Star Trek Cowboy

On Trial

The Hall of Justice, Qo'noS, 2375

Trial Day 1

Accompanied by a pair of heavily armed Klingon warriors, Kesta entered the courtroom and looked around her with a mixture of nervousness and curiosity. All around her, high above the floor where she stood, were what looked like observation levels, similar to those balconies in old Earth theatres, where at a normal trial, the general public could stand and watch the proceedings. It didn't look as if there were seating arrangements for spectators and she remembered with a touch of bitter humour that Klingons gave little, if any, consideration to physical comfort.

But this trial was a closed session and today the upper terraces were empty. At one end of the room was a raised platform containing the only seat in the room – a great thronelike chair with a sturdy table in front of it. Kesta guessed that this was where the judge would sit. In this place, even the chancellor would remain standing.

The chamber itself was dimly lit and the fine smoke billowing from the torches fastened to the walls, gave a reddish glow to the room, adding to the heat permeating the chamber like a blanket. Qo'noS was a planet of extremes at the best of times, and the thunderstorms that had plagued the city notwithstanding, this was one of the hottest summers on record.

The prosecutor was a tall, heavyset Klingon called T'Bor, who looked a little older than Krang. Unlike Qeyn he was a civilian and was dressed in a black, formally styled tunic with an insignia that Kesta did not recognise but guessed to be some indication of his rank or position - and in direct contrast to his opponent, who was standing quietly, waiting with remarkable patience for the judge and chancellor to arrive, T'Bor stood with his arms crossed, and his fingers twitching, looking as though he was having to restrain himself from pacing impatiently up and down.

The silence of the courtroom was broken then, the suddenness of the noise startling Kesta and making her jump, as recently Chancellor L'Rell made her entrance. The leader of the Klingon Empire pushed open the massive doors with enough force to make the massive wooden constructs thud against the opposing walls, the sound echoing throughout the room. The heavy cloak flapping regally about her, she strode across the chamber and took her place at the far end, almost directly opposite where the judge would sit.

Behind her was J'Ula, the Chancellor's new aid, those few members of the High Council and senior officers who were permitted to attend, followed at a respectful distance. All of them choosing to remain on ground level, they moved around the courtroom to take their places. They stood resolutely in varying positions, some with hands behind their backs, others with arms folded before them, all of them displaying that inner confidence, bordering on arrogance, that came with high rank.

At last of the council members settled themselves into place, the doors to the second level, the judge's level, opened, and a dignified, grey-haired Klingon slowly entered the room. The judge stood in the doorway for a moment, taking the opportunity to survey his surroundings, his gaze stopping occasionally on people who caught his interest - as such, the chancellor, two or three of the council members. Slowly and with great dignity, he approached the throne-like chair that was set aside for his use and adjusting his cloak slightly, seated himself in it.

The judge held a gavel in his hand, a heavy instrument that to Kesta's eyes, seemed sinister in its design, a symbol of the injustice that was being done here today. It looked like the clawed hand of a demon grasping a globe and the sight of it made the human woman fight the urge to shiver. After raising the globe and holding it in mid-air for a moment, the judge struck the table-top before him with unexpected strength, making sparks fly. Lifting the globe again he struck the table a second time, and then again, a third time.

This particular courtroom was, she knew, reserved for the more serious crimes such as treason and it was rarely used. Klingon justice was nothing if not direct and criminals were not often taken alive, preferring death before capture. Of those who were brought here, few ever left as free men. Forcing herself to pay attention to the proceedings, Kesta listened to what the judge was saying. The proceedings were, of course, in tlhingan Hol.

"Kesta daughter of William of the House Riker, you stand before us today, accused of treason against the Klingon Empire. You have already been found guilty of this crime in your absence and sentence has been passed. That sentence was death. However, at the request of the new Chancellor..." He glanced across at L'Rell, his expression making it clear that he did not appreciate the chancellor's interference in judicial affairs, "...Today we begin a new trial." Again, the judge looked around the courtroom, "Court is in session. Prosecutor, you may begin."

The prosecuting lawyer, Colonel T'Bor, moved into the centre of the room and stood facing the judge. "The prosecution contends that Kesta daughter of Riker is guilty of the charges laid against her and intends to prove that she did wilfully disobey orders from the Starfleet, and that she did commit treason by collaborating with the enemies of the Klingon Empire. We call our first witness, Jessi Harkness to the stand."

"I object!" Worf interrupted. "Under Klingon law an outsider cannot testify." The objection was nothing more than a formality and one that he knew would be overturned, but he would do everything in his power to impede the prosecution, however futile it might ultimately be.

"The prosecution acknowledges that this is correct," Colonel T'Bor said quickly. "However, this woman is one of the very few surviving witnesses to this period of history. It is not our intention to use her testimony against the accused, but to explain much of the background of what actually happened. We believe that this will be of interest to all present, including the defence."

The judge nodded. "You are correct when you state that there are very few living witnesses to these events. In fact, there are only two available to us - the defendant, Kesta daughter of Riker and Jessi daughter of Harkness. However, Chancellor L'Rell has authorised the release of classified documents from the historical archives. Starfleet Command has also sent us the appropriate mission logs from the USS Titan commanded by Captain William Riker. It is my feeling that due to the unique circumstances of this case a different approach is necessary. If both the prosecution and the defence will agree, I believe that we should begin by allowing those involved to simply tell their story, uninterrupted and in their own words."

The prosecutor and defence lawyer stared at each other for a moment in total surprise. This part of the trial, the meqba', had strict rules for the presentation of evidence and what the judge was suggesting was a complete departure from standard trial procedure. Worf hesitated, considering his options. He had already heard Kesta's story and he knew she was being set up, he did not hold out much hope of actually winning. Certainly, they had nothing to lose in trying this new strategy. Finally, he nodded. "I agree."

"I also agree," Colonel T'Bor said, turning to face Jessi as he spoke. "Will you agree to testify under these circumstances?"

Very pale, the Vorta Jessi stepped forward, "I will testify." At the judge's signal, she moved across the room and took her place in the witness stand.

"Will you confirm for the record, your name, date of birth and planet of origin."

"I am Jessi Harkness, I'm half human half Vorta." She hesitated before admitting, "I don't know where I was born, the founders never said."

"Tell us about the Dominion war."

"It was 10 years ago" Jessi said. She closed her eyes momentarily as the memories came flooding back. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she began to tell her part of the story.

meanwhile none of the Klingon defense force noticed the S.S. Bebop enter orbit above Qo'Nos the Frankenstein ship was made up of a Nova class saucer a luna class secondary hull and dominion nacells and warp core. it had two shuttle bays one on the bottom of the secondary hull which housed Jet's hammerhead shuttle and on top of the secondary hull which housed the swordfish 2 a converted romulan racer fighter and the red tail a converted klingon fighter