Post number 29: When Not to Panic

Posted on Fri Jan 21st, 2022 @ 6:49am by Lieutenant T’Mia Rahl & Lieutenant JG Clancy Applegate

Mission: Kidnapped
Location: Counselling office

There was not too much about Lieutenant JG Clancy Applegate that struck anyone, even himself as particularly interesting. He was not profoundly intelligent, not all that athletic, and his hobbies were rather mundane. He wasn't scared of much aside from the obvious things that would frighten any engineer - transporter malfunctions, shuttle crashes, and warp core breeches. Oh and of course the return of the Borg. He had absolutely no interest in experiencing assimilation albeit who did?

Therefore, it was uncommon for him to seek out the assistance of a Ship's Counsellor. The only time he saw one was for basic psychological evaluations and the mandatory meetings that Starfleet pushed upon any officer. This time was different. Nobody had ordered him nor requested that he speak with Counsellor Rahl. Still, there he was getting ready to meet with the woman.

Clancy took a deep breath and pressed the chime. Maybe she would be too busy to see him? Maybe should wouldn't even be there? As his luck would have it though, the Counsellor was in and soon he would be meeting with her directly.

Sitting at her desk T’Mia looked up at her appointment schedule as the computer reminded her that it was time to see her latest arrival. Getting up she popped her head out of the door offering a warm smile. “Lieutenant, please come in.”

As he walked in, Clancy found the decor to be soothing. It was calming, the lighting was just right, and the Counselor herself seemed pleasant. It was only polite that he introduced himself. "I'm Lieutenant Applegate, ma'am. You can call me Clancy though."

“Very well Clancy” T’Mia nodded. “Please feel free to call me T’Mia, there’s no need to stand on ceremony in here.” She motioned to the seats. “Please sit down, the replicator is available for use if you’d like anything.”

"Thank you," the young engineer replied a bit nervously. He was anxious and the thought of drinking something was actually alluring, if not to simply settle his stomach which felt as though a troupe of butterflies were performing a gymnastics routine within his tummy.

Clancy walked over to the replicator and ordered himself a soft beverage, carbonated with gentian root. He had ordered the beverage in a chilled mug, frosted a bit. The head of the beverage was foaming as he say down and took a sip. "T'Mia, I don't know what's going on but I am worried. Scuttlebutt around the lower decks is that something happened to the Captain."

The young bright strawberry blond headed lad looked at the woman with pure concern and mild fear in his eyes. "I was on the Bridge when the senior staff was summoned. I saw everyone's face when they returned, and the Captain wasn't with them. I haven't seen her since." He was an excitable thing, stoutly figured and his eyes a bit sunken from sleep deprivation, but despite that, he was attentive and vigilant to the change that was unspoken of.

“You’re very observant, though I’ve no doubt others have noticed as well” T’Mia offered a smile. “Understand that what I say here now stays strictly between us!” She waited for a nod. “The Captain was beamed out the briefing, she’s currently a hostage, one we plan on retrieving.”

Clancy's eyes widened as a deer in headlights, and his palm immediately came into contact with his forehead "Eejit!" he shouted with his Scottish heritage come to the surface, something he usually kept well enough bottled. "Someone abducted the Commodore?!" He was usually reserve, but right now he was certainly worried.

On the edge of his seat now, he inched forward and hunched over a bit. "What happened?" he asked, wanting to know the finer details. He suspected that she was ill or something, not that she had been abducted.

“She was beamed out, that’s all I can say for now. When it’s time for the rest of the crew to know more I’m sure you’ll all be informed.” T’Mia smiled warmly.

This whole thing worried Clancy. "Were are shields up at the time?" he inquired genuinely concerned as if they were, then whoever the abductors were had either knocked them down or found a means to penetrate them.

He took a deep breath and had another sip of his beverage. "I just...to take the Commanding Officer like that, and a Commodore no less. That's insanity. Who does that?" All the nervousness and moving around shook his tummy up and the carbonated beverage came to surface in a rather embarrassing belch at one of the worse times, in front of a superior officer.

"Oh goodness," he said blushing. "So sorry about that, ma'am. I am just in a bit of a tizzy."

T’Mia smiled. “Better out than in, I always say! Don’t worry about it. There’s no need to get yourself in a tizzy, we have a good Command staff who know what they’re doing. Plans are being made to get the Commodore back.”

"Okay," Clancy said with a small smile. "But I still am probably not going to get much sleep knowing the Commodore is out there somewhere taken by someone. It is in my nature to panic a bit, I don't know when not to."

T’Mia nodded. “You’re a natural worrier then?” She smiled. “A bit like me, only I have all the crew to worry about.” She grinned. “Do you feel able to perform your duties as usual?”

"I worry most when I do not know, but when I feel something is wrong. I'm not a Betazoid or anything like that, but if the Commodore goes into a briefing and isn't seen or heard from since, that's going to make a guy like me get all sorts of curious and curiosity makes me worried - worry makes me nauseated" explained Clancy.

He was not too terribly offended by the question, though he felt uncomfortable that it was asked. "Ma'am, I can do my duties. I'm a Starfleet officer," he added a bit proudly.

T’Mia nodded. “Forgive me Clancy, I didn’t mean to sound like I was saying you couldn’t do your job. I was simply concerned. If you have any worries, about anything you can drop by and see me anytime.”

"Thank you, I appreciate that, and I apologize if I came off as a bit defensive," the man said with a smile. "I'm used to people not really paying me this much attention and being concerned."

T’Mia waved it off. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. So have I managed to alleviate some of your worries?”

"You were able to give me some answers," Clancy replied. "It was not good news, but it is better to know the bad of the situation than to worry in complete ignorance."

T’Mia smiled. “I’m glad I could be of help. For now this is just between us.”

Clancy nodded. He knew what she meant. His lips were sealed and he needed to treat this as classified information. "I understand, ma'am," he said in response. "I'll keep this between us."

“Excellent” T’Mia smiled. “If you need to talk again just give me a call, or drop in.”

"Thank you," replied Clancy with a nod. With that, he pleasantly made his way to the exit. It was time to get back to work.

{OFF}