Received: from [66.218.66.31] by n37.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 05 Jun 2004 21:42:30 -0000 X-Sender: stephen@trekiverse.org X-Apparently-To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Received: (qmail 66742 invoked from network); 5 Jun 2004 21:42:29 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.172) by m25.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 5 Jun 2004 21:42:29 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO avocet.mail.pas.earthlink.net) (207.217.120.50) by mta4.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 5 Jun 2004 21:42:29 -0000 Received: from sdn-ap-028dcwashp0390.dialsprint.net ([65.177.97.136]) by avocet.mail.pas.earthlink.net with smtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 1BWivn-0000PI-00 for ascl@yahoogroups.com; Sat, 05 Jun 2004 14:42:24 -0700 To: ascl@yahoogroups.com Organization: Alt.StarTrek.Creative Virtual Staff Office Message-ID: X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 X-eGroups-Remote-IP: 207.217.120.50 X-eGroups-From: Stephen From: Stephen X-Yahoo-Profile: oldmanasc MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCL@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list ASCL@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2004 17:41:17 -0400 Subject: [ASC] NEW:VOY "In Pursuit of Justice" 2/13 J [PG-13] Reply-To: ASCL-owner@yahoogroups.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 X-ELNK-AV: 0 Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: 3 Jun 2004 13:19:55 -0700 In: alt.startrek.creative From: roq@iname.com (Rocky) Title: In Pursuit Of Justice Author: Rocky Contact: roq@iname.com Web page: http://www.angelfire.com/yt/rockyroad Series: VOY Part: 2/13 Codes: J Rating: PG-13 Date first posted: 6/3/04 Archive: ASC yes, all others please ask Summary & Disclaimer: see part 1 Admiral Mishpat U'Tzedek, the presiding officer at the court-martial, picked up the small silver gavel and tapped three times on the podium. U'Tzedek was an Anjehelian, an avian species whose slender wings and delicate, almost ethereal features naturally gave rise to the common shortened form of their name. As U'Tzedek fixed her glowing red eyes on the defense table, Janeway started involuntarily. An angel of justice, not mercy. "Are you ready to begin, Captain Gaines?" Gaines rose and addressed the panel of seven who would be deciding Janeway's fate. Janeway recognized only three of the officers, T'Lara, Lemech and Alexander Kaiser, who had been the ones to originally review the charges against her during the article 32 hearing and decide they warranted going to trial. The others—Getz, Serug and Tirkar—were unknown entities. "I would like to begin by describing the exact circumstances Voyager found itself in," Gaines said, his deep voice resonating clearly throughout the chamber, "as well as provide background on the 'Spirits of Good Fortune' who played a key role in the Equinox's crimes, as well as the incident for which this trial is being held. "On Stardate 53035.2, Voyager came across the badly damaged Equinox. Jubilant at finally seeing another Federation vessel after long years in the Delta Quadrant, Captain Janeway immediately offered aid and succor to Captain Ransom and his people, encouraged a free exchange of supplies, technology and even of personnel. She held nothing back, listened sympathetically as Ransom and his first officer, Commander Burke, explained how Equinox had been under almost constant attack by a particular species of aliens." Gaines paused for a moment. "But Ransom left out key details of his story, gave orders to keep Voyager's officers away from his own ship's labs and engine room, lest their secret--a systemic use of a race of sentient beings for *fuel*, a calculated campaign of genocide--would be revealed." The jurors' attention never wavered, but one or two allowed a pained expression to cross their faces. "The crew of the Equinox, from the commanding officers on down, engaged in a coordinated and deliberate attempt to deceive Voyager. And when the truth was ultimately revealed, Ransom ordered the deliberate sabotage of their benefactor's ship, the theft of key equipment necessary for Voyager to defend itself against attack--attacks provoked by the fact of their helping Equinox--and left their fellow Starfleet officers to what they were convinced was certain death. As a final parting shot, Ransom kidnapped two members of Voyager's crew, and left behind their own Emergency Medical Hologram to serve as spy and additional saboteur." Gaines gestured dramatically. "If that does not constitute an act of war, an opening of hostilities, I don't know what would. "Equinox was long gone, and Voyager was left exposed and defenseless. But contrary to Ransom's expectations, Voyager was not destroyed. They managed to beat off the enemy, jury-rig the shields to protect against further attacks. And then instead of allowing Ransom to get away with his heinous acts--or abandon her crew to his tender mercies--Janeway set off in pursuit. "Make no mistake: it was Equinox which began this conflict, set these events in motion. Janeway's actions were calculated to elicit information to help her ship, recover her missing crew members, and finally, bring Ransom to justice. "Voyager tracked Equinox to a small planet. Ransom was able to elude Voyager--he had superior firepower, not to mention inside information about Voyager's weapons and capabilities. Ransom and his ship got away, but Voyager managed to capture one of the Equinox crewmen on the planet—Ensign Noah Lessing." Gaines took a sip of water. "Try to imagine, if you can, the situation on board Voyager at that time. The ship was crippled, under attack. Ransom and the Equinox were gone, but there was no guarantee they would not return at a later date to raid Voyager once more, to prey on their fellow Starfleet officers as they did the nucleogenic aliens, stripping them of rations, of energy, of equipment, perhaps of their very lives. Even if the stakes were not so high regarding Voyager's own survival, Captain Janeway could not in good conscience allow the Equinox to continue on their present course of action, charting a path of destruction and genocide across the galaxy. To stop Ransom, she first needed to find him. And so she turned to the obvious source of information, the recently apprehended Equinox crew member. "However, through misguided loyalty to his own captain--the man who had set Equinox on their repugnant path--Noah Lessing refused to talk. He refused to assist Captain Janeway, refused to cooperate in any way. By his own actions, he clearly regarded himself as a prisoner of war. Perhaps over time he would have reconsidered his situation, realized he had a chance to break with the unspeakable cruelties of life on board the Equinox, of no longer having to follow Ransom's sadistic directives. Perhaps Lessing would have decided of his own volition to help stop the destructive and vicious cycle--in time. But time was a luxury that Voyager could not afford. And so Captain Janeway was obliged to treat him as an enemy—a prisoner of war--and interrogate him." Gaines paused once more, and Janeway had the sense he was picking his way very carefully. "The manner of this questioning, the methods employed--it's all very easy for us now to judge Captain Janeway, to look back from the safety of our own positions, from the comfort of the Alpha Quadrant where lone ships are not forced to fend for themselves for years in hostile environments, contending with tremendous forces against them. Even our recent experiences in the Dominion War cannot quite bring us to comprehend the dire circumstances Voyager was in. If Captain Janeway was perhaps harsh in her manner of interrogation, it was because she was driven to it by the situation. She needed the information Lessing had, and it was imperative that she obtain it, by force if necessary. Too many other lives were at stake." Gaines glanced around the room, noting the few observers, and then turned his attention back to the members of the jury. "The end result of course, was that Noah Lessing did not speak. Was his life endangered? Yes. But was it ultimately lost? No. For the duration of the Equinox incident--and for the remainder of the years in the Delta Quadrant--Lessing was not threatened again in any way, was not in any greater peril than any other individual on board Voyager." Gaines gestured toward Janeway. "These are not the actions of a captain who harbored any ill will toward him--or anyone else connected with the Equinox! The entire set of regrettable events which transpired between Captain Janeway and Ensign Lessing on that day were solely due to the captain's desperation--" Gaines quickly corrected himself "--desperate need for information. Nothing more. "It is my hope, my belief, that this jury will find Captain Janeway's actions, while they may perhaps be considered extreme, were caused by the exigencies of war, and not out of a malicious or premeditated intent to commit murder." The prosecutor, Captain Lenore Mendez, was tall and her sleek black hair, with just a hint of gray about the temples, was caught up in a knot at the nape of her neck. Unlike her opponent, she chose to stroll around the chamber as she spoke, as if to give greater weight to her words. "We have all heard the words of my esteemed colleague," she said in slightly accented Standard, "but I intend to show Captain's Janeway's actions went well beyond what has been described. She was not only pursuing information, but an enemy. Yes, the Captain was seeking *revenge* for Captain Ransom's deception, for the damages inflicted on her ship--and ironically enough, his violation of his oath as a Starfleet officer." Mendez smiled. "I say ironic, because by her actions, Captain Janeway showed she wanted Ransom's whereabouts at any cost, didn't mind if it cost a life or two to get it--as long as it wasn't *her* crew at risk. "How else can one explain what she attempted to do to Noah Lessing--what she very nearly succeeded at, the cold-blooded murder of an innocent man. The Ensign was not privy to the private thoughts of his commanding officer; he could not read Ransom's mind and tell Captain Janeway where the Equinox was headed, or what they intended to do next. In fact, Lessing could be viewed as much as a victim of Ransom's cruelty as Voyager. A hapless victim. "But to Captain Janeway, this man represented something else. He was a symbol of the crimes the Equinox had committed, of what Ransom had done to her ship and crew. Ransom was out of reach, but Lessing was not." Mendez inclined her head graciously toward the defense. "Captain Gaines, in his eloquent statement a few moments ago, did not detail just how Captain Janeway's interrogation was carried out. In a move of stunning brutality, she threatened to expose him to the nucleogenic aliens--and then did just that, blatantly ignoring the rules of engagement, of civilized behavior, of sheer humane conduct. The fact that Lessing survived this 'interrogation' is not to Captain Janeway's credit, nor was it due to any actions of hers. "It is clear beyond a shadow of a doubt if Lessing had not been removed from that cargo bay, he would have been dead mere seconds later. No, Captain Janeway did not fire on him with a phaser, she did not viciously beat him. She just left him to what she knew was certain death. "Such an act would be considered cruel by any standards, but consider what it meant to this particular victim. Noah Lessing had firsthand knowledge what the nucleogenic aliens were capable of, what painful and heinous death they inflicted. Lessing had spent years watching crewmates die, seeing his ship attacked time and time again. Like the other Equinox survivors, he learned to avoid getting trapped in narrow or confined areas, to constantly be straining his ears for the high-pitched sounds which heralded another attack. Captain Janeway's threat to expose him was a form of *psychological* cruelty, exquisitely calculated to inflict maximum pain and suffering by making his worst nightmares come true. Even if she had never intended to leave him to be murdered, the threat alone clearly demonstrates an intent to torture him, to break him in the most devastating way possible. But as I have already said, Janeway did not stop at threats." Janeway glanced involuntarily at the jury, but none of the members met her eyes. Beside her, Perry put a steadying hand on her arm. Mendez went on. "The desperate situation Voyager found themselves in doesn't excuse torture and attempted murder. Captain Janeway blamed Ransom for behaving contrary to how a Starfleet officer and captain was supposed to act, but by her own behavior she herself sank not just to his level, but worse. She deliberately, and cold-bloodedly, left Noah Lessing to die." U'Tzedek's silver gavel rose and fell once more. "Captain Mendez, please call your first witness." "The prosecution calls Lieutenant Del Butler." Butler, a short, barrel-chested young man, took his seat. Clearly nervous, he cracked his knuckles and faced the prosecutor after he was sworn in. "Please state your name, rank and serial number for the record," Mendez said pleasantly. "Lieutenant Del Butler, j.g., serial number 656-5827B." "Current assignment?" "I'm on leave at present, ma'am--I'm due to ship out aboard the Potomac in ten days." "Your department?" "Security." "You previously served as a security officer on board Voyager, is that correct?" "Yes, ma'am." "Were you a member of the original crew that left Deep Space Nine on Stardate 48315.6, or were you a member of the Maquis?" Butler glanced at Janeway. "I was a member of the Voyager crew from day one." Mendez nodded. "Please state where you were assigned on Stardate 53049.2." "I was on the bridge during Alpha Shift." "At the tactical station?" "No," Butler said. "Commander Tuvok was at tactical. Lieutenant Parks and I were ordered to take up additional positions on the bridge. I was stationed next to the turbolift." "Was it common practice to have a security guard posted on the Bridge, in addition to the Chief of Security?" "No, but we had extra security personnel all over—everyone was pulling double shifts while we were in pursuit of the Equinox; we were expecting an attack at any time." "You were expecting an attack from the Equinox?" Butler nodded. "Also from those--creatures." "The Spirits of Good Fortune?" Butler's lip curled. "Yeah, that was one name for them. We'd just managed to get our shields up so we wouldn't have to worry about any fissures opening up for them to come through--but we hadn't been given the order to stand down from the heightened state of alert yet." Mendez's demeanor changed slightly; her tone became more brisk. "All right, Lieutenant. How did you end up in Cargo Bay Two?" "Captain Janeway received word Ensign Lessing had been apprehended on the planet. When she left the Bridge she ordered me to accompany her." "Did you actually go inside the cargo bay with Captain Janeway?" Mendez asked. "Yes. Morrison was outside, but the Captain told me to go in with her." "Just the two of you?" "No," Butler said. "Commander Chakotay was there as well." Mendez glanced down at a PADD on her table. "Please describe the setting in the cargo bay. Lessing was standing?" "No, ma'am. He was sitting down." "On the floor?" "In a chair." Mendez came to stand in front of the witness stand. "Was he able to move around freely?" Butler shook his head. "No, ma'am, his arms and legs were bound." Mendez said, "Were you armed, Lieutenant?" "Yes, ma'am." His surprise at the question was evident. "Security officers on duty are armed at all times, especially during an emergency situation." "So you weren't carrying a phaser because you were afraid of what Ensign Lessing might do, or to protect your captain." "No, ma'am. He was a prisoner of war." "If he was a prisoner of war, why wasn't he in the brig?" asked Mendez. "The brig hadn't undergone any damage, had it? "Not that I know of." Mendez consulted her notes. "The brig is shielded, is it not? More so than the rest of the ship?" "It's supposed to be impervious to beam-outs, if that's what you mean, ma'am, to minimize the risks of any prisoners escaping." "I see," Mendez said. "But shouldn't Ensign Lessing have been in the brig? Didn't that strike you as odd? Butler shifted uneasily in his seat. " I...I don't know, ma'am." "Wasn't it normal procedure to keep prisoners in the brig?" Mendez repeated. "Why do you think the Captain gave orders--" Gaines rose to his feet. "Objection. The witness has already answered the question. He doesn't know." "Sustained," said Admiral U'Tzedek. "Move on, Captain Mendez." "You said earlier, Lieutenant, that you were armed?" said Mendez. "Yes." "What about Captain Janeway?" "Yes, ma'am, she had a weapon." Butler added, "We all did, everyone on board. Because of the attacks by those aliens, you see. There wasn't much warning when they would show up and it took phaser blasts to drive them off--" Mendez leaned forward. "But the shields had been restored, hadn't they, all over the ship? The danger of imminent attack wasn't there any more, was it?" Butler gulped. "No, ma'am." "So there you were, you and Captain Janeway, both heavily armed, confronting a man who was bound hand and foot." Mendez's lip curled slightly. "Did the Captain tell you what she was going to do?" "She wanted to question the prisoner." "Did Captain Janeway clearly state to Lessing what she wanted from him?" "Yes. Tell her how to find Ransom and what his tactical status was or suffer the consequences." "What was Lessing's reaction?" "He refused." "What did Captain Janeway do then?" "She increased the threats. She told him exactly what was going to happen if he didn't cooperate." "Was she bluffing?" Mendez asked in an almost conversational tone. Gaines rose once more. "Objection—once again, how can Lieutenant Butler purport to know the defendant's state of mind?" "I'll rephrase the question," Mendez said. "Based on her demeanor, did she look like she was serious?" Butler hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, she was deadly serious. There was no question in my mind the Captain meant what she said." "Did Lessing believe her?" "I don't know," Butler said slowly. "Lessing looked at Commander Chakotay, asked if this was where he was going to come in and save him, advise him to give it up. But Chakotay said no, the Captain was on her own." Mendez let the words hang in the air for a moment. "What happened next?" "The Captain walked out, giving orders to remove the shields." "Did you comply with those orders, Lieutenant?" "Yes," Butler said, uncomfortably. "Why?" "She's the Captain," Butler said. "She's the Captain," repeated the Mendez. "Rather similar to Equinox's sit--" seeing Gaines begin to rise from his seat yet again, she quickly changed what she was about to say. "You followed the Captain's orders even though you knew what was likely to happen next?" "Yes." "What *was* going to happen?" Butler glanced at Janeway again. "We were under almost constant attack by those creatures, thanks to the Equinox." "Thanks to their treachery, you mean?" "Yes--they unleashed those monsters on us and then crippled our systems and left us to fend for ourselves!" he said heatedly. Mendez looked at Butler for a long moment. "So, in your opinion, Captain Janeway's decision to expose Lessing to them was justified?" "Objection," called Gaines, a hint of exasperation in his voice. Mendez said, "Withdrawn. But Voyager was able to get the shields working again, isn't that correct? You were no longer at risk?" "We were able to rig something," Butler said grudgingly. "In every part of the ship?" "Pretty much, yeah." "You were safe at that particular moment in time, isn't that correct?" "As long as the shields stayed up." "What happened in unshielded areas?" Mendez asked. "The creatures came," Butler said. "Right away? Or was there a period of time in which you knew you were relatively safe?" "Our experience had been it was only a few seconds, maybe half a minute at most." Mendez nodded as if satisfied. "So Captain Janeway, as she promised, willfully exposed Noah Lessing to almost certain death." She looked at Gaines. "Your witness, Captain." Gaines approached the witness stand. "Lieutenant, you said earlier that there were others present in the cargo bay, other than yourself and Captain Janeway?" Butler gave him a questioning look. "Lessing was there." Gaines smiled. "Yes, of course. What I meant was, other than the prisoner and Captain Janeway and yourself, was there anyone else present?" "Commander Chakotay." "I see. And did he say anything during Captain Janeway's interrogation?" Butler thought for a moment. "I don't think so, sir. I mean, not more than I already mentioned, that Lessing asked the Commander if he was going to intervene and he said no." "Nothing Commander Chakotay said or did made much of an impression on you? Or seemed to have any impact on how things were proceeding?" "It was Captain Janeway's show to run." "So you don't recall if Commander Chakotay made any objections to what she was doing," Gaines said. "No, sir." "To all appearances, he was in complete agreement with the Captain?" "Yes." "Thank you, Lieutenant," Gaines said. "I have nothing further for this witness." Admiral U'Tzedek said, "You may step down, Lieutenant." She then tapped the gavel three times. "Due to the lateness of the hour, we will adjourn until tomorrow morning at 0800 hours." Janeway glanced at Gaines, unconcernedly slipping PADDS inside his briefcase. "What was that about?" she asked. Gaines snapped the lid shut and stood, straightening his uniform as he did so. "What are you referring to?" "That bit about Chakotay," Janeway said, standing as well. "I already told you, it won't be possible to show he was complicit in my actions, that it was all part of an elaborate charade the two of us concocted—" "Please, Captain." He gave her a sharp look. Janeway lowered her voice, remembering they were still in a public area. "I don't understand what you hope to gain. Are you trying to discredit Chakotay? Getting Butler to admit he saw no reason to interfere or disobey orders is a far cry from—" "A court-martial is like a chess game," Gaines said, interrupting her once more. "These were just the opening moves. We'll see how it plays out tomorrow." End part 2 -- Forwarded to ASCL by: Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek.creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Sat Jun 05 17:46:01 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n28.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.84]) by condor (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1bwIWi1Fg3NZFjK0 for ; Sat, 5 Jun 2004 14:42:54 -0700 (PDT) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13664-1086471774-stephenbratliffasc=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com