Posted by Lieutenant Tija Aizala (Chief Medical Officer) in CNS Office - Like The White Rabbit, The CMO Is Late For a Very Important… Check In (TAG CMO)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Janusz Korczak (Counselor) in CNS Office - Like The White Rabbit, The CMO Is Late For a Very Important… Check In (TAG CMO)

Posted by Lieutenant Tija Aizala (Chief Medical Officer) in CNS Office - Like The White Rabbit, The CMO Is Late For a Very Important… Check In (TAG CMO)
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Janisz reviewed the files of all the ship’s personnel and came across the new CMO. “Curious.” he thought to himself. “She hasn’t done her evaluation yet. Odd.” and he then checked his appointments. Having some free time, he pressed the comm on his desk interface.

=/\= Counselor to Chief Medical Officer. Lieutenant, please report to my office as soon as your duties allow. You are late for your on-boarding evaluation. =/\= and he disconnected form the system and began reviewing her file as he waited.

Korczak, CNS

A soft sigh escaped the doctor’s lips as she heard the counsellor’s voice over the intercom. Of course she knew that everybody needed their psychological evaluation and should talk to a counsellor regularly. Just like everybody needed their medical evaluation and get a check-up once a year. But the truth was, she just didn’t like to talk about personal and private things. And especially not to counsellors. Tapping her combadge reluctantly, Tija simply replied, =/\= Understood, Counsellor =/\= and then focused again on the paper work that was currently on top of her to-do-list. It wasn’t anything urgent, to be honest, but it would give her some time to either prepare mentally or maybe find a way to get out of this dreadful conversation.

About two hours later after having finished not only all paper work, but also having re-organised the storage cupboards in main sickbay, Tija had to admit that she was running out of reasons to keep away from the counsellor. But before heading out she made one last stop and took one of her nurses aside. “Rahel, I have to talk to the counsellor for a bit, but please call me when you need me,” she said with a small smile. “Yes, Doctor,” NE Goldberg replied with a nod.

A couple of minutes later Tija arrived in front of the counsellor’s office. After squaring her shoulders and putting on a smile, she reluctantly pressed the chime and then waited to be called inside; partly hoping that the counsellor was too busy right now to see her.

~Lt. Tija, Asst. CMO

The doors slid open to allow entry, and the office on the other side of the door was unlike any area in the rest of the ship. It was lit in a more subdued manner than the rest of the ship, with the light coming from wall lamps rather than the typical overhead lighting. Multiple bookcases with glass enclosed shelves lined one wall, filled with copies and originals of many texts on many different subjects, and a quick glance would show multiple languages as well. The desk was set at an angle against the opposite wall to the door in the corner, allowing for a large open space in the middle. Here there was a couch and a few chairs, one of which sat in front of and facing away from the desk. Pictures hung on the walls, some were even old photographs. Each depicted either places, individuals, or groups of people, and many were in black and white.

Seated behind the desk in the corner was a human male with Lieutenant Commander pips on his collar. The man was wholly plain looking; in fact so nondescript that he almost blended in with the office. The only thing that seemed unique, in fact, were the glasses he wore… oval lenses with dark wire frames. His voice, on the other hand, was distinctive. “Please come in, Lieutenant. I have been waiting for the opportunity to speak with you. As we have not been formally introduced, I am Lieutenant Commander Janusz Korczak. Please be seated.” and he indicated the siting area before the desk. His accent was not like any most people had ever heard before; perhaps a mashup of multiple accents. Regardless, his speech was understandable; precise, even.

Tija stepped into the counsellor’s office with her back straight and her shoulders squared, trying to convey confidence when reality she felt rather uneasy. She also didn’t look around, but instead looked straight at Korczak. As always when on duty her copper hair was tied back into a neat bun at the nape of her neck, leaving both her Bajoran earring and the thin white scare along her hairline clearly visible. In fact, all she did while entering the room was acknowledging his words with a small nod and a curt, “Counsellor.”

“I trust I am not keeping you from anything pressing, Doctor. I cam only assume you were kept from coming by some kind of medical necessity that required your utmost attention?” he asked, his voice calm, flat… emotionless. If he had taken any offence to being kept waiting, there certainly was no proof of it.

Korczak, CNS

“Nothing that my staff can’t handle, though that might change at any moment as I’m sure you’re aware,” Tija replied, trying to be as polite as possible, as she sat down on one of the chairs the counsellor had pointed at. Her back was still ramrod straight and she was sitting at the edge of chair. Almost as if she was ready to run any second. “As to your other question,” she continued matter-of-factly, “I’m the chief medical officer on an Academy ship. There are a lot of things I have to do every day and I handle each and every task with the utmost attention.” She was fully aware that she wasn’t really answering his question, but at least it was the truth.

~Lt. Tija, Asst. CMO

Bump :)

Korczak did something he very rarely did… he allowed the briefest of smiles to cross his features before saying “Save for completing your check ins, of course. But I am sure someone of your tenure is fully aware that of the regulations against seeing patients or issuing medical orders to your department prior to being cleared for duty. And I am, of course, quite certain that you have undertaken no such activities. Just as I am certain that your delay was due to circumstances outside of your control and not any… hesitations… about talking with me.” Without waiting for a response, he continued.

“So how are you settling in, Lieutenant? And what do you think of our little vessel?” The smile was gone, replaced by a look that remained expressionless but still did not convey any kind of judgement. And unlike the Counselors in the Academy and most in the Fleet, Korczak didnt have any kind of PaDD or recording device. He simply sat… and looked.

Korczak, CNS

Tija felt rather uncomfortable at his little speech, but none of that showed on her face or in her body language. And since the Counsellor asked a completely different questions at the end, she decided to merely answer his question and not to say anything else. “I’m settling in very well, thank you,” she replied. “The Challenger is a great ship and I enjoy the opportunity to be a mentor to cadets. I always enjoyed not only learning, but sharing my knowledge and helping others. And looking back on my career in Starfleet so far I feel like a training vessel like this ship offers a very special, I’d even say unique opportunity for all three of those things,” she continued and the smallest of smiles tugged at the corners of her lips. What she didn’t add was that the other thing she liked about the Challenger was the fact that a large number of the crew was almost in constant flux with cadets graduation and new cadets arriving. And that of course meant that it was easier to keep people at bay; especially those the worked with most closely and the most.

~Lt. Tija, Asst. CMO

“Excellent. I am very pleased to hear that.” Korczak replied. And he paused for a moment and then asked “So tell me, Lieutenant. What brought you to Star Fleet? And what do you want to get from this posting?”

Korczak, CNS

Tija was silent for a few moments, while looking straight at the Counsellor. Biting the inside of her lower lip - hard enough to feel a slight pain, but not nearly hard enough to draw blood - she thought about his questions and how to answer them truthfully without revealing to much about herself. “I was trained as a healer on Bajor after the Occupation. During that time I met several Starfleet officers and enlisted personal; both on Bajor and of course during my visits to Deep Space Nine. I love my home, but as I grew older I wanted to see more of the universe than our solar system. And I also wanted to learn more about medicine and become a better healer. For both Starfleet was the logical choice.” Her voice was gentle and the soft smile still tugged at the corners of her lips. But masked by her politeness and her poker face were a whole mess of emotions.

After a brief pause, Tija continued, “As for your other question, I think I already answered that. I wanted to help people and be a healer for as long as I can remember and this posting is the perfect place to do both. Not to mention that there is always more to learn for each and everyone of us; and that’s something I’ve always enjoyed as well.” There was more to it, of course, but telling him about it would mean talking about a lot of painful and traumatic experiences in her life and that was something she wasn’t able, nor willing to do. So she stopped there and waited patiently for Korczak’s reaction and next question.

~Lt. Tija, Asst. CMO

Korczak listened and remianed passive, his face a flat expanse. No judgement, no scorn, no supportive nod. Just… passive, taking in the words, their tone, and the body language of the newly minted Chief Medical Officer. When she was finished, he sat in silence for several long moments, just looking at her. Finally, his head cocked slightly to the side and he spoke.

“Tell me about your family on Bajor.”

Korczak, CNS