The Trial of Captain Taiga Aisaka - Day 2 (Part 10)

Posted on Thu Jun 24th, 2021 @ 6:32am by Admiral Nyanta & Captain Taiga Aisaka & Jennifer Daxer & Commander Nicolas Trigman 'Trigger' & Commander Alora Knight & Commander Alexander "Alex" Knight & Lieutenant Hamlyn Ambrose & Lieutenant Takeshi Nakazato 'Zack' & Admiral Tanaka Miyahara & Lieutenant Shingo Shoji
Edited on on Thu Jun 24th, 2021 @ 6:33am

2,917 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Allegations
Location: Starfleet JAG Court

Previously on Star Trek Tokyo:

The Ambassador sat up and rubbed her head. "I would very much prefer to be alive than dead Lieutenant Commander" she said. "Thank you. I need to discuss the events of today with my government"

Alex helped stand the Ambassador up onto her feet, supporting her if needed. "I regret to inform you, Ambassador, that Marok may have got away. I did manage to hit him, but I was not able to determine his state before he was transported out."

"He is of no worry right now" The Ambassador said. "I suggest we return inside" she told him simply.

"You'll forgive me if I don't agree with you in regards to him not being a concern." Alex replied before looking to Alora. "Let's head back. I am sure Max and Admiral Burke will want a blow by blow recount of what happened."

"Yes." She turned to the Ambassador. "He's right, you know. Marok and his allies will be a problem for you and your government."

And now the continuation...

[Court Room]

Hobb sat in his seat, dumbfounded at the events of the past few minutes. That there had been a Tal Shiar agent in the midst of his crew struck at his core. It had been a long time since head had felt this way, betrayal was not an easy thing to process. The Engineer sighed. There would no doubt be an investigation in to how this was possible.

Admiral Hunter stood there for a moment, looking to Admiral Burke and Nyanta, before tapping his combadge again. "Hunter to Cerberus. Mister Rollins, please tell our friends to decloak. Advise any ship in orbit that the ships decloaking are allies of Starfleet Intelligence and were brought in as a precaution. Let them know Marok escaped and is possibly in a cloak vessel. The Romulan ships may be able to detect it and will inform them if they do."

"Yes sir, Max. Anything else?"

Max looked to Burke, feeling as if he almost wronged her by not letting her in on his plan, before replying to his XO's question. "Yes. Please inform Commander Vavila to beam down when she can. I think its time I made some introductions. Max Out." He tapped his combadge and looked over to Admiral Burke. "Hopefully whoever took Marok hasn't left the system and we can catch them in time, but there is no way to know for sure."

She raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. One of these days, she'd convince him to share more information with her, or she'd learn to keep her own counsel.

Max walked over to Kathryn, resisting the urge to take his hand in hers or touch her face, as he approached. She could tell he was stopping himself because he brought his hand up, but stopped immediately and pulled it back. "It's about time I introduce you to someone. A few people actually. I need to show you a piece of my world."

She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes smiling at the almost-touch. "It would be my pleasure."

The distinct sound of a transporter beam going off, using a Romulan style, began to be heard as a Romulan woman was beamed in, just as several weapons were aimed at her. She wore a Commander style uniform and looked like a traditional Romulan, but her demeanor was far more pleasant.

"It's okay, gentleman. Stand down." Max said loudly, holding up his hands. "This is Commander Vavila of the Tal Diann. She's here on official business. She's a friend."

The woman raised a brow, looking over to Max, before smiling. "You're First Officer isn't with you, Max?"

"No. Rollins is busy on the Cerberus, as you know. I'll send him your regards, if you like." Max replied with a smile.

"Nonsense." Immediately her demeanor changed, as if avoiding the subject, before approaching him. "Let him play on the Cerberus while we discuss business." She stopped in front of Max before holding out her hand. "Always a pleasure, Admiral."

Max took her hand, gripping it firmly, before smiling back with a nod. "As always, Commander, the pleasure is mine."

Vavila looked around briefly, before taking her hand back, and pointing to Max's goatee. "Careful Max. The grey in your uniform is spreading to your hair."

He let out a slight laugh before looking to Admiral Burke. "Kathryn Burke. Allow me to introduce Commander Vavila. Long time friend and member of the Tal Dian of the Romulan Star Empire."

"A pleasure," Kathryn said. Then she smiled. "I think the gray is rather charming." She gave Max a cheeky smile.

Vavila said quickly. "It's a sign of his age and that would conflict with the Max Hunter is immortal theory and we can't have that." She gave Kathryn a quick wink before laughing again.

"Whose say's I can't have some grey and still be immortal?" Max added, placing his hands behind his back. "Anything on our friend Marok?"

"Still scanning, Max. The Tan qalanq is still running scans." Vavila placed her hands on her hips before smirking. "He won't get away, I assure you."

"I hope not. The Tal'Shiar are quite adept at getting out of tight situations," Burke said.

"They have." Vavila replied, nodding her head, before adding quickly. "But they are also creatures of habit and the Tal Diann have made it their mission to put a stop to whatever games they are trying to play for years now." She looked to Max, smirking slightly, as he continued. "With the help of some uneasy alliances we've managed to keep track a much more of their activity then you used to. Hopefully, with that same alliance, we can put a stop to it once and for all."

"I hope so. They've caused quite a bit of trouble for Starfleet as well," Burke said.

Vavila looked puzzled, looking from Burke to Max, before asking. "Has the information we've provided not helped Starfleet?"

Max nodded his head. "Yes." He said firmly as he continued. "We've managed to prevent several issues before they escalated. However, as you know, while we have stopped 10 events there is always a few we didn't know about."

"This, for instance, caught us all a little off-guard," Kathryn said. "Your help has been greatly appreciated."

"It may surprise you to learn that we are happy to help." Vavila said, with a smile, before a chirp can from the comlink on her wrist. The Romulan Commander brought her wrist up and tapped it before saying. "This is Vavila."

"Commander, we have not detected a cloaked vessel, however there are signs of one fleeing." The deep voice of a man said over her com device. "The warp trail will fade with time. We are prepared to pursue once you are onboard."

Vavila looked to Burke and Hunter before replying. "Very well, Sub-Commander. Please send down a PADD with the information we uncovered prior to our arrival and prepare the ship to pursue. Offer any Federation ship to join in should they request."

"As you wish, Commander." The deep voice replied before closing the comlink.

A few seconds later another Romulan officer beamed down holding a PADD in hand. He approached Vavila before handing her the device and stepping away, his hands behind his back.

"Thank you, Mister Onden." She said as she took the PADD and handed it to Burke. "A small list of Tal Shiar operatives in Starfleet. Including one the Romulan Ambassador may be very interested in."

"Thank you." Kathryn took the PADD and looked it over. Her eyebrow raised. "That explains a lot."

Kathryn looked at Max. "Have you seen this?"

Max took the PADD from Kathryn and looked it over, looking to Vavila, then back to Burke with a raised brow. "That does explain a lot." He said firmly. "Who else knows?"

"Aside from first officer and analyst? The three of us." She replied.

"Let's keep it that way." Max replied. "If we tip our hand we lose the element of surprise and this opens up a door to can utilize."

"Agreed." Kathryn took the PADD back and slipped it into her bag. "How can I help?"

"We should approach the Romulan Ambassador, making sure only she gets this information, but coming from two Starfleet officers might make it hard to take. Max said softly, keeping to his firm tone.

Vavila placed his hands behind her back. "I can help with that. Coming from a fellow Romulan might make it easier to take. My reputation, and that of my ship, may place more credibility to the intel."

Kathryn nodded. "It would. As soon as you can. We don't want anyone else to disappear on us."

Vavila raised her wrist again, tapping the com device on it, before saying. "Vavila to Tan qalanq. Continue the pursuit as long as you can than return to pick me up. I need to have a word with our Ambassador and Marok can't be allowed to escape."

"Affirmative, Commander. Tan qalanq out." The deep voice from earlier responded before the line was cut.

A few seconds later Max's combadge chirped. "Cerberus to Hunter."

Max tapped his combadge and replied. "Go ahead, Rollins."

"Our Romulan friends got nothing but a warp trail to follow. Their hoping it will lead to a ship. If we get their fast enough we should be able to catch it in time before leaving the system." Rollins said firmly.

Max looked to Vavila, who seemed to smile a bit, before he said. "Go with them. While they're still in Federation space it would make sense to have a Starship company them. Should they find anything, assist in however you can, while also apprehending Marok. Be sure to take him into custody."

Rollins let out a slight groan. "Fun. I assume you want me to play nice with the Romulan Commander as well? You know we don't play well together and she can be a bit of a bi-"

"Commander." Max raised his voice slightly, cutting his First Officer off, so as to keep him from saying something he might regret later. "Commander Vavila is here with me. Her, Admiral Burke, and myself will be meeting with the Romulan Ambassador about some newly acquired information. I trust you and her first officer will be fine without us."

Rollins remained quiet at the other end, clearing his throat loudly, before replying. "Absolutely, Admiral. The Cerberus will do whatever it takes."

Vavila couldn't help but giggle as Max replied. "I am sure you will, Commander Rollins. Hunter out." He said firmly before tapping his combadge. "Eventually, the both of you, are going to have to decide if you're going to be lovers or rivals because this is getting tiresome."

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Max." Vavila replied quickly, a bit caught off guard by Max's comment, before walking off before anyone could have a chance to respond.

"I can personally recommend being lovers," Kathryn said, giving Max a cheeky smile. "It's a much better option."

Max only looked to Kathryn, a slight smirk, before shaking his head and resisting the urge to laugh out loud.

[Two Hours Later]

Nyanta had recalled everyone back to the court room. He had called a recess to allow everyone to calm down and get things back onto track.

"Order" he said tapping the gavel. "I am ready to end this trial"

Admiral Burke was standing by Max. When the Judge entered, she turned respectfully to the front and then took her seat.

Lena was standing by Taiga, at he defense table. She took a seat, along with the others.

Nyanta looked around the room. "After considering all the evidence, I believe that Captain Taiga Aisaka is not responsible for the attack on Alvatar Colony. She may have crossed the Neutral Zone, however the evidence shows that she did so in order to render assistance to a civilian population" he paused for a few seconds. "The fact that the Tal Shiar are involved in this incident not only disturbs me, but generates more questions than answers. This will be therefore passed over to the Diplomatic Corps to resolve"

"It is the ruling of this court that Captain taiga Aisaka is cleared of all charges. She will be permitted to retake her command, the Federation Starship Tokyo should she wish to" Nyanta looked over at Taiga.

"I will your honour. Thank you" Taiga replied simply.

Nyanta looked over towards Burke and Max before continuing. "Admiral Miyahara tendered his resignation just over thirty minutes ago. He has been arrested for purgory of the court. He will be trialed at a later date" he paused again and then his eyes locked with Takeshi.

"Lieutenant Takeshi Nakazato. You should be relieved to hear that Admiral Miyahara has admitted to ordering you to defend his position and to commit purgery on his orders" he took a long deep breath. "However, as a Starfleet Officer you have a duty to the truth Lieutenant." he said simply. "You should use better judgement next time, you as a Starfleet Officer should not follow orders blindly just because the person giving them is of higher rank should they not be ethical. Your punishment is the revoking of your commissioning. You are here by stripped of rank and will be required to hand in your comm badge and uniform after this trial. Your personal belongings and family will be transported to your home residence tomorrow" Nyanta kept his gaze on Takeshi, it was a lighter sentence, however since Miyahara had admitted to ordering the Lieutenant to lie on his behalf, it seemed appropriate.

"Thank you, your honor." Takeshi said with a bow. "I shall be happy to comply with such orders, so long as I am provided clothes to wear afterwards."

"As for Mister Marok. It would seem he was working for the Tal Shiar and this was all a ruse. For what I do not know. However, I will be passing on all files and evidence to Ambassador T'Rei and the Federation Diplomatic Corps. This is out of my hands now" he stated as his eyes met the Ambassadors. T'Rei nodded in understanding.

"As for now, Captain Taiga Aisaka. You are cleared of all charges. Court Dismissed" Nyanta brought down the gavel to end the court.

They'd done it. Kathryn smiled. There was still a lot of cleaning up to do, but this was a good start.

Takeshi was unsure how to feel as he got up to hand over his uniform and combadge: Yes, he was relieved he wasn't going to a prison colony to spend the rest of his days, but at the same time, he knew deep down that the storm was far from over, unlike what most in the courtroom seemed to think. Furthermore, he knew he would be viewed by those his loyalties still lay with as the modern day Benedict Arnold for ratting them out. If Takeshi had to guess, they were only in the eye of the storm, and the eye was always the most dangerous part for tricking one into believing the storm was over.

As people began filing out, Lena stood up, putting her things in her bag. She turned to Taiga, offering her hand. "Congratulations, Captain."

Taiga sighed a sigh of relief as she stood up. "Thank you" she replied. "By the way, who actually hired you? No one ever told me"

"Sorry, but I can't tell you that." Lena replied. "My employer asked to remain anonymous."

Rolling her eyes Taiga somehow knew that answer would come. "Fair enough. Well." she extended her hand. "Thankyou Miss Lena. I don't think I would have got through this without your assistance. Although I imagine that the real truth would have come up eventually. I do believe I owe you in some way" Taiga replied.

"You just keep doing what you do, Captain. That will be thanks enough." Lena said, taking the woman's hand, and giving it a shake. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have another trial to prepare for." She said, before walking away.

'Fair enough. I can respect that, however I have a fair idea of who appointed her. Thank god this is all over...'" Taiga thought to herself. She looked around the room which was starting to empty out. She turned to drift away with the others, she had a few things to do including recieving her new orders from Command. Now it was time for a fresh start...

Character Credits over the entire trial.

USS Tokyo Crew

Captain Taiga Aisaka
Commanding Officer
USS Tokyo

Commander Alora Knight
Executive Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Commander Alexander Knight
SWORD Team Leader
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Daxer
Chief of Security/Tactical & Acting Captain
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Hamlyn Ambrose
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Commander Nicholas Trigman
Commander Air Group
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Takeshi Nakazato
Air Boss
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Shingo Shoji
Deputy Air Boss
USS Tokyo

Starfleet Personnel

Admiral Nyanta
Chief JAG Officer
Starfleet JAG Corps

Admiral Kathryn Burke
Commander Theta Fleet
Starfleet Command

Admiral Max Hunter
Head of Covert Operations
Starfleet Intelligence

Captain Minori Kushieda
Commanding Officer
USS Armitage

Commander Rollins
Executive Officer
USS Cerebus

Others

Ambassador T'Rei
Romulan Ambassador

Lena Mendor
Civilian Lawyer

Commander Marok
Tal Shiar Agent/Romulan Defense

Commander Vavila
Tal Dianne Romulan Agent

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