Chief Counselor's Log #5 - "Nazl"
Posted on Wed Feb 22, 2017 @ 9:21am by Lieutenant JG Noelle Bennett M.D.
627 words; about a 3 minute read
As usual, there has hardly been a dull moment aboard the station. Unfortunately, I regret to report the increase in my workload isn't due to new diplomatic efforts or an influx of fresh and eager new personnel, but is in fact it due to another death aboard the station. This time, the victim was Nazl, aid to the Ferengi ambassador here on station. Unlike the previous death at the Box of Delights, which involved the regrettable but accidental death of a young boy, Nazl’s death was unquestionably the result of homicide. I know because I had the unfortunate occasion to be called out to the scene and to view the body before it was brought to medical personnel to be autopsied. Even so, if all I had been able to do was read the autopsy, it wouldn't take a forensic pathologist to understand someone who had sustained that level of violence was in fact murdered. Indeed, preliminary reports point to a killer filled with a great deal of rage.
I have been tasked to gather as much information as I can concerning Nazl’s background and psychological profile. One of the foundations of any murder investigation, especially one immaturely characterized as a "true whodunit," is to create a big picture of the victim, his personality, his values, his circle of trust, and behavior patterns. Because the Ferengi was a member of the diplomatic staff, I have very little psychological data, and in fact, very little data at all, to go on. Beyond ascertaining whether staff members posed an immediate threat to themselves or others upon their boarding, my counseling staff has very little jurisdiction over anything related to members of the diplomatic staff. I was not present when he was even vetted, having not even boarded the station at that time, and a review of the records revealed very little beyond a cursory history and a matter of fact statement in which Nazl was said to have posed no threat to himself or others.
Of course, myself and several members of the station crew now know differently. I have made no secret of my feelings concerning the now deceased Ferengi's treatment of a civilian minor aboard the station, and while my objections to the lack of legal consequences for such behavior are now moot, I still stand by my principles, as future audiences to this log will be able to attest. Logically, I know there is a high potential of other sexual assault victims on and outside the station. It doesn't take someone with expertise in psychology or criminology to know such behavior can be contained in a single incident, and it would be foolish of myself and/or the security staff not to consider this behavior as a possible motive for murder. Certainly, the number of wounds on the Ferengi's body support the level of rage that would be associated with such a violation. Unfortunately, this line of investigation also means people I care about four have to be questioned about their whereabouts. I understand and will press forward with what duty requires, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.
I also will admit to having a certain degree of mixed feelings about Nazl’s death. As a healer, I value all lives and I mourn the loss of any single life. As a therapist, and someone often called out to offer crisis support to crime victims and their loved ones, I understand intellectually no one has the right to be murdered, no matter how they lived their lives. It is these thoughts that will compel me to move forward. Yet… If we do discover the killer is someone Nazl victimized, I can't say I will be screaming for his or her incarceration.
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