Opening Statements

[Cptn Corizon 0]

The conference room that served as the hearing room for JAG depositions at the Dunedin Railway Station facility was rather quiet, considering. On one side of the long, Tawa wood table that straddled the center of the room Captain Tauris Dalton and a half-dozen aides of various ranks shuffled through PADDs; on the other side, Captains Ah-Windu Corizon and his JAG representative San'le Yeann sat placidly with neat stacks of PADDs organized beside two carafes of water.

 

Dalton looked towards the antiquated, but rather functional wall clock and cleared his throat as an assistant cleared out the PADDs and presented him with a tablet. On some level he took no joy in having to bring down a decorated officer, like Corizon; but on second, deeper level, he would personally enjoy bringing down a smug, arrogant, ATAG ass like Corizon.

 

“Well,” he said, mirthless in his expression. “Let us begin. This conversation is being recorded, Captain, and anything you say will be presentable as evidence for the Board of Inquiry and admissible in any further investigations, trials or hearings. A copy of the transcript will be placed in your file for future reference, though at this time it will be classified until further notice. If we’re clear on those items let us proceed.”

 

Corizon glanced to his right to Yeann before nodding his understanding to Dalton. “Perfectly.”

 

“Please state for the record you current rank and assignments.”

 

“Captain Ah-Windu Corizon, Commanding Officer, USS Excalibur, Senior Field Operative for Gamma Quadrant Affairs for the Advanced Tactical Assessment Group.”

 

“Thank you Captain.”

 

“Could you, for the benefit of the Board elaborate on exactly what your position with ATAG entails and how it relates to your function as senior command level officer within the Gamma Quadrant Command?”

 

Corizon glanced to Yeann again, before nodding. “As a Senior Field Operative within ATAG it is my duty to assist in the collection, collation and dissemination of tactical information gathered by several dozen officers dispersed throughout the Fleet back to ATAG headquarters on Earth for further analysis and take action on any items that my superiors feel warranted as to protect the safety and security of the Federation and the integrity of the peace in the Alpha Quadrant.”

 

Nodding, Dalton considered how practiced that line was, and noted that Corizon would indeed be a worthy adversary. “I see. And if those orders conflict with those in your duties as Commander of the Excalibur?”

 

“According to regulation 126.35, subsection A, orders from ATAG General Command supersede those of any lower ranking officers or command positions, including my direct fleet superior.”

Dalton nodded again, glancing to an assistant before taking a PADD in his hand. “Ah,” he said noncommittally. “Though you’ve already elaborated this in a report which has been submitted the Board of Inquiry, could you please run us back through the series of events which led to your actions regarding acquiring an illegal device and then using that device, while away without leave, to violate the Neutral Zone and engage in a bevy of alleged activities inconsistent with regulations, Captain.”

 

The casualness with which Dalton dismissed his mission caused a twinge of annoyance to travel up his spine, but he felt the firm hand of Yeann on his leg and he settled his ears. She leaned close enough to whisper softly in his ear, “Don’t let him provoke you Captain. Just answer him honestly. You don’t have anything to hide at this point.”

 

Corizon took a long deep breath before proceeding to recount the last several months of intrigue in matter-of-fact fashion. As he came to his meeting with Semil en route to the wormhole, Dalton held up his hand.

 

“Now let me get this correct, Captain.”

 

Pausing, Corizon nodded. “Yes?”

 

“You took a call from a known rebel Vorta and disclosed sensitive, classified information…”

 

“He already knew about it,” Corizon said. “He came to me, remember?”

 

“Isn’t it possible he was simply trying to confirm rumors?”

 

Pursing his lips, Corizon frowned and started to open his mouth when Yeann’s surprisingly forceful voice interrupted him. “He’s not going to answer a speculative question like that.”

 

“He may have too.”

 

“Not today he doesn’t.”

 

Dalton frowned but waived a hand. “Very well,” he said. “So you communicated with the Vorta Semil, yes?”

 

“He’s never denied that.”

 

Rather annoyed that Yeann was playing hardball, Dalton hardened his tone. “I am aware, I am just trying…”

 

“To entrap him? Try harder. Move on.”

 

His bit back a response before taking a deep breath. “Continue please Captain.”

 

“Semil contacted me as a favor,” he said. “Whatever his motives where he wanted to let me know that the Dominion knew about the smuggling and were for whatever reason suppressing them.”

 

“Yet Starfleet has no official record of this smuggling ring.”

 

“I am sure they don’t, were you listening?”

 

“Uhuh.”

 

“Listen,” he said cutting in before Yeann could stop him. “Someone was smuggling weapons and someone was covering for them. I have submitted evidence of that both in my official reports, they’re classified but I know damned well you have access to that information; and if they were deleted I can provide the hard copies from my own files. If you’re going to play a cat and mouse game with me here over whether or not there were ever really weapons being smuggled let’s just stop now because that’s a load. I also have the official communiqués ordering me to turn the weapons over to a Starfleet Intelligence ship –a ship that apparently either doesn’t exist or was fabricated, but they presented the required credentials and the paper work was authenticated.”

Yeann grinned despite herself as Dalton fumed. It was clear that this wasn’t going according to his plans.

 

“Very well,” he said through gritted teeth. “Then let’s get straight to it, Captain.”

 

“That would be a welcome change.”

 

Corizon felt a glare from Yeann but he couldn’t help himself. Men like Dalton made him rather ill, and he had little contempt for them.

 

After shooting Yeann a look, Dalton took another deep breath. “Your report details a very lurid tale of a Captain taking matters into his own hands. You violated no less than a half-dozen regulations, possibly more, and broke at least two major intergalactic treaties all because of suspicion that someone within Starfleet was working with someone in the Romulan Empire to destabilize the Dominion and you did so after collaborating with a rebel member of an ally who functions for a government we don’t officially recognize and who you aren’t authorized to negotiate with, compound that with the incident with the Al-Ucard and Eratia…”

 

Before Corizon could protest Yeann’s voice rose forth with the intensity of a powerful wave. “That incident has nothing to do with this Board of Inquiry, Captain. Further in that particular incident, my client was operating with the full support of his direct Commanding Officer. If you continue to bring unrelated matters into this deposition I will have to end it and file an official protest.”

Dalton glowered. “I merely stating the facts, Captain, as to why we’re gotten here. Your client is a reckless, unchained rouge officer who does whatever he wants when he wants and then tries to justify it…”

 

Yeann grabbed her PADDs and shoved them forcefully into a bag before standing and motioning to her aide and Corizon to follow. “We’re done here, Captain. When you want to actually have a deposition, instead of acting like you’re the judge, jury and executioner let my aides know; in the mean time I will be filing that protest when I get back to my office.”

 

Rather amused, Corizon grinned and stood heading for the door behind her. Stunned at what had transpired, it took a full minute before Dalton had recovered the ability to do anything but blink. When he did, he snapped at an aide before standing up and following out to catch the trio before they could leave the area.

 

By that time, Corizon had already been taken by his ‘bailiff’ back to his holding cell and Yeann was waiting in the grand foyer for her transport to arrive.

 

“San’le,” he said, doing his best to stay calm.

 

“Don’t act like you’re my friend, Captain.”

 

He frowned and looked away for a moment, trying his hardest to keep from saying something that would make the situation worse. “I … I am sorry about that.”

 

“You’d better be,” she said harshly. “I don’t give a damn about who you think you are, but this is an official JAG operation and we’re not going to treat this like some damned internal affairs investigation. I don’t like Corizon anymore than you do, but I’ll be damned if I am going to let you hang him up to dry because you have a gear to grind.”

 

“I have my priorities too you know.”

 

“I am sure you do,” she said. “I don’t care what they are. I don’t care if Intelligence looks like a laughing stock before the entire fleet. I don’t care how many other people end up needing JAG services. If you want to hold Corizon accountable, then your people have to be too or this is little more than a farce and I won’t be part of an abortion of justice to save someone at Intelligence’s ass because they were careless or too cowardly to act sooner. Say what you want about that ‘reckless’ officer you’ve got up in a holding cell, he has the courage to do what he thinks is right even if it means his career.”

 

“And if it means publicly airing dirty laundry that could cause a war?”

 

“Maybe those people should have thought about that before they acted contrary to law and regulation. Funny, you should say that while trying to convict Corizon of the same thing though.”

Dalton looked away again. “Maybe your right.”

 

“There’s no maybe about it.”

 

“Alright,” he finally said. “I will promise to treat this…”

 

“Like the JAG officer you trained to be, Tauris.”

 

He bit back something, before nodding. “Like a real JAG investigator. “

 

“Good, then we can resume the depositions tomorrow morning. You have my word that Captain Corizon will answer any legitimate questions put before him.”

 

“Thank you. Anything else?”

 

Rather pleased with herself, but seeing the opportunity for what it was she decided to press for something. “You will also arrange for the Captain to be released to home confinement. There’s no reason to keep him here locked up. He’s not a flight risk and he has a home in Tokyo.”

Frowning deeper and deeper, Dalton sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

 

“And one more thing, Tauris.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“If you ever, and I mean ever, try to pull a stunt like that again I will nail your ja’le-to to my office door.”