The Bottom of Things

Posted on Mon Aug 24th, 2009 @ 12:04pm by Lieutenant Commander Wesley Kemmer

1,888 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Behind the Mask of Familiarity
Location: Starbase 217

// Personal Quarters :: 2300 hours

The day had worn on, and was waring thin. Thin on air, thin on thought, thin on substance, and substances. Wesley Kemmer had already finished another bottle of his favourite poison and had started on another just after Mister Myers had left from giving him a quick briefing as to how he surmised the rest of the trial was to go. That was half an hour ago leaving Kemmer with only one more piece of sound advice; don't be late. He was once again sitting in the lounger chair in his quarters, again staring at the ceiling as consciousness slowly drifted from him...

It was hot, the sun high in the sky, and he found himself in immense pain hanging by his arms from the branch of a leafless, almost dead tree; the light breeze doing nothing to quell the blazing heat of the desert. His face mottled with bruises, a few cuts and abrasions which stung as the light particles of desert sand, dust and debris blew across his features. He looked to the horizon, his eyes catching a glimpse of a figure standing far off in the distance. He tried to yell but the only thing to escape his lips was a pitiful wheezing whisper of the words he was trying to say, and he looked back down at the ground; this was all familiar, but he appeared to be wearing his Starfleet uniform. When this happened he hadn't even been to the Academy.

He looked up once more, the figure standing closer but still too far away to make out any features. Kemmer tried again to call out to get their attention but the same whisper passed through his lips, his weight being supported by his arms was making it hard for him to breathe. Looking up again, he saw the figure was standing up close though they had appeared not to move at all, they were just there. They too were in a Starfleet uniform, wine red, captain's pips on their collar, long blonde hair flowing in the breeze, and he recognised them, Harwood.

Harwood looked up, a slight smirk cracking her features as she stared up at Kemmer, a superior glint in her eye as she finally spoke “I will have you.�

Kemmer woke with a start, the bottle falling to the floor with a dull thud, and the glass leaving his loose grip to break on the floor. He looked down at the broken glass on the floor for a few long seconds, aimlessly taking in the shape of them and the prisms of light being reflected through them, and sighed heavily. “Computer, time?� he asked.

“The time is 0827 hours.� came the monotonous reply.

Deciding to heed advice for once, he freshened himself up, had a long sonic shower, had a quick bite to eat not that he really felt like eating anything, and left his quarters for the trial chambers, as ever flanked by the security personnel outside his quarters. He was pacing in the adjoining waiting hall for a while before anyone else turned up, but just his luck it was not his own counsel but the prosecution. “...and make sure you let Captain Har...� Sanford stopped as soon as she saw Kemmer was present, and turning back to her 'colleague' started again as if nothing was amiss “make sure you let the captain know what's gone on here, I wasn't able to speak to her earlier.�

“Yes ma'am� the ensign dutifully answered, and went on about her business.

“Good morning Mister Kemmer, I trust you slept well?� Sanford cordially asked.

“Like a baby.� Kemmer replied, not buying in at all to the friendly nature of the prosecution.

“Excellent, I'll be needing you wide awake and alert today.�

“I can't imagine why – it's plainly obvious by all that you've always considered this a very open and shut case.�

“That was how it was intended to be, by all concerned.�

Kemmer's face hardened at the sound of the words that seemed like a threat taking form. “Especially by Captain Harwood?� he asked with a steely tone of voice.

“Captain who?� Sanford questioned trying to hide the look of guilt that she'd been caught out. “I'm afraid you have mistaken any allegiances I may have.�

“I don't think so.� Kemmer started before running in at full pelt, “This trial has been nothing more than a show trial, at least on your part. Admiral Rands looked quite displeased with the number of entrants into her courtroom for this affair, and for however little I know my own counsel, I know you even less, and that bugs the excrement out of me, captain. It's a condition, I can't trust those I don't know...�

“The universe is filled with people you don't know.� Sanford cut in.

“I think about that all the time, and quite frankly, it scares the bejeezers out of me,� he went on without missing a beat, “I heard you when you were about to walk in here with that greater than thou attitude, speaking somewhere between reverence and fear about some female captain whose name either first or last starts with 'H', and considering the timing of that little slip of the tongue, the way you abruptly stopped and changed the sentence to omit the name altogether, along with the predicament I find myself in and the person who put me in it, that leads me to only one conclusion...�

“That this is all about you? Hardly.� Captain Sanford responded, her voice hardening a considerable degree. “You're a pawn Mister Kemmer, someone who is always there at the beginning, can be replaced at a moments notice, and on occasion, ultimately expendable. No this isn't about you at all Mister Kemmer, there's something much larger going on here than you suspect; it's bigger than you, me, even Harwood.�

“What is it then, captain? What the hell is going on?�

“For you to know that, the trial has to end; and it's my job to make sure that it ends with you being convicted of treason.�

Just at that moment the doors to the out-chamber opened once more and William Myers stepped through just catching the last embers of Sanford's raised voice. “You're not terrorizing my client are you, captain?�

“Not at all.� Sanford answered not taking her eyes off of Kemmer.


// JAG Court :: 1222 hours

After final questioning, and the computer evidence laid out for all to see, Captain Mackenzie Sanford was already stood ready to give her closing arguments, but she faltered for but a moment. Admiral Rands was quite clear on her thoughts and determination of the facts as they stood. “Admiral, it would appear that your mind has already been made up, and what could I offer in the next few moments to convince you to change your views on the matter? Probably very little, but consider the following. Mister Kemmer has admitted to recording a private meeting, falsifying records and reports, forging entry into a Federation computer system, committing fraud and attempting to pin blame on a fellow Starfleet officer, and by acting on so-called orders to commit treason. He's admitted to it, he is guilty, he agreed that he was guilty. Everything, including the computer evidence should make it clear on what actions need to be taken. I rest that Mister Kemmer be taken into full custody and sentenced to the fullest extent that the law will allow. Evidence and personal testimony should be enough to convince anyone, any sane person, that he should be brought to justice.� And then she sat once again.

“Mister Myers, do you anything to add?�

“Your honour, the evidence against my client is compelling to say the least, and if I were in your position, I would have an easy time ruling like my colleague suggests. But that seat you're sitting in goes hand-in-hand with making tough decisions. Yes, the computer evidence is irrefutable, Mister Kemmer's testimony damning. But when it comes to the point, when it comes to charging this man with treason, is he actually guilty?� He paused a moment to take a breath, letting the words attempt to carry across their full meaning before going on. “Admiral, basic treason comes when a person gains access to material, information which is not widely circulated, or is classified and then sells that information to the enemy. What information was sold, or even given away, admiral? What enemy was it given to? My client did break into a classified file, that has been proved and admitted, but when that file was empty, passed to his commanding officer, can that truly be called treason? I don't think so. And I suspect, neither do you.�

There was a long silence before Admiral Margaret Rands glanced down at her PADD and then back at Wesley Kemmer. “Mister Kemmer, your actions have put me in a difficult position. My personal views on this matter are that you are not a bad person, a person who would unwittingly break the law for personal gain or to sell Starfleet out to the enemy, a view that is corroborated by your own personnel file. But the evidence and testimony points to a very different story. Then there is the matter that the file you gained access to, was the file of the arresting officer which puts a slant on this case unlike that on any other that I have dealt with in my twenty-seven years serving the Judge Advocate General's office.�

She paused again. “It's my belief, that the arresting officer has personal bearing on this case, whatever that may be, and that undue restrictions were placed on her personnel file that were asking for something like this to happen sooner or later. Therefore, I am ruling that the treason charge be dropped due to that issue being under the guise of a personal vendetta, and that...

“Admiral...� Sanford interrupted.

“Captain Sanford, you would be very wise not to question my sanity at this moment in time.� And quiet fell once again. “However, these acts cannot go unpunished. The remaining charges, fraud, forgery, computer hacking, bugging of a superiors office et al, must be answered for, and I feel that you understand me on this point Mister Kemmer.�

“Yes admiral, I do.� Wes solemnly agreed.

“You said that you believed you were doing the right thing, if in the wrong way. I cannot think of a better way to put it Lieutenant Commander. But the general outcome of this whole thing only proves that while these acts were performed by your own admission and testimony, no real harm was done, and that your skills would be better spent working within the Federation than without.�

A breath of relief came to Kemmer and Myers as they realised what was actually being said.

“While the charge of treason will be dropped, other details of this affair will be placed on your permanent record, for all to see. This will affect any posting that you may serve in the future including your current one on the USS Archimedes, where I release you to the position of, with full reinstatement of your rank and position.� The bell was then struck, and Admiral Rands left.

Sanford stood, and said plainly, “Congratulations� and then promptly left as well with no other word.

 

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