Tried and True

Posted on Thu Jul 23rd, 2009 @ 10:47pm by Lieutenant JG Drew O'Connell & Lieutenant Commander Kaylis Kirana

2,397 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Behind the Mask of Familiarity
Location: Starfleet Command
Timeline: Ten Days Ago

"Lieutenant, would you describe the events leading up to your rescue after the USS Rook went missing?" The question was calm, cool, direct and laced with a venom only those who listened for it might hear. It was the voice of Captain Corella Lange, a no nonsense lawyer with a penchant for ending the careers of many promising Starfleet officers.

Without so much as a preamble, Drew replied as calmly. "The USS Ulysses Grant dropped out of warp about the same time as the shuttle craft Bishop." Drew shook his head. "I don't remember who was on scene first, it was matter of seconds. Aboard the Bishop, I hailed the lifepods with a general announcement. We'd been found."

Drew waited as murmurs of approval echoed in the great hall. The crew of the Grant deserved their well earned accolades and Drew would give them due time. When it appeared the court was growing impatient, Lange cleared her throat and silenced the room effectively. "And where was the Bishop that it needed to drop out of warp?"

This was the linchpin of Lange's case, prove the culpability of Andrew O'Connell in the mission to rescue four crewmen from a xenophobic peoples. He wouldn't shy away from Lange's hawkish gaze. He leaned forward and took a sip of water from the glass before him before essentially debriefing tens of Fleet officers. "I ordered the Bishop to Targus Minor to affect a rescue for missing crew of the USS Rook."

"Who authorized this rescue?" Lange asked, her back now turned to him, her arms folded at her chest.

"I did, Captain. Is it not one of Starfleet's general orders to respond to any and all distress signaling emanating from a Federation outpost, starship, shuttle, lifepod or even citizen? In fact, it is the reason the captain of the Grant found the crew of the Rook." Drew felt he had scored a hit on Lange's prosecution argument.

"Indeed," Lange said pointedly, whirling with dramatic flair. "It is a Starfleet general order, in fact in, my opinion, the most important order. However, its direction is directed at a starship with the necessary crew, equipment and support to pursue such a mission. You, however, took it upon yourself to affect this rescue undermanned, underpowered, and without a shred of back-up so far as you knew. Correct?"

Drew smiled as he caught Ian's rapt attention. "That is correct, Captain. The rescue mission was a long-shot at best. I should point out that was also essentially effective."

"Essentially," Lange harrumphed. Drew could see the worry lines starting to spread across the middle-aged woman's forehead. Her graying hair was pulled into a tight bun atop her severe and stern visage. In another age, she might have worn glasses and run a library. She seemed that type. She continued her finely directed assumptions about his guilt, painting a fairly effective picture. "Of course, if you consider a fifty percent success rate 'essentially effective', perhaps you should return to the Academy..."

If she was expecting a laugh, none was forthcoming. No one in this court wanted to see a genuine hero court marshaled for effecting a rescue of crewmates from xenophobic and hostile aliens. Least of all, Drew. "Crewman Sarah Willis has been hospitalized for catatonia, she's not dead. As for the one casualty, there's an old saying...'He was dead when I got there'. Perhaps inappropriate for a matter such as this, but still essentially true. The Targans had already killed him for his weakness to their 'methods'. I should point out that I'll take two over none any day, Captain."

"Are you suggesting the crew of the Grant were or are incapable of affecting such a rescue as the one you provided?"

"No ma'am. I'm suggesting that they would have been too late had they tried. I'm also suggesting that since they never picked up the distress call, they might not have considered it a priority after its deactivation. You can ask Lieutenant Shalie Montgomery and Ensign Devanani Ral what they suffered at the hands of their captors."

"I intend to," Lange replied airily. "However, we should also point out the peace accords that were being prepared for Targan inspection and acceptance. You, as a one man army, have essentially destroyed those possibilities."

"Essentially," Drew repeated using her tone and inflection from before. "However, any species who would trap, torture and kill prisoners for the mere fact that they were aliens is not necessarily a species we need to interact with on any level, let alone one of peace."

This time the court erupted in chatter. Some agreeing with vigorous nods of the head while others still seemed on the fence about the issue. Drew heard the gavel of the court judge, Admiral Hokai Shuki. His ancient, gravelly voice still held the accent of his homeland in Japan as he ordered everyone to discontinue their conversations. "Lieutenant, that issue is not on trial here, you are," he reminded Drew.

"Yes Admiral, but I'm not the one who brought up the subject."

"Noted," Shuki smiled. "Captain, please stick to your prosecution of Lieutenant O'Connell, not your bias toward diplomacy for solving problems of this magnitude."

Lange's nose turned up as her lips puckered in anger. Through clenched teeth and quite quietly, she responded, "Aye, Admiral. Well, then, it comes down to this. You had a responsibility to the people in the lifepods, as ranking officer, to remain with them and to affect their rescue. I propose that you had no business taking on a mission of the type you did. I also propose that such dereliction of duty further led to build up of unrelenting hostility toward the Federation from a species we might have better understood and appreciated."

"I can't speak to that, Captain. What I can do is tell you that I felt rescuing my crewmates, even in a folly of an attempt which had almost no chance of success like this, was more important that floating through space for four days and twiddling my thumbs. Ask yourself this, were you in my shoes, what would you have done?"

"Assigning an ensign to maintain the duties I was inherently charged with to go off on some half-cocked rescue mission would not have been my priority. Your cowboy antics have no place in this Fleet."

"About as much place as sentencing your own crewmates and friends to death," Drew replied evenly.

"Watch your tone, Lieutenant," Shuki warned. "If there are no further questions, Captain?"

Lange nodded. "You are dismissed for now, Lieutenant. Be aware that you may be recalled at any time. The Prosecution now calls Lieutenant Junior Grade Shalie Montgomery to the stand."

Shalie winced as she moved to stand. The damage in her shoulder from spending four days dislocated had recently been repaired but the pain still radiated with the slightest movement. She turned and slowly exited the row where she was seated making her way past the prosecution.

Shalie stood in front of the chair at the witness stand while she was sworn. Promising to tell the truth to save to one of the only people that thought she and the others had deserved to be rescued from their hell. She took her seat and waited for the interrogation to begin.

Captain Lange slowly but deliberately pushed her chair back from the table as she began to speak. "Lieutenant jg Shalie Montgomery" She calmly made the short walk around the table before she continued. "Can you please tell us the event that led up to your rescue by Lieutenant O'Connell?" She crossed her arms and awaited the answer.

Shalie looked down at her hands before making eye contact with Captain Lange. She took a deep breath and began her explanation. "While I was stationed on the USS Rook we came across a cryogenic pod adrift in space near the galactic edge. We retrieved the pod and during our examination of the pod it was opened. It contained two robotic humanoids who once released from their pod commandeered the ship....during the mayhem in the hanger bay an abandon ship was activated." Shalie once again found the desire to glance down at her hands, but instead turned her eyes to the gallery momentarily. "I was in the last life pod to leave the ship, however I was unable to eject until after the ship had made the jump to warp."

Captain Lange interrupted Shalie. "And why were you unable to eject your pod before the ship made the jump to warp?"

Without skipping a beat Shalie answered her question before moving on. "As the ship made it's jump to warp, I was pushing the last three crew members into a lifepod before ejecting." Her demeanor changed slightly. She grew slightly defensive, but did her best to hid it.

Captain Lange took a few step towards Shalie before posing her next question. "Can you please explain how you came to be on Targus Minor?"

"The lifepod was damaged as it was thrown from the Rook's warp stabilization field. Our power systems and lifesupport were failing. I had to make a choice, die in space or take our chances on the nearest planet. I was unaware what planet we had crash landed on when we emerged from the pod." Shalie answered, she paused not sure if she
"Please Lieutenant, continue."

"Once on the planet, Ensign Ral and I were able to get the distress beacon up and running on a frequency that we hoped the other crew were recognize. Once this was done we found a hiding place keeping the pod in visual range." Shalie stated. "During the night, Crewman De..lancy.." she stopped as her voice cracked. "Crewman Delancy was on watch when the Targans discovered our pod and in violation of my orders attempted to stop them from disabling the beacon."

Captain Lange eyebrow cocked in reaction to Shalie's statement. "Please explain why you were so hesitant to avoid the local population?"

"Based on what little information I was about to attain before the life pod ejected, I was able to narrow down the possibilities of where we were to two. Xaniane which was Federation friendly and Targus Minor, which I knew to be xenophobic. I figured it was the safest bet. If we were on Xaniane then there was no harm done. However, if we landed on Targus Minor, my decision to land on the planet put the other crew members and myself in danger."

Lange nodded in acknowledgment of what Shalie said. "What happened to you and the other crew once you were taken by the Targans?"

Shalie locked her eyes on the Captain. "You mean other then being tired up, beaten, and tortured?"

"Could you please explain the interactions between you and the Targans?"

"I wouldn't say I interacted with them....I was interrogated in a contraption they called the Chair. In which pain was inflicted until I told them what they wanted to know or I passed out. Then I drug back to my cell and they took another of the crew and repeated the process. Because of my 'rank' I was subjected to this treatment about 3 times as much as the others."
"Was any information obtained during theses sessions?" Lange asked as she looked at the padd sitting on the table in front of where she had been sitting before.

"Due to the circumstances of his death I can only assume that they were able to ascertain information from Crewman Delancy. Sarah...Crewman Roberts, Ensign Ral, and I remained intact." Shalie did her best to cover the sorrow in her from this ordeal.
"Moving on, can you please provide information in regards to your rescue?"

"Yes, I was able to 'convince' one of the Targan guards to loosen the binding on my hands once he deposited me back into my cell. I have earlier gotten my hands on a small knife and metal spike which I used to pick the lock on the door. Once I freed Roberts and Ral we began making our way though the compound. That is when we came across Lieutenant O'Connell. You know the rest from there."

"Lieutenant Montgomery, if you had been in O'Connell's shoes would have executed the the same actions?" Lange inquired.
"I would like to believe that if left with the choice of drifting in a shuttle in space or going to rescue my fellow crew I would choose the latter." Shalie answered honestly.

"Do you believe his mission was successful?"

"I mean no disrespect Captain, but what kind of question is that? You want me to condemn the man who is the only reason that I am sitting in front of you today. To say that he should have followed Star Fleet procedure and left me and others on a hostile planet to be tortured until they decided to put us down like animals. I am sorry I cannot do that." Shalie was getting angry, and despite her better judgment it was starting to come across in her voice.

Lange's visage changed from apologetically necessary to rightous indignation. Her narrowed eyes and cruel mouth were displayed not only to Shalie Montgomery, but to the entire audience. Pursing her lips, Lange tapped the padd she had carried before coming to a decision. "It is clear that you, Lieutenant Montgomery, are far too close to the situation to make a rational decision. You may consider yourself dismissed."



"Is there anything more, counselor," Admiral Shuki asked, clearly perturbed at the by-the-book Captain's treatement of Shalie Montgomery.

"I see no reason to call Ensign Devanani Ral tot he stand. She will likely be just as emotional and irrational as Lieutenant Montgomery. In light of such things, the Prosecution rests, Admiral."

"Hokai Shuki nodded sagely. "A wise decision, Captain. It seems that whether you've read the book or not, personal attitudes have overlapped. I'll consider the pertinent, salient facts while disregarding personal attitudes in this matter. This is a court of law and fact afterall, not of personal opinion. Least of all yours, Captain."

Lange's eyes widened with a combination of outrage and fury. Wisely, she nodded silently as she returned to her seat behind her desk and composed herself.

"The court stands adjourned. One hour..."

To be Concluded...

 

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