The Diagnosis
Posted on Fri Jan 17th, 2025 @ 4:44pm by Captain Marc Kidd & Lieutenant Maya Canak & Lieutenant Commander Viessa Kenobi
Edited on on Fri Jan 17th, 2025 @ 10:50pm
1,643 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Episode 2 - The Sins of History
Location: Captain's Ready Room - Deck 3 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD011 1130 hrs
With the medical analysis in hand, Maya and Viessa went to report to the captain, who was, fortunately, in his ready room. While they were pleased to have done a thorough examination, the results were likely to raise more questions than they answered.
Maya paused briefly at the door and then rang the chime.
Marc sighed heavily he had no idea how anyone did this job. It was more paperwork on top of paperwork. He had not read so many reports and he commanded a starship. This was indeed a task that he did not want to do but had to be done. This was why he was so glad when the door chime went off. "Come in please." His voice showed a little too much excitement at the welcome distraction from this damned case.
Maya led the way to the captain's desk. "We finished the diagnosis of Gul Vamcet. For the most part, he's in good health. However, we discovered a non-cancerous glioma in his prefrontal cortex. It's a type of tumor growing in the part of his brain that affects his behavior, which is why he surrendered. If left untreated, it will prove fatal."
This was a lot of information to process in a quick fashion. Marc sat in silence for a moment as he thought about what this could mean. "Are we sure this is why he turned himself in? During the interrogation he stated he is only here to make sure that our diplomatic ties with Cardassia are not severed. If I am honest I believe him. I mean after the incident on the station Cardassia could have most if not all of our hides."
"I'm not certain as I haven't spoken to him," the CMO admitted. "But people who have incurred injuries to that part of the brain have been known to have experienced drastic changes in personality. I know he's your prisoner, but that mass must be removed if the patient is to have any hope of survival."
Maya turned to Viessa. "Do you wish to add your opinion?"
"The tumour affects the primal nexus within the Cardassian brain. We know less about Cardassian biology than we would like to admit but their brains are very impressive. They process information at a much higher rate than Humans, they are more perceptive, more 'cunning'." Viessa said as a replacement for smarter, not wanting to offend the other two in the room.
"The primal nexus controls the blueprint of Cardassian physiology, it's the oldest part of the Cardassian brain. It stores all information necessary to allow the body and mind to heal from trauma and injury, however, it also houses an individual's deepest fears and anxieties. Given the proximity of the tumour to this area I can say with certainty that his mental state has been altered. If this tumour grows it will affect more of his physical functions and eventually kill him. It has to be removed." Viessa concurred with her fellow doctor.
Marc ran his hand through his hair. "So, if I am understanding you both correctly, he is non compos mentis. Not in his normal state of mind and cannot stand trial. That is unless we remove the tumor and restore him to "normal." Which I assume would make him no longer cooperative. Does the Gul know if his condition? How much time does he have left if the surgery does not happen?" Marc had to strategize, unfortunately for everyone he was a Starship Captain and not a lawyer, so he did not have the knowledge for legal strategy.
"He is not in his normal state of mind, no. Whether that makes him unfit to stand trial would be up to the JAG, would it not?" Maya asked. "As to how long he has to live, I would say less than a year, but that would depend on the growth rate of the glioma. We cannot say for certain if there will be any permanent damage to the prefrontal cortex. Nor do we know how the primal nexus will be affected. Although that is more a question for Viessa."
"At the moment Gul Vamcet wouldn't have noticed a change in his behaviour. Given that he is unaware of his condition he would just feel that he is going about his daily life as if he always had. Maybe with unexplained headaches." Viessa continued on from Maya's response. "His mental state would need to be assessed by Lieutenant O'Rourke, or another counsellor. Biologically speaking, he needs that growth removed to survive beyond the year Maya has stated. The damage, scans can only tell so much and I prefer seeing it by eye to know how much damage it has caused. I feel removing it may cause minor damage but Cardassian brains are resilient and efficient organs. It would heal fairly quickly provided we don't remove too much, or anything important."
Maya felt like she and Viessa were tagging each other. "However, while he is not cognizant of his condition, he will need to be made aware of it and what is associated with operating or doing nothing. We will also need his approval as there are risks involved with both." She took an oath to save lives, but she didn't like the idea of saving someone's life just so they could spend the rest of it in a penal colony. At the same time, she couldn't do nothing and let him die simply because of what he'd done before the tumor.
"I can be pretty persuasive when holding a glass of kanar in my hand." Viessa smiled softly.
"Alright, it seems that we have two rather large factors at play here. First is the duty you have as doctors to cure what ails him etc.. The second is the legal matter. The good news there is that I have received word that we are getting a replacement JAG officer. Give me a day to bring our new JAG up to speed and confer with them. Then we will have to tell Vamcet and go from there." Marc knew he was going to have to break this news to the Bajorans as well, and that they would not like it.
Maya inclined her head in a nod of agreement. "We can wait, but if Vamcet asks about his condition, I won't lie to him." The she paused. "But we could run more tests, which will give you a little time. I still want to know how fast that tumor is growing, and how much it has metastasized."
"Definitely not lying to him." Viessa reiterated Maya's sentiment. "We can do some more digging, definitely, but the more we do the more he'll notice. Cardassian's aren't stupid, far from it. In a way I quite admire the Cardassian brain, it’s very organised..."
Marc twiddled his thumbs as he thought. Deciding what the next move was here was something he wished he did not have to do. However, here he was. "I am not asking you to lie to him. However, for the time being any digging you want to do you are going to have to do with the data you have. Cardassians are nothing if not inquisitive. If you tell him you want to do more tests, he will ask why, and you will then have to tell him. I need a few days to bring the prosecutor up to speed. If we drop the ball on this one it will be disastrous for everyone, not to mention for Federation/Bajoran relations."
Maya wasn't entirely comfortable with that. There were too many things that could happen in the next two days. "We have blood work and holographic scans. We can analyze those for now. But if he asks us about his health, we will answer." She hesitated. There was one more thing the captain needed to know. "There is a possibility that his defense team will argue that because of the tumor, he is not currently in his right mind. If we were called to testify, we would answer truthfully." She sighed. What that truth was would likely change as they learned more about the gul's condition. "All I'm saying is that, as it stands right now, this is more complicated than it was before we discovered the tumor."
"The plot always thickens and we have to roll with it. This is the reason we are here to say the very least. Of course if you are to testify you would have to tell the truth. No one is ever going to be asked to break the law." Marc ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Right then. If there is nothing else then I think we all have our work cut out for ourselves."
"Yes, sir." Maya inclined her head in a nod of acknowledgement. She was eager to get back to sickbay and leave the moral dilemma to others.
"We've taken up enough of your time captain, and we are quite busy ourselves." Viessa said with an air of authority that came with both her age and experience. "We will keep you updated should things change for better or worse." she added with a small nod.
"Thank you both. Dismissed." When the doors closed and the two doctors were gone Marc's head drooped. Today has gone from bad to worse.
A Joint Post By
Captain Marc Kidd
Commanding Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Maya Canak
Chief Medical Officer/Medical Examiner, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Commander Viessa Kenobi
Forensic Pathologist, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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