Beyond - Legends "The Mists of Bedlam" - 2013 Dear Diary Challenge - Updated 05/31

Title: The Mists of Bedlam
Author: Trak Nar
Genre: Drama
Era: Beyond the Saga, 29 ABY
Characters: Zuckuss, Dr. Gawynn Karastee, various OCs mentioned


Author's note: Continuation of Wasting the Day in Bedlam, hopefully this one will actually be finished... barring any site move.

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Bedacus-Lambrecht Correctional Facility
Residential Mental Observation Unit, Ward E-7
Supervising Warden: Captain Liem Bencar
Head of Therapy: Dr. Gawynn Karastee, MD
Date: 01|04|29ABY

Subject: Clinical history of Inmate 113827, Zuckuss

Zuckuss is a middle-aged male Gand of below-average height. He is an intelligent and articulate individual, and usually presents with a quiet demeanor. When he was processed in 25 ABY, he presented with delusional symptoms, auditory hallucinations, severe depression, and violent behavior. Subsequent interviews revealed marked discontinuities in his behavior and manner of speech. He underwent a thorough psychiatric evaluation and was diagnosed with schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder. He was then placed in the residential psychiatric ward and began a drug and cognitive therapy program.

Prior to his incarceration, Zuckuss was an active bounty hunter. His behavior remained largely undocumented until c. 3 ABY when he was profiled by an Imperial officer. The profile noted that Zuckuss had prior records of insurgency and crimes against the Empire, particularly his involvement with the capture of Sector Governor Nardix. A brief history of his hunting records revealed a number of kills that were listed as "accidental," despite the stipulations of their respective contracts demanding a live capture.

Zuckuss had cooperated with a number of other bounty hunters, most notably 4-LOM (droid) and Bossk (Trandoshan male), however, as of this writing, attempts to contact them have been unsuccessful. Recent research, shortly after Zuckuss's admittance, have procured a medical report from the Alliance Army, dated 11|23|4ABY. It notes not only Zuckuss's physical health (recent surgery to repair a lung injury), but also a mandated psychological evaluation. The record noted fluctuations in Zuckuss's behavior, but no diagnosis was made. Two years later, Zuckuss's name had evidently fallen out of the public record, as no additional documentation could be found. Attempts to contact his former employers have been unsuccessful, and many New Republic officials were not even aware of Zuckuss's term with the Alliance.

Zuckuss has been incarcerated for four years. Last year, after three years of unsuccessful drug and behavioral therapy, he was evaluated and the decision was made to pursue a new course of treatment. In 02|06|28ABY, Zuckuss underwent his first electro-convulsive therapy session. ECT is not a first-line treatment for schizophrenia, and usually is contraindicated for use on schizophrenics. However, since Zuckuss had not responded to drug therapy, and since he had been untreated for so many years, the decision was made for him to undergo the treatment. His behavior prior was poor: he was often involved in fights; his mood fluctuated and he exhibited marked clinical depression; his concentration was poor due to auditory symptoms; and he has one suicide attempt on record, plus several instances of being placed on Watch* for demonstrating a risk for self-harm. He had been on several different medications and various combinations of drugs, however he only suffered side-effects and his behavior remained unchanged, despite therapy. He further decompensated and was displaying obsessive-compulsive behaviors, such as intense ordering and an avoidance of mirrored surfaces, which he would cover with a cloth if he were able to.

Zuckuss completed the initial treatment course by 03|28ABY. Since then, his behavior has vastly improved. His speech no longer derails, he is able to stay on task, and his concentration has improved. His mood is markedly better, he is polite and cooperative, and I have since scheduled him for monthly maintenance ECT treatments. Zuckuss maintained good behavior for a consecutive three months, and was able to use his findsman abilities to aid the staff in preventing an inmate riot, despite the inherent risk to his own safety within the general population. He participated in work detail with inmates from the honor dorm, and the parole board granted permission to enroll Zuckuss in our trade and education programs. As of this writing, Zuckuss is researching the available trade programs. He has expressed an interest in the media programs, however he has not yet selected one. He will soon meet with our career counselor to help him choose the program best suited to his abilities and work history.

This passed year has been a notable one for Zuckuss. He had worked very hard and his prognosis is good. If he can maintain this for another full year, I will speak with the parole board about acclimating him to the work-release programs. Zuckuss's improvement has had a profound impact on his stay here; at this point, provided that there are no problems, he could see release in two years, or transfer to the Galactica State Hospital in less than one.

I will continue to work closely with Zuckuss to prepare him for his eventual release from this facility.

Dr. Gawynn Karastee, MD
Head of Therapy
Bedacus-Lambrecht Correctional Facility
Hirkenglade Prefecture
Coruscant

*Watch- 72-hr observational stay in the Crisis Unit to determine a patient's level of safety

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Love to see your new beginning with his doctor giving a nice summary

 

Got an update, finally.

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First month, 5th day, 29 ABY

By the mists, Zuckuss is tired! This new medication makes him so tired and he over-exerted himself on the yard. His legs felt as if they would drop right off his body! He is sitting on his bunk, listening to a [radio], and drinking coffee. [illegible] [He] [illegible] had bought coffee from the commissary and was permitted to use the nanowave. His radio, he [saved] his money and bought it. It's a clear plastic radio, numbered, and it cannot leave his cell. He earned this radio. He [illegible] worked hard to be good [illegible] and he saved his money and he was allowed to purchase it for his cell.

Zuckuss will keep working hard. He is also fighting to stay awake. This coffee has better work! Though, he supposes that he could take a nap...


First month, 12th day, 29 ABY

Strangely warm outside as Zuckuss walked the yard today. The ground was moist from last night's rain, and the recent thaw. It is strangely reminisce of a few winters [ago] when the weather was oddly mild. Granted, that's normal for Coruscant and its image of perfection. Just a coating to hide the [ugliness] that lies beneath. Winter is supposed to be cold, not balmy. What is the point of having seasons if the weather doesn't match?

[illegible] Well, Zuckuss was working in the workshop this week. He would be in there again, but while he was working, his [hand] kept going numb. So, he was instructed to stop. He has spent most of the day in his cell. He is rather [bored] and his wrist hurts. His hand is starting to go numb as he writes this, so he is going to stop and read something [instead].


First month, 20th day, 29 ABY

I am feeling terrible. My hand still goes [numb], so I was instructed to wear a splint. The splints have metal in them, which is often removed and used to make shanks. I cannot allow any other inmate to get my splint, so it is [worn] during work [detail] and at night, and I have to sign it out.

Today, my cough became more active. Also, there is disease around the pod. Many inmates are sick. I don't have contact with the inmates on my pod, but the staff is ill as well. My eyes are heavy, and I hope it's just exhaustion. Dr. Karastee is sick with a [illegible] throat infection, so I had been seeing Dr. Waltrap this week. Dr. Karastee still prescribes my [medication], thankfully.

I do hope she recovers, soon. I miss talking to her. She understands me.

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Doctor's note: Unfortunately, Dr. Karastee is indeed on leave with a throat infection. She is being treated, however, and should be back soon, once the staff clears her. As the unit has been dealing with widespread infection of the inmates and staff, we have been taking extra precautions, and staff members are to wear face masks and gloves when interacting with the inmates. Inmates who are ill are confined to their cells until they recover, so as to reduce the spread of infection.

Zuckuss, thankfully, wears protective gear, so I think he should weather this without too much difficulty. In the beginning of the season, he was inoculated, and he practices good hygiene by washing his hands often. He is also segregated from the rest of the inmates. However, if he shows signs of infection, he will be quarantined. – Dr. Melmit Waltrap

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Tags:
AzureAngel2
earlybird-obi-wan
Hazel
Jedi_Lover

 

Yeah, you wrote on.

*also has a throat infection at present*

 

Nice how he writes about weather, the illness and his concern for the doctor

 

Got another entry. Well, combo entry. Seems like this way makes for an easier update schedule, so I'll stick with it.

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Second month, 3rd day, 29 ABY

Snowing outside again. And inside, the pod isn't heated well. Zuckuss is very cold. His head hurts, and he [woke] up today with a still neck. Moving his head to loosen his neck makes his head hurt.

The cold is making Zuckuss lethargic. He is tired and irritable.

He is not sure how to phrase this, but every now and then, when it is quiet enough, he thinks he hears a voice, snatches of a conversation. It bothers him, and he is hesitant to report it. He does not want to talk to Dr. Waltrap about this. Dr. Karastee has returned to the pod, but Zuckuss still sees Dr. Waltrap. He does not want to talk to Dr. Waltrap. Zuckuss shall request to see Dr. Karastee [illegible] instead. Dr. Karastee [understands] him.

Earlier today, Zuckuss missed a step during transfer and almost fell down the stairs. His wrists are bound during transfer, so he would be unable to catch himself, should he fall.

Zuckuss doesn't [illegible] like this. He wants to talk to Dr. Karastee.


Second month, 10th day, 29 ABY

Woke up during the night coughing. Managed to fall back to sleep. I had work detail today. After mopping, I slipped on the stairs and cracked my knee against the step. It is swollen now, and it hurts to bend it. After work detail, I was allowed an ice pack.

On my way back to my pod, [illegible] I slipped on a patch of ice outside. I managed to catch myself, so I didn't fall backwards. Mandak and Makibbin, who were transferring me between pods, caught me [illegible] by the arms as well. [illegible] This time, since Makibbin was also on duty, they made sure to transfer me when no other inmates were on the pod.

The last time Mandak transferred me, it was during chow, and an inmate snuck up behind me and hit me in the back of the head with a [tray].

The amusing thing about that incident? The food in the tray was so thick that it stuck fast to the tray! Even hitting me with the tray didn't dislodge it!

It's [nice] that I get my meals from the employee kitchen, due to the risk of inmate tampering. I don't have to eat that awful sludge anymore!

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Doctor's note: In the first entry, it appears that Zuckuss may be hearing voices again, so I will encourage him to talk about that, so we can determine a course of treatment. I am aware that he receives monthly ECT treatments from Dr. Karastee, though I would prefer to pursue a cognitive and behavioral approach. However, as of late, Zuckuss is hesitant to talk.

I have explained to him that the reason he does not see Dr. Karastee as regularly is because she can't continue to fill the roll of therapist. That was why I was brought in; to take on some of Karastee's responsibilities. However, Zuckuss still will not open up to me. There must be some way to reach him. He is distant during his sessions. ‒ Dr. Melmit Waltrap

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Tags:
@AzureAngel2
@earlybird-obi-wan
@Hazel
@Jedi_Lover

 

Snow seems to be everywhere. Poor Zuckuss dealing snow, transfers and with another healer than dr Karastee

 

Uh-oh, his alt is back...

 

Well, his alter never really left, just became more cooperative.

 

So... if you right-click the "Edit" link and select "Open in new tab," it takes you straight to the edit page, where you can edit your topic title without clicking "more options."

And no new entry... yet (working on it), but here's a sneak peek via some art.



Trouble is afoot.

 

In the midst of darkness...creepy.

 

What's happening to him?

 

Floating away...peacefully...in spaaaaaace...

 

I may tip my hand, but I am not going to show all of my cards. You'll just have to wait and find out when I finish the next entry.

 

Excuse me for misunderstanding. It was a poorly timed comment.

 

Actually, you were right. The scan didn't show it, but there is a floor in that blackness.

 

Easy does it, Leia. I was just being facetious.

 

New entries! Hot off the press! Er... hot off my notebook and keyboard.

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Bedacus-Lambrecht Correctional Facility
Residential Mental Observation Unit, Ward E-7
Supervising Warden: Captain Liem Bencar
Head of Therapy: Dr. Gawynn Karastee, MD
Date: 02|20|29ABY

Incident report

Subjects involved:

• #113545 Roco'fises'pan, Chiss male
• #113707 Riez Levens, Human male
• #113827 Zuckuss, Gand male
• #114952 Wes Aubain, Human male
• Officer Kal Mandak

Staff on duty:

• Sgt. Degal Makibbin
• Officer Cy Kinair

Location:
Residential Mental Observation Unit, Ward E-7
West End, South Stairwell

Incident time: 0636

Report: The population was on the unit for evening pod time. Cells were unlocked, and inmates were using their hour of socialization. Inmates were in their cells and on the pod at the time of the incident. Two guards were on duty at the time, Sgt. Degal Makibbin and Officer Cy Kinair. At 0633, Officer Kal Mandak entered the pod at the south entrance. He was transferring #113827 Zuckuss to his cell. #113827 Zuckuss was restrained with wrist binders during transfer, as is protocol.

#113545 Roco'fises'pan and #113707 Riez Levens were on the West Tier, socializing near the north stairs. As Officer Mandak and inmate Zuckuss began to climb the south stairs, Roco'fises'pan and Levens proceeded to approach Mandak. At the same time, #114952 Wes Aubain had begun to ascend the south stairs. Levens distracted Mandak as Roco'fises'pan pulled a concealed weapon from his shoe. Aubain reached Zuckuss, also pulling a concealed weapon from his sleeve.

Officer Kinair secured the pod while Sgt Makibbin assisted Officer Mandak. Makibbin fired a warning shot into the air to order everyone to the floor. It was this point when inmate Aubain had thrown inmate Zuckuss down the stairs, before proceeding to crouch with his hands behind his head. Inmates Levens and Roco'fises'pan were ordered to the floor. Officer Mandak proceeded to call for assistance.

At 0638, SRT arrived on scene and secured the pod. The inmates involved were restrained and Medevac was called in to attend to Zuckuss, who was unresponsive to commands. Inmate Zuckuss was evacuated from the scene and transported to the infirmary, where he was assessed. At 0645, #113827 Zuckuss was transported off-site to Republic Central, with officer escort. Dr. Gawynn Karastee, Zuckuss's inmate caseworker, had been paged at home.

Incident Commander Vin Dek'rd
Bedacus-Lambrecht Correctional Facility
Hirkenglade Prefacture
Coruscant

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From the desk of Dr. Gawynn Karastee 02/21/29ABY -Personal!-

Honestly, I don't know how much more of this I can take. Every time I turn around, my clients are in danger. There are sanctions put in place for a reason! We have regulations and policies in place to protect our inmates from each other, yet these are treated as annoying and arbitrary! High-profile inmates are often targeted and we put measures in place to protect them, and the guards blatantly ignore these!

Zuckuss was once again involved in an incident. He had been doing so well, he had become a model prisoner. We were ensuring his safety within the general population without restricting his freedom entirely. The rules are simple: Zuckuss is only to be moved when there are no inmates on the pod. Yet, he was moved during pod time and he, along with the escorting officer, was attacked. Zuckuss was transferred off-site with a head injury and prolonged coma.

This is not the first time this has happened. Officer Mandak, the guard on the scene, has a record of this type of insubordination. Internal Affairs is looking into this, and there is talk of going to trial. As these incidents happened when Mandak was in charge of Zuckuss, then Zuckuss will need to testify.

I don't understand this. If Officer Mandak would just pay closer attention and not treat the rules as arbitrary, we wouldn't be in this mess! He doesn't understand. There is no safety net to catch us if we fall. We are the safety net.

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Tags:
@AzureAngel2
@earlybird-obi-wan
@Hazel
@Jedi_Lover

 

That report is so...clinical. Almost chilling in how it takes the humanity completely out of the situation (as was the intent; I'm guessing this is how such incidents are written up in real life).

And Dr. Karastee's entry is nicely empathetic, I feel for her cause.

 

Wow, your report seems so real. Draws the reader into the madness going on in mental institutions.

 

That entry reads as a real report from a prison

 

The use of the different formats/writing styles for the various characters really stands out in this story. Zuckuss's diary has the shifting pronouns and personalities and the notes where his words are "illegible." I'm guessing this is where the compilers couldn't read the words? The doctors each have their perspectives, and it seems like Dr. Karastee has a different perspective due to her previous experience with this particular patient. The distanced incident report sounds (like the other commenters have mentioned) realistic in its basic description and lack of emotion, while the reader can tell that it is describing a very frightening event for Zuckuss. Though I can't remember if I commented, the previous Zuckuss diary that you were writing before the move was excellent as well. There's a strong sense of gritty reality. That usually isn't usually my cup of tea, but it really works for the character and setting you're using.

 

Thanks. I've been trying for a "found documents" type of format with these, without going as far as to format documents, print them, distress the paper, scan them back in, and post them as images. As tempting as that would be, and as neat of a visual presentation as it would be, I'll stick to the format I'm using currently of headers and footers and different writing styles.

 

Went with a different perspective for this round.

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From the desk of Dr. Gawynn Karastee 02/25/29ABY -Personal!-

Work kept me busy, but this afternoon, I was able to get into Republic Central and visit with Zuckuss. He is in the bacta ward, but had been out of the tank since last night. He was responsive to commands and conversed with me briefly. He demonstrated amnesia of the incident and confusion. I explained to him several times what happened. By the third explanation, he began to show some understanding.

I brought Zuckuss his journal so that he could write. I also told him that he will need to testify in court, and I will help prepare him for it.

His doctor explained the injuries to me, which I documented for use in the trial and for his file so Internal Affairs can have access. Zuckuss suffered a severe concussion from the fall, coupled with a contrecoup brain injury. Minor dents and cracks in his exoskeleton, a sprained neck, and a broken wrist and thumb. The sprained neck had been difficult to treat, as his carapace presents an obstacle. He simply cannot wear a neck brace! So, the best that the doctor could do was wrap gauze padding around Zuckuss's neck to help minimize movement and allow it to heal. Little more than a scarf, really.

I had spoken with Verloff in order to arrange to visit with Zuckuss in order to prepare him for trial. Next week, I have more holes in my schedule, and Dr. Waltrap will be taking over counseling duties here.

This trial is going to be disgusting. The guard, Mandak, is the borough commissioner's son. Already, we've been fielding calls from the press. Mandak was put on administrative leave, so, of course he told his dad. Word travels way too fast. Coupled with Zuckuss's own reputation, this is going to be a hideous, disgusting mess.



From the desk of Dr. Gawynn Karastee 03/03/29ABY -Personal!-

Zuckuss is doing well. He still has some amnesia for the incident, but he is alert and responsive and doing well with cognitive testing. He had been transferred to the neurology ward last weekend, and he may be released to the prison infirmary in a week. Last week, Zuckuss was interviewed by Internal Affairs for the first time. His statement, they said, was “broken” and they asked me to talk to him and record the sessions. They plan to interview him again at a later date.

I started directing my calls to our answering service. How do these people get my private office number? It is not in our directory! You have to call the yard and select an option or put in my extension! I have told callers time and time again: I cannot discuss my clients. What part of patient confidentiality don't they understand?

Which reminds me: I need to have Zuckuss sign a release-of-information form.



From the desk of Dr. Gawynn Karastee 03/08/29ABY -Personal!-

I should start my own journal. Force knows I'll need it just to get through this mess!

Later today, I'll be going to visit with Zuckuss. Internal Affairs will be interviewing him and they want me there so I can clarify and explain things. They seem to be under the impression that he is mentally deficient.

For crying out loud, he suffered a head injury! There will be some lingering effects, but his cognitive faculties are intact. He has some amnesia and confusion about the incident, but he is very much aware of his surroundings and can respond to commands.

Somehow, even though this was never meant to be a public trial, as this is only concerning Mandak's insubordination, other incidents have crawled out of the woodwork, and somehow, somehow this ties into some incident involving the borough commissioner. I don't know the details, but it has something to do with our funding and administration. Internal Affairs is now looking at Verloff.

It's been said that you don't have to be insane to work here, but it helps. By the end of this fiasco, I may consider looking for a doctor myself!

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Tags:
@AzureAngel2
@earlybird-obi-wan
@Hazel
@Jedi_Lover
Goodwood
Kahara
leiamoody

 

You certainly weren't kidding about going with a different perspective. I like it—it's as if you're writing a diary within a diary—and look forward to more of this kind of format tucked in with Zuckuss's own recollections.

Go Gawynn!