To: CMDR Pohl < @Calyx >; DS13 Medical
From: CMDR Zaman, Nasir
Subj: RE: RE: Objections, and best practices, Julia Webb
Commander Pohl,
Thank you for your reply.
As Starfleet Medical has doubtlessly informed your department by now, they are of the opinion that a starship is ill-equipped to provide timely positive outcomes for a patient in Ms Webb’s condition. Ms Webb has indeed been with us for around two years now, and her progress - physically and emotionally - has proved slow. But while it is true that Deep Space 13 possesses vastly superior facilities and an abundance of staff compared to USS Orpheus, I absolutely do not agree that speed is the most important factor at play for this patient’s recovery.
SFM has based this decision, in part, on initial interviews with the patient very shortly after her liberation from the Collective. Ms Webb was in denial about her new status and effected repeated attempts to ‘escape’ during her first few months with us; these ‘escape’ attempts caused multiple injuries among the crew and on two occasions, considerable damage to the ship. I spent several early - and recorded - sessions attempting to impress upon her that she was no longer part of the Collective, and these sessions frequently became violent. After a time, with perseverance, she began to accept her new status. My official logs from that period are on-file, and I challenge any medical officer to have had more success than my team and I in those difficult formative months.
The patient has now found something resembling a home here - or at the least, a place to feel safe - where she is beginning to engage with the crew, has expressed wishes to assist with shipboard work, and has slowly formed bonds with a handful of crewmembers. At this crucial stage of her development, I believe that transferring her against her expressed wishes is cruel at best, and potentially dangerous at worst. I feel the damage of this can only be mitigated if she believes I have agreed with their decision, even though I absolutely do not.
However, my primary concern is for Ms Webb’s recovery, and even if I cannot directly influence that, I can at least offer guidance to your own team.
Ms Webb has been designated quarters aboard Orpheus since she was first discharged from sickbay. She has never chosen to utilise them, preferring to spend her time within infrequently-accessed areas of the ship. We initially established a regeneration alcove in her quarters, but found it necessary to move this to the end of a quiet corridor on Deck 14, where she feels - or I should say, now, felt - more at-ease.
While Ms Webb responds poorly to inefficiency, she herself responds poorly to attempts to set a schedule for her - or at least, attempts to set a schedule that does not suit her interests. I have convinced her that medical and psychological appointments are in her best interests, but beyond that, she essentially does as she pleases outside of strict orders. Provided she attends her medical appointments and does not show regression, I have been content to allow this, with occasional ‘nudging’ in the right direction.
It is important to note that Ms Webb was assimilated at the age of 14, but spent 17 years as a heavy tactical drone. She will appear composed, dispassionate, and logical one moment, then indistinguishable from a human at an emotionally-traumatised 14-year-old developmental stage the next - but with the physical strength of a Borg drone. She is also extremely intelligent, and has frequently ‘conned’ our counsellors and Starfleet Medical psychiatrists by quickly developing an understanding of the psychological process and telling them what they wanted to hear. I cannot emphasise enough the need for caution in these delicate moments, nor can I emphasise enough my disagreement with her transfer.
This is not an ideal situation, but it is the situation in which we find ourselves. I hope you and your team will approach it with consideration, understanding, and above all, caution.
//SIGNED//
Doctor Nasir Zaman,
Chief Medical Officer,
USS Orpheus
—
//ATTACHMENT// WebbJulia.med
—STARFLEET MEDICAL BORG RECLAMATION PROGRAM, PATIENT 23589—
Name: Julia Webb
Borg designation: ‘Five of Twelve, Primary Defence Node of Submatrix 9917’
Species: Human
Age: 31
Patient, born in February 2391 as Julia Webb and later known as Five of Twelve, spent her early years living on the independent frontier colony of Zara V. Zara V was not affiliated with the Federation, so records are incomplete, but it appears that in 2405 Zara V was attacked and destroyed by a Borg cube. At 14 years old, Webb was among those captured and assimilated by the Borg.
Two years ago, USS Orpheus was attacked by a Borg sphere while on a mission in the Delta Quadrant. A Borg boarding action was successfully repelled and the vessel escaped, but ‘Five of Twelve’ was one of two drones that were disabled and failed to self-destruct. The crew of Orpheus decided to disconnect the formerly-human drone from the Collective and work towards liberating her. Patient spent her first year confined to Orpheus’ sickbay, and has remained aboard Orpheus ever since.
Cmdr Nasir Zaman (CMO, USS Orpheus) reports that due to being assimilated at a young age and being deployed as a heavy tactical drone, her body has been subjected to unusually extensive implantation. Heavy tactical drones are designed by the Borg to be extremely durable, but this also means that the extent of their modifications is considerable, and renders removing them difficult. Dr Zaman calculates that some 65-70% of the patient’s organs and epidermis currently host, or are dependent upon, Borg implants.
Thus far, some of the patient’s cranial implants and all of the subject’s networking implants have been successfully extricated, and hair follicle growth has been stimulated where possible. However, it will take years to safely remove the bulk of the implants, if it is possible at all, a process rendered more difficult by the patient’s acute phobia of medical procedures. Dr Zaman recommends focussing on the removal of the more superficial implants to begin with, due to the patient’s state of mind.
Dr Zaman reports that the patient presents with severe psychological issues that necessitate ongoing care, including anxiety attacks, acute PTSD and repressed memories, and depression. Due to the patient’s former role as a heavy tactical drone, she is believed to be directly responsible for the assimilation of thousands of individuals during her 17 years as a drone, but thus far she has refused to discuss these memories with anyone, and becomes distressed when efforts are made. As the patient has started to regain her humanity and remember parts of her previous life, she has begun to present with significant negative body image issues, particularly in light of the slow progress of implant removal, leading to a withdrawn demeanour and occasional distress.
Dr Zaman has recommended that Webb remain under his care aboard USS Orpheus for the foreseeable future, both due to the patient’s expressed wishes, and the progress he feels she has made while aboard. Starfleet Medical strongly disagrees however, based partially on inflammatory interviews recorded with the patient, but mostly that USS Orpheus’ sickbay is not equipped to properly remove the extensive implants from which the patient suffers - nor does it have the psychological staff to handle such a case. We have recommended that the patient be transferred to a better-equipped and staffed holistic medical facility at the earliest opportunity.
