The Tribunal, Part II
Posted on Thu Nov 16, 2017 @ 2:48am by Lieutenant JG Leonora Dell & Commander Caleb Ryan & Lieutenant Mikaela Locke & Qinee & Civilian Hydel Turvan
2,130 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Rumours
Location: The Lissepian Embassy
Timeline: MD 07 1100
Previously on The Tribunal
A stern Cardassian voice cut in. "This is a restricted military reservation. How could children be out here?"
The Jem’Hadar looked down at Relon, who was in front of their column, fearfully quick-stepping back in the direction from which he had run. "I wondered the same. When this is over you can ask them," he answered.
The Cardassian legate on the other end admonished him, "Make sure of your targets before you open fire. If the Humans are using children as shields then we must use caution."
And now the continuation
Caleb frowned. He supposed that Cardassian radio chatter could have construed the situation that way. But he knew his people were not using the children as shields. He shifted in his seat, wanting to interrupt, but knew that would be foolish as he glanced up at the tribunal.
Tovall turned off the recording and faced the witness. "Gul Umar, what steps were taken next?"
The male Cardassian looked directly at the female Cardassian as he spoke and then towards the Tribunal itself. "I directed our forces to apply only the appropriate level of force necessary to subdue the attackers," he answered.
"Why would that be an issue?" Tovall inquired.
"I could have easily called for an orbital bombardment that would have eradicated the threat; however, those..." Gul Umar began to say, but struggled for several moments.
"But those innocent children had nothing to do with this act of aggression on behalf of the Federation! We knew that we had to use only the necessary force possible to defend ourselves and to rescue our children," he said angrily. His voice fluctuated as he tried to contain the anger that was growing inside of him.
"By the time we were able to send in reinforcements, the attackers had escaped. We were able to recover a partial recording of their position," he said more calmly. "We believe the recording was damaged due to the fighting.”
Tovall nodded as she once again activated the audio file, skipping to another portion.
[Caleb] "Jem'Hadar weapons have an anti-coagulant in the energy stream."
[Amia] "Anticoagulant? - - - Primitives!"
[Dell] "We need a distraction or some sort of shield. This smoke isn't not enough to cover our life signs. If they have any sort of targeting they'll be able to pick us up. I can use the sensor pack - - - send out false signals."
[Caleb] "Can it be mobile? - - - need shelter and a defensible position until we can - - - portal."
[Caleb] "I - - - need these - - children."
[Dell] "Those Jem'hadar --- pretty target -- kids may --- away from us."
[Amia] "We need to get --- home."
[Rivera] "Commander, --- the Jem'Hadar --- pulled back - - -een holding this position for --- minute now."
[Rivera] "A ship!"
[Korudos] "Increase - - - verteron activity -- portal is open -- again!"
[Liam] "I lost her..."
Caleb scowled. Had the Cardassians deliberately tampered with that recording? He wouldn’t put it past them. They were going to need the Starfleet recordings.
Tovall continued, "Were you able to recover the children after this incursion?" she asked.
Gul Umar was visibly upset. "No. By the time we were able to suppress the enemy forces, we were only able to recover one survivor, Siana Elor. We were saddened by the loss of such an innocent child at the hand of the cowardly Federation. For over twenty years the parents of Bretav Dejak grieved over their child without the benefit of having a body that they could properly bury," he said ruefully as he locked eyes with the Starfleet officers on trial. "It was essentially driving a knife deep into their heart and turning the blade," he added.
Tovall nodded. "Your Honor, the People of Cardassia have no further questions."
Speer looked along the bench. "Does any member of this tribunal have any questions before we call the defense to interrogate the witness?"
“Not at this time,” Artemis Pierce said in his Australian drawl.
“Seems pretty straightforward,” Qinee said, pouring herself some more slime tea.
Speer noted this on her record then turned to Caleb. "You and your companion may now ask questions."
Caleb stood up and glanced at the others with him, giving them a nod of reassurance as he approached the witness.
“Mr. Umar,” Caleb began, “or should Ah address ya as Gul? Ah admit ta not being familiar with the Cardassian customs in that regard.”
"You may refer to me as Gul Umar," the Cardassian said with obvious disdain in his voice.
“How did ya first hear of the Federation presence in that restricted area?” Caleb asked. “It was the Jem’Hadar on the scene first, wasn’t it? The occupying forces of the Dominion?”
Gul Umar narrowed his eyes on the Human before responding. "Cardassians were not occupied by the Dominion, we were the Dominion," he corrected.
"We were informed by a Jem'Hadar patrol party that arrived at the site of your attempted invasion. Once we learned that you had engaged in hostile actions, we feared that the Federation could be using this as a prelude to a better organized invasion, and we sent additional units for support," he said rigidly.
“Invasion? Such a large term for a small party,” Caleb stated. He turned to the tribunal. “Ah would like to submit the official after action report from Starfleet,” he told them. “It will show just how small mah team was that went through the temporal rift.”
Caleb turned back to Gul Umar. “Ah don’t suppose ya recognize me?” he asked. “How little Ah have changed in twenty years. Quite an accomplishment for a short-lived race like us Humans. Tell me, how we could have been an invasion force? We were barely twenty members strong, many of us non-combatant medical and science personnel.”
Caleb turned to the tribunal. Ambassador Qinee and Commander Pierce were glancing through the after action report, looking up occasionally. He handed a copy to Gul Umar.
“The report will indicate just why and how we arrived on Cardassia Prime,” Caleb said. “Mah medical records, authorized by the Chief Medical Officer Amia Telemon, indicate Ah personally suffered injury from the Jem’Hadar weapons that killed one Cardassian child and nearly killed the young boy Bretav. The third child ran off into the grass, which the Jem’Hadar weapons had ignited into a dangerous brush fire. Ah made the hard call. Ah couldn’t leave the boy behind. If his grievous injuries from the Jem’Hadar weapons didn’t end him, the brush fire or the orbital bombardment would have. So Ah took him with us ta save his life.”
Gul Umar tossed back the padd without taking a second glance at it. "You can shovel all the professionally doctored reports and memos you want in front of me, it won't change what I saw with my own eyes," he said pointedly.
"Maybe you have good genes, or perhaps you are Human mixed with some other species like an Arkelian mutt," he said distastefully.
"I don't know why you look the same, nor do I care. The facts are as clear today as they were then: Your forces invaded our home and killed our children with some form of experimental technology," he stated. "Like so many other Federation ventures, your attempts at exploration resulted in destruction and violation of sovereign rights," the Cardassian said passionately.
“Ah don’t think we’re gonna get any farther with this line a questionin’,” Caleb drawled. “No further questions, Yer Honors,” he addressed the tribunal. “Ya’ll have our reports, as well as the actual Starfleet comm logs.”
Speer looked up and down the bench. "Does anyone on the bench have questions for the prosecution witness?"
Artemis Pierce looked up from his padd and at the Cardassian. “Did, at any time, you try and make peaceful contact with the Starfleet presence? I mean, they were in an area of ongoing joint exercises. You clearly had military and numerical superiority. And if, as you believed, they were holding children hostage, why was no attempt made to peaceably resolve the confrontation and get the children to safety? The child, after all, was killed by Jem’Hadar weapons, and not Starfleet.”
Gul Umar stared quizzically at Pierce for several moments before responding, making sure to carefully choose his words. "Did we try to make...peaceful contact with the Starfleet officers...?" the Cardassian repeated slowly, as if he was speaking to a child.
"I don't see how your question is relevant," Speer asked Pierce. "The Cardassians are not the ones on trial."
"Not only are we not on trial, but it was our home that was invaded by your incompetent soldiers!" Gul Umar snapped. "Clearly, they used some form of technology that they weren't familiar with in an attempt to launch an attack against us," he continued.
"We responded with appropriate force and drove out the invaders. However, as a parting shot, they kidnapped one of our own and have held him hostage for the past twenty years!" he said angrily.
"You tell me if that deserves a peaceful response," he concluded.
Artemis leveled his piercing blue gaze on the Cardassian. “Watch your tone, Gul, or you will be held in contempt,” he said pointedly. “So no attempt was made at all to determine just why or how a very small force -- not even a military force -- of Starfleet personnel appeared on Cardassia Prime. You claim to know everything about their motivations and purpose, even about the means of their arrival, and yet not once did you even attempt to talk to them. Your evidence is complete speculation, Gul Umar.”
Pierce shot a glance at the unhelpful Speer. “That is why the question is relevant, Ambassador,” he said pointedly.
"If it pleases this Tribunal, I would ask that Gul Umar be allowed to step down and go on with his business," Prosecutor Tovall said, trying to calm the room before it erupted into another gun fight.
"If the defendants have no further questions?" Speer allowed.
“None, Yer Honor,” Caleb said, returning to his seat.
Tovall stood and once again addressed the Tribunal. "At this time, the Government would like to call Siana Elor to the stand," she announced as the assigned Security personnel went into the hall to retrieve the young Cardassian girl.
Except she wasn't so young any more. Siana Elor had grown up in the intervening eighteen years. Now a woman, she was almost unrecognisable. Her features had matured. A slash of uncharacteristic pale flesh marred one side of her face, a deep tissue scar that had been caused by the fires all those years ago. Her hair only grew on the opposite side of her face, but she wore it well.
On seeing Commander Ryan and the other Starfleet officers, she hesitated before continuing to the small dais where witnesses were supposed to stand, and then looked to Tovall for further instruction.
This was not the first time that Siana had before a group of Federation soldiers. Growing up in the post-war Cardassia had put her around a variety of Federation officers and civilian workers. But they always looked at her with the same look of pity and charity. Oh...the poor Cardassian girl. Her home has been devastated, how can I help this poor, defenseless creature.. She hated the sense of helplessness, but she hated even more the thought of her siblings going hungry or without basic supplies. So she tolerated the efforts to whatever extent that she could.
However, as she stood in this chamber, she noticed the looks from the Federation individuals were different. It was not a look of sympathy, but of apprehension, perhaps even defensiveness.
This was different, but it was good.
The Lissepian looked down at her. "Do you swear to serve justice and truth, or forfeit your hand and tongue?" she repeated, voice kind and warm, despite the dire warning.
"I do," she said in a wavering voice. She turned and took her seat in the witness seat and looked down at her hands which were visibly shaking.
"Please state your name for the Tribunal," Tovall stated.
"My name is Siana Elor," she said with slight hesitation at announcing herself to a room of strangers.
To be Continued
Cmdr Caleb Ryan
Chief of Security
DS5
Lt Mikaela Locke
Cheif Intelligence Officer
DS5
Lt JG Leonora Dell
Acting head of operations
DS5
Legate Hydel Turvan
Cardassian Ambassador
DS5
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