Captain's Log, Stardate 46577.4

The Enteprise is palying host to several defendants from Ullian IV, whom we are transporting from betazed to their homeworld. Independant from the outcome of former legal proceedings, which have led to convictions according to Betazoid Law, they are going to be subjected to further investigation on their homeworlds. I welcome the prospect of bringing them to statutorily trials, since several members of my crew have fallen victim to one of the defendants on former occasions.

"That's a a great deal of dignity they're granted", Crusher spat out, stone-faced.

He could not, would not argue on that. That did go for all three of them. It would have stood out to him as respectless, the unwisest strategy to pursue.

"Starfleet's taken every precaution to prevent any more assaults that they could possibly implement", he assured her. "Geordi's been busy adapting a multi-dimensional force field, similar to a sub-space barrier", he went on, keeping his voice the calmest he could muster. "We got the knowledge as a condition for agreeing to carrying them at all."

"How comforting."

"It works now. I had it Deanna testing whether she could sense any of the crew's musings through it."

"Without telling her what purpose it was going to serve in the first place", she replied, still spitting ice cubes the size of punching balls at him.

"I saw no reason to put her in such a disturbing situation, and I had hoped you'd agree", he answered, impatience nagging at him, "From what I understand of psychology, she won't figure out the connection before her mind's the least prepared for it."

"Well, that goes for her conscience", she explained prickly, "On a sub-conscious level she'll feel egged on the moment she learns about his mere presence aboard onwards."

"I did argue with Admiral Heyes", he defended himself, suddenly almost outraged, "I feel no more comfortable with someone on board who's potentially hostile to you, my Second-In-Command of this ship, yet another Senior officer and, besides that, the entire crew and their families."

They knew one another well enough for her to recognize when she had hit him.

"I'd like to hear your reasons."

He took a deep breath, saving them from an unnecessary quarrel just in time.

"Basically, I do support the Council's decision to have the flag ship carrying them. I wouldn't agree if they weren't going to stand another trial for their crimes, but this way, the political statement can hardly be ignored. Starfleet is not willing to accept any form of assault against its officers, and as the Federation happens to execute extremely dissimilar legal treatment to crimes against Mental Self-Determination, that's the strongest statement we can possibly utter."

She sighed.

"I wish we had the legal framework to convict him according to our own laws, but even if we are going to adapt to that form of crime, we can't punish him for what he's done to you, Deanna and Will."

Silence rose between them, but less like a wall than simply calm after storm.

"To convict him according to our own laws?", she replied, warmth only in the tiniest corner of her eyes. "So biased? I've known your judgement to happen otherwise."

"Now you're ragging me, Beverly."