Diplomacy and Counseling

Posted on Fri 11th Oct, 2019 @ 10:09pm by Commander Paul Graves PsyD & Lieutenant Commander Kiara Lena

1,244 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Counseling Office
Timeline: MD-10, 1000 hours

Kiara was beginning to get settled, which meant she had more time to get familiar with the station---or as much as she could--and to meet more of the
senior staff.

She had yet to meet the Chief Counselor, and as she might have occasion to need his expertise, she decided to set up an appointment to meet with him. She gave herself plenty of time, even taking a little time to dawdle, so that she arrived two minutes before the appointed time.

Paul sat at his desk typing a report of his initial meeting with Zelda Alegari--though she had identified herself as Morrigan Endrade at the time. Many Starfleet personnel preferred to dictate their reports, but Paul had found typing to be much more discreet. As he worked a chime sounded, and the computer voice spoke.

"Your next appointment is scheduled to begin in five minutes."

Paul blinked. What it that time already? He glanced at the time display on his computer screen and shook his head. Where had the time gone? "Computer, acknowledged. Deactivate Do Not Disturb."

"'Do Not Disturb' status deactivated."

Paul saved the file and took a few moments to unkink his back as the door chime rang. He got up to answer it.

"Hello," Kiara said, giving the counselor a polite half-bow. "I'm Kiara Lena, a new arrival on the station. Thank you for seeing me."

"Then welcome to Starbase 109," Paul said warmly. "Come in, Commander Lena." Paul stepped aside to invite her into his office. When the door closed, he glanced at her, curious. "What may I help you with today?" Her emotions felt more businesslike than troubled.

"Well, that depends," she replied, smiling at the cheerful greeting. "I would like to talk with you about how you see Diplomacy and Counseling working together. And, if necessary, I will need an evaluation."

"I would be quite interested to discuss how I or my department might assist you in the diplomatic arena," Paul said. "And if you need an evaluation, we can certainly do that--though I would rather cover the two topics in different meetings. I prefer to keep Counseling sessions completely separate from discussion of any other sort of station business."

"All right. We'll have a discussion now and set up an appointment for an evaluation later." She didn't mind as it gave her another reason to get out of the office. "In general, our departments have widely disparate functions. However, there are times when a psychological understanding of a situation or a person can help my department better handle a negotiation, or keep a situation from becoming volatile. Understanding can often prevent conflict."

"Yes," Paul agreed. "Shall we sit at my desk?" He gestured toward it and then went to take his own seat. "At the moment, our consulate decks house delegations from Qo'noS, ch'Rihan, Vulcan, and Trill. With the Besm contingent now occupying 20 of our decks, I presume it is only a matter of time before a consulate from Home is established here. A Cardassian delegation is also interested in negotiating for space here--that's a quite recent development that I only learned of today. You'll probably have an email about it by now. Of them all, the Klingon ambassador's situation currently presents the most difficulties and will require the most careful handling. I have not had the chance to meet him yet, and I am hesitant to because I don't know to what extent my people's psionic abilities would cause Ambassador Krell to distrust me. I don't want him to feel that I or the Federation are spying on him--although we are, of course, to a certain extent, as they are spying on us. That man has enough trust issues to deal with; I don't want to add to them unless I must."

"Spying on the Klingons and spying on Ambassador Krell are two very different things, Commander," she said, sitting down. "I'm a telepath and he did not seem to be uncomfortable around me, so I don't believe that will be an issue as long as you don't pry." But then, she wasn't sure if Krell would have a problem with counselors. "For the rest, I expect a formal Besm consulate before much longer, however, I have yet to receive information on Cardassians. That will make things interesting."

"'Interesting' is one way of putting it," Paul said. "There are times when emotions are so strong that I pick them up, no matter how well I shield myself. But we will cross that bridge when we come to it. As for assisting your department, I would be glad to. My staff haven't been much used for that in the past here. I would like for us to expand our consultation services and interact more with other departments, as we already do with Medical , Security, and sometimes Intelligence. The Diplomatic Department seems a natural fit for my staff. In what way could we be the most useful to you? Do you envision just conflict resolution and de-escalation, or would you like behavioral analysis, as well?"

"All of the above and perhaps more, depending on the situation," Kiara said. "I've been well-trained, but diplomacy doesn't cover everything. I think our departments could be of help to each other in a number of ways, depending on the circumstances."

"Do you have immediate needs?" Paul asked.

"My immediate need is information, and that doesn't always come quickly," Kiara admitted. "It's the down side of a new posting. With so many new consulates opening up, there's even more to learn. So, if you know anything I need to watch for, or be aware of, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise, feel free to talk to the diplomats and ambassadors. I would also like you to attend official diplomatic functions. I think you'll have an interesting perspective that could be of help to us."

"I can't promise to be able to attend all of them," Paul said, "but add me to your invitation list. Tell me which ones you particularly need for me to attend and what you need me to watch for, and I'll be there." He gave her a light smile. "This is one instance in which being second officer will prove useful. It will make it easier to justify my presence at those events."

"It will indeed," she said. "Attendance is not mandatory, so if you're busy, it's not a problem." Kiara smiled. "I appreciate your willingness to assist."

"It would be a welcome change of pace," Paul said. He shot her a mischievous look. "Besides, I like wine and cheese."

She laughed out loud. "I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of that. Along with crackers and a variety of fruits and vegetables. We try to have something that will appeal to each of our guests. Those are generally acceptable."

"Do you have situations of concern that you would like for me to keep an eye on for you?" Paul asked. "Ambassador Krell's situation aside, what of the other ambassadors and consuls? What, for instance, is your impression of Ambassador t'Saeihr?"

"I like her," Kiara said, smiling. "I don't know how we'll do when we start dealing with the Besm, but we'll deal with that when we come to it. For now, just keep your eyes and ears open and let me know if you come across anything that might have diplomatic consequences."

"I will make plans to do that," Paul said. "Now, when would you like to schedule your evaluation?"

 

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