—- Chief Counsellor’s Office —-

Lieutenant Commander Jake Dornall smiled at the half-Betazoid. He had set his mind to be unreadable, as he knew all about being around Betazoids, and how to keep his thoughts internal to himself. Of course Lieutenant Yuhiro Kolem was only half-Betazoid and did not have the ability to read his mind quite like a full Betazoid would have, but still it was better to be mysterious, than too forthcoming when you were in Starfleet Intelligence.

”You know it only works to keep me out of your emotions if you aren’t showing them so plainly on your face,” Kolem said.

”You’ve got me wrong Lieutenant it’s not just you who doesn’t get in here, it’s anyone, I’ve got state secrets up here,” he said tapping his head as he leaned forward and grinned at the woman.

”Like where we’re going?” Kolem asked.

“Like where we’re going,” Dornall confirmed, “Plus us Risians are famous for their dirty minds you’re too goodie-good for that.”

Kolem raised an eyebrow in imitation of the ship’s Vulcan Chief Flight Control Officer, “How do you feel about that stereotype?”

”I feel like it’s pretty good, being underestimated never hurts and plus, I am a collector of fertility idols,” Dornall said.

”Are you?” Kolem could not tell if he was joking.

”No, not really,” he said, confirming that yes he was joking.

Kolem nodded. She was not sure why he had not pulled rank and gotten himself out of the weekly counseling session, other than the fact that the Captain would have put him there had the Chief Counselor pressed the issue. Maybe he actually believed in her job. Not being able to read him she asked.

”Why then come here to counseling?” she asked.

”I may not tell you everything but I’m who I am, and I’m honest about that. Besides mental health is important,” Dornall said, “Don’t you think Counsellor?”

”I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not,” Kolem confessed.

”I am being serious. Plus I wanted to meet you, after reading your file,” he said.

”And what does my file say?” Kolem asked.

”You’re smart. I guess we were looking at making you an operative at one point, before you graduated the Academy. We recruit lots of Betazoid and other empaths or telepaths to join, it makes it easier when you can just read the enemy’s mind,” Dornall said.

“I don’t have enemies,” Kolem said.

”We all have enemies, you just don’t know them yet, but somewhere out there someone is trying to kill you,” Dornall said.

”Me personally?” Kolem asked.

”They won’t know your name, but somewhere someone wants to wipe out humanity, or Betazoids, or brunettes from Mars. They already blew up your home,” Dornall said.

”That wasn’t about me,” Kolem answered.

”Still blew up Mars,” Dornall said.

”So we meet once a week as long as you’re assigned to this ship,” Kolem changed the topic to his schedule.

”What happens to that if I kiss you?” Dornall said.

”You’re not kissing me, and if you did you’d meet with Ensign D’Won,” she explained, “I’d transfer you.”

”He sounds boring,” Dornall said.

”Well therapy isn’t all just offering to kiss your therapist,” Kolem said.

”But you want me to,” Dornall said.

”I‘m the empath here, you can’t know that,” Kolem said.

”Come by and see my fertility idols,” Dornall said as they both stood the time for the session ending.

”I got possessed and brainwashed my last boyfriend, and the one before that cheated on me. I’m going slow from now on and you seem to be anything but slow,” Kolem said.

”I read about both those things in your file, the offer still stands,” Jake Dornall said. He eyed her and then stepped towards the door, “I’ll see you around Doctor Kolem.”

She was going to ask him how he knew about her new doctorate that she’d just found out about and only the Captain knew about at this point. Yet she assumed that it was not a slip, the way some people assumed that all Counselors were doctors even when few of them had doctorates. It had been a deliberate phrasing, to leave her thinking about him, and she had to admit it had worked.

—- Nine Forward Lounge —-

A few hours later Kolem carried a large mug of beer to the table and sat down next to two couples and the ship’s new Chief Diplomatic Officer, a role she had not thought they would have needed. Of the couples none of them really made sense with Lieutenant Jara the Chief of Security being an odd match for the studious Lieutenant Commander Gabriella Miller and Doctor T’Rala being a great deal more out going than the ship’s Chief Engineer Lieutenant Commander James Young.

”Do you think opposite’s attract she asked,” as she sat down next to Miller.

”Sometimes, but I think that sharing interests is important,” the new woman Lieutenant Diya Acharya said.

”I mean you see examples of it working out here,” Jara said.

Kolem nodded, “Have you met Lieutenant Dornall?”

Jara smiled, explaining “Kolem gets a new boyfriend every few months, so new guy on the ship, new drama.”

Kolem frowned, “That’s not fair. Hume and I were good, until I didn’t want to get married yet after a few months of dating and he cheated to hurt me. Then I don’t even know how to define the last relationship I had, since have the time I as possessed by an ancient goddess.”

”What?” Acharya asked.

”It was a thing, we dealt with it,” Miller said, “I wrote a paper on it, if you want to see it. Cambridge published it.”

“Speaking of Hume was he replaced by our new intelligence team?” Kolem asked.

”Sorry sister,” Jara said, “He’s still in Security, my XO as it where. We did lose a few people, but unless we want to invade Cardassia we’re fine with a smaller team security team.”

Kolem nodded.

”He’s hot though, if you’re into guys I mean,” Jara said.

”I would agree, I gave him his medical,” Doctor T’Rala said, “Very nice, the way he looks out of uniform is pretty good too.”

”Hey,” protested Young.

”Hush, I can look,” T’Rala said.

”Can you, you’re a doctor what about your oath?” Acharya asked.

”I’m not telling you anything about his appointment, just that I saw him,” the Romulan smiled.

”The problem with you Kolem, is you’re always looking for the one,” Jara opined, “Maybe start looking for fun, not the one. All indications are he’s here for a few weeks, maybe less and then him and his team are gone to boss another Captain around.”

Kolem was quiet and sipped her beer. Jara was impulsive, but this was not a bad point. She had thought that Hume was the one and then she had thought that Sánchez might possibly be the one but they had both either left or cheated. Maybe someone who was definitely likely to leave, well maybe that wasn’t so bad.

—- Chief Intelligence Officer’s Quarters —-

Lieutenant Commander Dornall nodded as the door to his quarters opened. 

”Come to see my idols?” he asked.

”No, just letting you know that I was transferring you to Ensign D’Won from now on,” Kolem said.

“But don’t read too much into that, of course,” Dornall said with mock seriousness.

”I move slowly,” Kolem said, “I get the feeling you don’t, we’ll figure it out. Might be nothing here.”

”Not nothing,” Dornall said then nodded, “But you take it slow. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

Kolem nodded, smiled and backed away from the door, “Maybe next time I’ll come in and see your idols.”