Walking back into her office, Melanie noticed the admiral was already there and waiting, just like she'd been advised a few moments ago when she walked past the front desk. She greeted him with a smile, explaining that the reason for her brief tardiness was purely business related. And she wasn't exaggerating; her supervisor called her into his office to ask her a few urgent questions.

"So, how are you doing today, Admiral? I hope all is well." Melanie engaged in casual conversation as she grabbed a few items before starting their session.

William may have relaxed somewhat over the years when it came to these sessions, however he was still buttoned up  and in prim and proper uniform, with his back straight. “Honestly, eyes been a bit sore. Tired, there’s a lot of work to do, though there’s nothing new there.” He pushed a tablet over to her. “That’s the record of my sleeping pattern, I should be getting enough to keep you happy, at least for a little while. Should I be getting more? Probably.”

“How are things with yourself Doctor?”

"Well, it's been a long day, but I can't complain," she replied, [I]although I could use a drink right about now...[/i] Melanie cleared her throat, pushing her intrusive thought to the back of her mind. She then looked over the admiral's sleeping patterns, analyzing the data for a second. Although it didn't take a genius to notice he was lacking sleep.

"It's not me you should be keeping happy, it's yourself. You know how much rest you need to function properly, and it goes without saying that if you get enough sleep, your day will go much smoother. Work gets hectic, I get it, but those same people your work so hard for also rely on you and your ability to remain level-headed. If possible, delegate some of your more mediocre duties to someone in your staff. Or maybe set a timer and after that point, you don't touch anything work-related. This is just basic steps for improvement, but what do you think would work best for you? And please don't say sleeping pills." 

Melanie gave him a slight smile, leaning back in order to get a bit more comfortable.

William chuckled slightly. “I get all the sleep that I am going to be able to get, and delegate all the duties that I am able to delegate. There is no such thing as a mediocre duty for myself, if it is mediocre then it isn’t one of my duties.” He sighed as he leaned back. “It’s one of the burdens of command, we’re trying to rotate leave in for all military personnel however we’re currently trying to create some form of ‘shore leave’ schedule. Let military personnel live in more comfortable quarters for a while, take a break from the constant demands of life.”

“What will help me sleep? Finding a planet.”

"Tell me, admiral, how open are you to practicing some meditative techniques? If we can't pull you away from work, we can attempt to lessen your stress in the meantime." 

Melanie paused momentarily, writing down some notes as she waited for a response. She felt bad for him in a way, being stuck in such a position of power certainly didn't come without a price.  

William chuckled. “Doc, you should know by now that the only thing keeping me going is the work. Stress doesn’t exist for me, this is my life.” William nodded his head along with Melanie. “Now, what questions you got for me this year?”

"Here's the thing, admiral," Melanie uncrossed her legs, leaning forward to put her stuff down on the table. She then positioned her elbow on the armrest, angling her body to one side while maintaining eye contact. "These sessions serve more than one purpose. They help evaluate your mental well being, sure, but they're also here to help you. Whatever angle I have to take, I'll need you to meet me somewhere. 'Help me help you,' as they say."

Melanie briefly considered adding some side remarks regarding their interaction, but she quickly dismissed the idea. After all, she couldn't force him to seek any form of assistance, whether he actually needed it or not. "However, in your case, I just need to make sure you're not currently fighting any battles in there," she quickly pointed at her own head, "although from what you've told me, you seem to have most of it figured out..."

She then remembering a crucial detail.

"How's your daughter, by the way?"

William shook his head. “Nope, no internal battles going on. My only battles are external, with what’s going on aboard ship and the war I had with the Devastators.”  He chuckled to himself slightly before moving onto the next question, leaning back in his chair again.

“Amara is fine, strong as ever. She faces struggles, there’s a large following of people who think she’s awake and here because she’s my daughter. She faces a bit of a struggle due to that, other than that, she’s not brought any issues to me and we meet regularly so that’s a good sign.” Williams watch beeped, and he looked down at it.

“We must wrap this up soon, I have a mission to prepare. Are we good?”

“Glad to hear that. And…” Melanie reached for her datapad, filling out some quick information before signing it, “you’ll be glad to hear that you can go now. If you need anything admiral, just let me know, alright? It doesn’t have to wait until our next session.”

Melanie got up, walking with haste towards the door to see the admiral out.