Called to Counseling
Posted on Sat Jan 24th, 2026 @ 6:16pm by Captain Mitsu Sato & Ensign Matt Connor & Ensign Eric Banner & Lieutenant JG Brooke Alves
1,585 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission: Respite
The corridor outside the counselor's office felt too bright for the hour, or maybe that was just Matt's head still protesting the remnants of the night before. He paused outside the door and not for the first time straightened his uniform jacket. He had been through disciplinary briefings before but they had never included a counselor, which could be a good thing or something much much worse.
Beside Connor, Eric Banner shifted his weight nervously. His lips were pressed into a tight line and his eyes looked tired, not just from lack of sleep but from something deeper and heavier.
Matt glanced at Banner standing beside him. In a way, he felt guilty for the younger ensign. “You good?” he asked quietly.
Eric gave a small, shaky laugh. “I don’t think either of us qualifies as ‘good’ right now,” he replied.
"Fair point," Matt admitted before he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before he tapped the chime.
The door opened. The counselor’s office was softly lit, warm tones, rounded edges, nothing harsh or clinical. Brooke stood near the seating area, tablet in hand, her posture relaxed but attentive. She gave a welcoming smile towards the two ensigns as they entered the office.
Mitsu sat in one of the armchairs situated in the sitting area of the office. She had chosen her position carefully, mostly because for this meeting she felt that her place wasn't behind a desk or elevated above them, but at the same level. It was deliberate and intentional. “Ensigns,” Mitsu said gently. “Come in.”
Matt exchanged a quick glance at Banner before he carefully moved to a chair opposite of the captain and counselor.
Following Connor's lead, Eric sat down beside him. He stared at the floor in the middle of the room, mostly because his head was still circling around and moving too much made him feel worse.
When Brooke finally spoke, her tone was calm and level. “Thank you both for coming. The captain has brought some information to my attention, and after careful consideration we have decided that this was the best course of action.”
Mitsu folded her hands lightly in her lap, her gaze moving from one ensign to the other. She was measuring not their posture, not their composure, but rather but the weight they were carrying. “We received the security report from last night,” she said softly. “Among the most interesting part of the report was the part concerning your return to the ship. No one was harmed, and no duties were compromised. But it was concerning, to me and the executive officer. Before we continue, I want to let you both know that this is not a disciplinary hearing. You are not in danger of losing your positions. You are not being charged, reprimanded, or punished.”
Eric let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He realized that he had been worried about facing everything that the captain had just mentioned. He didn't know if he was certain that he was going to like where this conversation was going, but the fact that the captain was confirming that there was no disciplinary actions being taken made him feel a little better.
Matt blinked once, but kept his expression carefully measured. He liked the captain, but he was still having a few trust issues from previous assignments and he wasn't quite sure if he was ready to relax and drop his guard. There was always something hiding around the corner.
Brooke spoke softly, her voice calm and steady. “You both went drinking because you were grieving. Because you not only lost your crew mates, but you watched them die. Because what you experienced on Adelphous does not disappear simply because we are back aboard our ship.” Her eyes held theirs for a moment before she continued. “You are officers. But you are also human. Therefore, the captain and I both agree that you deserve support while you recover from what you suffered.”
Eric didn’t trust his voice at first. He stared at the floor for a very long time before he finally spoke. “I’m sorry, Captain,” he finally said, barely above a whisper. “It won’t happen again.”
Mitsu tilted her head slightly as she regarded the operations officer carefully. “I don’t doubt your sincerity,” she said. “But I am not asking you to promise compliance.”
Eric looked up, surprised at the captain's words. "I don't understand," he said.
Mitsu held his gaze. “I am asking you to help us understand why you felt you needed to drink that much in the first place,” she said in a level tone.
Brooke shifted slightly forward in her chair. “Eric. Matt,” she said gently, addressing them equally. “You were on an away mission where two members of your team died in front of you.” Her voice remained steady. “That experience leaves a mark, whether you want it to or not. Grief doesn’t always look like tears or withdrawal. Sometimes it looks like pushing through. Sometimes it looks like pretending you’re fine. And sometimes it looks like a quiet bar on a star-base where you both tried to numb something that hurts too much. You don’t need to defend yourselves here. You’re not being judged. You’re being asked to let yourselves heal.”
Matt shifted in his seat. His instinct was to try to stay controlled, but something in the room, whether it was the lack of pressure or the lack of accusation he couldn't say, made that feel pointless. He finally dropped his gaze. "I've lost people before," he finally said quietly.
Eric glanced at him, startled. In the time he and Connor had been shipmates and even friends, he had never heard Connor speak of previous losses. He had known that something had haunted the security officer, but he had never tried to pry.
Mitsu’s expression didn’t change, but her attention sharpened.
Matt didn’t look at anyone as he continued. "It was on the Leipzig. An away mission that should have gone through with no problems, but when a junior officer tried to give a warning the senior officer in charge of the mission just ignored it. People died, and I tried to voice my concerns about what happened. I guess I didn't do it the right way. I told myself I’d learned from it. That I’d do better next time. That if something went wrong again I'd be able to make sure everyone came home alive." He swallowed. "And then Adelphous happened. I didn’t drink because I wanted to forget," Matt finished. "I drank because I remembered."
Eric’s breath shuddered out of him. His voice broke on the first word. “It was my first away mission. I trained. I studied. I thought I knew what I was walking into. And then I watched two people die. I didn’t know what to do with that. I still don’t.”
Mitsu inclined her head slightly. “You both came back,” she said gently. “And that survival came with a cost, and that cost has left not just scars but deep emotional wounds that are going to eventually need to be taken care of or they will lead to something darker. I will expect you to attend counseling sessions with Lieutenant Alves. Not as punishment but as care. For yourselves and for the crew who depends on you.”
Matt nodded slowly.
Eric nodded his head. He was shakier than Connor seemed, but still sincere.
Mitsu’s tone warmed as she continued. “You are not weak for hurting. You are not lesser officers because grief found you. You are simply human beings who lived through something terrible. And I will not let you carry that alone.”
Brooke smiled softly. “Thank you both for being honest today,” she said. “We’ll take this one step at a time.” She tapped her tablet gently. “I’ll schedule follow up appointments. I want you both to feel like this space is a place to talk, to process, and to learn how to live with what happened without drowning in it.”
Matt exhaled, feeling some tension he hadn’t realized he’d been holding as it unwound from his shoulders.
Eric wiped his eyes, finally able to do so without feeling shame. He finally lifted his gaze to look directly at the captain. “Thank you, Captain,” he said quietly.
"Thank you, ma'am," Matt said, finally able to speak to the captain directly.
Mitsu nodded her head once in return. "I fully expect the two of you to continue seeing Lieutenant Alves," she said. "I want the two of you to take the rest of the day and tomorrow. I'll clear it with your department heads. Until then, both of you are relieved of duty and dismissed," she said.
"Aye, captain," Matt said as he stood. Offering the captain and counselor a firm nod, he turned and headed out of the counselor's office.
Eric quietly stood and nodded quickly. "Thank you, Captain," he said quietly before he followed Connor out.
Mitsu turned and nodded her thanks to the counselor before she stood and stepped out into the corridor. Seeing the two ensigns disappear into the crowd of officers that filled the corridor, she nodded to herself. Silently, she hoped that they had made progress towards Connor and Banner in their healing. With a deep, heavy sigh, she turned and headed down the corridor.
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