Author's Note: So it's been a minute since I wrote Star Trek fanfiction and this is the first time I have ever attempted a non-Next Generation story, but I was inspired by Beyond so I figured, why not?
Disclaimer: All I own is Keva, her family, and any other original characters that may pop up.
Keva knew that she was an experiment and that there were many people, both inside of Starfleet and out, that were hoping she would fail. Although a graduate of Starfleet Academy and a completely qualified counselor from her home planet of Betazed, her role as a mental health counselor was a brand new position in Starfleet, untested and untried in all of its history. Of course, sending a single ship out for a five-year mission into largely uncharted space was also unprecedented in Starfleet history and Starfleet Command had cares and concerns about the mission. With the recent events on Altamid, Keva was a concession to those apprehensions. She was meant to help the crew of the USS Enterprise handle the unknown vastness of space and all the anxiety that went along with it. She was also supposed to document how the crew, including herself, handled the mission. It was a daunting task, but Keva felt that she was up to the challenge.
Besides herself, there was only one other person on board the Enterprise who knew about her mission and that was Leonard McCoy, the Chief Medical Officer. Not even Captain Kirk, whom Keva had met once and only briefly upon first assignment, was aware that she was going to be observing the crew. This subterfuge made Keva slightly uncomfortable, but she understood why it was necessary. People, whatever their species, act differently when they know they are being observed; in order to better document the reality of the mission and its effects on the crew, no one on the Enterprise could know that they were being watched.
As she headed towards the turbolift, ready to begin her first full day as Chief Counselor on the USS Enterprise, Keva felt – and saw – McCoy fall into step with her.
"Nervous?" He asked.
"No."
"Do Betazoids even get nervous?"
"Of course we do." Keva said as she resisted an eye-roll. "This situation simply does not call for me to be nervous."
"Well I'm nervous."
"I know."
"That's something I'll never get used to." McCoy grunted. Keva couldn't suppress the smile that came to her lips. "I bet you weren't very popular in the Academy."
"I survived." The truth was that the first year at Starfleet Academy had been hell. Most of her classmates, and even some of her teachers, were either scared of her or wanted to use her abilities to help them in personal situations. Keva had expected, and been warned, that as the first Betazoid to enter Starfleet Academy, things were going to be rough, but she had not been prepared for what had actually happened. This had been her first interaction with humans on a largescale and she had nearly suffered a breakdown from all the emotions and thoughts hitting her. But, determined to succeed, Keva had forced herself to soldier on and learn to better dampen the telepathic onslaught. She had developed a few close friends, ones who did not regard her as a freak or tool and had been willing to help her adjust to life amongst humans. Without them, she would likely have left the Academy and returned home in defeat.
"Think anyone will show up?" Keva shook her head.
"It's unlikely as this is our first full day at space. I don't expect to have any callers for the first few weeks, which is why I'll be spending those first few weeks making my initial observations." McCoy shifted uncomfortably.
"I still don't like that we're keeping this from the Captain." He paused for a beat. "But you probably already knew that." Keva offered him a sheepish, apologetic smile. "Of course you did. Are you sure that you can't just turn it off?"
"It doesn't work like that. And believe me, if there was a way, I would have found it. It would've made my time at the Academy much more enjoyable. I apologize that it makes you uncomfortable and I will do my best to not infringe on your thoughts."
"It isn't your fault." McCoy grumbled, regretting his critical words about an ability that was completely natural to her. "I suppose I should get used to it since more Betazoids will probably join Starfleet."
"I doubt it." Keva said as she stepped onto the turbolift, McCoy on her heels. "My people find you humans mentally taxing. We're used to being open and honest; holding nothing back. Humans find that highly inappropriate and it makes them uncomfortable; many are even threatened by it. It has taken me quite a while to adjust and teach myself to refrain from overstepping my boundaries." McCoy shot her a sympathetic look.
"I guess the discomfort goes both ways." Keva nodded. "Why did you join Starfleet?"
"I love my people and my planet." Keva began. "But I also wanted to see what the universe had to offer and Starfleet sounded like a wonderful way to do that. Leaving Betazed affords me much greater freedom. Plus," She sent McCoy a small smile. "I like humans and all the other species I get to meet through Starfleet. Aren't those reasons enough?"
"Certainly." Having reached Sickbay, McCoy wished her good bye and Keva made the rest of the short journey to her office alone.
Her office was small, but large enough to accommodate her needs. It had several chairs, a couch, a bathroom, and a beautiful view into the space outside. Keva ran her fingers over one of the chairs as she passed it on her way to take in that beautiful view. They were cruising at warp speed and Keva found the blurred stars almost hypnotizing.
The door bleeped, pulling her from her reverie.
"Enter." Kirk strode into her office with a grin.
"Counselor Valeri." He greeted pleasantly.
"Captain." Keva echoed his greeting. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Oh, just coming by to check in; see how you're settling in." Keva had to resist the urge to roll her eyes; he had also come by to flirt.
"Everything is perfect."
"That's good." Kirk glanced around the room for a moment longer before asking, "Can you really read minds?"
"More-or-less."
"Anyone's minds? Or are certain species immune?"
"Some species are easier to read than others and there are likely those we cannot read, but I have yet to meet any of them." Kirk nodded as he mulled over her words. His mood shifted from flirtatiously casual to business and Keva was a bit surprised to read what he wanted to say. "Captain, my assignment is to care for the mental health of the crew; not to be used against new species."
"Yeah, that's going to take some getting used to." Kirk muttered under his breath before saying at a normal volume, "I don't want to use you against anyone. My job as captain of this ship and as an officer of Starfleet is to ensure the safety of my crew and the Federation. We don't know who or what is out there. You have the ability to read a person's true intentions and that ability would be incredibly useful in determining how to handle new civilizations when we come into contact with them. I'm not asking you to spy; I'm asking you to inform me if someone is a potential threat."
"You have made a good case, Captain." Keva admitted. "And of course, since you are the captain, you have the right to assign me as you see fit. But I cannot guarantee that my ability will always work and should we run into another telepathic species, they will know that I am a telepath right away."
"That would work both ways, right?"
"Presumably."
"And you said yourself that you haven't come across any species you can't read so it stands to reason that such species are incredibly rare."
"That is possible." Kirk grinned.
"So it's a great plan! I'll call you when I need you."
"As you command, Captain." Giving her a roguish grin, Kirk exited her office. Keva shook her head. "That was illuminating." She mused to herself before heading over to grab her tablet from its docking station. "Computer."
"Yes Counselor?"
"Start a new profile; label it James Tiberius Kirk, Captain."
Author's Note: There is going to be a romance in this story, but I'm not entirely sure with who just yet. Reviews and constructive criticism welcome.