Posted by Lieutenant Ayla Sharise (Counselor) in Psych Evaluation of Peter “Wraith” McGarvey - Counselor’s Office

Posted by Ensign Peter “Wraith” McGarvey (Security Officer) in Psych Evaluation of Peter “Wraith” McGarvey - Counselor’s Office

Posted by Lieutenant Ayla Sharise (Counselor) in Psych Evaluation of Peter “Wraith” McGarvey - Counselor’s Office
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

The threads of conversations like this one could weave themselves into very different outcomes and Ayla had asked many different versions of the question she was about to ask Peter. What his response would be would tell her a lot but at the same time she hoped it would open up more conversation with him. “What does safe mean to you? What equals harm? And I ask this as a person who worked at a medium-security prison as a rehabilitation specialist, so don’t worry about socially acceptable answers or treating this like it’s a test you have to pass. I’m not giving grades on your answers,” she said with a gently smile.

Lt. Sharise, CNS

Peter sat back in his chair and pondered her question. On one side this seemed like an easy question but he had seen so much harm done in the name of keeping people safe. He stood up and walked to the fire place. He kept himself in side profile purposefully, he didn’t want to project to the counselor that he was ending the conversation but as he looked at the flames he was able to concentrate on his past and consider the question in full.

Even if he had turned fully away from him, she wouldn’t have minded. After all, any body language told her something. But his choice registered clearly to her.

After sometime he finally spoke, “Safe means having the freedom to make their own decisions. Freedom is safety. I understand that some people will abuse that freedom and inside of that you may have another set of harms. In that we must also try and keep people safe; because those that enable freedom to be present must also make sure it is not abused. Harm, means taking that freedom away. As much as is possible sentient beings should be allowed to walk their own path. Sometimes these concepts can come into conflict obviously, like how a Klingon should be able to pursue his warrior heritage but at the same time those non-warriors around him shouldn’t be made into combatants. Everything takes balance. In the end, making sure that those who have power are not subjugating the weak only to further their own ends, in that is I think the best way for someone like me to ensure that people are kept safe from harm.”

“My parents lived to help others, and gave of themselves so that others might live. I was one of those others. I lived because they sacrificed, that sacrifice shouldn’t have needed to happen, not if others had stepped in and stopped that group of pirates from being able to gain power for themselves in that section of space, if the freedom that was present had been protected from abuse, our ship all those years ago wouldn’t have been attacked.”

-Ensign Peter “Wraith” McGarvey (Security)

Her hazel eyes, with all the depths and layers created from he many, many experiences regarded him carefully. “But it wasn’t protected, and the ship was attacked. And you’ve lived with the consequences of others’ actions all these years.” It was a simple enough statement, and she could ask him questions, but she simply gazed at him, letting her words fall in the space between them in this great and ornate room.

Lt. Sharise, CNS

“Exactly, we are told that our choices have consequences. I have learned that lesson too, first hand. But what we sometimes fail to learn is that we must face the consequences of others actions as well. The choices of evil men… someone has to stand between them and the innocent, those that didn’t have a say in that choice. I’ve had people tell me that there is no such thing as an innocent person, and honestly I’ve come to understand why they say that but if you understand innocence as a separation from the power of action well then in some sense we are all still innocent in some way; and men and women like those pirates all those years ago, they will always act without regard for others. That’s why I made the choice after that day to lose my innocence in that I have sought to make sure to mitigate the amount of power any one can have over me so I can better stand in that space between them and the innocent.”

-Ensign Peter “Wraith” McGarvey (Security)

Ayla let silence fill the space between them as she mused over his explanation. She had no doubt of his sincerity and could easily tell how important it was to him- she didn’t need to be an empath to know that- but it was easy to get tunnel-vision when you assumed you were on the ‘right’ side. “What happens when you have few options and aren’t in control of a situation, but are still expected to do your duty?”

Lt. Sharise, CNS

The question was one that he had experienced before. Too many times; both before Star Fleet and since.

“Duty, follow orders. Obey the chain of command. At the end of the day there are a handful of lessons that I’ve learned. One, we are rarely in control of a situation. Take me on the ship, I’ve studied every conduit of this ship, every blueprint, even pulled a few strings to get a holoprogram of it before arriving. I’ve studied as much of the crew manifest as I could, and have tried to learn as much about those that I work and serve with as I can. No matter how much knowldege I have though, someone will surprise me. Someone will do something that was planned for or expected. None of us are truly in control, we can only prepare ourselves as much as we can and hope that it’s good enough when darkness falls.”

He paused for a moment, almost as if he was collecting his thoughts.

“The second thing I’ve learned is that the most important thing you can prepare isn’t the logistics, it isn’t your combat skills, your espionage skills, your interpersonal communication. No, as important as all that is, the most important thing to develop is your inner morals, your code of ethics, your standards for right and wrong.”

“No matter what if you have developed that properly and thoroughly then you can face any situation, whether in or out of Star Fleet. So to answer your question, in honesty, I can’t answer it. Because too many factors may change my course of action. Which duty? Star Fleet, I have never promised Star Fleet that I would follow them with unfettered loyalty, I believe in the mission of Star Fleet and I’m willing to do what is necessary to procure the mission of Star Fleet and the Federation, however, I would not hesitate to question an order, to disobey an order, or to counterman an order that went against my inner compass. That said, I would also not hesitate to do what needs to be done for the greater good.”

The pain that emotionally racked through his psyche when he said that last phrase would have discernible to anyone but to an empath it would have had the possibility of being painful.

-Peter “Wraith” McGarvey (Security)