Arrested Development Part II

[STSF Seiben 0]

Zürich, Swiss Confederation, Earth

 

The sun shone brightly over the respectably large home over looking Lake Zürich. Boats and skimmers plied by in the lake while shuttle crafts and transports whizzed over head. In this city, with its rich history, life went on as usual. However, inside lake front mansion time seemed to be at a crawl. For the past few days, Captain Rolf Seiben was going over evidence against him with his court appointed JAG Mr. Locke, reviewing Federation law and the Prime Directive in detail, trying to form a case that favours him. The hours were long, but the two men managed to do their best, preparing for possible questions the court may throw at him.

 

Therefore, when Seiben saw a shuttlecraft land on his front porch, he felt a little bit of relief inside in addition to a growing feeling of anxiety in the pit of his stomach. The shuttlecraft bore the insignia of the Federation. It touched down quietly in front of his house as it stirred up a small plume of dust from the dirt its landing thrusters were kicking up around it. Moments later, two armed guards emerged from the shuttle. They slowly walked over to the front door and pressed the door chime. With a long sigh, Seiben gathered his things and walked to the door.

 

He smiled to his wife just before he walked past the door with the two guards. Though it was an arranged marriage, Seiben had tried his best to get to know his new wife in the journey back to Earth on the Kentucky. At least she seemed more happier since arriving in Zürich. The large home was probably more in line of what she was used to back in her native planet 892-IV. Though not slaves, the butlers and maids in the estate seemed to cover her needs. "I'm sure everything will be all right" he said reassuringly to her as the guards escorted him into the shuttle.

 

He couldn't hear her response, as the doors closed behind him. The pilot fired up the thrusters and the shuttle immediately began its ascent into the sky. Before long, Zürich flashed by as the shuttle sped over Europe on its course across the Atlantic to Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco. The subsequent days of preparation with Mr. Locke had finally come to this.

 

After today, he would finally find out if he would continue to have a future in Starfleet. He looked stoic as he glanced out of a window at the whizzing green land below, somewhere over France. Before long he fell asleep in the quietness of the shuttle, dreading the trial that was shortly about to come.