Ensign Raoden Imenand
From Station
From Victim to Assistant Chief Medical Officer
By Caroline Post
Our newest doctor on Kepler Station is Ensign Raoden Imenand. He has an interesting way of looking at things, not quite like anyone else I've interviewed on Kepler.
I began the interview by asking Dr. Imenand where he was from. "Well, I think I am originally from Earth, I mean I am human and all . . . But I grew up on Betazed since the age of three. Well, that is the age I think I had at that time, or so Vlanis said they thought I was." I asked him to explain a little more, but it wasn't my first guess, a kidnapping.
"From what Vlanis told me, very long ago, . . . he was a crew member of a Betazoid cargo ship. While on some route I never found out about, they found a damaged human vessel. The ship showed clear sign of battle on the hull and the crew aboard the ship was all dead." The Ensign explained further, "They found me hidden in a cargo container in the cargo hold, being the only survivor.
"Imenand means -the hidden one- in an ancient human language, Egyptian I think. They didn't spend time with the rest of the crew because the ship was breaking apart, so I never found out who my parents were. Vlanis adopted me and I got to grow up on Betazed. They thought I was three years old, so since then, every New Year's Eve, I celebrate my birthday with that occasion."
An interesting beginning for the man who is now Assistant Chief Medical Officer, working under Dr. O'Brien's tutelage. I wondered about his years on Betazed. How hard it must have been to be human growing up among people with their powers, almost like being deaf.
"For most of the part yes, it was hard to keep up with them. I had the obvious disadvantage, and it was hard for me as a kid. I was very lonely and kept things to myself. Introverted, that's the term."
"I used to be mocked both because I was human and because of my name. I don't really like being called Dr. Imenand, that is more like a nickname than a real name. But, in time, the other kids accepted me; Vlanis was always there to support me. In time, things became better, and despite having no powers I felt like I was one of them, I became a betazoid."
I asked Raoden how he came to be in Starfleet. "Well, I turned 18," he said and smiled, remembering. "Vlanis took me to Earth. He thought I was of age and it was time to see my own people. He never pretended I was a betazoid, he always emphasized the fact that I was from Earth, and I should be proud that I am a human."
I remarked that Vlanis must have been an extraordinary man.
"Well, he gave me a choice, return to Betazed and continue a life as one of them, or remain on Earth and start a new life with my own race. He said he would support me no matter what I decided. I chose to remain on Earth and join the Starfleet Academy...."
So why medicine, I asked him. Was it a lifelong dream? He laughed and responded, "Actually I started out with engineering. My stepfather was an engineer on the ships he worked. So my first calling, so to say, was engineering, mechanics. That was about when I was 14 years old. A year later I started to study medicine out of curiosity and went with both. When I joined the Academy I was faced with a choice, both domains are hard and require a lot of work and practice. So I took medicine, at that time it seemed to be the best way to help people," he said, raising his shoulders and making a face like for him it was the most logical thing to do.
When asked if he had any particular goals for his time on Kepler Station, the doctor replied, "Well, not for now. I've finally found some stability in my life. All I can do is treat the wounded and offer some moral support or counseling advice. Not much I can do otherwise. But life is full of unexpected twists and turns."
And Dr. Raoden Imenand know just how twisted and turned that can be.
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