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Cptn Corizon

Investigations

Author's Note: Log occurs sometime before Excalibur on 4/10/11

 

Ishaka Nuguri glanced out the window as San Fransico shrank in the background as the magtrain carried him towards his final destination at Starfleet's JAG headquarters in Malibu. He leaned back into the soft, grey and blue upholstered seats and closedhis eyes preparing himself for the nearly five-hundred kilometer trek from San Fransico to Malibu.

 

His thoughts bounced back and forth as he considered the assignment that Admiral Keri Staunton had given him only a few hours before in her office.

 

"Commander," Staunton said, as they walked from her office and through the gardens of command headquarters. "I am glad you were available on such short notice."

 

"Of course," he said.

 

Glancing away for a moment, he considered how lovely San Francisco was this time of year, and how much it always reminded him of his first fall at the Academy, nearly twenty years ago.

 

"I assume you've read the dossier," she asked.

 

"Yes," he said, returning his attention to her. "What wasn't classified anyway."

 

She nodded with a frown. "Ah, yes," she said, "there is a lot of classified intelligence surrounding this whole mess."

 

"My favorite kind of intelligence," he mused.

 

"I noticed that the principle witness in the case, Captain Corizon was…"

 

"Has already been detained and is in our custody?"

 

"Yes," he said. "Rather curious, isn't it."

 

Staunton frowned. She hadn't particularly liked the little bit of jurisprudence, and it initially had been taken out of her hands by a few overzealous admirals at Starfleet Command who thought Corizon was some sort of flight risk, despite him turning himself in and, so far, being entirely cooperative with the investigation into his actions and those of his crew.

 

"Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to discuss that particular facet of the situation. Your assignment will be limited in scope to the Excalibur's crew."

 

Nuguri frowned. He didn't like anything he'd heard about this situation, and the more he found out or rather the more he found was being kept from him, the more he disliked it. "I see," he said skeptically. "Admiral, off the record, just what the hell is going on here. I've worked with you, what no less than five times in the last decade and I can never remember a board of inquiry that was more cloaked insecrecy. Hell I hear that the actual board testimony and hearings are closed and the transcripts have been preemptively sealed."

 

Keri stopped near a colorful arrangement of plants and glanced away for a moment and out into the rolling blue waves of the Pacific Ocean before turning to face Nuguri. "Seven,"she said morosely.

 

The response caught Nuguri off-guard. "Huh?"

 

"Seven," she repeated."You've worked with me seven times Ishaka, and no I don't think I've ever been part of something this convoluted and I don't like it any more than I suspect you do, perhaps even less."

 

"I see," he said. "So what's up?"

 

She tucked her hands behind her back and frowned. "The board of inquiry," she said, "has been formed by the President's office, directly."

 

He nodded. Though rare, such directives weren't completely irregular, especially given what he did know about that case. "I see."

 

"President Bacco has good reason to believe that there is something larger going on here," she said,"and the Captain Corizon…"

 

"Was part of it?"

 

Staunton shook her heard. "No. Nan… the President believes… that he was trying to uncover a larger conspiracy."

 

Nuguri frowned even deeper. "I see."

 

"Regardless," Staunton said straightening both her uniform and her resolve, "our job remains unaffected by whatever motives the Captain may have had and whether or not there is some sort of godforsaken conspiracy going on. The specific charge before the Board of Inquiry is to investigate the actions of Captain Corizon and his crew and determine if their actions merit a courts martial or not."

 

He sighed as they resumed walking. "And I suppose the phrase extenuating circumstances is foreign?"

 

"Not entirely."

 

"Ah."

 

"Because of the complexity of the issue," she said, "it was the decision of the Board ofInquiry that we split this into two investigative units. Given your experience,I thought you'd be ideal to handle the management of the crew's hearings and depositions."

 

"Thank you," he said. "I assume that I have a fair degree of freedom of action, within regs?"

 

She nodded. "This is your investigation. The board will meet to discuss your findings, but unless we require more testimony,we won't individually depose any of the officers before the full board."

 

"Understood. And if I may ask, who's handling the other side of this – I assume that means Captain Corizon himself?"

 

She nodded. "Yes. The Captain's depositions will be handled separately by Captain Tauris Dalton."

 

He lifted his brows. "Dalton? Oh that's… but he's not JAG?"

 

"Correct," she said. "I was overruled on his appointment."

 

Blinking, Nuguri shook his head. "The head of the Board of Inquiry was overruled? By who?"

 

"Starfleet Command.They felt that due to the 'sensitive nature' of the Captain's testimony, that more than just a JAG investigator was required to properly depose the Captain."

 

"This gets more worrisome…"

 

"By the minute? You can say that again."

 

­As the magtrain sped off towards Malibu, Ishaka let the conversation steppe in his head.

 

--

 

Dunedin Railway Station was quiet enough that Ah-Windu Corizon could hear the footsteps coming up the stairs towards his 'holding' area which was actually the former manager's office of the historic rail station that now served as special administrative unit for the JAG, essentially it existed as secure location for JAG to place people of interest for holding when neither a penal colony or the facilities in California where appropriate.

 

He'd rather expected to meet his defense JAG representative, a Captain San'le Yeann, he was instead rather surprised to see Captain Tauris Dalton.

 

"Captain."

 

"Captain."

 

Dalton waived to the security guard to lower the force field.

 

"And what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the pitbull of Starfleet Intelligence himself?"

 

Dalton expression soured. "I am not here for my health,Ah-Windu."

 

"Oh?"

 

"It is my pleasure to inform you that I will be running the investigation into your actions leading up to and during your recent expedition into Romulan space."

 

Corizon lifted an ear, considering correcting the information, he decided it was more important find out why an internal investigator for Starfleet Intelligence had been assigned a JAG function.

 

"I see," Corizon said. "Well then, if that's all…"

 

"I don't believe you're in a position to dismiss me, Ah-Windu."

 

"Oh," Corizon said with a sly grin. "I believe I am. You're not getting a word out of me until I have met with my JAG representative, and you're most certainly not going to depose me without her present."

 

Tall, broad shouldered and square chinned, Tauris Dalton cast an imposing figure. Still next to the confidence of the Dameon, he seemed somewhat small. "If you're going to play that way…"

 

"Oh," Corizon said. "If you think for a moment I am going to let myself get steamrolled by Intel trying to save their ass, you have another thing coming Taury."

 

Dalton narrowed his eyes. "I came here out of professional courtesy to give you an opportunity to spare yourself from the embarrassment that I am going to give you. I see I was mistaken."

 

Corizon rolled his eyes and leaned back into the couch he'd been occupying. "The only embarrassment," he said, "is going to be when intelligence has to admit that they were letting a covert operation to smuggle weapons into the gamma quadrant go on and that they've been hiding it for months now."

 

"We'll see…"

 

It was at that point that a thin, blue-purple skinned San'leYeann entered the 'holding cell.' "Captain Dalton," the Azellailian female said in a harsh, cutting voice that didn't seem possible from such a lithe creature."I do hope you weren't attempting to question Captain Corizon without me being present. It would be a shame for me to have to file a grievance against you with the Board of Inquiry before I even meet with my client, hmm?"

 

Dalton glowered, but quickly suppressed his displeasure. "Of course not, Captain," he said. "I was merely introducing myself to Mister Corizon here. I was just about leave. My assistant will be in touch with you to arrange our first session this afternoon."

 

"Of course," Yeann said without a hint of emotion. "Now if you'll be on your way, I'd like to meet with my client in private."

 

Momentarily defeated, Dalton slunk off behind the forcefield, leaving Yeann with a rather satisfied Corizon.

 

"Wipe that grin off your face, Captain."

 

He smirked before sobering. "Of course. It was just…"

 

"If you think for one moment I am going to enjoy even a millisecond of defending you, you're out of a canine mind."

 

"Now now… may I call you San'le?"

 

The Azellailian glowered, her chartreuse irises narrowing as two flaps on the back of her neck spread open and contracted. "Very well, Ah-windu,I suppose. Now listen, I am not going to enjoy this not even a little. I don't really give a damn why you went on your little crusade – my job here is to defend you from the likes of that bastard."

 

"And I appreciate it," he said.

 

Settling herself, she unslung a black bag and laid it on the coffee table across from Corizon. "Now, first thing is first. I am not going to lie for you and you're not going to lie to me. If you start lying to me I will be very unhappy."

 

"You know that's not in my best interest, right?"

 

She glowered again. "The truth, Captain, will set you free."

 

"Oh I doubt freedom is really an option at this point."

 

"It was a metaphor."

 

He chucked, before catching her glare again.

 

"Please Captain," she said. "I only ask two things from those I represent: you tell me the truth, and that you take the proceedings seriously. I've read your file, you make Odysseus look like a con-artist; but if you think for a moment that the Board of Inquiry won't throw you in a prison cell for the rest of your life…"

 

"On the contrary," he said sobering. "I think it's very clear from their actions that they not only will, but they intend to do so. Infact I think intelligence would like me to go away as quickly as possible."

 

Sighing, Yeann finally took a seat on the opposite couch. "As much as I'd rather not admit it, I think you're right. That they let that juu'loak Dalton lead the investigation into you speaks volumes."

 

Corizon shook his head. "I expected more out of Stauton and frankly the President. I didn't think they would go along with this…"

 

"They didn't," Yeannsaid. "The President cannot directly intervene, but Admiral Staunton was furious that Command let that happen."

 

"Whatever," Corizon said. "Nothing I am going to tell themis going to matter anyway. They're going to bury this whole matter in a pit deeper than the Tanoin Chasm and me along with it."

 

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

 

"Oh," he said. "I thought you didn't like me."

 

"I don't," she responded quickly. "You're a reckless, cloak-and-dagger clandestine service operative who takes matters into his own hands when he should try to work within the system…"

 

She preempted him with a hand wave. "Still, just because you don't observe regulations does not mean that you don't deserve to be protected by them just the same as any other officer; and I am not just going to stand around and let them toss you in a cell without due process.

 

"Now, let's get to business shall we? Our first hearing will be tomorrow morning."

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