Posted by Lieutenant Commander Janusz Korczak (Counselor) in Counselor’s Office - Cadet Woolley Check-in with Ship’s Counselor

Posted by Cadet Maximilian Woolley (Doctor) in Counselor’s Office - Cadet Woolley Check-in with Ship’s Counselor

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Janusz Korczak (Counselor) in Counselor’s Office - Cadet Woolley Check-in with Ship’s Counselor
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
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The Lieutenant Commander looked at the Cadet for a moment and then said simply “Tell me about yourself, Cadet. What brings you to Star Fleet and the Challenger?”

Korczak, CNS

Max placed the PADD on his lap, then rubbed his palms together gently before placing them on his knees.

“I did my undergraduate work at New York University. I went to Columbia to work on a PhD in biology but I never completed my dissertation. I decided that I wanted to pursue medicine so I began exploring my options. As my life, up to this point, was fairly Earth-centric and, worse still, very New York centric for the most part I wanted to break out of my comfort zone. My father was a starfleet science officer at the beginning of his career before becoming a biology professor. I think that his decision to choose a quiet and less travel intensive lifestyle makes sense when you take it in the context of his whole career. He started out traveling to the far reaches of the galaxy. So that he wanted to settle down where he could hike familiar trails makes quite a bit of sense. For me, I never saw the things he did. I felt that I needed to see beyond what I knew to grow as a person and a professional.”

Though Max was, at times, a bit uncomfortable with his Starfleet skin he was also confident in his delivery and in his purpose.

Max Woolley, Medical

Korczak tilted his head slightly to the side and looked intently at the Medical Cadet. “There are many other professions that would allow you to travel extensively. Why Star Fleet in particular?”

Korczak, CNS

Max didn’t pause. Smiling slightly he answered, while maintaining eye contact with the counselor.

“I don’t want to limit my practice to treating holodeck injuries on a freighter, sir. Nor do I want to say that my work accomplished little more than tending to passengers. I am, of course, committed to serving the people of this, or any future, starfleet ship. But I also recognize that my skills may be called upon to serve civilians we encounter. Even aggressors under certain circumstances. As a physician, here, I’ll be challenged to work in ever changing situations working, perhaps, with species and races I might never encounter on Earth or even in a variety of outposts or colonies. “

He smiled, becoming a bit more animated as he delivered that last bit. Before finishing off simply “Besides, I believe being a science officer helped my father to be a better biologist. I’d be lying if I didn’t acknowledge his role in encouraging me to pursue Starfleet, largely by his example.”

Max Woolley, Medical

Korczak listened and returned the Cadet’s gaze as he spoke. When he finished, Korczak looked down at the PaDD and made a few notes. Looking up through his spectacles, the Lieutenant Commander said “Very well, Cadet. I have completed my initial assessment. Do you have any questions for me?”

Korczak, CNS

Max looked at Korczak for a moment, looking for any hint of what he was thinking or any sort of emotional response to what he was saying. Nothing. Max found himself with an instinct to probe for some sort of feedback. Though, logic kicked in as he had this sense that this was possibly the counselor’s MO. Basically, his silence and non-reactive nature leading people to talk more freely in hopes of evoking some sort of response.

It was, he thought, either an amazing discipline that Korczak exhibited or else Max was just thinking into things a bit too much. Either way, he simply smiled a bit as the counselor spoke.

“No sir, I have no questions.”

Max Woolley, Medical

Korczak’s brows furrowed slightly, and he made another note on the PaDD. “Hmm… I expected a Doctor to be a bit more… ‘inquisitive’ about my assessment. But that is not an uncommon response. Most people dislike this part of the on-boarding process. I don’t understand why. I mean, having a perfect stranger hold your entire future in their hands while they make what amounts to a mostly subjective assessment of one’s mental health and fitness to serve shouldn’t make people nervous at all. Don’t you agree, Doctor?” he asked, still showing no indication of whether or not he was being sarcastic or if he actually meant what he said.

Korczak, CNS

Max looked at Korczak intently, trying once again in vain to assess whether he was being sarcastic and had a simply very dry delivery or if he was, indeed, just using that tonal ambiguity as a tool, not unlike what would be used during an interrogation. He wasn’t really troubled either way, he just found it interesting. If the former, than Korczak would indeed be an interesting shipmate. If the latter, what is it that Korczak could possibly be after?

“I trust that if there was an area for concern or improvement you would make it known to me, sir. Otherwise, I operate off of the assumption that this was a good opportunity for us to meet, you to see if there were any obvious matters that required attention and, for you, to have a baseline of my personality to compare in the future and, for me, to be familiar and comfortable with your presence should I either need to avail myself of your services in the future or should you need to speak to me.”

Max watched his eyes and paid close attention to his non-verbal cues. He was not hiding anything, or even trying to be evasive. Like any number of new people, he was just sort of curious why Korczak worked the way he did. Was his behavior learned or innate? No matter.

“As for being nervous, I suppose one might be when meeting with you. One might be nervous coming to medical. I could also disqualify a person from continued service should they be medically unfit. If there is something to disqualify one from service, then so be it. I know myself fairly well, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I am not perfect. I am not without flaw. And I’m also biased as I reflect upon myself. But I don’t believe there is anything about me that would render me unfit for duty at this time. So why be nervous?”

His delivery of the latter statement was very matter of fact. Confident, though not cocky. He wasn’t attempting to be defensive or evasive though he certainly wasn’t going to treat his visit with the counselor as a social call, particularly when there were this many unanswered questions in his mind about what the counselor’s motivations might be.

Max Woolley, Medical

Korczak didn’t move, didn’t even twitch. His face and body language were completely impassive, as if nothing at all was happening and no conversation was taking place, even though he was obviously listening. “You said you know yourself ‘physically, emotionally and spiritually’. What do you mean by spiritually? Are you a religious person, Cadet?” he asked. He made no move to take any kind of note, but the be-speckled eyes watched the Cadet with the same intensity as before, although judging a person’s level of interest by any noticed ‘gleam’ in their eye was not only wildly subjective, but also very difficult for most.

Korczak, CNS

“I would not consider myself religious, no, sir. I meditate with some regularity. I would say that my philosophy of life and the world is influenced by some ancient Eastern philosophies, but I would not consider myself an adherent of any particular school or sect. I don’t spend my time contemplating a world beyond this one. I try to find meaning and balance in this world. I suppose mindfulness might be a more accurate term than ‘spiritual’ in that sense. For example, I periodically will paint. It’s certainly a hobby of my hands. But it’s also an exercise in clearing my mind and focusing on the present. That sort of thing.”

Max’s tone, on this topic, was somewhat more conversational than it had been and a bit less guarded. Though he gave away no indication of religiosity with his described practice. If anything, as he spoke, it began to sound a bit more dismissive of his practice though it was not because he wasn’t open to discussing it, it was just something that he had done for so many years that it was just second nature to him. His tone reflected that he viewed this aspect of himself as, perhaps, something more mundane rather than an essential component of himself in which he took great pride as a religious person might in their faith.

Max Woolley, Medical