Chief Counselor's Duty Log #2 - Dilemma

Posted on Sun Sep 27, 2015 @ 5:45am by Lieutenant JG Noelle Bennett M.D.
Edited on Sun May 29, 2016 @ 5:33am

539 words; about a 3 minute read

I had hoped the return of the station's population to DS5 after Pangea’s sudden arrival would bring some semblance of peace and normality back to the crew as a whole, myself included. It is true we're all making our best efforts to put one foot in front of the other and do what's expected of us as members of Starfleet and Federation citizens, but shakeups within the crew have left me, and many others, feeling uncertain.

Of course, the biggest shakeup concerns the Captain. Although the vast majority of the crew were too busy fighting for their own very survival before, during, and after the events on the Promenade to really understand what the Captain had done and what had been done to her, there were enough witnesses present in person and via viewscreen to create more than enough rumblings of concern. I also can’t deny the power of the station’s rumor mill to not only amplify anxiety, but to exaggerate events entirely. Like the ancient game known as telephone, as the events get related over and over, the details change each time, becoming more mythical and over-the-top with every telling. The irony the events in question involve actual mythical creatures is up lost on me either. Hell, that fact alone might be humorous if things hadn't gotten so twisted.

I've been asked to evaluate the captain psychologically as part of the ongoing investigation into her actions. I understand why such an investigation is necessary. The captain killed a sentient being in her capacity as the commanding officer of Deep Space Five. There were witnesses. Starfleet Captains are expected to keep their composure under pressure. They are certainly expected to avoid committing crimes. If Isha's actions are symptoms of underlying psychological or emotional challenges as the result of what happened to her daughter or just simply the long-term stresses of command, I know it's important for everyone's sake to know this, especially hers.

On the other hand, I also know a person doesn't have to be mentally ill to take extreme measures. There's an argument to be made Isha shouldn't be judged as a Starfleet captain because when she killed the sentient being in question, she wasn't acting as a Starfleet captain, but as a panicked mother acting in defense of her child and the entire crew. Whatever one's viewpoint, it's difficult to make the argument she deserves to suffer more for her actions after losing her child. Psychologically speaking, there's also an argument to be made that a loss of rank, position, and freedom pales in comparison to that kind of loss.

I am prepared to render a reasonably objective assessment once I meet with the captain because despite my own understanding of all sides of the argument. I recognize as a relatively new member of the crew and as an assigned Starfleet Medical representative, I am perhaps the least biased when it concerns the Captain. The fact I can sympathize with her position doesn't automatically disqualify me to evaluate her. Any sentient being capable of emotion, I believe, would have sympathy for all concerned.

Still, such sympathy doesn't make conducting these evaluations any easier. Whatever the outcome, I'm committed to seeing the crew through.

 

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