Introductions

Posted on Sat Aug 20th, 2022 @ 12:37am by Chief Counselor Serephima Anilon & Counselor Kaelyth Solmarr

Mission: What Lies In The Darkness
Location: Counselong Offices, Kaelyth's Office
Timeline: 248001.01 16:30

Serephima was tired… she and Grace had had their hands full with frightened and anxious passengers. It had taken them hours to calm everyone down. She was looking forward to the quiet of her office, perhaps a cup of tea, before her shift ended.

She was quite surprised to find the door to the other office in this suite open and a male seated at the desk in that office. With an inward sigh, she moved to speak with him.

“Good day to you, sir. I am named Serephima Anilon, the Counselor. May I be of help to you in some way?”

It had been a very long day. There were enough frightened and distressed civilians to keep a whole contingent of counselors busy, and he felt as though he had seen about half of them. He had just returned to the office and sat down for a moment to center himself when he heard the doors to the outer office open to admit someone. It was then that he realized that his office door was still open -- he normally did that to invite people to come and speak with him if they needed, a literal open-door policy. Once more unto the breach; is that not how the saying goes, he thought to himself as he looked up to see who the new arrival was.

Fortunately for his sanity, he recognized her from the dossier he had read of his new superior. She confirmed that with her introduction, and he offered her his normal, warm, kind smile as he rose to greet her. "A pleasure to meet you, Serephima Anilon," he offered, taking care to pronounce her name as closely to how she had pronounced it as he could, accent notwithstanding. "I am Kaelyth Solmarr. Apparently, I am to answer to you here," he informed by way of introduction. "You look exhausted. Please sit." He motioned to any of the furniture in the room. "Would you care for something? I am in need of a cup of tea, and I would be happy to get you something as well."

Serephima smiled, pleasantly surprised by Kaelyth’s ability to pronounce her name in spite of his accent. “It is good to meet you Kaelyth,” she replied, hoping that she had pronounced his name correctly. Her smile deepened as she told him, ”Your saying of my name is very pleasing—your accent gives it an exotic tone…I hope that I did as well with yours?”

She sighed deeply, saying, “I am very tired indeed. Between us, Grace and I attempted to calm and reassure many people…”

Her eyes brightened at the mention of tea, “We think much alike, I believe—I was looking forward to a cup of tea…and to share it with another and perhaps speak quietly for a time would be most pleasant.”

As Kaelyth offered her a seat in his office, she smiled and sank gratefully onto one of the soft leather sofas in his office, regarding him with a smile. She sighed then, saying, “This is quite relaxing—and I believe we both need this just now, wouldn’t you agree?” She frowned slightly as she continued, “People consumed with fear can be very—difficult.” In spite of herself, her right wing twitched…

Kaelyth smiled his warm, kind smile. "The situation can indeed be taxing," he agreed as he stood from his desk and moved to a table near it. From a cabinet beneath the table, he took two mugs. These he placed on the table gently. He then filled them with the lightly sweet and cinnamon-smelling Lessanthi tea. "I hope you like this tea; it is my favorite." He brought the mugs over, handing hers to her before sitting across from her on the other sofa. "If you do not like it, do not worry. I will not be offended." The smile shifted, becoming lightly playful. "That just means there will be more for me, after all."

Serephima thanked Kaelyth as he handed her the mug of tea; she inhaled deeply, savoring the aroma. “It smells wonderful! It seems to be very similar to my favorite tea…”

She chuckled at his playful remark before taking a sip. Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she told him, “I fear that you will not be so lucky today—this is delicious!”

As she took another sip, Serephima regarded Kaelyth, her curiosity piqued.

“I fear this may be rather rude of me, and if you do not wish to answer, there is no harm done. Where are you from and how did you come to be here?”

Kaelyth smiled back. "Then I am pleased in the sharing of this." Her question made him tilt his head in a pose of thought. "I will answer this if, when I have finished, you do me the same honor," he told her, genuinely wishing to know about her as she did about him. They would have to work together, after all.

Serephima smiled, saying, “It is agreed. It is only fair….I would be quite selfish if I refused you knowledge of me….but there are things in my life and that of my people that are not—pleasant…”

Kaelyth had to chuckle. She had no idea of the things in his life. There were parts of his life that many would consider unpleasant as well. "I fear that you may be equally in for a shock. There are things in my past that are unpleasant as well," he warned. "But if you wish to hear it, I will tell it."

Serephima nodded, saying, ”I do not think that there are many living beings without some unpleasantness in their lives.” She regarded Kaelyth quietly for a moment before continuing, “I truly would like to hear whatever you feel comfortable telling me. If there are things about which you do not wish to speak, that is completely understandable…”

Kaelyth chuckled softly. "Spoken like a true Counselor," he teased lightly. A second later, he sobered, his expression becoming thoughtful. "I came from a world called Lessantha." he began. "The reasons for which I originally left prevent me from returning. However, having an exploratory nature, I move forward. That exploration brought me to the Interstellar Coalition. They were at war with another power, but I felt a... pull to help them. I joined their fleet and became a Counselor on their ships. But when the war ended, I felt that I could be more help to the civilians than the fleet, so I resigned my commission and set up a practice. When I found out about this ship, it was because some of my clients and friends were going to be here. To continue to help those people, I negotiated my way onto this ship." He paused, then smiled. "Correction, I negotiated my family's way onto this ship."

Serephima listened attentively to Kaelyth as he spoke. Her curiosity was piqued—what circumstances would prevent him from returning to his home? However, it was something he didn’t want to discuss, so she curbed her impulse to ask. She smiled when he corrected himself, saying that his family was aboard… a caring being could not bear to leave their family behind…

She took a deep breath and began to speak, saying, “I am from a planet called Nandalon. For many centuries we lived quietly there, developing technologies that were not harmful to our world…we had even colonized several neighboring worlds. Our peaceful life came to an end when we were invaded and Nandalon overrun by another species—we never knew their true name—we called them Xandor… our term for monster. I helped in the evacuation of as many of my people as possible, but all could not be saved. I presume they were enslaved, but I have no true knowledge. We retreated to the most distant of our colony worlds and began a prolonged conflict with the Xandor—a battle which we finally won. We then had to heal our poor planet, which took many more years.” She sighed, continuing,”Because of that experience, we became very xenophobic, only recently venturing into the stars again.” She looked up at Kaelyth, a small smile on her face as she continued, “Like you, I felt the pull to aid others and when this opening was offered, I accepted.” Her smile widened as she continued, “And I believe that I have made the right choice.”

Kaelyth listened as intently to what she said as she had to what he had said. It sounded horrible, and he found himself admiring the strength this lady must have to have survived it with not only her mind but her heart intact. She sounded sad, yes, but she did not sound bitter. He knew that, even still, he carried some bitterness inside of him, though he tried not to let it slip out. He could not sense any of that with her, and he found himself envying her that ability to go through such things and come out the other end not embittered by them.

"I am sorry that you and your people were put through that," he commiserated. "You seem to have been able to retain your warmth and kindness. Many would not have been able to in your place."

Serephima smiled softly, saying, “It was not easy—seeing so many of my people traumatized—especially the children”. She sighed, continuing, “But I finally realized that they needed me to be the gentle Comfort Giver rather than the Protector that I wished to be.”

Kaelyth nodded. "I can imagine that was difficult for you. I imagine Kiyanna had the same issue when we first began to talk. She is the Artificial Intelligence of a Protector-class vessel, a warship. But in that time, she had to be comforter, advisor, confidante to a very angry young man." He chuckled at his own expense.

Serephima nodded gravely, “It was difficult—as your Kiyanna will attest—the Protector in me wished to lash out at those who harmed my people. It is very difficult to control those instincts…”. She paused for a moment, then asked somewhat hesitantly, “May I ask what has become of Kiyanna?”

Kaelyth smiled. "She is nearby," he said with a tone that was warm and could even be described as loving, the kind of love one has for a dear friend with whom they have endured much. "She follows us DarkShielded (Cloaked) until and unless needed. She does leave periodically, or will, to acquire what I need. But otherwise, she will be nearby."

“It is good that your friend is nearby,” Serephima replied with a smile. A puzzled frown crossed her face and after a few false starts, she hesitantly asked, ”She will have to leave on occasion? Will she be in danger?” She hurriedly continued, ”If you do not wish to answer….”

Kaelyth smiled then chuckled softly. "I appreciate your concern, but she is not as we are. Kiyanna is the Artificial Intelligence of a large, powerful ship." He did not tell her that said ship was a warship because that was not something needed for this particular conversation. Yes, it would serve to show how safe Kiyanna was, but other questions might be raised that he really did not wish to answer just now. "And she has the ability to Dark Shield, so it is very unlikely that she will be observed by most powers she encounters," he added.

“That is good,” Serephima said with a smile. “It sounds as if she made a grand Protector.” She frowned thoughtfully, then asked, “Dark shielded? She cannot be seen? That would be quite an advantage!”

She was bursting with curiosity about both Kaelyth and Kiyanna, but she could sense that this was not something that Kaelyth was willing to talk about just yet. She curbed her curiosity, and asked instead, “How is your family adapting to FarVoyager? Have you any children?”

Kaelyth nodded at the question about Dark Shielding. "Yes, it is a means of rendering a ship invisible to sensors as well as direct observation," he clarified. "And yes, she was indeed a great Protector," he told her, his voice carrying pride in his companion. "In fact, that is the name of her class of vessel."

He could sense her curiosity, see it deep in her eyes, but also sensed that she was restraining it. He was not sure why, but he did not press. "So far, they seem to be adjusting well. My wife runs the clinic on the Arcade, and my children are getting acclimatized to the ship." He smiled as he thought of them. "We have one daughter and one son, both in their teens now."

“She is in charge of the clinic?” Serephima asked in surprise. “I believe she and I worked together today….is she named Grace?”

Kaelyth smiled, nodding. The smile was a combination of love, pride, and a dozen other emotions. "Indeed she is."

She smiled…. Kaelyth positively glowed when he spoke of his family. She felt a tiny twinge if jealousy…she longed for a mate and family, but that had not happened for her as of yet.

“Your young ones are teens? Oh my! Forgive my bluntness, but you scarcely seem old enough to have children of that age! Grace certainly doesn’t!”

Kaelyth had to smile at her. "Thank you on behalf of myself and Grace. I will be sure to tell her you said this."

She took a slow appreciative sip of her tea, then asked, “Is there anything else I can tell you about myself personally, or my people? I find it quite easy to speak of such things with you.”

She was not the first to tell him this, and he found himself smiling again. 'Thank you. i am pleased that you find me easy to talk with. After all, I would not be much of a Counselor if people did not wish to talk with me, yes?" he said, the questioning tone meant to indicate that he asked a rhetorical question rather than actually needing an answer. "You may tell me anything which you wish to tell me. And if you ever need someone to talk to, my door is always open."

“I thank you for that,” Serephima said, smiling softly, “ and my door is always open to you, should you have a similar need. We are colleagues but we may also become friends, yes?”

Kaelyth nodded with a soft smile. "Indeed. Please tell me more of you?"

She thought for a moment, her eyes distant, then began, “On Nandalon, ones such as I are known as Comfort Givers—it is not something that can be learned, although training sharpens the ability…it is something we are born with. It is a mark of great honor to have a Comfort Giver born into a family. There is another side to us, though—the Protector. As I am now, no one would consider me a threat—my voice is soft and my manner tends to be soothing… but if I would need to become the Protector, I would change completely—my voice would become high and shrill, as a predator bird, and I would be very warlike…”. She sighed, continuing, “Once there were a great many of us, but after the Xandor invaded…I was one of the very few Comfort Givers who survived. Many were born during the time of recovery after we defeated the Xandor…because of that, I had no feelings of guilt about my decision to leave Nandalon.” She smiled again, saying, “That must be what they call a—dual personality?—except that we are very aware of who we are…”

Kaelyth froze for a split second when she spoke of shifting between personas. It reminded him in some ways of the Switch-Flip that both his father and Kiyanna had observed in him, except for the fact that she was the same person and aware of being in a different 'mode'. He did not remember those moments but had been told what he had said or done during them. It bothered him, but he kept it to himself. Even now, that freeze only lasted a split second while she was staring off into the distance. Then he pushed it aside and returned to his normal, gently warm manner as he listened.

He chuckled at her reference to dual personalities but shook his head. "I think of that more as a Mode Shift. You choose the mode of behavior most suited to the moment and actively utilize it," he offered.

Serephima raised an eyebrow…she had thought that she sensed a bit of tension, but she could not be sure—the feeling had lasted but a portion of a second, so she was uncertain…she decided to examine her impressions later.

She smiled at Kaelyth, telling him, “You may be right. I must confess that I still have trouble with this language—sometimes my ways of saying things are unusual…”.

He had to chuckle again, reminded of when he had first begun to mingle with the races in this galaxy. "Do not worry. I had the same problem in the beginning. Sometimes I still do, especially in regards to colloquial speech."

“It is difficult indeed, this new language,” Serephima replied with a chuckle of her own. “Some of my word choices have drawn some very—odd—looks from others…” and she chuckled again, remembering.

Kaelyth chuckled softly with her. "I do understand. I have said things that netted me odd looks and an instruction not to ever say those things again. I have a list," he admitted.

Serephima’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Indeed? That must have been quite uncomfortable for you.” Her eyes began to twinkle as she said, “Perhaps I should start such a list….”

Kaelytth chuckled softly. "I believe it was more uncomfortable for those listening," he admitted with another chuckle. "They were very gentle in their admonition never to say those things again, and I took it well enough. Their language is not one language, after all, but an amalgamation of many interior cultures' language variations. That can make it very complicated, so I simply took it in that vein and created a list so that I would not repeat the incorrect usage." His own eyes glittered in playfulness. "I can certainly share my list if you like."

Serephima smiled, saying, “I would like that. It would be interesting to see if any of the ways of speaking that were difficult for you are also the ones plaguing me.” She shook her head, a rueful chuckle escaping her as she said, “I fear I may have unknowingly offended some of the people aboard, but if I did, they said nothing….”

Kaelyth smiled again. "I doubt they were offended," he assured. "But I was fortunate to have met kind people who helped me to know what the odd speech patterns meant and which ones I should not try to repeat." He chuckled as he took a small datapad from his jacket and keyed up a list. Handing it across to her, he said, "Please feel free to look at my list. Copy it even if you wish." He hoped that his list could help her not to fall into some of the verbal holes he had fallen into.

Serephima looked at the list Kaelyth showed her and her eyebrows went up. “Oh my! There are several on here that have caused me to get odd looks or smirks, but nothing was said to me, thankfully.” She looked over at Kaelyth, continuing, “I would very much like to copy this, if you have the time—otherwise, may I copy it later?”

Kaelyth smiled in return. "You may copy it now if you wish. Or I can simply transfer it to a datapad for you if you have one and would like me to do that," he offered.

Again Serephima’s eyes brightened. “If you will wait one moment…” she said, rising quickly and hurrying into her office. She found her datapad and quickly returned. As she handed Kaelyth the datapad, she said, “I thank you very much for this. I wish to become accepted among all on the ship and awkward speech does not help with that…”

Kaelyth waited patiently, bothered not in the least by the wait. When she returned and handed him the datapad, he took it gently and linked it to his, transferring the file even as he answered her statement. "You are most welcome." He agreed with her in principle, but there were certain things about the way he spoke that some still found difficult to accept because they said that he was 'too formal'. "Some, however, will never be pleased, and we must accept that too."

Serephima sighed and nodded as she said, ”I fear you are right. I have noticed some males watching me in a most—intense—manner. It was most disquieting.” She paused for a moment, then continued slowly, “It was almost as if they were—fantasizing—things about me. Fortunately, it has not happened often…”

Kaelyth frowned, displeased by what she said. "Would you classify the looks as... lewd?" he asked, concern lacing his tone.

“I am unsure of the meaning of that word,”. Serephima replied, continuing slowly, “But if it means that they were imagining me—unclothed—then yes. However, there was an older male with them who chastised them for whatever they were thinking…”. She looked at Kaelyth, seeing the concern in his eyes, telling him, “It has only happened that time and one other…”

Kaelyth frowned, an expression one did not see often on him. "Yes, that is indeed what that word means," he clarified for her. "And once is too often. I would suggest reporting the incident." He was not presuming to tell her what to do, merely offering his best advice. Such behavior needed to be strongly discouraged, and not allowed to continue. But, ultimately, the choice was hers and he would respect her choice. Kaelyth just had this tendency to be... protective. Perhaps it came from spending too much time with the Avatar of a Protector-class ship. Or perhaps it was borne of his own background prior to that. Even he did not know, but now it was just an integral part of who he was. He just hoped that he did not offend her by giving the impression that he was ordering her about.

“I had considered it,”. Serephima replied, continuing,”But I had only just boarded FarVoyager and did not know who to approach to report this behavior to.” She gave Kaelyth a wry smile, continuing, “And I believe that after today, it would be unnecessary. Both of the young males that had done this were at the clinic today—so frightened that they were weeping. I took them aside and reassured them, telling them of my confidence in the crew, then listened as they talked through their fears. It took quite some time, but they calmed…the one who had done that first apologized and explained that the young female he had been seeing left him for another and he was—I believe the term is ‘acting out’. He said that he had never done that before or since…”

Kaelyth considered her words carefully for a moment then nodded. "I understand. Then perhaps it is acceptable to let it go this time," he agreed. "But if it does occur again, I would recommend looking up who their parents are and reporting the behavior to those individuals," he offered the suggestion then moved the subject on. "Other than that, how are you adjusting to this ship and its inhabitants?"

“I shall do so,”. Serephima replied with a smile. She could sense his need to protect and it warmed her—she had a colleague who tended to be as protective of others as she was….

At his question, she tilted her head, considering. “Well, I believe. I have met with the Commander and he appears to be quite nice, but rather—distant? or perhaps controlled would be a better term. He seems intrigued by my rather limited telepathic ability.” She smiled quickly, saying, “I do not use that ability unless asked to do so—-my talents are predominantly empathic….”

Kaelyth considered her words and nodded. "Commander Seitha does seem to be very tightly controlled. It makes me wonder... many things. Perhaps he will open up more as time moved on," he speculated. "Have you had the chance to meet any other of the Primary" he paused, realizing that was the incorrect term in these spaces and corrected it "Chiefs of the departments?"

“I have met the Chief Medical Officer—he and I talked during our meal. Otherwise, I have only seen the Bridge crew when this crisis began and the Commander asked for my impressions…”. She looked up at Kaelyth, asking, “And you? Have you met any of the Chiefs of the departments?”

Kaelyth shook his head. "I have not had the opportunity as of yet," he answered. "However, I do intend to 'make the rounds' as it were," he admitted. "Which brings to mind that we should likely call an end to this meeting and begin to get our department in order," he suggested, still kindly.

Serephima nodded and took the last sip of her tea. Setting the cup on a nearby table, she smiled, saying, “I believe you are right. You need to return to your family and we both need to rest.” She rose and extended her hand to Kaelyth, smiling as she said, “And perhaps I can accompany you when you ‘make the rounds’, yes?”

Kaelyth stood with her and took her hand in his once more. "Of course you may," he answered easily, giving her hand a shake once more before releasing it. "It was a pleasure to speak with you. Good day."

“It was indeed a pleasure,” Serephima answered, smiling warmly. “I wish you a good rest and a pleasant evening.”

"And to you as well," Kaelyth offered, watching her leave his office. She was a warm and kind lady, and he looked forward to working with her. For now, though, he returned to his desk and the work he had been doing before she had entered.