Posted by Lieutenant Commander Janusz Korczak (Counselor) in Side Sim - Bio-chemistry and Neuroscience (Attn: CNS)

Posted by Lieutenant Markus Woods (Chief Science Officer) in Side Sim - Bio-chemistry and Neuroscience (Attn: CNS)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Janusz Korczak (Counselor) in Side Sim - Bio-chemistry and Neuroscience (Attn: CNS)
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
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Mark listened intently, his brows lowering a little. He was no anthropologist, psychologist, or neuroscientist. But he knew some. And certainly enough to respect the experts. As Korczak presented his views, and the cultural significance and variations, his brows rose a little. A chill passed through him as a thought came to mind. For something like that to be so universally recognized… What truly lay out there in the dark beyond mankind’s understanding? As for the murder thing, he’d been in more than one firefight in the line of duty, and he tended to hit what he aimed at. Self-defense was one thing. Execution, perhaps another, and perhaps necessary. If you can’t treat it, can’t fix it… allowing it to persist was irresponsible and asking for innocent people to get hurt. The thought was a little unsettling. For the moment he set it aside. He would examine that one in detail later.

As Korczak brought up that particular pattern he nodded. “You’re right, that does seem to be a pattern. Maybe I’ve got a bit of adrenaline junky in me that the holodeck doesn’t really get the job done. But in this, yeah I wanna know. What scientist doesn’t? It’s … our entire job to stick our noses in the dark, to poke at things, and learn. Curiosity is fundamental. I’m not so young, and dumb, as I once was though. I’d like to think that curiosity is tempered by good caution. I’ve no desire to do something stupid. Well, too stupid.” He broke into a momentary grin at that. “I’ll be perfectly happy if I never have to deal with anything like that ever again. I’d like to think I’ve learned when to walk away… and when to run.” Sobering a little he took another sip of his tea, getting close to the bottom.

“Also it’s good to know I’m not alone in my experience and assessment of what happened. I … don’t think it’s something most want to talk about, except for those they trust the most, and probably went through similar things with. So being on the outside is kind of hard. I’m sure they’ll open up more. As it is, since I’ve been here I’ve continually felt like an outsider. No close connections to anyone. Some passing camaraderie, familiar faces. Nothing more. I’m sure part of it is just due to the turnover. Or people going missing. I actually lost some of my science team in all of it. Personnel just… vanished into thin air.” He shook his head. “I dunno, maybe that makes me more chatty.... having nobody.”

He paused for a moment, rubbing his hands together a bit, spreading the warmth from the mug. At the same time it was fidgeting. And Reassuring self-touch. Great. Well that was about as big a tell as anything. Smoothing his hands against his pants he sighed. “Any recommendations for the risk versus reward thing? I mean, besides the poker games I used to play on previous cruises.”

Lt Woods, CSO

Korczak smiled and said “Poker, you say? That is actually a very good tool to use, actually. Perhaps… yes… perhaps we should play a game. Find some like minded individuals who wish to learn risk vs. reward. Kind of like a ‘group therapy’ session… but with cards. Tell me, Lieutenant… would you be up for a game?” and he grinned at the CSO.

Korczak, CNS

“I’m pretty much always up for a good game,” Mark replied, breaking into a small smile. It was good to see Korczak come to life in a new way, take on new interest. That, in and of itself was interesting. “What do ya got in mind?” The idea of getting a card game going on the ship was a nice idea too. he knew he’d probably have some rust to knock off, as it had been a couple years at least since he played. But being a cardsharp all through the Academy and in the Fleets, it wouldn’t take long to get his edge back. And maybe he had an unfair advantage. Or a few.

Lt Woods, CSO

Korzak smiled an easy smile and said “Simple. Find out who wants to play… then we play. You set it up, and count me in as attending. You just play. But know I will be observing you; just to see where you lay on the risk-reward scale. Then, we talk. We’ll go over individual hands, and discuss what you were feeling… what you were thinking… and maybe come to some realizations that might help you see in yourself if there any areas you want to try an improve. How does that sound? Me, I think it sounds fantastic. I’ve never used cards to assess psychological matters… there might be another paper in my future.” and he laughed.

Korczak, CNS

Mark thought it over for a moment then nodded. “I mean, that’ll probably put people on edge. But it’s a good way to get out of the office and get to know some of the crew better. And you’re right, you might have the basis for a new paper. I mean games and psychology have been explored so much over the centuries. Including things like role-playing games.” The science officer shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll put an invite out on the ship’s internal systems, and maybe talk to a few officers I think might join. Would be nice to get a regular game going again.”

Lt Woods, CSO

Korczak smiled and said “We will keep the assessment part of it confidential. I’m not going to be ‘working’ with anyone else at the table, so it will also be a good way to see people outside of this office.” and he chuckled. “I have an excellent bottle of scotch I was saving for just such an occasion.” He smiled at Woods and said “Now… while I do want to continue our discussions on reward versus risk, I see no reason to not mark your assessment as satisfactory… at least for now. That may change if you beat me to handily at the card table.” and he laughed.

Korczak, CNS

Mark broke out into a grin and shook his head. “Oh, I dunno about that. Cards are as much about reading people as they are the cards. Learning to play the people? I think you’ll do better than you think. Working together though, would probably completely unfair.” He shrugged once more. “I just plan on having some fun with it and taking it one hand at a time.” He paused for a moment, his expression sobering. “A good card game would be good for a lot of reasons. I don’t think there’s been enough connection, relaxation, and interaction outside of ‘work’. Most of my peers I’ve never even spoken to outside of a working related context. And that didn’t used to be the case. Something like this might be good for morale, and help to start dispelling the dark cloud that hangs over the Viking.” Idly he fidgeted with the cup , staring into it as though eh could divine something from the leaves that didn’t exist within. “We all need something good… to start fixing the damage.”

Lt Woods, CSO

Korczak smiled knowingly. The darkness of the ship’s predecessor was all but palpable in the crew, and there was a lot of trauma to work through even on the new vessel. “Good most often is the result of something we do. Being proactive in bringing needed positivity. So let us try our hand at bringing that positivity to the crew, shall we?” and he smiled at Woods.

Korczak, CNS

Markus nodded, still fiddling with the glass before he set it down with a slight spin, which kept going a second… or two… longer than expected. “Agreed, that sounds like a good idea to me.” Sitting up he scooted forward in his seat, bringing himself to the edge. Hunching forward a bit, he let his elbows rest just above his knees on his legs, his hands folding together comfortably. “Any other ideas about how to lift people’s spirits around here?”

Lt Woods, CSO