TO: CMDR S. zh'Lindresko, LCDR K. Sedai CC: CAPT Keelah Se'lai FROM: CAPT V. Somek SUBJ: Mind-Meld
CMDR zh'Lindresko and LCDR Sedai,
I am reaching out to both of you because in the near future I plan on conducting a mind-meld with CAPT Se'lai for the purpose of inducing in myself a permanent experience of emotion without affecting my use of logic and without the detrimental side-effects of other methods of inducing emotion such as trillium-D exposure; in essence, to become a V'tosh Ka'tur. I have spoken with CAPT Buchanan-tr'Veras, and he approves on the condition that it does not impact my duties.
To that end, I plan on having a pre-meld medical exam and presumably medical supervision during the event, though I will leave the necessity of such a precaution up to your medical judgment, Commander. I am currently working with CMDR Pohl to schedule my regular exam, and it seems like a good opportunity to include any extra scrutiny that might be relevant to a mind-meld like this.
I would also like to schedule both pre- and post-meld psychological evaluations with LCDR Sedai. I believe my mental fortitude to be sufficient to protect me from adverse effects, but in these circumstances further precautions are warranted.
TO: CAPT V. Somek; CC: CAPT Keelah Se'lai; CMDR Pohl; LCDR K; Sedai; FROM: CMDR S. zh'Lindresko; SUBJ: RE: Mind-Meld
Captain,
I'm sure there's zero need for me to outline the possible dangers even relating to the procedure you intend to endure, therefor I will simply state that should Commander Pohl's evaluation turn up anything even remotely alarming I will be directly involving myself to oversee any possible continuation of your schedule. Failing that, and Commander Pohl evaluates you to no less than an exceptional bill of health, I simply offer my services to observe and monitor your progress from then forward.
I leave you in the quite capable hands of Commander Pohl and Counselor Sedai, Captain. If you require further consolation outside of this mail chain that isn't covered in this response to your satisfaction, my office remains always open to your presence.
//Commander Soalina zh'Lindresko
Chief Medical Officer
Deep Space Thirteen
I find myself rather unsettled by this proposition and feel that I cannot, in good conscience, be a party to the processes unless it has been demonstrated that you have been provided with a full and complete accounting of all the possible consequences and drawbacks of the state you appear to seek.
Can you do this, Captain? Why do you want to undergo this procedure and who has assisted you in your research and understanding of what you ask?
TO: LCDR K. Sedai CC: CMDR S. zh'Lindresko, CAPT Keelah Se'lai FROM: CAPT V. Somek SUBJ: Re: Re: Re: Mind-Meld
Lieutenant Commander:
I understand and appreciate your concern, as it is an unusual request. I am prepared to discuss the details of my reasoning in a private counseling session, but I hope it is sufficient in this forum to say that I am doing this for both personal and professional reasons, that I have spoken with a number of Vulcans and non-Vulcans regarding both the procedure and its possible results, and that I am not doing this on a whim but rather take it very seriously. I respect your judgment, and if, having explored all possibilities, we come to the conclusion that such a procedure would be detrimental to either me personally or to the fleet, I will be the first to suggest that I cease to pursue it further.
Evaluator: Sedai, Katriel Eden Authority: Psychological Counselor, Deep Space 13
Subject: Somek, Vorir Stardate: ((22 Oct 2016)) Length of Interview: 1.5 hrs
PURPOSE OF EVALUATION
To audit the subject's understanding that this request will significantly alter his psychological state and to ascertain his acknowledgement of all the possible ramifications.
To clarify and understand the subject's desire to undergo this procedure and determine whether it is instrumental to the subject's overall health and well-being.
EVALUATION CONCLUSION
The authority finds that the subject sufficiently understands the potential ramifications of his request.
The authority finds that the subject's request is founded by a deep-seated desire to experience emotion for himself and is extremely unlikely to be discouraged by any external source.
Should subject still be determined to go through with procedure, counseling would strongly stipulate the subject be relieved of command for one month's time (from date of post-procedure physical assessment), upon which re-evaluation of the subject's mental state will be ordered.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Authority registers that she carried out this interview and wrote the successive evaluation under the assumption that the procedure being sought is highly unorthodox and, for a typical Vulcan, it would theoretically undermine decades of cultural conditioning to potentially disastrous effect.
Subject's understanding of what he was asking was thoroughly vetted and questioned. Authority presented multiple examples from Vulcan history and medical records, which subject acknowledged and continued to feel unpersuaded, instead preferring to rely on the single example of success with which he was personally familiar.
When questioned on his reasons for pursuing this procedure, subject stated that his upbringing among humans has already marked him as unorthodox by the standards of his species. As he has even now adopted many of the more expressive mannerisms of his colleagues, subject desires to explore fully transitioning away from the cultural strictures of his species.
Authority acknowledges the difficulty in the subject's position; he alienates individuals of his own species due to the mannerisms he has adopted and likewise alienates colleagues not of his own species due to a perceived mockery of their emotional plights.
However, that the subject continues to feel unpersuaded by the historical examples of what he seeks, as well as continually discounting the opinions of his species peers, suggests that this decision is chiefly an emotionally-motivated one. Therefore, like any extraordinarily emotional decision, it is unlikely to be overridden by any logical or evidence-based presentation. Authority suspects that the subject is actually closer to the state he is seeking than he realizes.
((The full, attached report goes on for another 6 pages.))