Called to Testify

Posted on Thu Nov 11th, 2010 @ 10:56pm by Vice Admiral Iluvar & Lieutenant JG Hannah Andeti

Mission: Episode 1.3 - "The Time of Trial"
Location: Courtroom, Deep Space Four
Timeline: Mission Day 03, 1005 hours

::BACKPOST::

ON: [[Courtroom, Deep Space Four, Mission Day 03, 1005 hours]]

Andeti waited with what could only be described as baited breath for the proceedings to begin. She certainly hadn't been surprised by her summons, as the Chief Counselor she knew that she was an obvious and assumedly reliable character witness but that didn't help unravel the knots in her stomach. She had testified only one time previously but that had seemed like nothing compared to this. It was obvious even with her scant knowledge of military law that the Admiral was being deliberately targeted and, already frustrated with her inability to constructively help, the last thing she wanted was to add another nail to his coffin.

"Good morning, counselor," Arnold said from where he stood before the prosecution table, "would you be so kind as to state your name and position for the record?"

"Hannah Andeti, Chief Counselor on the USS Pandora." She offered a small smile, more out of habit than any belief that it would help the Admiral's cause.

"Thank you," Arnold said with a small smile, "Tell me, what is your impression of Rear Admiral Iluvar?"

The counselor paused, but not to collect her thoughts. She had been up half the night considering her impressions of her CO but hadn't expected the question to come so directly. She leaned back slightly, eyes never leaving Mr. Arnold. "I find him to be an honourable man, someone who generally cares about the wellbeing of others. Someone who has earned and deserves the respect of the Pandora's crew." She hadn't wanted to sound as though she were blowing smoke, but she meant what she said and decided that brevity in this case would be best.

"What about your professional opinion," Arnold asked, "As the Pandora's chief counselor, do you feel that Rear Admiral Iluvar is fit to command a starship?"

"I think those qualities make him an exceptional Captain, sir." The counselor leaned back in her chair with the distinct feeling that the axe was about to drop.

Arnold placed a small PADD on the table before the witness stand and smiled. "Were you aware that Rear Admiral Iluvar was ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation as a condition of his returning to duty following the incident with the USS Valar," he asked indicating the PADD before her with a nod of his head.

The counselor couldn't believe that this was the worst this man had to offer and leaned forward, making a small show of perusing the PaDD. She wouldn't want him to accuse her of being unthorough. She looked up, sliding the PaDD back into the place he had left it. "Yes, sir, I was aware of these orders. I believe the Admiral isn't the first to require such counseling." She smiled. "It's why people like me have jobs, afterall."

"Of course, counselor," Arnold said, purposely leaving the PADD on the table, "and have you, in the course of your time under the admiral's command, ever performed a full psychiatric evaluation of your own?"

She tried not to hesitate. "No, sir. I have counseled the Admiral but he hasn't shown any indication that a full evaluation were necessary." She wasn't going to mention that these counseling sessions hadn't exactly been voluntary on his part. "If you would like one performed in order to assist this court in making a clearer judgment, I would, of course, be happy to oblige." She couldn't quite manage to bite back the comment and hoped that it wasn't about to bite her (or the Admiral) squarely in the backside.

"You did not feel that it was necessary," Arnold repeated slowly, turning on the spot as he did so, "Yet you were fully aware of the order requiring Rear Admiral Iluvar to undergo psychiatric evaluation prior to his being reinstated. Did you not think, for the slightest moment, that it might be prudent to perform such an evaluation yourself, if only for the purpose of thoroughness?"

The counselor didn't allow the smile to fade but bit back the sarcasm that was dancing on the end of her tongue. "No, sir. My predecessor on the USS Tethys had extensive experience with the Admiral and had performed an evaluation shortly before I came on board. Her evaluation seemed a thorough one. People in my profession are generally in the habit of trusting one another."

"Forgive me, counselor," Arnold said with a wry smile, "I did not mean to question your professional courteousy." He took another step to his right as he considered the young woman on the stand for a moment. "Tell me," he continued, "have you ever had reason to question the admiral's command decisions?"

Andeti nodded to show her acceptance of his apology and sat back, genuinely considering the question. From a personal standpoint she disagreed with his decision to replace Commander Earlond as XO but professionally she understood 100%. Then there was the more serious events in the alternate universe. Certainly she had been surprised by his choice to bring Aris back to their universe but she certainly didn't disagree. The boy had a rough future back there and here, with a real father he could have a real life. The event with the Romulans had been more questionable. She, like much of the crew, had been frustrated by their inability to help the Romulan civilians, but she knew, as the Admiral did, that technically their hands were tied.

Finally she shook her head. "No, sir."

“None…at all,” Arnold asked, “ever?”

She hesitated for only a moment before speaking. "I questioned our inability to help the Romulan civilians in our last mission, sir. Frankly the effect of that frustration on the crew was great. Certainly I questioned the Admiral's and Starfleet's decision but I understood, as he did and as Starfleet did, that one wrong move could condemn not only those civilians but peace in the Alpha Quadrant." She smiled, not unkindly. "But otherwise no, sir, I have never seriously questioned one of the Admiral's command decisions."

"Thank you, counselor," Arnold replied, returning to his seat, "No further questions."

Joseph (NPC) watched as Arnold concluded his questioning of the witness. He had intended to allow Lieutenant Aerus (NPC) to conduct the cross-examination, but considering the circumstances, he almost wondered if it would be better for him to oversee the questioning himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aerus hesitate. A brief moment passed before Joseph finally came to a decision.

Making a small gesture with his hand, Joseph rose slowly to his feet and proceeded to step around the defense table. He would have to touch base with his deputy counsel later to discuss the situation. Right now, he needed to remain focused.

"I'd like to return to something you said about your most recent assignment, counselor," he said as he turned his full attention on the woman in the witness chair, "You said that the crew was frustrated. Could you briefly describe the situation that caused that frustration for us, please?"

The counselor nodded. "We were assigned to investigate a region Romulan space near Elyshan space under Romulan escort. When we arrived we were lead to a planet in the Nerus system that was inhabited by a group of Romulan colonists. An away mission was sent down at which point it was discovered that the civilians were suffering from a rather serious neurological disease. It was fairly obvious that the Romulan government had neither done much to help nor had they provided much of any support since the colony was established. As the medical investigation was proceeding a second Romulan vessel appeared and informed the Admiral that our initial escort was not, in fact a member of the Romulan Star Empire and, as we had violated the agreement, requested us to return to Federation Space." She folded her hands in her lap. "As you can imagine, it was a particularly difficult situation for most of the crew."

"Yes, I can imagine," Joseph agreed slowly. He took a few steps to his right as he considered his next question carefully. "What was Rear Admiral Iluvar's response to this situation," he asked.

The counselor took a minute to think back. The truth was that she had spent most of the mission with various members of the crew in her office and hadn't had much opportunity either to observe or counsel the Admiral. "He handled the matter with a great deal of professionalism, in my opinion. Certainly I believe he wanted to do more for the colonists, but he did his best to respect the Romulans' wishes and I don't think he allowed himself to forget that we were, first and foremost, guests in their space."

"So you're saying that the admiral was able to distinguish between his person feelings regarding the situation and his professional responsibilities," Joseph summarized from the counselor's statement, "Am I correct?"

"Yes, sir." Andeti agreed.

Joseph nodded slowly. It was a simple extension to move from the counselor's description of the situation to the admiral's ability to distinguish his own beliefs from his duty as a Starfleet officer. Now all he needed to do was to cement that ability as the foundation for the argument that Iluvar was both capable of putting his duty above himself and had done so on numerous occasions. "Would you agree that a commanding officer must be able to put his duty before his own beliefs," he asked of the witness.

"Absolutely, sir." It was interesting, now thar the counselor wasn't feeling the need to be on the defensive to watch the lawyers at work. Their ability to both understand and then direct a witness was fascinating and Andeti was more than a little reminded of her own profession.

"...and Rear Admiral Iluvar has displayed those qualities," Joseph asked, looking over at where the counselor was seated.

"Yes, sir, I believe he has."

"Would you say that he has demonstrated them on rare occasion," Joseph inquired somewhat casually as he took two measured paces to his left, "Less frequently? More frequently?"

"Almost always, sir." Andeti found herself thinking of Aris. The Admiral's actions in relation to the boy had certainly not been in line with Starfleet orders, but she wasn't about to bring that up.

"Thank you, counselor," Joseph said, offering her a small smile, "I have no further questions. You may step down." He turned and made his way back over to the defense table, taking a seat in his own chair and waiting to see what Arnold's next move would be.

Andeti bobbed her head to the lawyer and gladly vacated her place on the stand. That hadn't gone as badly as she'd expected but she was certain that worse was yet to come for the Admiral.

OFF

A JP by

Captain Arnold Mercer (NPC)
Legal Officer
Judge Advocate-General
Played by: Capt Iluvar

Captain Joseph Wells (NPC)
Legal Officer
Judge Advocate-General
Played by: Capt Iluvar

and

Lieutenant JG Hannah Andeti
Chief Counselor
USS Pandora