"Well," Fleet Admiral Chen demanded.
Sighing, the councillor's expression told a story without words.
"You're telling me," the highest officer in Starfleet insisted, "not one of them passed the phycological evaluations."
"No," the middle-aged man of Betazoid heritage stated softly. "Or at least not above the absolute minimum required by Starfleet."
"Why?"
"Seven years, trapped in the Delta quadrant as the only Federation vessel," Usal Igega explained patiently, "two opposing crews with different ideology attempting to become one, a host of first contacts, many of which went very badly and an inability to contact loved ones. I would have thought that enough."
"The Captain, what is her name again?"
"Janeway, Sir," Usal stated with just the vaguest hint of censure.
"Surely we can put her back on a starship," insisted the Admiral.
"Sir," the man controlled his tone, barely. "Captain Janeway suffered more than any other member of her crew. Seven years spent as the only officer of her rank, without the ability to socialise with others of her position or her own crew. The woman has been an island, unable to form an intimate relationship of any length. There was no support from her seniors, every decision had to be weighed against the Prime Directive without the backing of a command team. The Captain could not call for aid in a situation which might damage or destroy her ship. While crossing a void that should have taken two years, the woman became clinical depressed, to such a state, both the EMH and First Officer have made entries in their logs. Don't even get me started with the Hirogen, Year of Hell or Equinox situations."
"Well, that ex-Maquis ex-Lt. Commander," the Admiral hunted for his name, "Chakotay. Surely he's fit for assignment."
"Mr. Chakotay chose not to keep his commission. Under the circumstance, who could blame him," Usal said. "His home planet was one of the first to suffer at the hands, firstly of the Cardassian's, and then the Jem'Hada. The Doran system is little but ash after the Dominion war. Voyager's First Officer had little love of the Federation prior to assuming his role. Why would he choose to remain in a system he'd already dismissed?"
"I see you're point," Chen sighed. "Lt. Commander Tuvok?"
"The amount of mind melds is not infinite, even for a Vulcan," Usal stated. "The mental loneliness contributed to his medical discharge."
"There was that ex-convict, the Admiral's son," Chen huffed. "Paris. Surely he'd fit for duty."
"Lt. Commander Paris declined to remain in Starfleet, even after his well-deserved promotion and with the current issues facing the Federation after the war," Usal almost rolled his eyes. "Voyager was the man's saving grace. Thomas Paris was able to rehabilitate himself on that vessel with the support of his crew mates. However, how the man was every allowed into Starfleet in the first place is questionable. His early evaluations clearly show his was more suited to the Federation Naval Patrol. He is not fit for the command stream."
"Was there anyone on that ship who could continue to serve in Starfleet?" Demanded the Feet Admiral.
"Lt. B'Elanna Torres anger is at the edge of requirements," Usal reported. "Ensign Kim should be promoted to Full Lieutenant or Lt. Commander and given the roll of first officer. Other than that, the crew have just experienced to many events, leaving permanent damage to their psyche."
"There are hundreds of thousands of Officers currently serving who have experienced hardship and loss," commented Chen with anger. "The Dominion war scared us all."
"True," Usal sighed. "You are forgetting, Admiral, we had councillors, a support system for our returning service men and women. The crew of Voyager went seven years without so much as a decent shore leave. They had no contact with friends and family. There were no starbases for their ship to pull into. Each resource had to be acquired. In many ways they lived much like the Maquis. In fact, combining the crews was probably a protective measure and the main reason they survived when the Equinox did not. Chakotay and his crew brought skills into the mix that Voyager required to survive completely alone. The Captain's strict Starfleet policies kept the crew disciplined and working to a single purpose. Together, it was the only reason Voyager managed to make it home."
"But can they be rehabilitated?" The Admiral enquired, his hope fading. The truth was, the Federation was in tatters after the Dominion war. They needed every single officer and vessel in case the Borg attacked.
"No," the Betazoid answered quickly. "There has been too much damage done, to many unresolved emotions and events for any person from the Voyager Crew to continue to serve Starfleet. Even Lt Torres and Ensign Kim barely meet the phycological minimum. I'm afraid the isolation and events damaged the psyche."
"How are they going to take this news?" Chen finally met the councillor's eye.
"Not well, I'm afraid." Usal knew it was his task to inform them, starting with Captain Kathryn Janeway.
