Counselor's Holodeck

Posted on Tue Apr 8th, 2025 @ 5:32pm by Ensign Noah Balsam & Lieutenant Axod Qo
Edited on on Tue Apr 8th, 2025 @ 5:33pm

Mission: Mean Green Queen
Location: Counselor's Office; Deck 5
Timeline: Mission Day 22 at 0900

[Counselor's Office]
[Deck 5]
[Day 22, 0900 Hours]

Refocus.

Noah's mind had been drifting of late. His dreams were more vivid. He knew he was sleeping lighter and had been since the events of the anaphasic organism that had managed their way into their quarters. His home. It was a feeling he remembered feeling when he was stressed. He could at least connect the two: stress and light sleep. And he could walk back to when it felt like it started.

They had been at high warp for almost a month now. Even this Engineer wanted a change in routine. He was beginning to feel like his life was a chapter in a Holodeck novel. Rewind, repeat, same events.

He shook his head. Refocus. That wasn't entirely true. He wasn't in pantomime, truly, even if he felt adrift and cog-like. Irynya, his friend and former roommate, tended to pull him out of his bubble for anywhich reason that her extroverted mind could conjure. Be it a massage by Orion holograms or... tracking down some strange game of mystery.

Dammit. Refocus. Noah blinked. His eyes returned to the line of code he'd read six times before. He glanced sideways not so much at the body of the man but the presence of the man he'd come here to help.

Axod Qo. Chief Counselor.

Holodeck technology had come a long way from the 50's and 60's. There were integrated emitters in every corner of the ship save for those with an active open power source that would affect their matrices. Anybody higher than a Crewman or Ensign had at least rudimentary holo-environment controls in their quarters. No they couldn't full on make a Holodeck of their own. But within a static shape they could get ambiance and redressing. Irynya lived on a windowed beach sort of... cottage? When it seemed to suited her. Albeit peppered with the standard accoutrements of Starfleet design.

But a few people got full Holodeck integration. Chief Engineers needed it for design, so did Fabrication Operations. And the Chief Counselor got it for therapy.

Noah glanced at the redheaded man. He flashed his thin and too wide smile. "Ok let's try it again." He murmured genially. Noah slipped off the chair he'd borrowed and been hunched over his data in for the better part of ten minutes.

Axod sat at his desk, the soft hum of the station’s systems buzzing in the background. He had hoped to clear a few appointments today, taking advantage of the brief lull while repairs were underway. The ship had its own rhythm, a dance of maintenance, personnel shifts, and the steady pulse of daily life. But today, the universe had other plans for him. His calendar was quickly filling up with requests, and Axod’s optimistic hope of an easy day was quickly slipping away.

Ax leaned back in his chair, giving a small, resigned smile to Noah—a look that combined both humor and a touch of exasperation. He’d become accustomed to the unpredictability of Starfleet life. And in truth, he didn’t mind the variety; it was just the timing that could be difficult to predict. The appointments would come. They always did.

"Here's hoping," the. Doosodarian muttered under his breath, eyes flickering to the PADD where the next request was flashing, but before he could dive into it, he shook his head, turning back to the task at hand. If he couldn’t get ahead on his schedule, at least he could indulge in a moment of normalcy—something familiar, something from his homeworld.

“Computer,” Axod called out, his tone steady and expectant. He had been using this program for years now, a little personal tradition that helped him find focus amidst the chaos. “Activate program Qo-Theta-Five-Six.”

"Initiating...." The computer said in its flat and unemotive feminine tone. It chirped. "Initiating..." And again, it chirped. "Initiating...." Chirp. "Initiating."

"Computer, force end subroutine," Noah stated. And he was immediately on the PADD. "Now tha-that I know how to fix. That's a someone put a gelpack in backward." And his fingers began to dance on his PADD. He pinched and flung at the data, putting the schematic on the wall. Transparency, after all. The LCARS in amber mapped a blinking circle and flashed an error. "Junction 5122. OK." Noah said with a breath and he let his PADD clatter to the small makeshift stand. He bent and laid down near the near wall and began to open a panel.

With it set aside he pulled out a small cart. It whispered open with a soft hydraulic. "Those guys at-at Antares... they strike again." Noah commented at the Doosodarian. "When we-we first launched the Sojourner, I was, uh, on the shakedown team. And it felt like this ship was put together in a rush. With Chief Oliveria in charge got a lot of them ironed out. Um, before we really reached the DQ. But every once in awhile, they pop up in weird places." There was an abrupt beep and a furrowed with annoyance sound. And then a chipper and chirpy beep. "Computer, rerun last request."

Axod watched intently as Noah worked, the young ensign’s slender fingers moving with practiced ease over the console. There was a certainty to his touch, an almost instinctive connection to the technology, as if the interface responded to him on a level deeper than simple programming. It was a skill that spoke of familiarity, maybe even something more—an affinity that went beyond mere training.

As Ax observed, the holo-area flickered, then surged to life. The sterile walls of the Sojourner’s counseling office dissolved in an instant, replaced by the thick, humid air of a distant world. They now stood on the lush, swampy banks of Port Gethra, the famous Swamp City of Doosodaria. Towering structures of stone, glass, and metal, draped in creeping vines and bioluminescent moss, rose behind them, their foundations half-submerged in the shimmering emerald waters. The scent of damp earth and briny marsh filled the air, mingling with the distant hum of unseen creatures stirring beneath the surface.

Axod exhaled slowly, he was always blown away by the striking realism of the simulation. If he hadn’t just witnessed Noah setting the program, he might have believed they were truly home.

"Not bad huh." Noah said as he eased himself out of the marshy soft green moss. His back had sprouts of broccoli-like bits across his shoulders. He revealed his ignorance a moment later. "So where, uh, are we? It sort of reminds me of the Pacific Northwest on Earth. Or maybe the Kendra Lowlands on Bajor?" He blinked and looked at the ginger-haired Counselor who, in whispers, becoming quite the noticed person among some of the engineering staff. "Probably some place on Doosodar? Doosodaria?" Noah raised a brow with a perplexed turn of his mouth, hoping Axod would correct him.

Axod paused for a beat before answering, as if he were momentarily lost in the sight before him, caught between memory and the present. His gaze swept over the familiar streets, the glistening waterways, the soft glow of bioluminescent flora clinging to the stonework. Even after all these years, the sight still held a quiet magic.

"This is home," he said at last, his voice carrying a note of something both wistful and certain.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he turned to Noah, his expression softening.

"Port Gethra on Doosodaria," he confirmed. "Also known as the Swamp City."

He lifted a hand, gesturing toward the tallest building in the square where they stood. The structure loomed above them, its upper levels half-shrouded in the soft mist that rolled in from the marshlands beyond.

"I grew up right there—twenty-three floors up."

His eyes lingered on the windows that had once framed his childhood, the place where he had watched the world shift and change beneath him, where he had dreamed of the stars beyond the dense canopy of Doosodaria’s endless swamps.

For a moment, he could almost hear the distant hum of the city at night, the rhythmic croak of marsh creatures, the gentle lap of water against the stone foundations. It was strange how a place could feel both impossibly distant and as close as a heartbeat.

He let the moment settle before glancing back at Noah, curiosity flickering in his expression. "What do you think?"

Beauty was so subjective. There Ferengi liked dank, musty and damp. Cardassians loved a desiccating heat and desolation. As Noah looked around he felt like he was a Human prism- an Enceladan one at that- experiencing Doosodarian beauty. The bio-luminescence was lovely. It reminded Noah distantly of the chromatafauna deep under Enceladus ice and ammoniated oceans. But this was on a grand scale.

Noah grimaced a smile. "It's very pretty." His nose wrinkled, "Maybe a little muddy? I-I like-" and he pointed up at that dense canopy of vegetation. That evoked what it seemed to primally evoked in all Humans. It was in the DNA. The safety, beauty and mystery of the trees. "The uh, trees. I like feeling sealed in." He followed Axod's gesture to the building and Noah shielded his eyes from the diffused light to try and peer- unsuccessfully- through the mist that swallowed the superstructure. "It-it has a biocore vibe to me." He looked at the Counselor, amiable, sort of coltishly calm. "You know um. Living and integrating into the natural environment... but you know... still technological. Just not damaging." He guffawed. "Its-its very alien to me. My homeworld is very different." Unvoiced, Noah knew why he'd been pulled out of the beauty's reality- if this was real, his allergies could be going crazy.

Axod’s eyes lit up with excitement, a spark of unguarded enthusiasm breaking through his usual composed demeanor. “Let’s go there!” he exclaimed, his voice carrying an energy that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

He pushed himself to his feet, already caught up in the escapism of it all. The idea of stepping into a different place—even if only through a simulation—felt intoxicating, a welcome escape from the weight of reality. His gaze flicked to his companion, anticipation written in every line of his expression. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He was always interested in different cultures.

Noah's brows rose with surprise. "Oh um. Sure ok." He tilted his chin up, a habit not a necessity. "Computer." He blinked. "Enceladus, Eilat Anchorage. Dingo's Deep Dive." The beautiful, marshy loveliness whispered away in a fade, replaced by something wholly different. The room was disk-shaped and with a relatively low ceiling. They stood in what was likely a transit corridor. The inner bulkhead was shockinging white, glossy white metal with reflective black surfaces. It has an LCARS-like feel but the design of the layout was more akin to the blues and rounded angles of Starfleet's 2250's. Yet it seemed a modern evolution as well.

The opposite bulkhead was a panopticon. They were looking out into a midnight blue ocean, an abyss of wonder. Unusual, bluish ices grew like stalactites, plunging unknown distances into the depths below. The water shimmered with a strange viscosity, almost pearlescent in sparse places. Flashes and cones of light cut a subtly lighter blue shape and were strange until one realized- they weren't the same thing. The cones of light were coming from submersibles which looked like elongated Federation shuttles. The flashes of light were rare acts of bio-luminescence.

There was a waft of something: rich, greasy, meaty. But for the moment Noah approached the window. "We're about..." his nose wrinkled with a head tilt, "Fifteen kilometers down in the Mar Darom from the surface... the ice shield's about a hundred decks above us." Noah hyperextended his elbows backward in that hypermobile way of his body as he leaned on the ledge of the window. His nose touched the glass and a breath fogged it. A nostalgic smile pushed wide Noah's mouth and he closed his eyes. "This is the docking area. And that." He turned and pointed at a neon-infused door and interior that looked like it was made of brick. It was one of several doors that opened to the transit corridor as some kind of central axis. "Is the best pizza place in the Outer System Commonwealth. And they-they have arcade games. The old ones." There was music to accompany the waft of savory flavors that seemed to cake the walls inside. A probably-female Human voice was singing about... being a waitress in a cocktail bar?

"My parents h-hated that I'd come down here. But Dingo let me play my guitar down here so..."

The counselor's brows lifted in genuine surprise. "I didn't know you played guitar!" His voice carried the warmth of newfound curiosity, his posture shifting as if eager to learn more.

Noah nodded eagerly. "Y-yeah. A little less since the accident but I still do."

The Doosodarian practically vibrated with excitement. He adored these moments—uncovering the hidden layers of his crewmates, learning the little things that made them who they were beyond their uniforms and duty rosters. He leaned forward. "How long have you played? " His question tumbled out in an eager rush, his enthusiasm uncontained. "I never had much talent, musically, despite my dad's insistence." He added.

"Oh uhh let me think." In the dark deep blue of Enceladus' abyss, Noah's face squinted an eye in thought reflected in the window. "I started when I was about ten? It took me for forever to get my fingers to work on the fret but I got it after awhile." He segued into Axod's truths. "Was your Dad a musician?" He asked genuinely. "My parents are scientists. They thought I was wasting my time with music. They-they tried to couch it in something they understood. They wanted me to study Vulcan music."

"Vulcan music, eh?" Axod nodded, a small, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “My dad’s actually a pretty well-known Lorid harpist back home. He plays with a large orchestra.” His fingers idly pushed a stray lock of red hair from his face, his expression shifting as he spoke. “My mom’s in music too—musical healing.”

There was a distinct warmth in his voice now, a quiet pride surfacing as he spoke about his mother and her work. “She always said music has a way of reaching places words can’t. I guess that stuck with me.” He leaned back slightly, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “I incorporate traditional musical healing into my sessions sometimes. It helps people open up in ways they don’t always expect.”

His gaze flickered for a moment, as if he were recalling something—perhaps a session where music had made all the difference. Then, with a self-aware chuckle, he added, “Not everyone’s receptive, of course. But those who are... it can be pretty powerful.”

Noah smiled a wide almost knowing smile if not for what always seemed like his socially blind nature. "Where were you just a-a second ago?" He asked. But he nodded to. "I-I need music. It helps me focus... helps me relax... even uh sometimes helps me get rid of feelings I don't want to feel." Noah blinked and smiled into a cheek. "I like finding old music that not a lot of people listen to anymore..."

Ax’s eyebrows lifted slightly, his gaze refocusing as he realized just how far his thoughts had drifted. He exhaled softly, a small, introspective smile playing at his lips.

"I was just thinking about my mother," he admitted, his voice carrying a warmth that softened the usual sharpness in his tone. He glanced down for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts, before meeting the other person’s gaze once more. "Music was everything to her—it wasn’t just sound or entertainment. It was healing, expression, connection." His smile deepened, tinged with nostalgia.

Noah's nod was slow, absorbing. He'd never had that kind of connection with family. It sounded wonderful.

"It’s nice to hear that there are others who feel the same way," he continued, his voice quieter now, more thoughtful. "That kind of connection to music... it’s almost spiritual, isn’t it? Something deeper than just notes on a page." He let the words settle, as if lost in them for a moment, before chuckling softly. "I suppose it’s in my blood, whether I meant for it to be or not."

Noah nodded enthusiastically now. "Y-yeah. Building on the notes and the feel... and letting it be whatever it's going to be..." He smiled wan, "I wanted to be a musician but after my accident, coming back from Catulla, I sort of shifted. But the music's still there. When I-I have to do diagnostics or deep Jefferies' work... or in the Holo-lab... I usually have music on."

Noah nibbled his lip, remembering by rote if not natural social skill to circle back. "It sounds like you and your Mom were close?"

"Hey, who's the counselor here?" Axod teased, a mischievous grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. His tone was light, playful, and full of warmth, but there was something more in his eyes—a subtle affection he couldn’t quite hide. "She's my best friend," he added, his voice softening as the image of his mother on Doosodaria flickered in his mind.

Noah blossomed a wide and goofily boyish grin.

For a brief moment, he was swept away in the warmth of that memory, as though he could almost hear her voice again, feel the comfort of her steady presence. Growing up, she'd always known exactly how to listen, how to offer insight without judgment. Her support had never wavered, and it was her nurturing guidance that had shaped him into the counselor he was today. There was no one like her—her strength and wisdom had been his anchor, and just the thought of her left him both proud and homesick in the most bittersweet way.

Axod shook his head, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips as he cleared his throat. "It's incredible, isn't it?" He glanced around at the vivid details of the holo-environment they stood in, marveling at how realistic everything seemed. "We can recreate memories like this with technology, capture the smallest nuances. But even with all this precision," he said, a wistful note creeping into his voice, "it never quite captures the real thing, does it?"

He turned to Noah with a thoughtful expression. "Do you ever miss the places you’ve left behind? The people who shaped you?"

Noah nodded after only a brief second. His eyes narrowed with his certainty. "Y-yeah. Yeah, all the time. I-I don't think I ever don't remember I'm 60,000 light years from almost everybody I love. And I-I... I like the Sojourner. Um." His eyebrows popped. "A lot. I heard my professors say you never forget your first. Ship I mean. But.." His nose wrinkled. "I thought I'd be going to the University of Cendo-Prae by now. Or maybe working at Daystrom."

Noah smiled again. "But I have people here I really care about. Shelly... and Iry... Debbie... Jyl. Iry." His eyebrows popped again. He nibbled his lip and then winced as if a little uncomfortable. "Can... I ask you something? Its... its really delicate. It doesn't feel right... but..."

A small, genuine smile tugged at Axod’s lips. It was reassuring to hear that Noah had people he cared about aboard the Sojourner—connections that anchored him here. That kind of bond was important, even in the ever-shifting dynamics of a starship.

As he observed Noah, Axod caught the subtle flicker of discomfort that crossed the man’s face, the way he hesitated before speaking. Whatever question he was about to ask, it wasn’t an easy one. Axod leaned in just slightly, his posture open and inviting, a quiet signal that he was listening.

“Ask away,” he encouraged, keeping his expression warm, his smile firmly in place. Whatever was on Noah’s mind, Axod wanted him to feel safe enough to say it.

Noah found a seat in the small, almost cafe-style chair and table. His shoulders hunched forward, leaning in enough to put his elbows on his elbows. He rubbed his hands together, his brows looking conflicted. "I... um...." His voice was soft and hesitant. His eyes closed. "I've got something going on that I'm feeling a little... uh.... stuck?" Noah frowned. "I think I have feelings for somebody I'm-I'm not really supposed to. But... I think about her- them I mean- a lot. And just... well they say its not smart to get into relationships in the fleet." He shrugged. "Because... you know... transfers... and-and ranks. They're a higher rank than me. And just..."

Noah breathed out and sighed. He smiled a heavy smile. "I need some advice. Should I just ignore it? I don't think they know." His brows rose, "I'm... sort of worried I'll make a mistake because we get assigned to Away Teams together... some. Um."

Axod raised his eyebrows, momentarily caught off guard by the unexpected turn in their conversation. He hadn’t anticipated this particular topic, but curiosity sparked in his deep blue eyes. He took a measured sip of his drink before setting the glass down, tilting his head slightly as he regarded Noah.

"May I ask some questions?" he asked, his tone careful yet open. He didn't want to pry, but he also didn’t want to assume anything. Seeking Noah’s consent felt like the right thing to do—it gave the man an out if he wasn’t comfortable.

Axod watched Noah closely, searching his expression for any hesitation, any sign that he might not want to continue down this path. He was ready to shift the subject if necessary, but if Noah was willing, Axod wanted to understand.

Noah took a moment. It was the first time he'd verbally said anything to anybody about the entire affair. And now he was almost wishing he hadn't. "Uh... yeah, yeah you can ask... I..." Noah tilted his head down and traced his thumbnail against the other's pad. "I'm not really... good at this stuff. But I don't want to do something stupid. You know?" He looked up at the ginger man and the reassuring blue eyes. He guffawed and rubbed his neck. "Machines are-are soooo much easier."

The Doosodarian understood the sentiment behind Noah's words. Machines would be very uncomplicated compared to the complexity and nuance of a person. Axod offered a warm, reassuring smile before leaning in slightly, his posture open and inviting. His dark blue eyes held a knowing glint, though his tone remained measured and professional. “Let’s get right to it,” he said smoothly, his voice carrying both curiosity and understanding. “Is this person in your direct chain of command?” His question was gentle but precise, cutting to the heart of the matter while leaving space for honesty.

"Not..." He narrowed one eye, tilting his head up to think. "Usually? I mean, not in Engineering. But.. you know... Away Teams. I'm the bottom of the ladder. And then... I am. It feels like pretty often. But now that I think about it...." His eyes narrowed. "I actually haven't been on that many Away Missions." Noah's turned his soft dark eyes to the Counselor's. And he waited patiently for the next one.

Axod nodded thoughtfully, bringing a hand up to stroke his neatly trimmed facial hair as he considered the situation. His dark blue eyes flickered with curiosity, but his tone remained even and measured. "Would you say there's already a friendship between you?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "Or is your relationship strictly professional at this point?" His gaze lingered for a moment, gauging the other person's reaction, wanting to understand the nuances beneath the surface of their words.

This one took an extension of trust. Noah paused to consider it. If he said to much was he risking revealing who it was? And was that truly that bad of a thing. She was innocent. And Axod was equally so- he was a counselor, trying to help. So Noah's honest face gave way quickly. He blinked and he nodded. "Yeah um... yeah we're friends. We've been friends for awh- I'm sort of weird?" Noah tilted his head as he tangented. "I-I feel like I have this... um... habit? Bad, good, not sure. Of sort of... tuh-turning friendships into relationships? Or well, I haven't initi- I'm rambling aren't I." Noah closed his hands with a fold of his fingers together. "Uh yeah, we are friends."

Axod tilted his head slightly, his curiosity piqued as he studied Noah. There was something in the way he spoke—an underlying pattern he seemed to recognize in himself. Axod took a measured pause before responding, considering how best to navigate the conversation.

"How many times would you say you've had friends become significant others?" he asked, his tone even but inquisitive. He folded his hands together on the table, leaning in just enough to signal genuine interest. "It sounded to me like there's a story or two there."

Noah smiled and looked away, a faint pinking on his cheek. He nipped at his bottom lip and tilted his head. "Um. Just a couple." Noah winced an eye. "Honestly, I-I am not very experienced with this stuff." He breathed out and rubbed his hands together. "I never, uh, considered myself to be... you know... that interested. And even then it was, um, I didn't want to bother people. I'm never good at telling people how I feel." His nose wrinkled. "I-I remember thinking sex sounded kind of gross. I mean. I changed my mind but... I remember thinking that."

Noah shifted his weight from cheek to cheek in the chair. "Are you... you know... with anyone? People?"

The Doosodarian wasn’t taken aback by the rather personal question; in fact, he welcomed it. If anything, he hoped that sharing his own experience might help Noah feel a sense of connection—perhaps even solidarity."I am," Axod said, though his voice carried a hint of hesitation. His mind drifted first to Xex, the one person who had occupied his thoughts the most. Where had they left things, exactly? The uncertainty lingered like a phantom between them, unresolved and unspoken. Then, his thoughts shifted to Ezhr. The Xanosian had recently come aboard, but they shared a rather intimate past together, and Axod could think of few who knew him so deeply.

Noah smile was the smile of someone who was happy for another. He nodded a few affirmative bobs of his head. Though his eyes slid back to the Doosodarian when more came.

"Well… sort of," he admitted, his voice trailing off as he wrestled with his own emotions. He glanced downward, absently running a hand over his jawline as if grounding himself. "It’s complicated, I guess."He offered a small, self-deprecating smile, unsure whether he was seeking reassurance or simply stating a fact. Relationships—romantic or otherwise—had never been easy for him. Most Doosodarians preferred strictly physical relationships, Axod valued an emotional connection as well.

Noah's beakish nose wrinkled at the bridge. "Feels like it always is. Every time. Well so far." He ruffled the back of his head. "Especially in Starfleet. I think. And-and as Irynya said awhile back to me... the-the dating pool on the Sojourner is smaller than almost anything. Not even a hundred people, that's smaller than most work places." His nose wrinkled again. "Must be a lot easier on the big ships. Or the ones that go from planet to planet." He nibbled his lip with a boyish grin. "They should probably increase the cold water rations for the showers..."

Axod chuckled, pressing a hand to his side as if steadying himself. “You got that right!” His laughter was warm, unguarded, the kind that came easily in shared understanding. He shook his head slightly, amusement lingering in his expression. “It’s funny, isn’t it? You’d think a bigger ship would mean more opportunities, more variety, but in reality, it can feel like an even smaller pool of candidates.”

He leaned back slightly, tilting his head in thought. “Shifts tend to become their own little worlds—people stick to their routines, their teams. You end up with entire sections of the ship that might as well be different planets for how little they actually interact.” His gaze flickered with recognition, as though recalling past assignments where he’d seen it happen time and time again. “I’ve served on ships like that before. It’s like unspoken social gravity—pulling people into their own little orbits.”

There was a thoughtful pause before he smiled again, this time softer. “But every now and then someone breaks that pattern, makes the place feel a little bigger.”

Noah's eyebrow rose under his bangs. "Is that what happened for you? Someone, uh, sort of widened your orbit for a little bit?" He asked curiously. He could feel that cliquishness of a ship happening- engineers with engineers. Security with security. Because you worked with them. Like the Academy the breakout seemed to be with roommates. And just like those big ships the Academy should have had so many opportunities. But class, and department, and campus, and workload all formed molds of who was available, and who was almost unknowable.

And then there was the whole, am I going to even be here in six months impediment. Why start something serious if Starfleet was going to reassign you?

Axod’s smile wavered for a moment before shifting into something a little more sheepish, almost bashful. He caught himself, clearing his throat and attempting to reign in the momentary lapse in composure. With a casual shrug, he leaned back slightly.

Noah, seeing the shift, overthought. He wondered if he'd said something wrong. "S-sorry..." He began. His brows knit.

"Dating is difficult in Starfleet no matter the setting," he admitted, his tone carrying a mix of understanding and dry humor. "Long shifts, deep-space assignments, the occasional interstellar crisis...it doesn’t exactly make for a stable dating life." He exhaled, his expression briefly thoughtful before he shook his head with a soft chuckle. "Still, some people seem to make it work. Somehow."

"Yeah." Noah was slow and cautious and laxing his knit brows of concern, still not entirely sure he hadn't trod on something that he didn't belong in. "Its-its interesting how many species come from really social animals. That need this stuff." His eyes widened, "And then there's a few that are just the opposite, like-uh-like the Zakdorn. Or umm...: He thought and finally squinted an eye, "Actually those're the only ones I can think that don't like socializing at all."

The mention of such an obscure anthropological fact brought a subtle, appreciative smile to Axod's lips. He studied Noah for a moment, clearly impressed. "I admire the way you think, Noah," he said, his voice warm with sincerity. "Your perspective is really fascinating."

The youth blushed with a wrinkle of his nose and a smile.

Still, Ax knew the conversation had veered off course. With an easy wink, he gently guided it back. "But let's circle back to where we started," he added, his tone light but purposeful. "I really think you should take the chance and talk to this mysterious friend of yours. Honesty is important, more than we sometimes realize." He leaned in slightly, his expression encouraging. "You never know what doors it might open."

Noah nodded slowly, after a moment that was clearly introspection. "I-I just have to figure out if they feel the same way. I don't want to ruin anything. And-and they have a lot going on with their career right now...." He head tilted. His eyes squinted. "I-I don't know why I keep throwing up roadblocks like I just did... just... this doesn't usually go so well. And I'm still in that is this a crush and it'll go away or is it... you know... are my feeling worth risking." But he nodded. "I will. I think." His eye squinted again, this time more good-humoredly.

Noah breathed. "Um. Is there anything else I can help with?" Noah surveyed the Counselor. He seemed very nice. They'd only shared that awkward time in the holodeck before this. But that had been the nudge to chat at him for more than just repairing the man's holodeck. "Did-did you know there are only two people who get dedicated holodecks? You and the Chief Engineer."

"I did not know that!" Axod said, his voice tinged with genuine surprise and an unmistakable warmth that softened his features. There was a sweetness in the way he spoke to Noah, a subtle fondness that had begun to weave itself into his tone more often than not.

And to the sweetness, Noah smiled with a sort of newly found fondness of this gentle person.

The Doosodarian glanced around their surroundings, the holodeck simulation casting gentle hues across his face. “Truth be told, this...” he gestured with a slow sweep of his hand, encompassing the peaceful setting they had chosen, "...this feels like a bit of a luxury I didn’t expect to find out here.”

"I-I think that's why we have so many of these things. They knew they were sending Sojourner out here from Antares. So, um, they had us build in some specials that not every Alpha Quadrant Nova-II class gets. The uh, hard part is it can be a little taxing on the reserves. But... it's not like we can get a lot of shoreleave around here. I mean, twenty-five years later, this ship type is still less broad than an Intrepid class. Like Voyager."

"I'm certain those efforts are more than appreciated by the crew here," the Counselor said with a gentle smile, his voice softening. "Even if they don’t always realize it, or say it out loud people can feel when someone’s gone the extra mile. It creates a sense of safety, of being cared for... and that matters." He leaned in just a little, more present than before. "It’s the kind of thing that can make all the difference on a ship like this. " He reached out a hand to thank Noah for his work, both today and also his efforts to create a home for the crew of Sojourner.

Noah took the hand with his own warm albeit somehow perpetually goofy smile. It met his dark eyes, the genuineness of it on his face. "Yeah. Yeah it helps a lot. The little things." Noah pinked a little. "Its nice to help people. And people who help people. Y'know?"

Axod's smile softened, deepening into something warmer, more genuine.

"Computer, end program," he said gently. At once, the lush holodeck simulation shimmered and dissolved, leaving behind the quiet, familiar walls of the counselor's office. The sudden shift in scenery carried a bittersweet note—like waking from a pleasant dream. Axod took a breath, letting the stillness settle around them."Sad to have to leave it," The Doosodarian admitted, a hint of wistfulness in his voice.

Axod turned his attention back to the young officer across from him."Thank you again, Ensign," he said, offering a smile that carried sincerity and invitation. "This was nice. We should talk again sometime, if you're open to it."

Noah nodded. "Yeah. yeah that would be nice. Thanks. Um." And with that Noah collected his gear and let the man get ready for his next appointment.

A Post By:

Lieutenant Axod Qo
Counselor

Ensign Noah Balsam
Systems Specialist