Chapter 56. Psychologist Mi Zhiwa joins the Republic
She turned around, saw her brother, and flipped a strand of black hair from her forehead.
Misenwa leaned out of the car and handed her her backpack. She just needed to pack some luggage for the day, the rest was already on the ship. "Have a nice journey," he said in a pretended to be calm voice. "I also want to tell you that I'm very proud of you."
She smiled at Misenwa, just as she had always smiled at him before. Her big brother is so cute. She always thought so. Well, not always. As a teenager, he was so annoying. But then he stayed with her, which made her feel really good. Sometimes Misenwa would also give her some guidance to keep her on the right track. Like when you decide to join Starfleet. It felt a little unreal to her now that he was no longer by her side. "Thank you. I'm looking forward to it too. And I'm very excited," she said with a smile. "Take care and say hello to mom and dad." She tried not to cry. She approached the glider again and kissed Misenva on the cheek. "I'll see you in a few months."
He just nodded and quickly closed the car door after she got out. Obviously, his eyes were wet, but he didn't want to show it.
The aircraft left the parking lot and disappeared into traffic soon after. Mi Zhiwa turned her attention to the building again. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and entered the building through a large glass door. The interior is also fully covered with glass and is polished as bright as new.
Some of the people who lingered looked at her curiously. Apparently, they had rarely seen Starfleet uniforms before. Mi Zhiwa didn't realize she would attract so much attention. To date, she has only been in uniform at headquarters and in San Francisco. The red uniform there is a perfectly ordinary sight. After all, that's where the headquarters is. And London is a city with a booming economy and culture. But there is no Starfleet branch here, so uniforms are rarely seen here.
When she boarded the space shuttle bound for San Francisco, she was filled with uneasiness, but at the same time she was looking forward to the unknown future.
Ingmar raced through the hallways of Starfleet Headquarters. At a hallway intersection he nearly bumped into a completely terrified ensign, who barely avoided him. He apologized and kept running. Just run down the corridor, down some stairs, and through the underground connecting passage to the hangar. The shuttle was already waiting for him there. At least he hoped the ship was still waiting for him. In fact, he was already late. Just a few minutes ago, he was standing in front of the headquarters door, talking to a very beautiful young woman. He had wanted to ask her out tonight. Based on how the conversation went, she seemed interested too. But unfortunately, he was returning to his ship. The Republic is about to embark on a new mission. And all this he completely forgot about in the conversation. When he suddenly remembered, he felt very regretful. He was in such a hurry now that he didn't even have time to ask her name.
He cursed and jumped down the stairs, hoping not to fall. If he broke a bone in a fall on a spaceship, there would be little explanation and would only lead to ridicule. Celia especially would tease him about it. No, this must not happen. On the other hand, he might miss the shuttle and Republic would have to set off without him. That way he could stay on Earth and go find the lady from before. But no, that wasn't what he really wanted. He loves flying in the universe and the adventures there. He especially likes to tell his story to others later to impress women. The only thing he hated about these voyages was that the crew didn't change during the flight, which meant he couldn't meet new women for a while. And there's little chance of getting to know alien women who don't have strange habits.
Ingmar's footsteps echoed in the corridor as he continued running towards the underground passage leading to the hangar. Again he thought of the night before. Unexpectedly, he finally got the last night's rest before departure. He made the most of the opportunity. He hadn't known so many women in a long time. His adventure stories, certainly exaggerated at times, left a lasting impression. Women at the party gravitated towards him. And each one is more beautiful than the other. The choice was not easy for him. But he was convinced he made the right choice. It was a night he wouldn't soon forget. The pretty woman pounced like a wild animal. Hungry and greedy, she almost overwhelmed him. However, the most beautiful nights always come to an end. When he thought about the women on his crew, he couldn't help but wonder how he would get through the next few months. Sure, there were some new crew members joining, but he didn't hold out much hope.
Passing through a door, he came to the hangar deck, which was located beneath the main headquarters building. He saw that the shuttle was still waiting for him. The pilot stood in front of the shuttle and waved to him. "Come on, man. We're already five minutes late. You messed up the flight plan in flight control."
Ingemar wanted to answer, but he couldn't breathe. Maybe he should do more exercise while on vacation. He boarded the shuttle panting, sucking in air. Behind him, the hatch closed and the shuttle's thrusters began to hum. When the shuttle took off and headed towards the blue sky, he was still panting and looking at the other people on the shuttle. Those present were all crew members of the Republic. Of course, because the shuttle flies directly to the spacecraft and will stay there. Some of them he knew, some he didn't. No other leadership member was present except him. Apparently, everyone else had already boarded the ship. Once the shuttle is parked in the hangar, Republic can get clearance to take off and head off again into the vastness of space.
Through the window, he watched the clouds drift by and then leave the atmosphere, the blue sky resting in the embrace of the universe. The distant stars twinkled, even brighter without the obstruction of the atmosphere. He was still panting, staring at the others present. He gave one of the women a friendly nod. Then, his eyes fell on a woman standing in the corner. Their eyes met and she smiled at him. He immediately noticed that not only the corners of her mouth were raised, but her eyes were also smiling. Just as bright as the stars he saw outside just now. Her dark hair fell in gentle waves, framing her unusually gentle face. Judging from the uniform, her figure is also perfect. Maybe life on the ship wouldn't be as bad as he feared.
Captain Noah sat behind his desk, reading a communication from Admiral Hinds. Based on this communication, she issued new directives to guide senior Space Fleet officers to operate more effectively in crisis situations. At least that's what she thought. Noah hated the rules. And worst of all, these regulations are increasing. Each new admiral brings new ideas to make the space fleet more efficient. So they issued instructions one after another. Most of the time, he has stopped reading the instructions, either because of lack of time or because he has no interest. These admirals sit behind desks in their safe havens. They know next to nothing about the real crises they face in the universe.
The doorbell announces a visitor. He eagerly closed the screen and quickly shouted, "Come in."
The door slid open with a slight hiss, and a very young woman walked in. Dark hair draped over her shoulders, and through the light, she could see that her hair was cut in steps around her friendly face.
"Good morning, Captain Noah," she said. Her voice sounded so sweet that it was hard to imagine this woman making loud noises. "My name is Mi Zhiwa. I am your new psychological counselor."
Noah remembers. After their experience with the Pyrogens, Starfleet decided to deploy psychologists aboard the ship. For not all of the crew members have fully recovered from their experiences in the Fiery Man's slave mines. Some crew members still require medical treatment. Noah knew of two cases in which their condition had deteriorated to the point where they had to be admitted to a mental hospital on Earth, where they required round-the-clock care. Therefore, the presence of a psychological counselor is undoubtedly necessary because no one can predict when they will encounter such a situation again.
Noah stood up and took her hand. "Welcome aboard, Ms. Mi Zhiwa." Her hands felt warm and soft. With her cheery voice and overall appearance, she's certainly good at leading people into conversation. She has a sense of trust. People just have to trust her. Although she is still young, she already has such a temperament. According to her profile, she is 28 years old. She had just graduated from training and was one of the first people to receive additional Starfleet training to work on a starship. Although she is a member of Starfleet, she does not hold a military rank. Relevant committees have so far been unable to agree on how to integrate counselors into the hierarchy. However, she has the same authority as a doctor to give orders and can temporarily relieve an officer on duty if necessary.
"How do you feel about our ship?" Noah asked politely to start a conversation.
"I haven't seen much, but I assume you're proud of your ship."
Noah nodded slightly. "Yes, the restoration made it beautiful again."
"Yes. How do you feel about yourself?" Mi Zhiwa asked, her tone sounding like a question that suddenly came to mind, like chatting about the weather.
She cut to the chase quickly, Noah thought, but he said, "I feel great. I'm also looking forward to heading out into space again. The only time I really feel like home is among the stars. That's probably because I Spent most of my life here,” he smiles. "Still, it was nice to spend some time on Earth again. I've fully recovered."
Noah does seem to be recovering well. And it’s not bad, Mi Zhiwa had to admit. His short, silver-gray hair matched his bronze skin. He looks strong and healthy. While on vacation, he participated in a number of training programs, including strength training and some martial arts training. He never wanted to fight the Demon Flame Man again and feel that he was at a disadvantage.
"What is your assessment of the crew's condition?" He wanted to know from Mi Zhiwa.
He hesitated. "I can only make an assessment based on reports from geopsychologists. I haven't spoken to anyone personally. But I think the nearly eleven months off will be good for the crew. I don't think there's going to be a problem or Failure. However, I still want to know the situation personally. I will have a meeting with each person individually."
Noah nodded. "It does make sense. Please do let me know if there are any questions."
"Captain, you must be aware that psychologists are also bound by medical privacy." She was still smiling. Clearly, her career requires her to be friendly and open at all times.
However, Noah remained serious. "Of course, I know. But there are limits. If the safety of the ship is compromised, I have to know before it happens."
Now, Mi Zhiwa's smile gradually disappeared, although it did not disappear completely. "Of course. But in every case, I have to carefully weigh what I can tell you and what I can't tell you."
"I understand completely," the captain replied. He was about to say something nice, since this first conversation seemed a bit serious now, but the intercom beeped. He nodded to his new counselor and waited for her to leave his office. Then he turned on the device.
"Captain, the last shuttle has just docked. We have received takeoff permission from the air traffic control center." His first officer Carol reported to him. She's reliable as usual. She can't wait to get back into space. Noah had asked her because he felt like she was running away from something. But she denied it tersely, and he didn't press further. After all he couldn't force her to reveal anything. He was secretly grateful to have such an outstanding deputy.
"Okay, on to the bridge," he confirmed and left the office. Opposite the office is the elevator. He barely had to wait before the elevator doors opened.
Noah has been on the ship for a day or two. He had looked over the entire ship. Still, he felt like the bridge was brighter than before. Even though nothing had changed, he always felt something was different.
"The captain is on the bridge," Carol Hui reported, and when Noah entered the bridge, everyone present stood up and saluted.
"Keep working," Noah ordered. A strange feeling of pleasure came over him. It started again. Even if the danger still exists, he still looks forward to it. He did not sit on the command chair, but stood at the elevator door and nodded to Carol.
Carol sat back on the command chair, then turned to Nilf, "Sail the ship and sail towards space."
"Yes," Nilf confirmed, and then entered the corresponding data on the console. The exterior lighting of the hull lights up and the ship's name is clearly visible. Necessary and prescribed control lights begin to flash. The last few connecting pipes were untied and the anchors released the spacecraft. Now, Republic hangs autonomously in the dock, where it has not left for the past eleven months.
The engineers have done a lot of work. The hull glowed with a bright white light. There is no sign of the damage it has experienced. It looks like new. Technology has also been updated to the latest level.
Using only the maneuvering thrusters, Nilf slowly drove the spacecraft out of the dock in a fixed orbit around the earth. In fact, this is a program that is no longer in use. Ship missions are launched from the space station, which orbits the Earth like a giant mushroom. It is the gateway to Earth. Up to ten large spaceships can be docked inside the mushroom cap. The vessels are then loaded and unloaded via connecting corridors. This greatly simplifies the job. On the space station, cargo can be transferred and collected and sent to destinations on Earth. At the same time, it has become easier to prepare the spacecraft for new missions, eliminating the need for frequent shuttle flights or constant teleportation.
With the dock safely behind him, Nilfer accelerated to bring the ship to full thrust. Their first target was Wacken. There they must pick up their science officer, Jeffrey. Due to the early start, Jeffrey had no time to reach Earth in time. Getting to Vulcan doesn't deviate too far from the route to the 859 J triangle. In one day, they would reach the fiery planet.
