In the Interests of the Child, Part 2 (Conclusion)

Posted on Mon Jul 17, 2017 @ 6:24pm by Civilian Aleczandra Naqiis-Ryan & Captain Maritza Soran

1,621 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Rumours
Location: Counselling Suite
Timeline: MD04 1530

Her reaction told Shisharal what she needed to know. Further intervention would have significant negative impact on the girl. The Betazoid gave her a small smile of reassurance. "No one wants to punish you. This matter is complicated in a way I wouldn't wish on anyone, and there are no right or wrong answers. My only concern is your well being. To make sure that whatever happens, you are taken care of, and what steps are taken, and how it will affect, you will be fully supported."

“My father takes care of me,” Aleczandra said quietly. “He always has.” She looked away, their dark secret still brooding in her mind. “Besides, Nazl is a frozen corpse in the morgue right now. Someone saw that justice was done.” She gave a fleeting smile, and Juheni chuckled inside her mind.

Again, the Betazoid frowned slightly, as if hearing something in a another room. "I'm not going to lie to you, Aleczandra. Your father's actions have put him in a lot of trouble. And it did raise questions over your relationship, but I don't have concerns at this stage." Expressing relief at the perpetrators murder was understandable too. Though that the perpetrator was dead would only bring more trouble. "But if Nazl is dead, then that's only going to lead to more trouble for your father. How you and he get through this will be up to you both, but I want you to know that if there are any issues, any at all, you can call me. My sole interest is your well being."

Aleczandra nodded. “I will,” she said. “What...kind of trouble is dad in?” she asked. “He’s doing his job, investigating the murder. I mean, it isn’t like he did it.”

"I'm told it’s conflict of interest, bordering on obstruction of justice. He's personally involved in both what happened to you, and then, by implication, subsequently to Nazl. From what I've been told, he should have recused himself completely. After that, you'd have to ask him, or someone more senior."

“Well, no one has asked him to recuse himself,” Aleczandra huffed, crossing her arms again. “My father is a professional. He’ll do his job.”

The Betazoid made some more notes. "I'm not here to debate with you, Aleczandra. I'm just telling you what I've been told. I'm sure he will do. But questions have been raised about whether he can do his job. And one of those questions is whether or not his actions have been deleterious to you. Now, at this point in time, I believe that separating you would not be in your best interests. But if you ever decide that it is..." Unlikely, Shisharal thought, given what she was suspecting. "You can call me. I'm only interested in your well-being. Not the rights and wrongs of what happened. Not what your father should or should have done. Just you. I'm on your side."

Aleczandra shuffled her feet. “Okay, fine,” she said. “I’m fine. I mean, you think sticking me with some strangers would be better than my own father?” She shook her head. “Thanks, I guess. I don’t know why whoever called you did. I wouldn’t mind knowing who so I can tell them to mind their own business.”

"I can't tell you that," the Betazoid replied. "But I wouldn't be here if people didn't have legitimate concerns about your welfare. You might not like hearing it, but some of the things your father has done are not consistent with behaviour expected of a normal parent. When that happens, it's always wise to check in, see if anyone wants or needs help."

“It’s not like we’re a normal family,” Aleczandra said with a bit of a teenage tone. “You know I’ve never had a real home? Until Leto, that is. Then I finally have an actual house, and go to school and have friends my age. And then two years later we leave again and I end up here.” She looked away in disgust that this stranger was getting her to talk. It was like those first sessions with Dr. Bennett again.

Shisharal smiled with sympathy. It was a common complaint from the children of Starfleet members serving on more active assignments. "And you don't have those things here?"

Aleczandra shrugged. “Not really,” she told Shisharal. “I mean, I figure why go through that again? Hell, a lot of the Human kids at school are listening to the Humans First nonsense going around. Bunch of asshats. And the boys just want to know if the spots go all the way down.” Aleczandra sighed. “And I kind of got a reputation after the whole Ferengi thing… Doesn’t seem to matter I did it to save their damn lives.”

Well, that was understandable. Children that age could be surprisingly narrow-minded, despite their upbringings. "Are you happy in school? Would you prefer private tuition?"

Aleczandra shrugged. “Been tutored privately most of my schooling, until Leto, and now here. All it did was leave me ahead of my class when I finally got thrown to the sharks. You can imagine how happy everyone was when I ruined their grading curve,” she said sarcastically. “If boys aren’t asking me for ‘favors’, they want me to do their homework.”

Shisharal crossed her legs, adjusting her position in the chair. "Do you know what you want to do with your life, Aleczandra? Have you any plans, or are you still making your mind up." Some teenagers had it all plotted out. Some people were in their fifties before they figured it out. Some never did.

Aleczandra shrugged. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I guess I always figured I’d end up in Starfleet like my parents. It’s all I’ve ever known,” she said, taking a seat herself. God, why was she even still talking to this lady?

"But it's not all you've ever wanted." It wasn't a question. The counsellor knew the sort of youngsters who wanted to be in Starfleet, whether it was something their parents did or not. None of them ever talked of Starfleet with a shrug.

“I don’t know what I want,” Aleczandra admitted. “I mean, life has been kind of...crazy the last couple years.” If only she knew… Zandra thought to herself. Kinony chuckled in her head. “I have a couple years to figure it out, right?”

"At least a century," the Betazoid smiled, "based on what I know about Humans, and I know at least one Trill who has made it to his 120s, so I'm pretty sure you've got plenty of time."

Aleczandra smirked. “Unless someone blows up the station, or blows my shuttle out of the sky,” she said fatalistically. “Been through that once already, thank you very much. I mean, what’s the point of making plans if God is just going to laugh at you?”

Shisharal paused at the mention of a deity. Humans as a whole had become atheists, or at least agnostic, in their rise to enlightened society, preferring humanism and other non-deistic beliefs to fill their spiritual needs. And Betazoid religion was considered a variety of ancient superstitions and mythologies that made for good ritual and holidays, but there was nothing like belief in it. "That's a question for philosophers. I have no answers there. But I understand the Klingons took a very aggressive policy to that sort of interference. Maybe you would prefer a similar policy." Klingon legends said the Klingons killed their own gods. Aleczandra seemed like a girl who would respond well to a life philosophy that could be summed up in the crudest possible way: Fuck you, universe, I'm doing it anyway.

Aleczandra gave a wry smile. “Unfortunately we tried that,” she quipped. “It didn’t stick.” But she sighed, understanding the point. “I’ve always been good at math and science, like my mom,” she admitted. “But is that what I want to be? My mom?” She unconsciously put her hand over her stomach. “I love her, and she is great, but...is that me?” She shook her head, completely missing the fact she had spoken of her very dead mother in the present tense.

"The only person that's you, is you." It was trite, but true. "Science is a huge field, enormous. You can do a hundred different things and not one of them will be your mother's science. Or you can go and write rock opera on a beach on Risa. You don't have to be in a rush."

Aleczandra shuddered slightly. “Never going back to Risa,” she admitted. “And Steampunk Zombies is more my style of music,” she said with a smirk. “But I got your point. I guess I’m still...trying to figure out who I am.” She looked away a bit guiltily.

"That's normal. And some of the most interesting forty-year-olds I know are still working on it too. Don't be in a rush. The most important thing right now is that you have the support you need, and there's nothing more sinister in your life than standardized tests. I can help with the last two. Whenever you need it." She closed down her padd and put it in her bag. "The rest is up to you."

“Thank you,” Zandra said, surprising herself by actually meaning it. While she couldn’t really afford to let some stranger in on the truth about herself, it was nice that someone cared.

"You're welcome." Shisharal stood and held her hand out to Zandra. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Aleczandra."

::OFF::

Shisharal Rann
Children's Counsellor

Aleczandra Ryan
Civilian
NPC Caleb Ryan

 

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