SIM:Ens. Tobias Brel - Giving No Quarter

The events in this SIM occurred on Stardate 238608.14 ((Counselor's Office - USS Tiger)) ::Tobias Brel's first meeting of the day was not going according to plan. Accordingly he welcomed the break in discussion provided by the communication from Lt. Whale.:: Whale: =/\= Whale to Brel. =/\= Brel: ::To Carstairs:: Sorry - this shouldn't take a moment.:: Brel: ::Tapping his com badge:: =/\= Brel here. =/\= Whale: =/\= Got your message. How about your office in an hour? =/\= Brel: That would be great - I'll look forward to seeing you. Whale: =/\= Yeah, fine. =/\= ::The connection was immediately ended leaving Brel curious as to what mood Whale would be in for their appointment. In Brel's experience, people who are being made to attend sessions rarely did so in good grace, nor did they share anything significant when they did.:: Carstairs: So, back to my problem... Brel: Do you mind if I try to sum up the situation, just to check my understanding? ::Carstairs leant back in his seat, happy that he was once again the center of Brel's attention.:: Carstairs: By all means, counselor. Brel: Your room is situated - almost - directly over the ship's warp core. Carstairs: Right... Brel: And you are concerned that - in the unlikely event that the ship's warp core fails - Carstairs: ::Leaning forward and interrupting:: I've been doing some reading and it's not all that unlikely. There have been at least two dozen incidents of catastrophic warp core failure in Starfleet vessels in the last thirty years. Brel: ::Trying not to let his frustration with Carstairs show:: If the ship's warp core fails and is not successfully ejected due to some failure in the ejection system - that due to your room's proximity to the warp core system, your chances of being killed increase considerably. ::He paused for a moment, reflecting back on what he had said to make sure he had accurately summed up Carstairs' comments:: oO Don't forget his solution. Oo Carstairs: Indeed, it is very troubling... ::Brel watched Carstairs - his manner was wrong. A story like his would normally suggest a severe anxiety disorder but nothing about the Ensign seemed at all out of place. No signs of worry showed on Carstairs' face and the way he related his problems sounded almost rehearsed.:: Brel: Right. But you have a solution ready-made, don't you? You wish to be moved to one of the quarters on Deck Three, because you argue - ::Brel paused, checking back over his notes:: that you would be considerably safer at a distance of four decks than you are at a distance of one. ::Carstairs nodded again, his expression beginning to show some signs of concern - as though he suspected that Brel was onto him.:: Brel: ::Sighing heavily:: Ensign Carstairs - I am getting the distinct impression that you are attempting to ask me to go and secure a room change for you on psychological grounds. ::Brel paused, considering his words carefully:: Grounds which, so far, appear to me to be dubious in the extreme. ::Carstairs leaped out of his seat and stepped towards Brel, gesticulating angrily:: Carstairs: Now look here counselor, I came here with the expectation that you would treat me with the respect - ::Brel interrupted, his voice firm but insistent. Nothing he had seen in Carstairs' file suggested that he might be prone to violent behavior but the counselor did not want to take the risk.:: Brel: I need you to sit back down now - or this session is over. ::He paused:: I do mean it Ensign. ::Carstairs slowly eased himself back into his seat. Once again something felt wrong to Brel about the outburst which, to the counselor, seemed to be more of a threat than an emotional response to an affront.:: Brel: Thank you. ::Leaning forward, putting his PADD down:: Look - I may be fresh out of the Academy but I assure you, I have dealt with many cases of anxiety disorders before. I do recognize the signs. The thing is, if you were really worried about the chances of a warp core explosion you would have done some research into - Carstairs: ::Belligerently:: But I did - I told you - Brel: ::Firmly, shutting Carstairs down:: You would have researched the distance to the escape pods from both your quarters and from those quarters on Deck Three. ::Carstairs stayed silent:: Brel: The Tiger's escape pods are actually located on Deck Six, aren't they? ::Carstairs nodded:: Brel: You would be considerably safer in the event of an emergency because all you would have to do is walk out of your room and an escape pod would likely be right in front of you. Or at least within a short run. Carstairs: ::Sounding a little shaken:: But if the explosion happened so quickly that the alarms didn't sound - Brel: Then you would be no safer on the third deck than you are on the sixth. In fact, I'd say that you'd actually be less safe than you are right now. But I can assure you that the eventuality of an immediate, unsignalled catastrophic explosion of the sort you're suggesting has not been reported on any model of Starfleet vessel produced within the last sixty years. If you would like me to, I could ask Commander Firestarter to get one of his officers to explain the numerous safeguards in place to you. Carstairs: No - I think I'll take your word for it. ::He paused, warily:: So, what are we going to do? Brel: Well, I don't appreciate my time being wasted Ensign - so, let's make sure that it isn't. Is this room change just because you want more breathing room? Carstairs: If I tell you - Brel: I have no intention of speaking to any officer aboard this vessel about our conversation - go ahead. Carstairs: It's my roommate. Vex is just - well, he talks all the time. Constantly. About nothing. And he snores. Have you ever bunked with a Lurian? ::The question went unanswered as Carstairs continued without a pause.:: Carstairs: The noise - it just drives me out of my mind. I can't sleep and when I do I'm almost always woken up in the middle of the night by something. Brel: ::Surprised:: Well, so you feel your roommate is anti-social. You have different living habits. How long has this been going on for? Carstairs: I've lost track. They moved us in together at least three months ago. Brel: I see. So the reason you came to me? Carstairs: ::Warily:: I've been moved twice before - each time I get lumbered with these terrible roommates. If I went to Ops to ask them to move me again I'd probably end up with someone as bad as Vex. oO If this keeps happening to him it's probably not the roommates' fault. Oo Carstairs: ::Continuing:: I hoped that if it came from you that they would have to move me into a bunk on my own. They can't ignore a counselor's recommendation, you know. Brel: ::Stifling a laugh:: Oh, I wish that were the case. ::It amused Brel that someone might believe that he had the level of authority that Starfleet had to react to his every edict:: Brel: So you wanted your own quarters and the only way you could be sure of getting them was to be up on the third deck? Carstairs: ::Looking sheepish:: Well - that's about the long and the short of it I suppose. Am I in trouble? Brel: I think I'll hold off on firing out one of my all-powerful memos to Lt. Clack for now. Can I ask, where were you stationed before you were assigned to the Tiger? Carstairs: The USS Lincoln. She was a Galaxy class. Brel: You had your own room there? ::Carstairs nodded:: Brel: Well, have you looked into a fleet transfer? Carstairs: Aside from the room situation, I actually like it here. Brel: Well Ensign, I can see a couple of paths open to us. You can put in for a fleet transfer and, if you do, I would be happy to attach a counselor's recommendation that you are assigned to a ship with individual quarters for non-senior officers. Carstairs: ::Nodding:: And if I don't want to leave the Tiger? Brel: We can have a word with Dr. Solok and ask if he can prescribe you something to ensure you get a good night's sleep. The other thing you may want to do is speak with your superiors and ask that you get moved to another shift. It might be easier for you to sleep if your roommate's out at work whilst you're sleeping and then they would have the room to themselves whilst you're out. Carstairs: But if I wanted to stay on the Tiger but in my own quarters? Brel: Not in my power and in any case, there's just not enough room for every person on this ship to have their own quarters. If I made an exception for you I'd have to make it for everyone. Carstairs: ::Glumly:: That's what I thought you'd say. I think I need to give this a bit of thought. Brel: That's fine. I'd be happy to refer you to Dr. Solok or put that note on your file. ::Brel stood up, showing Carstairs towards the door.:: Brel: If you just get in touch and let me know how you want to take it from here... Carstairs: I will do. ::Standing up:: Thank you, Counselor. ::Pausing and turning back as he neared the door:: I am sorry about - well... I won't do that again. Brel: I *am* glad to hear that, Ensign. It's forgotten about. ::Carstairs smiled and left the room. An exhausted Brel walked back to his chair, happily collapsing back into it. He checked the time - ten minutes left until Lt. Whale would be arriving. He needed a moment to collect his thoughts and compose himself for what promised to be a tense meeting with the ship's Assistant Security Chief.::