Mission 93.0828-Court Martial: They Made Me Do It!
Oct 24, 2007 19:55:23 GMT
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2007 19:55:23 GMT
This trial was clearly not going to end well. Megan could see that now while nervously watching Cyle’s testimony. More likely than not, there would be no easy way out of this, and the science officer hated going into something like this knowing that no matter what she did, what she said, it would do absolutely no good. When Nathan touched her hand and she’d jumped, it had become clear that Megan was in no state of mind to effectively testify, not that it would help any if she were. In spite of her experience in enemy territory under far worse circumstances than these, she was beginning to realize that this was indeed very different. These weren’t supposed to be the enemy. They were her own people.
Nathan was still looking at her, worry etched on his face, so Megan merely nodded to answer his question. She was fine; she had to be. As Cyle’s testimony concluded, and she was called to the stand, Megan realized that she had already given up. Whatever was said now didn’t really matter, so there was no point in fighting too hard against something that had already been decided. All she could do now was answer the questions and then see what would happen from there.
“Tell us your version of the events of your last mission."
Deciding to give a simplified version, Megan carefully recounted the important events with the fighters without providing much detail.
“Do you think you acted in the best interests of the Jefferson and her crew?”
“Yes."
“Were you ordered to destroy the fighters by Major Johnson?”
Glancing quickly at Cyle, Megan replied, “Not directly.”
“And finally, did you feel under the influence of an artificial entity from within the fighters?”
This question was one Megan wanted to answer, needed to answer. “Yes, I was." The urge to go further, to explain what had happened was strong, but Megan knew that it was better to keep her answers as simple and direct as possible.
Next was Major Dunn, and Megan shifted slightly, on edge almost automatically as he stood and began his own line of questioning.
"You said, earlier, you were affected by an entity contained within the ship. Right?"
“Correct.”
"How did it contact you? Through the cortical transceiver?"
"It accessed the communications systems of the shuttle I was using to scan the fighter and contacted me over the comm. Later, it used the Jefferson’s communications systems as well once it transferred out to the main computer.” Megan knew this wasn't what he meant but decided being difficult was the best way to go under the circumstances. He had said contacted, not influenced after all, so she was just answering the question.
"We've all seen the graphs of your brain waves... the ones the doctor suggested meant another entity was in control of your thoughts. Are you sure that you weren't imagining this?"
“It’s hard to imagine scans, Major.” Megan countered almost automatically, before adding. “I know how I felt, and it was certainly unusual for me. Other than that, I can only refer to the scans directly, and what they show.”
"Couldn't this also be indicative of a dual personality disorder?"
Megan actually cracked a slight smile before answered. “All of us? During the same period of time? Our scans were clear before and are clear now. Rather coincidental for several officers to develop dual personality disorder during the same time and then suddenly recover without treatment at the same time as well.”
"Were you under a lot of pressure when you first arrived?"
“No.” Dunn looked like he was about to explode, so Megan quickly continued. “I’ve been in training for six…I mean eight years in multiple different fields. I’ve wanted to be a science officer aboard a starship since I was eight years old, and I have never once questioned that I belong in Starfleet. I’ve worked hard to be here and trained far beyond the requirements of my position.”
“I’ve been under pressure before, and I thrive on it, perform better. I arrived on the Jefferson having already memorized my staff and their records, organized shift rotations and assignments, and decided on a project I wanted completed. I may be new onboard a ship and young according to the calendar, but I know what I’m doing, Major, and pressure hadn’t even come into the equation yet.”
Dunn seemed to debate this for a moment, but apparently decided to let it go and moved on. "Finally, your initial curiosity, if anything, was not affected by what you call this 'entity', or 'AI'. How do you explain this breach of procedure?"
“My initial curiosity was my own. As for the breach of protocol, since I was never informed of the secret nature of the fighters when I arrived, I had no way of knowing that I wasn’t supposed to be scanning them.” Megan knew very well that ignorance of the law was no excuse, but that was the only explanation she had.
The situation with J’Varr’s testimony being ruled inadmissible due to being classified sealed their fates as far as Megan was concerned. It was ridiculous, since everyone in the courtroom already knew what had happened and the AI was in fact the entire reason for everything. Without it, nothing made sense, and of course, it could only be pinned on them. If it wasn’t over before, it was over now.
When the judge returned to give his verdict, Megan stood, ready for her career to be over, desperately hoping somehow it wouldn’t be.
"Due to the unusual circumstances around this case and evidence provided to this court all counts finds Colonel Zhukarak Hrisvalar, Commander Matthew Reynolds, and Lt. J’Varr T’Ress not guilty. Furthermore it will be the recommendation of this court that Colonel Hrisvalar be recognized for his leadership of the Jefferson."
Megan relaxed slightly at this, glad that they wouldn’t be dragged down by her inability to fight the entity's influence over her.
"Megan Garrett you are hereby found guilty on the second count of failing to follow orders and aiding in the destruction of classified property. With the recommendation of your commanding officer in mind, you are hereby confined to the brig for fifteen days, followed by thirty days confined to your quarters when not on duty."
‘A slap on the wrist…?’ Megan thought, stunned by this turn of events. Her attention was immediately turned towards Cyle, hoping somehow that he would be as lucky, but somehow knowing he was probably being made the scapegoat.
Major Cycle Johnson, you are hereby found guilty on all counts.” The courtroom immediately seemed to spring to life in Cyle’s defense, but Parker would hear none of it. "Silence! Furthermore you are stripped of you commission as Major and demoted the rank of First Lieutenant. You will also be confined to the brig for a maximum of 100 days. I'll leave that decision to your commanding officer."
Once the final decision was read, Megan’s mind shut down. To her, it was far worse to be let off easy and have the blame fall almost entirely on someone else. It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t right, but considering the position she was in, there was nothing she could say or do about it. It was as good as done.
As she was led to the brig, Megan’s mind was racing in so many different directions. On one hand, this would be a breeze. It’s not like she was going to be going without food and water or be interrogated for information, or worse… But on the other hand, this was her own side, and she’d never been in trouble like this before, ever, not all through school, in the Academy, special ops…
Once she got to her cell, Megan sat on the bench and stared straight ahead in a daze. There would be plenty of time to think about everything before this would all be behind her, but right now, she was too shocked to even begin to work it all out in her head. She only hoped that she’d be left alone until this was over.
Nathan was still looking at her, worry etched on his face, so Megan merely nodded to answer his question. She was fine; she had to be. As Cyle’s testimony concluded, and she was called to the stand, Megan realized that she had already given up. Whatever was said now didn’t really matter, so there was no point in fighting too hard against something that had already been decided. All she could do now was answer the questions and then see what would happen from there.
“Tell us your version of the events of your last mission."
Deciding to give a simplified version, Megan carefully recounted the important events with the fighters without providing much detail.
“Do you think you acted in the best interests of the Jefferson and her crew?”
“Yes."
“Were you ordered to destroy the fighters by Major Johnson?”
Glancing quickly at Cyle, Megan replied, “Not directly.”
“And finally, did you feel under the influence of an artificial entity from within the fighters?”
This question was one Megan wanted to answer, needed to answer. “Yes, I was." The urge to go further, to explain what had happened was strong, but Megan knew that it was better to keep her answers as simple and direct as possible.
Next was Major Dunn, and Megan shifted slightly, on edge almost automatically as he stood and began his own line of questioning.
"You said, earlier, you were affected by an entity contained within the ship. Right?"
“Correct.”
"How did it contact you? Through the cortical transceiver?"
"It accessed the communications systems of the shuttle I was using to scan the fighter and contacted me over the comm. Later, it used the Jefferson’s communications systems as well once it transferred out to the main computer.” Megan knew this wasn't what he meant but decided being difficult was the best way to go under the circumstances. He had said contacted, not influenced after all, so she was just answering the question.
"We've all seen the graphs of your brain waves... the ones the doctor suggested meant another entity was in control of your thoughts. Are you sure that you weren't imagining this?"
“It’s hard to imagine scans, Major.” Megan countered almost automatically, before adding. “I know how I felt, and it was certainly unusual for me. Other than that, I can only refer to the scans directly, and what they show.”
"Couldn't this also be indicative of a dual personality disorder?"
Megan actually cracked a slight smile before answered. “All of us? During the same period of time? Our scans were clear before and are clear now. Rather coincidental for several officers to develop dual personality disorder during the same time and then suddenly recover without treatment at the same time as well.”
"Were you under a lot of pressure when you first arrived?"
“No.” Dunn looked like he was about to explode, so Megan quickly continued. “I’ve been in training for six…I mean eight years in multiple different fields. I’ve wanted to be a science officer aboard a starship since I was eight years old, and I have never once questioned that I belong in Starfleet. I’ve worked hard to be here and trained far beyond the requirements of my position.”
“I’ve been under pressure before, and I thrive on it, perform better. I arrived on the Jefferson having already memorized my staff and their records, organized shift rotations and assignments, and decided on a project I wanted completed. I may be new onboard a ship and young according to the calendar, but I know what I’m doing, Major, and pressure hadn’t even come into the equation yet.”
Dunn seemed to debate this for a moment, but apparently decided to let it go and moved on. "Finally, your initial curiosity, if anything, was not affected by what you call this 'entity', or 'AI'. How do you explain this breach of procedure?"
“My initial curiosity was my own. As for the breach of protocol, since I was never informed of the secret nature of the fighters when I arrived, I had no way of knowing that I wasn’t supposed to be scanning them.” Megan knew very well that ignorance of the law was no excuse, but that was the only explanation she had.
The situation with J’Varr’s testimony being ruled inadmissible due to being classified sealed their fates as far as Megan was concerned. It was ridiculous, since everyone in the courtroom already knew what had happened and the AI was in fact the entire reason for everything. Without it, nothing made sense, and of course, it could only be pinned on them. If it wasn’t over before, it was over now.
When the judge returned to give his verdict, Megan stood, ready for her career to be over, desperately hoping somehow it wouldn’t be.
"Due to the unusual circumstances around this case and evidence provided to this court all counts finds Colonel Zhukarak Hrisvalar, Commander Matthew Reynolds, and Lt. J’Varr T’Ress not guilty. Furthermore it will be the recommendation of this court that Colonel Hrisvalar be recognized for his leadership of the Jefferson."
Megan relaxed slightly at this, glad that they wouldn’t be dragged down by her inability to fight the entity's influence over her.
"Megan Garrett you are hereby found guilty on the second count of failing to follow orders and aiding in the destruction of classified property. With the recommendation of your commanding officer in mind, you are hereby confined to the brig for fifteen days, followed by thirty days confined to your quarters when not on duty."
‘A slap on the wrist…?’ Megan thought, stunned by this turn of events. Her attention was immediately turned towards Cyle, hoping somehow that he would be as lucky, but somehow knowing he was probably being made the scapegoat.
Major Cycle Johnson, you are hereby found guilty on all counts.” The courtroom immediately seemed to spring to life in Cyle’s defense, but Parker would hear none of it. "Silence! Furthermore you are stripped of you commission as Major and demoted the rank of First Lieutenant. You will also be confined to the brig for a maximum of 100 days. I'll leave that decision to your commanding officer."
Once the final decision was read, Megan’s mind shut down. To her, it was far worse to be let off easy and have the blame fall almost entirely on someone else. It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t right, but considering the position she was in, there was nothing she could say or do about it. It was as good as done.
As she was led to the brig, Megan’s mind was racing in so many different directions. On one hand, this would be a breeze. It’s not like she was going to be going without food and water or be interrogated for information, or worse… But on the other hand, this was her own side, and she’d never been in trouble like this before, ever, not all through school, in the Academy, special ops…
Once she got to her cell, Megan sat on the bench and stared straight ahead in a daze. There would be plenty of time to think about everything before this would all be behind her, but right now, she was too shocked to even begin to work it all out in her head. She only hoped that she’d be left alone until this was over.