Danny Amor's Online Library/Danny Amor's Online Library - Volume 1.iso/html/startrek/incomplete/untellthedays.p1-3

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From: [e-mail]  (Chris Gleason)
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
Subject: Untell the Days, Part 1
Date: 12 Feb 1995 19:38:54 GMT
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Untell the Days
by Chris Gleason

O God!  O God! that it were possible
To undo the things done; to call back yesterday!
That Time could turn up his swift sandy glass
To untell the days, and redeem the hours.
                                      Thomas Heywood
                                      A Woman Killed with Kindness
                                      [1607]  Act IV sc.vi.

Chapter 1: The Trial (I)

1.
    Samuel T. Cogley looked around the crowded courtroom at the gathering
Starfleet officers.  There was anger and confusion among them.  They were
not sure what to think.  Could it be true?  Was he guilty?  Who among
them could do any better?
    Some of the finest men and women that Cogley knew sat here.  Bob
Wesley, commander of Lexington for all of those years, newly
elected governor of Mantilles, regal in his dress uniform, conversed
in quiet, solemn tones with Admiral Hal Komack, who had been Kirk's sector
commander.  They both knew Kirk well.
    Both were baffled by the events taking place.
    Cogley looked at the man he had been asked to defend.  Captain James
Tiberius Kirk sat silently in the eye of a hurricane.  Activity took
place all around him: at the sides of the room technicians set up
devices to shield the courtroom from unauthorized scans or transmissions;
in the front, on the dais, other techs readied the terminals that the panel
judges would use.  Most of the noise came from the back of the room
from the rows of Starfleet officers who were here to witness the trial.
They fidgeted in their seats, or paced, or held anxious, whispered
conversations.  Other officers, the ones who could not make it here,
Cogley knew, were watching the proceedings on viewscreens.
    As Starfleet officers, every one of them was entitled to attend this
trial.  Starfleet officers were deemed the only possible judges of their
peers.  But who considered Kirk his or her peer?
     Samuel T. Cogley knew of heroes.  He knew of legends.  Achilles, Anaeus,
Perseus.  There was Jason, Odysseus, Arthur, Natty Bumppo the Hawkeye,
Horatio Hornblower, James Bond, Napoleon Hix.  These were his boyhood
friends, his idols.
     Now he had been called on to defend, for a second time, a man who could
walk with these heroes, a legend in his own time surely, but a real man of
flesh and blood.  And Cogley would have to helplessly watch this man
destroy himself.
     Kirk seemed oblivious of all of the disturbance around him.  When
Cogley had seen Kirk again, for the first time in four years, he had
noticed a remarkable change.  It was not obtrusive, not physical in any
way, but it was a difference that was easily apparent.  Kirk was a man
much more at peace with himself.  Cogley knew that some were taking
this contentment for defeat and guilt.  But was Kirk content enough to
throw his career away?
     Kirk continued to stare at the dais where the panel of judges would
sit.  On the front, centered, was the seal of the Starfleet of the
United Federation of Planets. He stared at it.
     "Are you sure that you want to do it this way?" Cogley asked Kirk.
     "Yes," Kirk answered, calmly.
     "I think you are making a big mistake."  Cogley said without much
conviction. They had had this conversation before.
     "I know, Mr.Cogley."
     "As your lawyer, I really cannot be a party to this, I really..."
     Kirk interrupted.  "Mr. Cogley, as you are well aware, I did not ask
for you.  In fact, I did not ask for a lawyer at all."
     Suddenly the lights came on over the dais.  A ship's bell rang twice,
then twice again.  The court's bailiff, a very young but well-poised
ensign stood and read: "By the order of the Commanding Admiral of Starfleet,
this court is now in session."
     As the bailiff read the list of presiding officers, each filed in
and sat down at their place; Cogley went over each in his mind as they
entered.   Cogley had done some research and had a pretty good idea of
who would be called on to sit on the panel.  In general, any Starfleet
officer could be called to serve on a court-martial panel, but Kirk's
trial was not a general case.
     The first officer to enter was a white-haired man, tall, with
a strong face, Admiral Benton Fitzpatrick.  Fitzpatrick was the Admiral
of the Klingon March, the whole of the border area between the Federation
and the Klingon Empire sometimes mistakenly called the Neutral Zone.
He had the reputation as a trustworthy man to have on the March, a seasoned,
experienced commander.  Cogley heard through Starfleet scuttlebutt that
Kirk still disliked Fitzpatrick to a small degree because of an incident
at Deep Space Station K-7 which involved poisoned grain, a Klingon
captain called Koloth, and a certain irritating Federation Agricultural
bureaucrat.
    Cogley chuckled inwardly.  Amazing what you hear when you're married
to a Starfleet officer, he thought.
    The next two admirals Cogley knew only by reputation, both had
commanded starships and were now part of the Starfleet Command staff.  The
fourth admiral was instantly recognizable.  There were few Andorians in
Starfleet during these peaceful times, and only one Andorian admiral.
Tajan walked slowly but gracefully up to his seat, which, Cogley noted,
was not the Chief Judge's seat, but next to it.  Rumored to be the prime
candidate for the spot of Chief of Starfleet Operations, there weren't
many who outranked Tajan. Who then would be the Chief Judge?
    When the last admiral walked slowly to the Chief Judge's seat, the
audience gasped as a whole.  It was the Commanding Admiral, Heihachiro
Nogura, himself.
    The courtroom was in something of a commotion.  Most of the gathered
officers, few holding a rank lower than captain, had never seen Nogura
in person before.  Beside Cogley, Kirk chuckled.  Kirk did not seemed
surprised, but Cogley was.  Nogura was the last man Cogley expected.
    Kirk's chuckle faded, along with every other sound in the room as
Nogura turned to face the courtroom.  Everyone saw the grim look on
Nogura's face, the jaw set in his face like granite as he gaveled the
court into order.
    "Hmmm, " Kirk whispered, "this is going to be harder than I
thought...."
    Cogley was about to question Kirk what that meant, but Nogura, as
was his trademark, got right to business.  Meetings in the Commanding
Admiral's office usually lasted less than fifteen minutes.  Exceptions
were seldom granted, and an officer who, in his ignorance or incompetence,
actually wasted the Commanding Admiral's time was rarely heard from
again.  Cogley hoped, for Kirk's sake,  that Nogura didn't feel as
if this was a waste of his time.
    "Captain Kirk," Nogura said.  In his voice, there was no trace
of the long friendship that Nogura and Kirk had shared, no emotion
at all.  "I would like to expedite this hearing and prepare for a
general court-martial, which seems to be warranted.  Do you agree?"
    Cogley made strangled noises and started to object but Kirk cut
him off.  "I'd like to see this go as quickly as possible, sir."
    "Good," the Admiral said, still with no emotion.  He picked up
a printout and stood.  "Captain James T. Kirk, the charge against you
is as follows: on stardate 7298.4, you arrived at Starbase 22, after
completing your assigned mission to the
system designated Alpha Alpha 331.  You returned with 103 crewmembers,
336 officers and crew were missing.  Among the missing were your
executive officer, Commander Spock, your chief surgeon, Commander
Leonard McCoy, your chief of security Commander Vincent Giotto, your
chief of communications, Lieutenant Commander Uhura, and medical
officer Lieutenant Commander David M'Benga.
    "Starfleet General Order 33 states that a captain must assure that
each member of his crew returns from a landing party.  No Starfleet
personnel are to be left behind, unless they are deceased.  The captain is
charged with verifying their deaths.  You left three-fourths of your crew
behind in Alpha Alpha 331, Captain Kirk.  How do you plead?"
    Cogley knew how Kirk was going to plead.  It was the one thing that
Kirk had told him in their brief pretrial meeting.
    Kirk stood.  The room was absolutely silent.  "Guilty," he said and
sat down.


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From: [e-mail]   (Chris Gleason)
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
Subject: Untell the Days, Part 2
Date: 15 Feb 1995 02:36:56 GMT
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[Untell the Days, Part 2]
[by Chris Gleason]

2.

    When, many, many years ago, Heirachiro Nogura was a young
lieutenant on Montreal, he was part of a sample-gathering landing
party that visited a beautiful jungle on one of the thousands of
islands on Gamma Telescopii II.  Of the native species on this planet,
one was a creature nicknamed a feather-bird, a flying ball
of colorful feathers in appearance .  Hundreds of feather-birds flew
in intricate patterns above the landing party as they took their
samples.
    The leader of the landing party was Dr. Darla Hyatt.  In the
pre-mission briefing, Dr. Hyatt, who had already visited the planet,
mentioned the feather-birds and that something was surprising about
them.  She was rather mysterious about them, uncharacteristic for her,
and would not answer any of the team's questions.  Nogura was the most
vocal, but Hyatt was not forthcoming.
    "I have a surprise for you," is all that she would say.
    Nogura was young, and, although it would surprise any of his
officers now, had not yet built up that infinite and intimidating
reserve of composure which he seemed to possess.  "What's the surprise,
doctor?"  he kept asking, over and over, from the briefing room, to
the shuttle, to the planet.  After about a half-hour in the jungle,
finally the doctor had enough.  "Okay, Nogura, I'll show you the
surprise!"  She grabbed her tricorder and hit a button.  A loud
high-pitched noise emanated from it.  Suddenly, the flight of
feather-birds over Nogura's head exploded.  A shower of millions (it
seemed) of feathers floated down over the landing party.  Nogura stood
in the middle of the multicolored shower and screamed with joy.
    In many ways, Nogura felt the same way now, as he watched all of his
dreams for Starfleet float onto the ground at his feet.  It was a feeling
of exhilaration as much of sorrow, for Nogura was a man with a keen sense
of irony.  How beautiful and intricate his plans had been!
    Just two days before Kirk's message from Starbase 22, Nogura had
set the first stone on the path that he hoped Starfleet would follow.  James
T. Kirk had much to do with Nogura's future plans.  The first step was
difficult; Starfleet was nothing if not a tradition-bound organization.
For them to switch as something as important as their unit insignia, Nogura
knew this was quite a change.
   From the earliest days of Starfleet, before the Federation, when
it wasstill the United Nations Space Service, each unit had it's own
insignia.  In fact this practice originated even earlier, with the armies,
navies and air forces of the divided and squabbling planet Earth.  By
Starfleet's day, what were once martial ideograms had become sparse Euclidean
shapes or stars.  The most famous unit insignia was, of course, Enterprise's
stylized arrowhead.  Nogura was slightly surprised at the ease at which
this arrowhead was accepted as the new Starfleet insignia.  It commented
on the popularity and support of Kirk and his crew.   And on the thunderstruck
aftermath of Kirk's last mission.
    Now as he stared at the unemotional face of James Kirk, a man who
had just pleaded guilty, a man who had just destroyed all of Nogura's plans,
Fleet Admiral Heirachiro Nogura did not know what to do.
    Kirk admitted his guilt.  According to the rules, Nogura had to find
him guilty, strip him of his rank and title, and end the court-martial.  It
was in the rules, and as the lowliest crewman on the smallest moon-hopper
in Starfleet could attest, Nogura always followed the rules.
    In the silent courtroom, Nogura could hear himself take a breath to
pronounce the end of James Kirk, when he was interrupted by a voice to his
right.  "If it please the court," the voice said, "I believe that I will
need some more time to study the facts of the case."  It was Admiral Tajan
who came to Nogura's rescue.
    "Very well," Nogura said.  "This court is in recess until further notice."
Nogura wasted no time in making his exit from the court.  When he was in the
antechamber, Nogura allowed himself a small sigh of relief.
    Admiral Tajan, following close behind, also seemed relieved.  Nogura
smiled at the Andorian.  "You have never needed more time to examine anything,
Tajan."
    "I believed that this procedure was going to quickly.  We have a saying
in my home region, Quettal-ab Province: 'It is the slow steady pursuit that
catches the greatest game.'"
    Nogura chuckled.  "And what is the game we seek?"
    "The truth, is it not?  The reason why Kirk did what he did."
    "What if there is no reason?"
    Tajan was taken aback.  "Surely you do not believe that?"
    Nogura said, "No, Tajan, I don't.  But I am relieved to see that you
do not either."  Nogura could read more in Tajan's eyes than what was
apparent on the surface, but he was not sure what exactly it meant.  I wonder
what Tajan sees in my eyes, Nogura thought.



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From: [e-mail]   (Chris Gleason)
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
Subject: Untell the Days, part 3
Date: 16 Feb 1995 02:32:59 GMT
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[Untell the Days, part 3]
[by Chris Gleason]

3.
   Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov watched the judgement board file
back into the antechamber.  Undoubtedly the lowest ranked officers
in the now-noisy room, they had been given places in the room by dint
of their positions as Enterprise officers.  Neither had been aboard
for the last mission.  Chekov had recently completed the Starfleet
Weapons/Defence School.  Sulu had some unhappy personal business to
take care of.
    "Vat do you think that vas all about," Chekov asked.
    "Hmm, I couldn't tell you, " Sulu answered, "but, I am sure it
is no good."
    Since the two met in the crowd before the court convened, they
had talked about many things but they had not said a word about this
proceeding.  Although Hikaru Sulu was tortured in spirit, not only
because of the disappearance of so many of his crewmates, and the trial
of his captain, but also because of something more personal, something
even more unexpected, if that was possible, he was still determined
to maintain a careful composure.  If Chekov noticed anything, he did
not let on.
    Hikaru Sulu could not begin to imagine what had happened on Alpha
Alpha.  Why did they stay?  What did they find?  He felt buffeted by
forces beyond his control.  First his mother, now this.  What next?
    Pavel Chekov looked as despondent as Sulu felt.  A change of subject
was in order, again.  "Congratulations on your promotion,"  Sulu said,
pointing to the broken stripe at Chekov's wrist.
   Chekov grinned.  "Lieutenant, junior grade.  I am having a hard time
getting used to it.."  The boyish Russian frowned.  "I just wish..."
    "Yeah," said Sulu.  "I know what you mean."
    Sulu looked up at Kirk, sitting straight in his chair, responding
calmly to what Cogley was saying.  Sulu felt implicit trust in Kirk,
a pride in their common service.  He relaxed slightly, knowing that it
would all come out well in the end for Kirk.  It always did.  You come
to know someone sharing five years....
   And sharing a lifetime.   The thought appeared in his mind unwanted,
but there nonetheless.  He thought of his mother again, for the millionth
time that day.
    Suddenly the room became absolutely silent, and Sulu was glad that it
interrupted his sorrowful train of thought.  The young bailiff had
appeared at the front of the dais.
    He read from a computer notepad.  "By order of the court, this
court-martial is hereby held in suspension until that time at which the
court is ready to render a decision.  Until that time, Captain Kirk is
instructed to aid the Board of Investigation, the makeup and duration of
which to be decided by the Chief Judge."  To the audience, he said,
"You are dismissed.  Court is adjourned."
    James T. Kirk jumped to his feet.  "But I pleaded guilty!"
    Cogley jumped to his feet in indignation.  "Captain Kirk!"
    The young bailiff was not perturbed.  "The Chief Judge thought that
you might protest.  He gave me a message for you, Captain Kirk.  I am
quoting: 'Sit down and shut up, Jim.  We are going to get to the bottom
of this.'"
    Sulu watched the bailiff retreat into the antechamber.  Nogura had
completely ignored all of the rules of Starfleet courts-martial.  No verdict
had been delivered, the trial would now apparently be conducted in private,
the accused was not placed into custody.  Yet Nogura never broke the rules.
In Starfleet the name Nogura was synonymous with the regulations.  Sulu
felt he could handle no further confusion.  There was only one thing to do.
    He started to laugh.
    It was a long, low, contagious Sulu-laugh.  Chekov followed suit.
Soon, the whole room was laughing, in relief, applauding when Kirk
stomped out of the room, Cogley scurrying after him.
    They were going to get to the bottom of this after all.