I See, I See (Judy/Stryker)

[Stryker Aune]

Sven took the mug in his large, calloused and work worn hand. He gave it a quick look as he set it down on a coaster in front of him.

He didn't want to be there, and she knew it. But as she put it, the brass ordered him to talk with her. He took a breath.

"Yes. I am. Look, I'm frustrated with myself. I lost my temper and punched a console in engineering and it broke. I can't be the only person in Star Fleet to have done that. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Can I go now?" He said wringing his fingers in his lap.

[Judith Eastman]

[Judy's Office]

Judy sighed, having finally lost her tight control over her outward emotions.

"Yes, Sven, it's happened before many, many times. That's why there's a protocol, and that protocol is this session," Judy explained, still calm and collected.

"However, since we do have to be here, let's be as productive as possible. Could you tell me why you're so eager to leave?"

[Stryker Aune]

[Judy's Office]

Sven looked up at her, he felt his blood boil with irritation.

"I don't like talking to people." He said with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "Nobody really cares, and it's pointless anyway."

He turned away looking at any decorations that may have been present.

[Judith Eastman]

[Judy's Office]

The decorations around the office were numerous, including curtains on the viewport, a painting of the Manhattan skyline on the wall, a grandfather clock behind Sven, and the beaded curtain. There was plenty to scare us.

There was also Judy, taking notes, and noting that there was some socialization issue in play here.
"Many people care. I care," she objected to his statement. "What led you to believe that no one cares?"

[Stryker Aune]

[Judy's Office]

Sven scoffed, his voice noted a hint of sarcasm, and his demeanor shifted. He folded his thick arm, and sat back Into the couch.

"Cut the crap," he said, "You don't care. You don't even know me. You care in name only because it's your job.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at the paining of the NYC skyline. "People who care dont..."

He let the sentence hang.

[Judith Eastman]

[Judy's Office]

Judy buried her head in her palm in frustration. This session, perhaps even more than Fells, warranted some booze.

"Come, now, Sven, I absolutely do care," she asserted. "This is my job because I care about people and their well-being."

She clasped her hands together, rested them on the coffee table, and looked calmly at the massive man in front of her.
"Even if I don't care, this doesn't end unless you talk. Neither one of us has a choice."
Carrots hadn't worked for Judy so far. Perhaps this stick would.

[Stryker Aune]

[Judy's Office]

Sven was feeling obstenant, cornered, and trapped. He wanted out of that small room, filled with the sickly sweet stench of cookies, the pretence of a nice tea chat with an motherly figure. That was the last person he wanted to talk to. He set his jaw.

"Fine. Let's talk. I already told you why I feel apprehensive, and why people don't care."

He was trying to dodge the real issue with smoke and mirrors. Address only the surface. The symptoms and not the root cause.

[Judith Eastman]

[Judy's Office]

Judy had to admit, this was one of her tougher patients. So far, even Raiden was fairly quick to accept that the sessions were necessary, and so that fight didn't need to be had so far.
She made a note to return to this subject later, once she'd gotten him to crack open. For now, she'd take the conversation somewhere else.

"Can we talk for just a moment about the incident in question?" Judy asked. "What led you to lose your temper?"

[Stryker Aune]

[Judy's Office]

Sven sat deep in the couch, arms still folded. His vast chest swelled as he took a steadying breath and adoped a more quiet tone.

"Crewman Vandella and I were working on changing out a relay. I was under the console when he came in to ask me a question. I rose and cracked my head against the rim, and it hurt. I just kinda lost it and punched the console, shattering it."

[Judith Eastman]

[Judy's Office]

Judy gave Sven a sympathetic look through the glasses as he spoke.

"That sounds painful. I do hope you saw a doctor about it," she commented as she looked at the man.
Judy's twin sons, at about 1.9m in height, both bumped their heads on everything from the chandelier at her parents' house to the desk in her study that they used as a hiding space when it came time to do the dishes (some people age without maturing).

Judy continued to steer the conversation forwards.
"Did you ever lose control before?"

[Stryker Aune]

[Judy's Office]

Sven bristled. Of course he had gone to sick bay to have it looked at. How insulting.

"I'm not an idiot. Of course I had it looked at." he growled.

He waited a minute. In all honesty he had lost his temper before and he spoke into his boots

"Yes. That wasn't the first time." he admitted.

[Judith Eastman]

[Judy's Office]

Judy let the first terse remark slide, and instead focused on the second. Of course it wasn't the first time - these things don't magically start happening in one's early 20s.

"If you're comfortable sharing, could you tell me about those earlier incidents?" she asked.
Having commuted in New York, Judy was no stranger to anger issues. She only hoped Sven would let her help him solve his, so as to keep him from ending up like the entire state of New Jersey.

[Stryker Aune]

[Judy's Office]

The counsoler asked if he was comfortable sharing with her any other incidents where he lost his temper.

"No." he said. "Those incidents are not relavent to this time. He wasn't going to share if he didn't have to. He knew how to survive audits, and if he could get the counselor to ask him questions, he would only have to answer those questions specifically, and not extrapolate upon his respose. Never give the auditor more than they ask for. And that was the game he was going to play.

[Judith Eastman]

[Judy's Office]

Judy sighed loudly. This beating around the bush was going to have to stop.

"Sven, I'm going to be blunt, so you'll have to forgive me for that," she prefaced her words. "You're trying to shake me off, instead of letting me help you deal with the issue you clearly have. This story ends with me being pissed off, but it ends with you going to a six-week anger management course on Mars."

Judy stared down the large man, projecting power and confidence far beyond her wrinkles.
"If you don't want that, we can cooperate."

[Stryker Aune]

[Judy's Office]

Sven avoided making direct eye contact with the counselor. The idea of having a longer anger management session was not appealing and he resented the situation he was in.

"Fine. There have been a couple times that I recall loosing my temper. Once I bent a durasteel retaining rod, another I put my fist through a wall. But I've never hurt anyone, even though I wanted to."