Habeas Corpus - Evaluation
Posted on Sun Nov 1, 2015 @ 3:32pm by Captain Isha t'Vaurek & Lieutenant JG Noelle Bennett M.D.
1,200 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
ON
Sitting across from Isha once more, Noelle wasn't any more confident she would know where this meeting was going than she was for the first. Certainly, she expected the Captain to be more lucid now that some time passed and the worst of the shock had likely worn off, but realistically, Bennett knew that didn't mean the grieving mother would be any less distressed.
Still, it fell to her to determine the Captain's psychological state now and at the time of what was euphemistically being called the "incident." Although Noelle had less of an emotional connection to Isha than the rest of the crew simply because she hadn't been aboard Deep Space Five long, not even Bennett like to think someone she served under was a cold-blooded murderer, and yet, the facts may certainly bear that out, particularly if she couldn't come up with any scientifically substantiated psychological impairment to dispute the idea. Noelle was experienced enough to know how to push such pressure out of her mind, but that didn't mean she wasn't aware of it.
If she wasn't, certainly the presence of security guards outside the Captain's quarters reminded her.
"Before we begin Captain, I need to remind you that although you and I are meeting in my office privately, this is not a typical psychological evaluation or counseling session. More specifically, I need you to know that unlike typical evaluations or sessions in which confidentiality may only be broken in cases where your safety or the safety of others is at risk, I may be asked to release my notes to multiple people as dictated by the current investigation. In addition, I need to make you aware this session is being recorded. Do you understand? Now is also the time for me to address any specific questions or concerns related to the details I've just explained."
"Indeed," Isha replied. "I have no concerns."
That wasn't strictly true, if Isha lost her position as Commanding Officer of Deep Space Five the entire project she'd dedicated decades of her life to would fall apart. The independent colony of Cariel III closer to Federation space than Romulan, her colony populated by defectors, dissenters, re-unificationists, sympathetic Vulcans (and she assumed Empire spies) was poised to become part of the Federation. Success in her role here and proving her intents were true were paramount to that goal.
Noelle nodded and steadied herself inwardly as she opened the evaluation by asking, "What is your understanding of why you're here talking with me today?" The primary focus of any forensic psychological exam was to determine whether the examinee understood the purpose of the proceedings he or she was facing.
"My assumption is that it relates to the ongoing investigation," Isha said. Her tone was direct, not openly hostile but with a guarded note that implied Isha knew the only person in the room fully on her side was herself.
Did Noelle detect a hint of sarcasm in the Captain's words? Bennett would need to determine if that were true or if she truly was out of touch with reality on some level after the trauma she suffered. In response, Bennett nodded. "And what is your understanding of the ongoing investigation? To clarify, what, to your knowledge, is being investigated?"
"Why the episode on the promenade and the disappearance of my daughter," Isha replied, "Who knows what confusions the Fae's poison caused."
Bennett noted Isha seemed focused on the evaluation being a matter of preventative healthcare rather than an evaluation meant to be used as evidence in a legal proceeding. She wondered if the Captain simply chose to ignore such a reality or if the gravity of the situation truly eluded her. "It does have to do with the episode on the Promenade and the disappearance of your daughter," Noelle replied. "In fact, there is the possibility you may face criminal charges stemming from the episode. Will you tell me what, if anything, that happened on the Promenade could result in such charges against you?"
Noelle wasn't asking if the Captain agreed any of her actions constituted criminal acts. Bennett was simply trying to ascertain whether Isha understood her own actions and the nature of the potential criminal charges she faced.
Isha exhaled slowly, "I witnessed no criminal act other than the poisioning of my daughter; Nor did I perform a criminal act. Under the circumstances ra'khoi or kholhr in my culture is legitimate legal recourse for an attack on one's kin. It means revenge, or vengeance. Starfleet and the Federation respect such cultural nuances, even if the tradition itself is abhorrent to them."
The part that was troubling Isha was how Starfleet could balance her legitimate cultural right with her position as commander of their station.
Isha's reply certainly suggested some degree of lucidity, but her answer still didn't give Noelle confidence that Isha truly understood the nature of the charges against her. Still, was she to take the Captain's acknowledgement of the Federation's abhorrence of her behavior as clear understanding of it, even if she stubbornly refused to speak of it?
"So am I to understand you're acknowledging you remember attacking someone on the Promenade?" Bennett felt ridiculous speaking in code about the Fae and Isha's actions, but for the sake of her evaluation, she couldn't appear to be feeding Isha details of events she might be incapable of remembering or perceiving accurately.
"Counselor, I did nothing but protect my daughter, as is my right," Isha said. She tilted her head slightly, "there is only one witness who can state unequivocally what happened and that is the leader of the Fae. There are no weapons, no witnesses, no victims and no crime." She continued continuing with the line of argument she had put to the security chief.
Fighting the urge to comment the Fae likely disagreed, Noelle simply asked, "What exactly did you do to protect your daughter? What behavior did you undertake that constituted your cultural right to vengeance?" The more Noelle talked to the Captain, the more she got the impression the other woman knew exactly what to say and what not to say. That she would mention the lack of witnesses and weapons suggested she not only understood the basics of the system, but that she was capable of thinking ahead to avoid any pitfalls of her case in particular.
In truth Isha's memory was hazy on the details. "Eviess was fading, literally I could see through her. Afterwards my clothes were shredded, my skin marked from all the shards of shattered glass and fibre from the promenade. I didn't feel a thing at the time. The leader of the Fae, I forget what she said, something about not being able to cure Eviess, but could help her live if I served her. I cannot say clearly what happened."
Isha's statement appeared to contradict what she'd told Noelle immediately after the events on the Promenade. "What, if anything, do you remember about our conversation in your quarters following the events on the Promenade?"
"I - I really don't know," Isha replied.
Captain Isha t'Vaurek
Commanding Officer
&
Lieutenant JG Noelle Bennet
Chief Counselor
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