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Maya/Miko
Topic Started: Jan 29 2011, 12:00 PM (332 Views)
Karen Dauntless
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Commanding Officer
::USS Renaissance::
::Counselor's Office::
::1402 Hours::
::Two days before the battle::

In the time since the Renaissance had left dock and ventured into the Delta Quadrant, Miko had intentionally been avoiding the vessel's assigned counselors to the best of her ability. She hated shrinks with a passion equaled only by that she demonstrated for Reneé during off-hours, an attitude unlikely to change no matter what these psychologists were like.

She wouldn't even be here if not for the badgering of Chief Harriman to meet some of the new arrivals from Starbase 911 the previous day, including the head of counseling, one Lieutenant Takagi. Too frustrated with this ship falling apart at the seams to argue, Miko had sucked it up and wandered into the Counseling Office to meet the woman who would be dissecting the psyche of every loon on this crew over the next few months, captain included.

"Lieutenant Takagi?", she began with a barely-suppressed groan upon finding the short, relatively beautiful Asian woman, "I'm Commander Hayakawa, CO of this lovely junk heap. You're our new Chief Counselor, correct?"

<Tag Maya>
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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
Maya was in the process of scheduling appointments with the entirety of the ships crew. Her intention was to work her way through the enlisted ranks to the junior officers, then to the senior staff. Thus she would be able to arrange her first meeting with the ships Captain with conclusive data about the problems on board the Renaissance, with a clear set of suggestions for improving behavior, health, and morale.

Commander Hayakawa's impromptu visit hadn't necessarily derailed this plan, but it meant that first impressions were to be made purely on a personal basis. Maya was immediately impressed by the Commander's willingness to see her, especially as she could sense the CO's trepidation and fear.

"That's correct, Commander," Maya replied, standing to face Miko. Her voice had an exotic lilt to it. "I prefer to be addressed as Doctor Takagi, or Maya, once we become friends."

"Thank you so much for stopping by. Please, have a seat," she indicated towards the ragged, three person sofa, a few decades old, that adorned her office. There had been no time to redecorate, yet, but it was on her list of things to attend to. The coffee table in front of Miko held a jug of water and two glasses.

Maya sat back in her chair. "I've likely had more time to study your personal record that you mine," she explained, "So it's important that you know that I'm not only a Betazoid, but a highly developed one. I can sense your thoughts and your feelings. You can trust, Commander, that I will keep anything I learn about you in the strictest confidence, as is my ethical responsibility. I have no intention of probing or prodding around your mind without your express consent."

"I'm here to help you achieve this ship's mission and be an effective Commanding Officer," she concluded. "With that said, perhaps you can tell me how things have been going so far?"

<Tag Miko>
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Karen Dauntless
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Commanding Officer
Christ, another dumbfoundingly attractive, short, dark-haired Betazoid doctor? This was fast becoming a common theme in Miko's assignments. She sighed quietly while flopping down onto a couch barely younger than she was, wondering if she was going to crush hard on this one only to get her heart broken, again.

"More or less fine, I guess," she replied to Maya's question while shifting uneasily on the sofa, "I mean, about as well as one could be doing on this completely ill-conceived junk heap of a starship." God damnit, why do they always have skin tones complimented so well by teal undershirts?
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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
"Are you being honest with me? Everything is fine?" the Counselor inquired. Maya feared that it was going to be like pulling teeth with the CO, but recognized that what was not being said was just as important as what the Commander did say.

She picked up the latent undercurrent of thoughts and emotions from the Commander. Attraction? In her prior job, Maya could get away with being flirty with her colleagues, but here proper decorum was more appropriate.

Maya leaned back in her chair and crossed her left hand, the hand that wore her silver wedding band, over her knee. That would hopefully be enough of a deflection from the Commander checking her out.

"And if so, and you truly feel that way about your ship and your command, why do you think you're here?"

<Tag Miko>
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Karen Dauntless
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Commanding Officer
In truth, Miko was partially relieved to see Takagi's apparent wedding ring; getting her more primal urges shot down was far preferable to taking a liking to her CCO and infuriating Reneé with promiscuity. That didn't affect her discomfort at someone attempting to pry into her psyche, unfortunately.

"I was ordered here," she grumbled quietly, avoiding any eye contact with Maya. "I didn't want a promotion or transfer. I had no choice but to go along with taking command of this ridiculous experiment." 

A small sigh exited her mouth as she stared down at the floor, noting the obvious dust line that betrayed the couch's not having been moved in years. "There's one or two nice people here, at least. That's something."
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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
"This is a ridiculous experiment, isn't it?" Maya agreed, "A little joke for the rest of the fleet."

"My colleagues all laughed when they heard I'd been posted here - 'Let's put all the screw-ups on one ship, with the hopes that they blow themselves up,' " she explained. "I'm personally interested in proving them wrong, and I believe you can turn this ship around. If not in the interest of pride, then in the interest of survival. The screw-ups will get you killed otherwise."

"If you didn't want the command, you could've resigned," Maya stated, "And gone into a rather successful career in the private sector. There's some reason you stuck around."

Having read over the Commander's records, Maya admired Hayakawa. Miko had overcome significant hurdles and become a capable Starfleet Officer. Her psych profiles indicated that she was fully aware of all her flaws and issues, and was able to control them for the sake of effectiveness. It was those abilities that made her an ideal CO for this ship. If she could inspire the same behavior in her subordinates, the Renaissance would thrive.

"I'm at an advantage here, Commander. There are two people on this ship, the Chief Medical Officer and myself, who are authorized to judge whether you are fit for duty on a medical basis. If you want out, it's easy enough. A medical discharge can practically write itself," Maya added. "But then we leave this ship in the hands of its XO, to be turned into a spacefaring fraternity house. You might as well set the ship to self destruct."

She smiled slyly. It always took Maya a moment to ease into a more sarcastic personality. It was a sense of humor that the two women seemed to share.

"What are some thoughts you have about how we're going to turn this around? Do you have any strategies about how we can whip this lot into shape? And most importantly, how can I be helpful?"
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Karen Dauntless
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Commanding Officer
Miko almost chuckled at the suggestion that she seek some sort of medical leave. Mere weeks ago, when the transfer orders had come in, she had given serious thought to trying to make herself look insane in order to be declared unfit for command. It had never come to fruition; she had, eventually, realized that there was no fighting these orders. And yet here was the same suggestion, now coming from her CCO. Life was nothing if not ironic.

"To be entirely honest, I have no idea how I'm supposed to do this," Miko replied quietly to Takagi's final question. "Starfleet sent me here with no guidance, or suggestions, or recommendations; just an order to fix them via work on a decrypt old hunk of rusting durasteel." This entire assignment truly stank of someone wanting her to fail, and she had no issue admitting that to Maya. It was already blatantly obvious.
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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
Maya laughed a little at the Commander's response. Miko's cynicism was humorous, which was the one positive part of the way she spoke.

"But you're not going to fail, we just have to find out how you can succeed," she finally responded.

"Your crew, by-in-large, are all highly capable, intelligent, and talented people with personality and disciplinary problems. Starfleet has invested a lot of time in their training, and is loathe to discharge them. Some of these crewmen and women may be beyond hope. But, if you can turn some of them around and help them realize their potential, then you've succeeded."

Maya noticed the Commander looking away, clearly disinterested in a pep-talk. ~Look at me, Commander,~ came a very stern, telepathic voice in Miko's head. Maya forced her to hold eye-contact, recognizing that it was necessary to get the Commander to lose her default, low self-esteem personality. It would take a little tough love, but Maya genuinely liked the Commander and recognized that she didn't much like herself.

"If I have to start by giving you a reminder of your potential, we can start there. We don't need to go through the bullet-list of reasons why you've had a shitty life, as long as you can look me in the eye and recognize that despite all the bad things in your life, you've become a capable Starfleet officer."

The Counselor's hand touched a PADD sitting on the table next to her. "If you're not willing to admit how good you are, then I will most certainly diagnose you unfit for command. In thirty seconds you'll be free of this burden and you can leave us in the care of Commander Freeman. So please, tell me something positive."

<tag Miko>
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Karen Dauntless
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The sudden telepathic barging into her mind by Takagi caused no small amount of shock in Miko, her eye contact with the counselor unwavering as she tried to wrap her mind around the concept that the lieutenant would simply pop into her head and snap at her to pay attention was both unsettling and oddly refreshing.

She was soon distracted from such thoughts by Takagi making it abundantly clear that she would write Miko off of this ship unless she heard some sort of relatively positive inconsistency with her normally self-depreciating personality. In another place at another time, Miko would have taken the seemingly obvious route; say nothing and find herself out of this ridiculous experiment, free from a crushing burden. 

But there was one thing that caused her mouth to hang open, as if she was going to say something but couldn't find the words. Reneé. There was something about that marine which was simply unlike any other romantic relationship she'd had before. Even Erin hadn't had quite the same effect on her, hadn't made her heart skip beats in quite the same rhythm. She couldn't just throw that away. It would simply add to the long lists of regrets that tortured her every single day.

"I have a girlfriend," she finally forced out, slumping in her seat. "If she sees something attractive in me... guess I can't be that bad, right?"
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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
Maya smiled. "You're right. Your girlfriend sees you for who you are. Very much so."

She didn't have to probe at all to pick up the warm emotions that the Commander had for Renee. It was written on Miko's face, and in the forefront of her thoughts.

"I agree with her, you're bold, tough, smart, and beautiful" the Counselor stated, sincerely. Her eyes, dark and mysterious, reflected the Commander's own. "You remind me very much of my mother, actually." She qualified her comment. "Not in a mum way. She was really amazing - a Starfleet commander, a badass lady. She came from a pretty bad upbringing herself but eventually earned the Medal of Honor."

"I want you to focus on the good feelings you have when you think about what your girlfriend sees in you, and to recognize that EVERYONE on this ship needs to look at you with the same pride and admiration," Maya said. "The first step in turning this ship around is being the Captain that the Renaissance needs. Someone the crew can look up to, respect, and fear when necessary."

"This means that, from this point on, other than to me or your girlfriend, you're going to stop making self-depreciating, negative comments about yourself and your command. Certainly not around your junior staff or crew," the Counselor told her, assertively. "In here, you can say whatever you want and I'll listen, but out there you have to be the Captain. Got it?"

<Tag Miko>
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Karen Dauntless
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This entire session wasn't doing wonders for Miko's comfort. She shuffled away slightly from Maya on the sofa, uneasy with having to discuss her utter lack of self-esteem with another sentient being. Considering that was the main thing Maya had chosen to focus on during this examination... not exactly a fine situation to be in.

"I could do that, I guess," Miko replied somewhat nervously, rubbing the back of her neck as she spoke. "I don't like to talk about it anyway. I'm better at hiding the bad stuff."

She paused and began to stare at the floor, a plethora of unpleasant memories bubbling up the surface of her subconscious. "I had to be good at hiding, y'know, because mom... mom didn't like to see me happy, or sad, or angry.... she didn't like to see me at all. So I had to be good at hiding, not just myself, but... well, yeah myself, but not just physically, I had to hide how I felt all the time, and..."

She trailed off, wishing she hadn't brought up the subject. She hated talking about her mother, about her childhood. Why did she have to go there? Idiot. "Never mind. It's not important."
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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
"We all have things that we hide from others," Maya acknowledged, "Things that we're afraid to share, and things that we shouldn't share." Her words were in complete contrast to the basic beliefs of her species, which was built upon complete emotional honesty and openness. "The trick is to make sure others can't tell what we're hiding... and also only to hide what's worth hiding, and let the rest go."

"Your moms not here anymore, Commander. So you don't exactly have to be afraid of her anymore," she added, "I recognize that's easier said than done, but we have a lot of time to work on exorcising that particular demon."

The Counselor stood and moved towards the sofa, her movements tentative and gentle as she saw the Commander tense up. "Don't worry, I'm not going to bite you."

She sat down next to the Commander and produced a small silver comb from her left hand. "Now that you're heading towards acting the part of this ships Captain, you have to look the part as well. Hold still."

Maya lifted the Commander's unruly hair up and brushed it straight for a few moments. Then she delicately pinned Miko's hair up on the top of her head, and applied gentle pressure to a point where the base of the skull met the spine. The touch was not sensual, it was direct and firm, and rather than incite emotions it seemed to calm them. The massage sent a relaxing feeling through the Commander's mind, easing her tension and removing some of the sad feelings.

"This is something you can ask your girlfriend to help you with each morning or evening," Maya explained, "The pressure points, I mean. A few moments of consistent pressure when you're feeling a bit heavy inside can do wonders."

"I'm happy to do your hair whenever you'd like." She let go of the Commander's skull and returned to the combing "We'll start with a simple, basic style that conveys order. Tied up or tied back, Commander?"

<Tag Miko>
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Karen Dauntless
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Commanding Officer
Physical contact was not something Miko was comfortable with, at least, when she was not the one initiating it. She reflexively tightened up as Maya approached her, practically scrunching into a ball as the counselor reached up behind her head. 

To her surprise and relief, however, nothing painful occurred, allowing her to slowly open her squinting eyes back up as Maya merely brushed aside her hair and made a small, gentle massaging movement at the base of her neck. A bit of her fear instantly turned into relaxation, the racking of her nerves improving oh so slightly.

She remained silent and seemingly passive as Maya offered to style her hair, something Miko hadn't bothered with for anytime besides those few scattered social functions she had occasionally attended. There had simply never been any drive in her to do anything with the naturally curly black mop attached to her head. Still, Takagi made a valuable point about looking the part.

"Tied back," she finally replied, mainly to just say something. "I mean, if you think that looks nice, I don't actually know anything about... looking nice. At all. I never cared about it before." She sighed quietly, her thoughts once again returning to the redhead who had become a shining beacon of comfort in her life. "I mean, I know I should look nice for Reneé, but.... I don't even know where to start."
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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
"There," Maya said, after tying the Commander's hair into a simple pony-tail. She took a moment to examine her work, and seemed pleased. "This works. You look nice."

"Walk onto the bridge looking this, chin held up, and your officers will think twice about giving you an attitude," she cooed.

Maya hopped to her feet. "I'll send the program for a conditioner perfect for your hair type to your replicator." She laughed at her own words. "I sound like such a girl."

"Don't worry, I won't make you go out on a shopping trip or anything," the Counselor added with a smile.

"I think that's enough for today, Commander," she concluded, "As I said my door is always open. If there's any reason you need me when I'm off duty, you know where to find me as well."

She walked Miko to the door, but paused before opening. "For my part, Commander. I'm happy to be serving with you. So please, please, please do your best, as my life is in your hands, and I'd like to live to a ripe old age."

<tag Miko>
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Karen Dauntless
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Commanding Officer
In a rare moment of comfort, Miko allowed a small smile to cross onto her lips. The way Maya tried her best to reassure the unconfident commander was entirely different from the compassion she had felt from Reneé. It had nothing to do with sexual attraction, or romance, and despite her occupation as counselor, she got the feeling Maya wasn't simply 'doing her job'; it was a genuine desire to provide her with a friend. 

It reminded her, in a way, of Erin. This time, however, the pangs of guilt that had become so ingrained with her lost love's memory failed to make an appearance; instead, she felt an odd sensation of... gratitude. Gratefulness at having been given another chance at having a friend after what she had done to the last such person she'd had that sort of relationship with.

The pessimistic part of her wanted to assume that she was simply still relaxed from Maya's little massage, but there was a small spark of optimism arguing that she had, in fact, ended this session with a smidgen of confidence. Whatever the case, Miko couldn't help but stop at the door after opening it and turn around to give Maya a small hug, wrapping her arms lightly around the woman's midsection briefly before pulling away and smiling warmly.

"Thanks," she said quietly and sincerely. "It, uh... I really appreciate it all. You, being nice to me, I mean." To anyone else, basic sentient niceness was taken for granted, but as the old saying went, absence makes the heart grow fonder. The extension to that phrase was, as Miko had long ago determined, 'and much more grateful for what little was had'.
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