The Tribunal, Part IV

Posted on Wed Dec 20, 2017 @ 3:23am by Lieutenant JG Leonora Dell & Commander Caleb Ryan & Qinee & Civilian Hydel Turvan

2,125 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Rumours
Location: The Lissepian Embassy
Timeline: MD 07 1500

Previously on The Tribunal
She turned to Ryan. "Do you have witnesses?"

Ryan stood up. “Just ourselves, Your Honor. Our testimony will just reinforce the official report. After action reports were included by every member of the away team. We are willin’ ta take questions from the Tribunal an’ the Prosecution, however, an’ Ah’m willin’ ta sum up the essence of what happened.”

"Very well." Speer said. "Please swear the oath, and you may speak."

Caleb swore the oath, and then started to give his testimony.

And now, the conclusion...


“We were given orders ta explore one of the rifts we found on Pangea. We wanted ta know where they led, how safe they might be. We put together an away team of primarily security an’ science personnel an’ chose a rift. We weren’t sure where we had come through at first. It was just open grassland, with not much around ta see. When the science officers had determined that we were on Cardassia Prime two decades in the past durin’ the Dominion War, Ah immediately invoked the Temporal Prime Directive. If we couldn’t get the rift open ta go back, Ah was plannin’ on findin’ some place secluded we could hole up an’ lie low, avoid the locals, until we could get back.

“But that was when the Cardassian kids stumbled on us. They were naturally scared of us, an’ we tried ta put ‘em at ease, but they alerted a nearby Jem’Hadar patrol. The Jem’Hadar opened fire, with no concern fer those kids bein’ in the line a fire. The grass was dry, an’ the plasma started fires. It was a lot a chaos. Ah ordered a retreat, still tryin’ ta pull back ta the tree line. Then we managed ta get the rift ta open again, so Ah ordered a retreat back through.

“That was when one a the kids got hit by a Jem’Hadar disruptor. Ah jumped in the way an’ took most a the blast -- mah medical records will show that -- but it wasn’t enough. The boy was dyin’ an’ needed serious medical attention. Ah made the call ta take Bretav with us, so we could save his life. An’ we did.

“At no point did we seek to engage Cardassian or Dominion forces. We fired back only ta defend ourselves, an’ only on stun setting, despite the lethal nature of the Jem’Hadar attacks. We tried ta avoid contaminatin’ the timeline by secludin’ ourselves from the local population. We were not given the time ta do so, however. That’s the gist of what happened, Yer Honors.”

Finished, Caleb took the seat in the stand for the prosecutor’s questions.

"We tried to avoid contaminating the timeline,” Tovall repeated as she stood, without the Human accent. The Cardassian female let the words sink into the room before she continued. "On one hand, they claim that they were simple travelers who became inadvertently lost through the portal and had tried their best to avoid contaminating the timeline," she said.

"Members of the Tribunal, our burden today was to prove that these individual actors had the criminal intent to disregard the sovereignty of Cardassia when they launched an ill-planned and reckless attack that resulted in a child being stolen from his home and Cardassia's history irrevocably damaged," she continued.

"While Mr. Ryan can give a heartfelt speech in his defense in an attempt to minimize his destructive involvement, the evidence that we have proven today has established numerous undeniable facts," she began as she activated a screen before the tribunal.

"First, neither Mr. Ryan nor anyone in his party was qualified or experienced enough to operate the technology found on that planet. They proceeded through the portal without the benefit of numerous tests and verification of safety by their own Science and Research departments within the Federation. There is a reason why the Cardassian military does not allow brand new recruits to command their own vessel just because they know how to push the buttons," she said forcefully.

"Second, upon encountering Cardassian Defense Forces, they should have immediately surrendered to appropriate forces. They would have been safely escorted to a Cardassian facility where the appropriate Federation authorities, as well as the Department of Temporal Investigations, would have been able to properly deal with the unlawful incursion," Tovall said as she listed the preferred actions that could have been taken.

"But instead, they decided to launch a deadly attack against security personnel that were properly responding to an unprovoked invasion by their then adversaries," she said.

"Finally," the female Cardassian said as she brought up the picture of Bretav.,"they have permanently deprived this innocent child of his rightful future to be raised by his true family. Mr. Ryan's arrogance led him to think that he would be doing the child a favor by kidnapping him and bringing him to a Federation military installation without any contact with his family. There is no telling the pain his family has suffered at not just the lost of their son, but at the inability to even bury his remains in proper funeral," she said emotionally as she looked towards the Federation officers.

"This Tribunal must return a verdict that speaks to the pain and devastation wrought by these reckless actors. They were reckless, careless, and downright dangerous. The only verdict that can properly mitigate their actions and serve as a deterrent to future space cowboys is a verdict of guilty," she concluded as she took her seat.

Caleb stood up again to make his closing statement.

“Part of Starfleet’s mission is boldly goin’ into the strange an’ new,” he said. “That is what mah team an’ Ah were doin’ that day on Pangea. Boldly -- an’ bravely -- explorin’ one of these rifts. We had no idea we would land on Cardassia, much less inta the past. Sensor drones had little effect in sendin’ back telemetry once through the rifts. We wanted ta ascertain just how safe they were to avoid any other incidents. We certainly had no intention of violatin’ Cardassian territory. We had taken all the standard Starfleet away team precautions. We had Security for safety, an’ Science personnel for exploration. We had even brought along our counselor in case a first contact specialist was needed.

“Once we had realized we were accidentally in violation of the Temporal Prime Directive, we attempted ta make the necessary safeguards ta minimize our effect. Unfortunately, time was not on our side, an’ preemptive hostile contact was made. The Defense would like ya to believe that they would have peacefully handled the situation, but they were the ones that initiated the violence. An’ when have ya known Jem’Hadar ta take prisoners without brutal interrogation?” he queried, looking to Artemis Pierce. The commodore had fought in the Dominion War and knew the Jem’Hadar and Dominion well. “An’ there was a reason that this tribunal was held here on Deep Space Five and not turned over ta Cardassian justice. Because Cardassian justice is no justice!” Caleb said forcefully.

“An’ Ah take affront ta any treaty that would turn Federation citizens over ta a system that presumes guilt and holds trials only for show. That is not what the Federation Ah serve stands for! Did the Cardassians hand Gul Dukat over ta Bajor for his crimes against their people? No! Nor did they turn over any number of officers that could be branded war criminals for their actions against the Federation citizens in the Demilitarized Zone or the Dominion War. We rebuilt their planet after the war, at considerable expense, an’ this is the way they repay us.”

Caleb caught a look from Commodore Pierce and took a breath, reigning in his temper a bit.

“Yer Honors of this tribunal, Ah am very sorry for the loss of life incurred in this innocent -- loss of life not from Federation weapons, but from Jem’Hadar. Ah am sorry for the distress it caused a young Cardassian girl. An’ Ah am sorry that a young boy was separated from his family for so long. But Ah will never apologize for savin’ that boy’s life. He is young. He has a long and bright future ahead of him, a future that would have been cut off by that Jem’Hadar disruptor had Ah not taken the brunt of the blast mahself, an taken him with us for immediate medical attention. That boy owes me nothing. Bretav may hate me for what Ah did. Ah may have broken the Temporal Prime Directive. But Ah will never apologize for savin’ the life of a child. Ya’ll may punish me for that as ya will.”

Caleb cast his gaze over the tribunal, catching Pierce’s eye, who gave him a nod, and then Qinee’s, who kept a poker face, though there was something in her eyes he wasn’t certain he liked. He glanced to Speer and the Romulans and Cardassians, realizing just how stacked against him was the deck.

Caleb didn’t let that show, however. He tugged at his tunic, stood straight, and returned to his seat.

"Very well," said Speer. "The panel must now vote." She turned to the first of the two Cardassians, Sujan Marrah, at the extreme right of the panel "Do you find for the Prosecution, or the Defense?"

"I find no reason to waste time with a soliloquy about 'Justice' or an other pleasantries. I'll get to the point. I find for the Prosecution," Sujan said unceremoniously.

Speer turned to the left and looked to Pierce. "And how do you find, Commodore? For the Prosecution or the Defence?"

“I find for the Defense,” Artemis said. “The after action reports and official report are very clear.”

Speer turned an enquiring eyebrow to the second Cardassian, Kavan Fosset.

"The Defendants argued a very believable theory; however, the evidence has been very clear that their actions were taken with little regard to the safety of others, let alone themselves," Kavan said. "Therefore, I find for the Prosecution."

Speer turned back again, this time to the Ferengi ambassador. "Madame Qinee? How do you find?"

Qinee looked over the Federation officers. There was that glint in her eye again. “I find for the Defense,” she said.

There it is, Caleb said. Now I owe her.

The Lissepian kept a neutral face. "Lissepia finds for the Prosecution. Ambassador?" she turned to the Romulan, fulling expecting his agreement.

D'Aerrol looked at Ryan, inscrutable. Then he looked at Turvan and smiled beatifically, as if he'd just won a game that only he knew he was playing. "I find... for the Defense."

Hydel leaned back carefully in his chair and studied the face of the Romulan. He would let him have this moment. However, the time was going to come when the green-blooded bastard would regret his decision today.

Speer pursed her lips. The Lissepian woman had obviously been expecting a rather different result. "Under the laws that govern this tribunal, if the panel is divided, then the tribunal must find for the Defense. The Defense is exonerated of all charge." She tapped her gavel three times, indicating the proceedings closed.

Turvan smiled as he stood and spoke, rather loudly, to the female Cardassian prosecutor. "You should feel proud, Tovall. Just think of all the times the Federation described our criminal justice system as being merely for show," he said with a grim smirk. "I can only imagine how much time, effort, and resources were spent to make this farce even appear to be respectable and balanced," he said as he gathered his materials and began to leave.

Caleb let out a silent exhalation. He...had to admit that he had not expected the Romulan’s support. They were no friends of the Federation. But neither were they with the Cardassians, he had to admit. He glanced over at Artemis, who gave him a nod, and then at Qinee, who gave him a snaggle-toothed smile.

Why did she look like a shark?

“Ah have a feelin’ Ah might live ta regret this,” he murmured, standing up to shake hands with the rest of those in the dock. “But at least Ah won’t be livin’ in a Cardassian prison.”

[OFF]

Commander Caleb Ryan
Chief of Security/Tactical

Commodore Artemis Pierce
Commanding Officer
USS Nemesis
NPC Caleb Ryan

Qinee
Ferengi Ambassador
NPC Caleb Ryan

Lucent Speer
Deputy Ambassador
Lissepian Embassy to the Federation

Hydel Turvan
Cardassian Ambassador
Cardassian Union

Natima Tovall,
Deputy Archon, 127th Tactical Wing, XI Order
Cardassian Empire

 

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