Historian’s Note: This story takes place from mid September 2378 to early October 2378; beginning approximately seven days after the events of Broken Bridges.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Prologue
Starbase One
Earth orbit
Stardate 55713.2 (September 18, 2378)
Admiral Sitak entered her office and Captain Leza Astar stood up. The admiral raised an eyebrow in what a human would have called surprise.
‘I did not expect to see you until the trial.’
‘That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Admiral. I have read all the charges against and I wanted to plead guilty to all counts with one proviso.’
Sitak said nothing for several moments. ‘Your actions are not entirely logical but I will hear you out. For legal reasons I should record this meeting. Is that acceptable?’
‘Yes ma’am.’
‘Computer, begin recording.’
‘Recording,’ the computer replied.
‘What is your proviso?’ Sitak asked.
‘I would like to give you and you alone my reasoning for my actions.’
Sitak raised her left eyebrow again. ‘Very well, you may proceed.’
'In regards to the charge of violating General Order 283, I was obviously aware of the threat that the Dominion posed to ourselves and when I learned about the Vorta Imperium I believed that because the political alliances of the Alpha Quadrant in the Mirror Universe were far more sundered than ours, there would be no hope for them if the Imperium attacked in force. They Imperium were looking for the Changelings which they had overthrown in a genocidal war. The Imperium had already destroyed Terok Nor and laid waste to Bajor as a warning to everyone else. The Klingon-Cardassian Alliance was blinded by their hatred for the Terran rebellion and I knew with certainty that unless I forced a temporary alliance, the Mirror Universe would crumble further.'
'Why should the mirror universe be of concern to you?' Sitak asked.
'If the Vorta subjugated the Alliance and the rebellion, they would have learned of our universe and the fact that we defeated the Dominion and I believed it possible they would look to destroy the Founders in our universe as well. None of us are equipped for another such war, and this time it would have been far more costly.'
Sitak appeared to consider her argument. ‘That is an interesting hypothesis. Did you run any computer simulations to confirm this?’
‘There was no time, Admiral. As a Starfleet Captain operating on the frontier, it is not always possible to adhere to the strict regulations laid down by our forebears although of course we always try our best. I did what I did to save billions of lives in two universes, perhaps more. You have the luxury of performing computer simulations now, and I willing to sit in a prison cell while you do that. I believe I will be proven correct in my hypothesis.’
‘After our meeting I will be speaking with Admirals Coburn and Janeway regarding these matters and we will follow where the evidence takes us as laid down in the Uniform Code of Starfleet Justice. Since we are going through the charges, let us move on to the charge of accessory to genocide.’
‘Doctor Maxx determined that the disease was not curable. He believed that the Cha’lav deliberately created the virus in order to destabilize the Kursican sector, making it ripe for takeover. Doctor Maxx believed that if he were to beam down to the surface he would be able to find a cure. Based on the evidence he presented to me, I did not agree with his assessment.’
‘You do not hold a medical degree and neither do you have medical training, Captain. On what evidence did you base your decision?’
‘Several other species had been infected with a species-specific mutation of the infectious virus and some of them had survived because of Doctor Maxx’s actions. However, a number of them did not survive because Maxx did not have similar enough DNA on file to create an antivirus. There were no caninoid or lupine species in the Federation DNA database from which to construct a cure.’
‘The Alshain are a caninoid species, Captain, and we do have their DNA sequence in the database.’
‘I presume you have looked at the evidence, Admiral?’ Astar asked. ‘Maxx tested the Alshain DNA and found it completely incompatible with that of the Resoto.’
‘I see.’
‘I had no way of knowing whether the disease had mutated or whether it would become contagious to the crew once it was airborne. Although millions of people died, it was necessary to save my crew and the rest of the galaxy.'
‘I am not one hundred percent sure of your reasoning on this matter, Captain, but I will investigate the evidence. Finally, there is the matter of the prime directive violation regarding the Eeroth.’
Astar sighed. This was going to be the hardest part of the entire conversation. ‘I have no excuses or reasons for my actions on the Eeroth mission. Although I was under the influence of a very unusual poison, there is no excuse for my actions and how I represented Starfleet and the Federation.’
Admiral Sitak had been standing for the entirety of their conversation but now she moved to her desk and picked up a padd. After reading through some of its contents, she looked up at Astar. I have here testimony from Captain Logan and the interim head of the Eeroth government. They have accepted Captain Logan’s report on your behaviour and admit that the terrorists in command of their government and armed forces did not represent their legitimate government. It is therefore my decision to drop the charge of prime directive violation.’
‘Thank you, Admiral.’
‘Do not thank me yet, Captain. I believe that some of your actions not represented here do show that your command decisions are lacking. Admiral Janeway erred in offering you command of the Pytheas. You are hereby demoted to the rank of Commander.’
‘To whom do I report?’ Astar asked, accepting her punishment.
‘Because of the nature of the Pytheas’ mission into the Delta Quadrant, I have decided that you should be assigned to the Pytheas as the executive officer unless your commanding officer deems you unfit for duty.’
‘Yes ma’am.’
Sitak handed her another padd. ‘I do have a special mission for you, but you will need your commanding officer’s approval.’
Astar accepted the padd and glanced at the contents. She raised an eyebrow herself when she saw the mission, more at the people involved than the specifics, but it was surprising nonetheless.
‘Is this the first move in eliminating the threat they pose permanently?’
‘We believe they have a significant number of operatives within Taskforce Vanguard and it is our hope that you will rendezvous with the fleet at some stage and be in a position to remove each and every one of them. We will interrogate them and use what they give us to capture and interrogate more. It is a logical course of action.’
‘I agree, Admiral, but it is an extensive undertaking. Who will be involved?’
‘For now, just you and your commanding officer although both of you have independent authority to bring others in as needed, provided you can trust them without a single doubt.’
‘We’ll bring them to justice,’ Astar said, promising and hoping she could deliver.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Prologue
Starbase One
Earth orbit
Stardate 55713.2 (September 18, 2378)
Admiral Sitak entered her office and Captain Leza Astar stood up. The admiral raised an eyebrow in what a human would have called surprise.
‘I did not expect to see you until the trial.’
‘That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Admiral. I have read all the charges against and I wanted to plead guilty to all counts with one proviso.’
Sitak said nothing for several moments. ‘Your actions are not entirely logical but I will hear you out. For legal reasons I should record this meeting. Is that acceptable?’
‘Yes ma’am.’
‘Computer, begin recording.’
‘Recording,’ the computer replied.
‘What is your proviso?’ Sitak asked.
‘I would like to give you and you alone my reasoning for my actions.’
Sitak raised her left eyebrow again. ‘Very well, you may proceed.’
'In regards to the charge of violating General Order 283, I was obviously aware of the threat that the Dominion posed to ourselves and when I learned about the Vorta Imperium I believed that because the political alliances of the Alpha Quadrant in the Mirror Universe were far more sundered than ours, there would be no hope for them if the Imperium attacked in force. They Imperium were looking for the Changelings which they had overthrown in a genocidal war. The Imperium had already destroyed Terok Nor and laid waste to Bajor as a warning to everyone else. The Klingon-Cardassian Alliance was blinded by their hatred for the Terran rebellion and I knew with certainty that unless I forced a temporary alliance, the Mirror Universe would crumble further.'
'Why should the mirror universe be of concern to you?' Sitak asked.
'If the Vorta subjugated the Alliance and the rebellion, they would have learned of our universe and the fact that we defeated the Dominion and I believed it possible they would look to destroy the Founders in our universe as well. None of us are equipped for another such war, and this time it would have been far more costly.'
Sitak appeared to consider her argument. ‘That is an interesting hypothesis. Did you run any computer simulations to confirm this?’
‘There was no time, Admiral. As a Starfleet Captain operating on the frontier, it is not always possible to adhere to the strict regulations laid down by our forebears although of course we always try our best. I did what I did to save billions of lives in two universes, perhaps more. You have the luxury of performing computer simulations now, and I willing to sit in a prison cell while you do that. I believe I will be proven correct in my hypothesis.’
‘After our meeting I will be speaking with Admirals Coburn and Janeway regarding these matters and we will follow where the evidence takes us as laid down in the Uniform Code of Starfleet Justice. Since we are going through the charges, let us move on to the charge of accessory to genocide.’
‘Doctor Maxx determined that the disease was not curable. He believed that the Cha’lav deliberately created the virus in order to destabilize the Kursican sector, making it ripe for takeover. Doctor Maxx believed that if he were to beam down to the surface he would be able to find a cure. Based on the evidence he presented to me, I did not agree with his assessment.’
‘You do not hold a medical degree and neither do you have medical training, Captain. On what evidence did you base your decision?’
‘Several other species had been infected with a species-specific mutation of the infectious virus and some of them had survived because of Doctor Maxx’s actions. However, a number of them did not survive because Maxx did not have similar enough DNA on file to create an antivirus. There were no caninoid or lupine species in the Federation DNA database from which to construct a cure.’
‘The Alshain are a caninoid species, Captain, and we do have their DNA sequence in the database.’
‘I presume you have looked at the evidence, Admiral?’ Astar asked. ‘Maxx tested the Alshain DNA and found it completely incompatible with that of the Resoto.’
‘I see.’
‘I had no way of knowing whether the disease had mutated or whether it would become contagious to the crew once it was airborne. Although millions of people died, it was necessary to save my crew and the rest of the galaxy.'
‘I am not one hundred percent sure of your reasoning on this matter, Captain, but I will investigate the evidence. Finally, there is the matter of the prime directive violation regarding the Eeroth.’
Astar sighed. This was going to be the hardest part of the entire conversation. ‘I have no excuses or reasons for my actions on the Eeroth mission. Although I was under the influence of a very unusual poison, there is no excuse for my actions and how I represented Starfleet and the Federation.’
Admiral Sitak had been standing for the entirety of their conversation but now she moved to her desk and picked up a padd. After reading through some of its contents, she looked up at Astar. I have here testimony from Captain Logan and the interim head of the Eeroth government. They have accepted Captain Logan’s report on your behaviour and admit that the terrorists in command of their government and armed forces did not represent their legitimate government. It is therefore my decision to drop the charge of prime directive violation.’
‘Thank you, Admiral.’
‘Do not thank me yet, Captain. I believe that some of your actions not represented here do show that your command decisions are lacking. Admiral Janeway erred in offering you command of the Pytheas. You are hereby demoted to the rank of Commander.’
‘To whom do I report?’ Astar asked, accepting her punishment.
‘Because of the nature of the Pytheas’ mission into the Delta Quadrant, I have decided that you should be assigned to the Pytheas as the executive officer unless your commanding officer deems you unfit for duty.’
‘Yes ma’am.’
Sitak handed her another padd. ‘I do have a special mission for you, but you will need your commanding officer’s approval.’
Astar accepted the padd and glanced at the contents. She raised an eyebrow herself when she saw the mission, more at the people involved than the specifics, but it was surprising nonetheless.
‘Is this the first move in eliminating the threat they pose permanently?’
‘We believe they have a significant number of operatives within Taskforce Vanguard and it is our hope that you will rendezvous with the fleet at some stage and be in a position to remove each and every one of them. We will interrogate them and use what they give us to capture and interrogate more. It is a logical course of action.’
‘I agree, Admiral, but it is an extensive undertaking. Who will be involved?’
‘For now, just you and your commanding officer although both of you have independent authority to bring others in as needed, provided you can trust them without a single doubt.’
‘We’ll bring them to justice,’ Astar said, promising and hoping she could deliver.
). She took it quite well, though--especially since she will have to be on her own ship, without being its commander anymore. I think that shows character, and means that there's something to build on for whatever she has to do to regain her status.
