Professional Huddle
Posted on Fri Jun 12th, 2026 @ 12:38pm by Lieutenant Ezra Van Wijnbergen & Lt JG Adalyn O'Rourke Ph.D.
Edited on on Sun Jun 14th, 2026 @ 5:21am
3,040 words; about a 15 minute read
Mission:
Episode 3 - The One Who Got Away
Location: Office of The Ship's Counselor - Deck 9 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD001 2135 hrs
Since arriving aboard the Artemis, there was something about Deck 9 that felt different, as if it was not only alive but keeping secrets from those not meant to travel its corridors.
Ezra paused just short of Adalyn O'Rourke's office, the data PADD resting loosely in his left hand. The data contained within it felt heavy even if the PADD was not. He had read it twice since receiving it from Captain Kidd.
He tapped the door frame and peeked inside.
"Adalyn," he said, leaning his face inside just enough to be seen. "Do you have a moment?"
Turning from her computer terminal, Adalyn looked up to meet Ezra's gaze. She had no real idea what he wanted to speak to her about but knew he wouldn't be coming to her unscheduled if it wasn't important. She gestured for Ezra to make his way fully into her office. "For you, I have several." She quickly saved her work and stood from her chair, making her way to the more comfortable seating area within her office, stopping briefly at the replicator. "Something to drink?" she asked.
Ezra shook his head wearily. "Nothing for me right now, thanks."
He fell heavily into a plush chair with a sigh and waited for her to seat herself, twirling the data PADD between his large fingers.
Retrieving a raktajino, Adalyn was soon seated across from Ezra. She could tell whatever he had to speak to her about was not routine. “A strip of gold pressed latinum for your thoughts?”
Ezra found the corner of his mouth turned upward, the most he could muster in terms of a smile. "You'd lose money," he said quietly.
He leaned forward, his big forearms braced against his knees, the PADD laying loosely between them. For a quick moment, his size seemed to fold inward like a Terran armadillo.
"There's a family," he said, looking over at her. "They're from a colony on Dolex Three. The Lashleys." He picked up the PADD again but didn't look at it, simply twirling it in his large hands. "They're about to find out their only son is dead."
Adalyn pursed her lips, taking a moment to inhale before forcefully exhaling in a single breath. A moment later she offered, “That’s awful, I’m sorry. What happened?“
He looked down at the PADD in his hand and then back to Adalyn's striking brown eyes that seemed to shows hues of olive. "It's this Orion Syndicate business," he said with a heavy exhale. "I wasn't given much of the investigative details. Only what's needed to make an official death notification after we arrive at the starbase."
Not having all the details to offer surviving family members or surviving victims wasn’t unusual in any criminal investigation, but with the Orion syndicate involved, that only meant families had more opportunities to imagine the horror in their minds. “So what exactly do we know?“
"Not enough," he said, some frustration bubbling just beneath the words.
He thumbed at the edge of the PADD and decided to glance down at the screen.
"The child was reported missing several days ago," Ezra continued, his voice measured to the pace of someone who understood the weight of the words he was reading. "Search efforts were coordinated locally and the body was discovered in a forested area on Dolex Three. Starfleet was summoned on behalf of the local government. Initial exam of the body determined it had been there for roughly one week given the state of cellular decay. No visible sign of injury."
Ezra leaned forward and handed the PADD to Adalyn--his expression betraying just how much the report bothered him. He sat back in the chair and exhaled heavily.
"Will you be present for autopsy?"
No murder was acceptable, but hearing Ezra refer to the victim officially as a child just brought home how horrific this case was actually going to be. It was one thing to hear the broad strokes of a case and quite another to be confronted with more details, no matter how sparse. Adalyn considered the question. "I expect so, I may not be able to determine a lot for the profile from the autopsy, but it's a good place to start. I also expect I'll need to go with you when you speak to his parents to better understand who their son was in life. It may provide clues to how this awful tragedy came about."
The PADD now rested in Adalyn's hands and in some strange way, that allowed Ezra to breathe easier for the moment.
"I don't want to step on your toes, Adalyn, but I'd like you there after," he said, his voice low and steady. "When we sit down with them properly and start asking questions to build context. Absolutely."
He paused, searching for the right edge of the thought.
"But not for the death notification. It's important that we give them a space where the world can break apart without having to account for it right away." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and rubbing his face with open palms.
Ezra rolled his shoulders as though trying to free them from some invisible vice-grip that seemed permanently cinched.
“Yes, of course,“ O’Rourke replied, realizing she wasn’t clear. “I wasn’t suggesting you break the news and I immediately start asking questions. My thought was, once their world is broken apart, the last thing they are going to want is another stranger barreling in. If I’m there even as an extra supportive, but silent presence while you deliver the awful news, at least when the time is right to gather additional information, I will be a familiar face and not someone that requires them to repeat themselves. Still, if it’s that important to you, I’ll respect your desire to be there by yourself. Just promise me you’ll stop by once you’ve had time to sort yourself out. This is not the kind of thing anyone should shoulder alone.“
He blew out his cheeks and rubbed at tired eyes.
"I haven't been on board for long, Adalyn," Ezra said with a thousand light-year stare, as though he could see through the bulkhead across the room. "I didn't think I'd be--" he stopped himself and looked at her with an apologetic look--"I didn't think we'd be investigating the murder of a child. Not this soon."
Ezra exhaled a long exhale and fixed her with a knowing look. "Let me make the death notification. In some instances, trauma will cause loved ones to withdraw or want to regroup. I know you know this but it just bears repeating. If the parents seem motivated and present, you be ready to come in."
"That sounds like a solid plan," Adalyn replied with a nod. "I didn't expect this so soon either," she added with an exhale after a moment. "All criminal violence is awful, but there's something about violence against children that rattles even the most seasoned and cynical of us, Over time, all of these cases are going to take a cumulative emotional toll, which is one of the reasons why I'm so keen on working together as much as is reasonable and doesn't compromise any of our cases. When dealing with issues as heavy as the ones we face, it's good to have skillsets that aren't just one person deep. I trust you and if I offer assistance, I hope you know it's not because I wish to step on your toes or micro-manage."
He looked deep into the eyes of the brown-eyed criminal profiler and nodded. He wondered if he had been overly territorial and felt a pang of regret. She was right--they would be working together quite often and the death of a child with the potential for others meant things were going to become darker the more time wore on.
"I completely understand," Ezra said, scratching behind his left ear. "And I agree. I hope you don't think I'm one of those kids on the playground who doesn't want to share. I definitely do, it's just... I can be a little protective of my victims--and Peter Lashley's parents are equally victims in this."
“They absolutely are,” Adalyn replied with a firm nod. “I wouldn’t want you to be anything but protective of the traumatized survivors we work with, and I can assure you, it’s a trait we have in common. I know I shared with you my experience working with survivors as an advocate and therapist when we met, but I’m not sure I shared it was that work that was my first love. Profiling became an extension of understanding the experience of victimization because as you are aware, many, but not all, violent offenders, were once survivors of victimization themselves. I realize a lot of what I’m called to do requires me to be coolly analytical, whether it’s profiling, interviewing witnesses and survivors, or assessing psychological competency for expert witness testimony, I think you’ll find I’m anything but coolly analytical in life. It takes a lot of compartmentalization to juggle all the hats I wear and have worn, but I don’t want you to fear that because I am called to do one thing, I don’t understand or am ill equipped to do another. You and I are on a unique team in the broader context of the Artemis’s mission, and I hope we can continue to collaborate without making one another feel left out or stepped upon."
Ezra listened without interrupting, which for him was less habit and more discipline. He let her words come to settle in his mind and felt slightly more relaxed at the idea of being part of an exclusive team that speaks the same language.
"I don't think you're stepping on anything," he said. "And I certainly don't think you're cold, Adalyn."
His mouth twitched for a few seconds as he continued to process what she had just shared.
"The issue is really just how I've experienced working with others," Ezra went on. He paused for a moment, one finger over his lips as he considered his next words.
"My last assignment aboard the Papineau had me spending a lot of time with ex-Borg and helping them to rediscover themselves. We spent a great deal of time for the first couple of years in Romulan space--first, dealing with the displaced after the destruction of Romulus." He shifted in his chair, remembering the uncomfortable time just a few short years ago.
"Our original mission was to coordinate with the Borg Artifact Research Institute as more drones were 'awakened'. The counseling work was the easy part. The politics and shadow-games played by some of the others was almost impossible to navigate. And not just our Romulan counterparts--there were other Federation doctors and counselors who would go out of their way to prevent me from doing my job. All in the name of 'protecting' their research."
"That sounds awful," Adalyn replied. “I’d like to think people in our profession are incapable of such behavior, but given the kind of work I’ve done in my career, I know better. Still, it’s one thing to know what people are capable of in theory, and another thing to live it first hand. Stress combined with secondary trauma do not create the healthiest survival strategies, do they?” Working with formerly assimilated patients was likely challenging enough given the mixed feelings people had for them. Adalyn felt nothing but compassion toward them, but she realized for a lot of people, what assimilated people did overshadowed any feelings of compassion they might have elicited stemming from the violations they had suffered She often wondered if Jean-Luc Picard had let go of any shame and guilt he had ever carried as perhaps the most well known formerly assimilated person in the Federation.
"Definitely not secondary trauma," Ezra said in tired agreement. "Some of those researchers stopped seeing former drones as people altogether. They would say the right things publicly, of course. The three Rs of all ex-Borg: Rehabilitation, reintegration, and restoration of autonomy."
Ezra rubbed the side of his jaw with one of his broad hands, still recalling his time there. "But they'd fight tooth and nail to keep a patient from leaving because they hadn't finished gathering all of their data." His eyes drifted to space outside the viewport beyond Adalyn's left shoulder.
"I can recall one woman. Bolian. She'd been assimilated nearly twelve years," he explained, his voice lowering the more he spoke. "She used to apologize every single time she asked permission to stand up from a chair."
He met Adalyn's eyes and made note of how they seemed to change slightly with the light. Convinced her eyes were brown, they appeared more olive at the moment.
"I think after some time I became accustomed to defending people from the very same systems we put our faith in." He exhaled through his nose and leaned back in the plush chair.
"You know," he said, scratching gently at the back of his neck, "it seems that every time we talk, I'm the one who doesn't seem to stop talking. I've never asked you about your previous work beyond the broad strokes."
Ezra's description of his colleagues and their prioritization of career advancement over compassion bore an unsettling resemblance to Gul Vamcet and his criminal actions. She certainly didn't want to dwell on *that* particular comparison. Turning her attention back to his last comment, she chuckled softly. "Don't worry, I've not pegged you for a narcissist because you haven't asked me about myself," she teased.
O'Rourke shrugged and offered, "I'm afraid my career isn't nearly as exciting as yours. As you know from my records, I started as a civilian counseling director at a domestic violence and rape crisis center. My studies went beyond that, of course, especially after I joined Starfleet, but I guess you could say it was a line of work that chose me long before I chose it." O'Rourke wasn't one to hide or avoid talking about the violence she'd witnessed as a child, it just wasn't something she dwelt on. "I loved that work, truly, but longed to do more, on a larger scale. With that desire came the desire to understand the bigger picture of violent crime."
He regarded her for a long moment, not sure if his curiosity might lead him somewhere too personal for her.
"What do you do to evacuate all of the things you see and feel?"
Evacuate was an interesting but apt word choice. It was a word that could mean travelling to safety or the process of purging something toxic. "To be frank, I don't think any of us can purge this stuff entirely. Some things stay with you, and on a good day, it's easier to see that as a good thing because even the most horrific experiences teach me something or remind me of something I've forgotten. When it's just not good, rituals help, like brushing off the imaginary darkness or sometimes taking an actual sonic shower. Talking with people helps too and regular debriefs are important. This case is as good as any to arrange those, though it may be a challenge to get the team to buy in." She was specifically thinking of Layal but she knew there were likely others who were used to powering through difficult emotions. They were the heroes and heroines, after all, the ones doing the comforting, not the ones being comforted.
Ezra found himself turning her answer over in his mind again and again as she finished speaking. Rituals, debriefs, and imaginary darkness. It all made sense, of course. But he wondered if the form of evacuation he was referring to was more of a diversion. Obviously, a sonic shower or a good workout could easily shed those emotions they both endured. But what he was getting at had to do with placing that negative energy somewhere with purpose. Not just letting it fall away.
"You know," he said, stroking his upper lip absently, "I think people underestimate the importance of harmless rituals."
He suddenly had a thought.
"Adalyn, have you ever played snoekerjie?"
Adalyn shook her head, intrigued. "What's that?"
Ezra's expression brightened in a way that was rare enough to be noticed.
"It's a cue sport that descended from billiards," he explained. "The game isn't the important part. It's the atmosphere--in my own opinion. Whenever I feel like I need to turn-off my brain, it seems to help. I can focus on my next shot and just enjoy being somewhere that isn't so emotionally heavy. If you're interested, I have a program downloaded for the holodeck."
"That sounds like a fun and unique distraction I'd love to try," Adalyn replied. "Thank you. Is this something you recommend doing alone or with others?"
He smiled at her and the fatigue was evident around his eyes. "I'd say more fun with others. When this case is finished, I'll show you--if you wish."
"That's a deal," Adalyn replied enthusiastically, not just because she relished the idea of getting to the other side of this case, but because she would truly enjoy getting to know Ezra without professional pressures.
Ezra smiled as he came to his feet. "I can promise you a fun experience, Adalyn." He picked up the data PADD from the table and offered her a curt nod. "I'm going to turn-in for the night. It's been a hell of a day. Good night."
"Good night," Adalyn replied, feeling the fatigue herself. She offered Ezra a tired smile of her own as she watched him go, grateful that a burden shared was a burden lightened.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Ezra Van Wijnbergen
Victim Advocate Counselor, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Junior Grade Adalyn O'Rourke
Ship's Counselor/Profiler, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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