Round 1 (Round 1) Lt Diego Herrera & Lt Ashley Yael - To Ask of You- pt1

[Toni]

((Medical Bay, Private Room - Embassy))

Yael: Until tomorrow. ::nodding, but not leaving his seat even as they prepared their departures.::

::T'Vei stood, but let the Captain leave first, standing next to the table. After the Captain left, she turned towards Yael and spoke quietly.::

T'Vei: I just wanted to speak to you in confidentiality for a moment.

Yael: ::purple eyes shifting up to her:: Was there something else?

:: This was said with an air of doom, though of course he wasn't harsh with T'Vei at all personally. ::

T'Vei: I don't have any specific concerns. I simply wanted to advise you against speaking to anybody outside of a legal confidence about these matters, at least for now. I'm not entirely convinced that you're free from prosecution, and that means anybody, even a friend, could be compelled to testify on something that you say, perhaps offhandedly, and could harm you.

Yael: Captain Turner. ::he glanced downward again:: I trust her, Ensign.

T'Vei: I understand. It's not a matter of trust, but a system that can be used to hurt you.

:: And with his imagination running hot on the ill possibilities, he could imagine that happening rather swiftly. ::

Yael: That is true... ::he nodded lightly, looking back up at her.:: You're probably right. I'll be cautious who I speak to.

T'Vei: ::nodding an understanding:: Finally, I want you to know you can contact me at anytime and I'll advise as best I can. Of course, choosing whether or not to help in the prosecution's case is a personal decision: the law forces you to do nothing, but your own ethical code may force you to act. ::she looked up as she said that:: If you'd like help with that, any confidence you have with Lieutenant Herrera *is* protected by law, as I'm sure you're aware.

:: It took a moment to process that. Word certainly got around fast, didn't it. ::

Yael: I understand. Thank you for reminding me.

T'Vei: Of course, Lieutenant. If anyone else comes up, do not hesitate to contact me.

::T'Vei gave a curt nod and turned to leave Lieutenant Yael to his thoughts. She could sense the turmoil inside of him, but knew she was of little use in helping with that.::

:: His legal counsel, Ensign T'Vei, and Captain Turner having left him alone in the private medical room, Ashley began to consider his decision. He found himself sitting exactly where he had been sitting when they had been there, unable to move, his thoughts chaotic. It was some time before he stood, going to the door. The guard outside his door glanced his way, but he didn't meet that gaze as he cued the door... shutting the room off from the corridor, and hopefully any more visiters he might have. ::

:: The night was a long one. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Staring at nothing. Thinking, Considering. In one moment, he would be certain he'd come to the right answer. In the next, he would be plagued with doubt. Within a third moment, his decision was firmly made, the opposite as the one he'd made two moments before, only to be plagued with further doubts. His confidence eaten away, he slept fitfully. ::

:: By morning... early morning, when he found himself unable to sleep at all, the suns barely peeking over the horizon... he rose only to pace, his door shut to the world outside. His stomach turned more than once as he lost time, failing to make a choice. ::

:: The suns slipped further upward. ::

:: By seven in the morning he had been awake for hours already. He'd promised an answer in short time for Ensign T'Vei and Captain Turner, and he had nothing but a short fuse from a lack of sleep. ::

:: Standing by the bio-bed, he wrestled with another decision altogether before tapping his comm. badge. ::

Yael: =/\= Lt. Yael to Lt. Herrera. Lieutenant... I hope I didn't wake you. =/\=

::Diego was anything but a morning person. Rolling over under bundled sheets, he flailed out one arm to slap the comm-badge that had been placed on his bedside table for just such a call. He blinked his eyes half open, and instantly regretted it as the light from the twin suns dazzled his eyes before they could complete their journey to full functionality.::

Herrera: =/\= There's a small chance that you did, but it's fine. I needed to get up anyway. =/\= ::He heaved himself up into a seated position:: =/\= What can I do for you? =/\=

:: The man was going to make him ask, wasn't he. ::

Yael: =/\= I was thinking we might be able to... talk. =/\=

:: Those few loaded words should have been indication enough something was wrong. ::

::The tone of Ashley's voice alone was enough to send Diego a little faster down the path to being fully awake. The day before, he'd had moments where it looked like he was trying to stop himself from being hostile, and now he was asking to talk to a counsellor?::

Herrera: =/\= Of course. Give me a few minutes. I'll be over as quickly as I can. =/\=

::Reaching for his uniform undershirt as he kicked his legs over the side of the bed, the spaniard hurried to get suited and booted to find out how he could help.::

::Ashley waited, though rarely staying in one place for more than a few minutes. He found himself near the window, arms crossed over his ribs, stomach about to turn for the third time of the morning. He had no idea what to do. Every forward thinking, rational part of him screamed it would be worth every risk, but every defensive instinct in him clawed him back behind the decisive line he'd been straddling through the night. The tug of war had left him bitter and brittle. ::

:: The sound of the door, even though he'd expected it, was a bit of a surprise. He turned toward it, eyes flashing... his mask was gone. The perpetual smile, gone. Conflict glazed his expression, before he turned away and looked back out the window. ::

Yael: Lieutenant Herrera. ::correcting himself, but not looking at the man:: Diego.

::There were times in Diego's career where he didn't need to draw on his counselling expertise to judge what was happening in the mind of one of his patients. It was plain that something was eating at Ashley, and given the number of unpleasant things that could be, it was important to do whatever he could to try to put him at ease as quickly as possible.::

Herrera: Ashley. What's up? What's on your mind?

Yael: I am... having difficulty coming to a decision. Something rather important.

::Diego took up his spot against the wall near the door again, hands in pockets.::

Herrera: Maybe I can help? What do you need to decide?

Yael: The Captain and my legal counsel are expecting to hear from me soon, and I have nothing to tell them.

::Legal counsel? Of course. He should have figured that something would have been set into motion. Had that not been his own first reaction when he'd heard what had happened?::

Herrera: You're going to need to help me here, Ashley. What do they want to know?

:: Finally turning away from the window and facing Diego, he almost regretted calling the man. Now he was forced to verbalize the issue that had kept him awake the entire night, and he still wasn't happy about being counseled in the first place. He was the Master of Internal Conflict. ::

Yael: The Laudean who... attacked me. He's currently in a Laudean jail. The prosecuter working the case against him has sent word that he will likely be released... unless we release to him enough information to solidify the worst of the charges and lead to an actual trial. We are not required to release anything... but if we don't...

Herrera: ...then he walks free.

Yael: His release is not something I find... comforting. To say nothing of the damage he will continue to do to others if he is free. But... if we do release the information, it will be freely shared with the defense as well. Meaning we can look forward to a very... public... court battle. One which will likely require my direct testimony, as well as that of my doctor, and possibly other crew members as well.

::So in effect, Ashley Yael was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. He could either bare the details of what had happened to him for all of Duronis II to see, and relive what had happened to him in an extremely public environment, or take the chance to recover privately, in which case it seemed to be a guarantee that he'd be living in fear of a repeat attack for a long time to come. The hands came out of the pockets and he folded his arms.::

Herrera: I can see why you're having difficulty making up your mind. Legal systems can be good at dishing out punishments to those who deserve it, but they don't always consider what damage they do along the way.

::That didn't go any way towards helping him answer his question, and so he offered the best advice he could.::

Herrera: In the long term, it might be more difficult for you to come to terms with everything if this guy is free. I think that's how we need to think. I don't need to tell you that having to testify or even witness his trial is going to be difficult for you, but I do want you to know that, however you might feel at the moment, I'm here to make sure you're alright. I can support you through anything you need to do, any statements you need to give and the difficult times that you're facing, and I'm pretty sure I can insist on being present for any part of the proceedings that you're involved in on medical grounds. You wouldn't have to do this alone.

::Diego had no idea how much that would count for in Ashley's mind. He was a stranger, and despite having been called here to discuss this issue, it was still too early to tell how comfortable Ashley was going to be with having him around.::

Yael: That's... very kind of you. ::a bit unsure how to accept the support from a near total stranger:: I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask what you think might be the best course?

Herrera: I can't make the decision for you, but my gut says that you're going to need some form of closure on this. The fact that you went through what you did was bad enough, without you having to live with it hanging over your head if the guy who did it goes free. He took something away from you. Maybe this is your chance to stand up to him?

::It wasn't as simple as settling a score, but invariably in such cases there was a layer of anger sitting somewhere in the complicated mess of resultant emotions. That could lead down all sorts of dark paths, but channelling it into pursuing a just sentence for his aggressor was a very positive and structured way of releasing it.::

:: Ashley thought on this a moment, Diego's last words resonating with him. He recalled those words in his own voice in a different time... before he had left his home on Denobula that final time. The easy dismissal from his father, and the silence, the utter lack of communication once Ashley was out of sight. Clearly out of mind. ::

Yael: You've reminded me of a moment I had with my father, actually...

:: Though in a completely different context, it had been a harsh time for him. His lack of regret, and being reminded of it now... was it enough to make the decision? ::

Herrera: I have? ::He hadn't expected this to call up memories from Yael's past, but he was happy to see where this path took them.:: What happened?

Yael: He was displeased with my lack of contribution to the family. We had words, and haven't spoken since... thats been ten years. But I haven't regretted taking that last moment to speak my peace, however unpleasant it was to do at the time.

:: It was probably the most productive thought he'd had all night, recalling the moment he'd finally stood up to the man. It was literally with bag in hand and heading out the door from his childhood home. But he was speaking now out of distraction. If he had slept well and not been facing a huge decision, he would have never brought up his father. Never. Perhaps sleep deprivation was Diego's friend in this regard. ::

Herrera: And he hasn't contacted you since? Can he really be that bent out of shape after all this time?

::He was feigning ignorance. This undoubtedly had something to do with Ashley's Theoron's disease, which would be passed down through generations. Ironically, Theoron's had to come from somewhere, and it wasn't entirely impossible that it was his father's fault that Ashley had that particular affliction.::

Yael: Denobulan families are massive compared to Terrans. I can't chance having children. Their children being a genetic dead end is not something any Denobulan parent desires.

Herrera: Maybe not, but having grandchildren isn't the most important thing about family, not even for Denobulans. It's the bonds between family members that really matters. Without that, you're not a family.

Yael: ::as if he knew that quite well:: That is true.

Herrera: So what did you say to him?

TBC...

Lieutenant Diego Herrera

Counsellor

Federation Embassy Duronis II

USS Thunder NCC-70605

&

Lt Ashley Deneve Yael

Head Counselor

Embassy Duronis II

USS Thunder NCC - 70605

Edited December 16, 2011 by Toni