"Evaluation, Part 1"

Posted on Mon Feb 29, 2016 @ 7:04am by Lieutenant JG Noelle Bennett M.D. & Civilian Aleczandra Naqiis-Ryan

2,568 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Infirmary
Timeline: MD 3/1930

Aleczandra sighed as she sat on the bed in the busy infirmary. Standard protocol dictated that the hostages receive a medical checkup. Of course, none of the children even knew they had been hostages of the Ferengi. Zandra wasn’t sure she believed that story. Had her dad overreacted?

Someone had given Aleczandra a pair of standard issue sweats, so she sat on one of the bio beds awaiting her turn to be told she was just fine and could go home. She pushed her rainbow hair out of her face and lay back on the bed, staring up at the antiseptic ceiling lights above her bed.

Noelle Bennett moved through the fairly crowded infirmary in search of one particular patient. She used the time to calm herself, as no one, especially the children, needed to be agitated any more than they were. Still, she couldn't believe it. Was there really no other choice but to handle a hostage situation involving children with guns blazing? Had they even tried negotiation? Bennett knew she couldn't be everywhere at one time, and she wasn't such a micromanager that she believed every psychological problem required her specific intervention, but no one had even bothered to see if she could help provide a more peaceful solution to this whole situation, and now it fell to her to make sure none of the children were irreparably traumatized.

Her eyes scanned the infirmary, her anxiety spiking in anticipation of meeting one particular patient. Noelle and the young girl's father had previously served together, and under the circumstances, she felt personally obligated to make sure the young girl was okay. In short order, she noticed the familiar rainbow hair and approached the bio bed as quickly as she dared, not wanting to add any more anxiety to the situation. "Zandy? I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Noelle Bennett. Your father and I worked together, and you and I talked on occasion. I'm stationed here now, and if it's okay with you, like to check you out, make sure you're okay."

Aleczandra looked over as the familiar voice spoke over the low murmur of the infirmary, her blue eyes widening in surprise as she saw the counselor from Leto Colony. “Dr. Bennett?” she said with surprise. “And it’s Zandra,” she reminded, pushing back her rainbow hair behind an ear. “I’m fine,” the teen said with a shrug. “I wasn’t hurt, though I’m pissed as hell!” she said, scowling. “And they won’t let me go home so I can yell at my dad over this.”

"Sorry...Zandra," Noelle corrected herself, even as she snuck a quick peek at the monitors above the teen's biobed. Besides evidence of the anger and stress the young girl spoke of, there weren't any immediate signs of illness or injury. Noelle smiled wryly. "That's the Zandra I remember. We just want to check everyone out in light of what happened. Mind if I give you a proper once over?"

Aleczandra shrugged. “I…guess,” she said. She paused and looked at Noelle carefully. “You haven’t told anyone, have you?” she whispered quietly. “I need to get out of here before someone really examines me.” She put her hand over her stomach.

In truth, Noelle hadn't been thinking of the symbiont when she'd arrived in such a hurry, but she should have considered it. Only a handful of people knew Zandra carried the symbiont formerly hosted by her deceased mother, Noelle included. Frankly, Bennett was just concerned for Zandra as a child held hostage by the Ferengi.

Bennett took out her tricorder even as she shook her head. "I've told no one," she offered softly, "and I won't. I'm just glad I got to you before anyone else."

“Yeah,” Aleczandra sighed. “I’m fine, really. We were in more danger from those damn Security commandos,” she said with a scowl. “What was my father thinking?” She watched Dr. Bennett run the tricorder. “Remember to delete those scans,” she warned nervously.

"I will," Noelle promised. Scans confirmed Zandra was telling the truth. Other than elevated signs of stress, she and the symbiont appeared to be unharmed. She deleted the scans before snapping the tricorder shut. "I don't know what anyone was thinking, but I intend to find out," Bennett replied firmly. "How were the other children treated while you were with the Ferengi?"

“Treated?” Aleczandra asked. “Really well. We had all our favorite food, played games, watched holos. Why did they think we were hostages?” she asked, shaking her head in disbelief, pushing her rainbow hair back. “The only danger we were ever in was when men with fucking phasers ran into the room!”

"The Ferengi weren't willing to return all of you unless certain demands were met," Noelle explained patiently. "How station personnel chose to respond will be addressed, but under the circumstances, you were hostages in the eyes of Starfleet."

Aleczandra blinked. “Hostages? Like hell!” She shook her head. “Look, I don’t know what was going on this end, but we were hardly hostages. It’s not like we were under armed guard or anything. These are Ferengi we’re talking about. Of course there are demands!”

Aleczandra blushed, looking away, remembering the ‘contract’ she had agreed to in order to get her classmates onto the Ferengi ship and to safety.

The blush didn't escape Noelle's notice. She didn't like the vibe she was getting, but she was mindful not to overreact lest the girl shut down completely. "I take it you know something about their demands?" Bennett settled on casually.

Aleczandra shook her head. “We made a contract,” she said. “I don’t know about any other demands regarding our release. The contract was fulfilled. I know…” She paused. It wasn’t really her that knew. “Ferengi often require compensation for good deeds. After all, ‘There are no good deeds, only profitable ones.’ Even their fire departments used to often charge people to save their burning house. Doctors and police, too. This situation wouldn’t have been any different.”

Bennett frowned. "What could you have offered the Ferengi they'd be interested in? Are you saying you have a secret stash of latinum somewhere?" Noelle's gut was telling her something wasn't right, but her brain told her not to overreact. Zandra needed to keep talking and for that, she had to trust Noelle.

Aleczandra took a breath. “I…offered oo-max,” she said quietly. “I…Kinony knows how to do it,” she said, referencing one of the past lives contained in the symbiote. “I saw the assistant ambassador looking at me. He was the one I had to convince. So I offered. I had to get my classmates on that ship,” she told Noelle, begging her to understand.

Noelle took several beats and an inward breath before she could think of responding. THAT was certainly not what she expected. Seeing the young girl's desperation, Bennett knew she had to make one thing clear. "I'm not angry with you, Zandra. I know you wanted to help and were just trying to do what you needed to keep yourself and others safe. Will you tell me more about what happened? You mentioned the assistant ambassador was looking at you. What do you mean? Why did you want me to know that?" Bennett continued to tread carefully, even though her concerns were obvious. The last thing Zandra would want was to be labeled a victim, so Noelle needed to get the info she sought without labels.

Aleczandra shook her head. “I…don’t really know. It was just a…feeling I had. Maybe it was Kinony’s experience prompting me,” she said. “It just kind of…came out. I figured, what could it hurt?” she said. “And I had to get those kids off the station. It seemed a small price.”

Zandra looked away with embarrassment. “When it was happening…when I was doing it, I realized just what I’d agreed to. I hadn’t known they…that Ferengi really liked it…quite that much.” She blushed deeply. “I wanted to stop, but I didn’t know what would happen to the others if I did. And…I wanted to keep my word,” she told Noelle. “But I couldn’t. And then…something just…I don’t know…snapped.”

Aleczandra looked over at Noelle. “It was like…I was looking down at my body, watching me do it. But…it wasn’t me. I think…I think it was Kinony.”

Noelle was deeply troubled by every word Zandra offered, not because she believed the young girl had done anything wrong, but because she had clearly been taken advantage of by an adult who had preyed on her vulnerability, which literally concerned her survival. It was also clear that no part of Zandra wanted what had happened to her, and she had coped only by checking out mentally. That there was a symbiont in the mix didn't change the fact some part of Zandra was present and aware of what was happening to her, unable to make sense of it as any child would.

Again, not wanting to shut Zandra down and immediately go into protective mode, Noelle knew her immediate priority had to be helping Zandra talk about what she'd experienced and make sense of her feelings. The conversation would not end until Noelle had addressed her ethical obligations, but for now, she offered, "That must have been very confusing for you, and maybe more than a little frightening?"

“No shit?” Aleczandra said sarcastically, defensively. “Kinony sure knew what she was doing, though. Gave that little cretin the best damn ear-gasm he’s ever had, I bet,” she said, pushing back her rainbow hair. “I just…don’t know what happened. When it was over I…got control of my body back.” She shook her head in confusion. “I left and quickly scrubbed down in the shower. How could she…just do that?” the teen wondered.

"I don't know," Noelle answered honestly, "but I'd like to find out just so we know what we're dealing with." Noelle was aware she'd need to be careful about who she involved in her research since, at Ryan's insistence, the nature of Zandy's joining was not to be made public, lest they both get into trouble. "I'll need to do some research on my own to explore what's up, but in the meantime, I'm concerned about what happened to you, Zandra. You did nothing wrong, but the Ferengi who agreed to the deal knew exactly what he was agreeing to, and he used his power over you to get what he wanted. I know you aren't a little girl, but that doesn't mean he has the right to make you engage in a sexual act you didn't want. It's my job and your Dad's job to protect people from those situations. I know this isn't easy to share, but I'm wondering, besides you touching his lobes, did he touch you anywhere or make you do anything else you weren't okay with that you can recall?”

Aleczandra shook her head. “Just the oo-mox,” she said. “He was too busy basking in the afterglow to do anything else,” she said with disgust. “And you and Dad weren’t there,” she pointed out defensively. “Someone had to get my classmates onto a ship and off the station! I did what I had to!” She crossed her arms defensively over her chest.

"I know you did, Zandra. I know you didn't do anything wrong," Noelle added patiently. "What I am saying is the Ferengi was wrong to use the life threatening circumstances you and your fellow students faced to coerce you into unwanted sexual activity. From what you've shared, but for needing a safe place to go, you wouldn't have agreed to any of this. As the adult and the person with the most power, the Ferengi had an obligation not to engage in sexual activity with a minor. No one is angry with you or will think less of you for what you did, but under the circumstances, we have every right to be upset with the Ferengi. Those angry feelings have nothing to do with you or what you did. They have everything to do with him and what he did."

Bennett shook her head. "All of that aside for now, how are you feeling after all this? I know you did what you had to do under the circumstances, but beyond that, how are you feeling about what he did?"

Aleczandra frowned. “I’m fine,” she said, obviously closing up again, like a typical teenager. “And you’re wrong if people won’t think less of me,” she said. “So keep it to yourself. You’re the only one who knows my secret…” She looked around, unconsciously putting a hand to her stomach, over her illegal symbiote. “This can’t go in any report or anything. We can’t do anything about this!” she insisted. “So it doesn’t matter how I feel about it!” She wiped away angry tears.

"Your feelings will always matter, especially to me," Noelle replied gently. "Whatever else happens, I think you and I should plan to talk to each other for a while." Bennett found her maternal instincts coming to the fore. "Sweetie, it's obvious you're not fine, and I wouldn't expect you to be after being coerced into sexual activity didn't want. What that Ferengi did to you was a crime, and it would be a crime regardless of your species or circumstance. As a minor, legally, you can't consent, and as an adult, the Ferengi would know that. As far as I'm concerned, your secret really has nothing to do with the rest. He was a criminal when he encouraged you to put your hands on him in the first place. Whatever happened after that is irrelevant."

Noelle paused then, trying to get her thoughts together. She was professionally and ethically obligated to report crimes against children, but that meant reporting this to Zandra's father, someone Zandra didn't want to know, and someone Noelle would consider a secondary victim. She wouldn't expect him to think clearly or objectively about his professional obligations once he learned the truth, but it wasn't like Noelle could go to another security officer and risk exposing the truth about Zandra's symbiont.

The counselor knew she had to be honest with the teenager. "Zandra, remember when we talked on Leto before and I said there were times when a therapist or a doctor is obligated to report what's said during therapy or treatment? One of those circumstances is when a minor discloses any sort of abuse. I'm obligated to protect people, including people your age from being harmed. If I were to ignore what you reported, I'd be letting the Ferengi potentially get away with hurting someone else. Now, I know you don't want anyone to know about this, especially your Dad, but this isn't something you can keep from him forever, and under the circumstances, he's the only person we can talk to right now, given your other secret circumstance. I would be there with you the whole time, Zandra, I promise, and we could tell him together, but we can't keep this from him."

TBD...

***

Lieutenant (JG) Noelle Bennett, M.D.
Chief Counselor

Aleczandra Naqiss-Ryan

 

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