As Dana made her way to the Captain’s ready room she felt excitement bubble up in her and had to smile. She was excited about being excited!

She passed a crewmember on the corridor that eyed her face ridges and she had to smile. Yes Denobulans were still a rarity in Starfleet, most of her fellow Denobulans didn’t really like the thought of being isolated in space, separated from their families… but that was really only an issue if you had one.
She reined in her broad smile, unconsciously straightening up and rang the chime.

Dr Anu, CMO

The door opened, and a young red-haired human woman smiled. “Hello, Lt. Go right in; the captain is free.” The young yeoman slipped out past the door to continue her duties.

Asam looked up. “Ah, you must be Dr. Anu, my new chief medical officer. Come in, come in.”

Cpt. Asam, CO
OC: Whenever I read your characters name, I’m craving a cup of tea :-D
IC:
Dana walked into the room, keeping her eyes on her new CO. This was the official part and she wanted to do it right, like an officer, not a doctor. And yet she couldn’t stop her senses taking him in. His scent, his stature and posture, the pulse beating along his neck. He looked even more impressive in life than in the pictures. And she couldn’t wait to get him into sickbay!

she ripped herself out of that very inappropriate train of thought and came to attention.
„Lt Anu reporting for duty sir.“ she said in her deep timbre voice.

Dr Anu, CMO

OOC: FYI Rende is female and the fact she is El-Aurian is a secret and classified. Her medical file says she is human and anything in her records that is prior 2210 is not available. It is in her vio for player curiosity, but is not IC knowledge.

IC:
Rende stood and walked over to a small counter. “At ease, Lt. And I prefer ma’am or captain.” She tossed a smile over her shoulder. “Something to drink? Tea, coffee, juice, water? I believe my yeoman keeps it all stocked in here.”

Cpt. Asam, CO
OOC: Ups sorry. So amended. And there is no chance this would show up on a genetic bio scan? I mean technically speaking the cells of a body do display the approximate age in a human. But maybe not in an El-Aurian…? :-)
IC:
Dana relaxed and watched as well as smelled the Captain and how she had decorated her ready room.

“Some tea would be nice. Earl Grey with milk and sugar please, Captain. I’ve never got warm with the human greeting of ma’am. To me it insinuates an old woman.” she said in her deep timbre voice.

Dr Anu, CMO

OOC: Actually El-Aurians can consciously choose what their physical age is and whether or not they age. So her genetic bio scan would show the physical age she is choosing to be.

IC:
Rende turned back to the counter and made herself busy for a few moments. When she turned back she set a cup of tea on the desk for Anu and then resumed her seat with a steaming cup of coffee. “Have a seat Dr. Tell me about yourself.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Dana took a seat and nodded her thanks as the scent of both beverages mingled in her nose pleasantly.
She considered the question while taking a sip, her piercingly green eyes trained on the Captain.

„Well I’m glad to be back on a ship. I‘m certainly much more able now to handle the challenges than my first time around on the USS Saratoga and I believe my experience from that time will be of benefit to this crew.
I’m also an experienced psychologist as I’m sure you’ve read in my file and on my last assignment on the starbase some of my consultations have been more about healing the mind than the body. I’m very much looking forward to get to know the crew and you.“

Dr Anu, CMO

Asam considered the answer. “What makes you feel that you are better prepared this time?”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Dana gave a soft smile. “Oh many reasons. I’m not thrown in without experience or prep, I have the position and experience that allows me to actually lead a triage effort or a medical mission… I’m sure you’ve read in my file that last time, I had none of those benefits and it’s difficult to fulfil an unspoken expectation to lead when you don’t have the resources to actually do so.
But most importantly, I’ve experienced the physical and mental after effects of those intense and emotionally draining extreme situations, I’ve learned how to deal with them, how to heal from them and integrate them into my character by learning from them.” she said simply. “I realise that no two situations are the same if you are a Starfleet Officer, but the psychological process is pretty much the same.”
It was anything but simple of course, and they both knew it. But they also both knew that you inevitably came out much stronger on the other and - if you had managed to integrate the experiences into your personality. Dana had seen enough of the Captain’s profile to know that she would be able to relate.

Dr Anu, CMO

Rende sipped her coffee and let that soak in. “I understand the sentiment, doctor, but it’s also a very broad answer. Can you give me an example? Something specific that you’ve experienced that you feel has made you more prepared for this position?”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Dana raised one eyebrow. “No, I can’t from the top of my head. May I inquire about the reason for this line of questioning?” she asked. Her hands had started sweating and she didn’t appreciate the direction this conversation was taking.

Dr Anu, CMO

Interesting. The captain set her coffee on the desk and leaned forward. “I am your captain, Dr. Anu. It is my job to guide you, lead you, help you grow, and keep you safe, and to best make use of your skills and training. I can not do that if I do not know what makes you tick, what makes you struggle, what challenges you in a good way, and what will crush you under the strain. I can not lead you, if I do not know you.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

“That is very commendable, however different species and even different humans have very different cognitive processing styles. I have no issue with telling you about psychologically impactful episodes of my past, but this is our very first meeting and it is unusual to dig deep when you have just met a person, since that level of intimacy should be built on trust and mutual understanding, and those things take a bit of time. By asking me this already now, you have changed the tone of the conversation from a first getting to know each other to something more like an interview, which is one of the few conversations where it is expected to disclose personal information to an unfamiliar person.” Dana said and gave Rende a soft smile.

Rende raised a single brow. “I’m sorry, Lt. Anu, if for some reason you thought that meeting your captain for the first time would be anything but an interview. You were mistaken.” She leaned back only slightly. “I am quite well aware that different species handle cognitive and emotional events in a fundamentally psychologically different ways. However, you joined Star Fleet, and there are certain expectations of performance and behavior and directness of answering. If you feel that my question is some way violates the law then we will call in my yeoman and she will take a full statement. Otherwise, make no mistake, this is an interview. Command sent you here, but I have the right of veto.”

OOC: Hm, while I enjoy our thread, Dana would not have answered with the following if Rende had said that, so either you could take that out or we void all the below and I’ll answer after the above, up to you :-)

“I’m not a shy person Captain, but I do hate job interviews… always have. I do want to get to know you better, very much so, and I want you to get to know me better, with time. I will tell you now that what makes me tick is when I am allowed to do my work unencumbered, I love my work and I enjoy helping others heal - physically and mentally. I struggle sometimes with remembering to take a break, mostly because as a Denobulan I require little to no sleep… until my hibernation period. Leadership tasks challenge me in a good way and I’m seeking to grow as a leader within my domain. I get annoyed if I don’t have all the resources I need to do my job and what crushes me is losing a crew member because I wasn’t able to heal him or her, because there is no cure.” she said and leaned back, smiling.

Dr Anu, CMO

“I understand you don’t like interviews, but we all deal with things we don’t like. Service in Star Fleet sends us into all kinds of uncomfortable situations. As much as, one day, I would like to be friendly with everyone on the crew, I simply don’t have weeks or months to ‘get to know you’ in a personal and friendly manner to decide if you are a good fit with the rest of my crew. Space is wonderous, but it is also dangerous.”

She picked up her coffee and sipped before continuing. “You have told me nothing that I would not hear from every other doctor who has graduated the Academy. Nothing that says, ‘I am the fit for your crew.’ I do not have time to coddle you, Lt. So I need to show me that you know with every flicker of energy in every cell, that you are ready for a ship assignment.”

Cpt. Asam, CO