Trial: Zora's return.

Posted on Sat May 27th, 2023 @ 9:44am by Commodore Mikhail Babanin & Commodore S'vRock & Commander N'Garzi Zora & Commander Firestorm to Ennien

Mission: Wrath of the People
Location: Starfleet Judicial Centre/USS Athena
Timeline: MD5
1372 words - 2.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Zora took a deep breath. "No!" She answered defiantly. She hated the smug look on Babanin's face and she could only hope that Commander to Ennien would fix this mistake during his cross-examination.

Nodding calmly and confidently he smiled; "Yes..." he replied with a cruel smile and a cold tone. He took a step back and nodded to Commodore S'vRock; "No further questions sir". Mikhail nodded to Commander Cameron and took his seat, looking over to Commander Zora with an expression of pity.

S'vRock looked toward Firestorm. "Commander to Ennien the witness is now yours." He folded his hands on his desk and continued to observe and listen in the unique way that only Vulcans could.


"Commander, given your experience with the Captain's sense of duty and honour, do you think it's possible that he considered a lack of orders to help people in need to be dishonourable?" Firestorm paused briefly enough to not yet allow for an answer. "Do you consider it possible that in the event of an order not to assist, they were dishonourable? Surely, the duty of Starfleet is to assist any that need help?"

Zora managed to compose herself after dropping the Captain in it only moments before. This was her moment to shine, to make up for the mistakes of her previous deposition. "That is indeed the duty of Starfleet and its officers," she said confidently. "Unfortunately, sometimes Starfleet doesn't always get to experience what we do in deep space, they can be a little too far from the front line. An honourable Captain like Kane, well sometimes have their fingers on the pulse."

"And would it not be his duty to carry out or uphold the principles of Starfleet, even if they conflict with orders? How many lives, by your estimate, could have been lost, if the captain had not intervened? And by that same sense of duty, would he willfully put everyone at risk by setting off an explosive in a room full of people?"

"Objection!" Babanin called, rising suddenly with a deep-set frown. "Pure speculation, Commander Zora can have no way of werifying anything in any answer she could give. This questioning is baseless and irrelewant!". He sat back down and Cameron nudged him under the table, passing a PADD over with possible themes to object to as Zora's questioning would continue.

"Goes to show character," Firestorm explained quickly, hoping the witness would be allowed to answer."

"Objection sustained. Commander to Ennien you cannot object to speculative questions from the Commodore and then go and make them yourself. Continue please Commander." S'vRock's reaction was quick and decisive. It seemed to him that emotions ran high in this courtroom. He hoped that would ease as the trial continued.

"Commander, how many lives were saved at Rondac?" Firestorm rephrased.

"Objection" Babanin said again, his posterior having barely grazed the seat before he was to his feet again. "Further wehemently preposterous speculation and irrelevance". If he could brick Zora up, it was a good move; she'd already had to concede to most of his suggestive questioning and anything he could do keep her in that corner was going to be an advantageous move.

Zora eyed the Commodore and would have admired his technique if not for the circumstance. She obviously wanted to answer the question and spin this whole mess into something positive, something that would actually help Kane. He was laying breadcrumbs and Firestorm was following them, right into the fire. She hoped that Kane's defence had some kind of strategy cause right now, things weren't looking good.

"Objection overruled. Commander Zora was aboard the Athena at Rondac so she would know how many lives were indeed saved. Ergo that would not be speculation. As to the relevance Commodore Brabanin you brought up Rondac therefore you made it relevant. Commander to Ennien do tread lightly as the old parlance states. Commander Zora please answer the question." If S'vRock did not know any better he would have thought that Brabanin was fresh from law school.

"Thank you Sir," Zora said in the direction of the judge. "It's hard to go into the specifics of the Rondac mission as a lot of it has been classified. However, there was a conspiracy that reached the highest point of the Federation. Had we not stopped the plan, I think it's fair to say that millions, maybe billions of lives would have been affected or lost. But thanks to the actions of Captain Kane, we don't have to live through that atrocity."

Firestorm nodded, flicking his long tail. "Were there any repercussions for being at Rondac?" He asked, "for Captain Kane or any of the crew?"

"No Sir," Zora replied, not wishing to elaborate any more than that.

"So it is fair to say that if the needs of the many outweigh the need to follow possible orders, it is justifyable to do so?" Firestorm asked.

Babanin's physical reaction betrayed the calm disinterest he had intended to show, when he sat bolt upright. If he objected, it would certainly be sustained - but then again, the Commander might just...

Zora smiled slightly, nodding her head in the process. "I would agree with that statement, Sir," she said as she stared Babanin straight in the eyes.

Babanin smiled and looked to Commander Cameron who returned the smile. Commander to Ennien had just managed to get Kane's executive officer to concede that breaking the chain of command and acting independently was justifiable if one believed they were saving lives. He couldn't have scripted it better for Commanders Zora and to Ennien, and he sat back in his chair with his hands clasped upon his regrettably larger than it used to be stomach, smug in the knowledge that Jacob Kane was going to spend the rest of his life in prison.

"Do you trust your captain, commander? Do you consider him a man of honour?" Firestorm hadn't missed the perk up from his opponent, though he wasn't quite sure why.

Babanin leaned forward again, his interest piqued; again he could object but the defence counsel seemed to be playing into his hands...but why? Was Commander to Ennien just missing this, or was there a plan that in face he were missing...he looked to Commander Cameron who himself stared back impassively.

Zora nodded again. "I do trust him, yes. I have personally witnessed him being most honourable in more than one situation since joining the crew of the Athena."

"Could you describe one or two of those occasions commander?" Firestorm asked.

Zora couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the Commander's question. She wanted to be helpful, she wanted to undo the damage she had done when being questioned by Babanin, and she wanted Kane to be free. What was troubling her was this line of questioning, she didn't understand the direction Firestorm was taking. She knew she didn't have any legal training but she was a skilled diplomat and there were some obvious transferable skills. She just prayed that he knew what he was doing.

"The Ithaca II mission, my first one with the crew," Zora said clearly. "We saved a whole race of people from an infection that was spreading under some very difficult circumstances. The Captain put the lives of an underrepresented group above the welfare of all else, which was a turning point in the mission. And of course, as we have already discussed there was the Rondac mission too. Despite it being against regulations, we saved a lot of lives that day."

"He saved lives. He was all about saving lives." Firestorm gave her a brief nod. "Thank you commander, no further questions."

Babanin looked sideways to Cameron and muttered; "Of course...he is motivated by the preserwation of life...add this to the summary note Comrade...". He looked over at Commander Zora as she rose from the stand and seemed to walk through the classical wooden panelling as her holo flickered off. Noting that Commodore S'vRock called a recess, he decided now was a good time for something to eat and shuffled silently from the room with the various others.