Prologue: Court-Martial of Gideon Exeter

Posted on 09 Feb 2011 @ 10:46am by

1,901 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: M8: The Kzinti War!!!!
Location: Star Base 43
Timeline: Just prior to Gideon's arrival on SB 517

The man sitting by himself at the defense table appeared to be unconcerned to the point of non-chalance. His chocolate brown hair whose length was barely within regulation guidelines was spiked and appeared uncombed, which was definitely not within regulation guidelines. The ear ring he wore was also deemed unacceptable and he had obviously not shaved for several days. All of those factors spoke to his character, at least to the judges, but he was in far more trouble than some superficial appearance issues.
Commander Dupage looked down from the dais with barely disguised contempt, "Mr. Exeter, he addressed the man, "Mr. Exeter, I don't think you understand the gravity of the charges against you. You are aware of the old adage, that a man who represents himself has a fool for a client?"

Lt. JG Gideon Exeter looked back at the Commander without blinking and replied, "I am aware of the adage Commander, but as I look around the room it seems to me that I am not the only fool present.

This brought a slight smile, carefully concealed, to the face of Captain Bennett who sat immediately to Dupage's left and caused Admiral Sorek sitting to Dupage's right to raise an upturned left eyebrow.

"Very well, I consider the Lieutenant has been advised of and has waived his right to counsel," Dupage continued, "Anything that happens as a result of this hearing cannot be appealed on those grounds. Sir, you are charged with several very serious violations; gross insubordination, refusing to obey a lawful command, striking a fellow officer, striking a superior officer, impersonating an officer, and resisting arrest, and perhaps the most serious of all torturing a Federation prisoner. How does the defendant plead?"

"Guilty of impersonating an officer, innocent of all other charges, Commander;" came the reply.

"You will address members of this court as Your Honor, or I will add contempt of court charges to the specifications. Do I make myself clear?"

Gideon was about to reply with his typical wise-ass fashion, but decided he had pushed the envelope enough for one day, "I understand, Your Honor," he replied.

Dupage seemed to relax slightly and his face, which had been several shades redder than usual returned to near-normal. "How do you answer these charges, what is your defense?

Even without his ability to read thoughts, Gideon could tell that Dupage had already made up his mind and had probably already ordered the rope to hang him with. The other two seemed at least open to hearing his side of the story. "Your Honor", he said addressing Dupage but looking at Bennett and Sorek, "May I stand and address the court?"

Dupage gave a curt nod and Gideon stood to his feet. he looked at each man in turn, took a deep breath and started, "Let me begin by saying that I know I have a reputation that precedes me and I am not known for parroting the party line. However, I don't think my loyalty to the Federation has even been called into question; my methods, yes; my attitude towards politicians and superior officers, without a doubt, but never my loyalty.

Star Fleet Intelligence captured a Romulan spy, a terrorist actually. There was good reason to believe that she had intimate knowledge of an imminent attack on one of the Deep Space stations. I was charged with interrogating her. At first she claimed to know nothing, but there was no doubt that she was lying. I didn't have to read her mind to know that. A fool would have drawn the same conclusion." As he finished the last of his statement he turned briefly, but pointedly at Dupage. A fact that each judge nodded but viewed in their own way.

"First," he continued, "I tried to play nice, but she wouldn't answer any of my questions. So then I left and came back disguised as Admiral Kincaid. I freely admit to that charge, but I thought there was a slim chance that she would talk with a reputation, especially one of Kincaid's reputation and I was still trying to play nice, mind you. So yes, I do plead guilty to that charge, but it wasn't for personal gain nor for that matter a practical joke as I have been accused of in the past.

It was clear that she wasn't going to respond. I tried to read her thoughts or emotions, but was unable to get through her defenses. This, to say the least, concerned me greatly because I have rarely had that happen even with other telepaths. I decided that the only way to get that information was to use enhanced interrogation techniques. I threatened torture, true, but I NEVER actually engaged in it.

Lt. Kincaid, who is barely a superior in rank, and frankly will never be a superior in reality, was the O.D.D. He came into the interrogation room and ordered me to stop. I tried to explain to him that lives were on the line, but he refused to listen. His order was not a lawful one, because he was not my direct commander, he had no authority in that situation, and I had orders from much higher up the food chain. Therefore I am innocent of that charge.

I did the only thing I could do. I ignored the moron. If you check the security tapes you will see that he struck me first, not the other way around. I was just defending myself. Lt. Kincaid is relying on his uncle's clout to get him out of this situation. I tried to respond with as little force as possible, but things escalated when he called the MPs. There were three of them and one of me, but things were pretty even until one of them pulled their phaser and stunned me.

It was the actions of Mr. Kincaid that prevented any further interrogation and if it had not been for the grace of God and an intercepted sub-space communication by Star Fleet Intelligence, Deep Space 6 might well have been destroyed. Kincaid is the one who should be on trial here, not me. And if it wasn't for his uncle being and admiral and the fact that some members of this court and the Federation hierarchy have their heads up their posteriors, he would be."

Gideon returned to his seat and said, "I rest my case." He sat down not sure what to expect next.

Dupage's face had returned to its crimson shade and he was shouting, "Are you quite finished Mr. Exeter? Lt. Kincaid is a fine officer; he was simply trying to prevent the violation of a multitude of Federation offenses by a rogue malcontent who was overstepping his boundaries. Kincaid was right to step in. How dare you question his integrity, how dare you address this court in such a manner!"

Gideon sat in his chair and shook his head incredulously, "Are you a complete moron? Have you heard nothing of what I said? Kincaid's actions almost cost the loss of Deep Space 6. I know you care nothing about the lives that would have been lost, but think of the billions of credits that it would have cost to replace her before you kiss up to either of the Kincaids."

"Gentlemen," began Sorek, before either Gideon or Dupage could continue, "Things are getting a little, heated. Perhaps you should both take a deep breath as your race would say. Mr. Exeter you have mounted a spirited and frankly logical defense for your actions. However, while your actions may have some justification, it does not absolve you of all guilt in my opinion. So if Mr. Dupage and Mr. Bennett agree, I wish to offer a solution, a compromise. One I believe will be mutually beneficial to all parties. First I would suggest that your rank be reduced to Ensign with a minimum of 90 days before you can be considered for promotion. Second, I would not want to lose a man of your talents however, and I don't think drumming you out of Star Fleet would do you or us any good. Thirdly; given your...nature, putting you under the command of a captain that adheres to strict protocol would not be beneficial either. I believe that a posting on the right ship with the right Captain would give you the right environment in which you can not only remedy yourself but put your talents to good use as well."

Sorek, the Station's JAG, lifted a PADD and looked through the list of starships in the area. He didn't have to look far at all. Raising an eyebrow Sorek calculated the odds of success. "I think I have just the posting for you. If you agree to this second condition you will be posted to the USS Achilles, with the Captain's approval of course. I will also give your new CO the option of promoting you early should he deem it appropriate. Is this an acceptable compromise to you?'

Gideon thought for a moment. Rank was not a very important thing for him, so if he had to be an Ensign again, it would not bother him. He had heard rumors about the Achilles and knew that they thought outside the containment field. He felt he could adjust his attitude enough, with some effort to fit in. It would be a change and he desperately needed a change. "Yes, your honor, those conditions are acceptable."

"Very well," said Sorek, “Mr. Dupage, what say you?"

"I say that I can't believe that you would let, this, this; this officer off with a mere slap on the wrist because of what he has done. He needs to spend some time on a penal colony not get to gallivant around the galaxy. I say NO WAY!"

"It's up to you Mr. Bennett," said Sorek.

Bennett nodded, "Frankly, I must agree that Mr. Kincaid in his enthusiasm and inexperience is the one that crossed the line. I believe that a fair assessment of the facts would prove this. Therefore, if it were up to me, I would vote for Mr. Exeter's outright acquittal. Since that is not an option, I vote with Admiral Sorek. Mr. Exeter, please do not let us down."

Gideon slowly let out his breath. He had come in expecting a stacked deck, figuring the fix was in. He was being given a second chance, a chance, he added to himself that would not hinder his style or get in the way of his doing his job. He planned to make the best of that chance.

So, he did something he rarely did of his own volition, he stood to his feet, straightened his uniform and saluted Sorek and Bennett. He thought of giving Dupage a different salute, one requiring less fingers, but decided that might nullify the deal.

"Very well," said Dupage, “I will arrange for you to rendezvous with the Achilles. You are aware Ensign that the Achilles is near the Neutral Zone. Knowing your background, will that be a problem?"

"Are you kididng?" Gideon thought to himself, "That close to the Neutral Zone, that much closer to finding my identity, that is icing on the cake." Not wanting the board members to notice his enthusiasm he simply shook his head and said, "No I believe I can handle that aspect, it won't be a problem."

 

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