Posted by Lieutenant Casela Synthi-er (Counsellor / RTF) in Counseling Center - Intelligence Chief’s Psychological Exam

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Adam Magnusson (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Counseling Center - Intelligence Chief’s Psychological Exam

After his medical examination, Adam made his way down to the bowels of the ship. He’d always found it interesting that the Mjölnir class had been designed with an entire deck dedicated to the craft of mental care instead of a single office or a small area with a handful of counselors. It was a practical solution that allowed for the larger crew to seek more help as necessary in a very private location. He entered the lobby and approached one of the personnel “Lieutenant Commander Adam Magnusson, I’m reporting for my boarding psychological examination” he said in his more formal tone.

CIO

MCPO Dean looked up from this desk in the lobby/lounge area of the deck. Someone who actually thought to look. It was a nice change that he wouldn’t have to startle yet another onboarding officer as they aimlessly bypassed his desk. He tapped a couple of buttons and inside Synthi-er’s office she was notified that there was a new officer waiting. It gave her time to finish up any ‘other’ work she was doing. Dean stood offering his hand, “Welcome aboard Lt Cmdr. I’m Master Chief Dean. The Lt is free,” he waved toward the door to her office, “Would you like anything to drink first?”

Adam gave the slightest shake of his head to the Non-Com “No thank you Chief” He said as he moved towards the indicated door and hit the open function and waited for it to unlock.

Inside her office Casela heard the beep and looked over at her console from the PaDD with some private letters on it she’d been reading. She had been flipping a small throwing knife iddly between her fingers and she paused, and it disappeared from where it had come from. She turned off the PaDD, locking it, and dropping it into the hidden wall locker behind her desk. She closed the locker, hearing the soft snick of the lock engaging and it looked like no more than a typical bulkhead. She dropped her feet to the floor and stood up, pressed a button unlocking the office door, and moving towards the door it opened. She looked over to the man standing in the lobby, placing a name with the face on the list of new arrivals. “Lt Cmdr Magnusson, come in and have a seat.”
Lt Synthi-er, CNS

Adam took a step in and slowly scanned the room and then its inhabitant. The Betazoid counselor was not exactly as he expected yet not too different, he was mildly surprised to see that she carried hidden blades, it wasn’t a thing easily noticed and it was only because he knew what to look for that he noticed. He walked inside and sat down carefully. Outside his initial surprise, he quickly took hold of his emotions returning them to the river of calm he allowed himself to feel. His face remained impassive and emotionless as if carved from stone. He slowly crossed his legs and interlocked his fingers “Thank you Lieutenant” He said formally.

CIO

Casela watched the man enter and take a seat. Her office was spartan and on the smaller side for the head of a department. On the walls were her credentials, a small shelving unit behind her desk to keep the small obscure items away from prying hands and nosey eyes. And a few chairs and a couch on the other side of her desk. He’d noted the knife, good. He hadn’t noticed the myriad of weapons hidden about the office yet. She remembered the last time she’d had the ship’s CIO in her office. She never would have thought it, but she missed Remington. They had come to a professional understanding and a lot of respect. She hoped he was having luck in his new assignment. Oddly enough she hoped to have as easy as a working relationship with this CIO as the previous. But this was Leviathan and nothing was ever easy to begin with. “How did you end up with ARU, Lt Cmdr?”
Lt Synthi-er, CNS

Adam looked the Betazoid directly in the eyes, he seemed to be judging the younger officer, weighing her before answering “Rumors” Usually he would let that be answer enough but he’d been in enough Counseling offices to know better “I Discovered an anomaly through rumours coming from an archaeological site. When I reported it to Starfleet an ARU Vessel was sent, I found the ship and its crew to be abnormal so when they started looking for me I didn’t let them find me. I put some of my theories to the test and after some searching discovered another strange anomaly and made the same report and another strange vessel was sent. When I returned to my apartment in New France I was approached by an Admiral who recruited me into the organization.”

CIO

Casela sat quietly listening and just nodded. “Similar situation to our previous CIO then. The admiralty has a type. So you’ve encountered these anomalies before and know what they are capable of doing. You know what our purpose is, so we’ll forgo the talk about ‘yes this is real.’ No on here is who they seem to be.” Casela noted, herself very much an example of that statement. “So you know how these things work. I ask you about your past, any traumas that you’ve already noted in your file 6 different times, you’ll wonder why you wrote it down in the first place and give me a truncated answer, I’ll write down the same notes that the last few counselors have and then I’ll dismiss you and unless the CSO tries to get you to dive into a frost lilly you’re unlikely to see me that often. So let’s throw that out the window, it’s blasé and predictable. Instead lets do something different. I saw your nod to the blade, and as a CIO it’s your job to know the details multiple steps ahead of anyone else. So tell me Mr. Magnusson, what do you already know about myself and the ARU? And to follow up, what can you determine from what you’ve already seen?”

This was a man who should have answers, or at least good ideas, and by putting him on the spot to do his job it allowed Casela to far better gauge his mental state as an officer. She could read his personal file and perhaps they’d get down to those details, but on the job tests were a great way to put the patient off balance so to speak and force them to correct and continue whereas a regular interview couldn’t. They had their place, for junior officers on a run of the mill ship sure. On the Leviathan? Not a chance.
Lt Synthi-er, CNS

There was no physical reaction, no smile, frown, or even the slightest movement. This was a dance, one that Adam was very good at. He allowed a slight ripple of amusement to flow throughout the river of calm he let himself feel, to anyone else he would not have reacted but to an empath of even middling skill would have taken the feeling as a smirk, a knowing one at that. “You were a resistance fighter during the Occupation of Betazed before joining Starfleet. The details are scarce but I was there during the Liberation and I can fill in some of the gaps. After graduating you have no official posting for almost twelve years. There are hints in your file of Killed in Action records that have been removed and for twelve years you were seemingly posted nowhere. Normally this would imply being recruited to Starfleet Intelligence Operations but you weren’t. SIO Feels different, whatever happened during that time was either above or to the side of any regular intelligence work” He didn’t base this on any facts, much like his rumours it was only a feeling based on his gut and experience.

“The ARU is a secret organization that deals in unknown danger, your assignment to work here implies experience in dealing with either the danger itself or giving aid to those who experienced it.” He paused for a moment “You are currently carrying several blades, some of which are throwing weapons. There are a select few people that carry such weapons but they all have something in common, they are abnormally paranoid. A person who carries concealed weapons on duty as a councillor is doubly so, so I can surmise that those are not the only weapons in this room or even on your person.” He didn’t seem concerned as his comment regarding paranoia were worded matter-of-factly “I would like to add that in my case it would be better to reach for a phaser than a melee weapon. Throwing a knife as a distraction could buy time but it would also give me something to use against you” Once more he allowed another emotion to reach across the river of calm and this time it was confidence mixed with sadness. “I’ve only had a few weeks studying this crew but if you wish I can learn more about you specifically” He added. He would of course look further into her as he would others on the crew, he had a foggy reflection of who they were, he needed to spend more time to get the right feel to understand them.

CIO