Terms of Counselling [1/2]

Posted on Tue Aug 19th, 2025 @ 2:04am by Petty Officer 2nd Class Khlynt Medan & Petty Officer 1st Class Gabriel Stark

2,437 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Prologue: To Boldly Go
Location: USS Fenrir
Timeline: MD 10, 10:55

[ON]

Khlynt Medan had made a point of looking into the people on his list. Of doing more than just reading their names, but diving into their service record to get an understanding of them. He had already scheduled the time with them all, appointments booked. One had stood out, more due to the mark on him to have regular counselling than anything else. Gabriel Stark. Security. He accessed his file to find out when his last session had been.

What he saw didn't impress him. He had missed appointments in the past. Cancelled some due to away teams, others attended. No follow through. That was what he was noticing. No one had kept an eye on this young man on other ships, not truly. They had let him do his job and whenever he didn't show up nothing had been done. It was as if the flag had become forgotten, something optional. And it wasn't. Not with the behaviour Gabriel had shown. And this would be the man that Khlynt now would see. Who was due to arrive any second.

Khlynt sighed and sat back in his chair. He wore his uniform, because that was what you did. He wished he didn't. He suspected that it would put up a barrier with the man rather than breaking it down. Even so, it couldn't be helped. He glanced at the time, tempted to stand and wait outside. Tempted, but he didn't. If Stark was late, he'd go and find him.

He was only a few minutes late in the end, the chime sounding before Gabriel Stark ducked into the room. He also wore his uniform...because counselling was most definitely a work thing from his point of view. He wouldn't be here otherwise. He glanced his eyes over Khlynt, first impressions coming thick and fast. Older, so not as easy to kid...in uniform, so more straight laced...motionless and steadfast in posture, so likely observant and strategic. He sighed inwardly, but offered a charm filled smile outwardly. "Gabriel Stark."

Khlynt stood and offered his hand to him, a human custom but he knew Gabriel was human. "Khlynt Medan. Can I get you anything to drink, Mister Stark?" he asked with a small smile. Welcoming, but he was also doing a physical assessment of Stark. Pretty, but there was muscles underneath that uniform despite the lean appearance of him. He cared about his appearance and he had gone for the safety and professionalism of the uniform for this rather than the comfort of civilian clothes. So no self soothing with a favourite jumper. He moved like someone who could fight. Fencer perhaps, judging by the balance. And his eyes held sharp intelligence, the sort that Khlynt would have loved to nurture in another lifetime.

"Lemon balm tea please," Gabriel shook his head, glancing around the office before heading for a chair, knowing the opening gambit of counselling all too well by now. "Replicators just can't make a decent cup of black tea, but it has less of a problem with herbal teas. Who knows why."

He nodded and walked to the replicator, getting him a lemon balm tea, for himself he went with sweet mint tea, hot. He glanced at Gabriel, watching how he was taking in the space. And went easily to take a seat. He took the drinks and walked over, passing the cup into Gabriel's hand with a slow nod. "Lemon balm it is. A tea for calm minds," he commented lightly, considering it as he went to sit down in his chair. He decided not to say anything as they both had their drinks. He sipped his own and gave them both a moment, not long enough to make it uncomfortable but a chance for Gabriel to settle. Finally, he gave a small smile. "I know that you have been here before. Not in this room on this ship, but that chair. You know the dance...and I think you're used to coming here and then...either not finding what you need or..." he paused, frowning at the next words. "Not having someone willing to work with what you bring. I read your file and saw someone who has to go to counselling...and you do, for a little bit, but then appointments get missed or not rescheduled. And you drift again." He put his cup down, leaning forward a little...not so close to be aggressive or going into his space, but to show he was committed to the moment. "So how do we stop that from happening here, with us?"

Gabriel watched him with open surprise for a moment, sitting back heavily in his seat. Well, that was a new opener. And it put him instantly on guard. This man was not going to make it easy for him to slip through the cracks. "I suppose getting rid of that flag for ongoing counselling on my record is out of the question?" he flashed him a playful smile.

Khlynt gave him a small smile, raising an eyebrow at that. "I didn't put it there, and I won't bargain with it," he said quietly, the smile fading. "Or use it as some carrot or stick over you. But I would like for us to work together...to see if we can get to a place where you don't feel like you have to hide from this, and I don't have to hunt you down."

Gabriel's smile faded, the cocky mask gone. He watched him intently, realising he wasn't going to be able to play this man like he had others before him. And it left him with only one defence; the truth. "Until you get bored," he said softly, folding his arms as he stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing his ankles. "Or pissed off. Or realise there's no promotion or paper in it. Or just don't care."

"Ah," Khlynt took his drink, his hand curled around the cup as he held his eyes. Watching him, the honesty, the truth in it. There was pain there and he saw the young man underneath the cockiness. It was a brief glimpse, the masks and layers of protection were too practiced. It was armour that Gabriel had built against the harshness of the world. "I'm not into papers and promotions. Too old and too new to Counselling to...be invested into it based on that." He sighed and took a sip, looking away from Gabriel to give him a moment of privacy. "I am a patient man, Mister Stark. I don't get bored easily and I don't anger easily. I understand you might not believe me, but I want to work with you. Not because your record, not even because someone felt you were self-destructive and needed counselling to make sure you didn't bring others down with you. But because I understand too well myself what happens when extremely intelligent, well educated men stray from the path their elders wanted for them." He met his eyes again, holding them. "And what it does to their sense of self."

"Why is my path any of my 'elders' business?" Gabriel replied sharply, that phrase jumping out and gripping him despite his best efforts to not care in the face of the therapist.

Khlynt looked at him before he smiled, raising an eyebrow. The sharpness of the voice meant he had cracked something there, the careful control of not caring that Stark seemed to cultivate shifting. Oh, there was a temper there. He could almost sense it. "Because without that, those elders feel like they've lost control of their legacy. It's no different than a ruler trying to get their heir to follow their same footsteps...or a Starfleet Academy Instructor cracking down on anyone that they see as 'other' than themselves. People in places of power, perceived or real, will always try and meddle...to keep themselves relevant. Or...that is my take on it anyway," he finished with a gentle movement of his hand, studying Gabriel to see how the words would land.

"It's all a con," Gabriel let out a shaking breath as he lifted his hands to cover his face, rubbing it tiredly. The anger had dissipated as quickly as it had simmered over, but now it had left bitterness. "All the things people in power tells everyone else to keep them down in their place...and them up in theirs."

Khlynt studied him, his body movements...and how he spoke. The tone of it. "Which in itself is interesting in the Federation," he observed as he looked at him. "You though...you seem to me to be the sort of man who enjoys proving people wrong. One way or another."

Gabriel chuckled weakly at that, shaking his head as he looked away, his arms coming up in front of him to fold across his body. "Sometimes, when people deserve it," he said quietly, but didn't look back to him. Because he knew it wasn't an attractive trait, or one that was highly appreciated in Starfleet personnel. "Look, you can come out and say it. I was sent to officer training by my father and ended up in prison instead. Not exactly the career trajectory of a 'high flyer'."

Khlynt listened as he looked at him, giving him a small smile. "Anderson thought different," he said, his voice soft. Not gentle. It was an observation, not a soothing thing. For Khlynt, it was a fact. "He saw potential in you. And maybe he pushed you harder than he should have in the wrong moment but he knew you'd be good. Not because of your father, but because you're highly intelligent. Which...you are. Your scores at the Academy were excellent. Anderson focused you physically, giving you other things to focus on...to channel your energy into." He paused, sitting back a little. "They were wrong to send you to prison. You needed guidance, therapy...not the environment of a prison." Again, he said it as a fact. Not cold, not warm, just a thing he believed and saw as real. It had done more harm than good.

Gabriel swallowed hard and looked down at the words, finding them harder than any other he'd spoken so far. He struggled with a moment of frustration before it settled into just uncomfortable vulnerability. "A new ship is always another chance to shake all that crap off," he finally said quietly. "But it always ends up following you, someway, somehow."

Khlynt let out a soft breath before he leant forward a little. "Out there, not necessarily. And in here, only while we do the work. To take it, find it a place to live inside of you...so you can grow further. I've seen what you've done, how you've applied yourself. I know how intelligent you are, and mixed with your mood and temper...it can become a volatile thing without something to focus on. So. Are you willing to work with me?" he held his eyes, studying him. He didn't expect him to trust him. They had just met. But he wanted honesty.

Gabriel searched his eyes, his features pensive, showing his indecision. Because it was clear Khlynt wasn't the kind of man who could be led along or distracted. If he said yes, he had the feeling he would hold him to that commitment. He let out a long, shaking breath, licking his suddenly dry lips. "What are your terms?"

Khlynt watched him at the words, taking a slow breath. "I am not asking for your trust," he said bluntly. It was something he knew would take time, it was not something Gabriel would give a man in his position easily. "Just your cooperation. To talk."

Gabriel considered the words carefully, but part of him appreciated such a blunt and straightforward offering. Khlynt new what he was doing, that was for sure. He knew it would take more than just a conversation or two and a flimsy assurance for him to really trust him. But part of that knowing nature in the other man was what made him wary. He wasn't going to get away with anywhere near as much as he did with other counsellors. And he couldn't decide if that was a bad or a good thing. "Okay," he finally replied, lifting his hands as if a man won over. "But you might not always like what I have to say."

"Good," Khlynt nodded as he watched him, his eyes warm but he didn't smile. He leant back in his chair, recognising what it took the other man to allow this...to meet him half way. "I'd rather have honesty over things that sit comfortable. I'm not here to judge you. I'm here to find the tools to give you so you sleep better at night." He considered it for a moment, his next words. "You might not always like what I have to say either, but I will promise you two things. I will always be honest. And I will always stay."

"Hm..." it was clear Gabriel still wasn't sure how true the last might be. But he was also aware he wasn't the only one going out on a limb. It would be just as frustrating for Khlynt, if he flaked out on him after investing time and energy. If he really meant what he said. "So...how do you like to start this? I've done it every which way...writing out my timeline...going back over old psych evals...check ins on current wellbeing...even meditation, but if you want to use that as your start, I'm walking out right now."

Khlynt let out a soft hum, of observation or thought. He kept watching Gabriel but not sharply, or with judgement. It was quiet as he was catching a glimpse of something familiar. "No meditation," he said, his voice quiet but there was a hint of a smile on his face. "You have too much noise in your head for that to work...maybe we'll save it for a point where silence no longer feels like a punishment." He sat back a little bit, almost to give him some space to breathe. "We start simple...not a list. A moment. A moment that was real to you. It could be something from today, yesterday...or years ago. Just something that...is there. Something that still echoes inside of you when the ship's quiet."

To be Continued in Part 2

OFF:

PO2 Khlynt Medan
Counsellor
USS Fenrir
(PNPC Hanlon)

PO1 Gabriel Stark
Security
USS Fenrir
(PNPC Blake)

 

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