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Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2004 17:41:22 -0400
Subject: [ASC] NEW:VOY "In Pursuit of Justice" 3/13 J [PG-13]
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Forwarded by the ASC-VSO 
Posted: 3 Jun 2004 13:21:49 -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: 3/13
Codes: J
Rating: PG-13
Date first posted: 6/3/04
Archive: ASC yes, all others please ask

Summary & Disclaimer: see part 1

Chakotay glanced at Janeway only once as he took the stand, and then
didn't look in her direction again. He seemed distinctly uncomfortable
during the preliminary phase of testimony. Janeway wished she knew
what was going through his mind.

"I thought I was making progress with communicating with the aliens,"
Chakotay said, in answer to Mendez's latest question.

"Did the Captain tell you she was satisfied with your efforts?" asked
Mendez. "Or otherwise let you know how much importance she placed on
the attempt at communication?"

Chakotay hesitated. "The Captain was more intent on finding the
Equinox."

"Even while Voyager was still under attack by the aliens?" Mendez
feigned surprise. "Would you say that was a rational course of action,
one you agreed with?"

"No, but I can understand her motivation."

Janeway's head came up sharply. At her side, Gaines leaned forward
intently waiting for the next exchange.

"And what would that motivation be, Commander?" Mendez asked.
"Revenge?"

"Objection," called Gaines. "Did Captain Janeway actually say she
wanted revenge?"

One of the admirals—Tirkar--interrupted. "I would like to hear the
answer to that myself. Did Captain Janeway discuss her motives with
you, Commander Chakotay, for pursuing the Equinox?"

"She spoke of the necessity of reclaiming a member of our crew,"
Chakotay said, "an individual who had been abducted from Voyager by
the Equinox, right before they fled."

Mendez recovered quickly. "This was the former Borg drone Annika
Hansen, known as Seven of Nine?"

"Yes," Chakotay said. "At the time we didn't realize that our EMH had
been taken as well."

Mendez picked up a PADD from her table, scrolled down and handed it to
the witness. "Would you please read the highlighted section?"

Chakotay took the PADD. "'I don't blame you for being angry, but you
can't compromise the safety of this ship for the sake of your
vendetta.'"

 "Do you recognize these words, Commander?"

"Yes, I said them," Chakotay said softly.

"To the Captain, yes? When?"

"Shortly after Equinox sabotaged our ship and left us vulnerable."

"'Vendetta' is a strong choice of words, Commander," Mendez said
sharply. "It sounds like at the time, you thought Captain Janeway's
motives were quite different than those you stated a few moments ago."

"No, I--"

Gaines stood. "I renew my objection to this line of questioning--it
has no relevance to the matter we are here for."

"On the contrary," Mendez said, before U'Tzedek could respond. "It
does--this goes to Captain Janeway's state of mind regarding the
Equinox and her crew, even before she managed to take Noah Lessing
prisoner."

U'Tzedek nodded. "I'll allow it. Objection overruled." 

Mendez didn't pause to savor her victory. "Did you continue to press
the idea of communication with the aliens instead of chasing Equinox?"

"Yes." 

"You submitted this in writing, as a formal report, Commander?" At
Chakotay's nod, she went on, "Was that your usual way of communicating
with the Captain?"

"No."

"Then why?" At Chakotay's hesitation, Mendez prodded, "Look at the
next section on the PADD, Commander. Captain Janeway also asked why
you took this unusual step. Please read your answer."

"'You weren't exactly receptive.'"

"'You' meaning the Captain, is that correct?" Mendez said.

"Yes."

"And Captain Janeway answered she wasn't receptive this time either,
that it was an interesting idea but not feasible. Instead, she was
studying Ransom's service record as a means of predicting his next
move."

"She figured Ransom and the Equinox would be hiding somewhere close
by," Chakotay said.

"Was this correct?"

"We were able to track them, and ambushed an away team on the surface
of a small planet."

"Is this when you captured Ensign Lessing?"

"Yes. The others got away."

"Was this ambush part of a strategy to force a prisoner exchange with
Equinox, or even compel their surrender?"

Chakotay rubbed his hand over his face wearily. "I believe that was
part of it, yes."

"Part?"

"At the same time, we were also engaged in a space battle with the
Equinox herself."

"Who emerged the victor in that conflict, Commander? Was it Voyager?"

"There was no clear-cut victor," Chakotay said. "We didn't manage to
capture their ship, if that's what you mean."

"In other words, Equinox escaped?"

"We had to let them go," Chakotay corrected Mendez. "If Voyager hadn't
been sabotaged--we realized only later the full extent of what Burke
had done to our systems--we would most likely have been successful. As
it is, we had to stand down and let them go."

"Did Captain Janeway want to break off the attack?"

Chakotay hesitated once more. "Not exactly."

"Not until you forced her to realize she had no choice," Mendez said,
an edge to her voice.

"Yes."

"So Equinox got away, yet again, and you were left with a prisoner."

"Yes."

"Did you say anything during Captain Janeway's interrogation in the
cargo bay, about the feasibility of her approach, or method of
questioning?"

"Lessing had valuable information--"

"Did you say anything during the interrogation itself, Commander,"
Mendez repeated, "or object to Captain Janeway's methods--her threats
to expose Lessing?"

"No."

"You waited until afterwards, when the shielding on the cargo bay had
been taken off-line and a fissure was beginning to form."

"I hoped--I thought it was only a bluff," Chakotay said uncomfortably.

"Or that Lessing would give in?" At Chakotay's nod, Mendez said, "But
it didn't happen that way, did it?"

Chakotay swallowed. "No, it didn't."

"What happened next?"

"I begged the Captain to reconsider."

"But she didn't, did she?" 

Chakotay was silent. 

"I'll take that as an affirmative, Commander. So, you took matters
into your own hands, and dragged the prisoner to safety." Mendez
waited a moment. "If you hadn't gone in after Lessing, what would have
happened to him?"

"He would have died," Chakotay said quietly.

"Thank you, Commander." Mendez sat down.

Gaines strode over to the witness stand. "Commander Chakotay, could
you please tell us why you didn't relieve Captain Janeway of command
immediately following the incident in the cargo bay? If her actions so
disturbed you?"

Chakotay shifted in his seat. "There were other issues to deal with,
namely trying to contact the aliens once more, this time through the
mediation of the Ankari, the species that had first introduced the
aliens to the Equinox."

"Did you attempt to discuss the incident in the cargo bay with the
Captain at your first opportunity?"

"Yes," Chakotay said. 

"And?"

Janeway held her breath. Gaines was treading on dangerous ground.

But Chakotay did not go into specifics of their exchange. Instead, all
he said was, "Captain Janeway relieved me of my duties and had me
confined to quarters under guard."

"Did you submit without a struggle?"

"Yes."

"But you had just seen your captain behaving irrationally--" Gaines
broke off as U'Tzedek gave him a penetrating stare. "I mean, acting
contrary to what you found acceptable. You'd just defied her orders to
'rescue' Mr. Lessing. You had a phaser. Why did you submit?"

"It wasn't my intention to remove her, or act in any manner that could
otherwise be construed as a mutiny. My actions earlier--my only
objective was securing Lessing's safety."

"But weren't you concerned that as soon as your back was turned,
Captain Janeway would order Lessing back into the bay, exposing him to
the alien attack once more?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Chakotay didn't hesitate. "I didn't think she would do it again."

"Even though she had done it once?"

"You don't understand," Chakotay said. "That wasn't like her--the
Captain wasn't going to commit cold-blooded murder."

"But she had placed Lessing in danger a short time earlier--with your
silent agreement."

"I don't think she meant to do it, the situation got out of hand--"

"It was a momentary lapse on the Captain's part?" Gaines asked.

"Yes, I think it was. All she needed was to be pulled back from the
brink," Chakotay said emphatically, then added, "I can't believe she
really would have gone through with it, even if I hadn't stopped her."

Janeway's eyes met Chakotay's briefly. 

Gaines gave no indication that his client had just dodged a
potentially fatal bullet. "After the entire Equinox 'incident' was
over, what happened to the members of their crew?"

"The survivors were integrated into the Voyager crew."

Gaines nodded. "Just like the Maquis had been years earlier, along
with various Delta Quadrant natives." He paused for a moment. "Were
there any further repercussions, any punishment or way in which the
Equinox crew was singled out?"

"They were demoted in rank," Chakotay said.

"Anything else?" At Chakotay's shake of the head, Gaines went on, "Was
any reference ever made again regarding  their actions against
Voyager's crew?"

"Only that one time. Captain Janeway spoke to them, told them they
were being given the opportunity to start over again, to make up for
their past mistakes."

"Did she sound angry, or vindictive in any way?" Gaines asked.

"Stern, that was all. She told them they had a debt to pay but other
than that, they'd be treated no differently than anyone else."

"And were they?"

"No," Chakotay said.

"Thank you," Gaines said before sitting down.

Mendez immediately rose. "Redirect. Commander Chakotay, you said about
Captain Janeway's actions toward Noah Lessing, 'all she needed was to
be pulled back from the brink.' Were you confident that Captain
Janeway realized that was indeed what had happened?"

Chakotay appeared confused. "Yes, of course."

"What do you base this on, her behavior afterward?"

"Yes."

"What about *immediately* after the events in the cargo bay,
Commander? Did Captain Janeway appear to realize she had made a
mistake in how she handled Lessing?"

"Not then, no."

"What about in the briefing room after you had spoken of finding the
Ankari? I believe you discussed what had just taken place in the cargo
bay." At Chakotay's hesitation, Mendez said, "As the Captain relieved
you of duty at the end of that conversation, it can be assumed she had
not come around to your way of thinking. How would you characterize
her state of mind?"

Gaines objected once more, but was summarily overruled.

Mendez continued inexorably,  "Did she seem happy with you, or
relieved you had prevented her from making a terrible mistake?"

Chakotay didn't respond.

U'Tzedek leaned forward. "Answer the question, Commander. Was Captain
Janeway happy with your actions, or did she seem angry?"

Chakotay shifted uneasily. "I believe that given time, she would have
realized--"

"At that particular moment, Commander," Mendez interjected. "What, in
your opinion, was her state of mind?"

"She was furious," he said quietly.

End part 3

--
Forwarded to ASCL by:
Stephen Ratliff
ASC Stories Only Forwarding

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