Posted by Lieutenant Laural Corynn Witley, Ph.D., M.D. (Counselor) in Away Team Psychological Evaluations: Tag Henao
With every medical clearance of the away team, Laural was notified. Serving as a medical officer herself, she could appreciate the ease with which medical clearances could be done. Not only could simple scans identify acute and impending injuries or illnesses, but people were far more likely to cooperate. After all, symptoms like physical pain or extreme fatigue could be just disruptive enough not to be easily ignored. On top of that, it was hard to justify the avoidance of a process that could take as little as 30 seconds.

Identifying psychological changes, on the other hand, could not be so easily identified or addressed. Psychic pain, if acknowledged at all, could be suppressed for years, even though it could be even more destructive over time because the sufferer could take it out on others.

All this Laural understood even as she acknowledged some would always seek to if not avoid the post away team psychological evaluation, at least delay it.

That was why Laural was persistent.

~Doctor Laural Witley, Counselor

Iphigenia entered the waiting area of the Counseling Suite, her mind full with thoughts about the mission they had just returned from. She couldn’t shake off the images of the desolate planet they had explored, nor the tension that had simmered among the crew during their time there. Despite her efforts to focus on the present, her thoughts kept drifting back to that eerie landscape, their terrifying inhabitants, and the eerie feeling it had left her with.

Iphigenia gave a nod of acknowledgment to a few officers she passed by as she made her way towards Doctor Witley’s office. The area was busy with activity, various officers attending to various tasks with focused efficiency. Iphigenia’s steps were slow as she approached Doctor Witley’s office. There was a slight hesitation before she reached out to press the chime. It was a small moment, barely noticeable to an outsider, but to her, it was a brief pause to collect her thoughts before stepping into the next phase of the post-mission routine. With the chime activated, she stood there, waiting patiently for the invitation to enter.

Captain Henao
(Commanding Officer)