Loyalty and Truth

The sun was setting over the waves of the Pacific ocean, past the fog-diffused silhouette of the historical Golden Gate Bridge, sending moving colors of fire, blood and gold through the thin but high windows. They were aligning themselves like glass columns in a crescent behind and over the elevated podium where stretched a long curved black glass table, nine high backed black polished wood chairs behind it. Those tall, slim windows were cut and set as to form together in the grey stone wall a huge delta-shaped form that was instantly recognizable as the Starfleet symbol, always kept clear and illuminated by either sunlight, moonlight or starlight; indeed a clear representation of Starfleet's first and most important value: Truth.

And today, in this great hall of glass and stone, truth was about to be sought out and exposed.

There was a surprisingly huge crowd in the numerous seat of the amphitheater that faced the dais. A lot were wearing uniforms of Starfleet Academy, whose main grounds were nearby the great Hall of Starfleet Command. Many however were obviously serving Starfleet officers from all ranks and file, most enjoying shore leave or being awaiting transfer to new assignments and duties. And there were more than a few civilians, allowed in because they either represented the Federation government or Federation media.

The truth to be told today was indeed of widespread interest.

Among all those attendees, there were representatives of almost every member-world of the United Federation of Planets; such was the achievement of harmonious peace and prosperity by the Federation. Most dominant faces were of course those of Humanity, on who's very native world sat this part of the central headquarters of Starfleet, the Federation's best institution and instrument. But there was nevertheless an inordinate amount of blue faces, topped by uniformly whitish hair where antennae sprouted and waved, creating a strange moving motion in the crowd that mirrored the movement of the vast sea beyond the tall, thin windows.

Andorians, among the founders of the Federation more than two hundred years ago, were said to be a dwindling species; some said one facing extinction. Yet, they were quite numerous here today.

Indeed, the truth to be told here was to be of keen interest to them.

A sudden hush fell on the throng as a green-skinned woman in the standard uniform of a Starfleet Lieutenant opened a side door then went to stand at one end of the podium. Three white and red figures entered and made their way to the podium and the center seats behind the table. Each was carrying an old-fashion book, amazingly thick and heavily bound. Each wore the uniform of a high ranking Starfleet Officer, with rows of pins on their chest denoting their long list of accomplishments in service of Starfleet and the Federation. All three walked completely and purposefully out of synch, a symbolic gesture to express that they had transcended mere discipline and, more to the point, were here not to apply it but to enforce it.

They all stood before their seats, placing their thick book before them and waited until the whole crowd fell totally silent before sitting down, in order of rank; the one in the center first, a grey haired and bearded Boslic man with the pins of a Rear Admiral; then a Human male with salt and pepper short hair and startling green eyes also wearing the Rear Admiral rank; finally, the one with the Fleet Captain insignia, a dark-hued, dark bearded Human with intense black eyes.

They were all well known figures of Starfleet; veteran heroes of the Borg War, officers of the famous elite division of Starfleet that stood bravely in front of the enemy advance barely two years ago... and prevailed;and most recently, literally saved the universe from a cosmic catastrophe that would have consumed everything in flames.

Lotus Fleet.

Once they were seated, the Boslic Admiral took a small metallic gavel and struck three times the small bell resting on the table in front of him.

Now was the time for the Truth to be known.

His resonant voice, although on a firm but normal tone, nevertheless was carried clearly even to the farthest member of the assembly by the exceptional acoustics and excellent sound system of the amphitheater.

"This Hearing is now in session. Under the auspices of Rear Admiral Harry Pierson of Starfleet Command and Fleet Captain Allen Samji, Commandant of Lotus Fleet headquarters, I, rear Admiral Kotari, Commandant of the Hromi sector, will now preside this Board of Inquiry regarding the loss of the starship USS Artemis, registry number NCC-64121, on stardate 87174.7 in the tri-border region of Federation Space."

The Admiral waited a moment to make sure that silence and order prevailed despite the abnormally huge crowd present for what was basically a common procedure when a starship was lost; although the circumstances and especially the identity of the ship in question were far from common.

"This Board of Inquiry will look into the command decisions and actions of the USS Artemis assigned commanding officer, Captain Kheren, to determine nature of responsibility in the loss of aforementioned starship."

All eyes went to the figure seated at the foremost row of seats, one set apart from the rest by a rail behind the few seats and a table before it. there sat a lone figure, tall and athletic, his skin of a dark blue color making his snowy mane and silver-hued eyes stand out sharply. He too wore a Starfleet uniform, the white one of ceremonious occasions, just like the three high ranking officer facing him from above the podium, with the rank insignias of a starship captain and an impressive array of commendation pins on his own thick chest.

To him, Kotari now spoke directly.

"Captain Kheren; before this hearing starts, and as is your right, do you object to any of the officers present to judge your case, or to Lieutenant Leeann'Eeta of my office to act as prosecutor to these proceedings?"

The Andorian captain, one of the very few ever in Starfleet, stood up.

"No objections, your Honor."

Kotari nodded almost absently, as if he had fully expected the answer. But the seriousness of the moment was never in question in his eyes or in his voice.

"I understand that you declined legal counsel, again as is your right, for these proceedings?"

"I have, your Honor."

This time, the Boslic officer did not look as if he expected the answer. if anything, he almost looked like he regretted hearing it.

"Please be seated. We will now proceed."

There was barely a pause before the clear, sensuous voice of the Orion woman in the Lieutenant uniform called out the first witness.

"The board calls for Lieutenant Aguk Snow."

The lithe, copper-skinned man with dark hair tied into a ponytail that rose from the audience and went to the stand sent a brief nod towards the Andorian ship commander before he sat in the lone chair facing squarely the podium. As he sat, a biosensor light came up under his right palm and the unmistakable voice of a computer interface linked to it was heard.

"Name; Snow, Aguk. Serial Number; 20100609-S4. Rank; Lieutenant Junior Grade. Position; Chief Helmsman and Navigator. Assignment; USS Artemis. Commendations; Starfleet Academy honor graduate, former leader of Nova Squadron at Starfleet Academy; former leader of Red Squadron at Lotus Fleet Academy, three times commended by Starfleet Command."

There was no point in using the antique procedure of swearing to tell the truth, only the truth and all the truth; the machine would instantly detect any falsehood from a thoroughly complete live biometric scan, down to brain wave patterns; and all Starfleet officers were already sworn on their Honor to the truth to begin with. But there was still a small one to ascertain calibration and operational status of the person taking the stand.

"For the record, please state your current rank and full name," Leeann'Eeta asked.

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Aguk Snow," answered the young officer.

"Certified," said the computer voice.

Lieutenant Leeann'Eeta then walked up to him to stand from his right side, thus facing him with the judging panel on her right and the assembly on her left.

"Lieutenant, please summarize the context in which the starship Artemis was lost."

"Yes, Ma'am. The Artemis was lost following two separate events; a direct encounter with a Romulan battleship, and then a day later a direct exposure to the Azimuth Horizon anomaly."

"Please provide us with the location and navigational situation during the Romulan encounter."

"Open space at sublight speed. We were four light years out from Starbase 10, four light years from the Rho Puppis star system boarding the Paulson Nebula, eighteen light years from Starbase 23 guarding the Neutral Zone and twelve light years from starbase 157."

"Who gave the order to go to this location, Lieutenant?"

"The order came directly from Lotus Fleet Command, Ma'am."

"What was the nature of the order?"

"Intercept at once and with all due haste a Romulan dreadnought, identified as the Imperial Romulan Warbird Shavok, Scimitar class, on course to Starbase 10 from those coordinates, with alleged hostile intentions."

"Please identify for us the vessel and commanding officer under whom you were called to serve and follow on those orders at this moment."

"Starship Artemis, Captain Kheren commanding."

"And how did Captain Kheren answer the order?"

"He ordered immediate departure from spacedock."

"At what speed did Captain Kheren order that departure?"

"Maximum warp, which for the Artemis was warp 9.6, Ma'am."

The questioning lieutenant looked at him squarely.

"Now, I want you to be very precise, Lieutenant Snow. At what speed did Captain Kheren order departure from the first moment you boarded the ship with those orders, sat at your post and activated propulsion?

For a moment, the Inuit officer seemed to hesitate before he answered.

"Full impulse, Ma'am."

"What was the exact location, and I insist, the exact location, of the starship Artemis, when this order was given?"

Again, Snow had a brief pause before he finally answered.

"Inside Starbase 10's docking area."

There was a low murmur in the assembly. Even legendary James T. Kirk never exceeded one-quarter impulse power in such circumstances and, thus at nineteen thousand kilometers a second, had been called reckless. Four times that speed, inside an artificial structure...

The stirring subsided only when Rear Admiral Kotari lifted his eyes over the whole crowd. But like most of the people there, he was frowning.

Lieutenant Leeann'Eeta then resumed her questioning, once silence was reestablished.

"And what does Starfleet regulations state as to speed limitations while inside spacedock?"

"Maneuvering thrusters only... Ma'am."

The silence that followed the helmsman's statement was even more telling than the rumbling of voices that had been heard a moment before. There was a brief pause before the Orion officer spoke again.

"Lieutenant, you were at the helm when the USS Artemis was lost, exact?"

"Partly, Ma'am. I was indeed at the helm when we lost the stardrive section. But I was not piloting the vessel when we lost the saucer section."

"Who then was at the helm when the saucer section was lost?"

There was definite unease in the voice of the Inuit now.

"I... can not confirm or deny the exact individual who manned the ship at that moment, Ma'am; I was under evacuation orders with the rest of the crew and away aboard the bridge module when the actual loss occurred."

"Who was designated then to replace you at the helm and pilot the saucer section?"

"Captain Kheren... he chose to man the ship himself... what was left of it... from the emergency bridge."

The Orion woman took a moment to let the information sink in before she questioned the man again.

"While you were at the helm, Lieutenant, how did you loose the stardrive section?"

There was no mistaking the uneasiness in Aguk Snow's answers now.

"Captain Kheren ordered ramming speed against the Romulan dreadnought."

A low rumble of voices rose once again from the crowd, and kept on sending low tremors across the entire hall until the bell on the podium rang to silence them all.

"Order," simply called out Kotari before addressing the Orion prosecutor. "Please continue."

"Lieutenant Snow; the IRW Shavok was identified as a Scimitar class dreadnought. the USS Artemis for her part was registered as Ambassador class; the Ambassador class starship has no tactical saucer separation capability. Although the USS Artemis had been refitted with state-of-the-art technology, it still had the same basic spaceframe, meaning no tactical saucer separation capability. How then did the saucer section survive a ramming attack against another vessel with three times it's size and mass?"

"The Ambassador class is capable of emergency saucer separation, like all cruiser-class starships since the days of the old Constitution class," answered Snow, his voice now more firm. "This means that, although the saucer can't be reattached without full shipyard facilities, it's nevertheless equipped with release bolts and the main impulse engine of the vessel to allow quick escape from a catastrophic situation, like a core breach. Captain Kheren used this feature by ordering intraship beaming of all personnel to the primary hull before detachment of the saucer from the stardrive at the exact moment of collision... and at precise predetermined vector, ride safely away the energy front of the explosion."

There was no mistaking the pride of the man in describing the bold maneuver he had essentially performed under orders. There were more than a few murmurs of astonishment in the assembly. The precise angle and remarkable piloting skill required to pull out the feat, not to mention the sheer courage required, some even said insanity, was not lost on anyone... But they all quickly quieted. There were only cold stares coming down from the Bench.

The Orion Lieutenant's voice was just as cold.

"One last question, Lieutenant Snow; Even at emergency impulse and accepting the preposterous notion that such speed could have been maintained all the required time, it would have taken over five years to reach from where the interception happened, according to your own words, and the location of the anomaly. Now, if the saucer section only has impulse drive once separated from the secondary hull... how could it reach at the recorded stardate the Azimuth Horizon anomaly coordinates where it was finally lost?"

The pride did not abate from Aguk Snow's voice when he answered.

"Lieutenant-Commander Syntron, our First Officer, came up with the idea and calculations for doing repeated slingshot maneuvers around the microsingularity left from the remnant of the destroyed Romulan ship's stardrive. By looping around it's intense gravimetric pull at an increasingly decreasing angle, we were able to generate a warp field from the momentum and altered energy output from the impulse drive. We then build it all the way up to warp 9 by repeating the process, before breaking orbit towards the anomaly's coordinates and reach them twenty-three hours later."

The statement created a definite stir among the assembly. The sheer inventiveness and boldness, some even said craziness, of the described maneuver struck everyone's imagination and started spontaneous technical and scientific discussions among many of the attendees... until the bell rang again to silence them all.

"Order!" said Kotari, this time with much more firmness than before.

"I have no further question for this witness," then declared Lieutenant Leeann'Eeta.

Kotari looked at Rear Admiral Pierson and then at Fleet Captain Allen Samji. Both just nodded. The Boslic senior officer then addressed the witness directly.

"You may step down."

Helmsman Snow stood up from the witness chair and went back to his seat in the assembly, sending again a nod to his captain as he passed him by.

"Call in the next witness," Kotari ordered.

The Orion woman turned away from the stand to glance at a PADD that she had positioned at her designated table at the front of the audience, and then glanced up as she said, "The Board calls Lieutenant Junior Grade, Robert Baoule."

A tall, black-skinned bald man came down the aisle with a small, sheepish smile to sit at the witness chair.

"Baoule, Robert. Serial number: 20070212-S3. Rank: Lt JG. Position:Chief Engineer. Assignment: USS Artemis. Commendations: Starfleet Academy honor graduate, three times commended by Starfleet Command." The computer voice then became silent once more.

Lieutenant Leeann'Eeta wasted no time. "Lieutenant, what exactly was the propulsion and maneuvering capability of the USS Artemis, and how did it relate to the original Ambassador-class starship?"

There was no mistaking the characteristic ship engineer's pride in the tone of voice of the man.

"The original Ambassador class came up with a specific system of thrusters and impulse drive especially made for it that gave it exceptional speed and maneuverability at sublight speed. It clearly outmatched ships of it's original era and even today could only be outmatched by smaller warships like the Defiant class. The refitted Artemis still used that original system."

He made a pause before going on about the next part.

"As for warp capability, it's original cruising speed was warp 6 and maximum velocity recorded at warp 9.2; quite impressive in those days. The refit Artemis however was retrofitted with a class IX engine which several engineers tweaked further, so that it's final performance rating was warp 7 in cruise mode and warp 9.6 as a maximum sustainable speed, because of design limitations."

The Orion prosecutor nodded and followed that up with, "So clearly I can assume it had the far superior capability to outmaneuver a Scimitar-class Starship, and most likely be able to surpass it at high warp. Am I right?"

"No Ma'am. As recorded by the first encounter with such a vessel by the USS Enterprise E several decades ago, the Scimitar class was then able to match speed and maneuverability, if not overtake and outmatch, a Sovereign class starship, which could reach warp 9.7 and even 9.985 for some time. And this was over forty years ago. Assuming the Romulans did not sit on their thumbs, a recent version of this class of vessel might even outperform these original capabilities."

Lieutenant Leeann'Eeta frowned slightly, not liking the idea of being misinformed. She turned to look at her PADD and checked the turn rate of the Artemis against the much larger Sovereign-class starship. Turning again, she said, "Mister Baoule, did you not just tell us that the Artemis outmatched all ships in maneuverability except smaller ones such as the Defiant-class?"

"That I did, Ma'am."

"And what dimension of a ship's overall size most affects the turn rate?"

"It is not just a question of mass, size and power ratio, Ma'am. Placement, number, and positioning of the engines themselves, as well as their specific design and coordination with the maneuvering thrusters and efficiency of the inertial dampeners, all of this are what determine a ship's maneuverability at sublight speed. The Ambassador class was superior to it's smaller predecessor, the Excelsior class, and to it's larger successor, the Galaxy class, because of the excellence of synergy of all those systems and their integration to the specific spaceframe. As another example, the D'deridex Romulan warbird is twice as large and just as massive as the Galaxy class and yet can match it perfectly in maneuverability."

"Very well, it isn't so simple. That's why we have experts like you in Engineering," she said with a pleasant smile to the witness, for the first time since taking her place as prosecutor. "Simply put, in your expert opinion, was the Artemis more maneuverable at impulse than the Shavok?"

"Yes Ma'am. That's why we were not blown out of the stars after the first few seconds of engagement."

"We are all very thankful for that fact, certainly," she said, honestly. "Then do you believe there was any possible means for escape for the USS Artemis from the field of battle?"

"From an engineering stand point, No Ma'am. At best, we could have outmaneuver it to jump to warp before being shot down; but then, it would have overtaken us in minutes and finish us off with torpedoes at high warp well before we could even reach any assistance, whatever direction we would have taken. We would not have even manage to reach the Pauslon nebula to try and hide in it before being destroyed. That Scimitar warship was simply too fast and powerful for the Old Lady."

"Thank you, Mister Baoule, no further questions."

The process was repeated to call Irksos Valencia to the stand.

The tall equally dark-skinned woman that came down to sit in the witness chair wore the blue collar of a science officer, which the computer confirmed as soon as her hand touched the sensor.

"Irksos Valencia. Serial number 19850816-A4. Rank: Lt JG. Position: Chief of science. Assignment: USS Artemis. Commendations: Starfleet Academy honor graduate, four times commended by Starfleet Command."

"So we have established that through the heroic and necessary actions, according to two of his crewmembers, Captain Kheren was able to both destroy the Shavok and save all 117 crewmembers, who were safely on the remaining saucer section of the USS Artemis."

The green-skinned woman turned to the stand and asked, "Lieutenant Valencia, why do you believe it was necessary for Captain Kheren to again risk those crewmembers by heading toward the Azimuth Horizon anomaly?"

The big brown eyes of the seated woman blinked twice before she answered.

"Well... these were our orders, Ma'am. We were assigned by Lotus Fleet Command to participate in Quadrant 2 of the Azimuth Horizon anomaly region for Operation Horizon even before we were ordered to intercept the Romulan incursion. To my knowledge, those orders had not been rescinded."

The Orion's brow furrowed and she said, "Yes... but the typical assumption would be that the orders would not be expected of your crew with only half a ship that only had impulse capability. Unless I am wrong about the expectations of Fleet Captain Samji."

All eyes turned to the man seated at the bench to the left of Rear Admiral Kotari. In the silence, he glanced up from his PADD where he was taking notes and in a low voice said simply, "You are not wrong, Lieutenant."

Lieutenant Leeann'Eeta nodded and continued, pointing at her PADD. "I can see here that the Wisconsin was on its way to your position, having been dispatched on a rescue mission immediately upon the quite visible destruction of the Shavok. What was it about the Artemis that you needed to complete your mission? Was the Wisconsin not sufficiently capable in this task?"

"With all due respect, Ma'am... Fleet Captain..." the young woman said with a slight flush to her dark cheeks, "the typical assumption is also that Starfleet officers are duty bound to their very best in fulfilling their orders and duty; even more so in Lotus Fleet. It so happened that we came up with a workable solution and succeeded in implementing it to do just that. And at the time, we had no knowledge of the Wisconsin's approach."

"And why was it that you were not able to be contacted?"

"Three reasons with each one sufficient in itself to answer that, Ma'am. First, the residual emissions of the Shavok explosion nearby disturbing subspace, hence communications. Second, the interference output of the anomaly, almost in line with the Starbase and the trajectory of the Wisconsin, that had already cut us off from headquarters since our departure. Lastly, and according to recorded stardates from reports now filed, we were already experiencing time dilation effect from our slingshot maneuver to implement space warp when said message could have been sent."

"Lastly: you were aware that you could not participate in the first phase of the operation, due to the lack of Warp drive. What did the Artemis crew need to accomplish that you felt would not be possible and / or done more easily by the remaining ships?"

For a moment, Valencia Irksos seemed to hesitate; but then, she lifted her chin and answered with a convinced tone of voice.

"Ma'am, Operation Horizon was a desperate attempt to pit our few available resources to counter a cosmic-scaled catastrophe, compared to which the Hobus supernova would look like a Birthday candle flame. Not to mention that direct interference from several foreign and domestic forces was expected to further complicate things. All the ships were sorely needed just to have a hope of succeeding. As we found ourselves with a means to try and implement a one-time-only warp flight, we had two choices; return to base and eschew our duty, in high probability compromising the entire operation... or continue on our original orders and go to where duty called. We chose the latter, Ma'am."

"An honorable sentiment, granted," the Orion replied coldly, "but you didn't actually answer my question. What, specifically, did the crew decide needed to be done once arriving at the Azimuth Horizon?"

"Very well," she said, looking at her PADD, and scanning the contents of the Operation with her finger, finally coming upon the section labeled 'Phase 2'. "Please verify that you are referring to the trilithium-enhanced torpedo operation."

"I am, Ma'am." the science officer instantly answered.

"Was the Artemis the only ship tasked with this part of the Operation from the start?"

"No, Ma'am. All Lotus Fleet ships were. But," Irksos said before the Orion woman could do anything more than open her mouth, "as I specified, we had few resources; two ships were sent to each of the four established theater of operation to cover the entire anomaly with the planned trilithium probe deployment. The Artemis was assigned to area 2 along with the USS Alsea. Regardless of us having, even in our damaged state, as much probes to launch as the next most equipped vessel in the fleet, our absence would already compromise that coverage in no small part. As the Alsea had been diverted to intercept a full Romulan task force and contact was lost with her as well, we had no way of knowing if she would herself be able to do her part. So there was a distinct probability that we alone could be left to do the job."

"But I see here that each ship was tasked with circling the Anomaly in Phase 1 and that you arrived at your designated spot while that was still occurring, am I right?"

"According to the record, Yes, Ma'am. At the time however, interference from the anomaly made that determination impossible to ascertain."

"How long did it take you from the time you arrived to prepare the torpedoes and be ready to go into the Anomaly?"

"They were prepared en route during the twenty-three hours of travel from the interception coordinates to quadrant 2, so we we were at full readiness when we arrived."

"You must've spent a little time there. It shows here you rendezvoused with the Alsea..."

"That is correct, Ma'am."

"Why was the Alsea not elicited to help with Phase 2 then?" the Orion prosecutor asked.

Before Irksos Valencia could answer, though, Samji spoke up. "I can answer that. I ordered the Alsea to investigate two lost shuttles that we had set up around the Anomaly."

Some murmurs of interest came from the audience at that remark. If Samji ordered the ship that could've assisted the Artemis away, then it slightly tore down the prosecutor's argument.

The young Orion woman, taken aback, cleared her through and said, "Um... very well. What about the Lotus? It shows they arrived during the Artemis' mission within the Anomaly. If known they were still in Phase 1, could you have not have waited for the Lotus, which was tasked to circle the Anomaly every 5.3 hours? Was the timing that critical?"

"As I stated earlier, we had no knowledge of the status of the other ships of the fleet. Even when Starbase 10 ingeniously established a communication network  with  a shuttle chain acting as subspace relays, the few reports we received were that the other ships were all engaged in combat. Moreover the planned trajectory of the ships did not crisscross one another, in order to maximize the subspace trench coverage. With intense interference from the anomaly, detection of a ship even with short range scanners was problematic at best, impossible with long range scans. And yes, timing was critical to stop the catastrophe before it became irreversible... especially with so many hostile forces arrayed to hinder us. We knew we were over twenty-four hours behind schedule already. As we observed that the anomaly had not grown as far as expected for the time elapsed, and the Alsea confirming having completed it's own part of phase 1, it was estimated that phase 2 was due to commence. Without a warp drive, we had no other contribution to provide anyway; but we had enough probes to complete phase 2 alone if all came to worse. And so we were ordered to proceed."

The frustrated prosecutor moved as if to ask another follow up question, but then changed her mind and, with a slight bow of her head, said, "No further questions."

"That is probably sufficient anyway," Rear Admiral Kotari noted. "Thank you Lieutenant Valencia," he said, with a slight smile and nod from his chin covered with a graying beard.

The prosecutor then called the towering Andorian security officer, Lieutenant Tyvya.

As she came down the aisle to take the stand, the giant Andorian shen looked down at the Artemis captain with curving antennae. On the left one was a polished ring that matched the one on Kheren's own left ring finger. There were a few gasp in the Andorian audience as several were connecting the significance of both, one from their own culture but the other from Human custom.

There was no time to speculate on the fact however as the computer confirmed the giantess' identity.

"Tyvya. Serial number 19690806-A8A. Rank: Lt JG. Position: Chief tactical & security officer. Assignment:USS Artemis. Commendations: Starfleet Academy honor graduate, eight times commended by Starfleet Command."

The prosecutor took some time to gather both her wits and her thoughts before proceeding. "Lieutenant Tyvya... what is your Tactical analysis of the Artemis' situation prior to the destruction of the Shavok?"

"We were outgunned, out-powered and only managing to avoid destruction because of our better maneuverability... which could have been nullified with any successful hit on our impulse engines. With fifty-two disruptor banks and twenty-seven plasma  torpedo launchers on the Shavok, it was just a statistical question of minutes before that would have happened."

Her tone was curt and dry. She was obviously determined to cut through the chase and make the facts plain and simple for all.

"Do you believe, strategically, there were zero other options but for the Captain to sacrifice the stardrive of his ship by ramming the Shavok?"

"I do. Even upgraded to modern specs, an Ambassador class starship alone does not have the necessary firepower or armor and shield stamina to incapacitate, let alone destroy, a Scimitar class vessel. The first record of confrontation between one and a Starfleet vessel showed that even a Sovereign class battleship could not manage to do it even with the help of two Romulan Mogai warships... until it too rammed it."

"Moving to the trilithium-torpedo operation. Did the Captain order you to stay aboard with him and Mister Syntron while ordering the rest of the crew to evacuate in the Aegis bridge module?"

This time, the firmness of the giantess wavered.

"No Ma'am."

The Orion frowned. "So... you disobeyed an order from your Captain?"

"No, Ma'am. I went to his quarters to save his personal belongings and return them to him before joining evacuation. But when I did so, the bridge module separated and all the shuttles and makeshift escape pods had left."

Some murmurs from the audience were silenced by a stare from Kotari. The prosecutor continued. "And why were his personal belongings so important to you?"

The JAG officer on the right of Rear Admiral Kotari, interrupted before Tyvya could answer. "I don't believe this witness is the one under scrutiny today, Lieutenant. Stick to questions specific to Captain Kheren's actions."

"This may be relevant, Sir. Could I please just ask two more questions related to this and then I'll let it go."

The three men conferred silently and then Kotari said, "Two more questions."

"Thank you, Sirs. Lieutenant Tyvya, I repeat. Why were the personal belongings so important that you'd be willing to risk disobeying a direct order to evacuate?"

"They were the only things left to him from the home world. The only things that... defined him... his life... his heart... his soul. His last link to his own people.  They could not be abandoned to burn into oblivion."

There was definite underlining passion behind each word. And those seated near Andorians in the crowd could see them slowly nod in answer.

Tyvya seemed genuinely startled by the question. But then the mere shadow of a smile seemed to come to her lips.

"It depends from which point of view you make the calculation, Ma'am."

"I'm not... sure I understand your meaning," the Orion responded.

The shadow of a smile was definitely in the eyes of the giantess and in the tone of her voice.

"From my point of view, it started when we both served aboard the USS Lotus in the tactical and security department. For his part... I believe it started on the emergency bridge of the Artemis... when we were about to burn up."

The Orion dropped her head slightly and knew why the Andorian was almost smiling. It was not the smoking gun she was hoping for that would make her case. If Captain Kheren could've been seen to have other things on his mind, a lot of other decisions might've come into question. Instead she simply said, "No more questions," and proceeded to the next witness.

"For our next witness, the Board of Inquiry calls Lieutenant Commander Syntron," said the Orion prosecutor.

Hearing his name announced by prosecutor, the tall Vulcan officer stood up and purposefully approached the bench. He had been listening carefully as the interrogation commenced through all of the previous witnesses.

He then proceeded to sit down and face the Orion prosecutor without a hint of emotion or expression.

Syntron. Serial number 20120806-V2A. Rank: Commander. Position: Executive officer. Assignment: USS Artemis. Commendations: Starfleet Academy Honor Graduate, Vulcan Science Academy Honor Graduate, Decorated by Starfleet Science, Temporal Ribbon of Excellence, the Star Cross, Medal of Commendation, Daystrom Award, five times commended by Starfleet Command.

The computer voice echoed throughout the room as usual and then was silent as the participants in the room awaited Lieutenant Leeann'Eeta's first question.

"Commander," she began facing the stoic Vulcan and glancing at her PADD to check a few notes. "How would you describe the command decision Captain Kheren made to deal with the Romulan ship Shavok?"

"Logical" Syntron stated concisely and without hesitation.

"You don't believe it was rash or risky? Do you believe all other options were considered first before such a dire action was taken?"

"All such command decisions have a level of risk inherent within them, Lieutenant. Was this decision rash? No. In this specific case, the decision was logical in that this alternative, based on all of the conditions described by the previous witnesses, was the only viable option that would to allow the crew to survive… as opposed to the entire ship being destroyed along with crew."

The Orion murmured, "mhmm" and then shifted gears from the fight with the Romulan Scimitar which seemed to be getting her nowhere. "When you were in the Anomaly and the Captain ordered the crew to evacuate, did he order you to remain with him to help with the retrieval of the trilithium torpedo probes?"

"No, he did not."

The Orion seemed interested then and moved forward in a slightly aggressive motion. "Hmm, does that seem like a particularly logical command decision to you?"

Maintaining his stoic posture, Syntron responded. “From the Captain's perspective, his first priority was to ensure the safely of his crew. I discussed with the captain that it was not only logical for me to accompany him in this aspect of the mission, but it was compulsory. Vulcans, as you are aware Lieutenant, are quite adaptable to high temperature conditions. The environmental conditions that exist within the anomaly have a potentially devastating effect on the physiology of a species such as the Andorians and therefore someone more tolerant of these conditions needed to accompany him in this endeavor. In addition, the implementation of the trilithium emitters was my recommendation, my area of expertise, and to a degree, it was also my responsibility to ensure that this final phase of this operation was completed successfully. Captain Kheren logically concurred.”

"Yes, but as I understand it, only after some convincing by you. It seems that in this case, if it wasn't for you, he may have passed out and failed to achieve the objective, threatening the entire other Universe, which is something Fleet Captain Samji very strongly argued against doing. Do you believe that Captain Kheren may, at times, put individuals in his crew ahead of the mission?"

"No." he stated assuredly without an ounce of indecision. "In fact, his focus remained on the mission despite all odds mounting against that of a probable success."

"So I take that to mean that had you not spoke up and had instead immediately followed his order to evacuate, you believe he would've been successful, by himself, while all the time his Andorian physiology being especially affected by the Anomaly?"

"Very well Lieutenant Commander. That is all I have for you, thank you," the prosecutor said, moving back to her table to consult with her team before the next, and final witness would be called.

Syntron, somewhat surprised by the abrupt conclusion by the prosecutor, simply stood up and walked back toward the seats among the audience. He could see Captain Kheren sitting off on the side, calmly waiting but the Vulcan could recognize a trace of anticipation in his expressionless face.

The Andorian looked up at his first officer and, with a nod, thanked him for his truthfulness. Of course, the Vulcan would have said that such gratitude was illogical as he only did his duty and told the truth; but Kheren was not Vulcan and he did feel that illogical gratitude nevertheless. And he knew that, despite all, Syntron would understand, if only on an intellectual level.

And so, he waited for the final moment, to which everything else had been a build up. Now was about to come the time for him to truly face his responsibilities.