The Captain Requests Your Presence

Posted on 08 Mar 2026 @ 12:26am by Captain Bane Plase & Lieutenant JG Khalest T.

922 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Shakedown
Location: Captain Bane's Ready Room
Timeline: A few days after Lab Time

Dr. Khalest T. had been called to her Captain's ready room. She told herself there was no cause for alarm. She had done nothing wrong. But she was curious as to what he would want with her. All she could do was report where requested. She now stood in front of the office door, making sure she looked presentable. Once she was satisfied that not a hair was out of place, she pushed the button on the wall to signal her presence there.

Inside the Captains Ready Room, a soft chime sounded, far different than it had been even earlier that day. Instead of the shrill chirp sound, it was now a soft wave sound, high pitched still, but only half as high before. Much more pleasant to the ears. "Please, come in," Bane ordered, knowing who it was. As the doors opened to admit her, he stood and smiled. "Ah, Dr. Khalest, yes, please come in, have a seat." The greeting was warm, friendly and inviting.

"Yes, Captain." She entered the room, taking a seat in front of the desk. "You wanted to talk to me, sir?" She looked to him as she spoke.

He nodded as he sat down. "I did, yes. Dr. Winters has been talking about you a lot. She has told me how good a listener you are, and patients often request you specifically. Apparently people feel heard and seen under your care."

She was surprised by this. "I see. I wonder why that is. I don't treat my patients any differently from one another. I give them the treatment they need, whether that be a bandage or a listening ear. But I am honored to be spoken of so highly by my superior." She let a small smile cross her usually stoic face.

The Captain responded, "Not just your superior, but your patients, too," he emphasized with the tip of his index finger. "You have earned, justly, I think, the admiration and respect of the entire crew. Very well done, Doctor."

"Thank you, Captain." It was even more impressive because she had only been on the ship a few short weeks. She had only entered service on the Cygnus while the ship was being repaired. Then the storm hit and she had no choice but to take action. But now things were much calmer and she had been able to process everything. And now she was learning she had earned the admiration of her patients and peers, and apparently the entire crew. It was a bit overwhelming, but was it really logical to feel that way?

Plase smiled. "And now to the reason I asked to see you. I know you are a medical doctor, and don't have a lot of training in counseling, but your presence here seems to calm people. How would you feel about taking over the vacant spot we have as Chief Counselor? You'd still be Doctor Khalest, unless you just wanted to go by Khalest in that role. What do you think?"

She was quiet for a moment, considering how to respond. "I believe that I would be a good fit for this position, despite my lack of training. As for calming the people around me, perhaps it is because I practice meditation and try to keep a calm demeanor around others."

"You do have that aura about you, Lieutenant. And don't worry about the training. I will talk to Lieutenant Prebkak. He works in Science, but is our ships liason for Starfleet Academy. I will let him know to get you set up for Starfleet Academy Extension School. He can proctor it for you. That way, you can get the credentials you need while getting on-the-job training."

"Thank you, sir. I will do my best to learn all I can and be the best person to fill this role." She was actually happy to have maybe found her place among the crew of the Cygnus, and it may not exactly be in MedBay, but a counsolers office.

Plase smiled and nodded. "You will do wonderful." He then tapped open his holographic computer display, the contents visible only to him, the viewer. "Computer, please transfer Dr. Khalest from Assistant Chief Medical Officer to Chief Counselor, as of this time and stardate. Authorization Bane Kappa Gamma Nine Three Epsilon."

The computer spoke to life. "Confirmed. Dr. Khalest is now listed as Chief Counselor, USS Cygnus."

Bane tapped off the computer, it blinking from existence, then looked back to his new Chief Counselor. "And it is done. Congratulations, Doctor. I trust you will find the Office of the Chief Counselor comfortable and inviting. If there is nothing else," he said, "Then I invite you to go check it out and get acquainted with your staff."

She had a staff now. Well, yes that did come with the position. She stood up, at attention once more. "Thank you again, sir. I will visit my new office immediately to become acquainted with my new surroundings." Her voice was almost monotone as always, but she had to admit that there was some excitement toward being promoted so soon.

The Captain stood as well. "Dismissed, Counselor," he said, with pride.

He waited for her to leave, gave it a few moments to know she was off the bridge, then headed out there himself. It had been a while since he had heard from the Away Team, and wanted an update.


OFF

A JP by

Dr. Khalest
Chief Counselor
USS Cygnus

and

Bane Plase, Captain
USS Cygnus, Commanding

 

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