Ghost Ship - Diane Carey [65]
“I have told you.”
“And we’re going to examine that.” He pressed the intercom and said, “Come in, plea-“
The door opened.
Picard leaned back in his chair. “Well, that was subtle, you two,” he said as Beverly Crusher and Will Riker strode in. “Sit down. I’ve explained the situation to both of you. According to Counselor Troi, the life essences inside that phenomenon have asked unconditionally that we destroy them. They want their existence to end. Death is their choice rather than formless life, apparently. When I leave this room, I want as clear a picture as the four of us can provide of what exact action this ship is going to take. I tell you now that I would much rather face an enemy with eyes I can look into and whose intents I can read. If I’d wanted to be faced with these pale ethical problems, I’d have become a priest. I don’t like this. You know what these entities have asked of us, according to Counselor Troi’s translation of their wishes. It’s up to you to help me decide if this is euthanasia,” he said, “or butchery.”
An unwanted silence blanketed the ready room, broken only by Will Riker, who had finally had enough of it. He slid one thigh up onto the captain’s desk and settled there, the toe of the other boot still planted on the floor, and folded his arms. “We’ll do our best, sir.”
“I know. Dr. Crusher, you’ve reviewed all the material on current medical ethics.”
“Well, all is an inappropriate term for a half hour’s study, sir,” the doctor said, “but I’ve done my best. As a matter of fact, I had to refamiliarize myself with the subject upon accepting the post as chief surgeon.”
“Luckily,” the captain commented. “On with it.”
“Just remember you asked for this,” she warned, and adjusted her narrow hips against the back of her chair. She looked like she was settling in for a long time, which made both Riker and Picard wonder what they were getting into. “The word euthanasia doesn’t mean what most people think it means. It’s an intransitive concept, for one thing. It’s something you get, not something someone does to you. Its true meaning is simply a gentle, quiet, good death, usually just a matter of luck. Society has come to take it as ending life painlessly so as to end suffering. What we’re really dealing with, however, is the point at which the only chance left for a person to have euthanasia is for someone else to kill him. That’s the closest to what we’re facing.”
Troi gripped her hands tightly together and said, “This is not a case of our deciding to terminate their lives. They’ve decided it for themselves. I don’t think that can be minimized.”
“I’m getting to that,” Crusher patiently said, and she started ticking things off on her long fingers. “There are complications, believe me. We get into the questions of suffering or not suffering, rationality or not, direct or indirect killing, killing by providing pain relief, the difference between personhood and potential personhood, capability of expressing a rational desire to die, death of biological organisms as opposed to persons, the distinction between ordinary versus extraordinary means of keeping a person alive, that ever-elusive phrase quality of life, failure to supply help versus active harm with kind intent, sanctity of life, obligation to live, freedom of choice versus deific property, being and not being the cause of a death other than one’s own, avoidance of giving euthanasia for selfish reasons-keeping one’s conscience clear, for instance-“
Picard rubbed a hand over his eyes and wearily groaned, “Cut my losses, will you, doctor? If you’ve already run the process of elimination, might you just give me the upshot of it?”
She dropped her busy hands and said, “It’s not a simple subject, Jean-Luc.”
He leaned forward. “No one’s asking for simplicity, doctor. Just brevity.”
“Well, there’s the medical definition of death. Will that help?”
Before the captain could say anything, though he started to, Riker said, quietly, “It’d help me.”
“Okay,