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Alex/Maya
Topic Started: Feb 4 2011, 12:46 PM (447 Views)
Maya Takagi
Member Avatar
Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
::USS Renaissance::
::Counselor's Office::
::1145 Hours::
::One day before the battle::

The Renaissance was fortunate to have, amongst its talented crew, a Chief Science Officer with a great deal of potential.

Alex MacDonald had the opportunity to get her career back on track during her time on the Renaissance. She also had the difficult task of organizing a bunch of rogue scientists into conducting productive and useful research, while avoiding being destroyed by whatever battle they were in.

The Counselor didn't envy Alex at all. She was, however, looking forward to getting to know the young Lieutenant.

<TAG Alex>
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Alex McDonald
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Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences
::USS Renaissance::
::Counselor's Office::
::1145 Hours::
::One day before the battle::

The Renaissance was fortunate to have, amongst its talented crew, a Chief Science Officer with a great deal of potential.

Alex MacDonald had the opportunity to get her career back on track during her time on the Renaissance. She also had the difficult task of organizing a bunch of rogue scientists into conducting productive and useful research, while avoiding being destroyed by whatever battle they were in.

The Counselor didn't envy Alex at all. She was, however, looking forward to getting to know the young Lieutenant.

Nursing a piping hot cup of coffee, Alex hesitated for just the slightest instant before entering the Counselor's office. As tempted as she had been to find some reason - any reason - to postpone this meeting she knew it was inevitable. And in truth it was a somewhat welcome relief, having used the appointment as an excuse to bail on an ad-hoc lecture on morals and ethics by Dr Biensinsmidt.

"Sorry if I'm a little late," she apologised as she entered the room, "Lieutenant Takagi, right?"

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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
The Counselor wasn't surprised that the Science Officer was such a pretty young woman. She intrigued to see how Alex would fare in the rapidly degenerating sexual politics of the Renaissance.

"You can call me Doctor Takagi or Maya, whichever you prefer, Doctor McDonald," Maya replied with a soft smile. "Thank you for coming."

Her deference to Alex's professional degree rather than her rank made it clear that the Counselor was impressed by Alex's pedigree. She indicated to the threadbare sofa across the room and waited for Alex to sit down.

Maya was familiar enough with Alex's file to know that she'd gotten into several bad scrapes during her time in Starfleet. However, she'd been assigned to the Renaissance for doing the right thing, unlike most of her crewmates. The Lieutenant had followed her conscience, and been court-martialed for supposedly putting her ship at risks of a plague.

"How are you adjusting to being on the Renaissance?"

<Tag Alex>
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Alex McDonald
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Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences
Eyebrow arched ever so slightly in response to being addressed by her academic title, a habit she had picked up during her time on Vulcan, the science officer took a sip of coffee as she seated herself. It was impossible to forget how many times she had been summoned to meetings like this in the last few years, never by choice. And so it was impossible to feel at ease, despite the pleasantries.

"Just Alex, and thanks," she replied finally. "As for adjusting... it's taking some time. You probably noticed but this ship is a little insane at times."
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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
Maya had started to create four columns into which she classified her patients amongst the Renaissance crew. Column one was composed of the people who were happy to have someone to talk to. Column two included those who would potentially be a physical danger. Column three included the people who would waste her time trying to screw with her (top of the list one Commander Freeman). The fourth, and longest Column was for those who had no reason to trust Counselors, having been actively undermined or ignored by the process in the past.

She quickly realized which list Alex was going to go on, but was prepared to take the time to draw out some kind of communication. Maya actually understood this. She hated talking about her feelings, more than anything else. That made it easier for her to connect with mistrustful patients.

"Insane might be too generous of a descriptor," Maya replied with a sarcastic smile. "Depraved. Sadistic. Corrupted. Beyond hope."

"That's not an official diagnosis," she explained, "Not yet."

"To be honest, Alex, I've never served on a Starship before. I don't know if being cat-called in the mess hall is standard behavior out here in the far reaches of space," she finished. Of course she knew that was inappropriate, but it had been equally inappropriate to make the fellow's nose bleed with a thought.

The crew hadn't quite figured out whether they were in prison, in an asylum, or on a ship of the line. They weren't certain if their senior officers were their enemies. Everyone was a bit paranoid, and it was effecting their ability to do their duty properly. Was Alex the same?

"You have the stellar task of conducting viable scientific research while being surrounded by lunatics," Maya stated. "How do you plan to pull that off?"

While she got McDonald talking about the work, Maya tried to get a sense of Alex's deeper emotions, her fears and joys, and what she might be hiding.

<tag Alex>
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Alex McDonald
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Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences
Nursing her coffee, Alex smiled ruefully and shook her head slightly. "That part I am still trying to figure out," she confessed. "Without doubt everyone in my team is capable, some could be brilliant if they wanted to be. And a few are pretty much liabilities."

She shrugged dismissively, as though pushing the thought aside. The dilema of what to do about those liabilities was one which had kept her occupied for hours on end.

"A survey mission, though, has been something of a blessing to start with. It is letting everyone find their feet," she observed. "Me included. Being a department chief is completely new. So is all the paperwork that comes with it."



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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
"Commander Freeman suggested to me that we should treat our crew as if they were like any other, rather than as a bunch of screw ups and liabilities. I see the potential in that. We will allow people to shine on their own rather than feel like they have to prove something," Maya replied, offering up the strategy that the XO had discussed with her.

"I think everyone should try running their department that way... and we can discuss in a senior staff meeting if it is working."

"It seems, from your very thorough paperwork thus far, that you're doing just that, Alex, so I think you're doing a great job thus far as science chief," the Counselor told her, "If you have any trouble with your staff you're welcome to come speak to me."

Was that it? It almost seemed like Alex was going to get a chance to leave, when Dr. Takagi met her gaze and held it with a stern look.

"You don't have to worry about me not clearing you for duty. That's not really what I want to talk about... There's a reason you've been assigned here and its not just because you're an excellent scientist," Maya stated, "Your list of infractions is as long as the index of your published research, not to be glib. I'm not judging you, I'm really just curious. Why all the black marks?"

Maya didn't care about the official record. 90% of the things Alex had been reprimanded for, Maya would do herself, if in the same situation. She was interested in finding out what was behind it all.

<tag Alex>
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Alex McDonald
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Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences
"Why not?" Alex replied with a dismissive shrug, her tone verging on defensive. She had no wish to discuss what was already in her files, along with the views and recommendations of other counselors. Yet clearly this was the order of the day.

Setting down her empty coffee cup she adjusted her position so she was facing the counselor straight on, "alright... where would you like to start?"

It was a slight concession on her part, amid the realisation that fighting the inevitibility of it all would be pointless. She had covered this ground before, so it was nothing new. And if it meant she could leave sooner, all the better.

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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
In Alex's moment of frustration, Maya found herself able to dig into Alex's psyche and scan he young Lieutenant's deeper memories and fears.

She wasn't looking for anything to incriminate the other woman, but her years as an interrogator and profiler made it an instinctual response. Instead she was seeking a reason why a beautiful, brilliant young woman had turned self destructive. More so, Maya recognized that the two of them could likely be friends, and probably needed to be as the only women on the senior staff, who weren't sleeping with each other (yet).

"Well it seems to me that most of thing you've gotten in trouble for are things you could've gotten away with. You're smart enough, and pretty enough to get away with more than most. So I'm going to assume that, 80% of the time, you wanted to get caught…" Maya replied, hoping to engage her emotionally as she picked through Alex's mind telepathically.

The question of where to start was an intriguing one. Alex's problems were of the sort that human beings had struggled with since the dawn of time - violence and sex. Maya happened to be interested in both areas, but decided to pick the one she knew the least about, at least personally.

"So let's start with the fights. I personally have never won a fist fight in my life, while it appears that you've got quite the winning record," the Counselor told her, clearly impressed.

She smiled a little - perhaps she could convince Alex to give her a few pointers in hand to hand fighting and in exchange teach the young scientist how to get away with a forbidden affair. Both would learn something from each other, if only in retrospect.

"Though I see you lost a big one too, which appears to have set off a little wave of bad behavior. What happened?"

<tag Alex>

OOC: If you can give me an idea of what Maya finds Alex thinking under the surface that would be great.
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Alex McDonald
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Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences
Alex didn't say anything at first, clearly uncomfortable with the topic the counselor had chosen. Immediately the memories of that night came to the fore, or to be more precise, what memories she still had of it. Huge chunks were just black voids, interspersed with flashes of an unfamiliar place but a very familiar face. And a sense of pain she hoped never to feel again.

"I don't think you could call the last one a fight..." she began. She hesitated, even now unable to reconcile the image of Mark on that fateful night with the boy she had grown up with and come to love. So much anger and rage, fuelled by jelousy at what he thought was going on. All that wrapped in a man who had was training to become a marine. It was a deadly combination.

Somewhat angrily she reach up, wiping away a tear and seeming to gain some inner strength from somewhere. "But yeah, I lost that one. I was as good as dead when they found me. But I survived. Though I spent a long time wishing I hadn't.

So, anyway, my injuries healed for the most part but I felt so completely and utterly alone. The person I thought I would spend the rest of my life with, who I loved, had done such horrible things. And I realised I had never known him at all. And I thought of those times when he had shown flashes of a violent temper. I should have seem there was something there. Done something. And I guess I got a little lost."

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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
As soon as the dark memories of the incident came forth, Maya saw the moments that Alex was blacking out.

The Counselor recognized that some day Alex would have to face the entirety of the event, she certainly she didn't wish for the young woman to relive it right now.

She leaned forward and took Alex's hand. In that instant, she pushed memories of the incident away from Alex's thoughts, and instead allowed the woman to feel pleasant memories - of her family, of her youth, of partners and lovers who were kind to her, rather than cruel.

"I'm obligated to remind you that what happened wasn't your fault, Alex," she said calmly, "At some point you'll have to come to accept that. I understand the feeling of wishing that you'd been smart enough to fix the problem before it got out of hand, but from experience I can say that it's often impossible to understand or resolve the darkness in another person's heart and mind."

Maya had personally never endured that manner of assault. She'd certainly dealt with men who'd tried to put their hands on her in unwanted ways, but it never got out of hand. Nor would she ever really experience betrayal in the way that Alex had - at the hands of a loved one - because she would never trust anyone that much.

"What happened to this Mark?" she inquired.

<tag Alex>
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Alex McDonald
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Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences
"He, erm... he's dead," Alex said quietly. "Apparenly it used to be called suicide by cop? After the attack he fled, a few days later he walked into a security officer and just randomly started shooting at people. Afterwards a marine psychiatrist deceded he had suffered some sort of mental breakdown and then he couldn't cope with the realisation of what he had done."

She took a deep breath, collecting herself and her thoughts. "Anyway, that was the reason. It took me a long time to get my head straight. By which time I had managed to have an affair with a senior officer, a married senior officer at that, drank too much, got in a few fights with guys who didn't know the meaning of the word no... and came back to normality just in time to break more than a few rules and land myself here."

At that she shrugged dismissively. "A far from the perfect life people had planned for me but I wouldn't change it," she said with confidence, before adding with a grin, "not much of it anyway. Can I go now?"

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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
"You're in such a hurry to be rid of me, Lieutenant," Maya replied, feigning offense.

"You're a savvy young lady, capable of recognizing that we're stuck together for the remainder of our respective tours here," she replied, "So I can mandate a weekly appointment and we can have a unnecessary, protracted look into what makes you tick. Or, we can spend the next twenty seven minutes being honest with one-another."

"From what you've just said, the rough period of your life is behind you. All the pain is dealt with and you're here to start anew," the Counselor inquired. "Am I correct? Is that what you believe?"

Maya didn't speak with suspicion. Rather, her tone was clear and inquisitive, seeking clarity.

"And if so, I'll take you at your word, but I'd like to help you succeed at turning over a new leaf. With my assistance, we can make sure your life is free of any pointless conflicts, be it physical altercations or bad romances."

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Alex McDonald
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Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant, Sciences
“You must like challenges as much as I do,” Alex commented dryly. “Nothing personal, but I’ve had so many people rummaging around in my head, invited or not, deciding what is wrong with me or what is best. And if I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be. But I don’t give up on things.”

She arched an eyebrow, “as for the bad romances... that might be a lost cause. I seem to be attracted to the wrong people. Constantly. And I let my heart rule my head. On this ship, that doesn’t seem to be much of an issue though.“

The science officer shrugged, dismissing it all in one easy gesture.

“I joined Starfleet in the first place because I wanted to prove that I was as good as my father, away from his shadow. I couldn’t do that anywhere else, his reputation is that huge. So yes, I want to make this work. This is what I want to and I am damn good at what I do."

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Maya Takagi
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Chief Counselor
Lieutenant, Counseling
Maya chuckled a little at Alex's claim, in sympathy rather than derision. "I understand what it's like to have brilliant parents. I suspect that you'll make it out from beneath that shadow. Given the normal lifespan of a human female, you have 120 more years to do so. I suspect it'll happen with the next two decades, if you keep up the good work."

"In terms of your social life, you might want to remember that this ship is full of the wrong people. I'd be extra vigilant," she added, "Now that you're a senior officer, you're subject to strict regulations about which crewmates you should choose to spend your personal time with." Maya found it to be a sort of elitism, though the intent was to promote professionalism amongst the senior ranks. "That means your potential dating pool is reduced from 600 souls to around 20, depending on your preferences."

Maya laughed. She hoped she wouldn't have to send each senior officer a spreadsheet or manifest of who they could and could not date. On the other hand, she recognized that she might be best suited to play matchmaker and find a way to give each of these lonely souls the most functional partner that they could find amongst the dregs of Starfleet.

"For my part, I find it helpful to have as high standards for any potential lover as I do for myself. A lousy partner not only drags you down, but drags down your research. Unless your research is on dysfunctional relationships. And then we might say that the work is biased."

She sat up a bit. "So, Alex, what would you say is your type - the right type, not the wrong type?"

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