Conversations

Posted on Sun Jul 19th, 2026 @ 9:44pm by Lieutenant JG Annika Johnson & Alaric Fenner

1,583 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: ARYL 1X04: All the Friends We Can Get
Location: Deck 6, Counsellor’s Office
Timeline: [Backpost]

The corridors of the Ark Royal were exactly what he expected. Clean. Measured. Federation-standard lighting set at a psychologically optimal hue, with soft white panels and curved corners designed to ease navigation and anxiety alike. It was the kind of environment built to make deep space feel less like isolation and more like intention.

Alaric walked at a steady pace, hands clasped behind his back. Around him, officers passed in uniform, shoulders squared, voices low. The cadence of Starfleet was unmistakable. Even the way people turned corners carried a kind of institutional rhythm. It struck him that this was the first time in nearly seven years he had been surrounded by it so fully. The press of duty. The silent codes of rank. The gravity of order.

He did not wear a uniform anymore, but he might as well have. His jacket was dark, tailored, immaculate. His boots were polished. He moved with the same economy of motion, his presence threaded into the flow as if he belonged there. No one questioned his place. That was the strange part. He hadn't needed to explain himself. He had simply arrived, and Starfleet had absorbed him again without protest. Even with everything that had happened...well. It was a bit late to be coming here.

He reached deck 6 without hesitation. The hallway leading to the counselling office was quiet, lined with the same neutral design cues meant to suggest calm. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was still mildly annoyed at himself for showing up.

The message had been perfectly reasonable. A soft greeting from the counselling department. A standing offer to connect, to orient, to support. It had even specified that the meeting was not required. A courtesy only. Optional. And he had seen Annika around as well, even been in rooms with her.

And yet, here he was.

He hadn’t questioned the suggestion. Because it was reasonable.

The doors ahead slid open as he approached. He paused only briefly, taking in the quiet hum of the office beyond, then stepped forward without hesitation. Some habits, it seemed, required no orders. Only muscle memory. And it was strange that even after all these years, there still lived the remains of a Starfleet officers within his mind.

Annika had sensed the approach of someone as she sat in her office, getting up she made it to the doorway in time to greet the new arrival. “Hello there, now there’s timing! I was just reading through your file. It’s not long landed on my desk funnily enough.” She grinned. “Please come in.”

Alaric stopped just inside the threshold. His hands remained loosely at his sides, posture relaxed in a way that suggested it was deliberate. He regarded the woman in the doorway with the faintest lift of an eyebrow, not skepticism, but a recognition of the tone she had set. "Efficient timing, then. I wouldn’t want to fall behind in the paperwork." is tone was dry, but not unfriendly.

He stepped inside as invited, eyes briefly scanning the room more out of habit than need. Just enough to take in the atmosphere, the way she had set it up. A workspace could say a great deal about a person. Then he looked back to her. "I wasn’t entirely sure I’d turn up, to be honest. Old reflex, perhaps. Starfleet etiquette tends to linger longer than expected." There was a pause, almost tinged with humour. "Lieutenant Johnson, I assume?"

Annika nodded. “Heavens! where are my manners! You’re quite correct, please call me Annika.” She motioned Alaric to the seats. “Feel free to make yourself at home, I’m a creature of comfort hence the cushions and throws, I find it helps to make people feel at ease.” She gave Alaric a curious look. “You do realise you don’t have to have an evaluation, as a civilian there’s no requirement for one.”

"I do," Alaric said with a small smile. It wasn’t quite humour, but it was certainly something adjacent. He crossed the room and took a seat, one leg folded neatly over the other. "Like I said. Old habits." He paused, thoughtful, as if weighing a line in a briefing. "And perhaps..." His eyes settled on her, not unkindly, but with the focus of someone accustomed to drawing conclusions. "I was curious about the crew here. And meeting them will satisfy that curiosity."

“Fair enough” Annika smiled warmly. “I won’t bother with the usual line of questioning though, since I don’t have to provide a report. It’ll make a change just to get to know you better.” She took a seat and made herself comfortable. “Have you had a chance to get settled in?”

"I have, despite it all...seems we hit the ground running." Alaric said, offering a polite smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. It was the kind of expression his face defaulted to in conversation; not quite disarming, not quite anything else. He sat with deliberate stillness, his posture relaxed but contained. One hand rested lightly on the armrest, the other tracing a faint line along the seam of his trousers. It wasn’t nervousness, just movement for movement’s sake...something precise, something habitual. "At least, I’ve unpacked my bag," he said, eyes flicking briefly around the room before returning to hers. "I travel light these days."

“I can imagine” Annika nodded. “Being freelance it gives you the opportunity to go where you want to go, you’re not restricted in the same way that fleet personnel are. May I ask about your departure from Starfleet? I haven’t gotten that far through your file yet.”

A small twitch in Alaric's jaw was all the real evidence that Annika's question touched a nerve. But there wasn't any hostility in him as he watched her, just patience and a hint of control. He could control his own narrative in this room if she had not read his file completely. Facts might be facts but there was something about the delivery of truth. "I was part of the team of the Starfleet team at Veytan’s Reach," he said and moved a graceful hand, almost as if making a sweeping away of the past. "I was uncomfortable staying and pretending that we hadn't gotten a lot of people killed simply by...not reading the situation correctly. It could have been avoided and every one pretended it was unavoidable."

Annika nodded. “Unfortunately these situations do occur, some like you see the truth of the matter, others pretend it was unavoidable. I can understand your unwillingness to remain after that. I noticed a slight hint there when I first asked the question, that it still bothers you. Do you feel to blame?”

"I feel accountable," he said as he watched Annika, holding her eyes. "As any member of Starfleet should in such a situation. However...I have done my...penance." He moved a graceful hand, eyes shining with light mirth. "And I am now in a situation where I am able to...do more."

Annika nodded. “If that is of help to you then so much the better” she smiled. “But any problems, or insecurities please do come and see me. I’m here to help, and it’s totally confidential.”

"That's good to know," he said with a nod, breaking eye contact. Too much and he knew he'd come off as too intense. "I may take you up on that, should I need it. A sounding board...or perhaps just a person to talk to, about other things," he raised an eyebrow, shifting comfortably in the seat.

Annika smiled. “Sounds good to me, as I tend to say my door is always open.”

"Mine isn't...but the chime works," Alaric said with a hint of humour, a smile coming to him. "If you ever did wish to have a conversation outside your office, that is."

Annika grinned. “I’ll remember that, thank you.”

Alaric met her eyes, studying her for a moment with interest. "As a Counselor, you must...have a certain overview of the ship's...dynamics. Interpersonal ones, that is. Not the...chain of command."

“Pretty much” Annika nodded. “I tend to people watch more than others, being a Counsellor I tend to study what people like to do in their spare time. I don’t like to pry though so I tend to keep myself out of the way.”

"Seems a bit of a lonely place to be," he said quietly, giving her a brief smile as he held her eyes. "From the outside, I mean. I know a lot of people who don't want to be...stuck in it all."

“It can be, but I try to be there if anyone wants to approach to simply talk or chat in general.” Annika smiled. “There are times I have to make my presence known, but it’s only every now and then.”

Fenner looked at her with interst at the words, tilting his head a little. "Only now and then?" he smiled, because he had a similar approach. "Well...if you ever want company just to chat in general..." the offer hang between them, warm and surprisingly easy for a man who didn't always feel that open in a room.

Annika smiled warmly. “I may just take you up on that, thank you.”

---
Alaric Fenner
Diplomatic Advisor

Lt jg Annika Johnson
Chief Counsellor

 

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