A Sense of Loyalty Pt. II

Posted on Sun Oct 24th, 2010 @ 9:24am by Vice Admiral Iluvar & Commander Earlond

Mission: Episode 1.3 - "The Time of Trial"
Location: Courtroom, Deep Space Four
Timeline: Mission Day 04, 1154 hours

ON: [[Courtroom, Deep Space Four, Mission Day 04, 1154]]

The remainder of the recess had progressed quite rapidly and it wasn't long before the board had reconvened to hear the remainder of Earlond's testimony. Joseph (NPC) glanced over at the defense table where Arnold (NPC) was speaking with Commander Harking (NPC). Part of him wondered what Rear Admiral Iluvar and Commander Earlond had spoken about after he and the rest of the defense team had been asked to leave. What kind of bearing would it have on this case?

Seeing that everyone was pretty well settled in, Gareth (NPC) cleared his throat. "I hereby call this inquiry to order," he announced to the room, "Captain Mercer, you may continue with your cross-examination of the witness."

"Thank you, admiral," Arnold replied, rising to his feet and approaching the witness stand, "Before we adjourned for a recess, you spoke of prior instances where your actions put the safety of fellow crewmembers at risk. Any chance you would be willing to clarify that for us, commander?"

"I have, on occasion, taken actions of my own accord that have endangered the crew," Earlond replied. "These actions, I might add, were not condoned by my commanding officer and were dealt with according to the proper dictations of protocol."

Arnold smiled; now they were getting somewhere. "Care to elaborate on the nature of these actions," he asked.

"I do believe a report was filed," Earlond pointed out. "If you'd like the full details, I'm sure I could find the report for you." He didn't feel like letting Mercer just have whatever information he pleased.

"Indeed there were reports filed on the matter," Arnold said, turning to lift a PADD from the prosecution table, "In the most recent case, you were relieved of your position as executive officer and confined to quarters. What prompted Rear Admiral Iluvar to relieve you of duty?"

"I would imagine that it was my choice not to follow proper protocol," Earlond said dryly.

"Ship's records indicate that the Flyer-class runabout, the Carnauba, is currently not aboard the Pandora," Arnold said, not even needing to glance at the PADD for reference, "furthermore, the ship's chief medical officer, one runabout pilot, and two security personnel are also listed as not being aboard." He paused and leaned a little closer to where Earlond was sitting. "This wouldn't have anything to do with your choice not to follow proper protocol, would it," he asked in a low voice.

"I'd say it's a very likely possibility," Earlond said. "I did authorize the launch of that shuttle. I don't know where it is, though." That was the truth - he didn't know the shuttle's current location.

"You don't know where it is," Arnold repeated in a louder voice as he turned and took a few steps to his left, "but you authorized the launch. What was the assignment?"

"I believe they were on a mission of medical aid," Earlond said. "Which is why I assigned the Doctor to lead the mission." He watched Mercer closely, scrutinizing the man. What game was he up to? Certainly, this line of questioning would lead to no good end for Earlond, but he had high doubts that destroying Earlond's career was on Mercer's priority list. No, the man was certainly gunning for Iluvar. Earlond would have to be careful to keep the blame where it belonged - squarely on his own shoulders.

"To where," Arnold asked.

"A colony in need of medical assistance," Earlond replied calmly.

"A Federation colony," Arnold inquired.

"No," Earlond answered shortly.

"Surely the colony was located within Federation space," Arnold said, though there was a clear hint of sarcasm in his voice, as if he didn't honestly believe that was the case.

"As surely as I'm the captain of the Pandora," Earlond said, adding his own sarcasm to the conversation.

Gareth leveled a firm gaze at the commander, but he did not interject. Captain Mercer seemed to have some intended line of questioning and it was not Gareth's place to interfere unless things started to get out of hand. As presiding officer, it was Gareth's duty to ensure that the proceedings followed Starfleet protocol, that the evidence and testimony was heard fairly, and that a just ruling was handed down at the conclusion of the inquiry.

"So you authorized a mission of medical relief to a colony not located within the bounds of Federation space and without consulting your superior officer," Arnold surmised, "Perhaps you could name the colony or give us a better description of the reasons that prompted you to authorize such a mission."

Noting the use of the word "or", Earlond nodded. "The reasons were simple," he said. "There was unfinished business that needed attending to, and I was most capable of making that call."

Leaning a little closer to the commander, Arnold's next words were so soft that it was doubtful anyone else could hear them but Earlond. "Your loyalty to the admiral is touching, but if you think playing word games is going to alter the outcome of this inquiry, you are sorely mistaken," he said in a low voice.

"Alright, word games aside," Earlond said just as quietly. "You and I both know what happened, and we both know Iluvar's only involvement was my punishment. Find another card to play."

Arnold straightened up and crossed the short distance to the prosecution table. He paused and turned so that he was facing the witness stand again. It would be a gamble to call the man's bluff, but Arnold had taken on bigger opponents before and he wasn't about to start backing down now. "Commander, have you ever known the admiral to give preferential treatment to members of the ship's crew," Arnold asked.

"Only to all of them," Earlond said. "That is, he treats them all better than is expected of him, but I have never seen him give preferential treatment to any one over another."

"Never," Arnold repeated, as if to confirm that he had heard the commander correctly, "Rear Admiral Iluvar has never shown preferential treatment to anyone, not even in the slightest degree?"

"Well, I guess that all depends on your definition of preferential treatment," Earlond said. "But to my knowledge, Iluvar values each crewmember equally and treats them so."

Nodding slowly, Arnold seemed to consult the PADD in his hand for a moment before continuing. "On Stardate 61190.8, Rear Admiral Iluvar restricted access to the Emergency Medical Hologram so that the only individual with access to the program's command subroutines was himself," Arnold said, "Later, on Stardate 61779.7, the admiral's mentor holographic program known as 'Peter' left the confines of the ship's holodeck and was allowed to continue its existence outside of its original contextual program. How do you interpret these unusual actions on the part of Rear Admiral Iluvar?"

"I'd say that they are not without precedence," Earlond pointed out. "Didn't we learn anything from the USS Voyager's EMH?" Earlond himself had no particular love for holograms and often viewed them as tools, but he understood Iluvar's position on them.

"Isn't it true that the admiral's son, Aris (PNPC), is not actually his son, but the son of his counterpart in the Mirror Universe," Arnold asked, looking directly at Earlond.

"If you are talking about a blood relation, then yes," Earlond said. "But I'm sure someone of your intelligence would realize that blood isn't everything."

"On Stardate 62672.2, Rear Admiral Iluvar brought Aris aboard the USS Tethys while in the Mirror Universe," Arnold said, citing the record from the PADD in his hand, "Only after the Tethys returned to the Prime Universe did Iluvar file for official custody of the boy. According to your own Doctor Haelen (PNPC), the boy isn't even fully human. Am I correct?"

"Factually, yes," Earlond replied. "Though I'm not sure how Iluvar's son being half-Ba'ku really affects the nature of this inquiry."

A few mutterings passed through some members of the crowd who had probably not been aware of the information. Arnold allowed a moment for the whispered conversations to die out. The display only served to help his case by showing that the admiral's decision could be perceived as 'questionable'. "Not only is he half-Ba'ku, commander, but he is from the Mirror Universe," Arnold said, "It is my understanding that Starfleet has a strict policy regarding interactions with those from the Mirror Universe. In your opinion, did the admiral act in accordance with Starfleet policy when he chose to bring the boy back into the Prime Universe?"

"I believe so, yes," Earlond said. "The Prime Directive is flexible for a reason - if, for instance, prior interference warranted further interference."

"Prior interference warranted further interference," Arnold repeated in disbelief, "Are you saying that the admiral was correct in acting against Starfleet policy?"

"Did I at any point say that the admiral acted against Starfleet policy?" Earlond wondered aloud, "Or did you?"

Arnold eyed the commander for a moment before allowing a small smile to play across his features. "Thank you, commander," he said, "I believe I have everything I need. You may step down." Turning on his heel, Arnold crossed back over to the prosecution table and took his seat. The cross-examination was over.

OFF

A JP by:

Admiral Gareth Bullock (NPC)
Commanding Officer
Deep Space Four
Played by: Capt Iluvar

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

and

Commander Earlond
Former Executive Officer
USS Pandora