JAG

Posted on Thu Jan 6th, 2022 @ 12:05am by Captain Shran dh'Klar & Lieutenant Ayana Hillis & Commander Jonathan Grayson & Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis Dr

Mission: Sinister Intentions
Location: Starbase 451

Shran and Ayana made their way to the transporter room where they were to meet with Jon and Dex before transporting over to the station. They were both dressed in their formal uniforms as was custom considering who they were meeting with when they got over to the station. Shran was not looking forward to this sit down, though he had done everything he could to this point to keep Jon from being court martialed. What was left was going to be a less than thrilling experience with JAG, and in this case, a trio were going to be interviewing them all in a formal setting, a trio of officers Shran knew all to well, for better and worse.

Dex nodded, the only thing that felt out of place was her dress uniform, however much she tried she could never get the collar right and it itched. She looked at Jon and held his arm for a moment.

Jon gave her a tight smile. "You look fine Dex. Stop worrying." He tried to instill some confidence into her, a confidence he didn't have. He was nervous but there was no going back.

The quartet all dematerialized from the transporter pad in the standard blue hue and rematerialized in the transporter room aboard the station a few moments later. A pair of security officers, a commander and a lieutenant, stood waiting for them. "I'm Cmdr Lawson" said the tall well built human. "If you are ready, I'm to escort you to the meeting room. The admiral and others are awaiting you sir."

Shran nodded. "Lead on commander."

The walked down the corridors and took a turbolift up three levels before reaching their destination. Shran asked for a moment before they entered and looked at his officers, "I hope you are all prepared. Despite what is happening here, I must stress that everyone keep their cool and remember we are all officers. They are going to be quite direct and likely ask some tough questions. Give them straight answers. The admiral doesn't care obtuseness. No matter what, remember, you are all fine officers and under my command. Now, let's get this over with, shall we?"

Dex nodded. “Yes sir”.

Jon gave a curt nod. "Yes sir."

They entered the room. It was fairly spartan, the trio behind a large table which had a large brass bell on it, a Federation flag on a pole to the rear right of them, and a smaller yet longer table with chairs for the four of them to sit. Very little else was present in the room, with the exception of a replicator and 4 additional security officers, two stationed just inside the door, and two on either side of the room in line with where Shran and the others would be sitting.

As the quartet made their way to their seats, Shran made eye contact with each of the members of the JAG trio. The primary was Admiral Sitak, a Vulcan female he had the opportunity to meet during the Dominion War and a few times afterwards. She was your typical Vulcan in most ways, logical, direct, with little regard for emotion; the saving grace with her was that she could be swayed if you presented a strong enough argument. To her left was Capt Gral, a Tellerite who Shran remembered from his days at the Academy. Gral was everything you would expect from a Tellerite, pigheaded, argumentative, stubborn, and he had little regard for who he might offend in pursuit of the facts, including the truth. He was perfect for JAG. To the right of Sitak was Capt Vadosia, a Bolian that Shran met during the war. He was a typical Bolian, organized, methodical, and direct, with a way to criticize with backhand remarks. Shran knew they were in for quite a time.

"Be seated" Sitak said. She rung the bell in ceremonial fashion. "We are here today for the formal inquiry into the actions of Cmdr Jonathan Grayson and the events that surround the death of one Lt Cmdr T'Vall. Captain Shran dh'Klar, his commanding officer is present, along with Lt Ayana Hillis and Lt Shoniara T'ghann Dex. Cmdr Grayson, as the officer under investigation in this matter, do you wish to make an opening statement before we begin with the testimony?"

Jon stood slowly, he was far from healed and his injuries still bothered him. Nonetheless he stood straight and proud and looked Admiral Sitak in the eye. "Yes Admiral I do." He said his voice even and strong even he wasn't physically. "I did what I felt was the right decision. It was a command decision and I made it. Lt. Commader T'vall abducted and raped my wife. Who is also an officer under my supervision. He bent her mind to have her believe he was her husband." He took a breath and continued, "I went to the brig to confront him, to get the secret of what he had done. I knew I could only get it through a direct physical confrontation as he would never answer our questions. You may view it as wrong but it got the needed results." Jon finished and sat back down slowly.

Gral looked ready to jump out of his seat after hearing Jon speak. It was obvious that he was going to be the most animated of those in the room. Sitak thanked Jon for his statement and then looked to Shran. "Captain, the officer under investigation in these proceedings is your Executive Officer, is this correct?"

Shran stood, "He is."

"As his captain, do you wish to make a statement?"

"I do" he replied firmly. "Jonathan Grayson has been my Executive Officer for many years now, and has done so with distinction. I would note that he has quite the impeccable record, and that though he has had a few questionable decisions in his past, he has always been found innocent of wrongdoing. He was forced to choose between his duty to the uniform and duty as a husband. StarFleet has always maintained that these two duties were separate yet equal, and it is my sincere hope that you will weigh this premise in your deliberations." With that Shran sat down, giving a confident look to Jon.

Sitak nodded. "Very well captain. Captain Vadosia, if you will."

The Bolian nodded, picked up a PaDD that was sitting before him and accessed some information. "Lt Cmdr T'Vall had a distinguished career in his own right. He didn't have all the citations that you do captain or even that of your first officer, but he was in fact considered a fine officer, which is why he was selected for the assignment he was on. Did you actually speak with T'Vall at any point prior to his death?"

"Briefly, yes" replied Shran.

"Are you referring to the forced meeting you had with him, a meeting in which you sent Cmdr Grayson and Lt Hillis to escort T'Vall to you ship and they did so by attacking him?"

"Excuse me sir. Lt. Commander T'vall attacked Lt. Hillis after refusing twice our request to meet with captain Shran. Only then was he stunned." Jon answered firmly.

"Admiral, I would note that the report we have from T'Vall's spouse, while it does mostly coincide with the testimony given in their reports, does differ regarding their demeanor at the time they interacted with her husband as well as the events that led to the use of force and whether it was necessary."

Sitak nodded. "So noted."

Vadosia continued, "Cmdr Grayson, are you in the habit of using force against fellow officers to get what you want?"

"No sir." Jon answered simply, he wasn't going to be goaded into a stupid reply.

"I see. So would you describe this as an isolated incident?"

"Yes sir." Jon again replied briefly and to the point.

"Very well. Doctor, what was the condition of Lt Cmdr T'Vall when brought to the conference room for the initial meeting in question?"

"The Lt Cmdr was just returning to consciousness, I believe they had to stun him in order to bring him aboard. I was told he refused to come under his own volition, and he injured Lieutenant Hillis one of the team members sent to escort T’Vall back to the Washington.

"Would you say he was not in a condition to be questioned at the time?"

"I would say that, although still recovering from the stun he was able to answer questions."

"And how exactly did he manage to escape sickbay while under your care?" Vadosia was being methodical as always.

"Lt Cmdr T’Vall was a powerful Vulcan of exceptional mental ability that we never able to try to understand. Despite being sedated he was able to break that sedation and telepathically induce Lt Raven-Grayson to release him from his restraints. Then together they attacked the security contingent."

"So would you say that you were derelict in your duties as a physician or that the fault lay with security?" Vadosia's question made it clear the intent they seemed to have, as did Gral's vile sneer.

Dex brought herself up to her full height. “I would say sir that the fault lay with Lt Cmdr T’Vall. As I indicated in my previous answer he was an exceptional mental and touch telepath with a power we did not understand nor had time too."

Vadosia looked at Gral who was more than happy to take over. "You didn't have time to understand him because your Executive Officer took it upon himself to kill him. And how exactly did he manage to achieve these telepathic powers you suggest he had? Vulcans, even the most powerful among them do not possess telepathic powers in the same ways that Betazoids or even Andorians do, they are touch telepaths. Are you telling us that he was some sort of telepathic prodigy, an outlier?"

“I am telling you that all you say was a possibility. I cannot give you a focused answer. He was someone with abilities we and myself as a physician have never encountered before. Sirs, that is why we are out there, there are so many things we do not know, so much to learn and so much to explore.

Gral snorted with disdain. "Lt Hillis, you are currently in command of security aboard the Washington. How is it that you allowed a person under guard to escape, and then when captured, allowed him to be assaulted and ultimately killed."

Ayana was quite cognizant of the intent of the questions at this point. "Sir, your assertions are in error. Not completely, but in error. I would note that I had security in place at both times. In both cases superior officers were present that altered that security. I would also note that while T'Vall was assaulted while in custody, his death was the result of poison, suicide essentially."

Gral didn't take kindly to what he viewed as a smug response. "I find your cavalier attitude to be a serious problem lieutenant. Had I been your superior officer I would have relieved you of duty after the initial escape."

"I suppose that it is lucky for me that you aren't my commanding officer then" Ayana snapped back, feeling Shran's gaze almost instantly.

Gral looked like he was ready to boil over. "Commander Grayson, you say you had no choice but to assault T'Vall to get information. What measures had been taken to that point to actually interrogate him?"

"That is correct sir. He was asked when brought to the ship the first time if he had any knowledge of the slavers and he was very evasive in answers or gave no answer at all. So based on previous experience I knew offering him tea and cookies wasn't going to work. That only an act that was directed at his manhood would get us answers." Jon replied coolly.

"So you believed that you had to illicit an emotional response from a Vulcan to get the information that you need, is that what you are saying?" questioned Gral with a heavy incredulous voice.

"No sir. That is what you are saying." Jon replied coolly. "I said T'vall was arrogant and felt superior to everyone else. I had to challenge him on that, get him to react and he did."

Gral snorted is disbelief. "Admiral, I would suggest that the testimony that we have heard thus far points to an obvious point, that being that the officers under the command of Capt Shran have a blatant disregard for procedure and the rules and regulations that govern us all as StarFleet officers."

Dex stood feeling everyone’s eyes on her. “Ma’am, Sirs I protest, this has been tantamount to railroading. Captain Shran runs a tight ship and he gets the best out of his people. What happened was a fluid and dangerous situation of T’Valls own doing. His conduct from the beginning was not that of an officer of the fleet. We have proof he was collecting women, torturing, raping and selling them to Orions for slavery. He would never have allowed himself to be brought before a court, he was always going to kill himself.” She ran out of breath and sat down not daring to look at her Captain. “Sorry” she said.

Shran rose calmly. "Admiral, as your two fellow jurors have pointed out, a great many things happened that per regulations, shouldn't have. Unlike yourself, my crew is made up of races that have to trust their emotions at times, and sometimes those emotions will overrule logic and rash judgment. Captains Gral and Vadosia are fine officers, but unlike you, they've never actually commanded a starship, nor had to deal with the unpredictability that happens routinely when in deep space. I fully admit, my people do not always do things by the book, nor do I. I would point out though that many of our finest commanding officers went against the rules when they thought it best. I point to Sisko, who may be the one commanding officer above all others to save the Federation from the Dominion. Picard and Janeway both saved us from the Borg. And perhaps the greatest maverick, James T. Kirk. Each knew the regs and followed them, but they understood that rules and regulations are not without flexibility, and you must trust your own judgment and that of your people to get the best possible results."

Shran took a moment to take a deep breath before continuing. "The evidence is clear regarding T'Vall. He was a poor excuse of an officer, and not the best representation of the Vulcan race. You know the evidence and you know how bad he and the situation he created was because we were bringing him in for you to court martial him. You have evidence we collected, countless statements from the victims we rescued, along with information sent from Admiral Carroll regarding the arrest of accomplices in his ring. I would remind you that T'Vall is the guilty party here, the true villain, who was ripping women, some of which were only children, ripping them from their families and selling them not only into slavery to the Orions, but also to the Breen who were experimenting on them in a bid to destroy the Federation. He was abusing these women, some he abused personally, and besides the abuse he inflicted on them physically, he also abused them mentally. We've learned that his abuse of Cmdr Grayson's spouse started not when he captured her on New Krakow, but dates back even further than that, to his time with her at the Academy. If you seek justice, you must lay the blame squarely at the feet of T'Vall." With that Shran sat down.

Gral looked cross, Vadosia was speechless. Sitak remained stone-faced but finally spoke. "I have heard from all sides and witnesses. The record is clear. We shall adjourn and return at 0900 with a verdict." With that she ceremonially hit the bell and then stood and exited.