out to be a fool in front of the Captain.*

[[Pleasure to meet you...c-h-a-p-l-a-i-n.]]

Vol realized halfway through signing he didn't know how to say 'Chaplain.' So he resorted to spelling it out. The Captain had to resist dying of laughter, a feeling read all too well from the Betazoid.

*What was the score again?*

"Don't over exert yourself Ensign, he can understand speech just fine. He just can't speak."

"I-I apologize." This time it was Vedek who chuckled to himself.

[[There's no need.]] He signed back to the Ensign. [[My name is Camen, and I'm pleased to meet you.]]

"If you'll excuse us now, Jariel," Vol noted Zanh's tendency to call the Vedek by his surname and not his given name, which was curious considering how close they were. "I'm going to give the ensign a tour of your pride and joy."

[[By all means. Enjoy your stay.]] The Vedek knew that the Captain was not in the habit of conducting personal tours of any part of any ship she had commanded, even for visiting dignitaries- let alone visiting ensigns. So to see her doing so gave him pause. She must have some other purpose in mind than showing the ensign his handiwork.

He also knew that she was in the habit of interviewing new officers in the arboretum. He hadn't expected the Captain to have found a suitable recruit for the position of Ship's Counselor so soon. He'd ask her about it later, for the moment he bowed slightly to Vol, then to the Captain, and returned to his gardening.

"He has such a gentle spirit." Vol remarked, sighing softly. Being in the presence of the Vedek's mind was a steadying experience, it was no wonder that the man was so good at his job. He stopped short of mentioning to Zanh that he also sensed some sort of conflict within Jariel- more so than one would expect from a man of the cloth.

"He's a gift to us all." Zanh replied honestly. "So, Mr. Tryst, you've had time to walk around the Sera a bit, take in some of the sights. What do you think of her now?"

"She's a fine ship Captain, worthy of your supervision." Vol looked about the room that he was in. He had no real interest in plant life, but they found things to look at and admire. His gaze went from one side of the room to the other, before calling upon his discipline and looked directly at the Captain. After all, she had summoned him for a reason.

"Anxious to return to Command, Ensign?" Zanh began to spin her web, plotting on trapping the Betazoid as he had done to her earlier. Vol pondered the question before continuing.

"Anxious is not the word I'd use Captain. It's a simple matter of returning to my post, now that my mission here is complete."

"Can you ever see yourself giving up your desk job and taking to a life aboard ship?" Zanh paced slowly in between the various plants and vegetation surrounding them, as Vol followed. The Betazoid clasped his hands behind his back and followed slowly behind the Bajoran, sensing a small inkling of some kind coming from within the complicated workings of her restless mind.

"Certainly Captain, in fact that is my ultimate goal. Unfortunately, as I graduated from the Academy at a typically older age than expected, my rank is not nearly as advanced as most would like it to be. Including myself..."

"Yes, I discovered just a short time ago as I went over your records. You were lucky Ensign, in light of your grades in Stellar Cartography the Academy had every right to expel you. Due to your impressive grades in your complimentary courses, however, they simply put you on probation instead. It would appear you did quite well for yourself with that second chance."

*She went over my records?*

Vol blinked. Was she being sarcastic again? No, he didn't sense that she had meant to be insulting... at least he didn't think so. There was something else, he got the distinct impression that she was an animal on the prowl almost. She was being stealthy with her words. His lack of a response gave a large enough window for Zanh to jump in with yet another question.

"What do you think the worst part of serving on a starship would be?" This time Vol stuttered, as his focus was divided at the moment.

"S-Sir, with all due respect, the meaning of the words you speak is something difficult for me to quantify. I do not believe there is such a thing as a 'worst part' to permanently residing, and serving, aboard a starship. It's simply a different way of life, one in which a perfectly normal life is easily obtainable. If nothing else, I'd wager that life aboard a starship would be even more gratifying to some. Adventure, experience, and a lifetime filled with opportunities that are unlikely to arrive to any individual aboard a planet or star base. To each their own Captain, but I've known for a long time where I'd like to be."

A pause, and then Zanh responded slowly.

"I don't know if I would ever call life aboard ship normal. Especially not aboard this ship," She stopped where she stood and turned toward him, eyes locked on his. "The Alchemy Project is seductive, it is dangerous, and life aboard the Serendipity is anything but ordinary even for the most seasoned of starship dwellers." Zanh lowered her voice. "On our last mission, among the less dangerous threats we encountered were these," she rocked from heels to toes and began to twist the chain of her earring as she formulated a list in her head.

"We were shot at by another Starfleet vessel. Our prototype was cut right out of its bay and stolen, and the now-former Starfleet Admiral responsible also tried to commandeer my ship."

Vol's eyes widened. "I thought the last mission was classified."

"It is. Those are just a few of the highlights- and I trust they are safe with you under doctor/patient privilege?" Zanh waited, and Vol nodded.

"The point of all of this is, Ensign, that I was listening to you earlier, and you were right. Someone has to help my crew with the aftermath of it, and to prepare them for what likely lies ahead." She looked away. "I couldn't live with it if they were holding back from seeking the counseling they may need because of the position that the Vedek holds in my life. Neither could he."

She took a few steps forward and then spoke again. "We are treading in very dangerous waters with this project. I have seen the strain beginning to wear on the crew already, even on some of my senior staff," a sadness washed over her mind, and Vol wondered whom exactly she was thinking of at the moment. "People I also count among my closest friends. I have found you to be a unique individual, and curiously qualified for the position, I believe, of looking after them. You came through your assignment with me without a hair out of place, and I've seen much more experienced people choose to leave the mental health field entirely after giving therapeutic counseling to yours truly." She paused.

"So I would ask you, Vol Tryst," she looked at him side ways. "Do you feel that you're ready to grow into such an assignment? Because I do think you would have to grow into it to fit it entirely. But I also believe that the potential is within you, and I am ready to make a leap of faith, and request your reassignment here if you feel that you would make the proper addition to my crew yourself. Of course, if you would recommend someone else in your place, I would welcome your suggestions as well."

Vol couldn't suppress a smile, he couldn't believe his ears. Perhaps there was such a thing as fate, maybe he was destined to come here, meet the Captain. Here he was, given an assignment that suggested that Zanh needed someone like him, and now it seemed that not only was that true, but she also wanted him. There was no doubt in his mind however, that things would turn out much differently. Vol would need the Captain's guidance, as well as anything the rest of the crew could offer, to grow and mature himself.

"I humbly accept, Sir!" Vol said enthusiastically. The smile still clear on his face, he resisted hugging the lady.

"...and before you ask Ensign, the answer to that question would be 'no'. You will not be permitted in any way to...force me into taking up real estate upon your couch myself unless it is absolutely necessary and signed in triplicate by our CMO and the Admiral himself." Zanh then cracked her own smile.

Vol was speechless, he could only extend his hand whilst grinning like a fool.

---------------------------------

Ensign Vol Tryst
Ship's Counselor
USS Serendipity NCC-2012

and

-=/\=-Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012