Earth, San Francisco, 12th March 2152
Captain Jonathan Archer sat stiffly in his seat fully aware of the dozens of gazes that were focused on him. His mind idly wondered where it had all begun. A week ago Enterprise had taken up a standard orbit above Paraagan II and as part of the diplomatic group had been one of the few to travel down in the shuttle.
Then disaster had struck, somehow the shuttle had caused the atmosphere to ignite even though both plasma flaps were closed, within seconds the entire atmosphere was aflame and later he had mused at the horrific beauty of the atmosphere igniting and being obliterated within seconds.
Returning to the ship he had immediately contacted Admiral Forrest to tell him the news upon which Enterprise had been recalled and the mission to explore space put on indefinite hold. Then there had been the confusing incident of being transported to the 31st century and his meeting with crewman Daniels whom Trip had told him had been killed during the attempt to track Silik down.
Upon his return he had quickly managed to convince his crew though it had taken longer with T'Pol and only after the overwhelming evidence to back up his claim that it was the Suliban did she believe him though she remained skeptical on the part about the future and Daniels involvement.
They had managed to discover the ship and disable it, get aboard and discover the data disks. The trip home was supposed to be the easy part, wishful thinking. The Suliban chased them down and boarded them, retrieving the data disks. He hadn't been there though as Daniels had transported him to the future for a second time only this time he was met by a world of destruction, nearly all the buildings had been destroyed and those that hadn't were only just standing, their windows shattered and their edges torn and twisted.
Daniels had explained his part in bringing him to the future and together they had searched for a way to send him back to the past though no before he had browsed the vast library he'd found, the most memorable ones being the Romulan Star Empire and The Federation, unfortunately he hadn't been able to read it as Daniels had quickly intervened and placed the book back on the shelf, his actions only confirming its importance.
The other main thing of interest he'd learnt was that a Federation had been formed and apparently he was to be a part of its formation, again Daniels had steered him away from the topic though he'd dropped a few hints.
He'd spent three months in the future, while Daniels was frantically trying to find a way to get him back, learning all he would need to know from the vast library they'd found, so that when he returned to his own time he would be able to reveal the Suliban's part in the plot to blame Enterprise.
Curiosity aside the two had managed to create a temporal communicator of sorts and had managed to contact the past and with a bit of miss-direction they had managed to trick Silik into activating Daniels temporal device allowing him to return.
They'd regained control of the ship and managed to make it to Earth without encountering any more problems. Upon arrival they had been contacted not by Admiral Forrest as expected but by the newly appointed Admiral Gardener who had ordered Archer to be relieved of duty and await a court martial. The crew had been unwilling to follow the command but they had to and so Sub-Commander T'Pol took over command while he had been escorted to his quarters and confined there.
A day later he'd been transferred to Starfleet command and a week after that a full court-martial had been arranged for him. It had gone badly from the start, Admiral Gardener had chair the court stating that Admiral Forrest had been refused due to a conflict of interests. It was complete bollocks in his opinion and he could see that it was purely political.
He and Gardener had a bad past, Gardener had always been jealous of his superior flying skills as well as in Gardener's opinion, favoritism by Forrest. No the court-martial had never been about the truth or the overwhelming evidence of his innocence but a means to discredit and remove him from his position aboard Enterprise.
"does Captain Archer have anything else to say before judgment is past" Gardener stated with a small smirk as he gazed down at Jonathan.
He stood ignoring the look his defense council shot him, the man a Mr Green while skilled had argued furiously against Archers next actions.
"I would like to make a Statement. A year ago the Enterprise was launched in an attempt to explorer new worlds and civilizations. There have been successes and failures, the most horrifying and saddening of these was the incident at Paraagan II. However this should not stop us, as we have done in the past we will live and learn and hopeful in the future it will never happen again."
Here Archer momentarily paused fully aware of what he was about to do could well mean the end of his career in Starfleet but he felt his dismissal rather the stopping of Enterprise's mission was the option that would be most beneficial to both the human race but also to his father's dream.
"The Incident at Paraagan was my fault". An explosion of sound followed his statement and he noticed the gazes of his fellow Starfleet officers from their place in the stand off to his right, Trip looked like someone had just shot his favorite pet while Hoshi looked close to tears. Malcolm was his usual cool self though a small nod signaled his understanding of what the captain was attempting to do. T'Pol's expression was the most curious of all, a variety of emotions flitted across her face before she clamped down upon them though he could still sense her confusion at his illogical action.
"As captain of the ship it is my decision to decide if a mission is too dangerous to be carried out safely. I deemed it safe, ignoring the concerns my chief engineer voiced. Had I listened to him then the terrible incident at Paraagan might never have happened". He shot another glance at the stand and noted the confused expression on Trip's face, he was undoubtedly trying to understand why the captain was taking all the blame.
"As such I have decided that I am no longer fit to command Enterprise and so effective immediately I resign my commission."
Pandemonium broke out at that announcement. Various press groups were shouting questions at him while the audience talked amongst themselves over the shocking development. It was a well-known fact that it was his greatest desire to command the Enterprise and so for him to willingly give it up was unbelievable.
He noticed that his crew was likewise affected. Trip was just staring at him, as though what he'd just said hadn't fully computed. Malcolm was unreadable though his eye's betrayed his sadness at losing his senior officer. Hoshi was tearful and Travis was gazing down at him with a look of loss. T'Pol's expression was most interesting, she appeared to be fighting hard not to let any emotions from forming on her face. Their eye's met momentarily before she looked away frantically attempting to control her emotions.
"I recommend Sub-Commander T'Pol to take over as Captain of Enterprise, she had the necessary skill and understanding to captain the ship and over the past year has settled in on the ship and become a key part of the Crew. I would also recommend Lt. Reed as First Officer."
With that he sat down and gazed straight ahead, purposely ignoring the clamoring of the press or the shocked gazes of the various Admirals that made up the jury. He'd decided to recommend T'Pol as he believed she had learnt enough over the past year to successful captain Enterprise without overly upsetting the crew. He'd suggested Malcolm as First Officer as he knew that if he made Trip first officer he'd have less time to spend on his engines and he didn't want his friend to have to bare the burden that was First Officer, at least not yet. He totally missed the look Ambassador Soval shot his way.
It took several minutes for order to be regained in the court. Placing down the gravel Admiral Gardener got to his feet.
"The judgment of this court is that Jonathan Archer is to be grounded for the next three months. He was also to be removed as Captain of Enterprise and reduced in rank to Lieutenant but he has already done so. Court dismissed." He banged the gravel and the jury stood before filling out. He recognized the victorious gaze on Gardener's face.
So that had been his plan all along, get him off of Enterprise. Gardener had assumed that he's dream had been to Captain the first warp five ship, with the engine his father had built. To a degree he had been correct, however what he hadn't counted on was that he felt much higher about the mission being completed whether he was in charge or not and that his colleges didn't get the blame.
So in the end he'd lost the battle though Gardener didn't know it. With a sad half smile he stood and headed for the door to the court, ignoring the press that swarmed him as soon as he out his seat and missing the glances his former command officers shot his way. Neither did he see the thoughtful eye's of Ambassador Soval as they followed his progress through the court and out through the oak double door.
Ambassador Soval watched as Jonathan Archer got to his feet to make a statement before the tribunal's judgment was passed. He had intensely studied the data T'Pol had sent upon Enterprise's return to Earth along with all the captain and first officer's logs. After 10 hours of careful study he had concluded that while much was still unexplained, like how the captain was able to create a quantum beacon to enable them to see through cloaked ships, after all the Vulcan Science directory had concluded that time travel was impossible, that the incident had not be the fault of the Captain nor was there anything he could have done to stop it.
Refocusing his attention to man at the heart of the trial he wondered what the man would say.
"I would like to make a Statement. A year ago the Enterprise was launched in an attempt to explorer new worlds and civilizations. There have been successes and failures, the most horrifying and saddening of these was the incident at Paraagan II. However this should not stop us, as we have done in the past we will live and learn and hopeful in the future it will never happen again."
The man paused in his speech and Soval had to agree with what the man was saying. While the High Command was wary of humanities foray into the stars Soval knew it was inevitable, in under a century since its last war Earth had repaired itself at a truly astonishing rate. On Vulcan it had taken many centuries and Earths rapid recovery was what worried the High Command, who knew where humanity would be in a hundred years from now.
"The Incident at Paraagan was my fault".
The statement broke though Soval's thoughts and momentarily stupefied the old Vulcan. He blinked in astonishment before focusing his gaze on the man with whom he'd had a volatile relationship over the past year. The man's face showed his sadness yet it also hinted at a sense of determination.
Soval hardly noticed the increase in noise level as he considered the man before him. There was no logical reason for Archer's actions, why wasn't he sticking to the truth. Suddenly the captain's actions became shocking clear.
"The need's of the one over the needs of the many" Soval murmured as the reason for Archer's actions became clear. The captain was taking the blame for the event in an attempt to focus all the punishment on him rather than on Enterprise and his crew. Soval had to concede that it was logical, in a twisted way.
He, on the orders of the high command had suspended joint space ventures after the incident of P'Jem and Archer no doubt assumed the Vulcan's would use it as an attempt to shut down Enterprise's mission. By taking all the blame personally he hoped to distract the Vulcan's from Enterprise, he had to admit it was a well though out plan, a logical one to he was forced to concede.
"As captain of the ship it is my decision to decide if a mission is too dangerous to be carried out safely. I deemed it safe, ignoring the concerns my chief engineer voiced. Had I listened to him then the terrible incident at Paraagan might never have happened".
Yet more proof of his attempt at personally taking the blame, nowhere in any of the logs of Enterprise that he'd studied had there been a mention of the meeting or a warning by the chief engineer.
"As such I have decided that I am no longer fit to command Enterprise and so effective immediately I resign my commission."
Soval could not contain his shock at Archer's announcement. He knew how much value the man placed on his placement as Captain of Enterprise, Earth's first warp five ship and powered by his father's engine. For the man to willing resign it was not something he had anticipated.
"I recommend Sub-Commander T'Pol to take over as Captain of Enterprise, she had the necessary skill and understanding to Captain the ship and over the past year has settled in on the ship and become a key part of the Crew. I would also recommend Lieutenant Reed as First Officer."
This announcement shocked Soval just as much, he could remember a year ago when Enterprise was being launched and Sub-Commander T'Pol had been placed aboard Enterprise and Archer's reaction to her presence, yet a year later he was recommending her to take his place.
He remembered the missive he'd received notifying him of her actions at Coridan along with Archer's, he had been fiercely protective of her and he'd later learned that he'd even managed to convince the Vulcan captain to speak on her behalf thus saving her position aboard Enterprise. Clearly the man's views on Vulcan's had changed somewhat over the year yet the man still did not fully understand Vulcan's.
A mad idea began to form in his mind, a idea that he would not usually have thought logical or practical but his years amongst the humans had taught him that occasionally you had to act in a non-logical fashion. He'd never seen the logical behind that viewpoint but as he considered the idea his mind had created he found that it fit perfectly.
The potential benefits were that Archer would gain a greater understanding of Vulcan way of life and his ability to interact with them would improve. However the risks were many, firstly Archer was not currently on good terms with Starfleet and it was unlikely that he would regain a command any time soon even if he stayed in Starfleet.
Secondly there was the potential backlash to his career if the High command found out that Archer, the man that caused P'Jem's destruction had been assigned to a Vulcan ship and at his recommendation, they'd been only to happy to see the back of the man that had caused them a public embarrassment. There was also convincing the man himself to agree to serve on-board a Vulcan ship and as a crew-man or ensign unlike the captaincy he was used to.
The thoughts flew though his mind as he assessed the situation and decided what was best to do. He was distracted however when the newly appointed Admiral Gardener stood.
"The judgment of this court is that Jonathan Archer is to be grounded for the next three months. He was also to be removed as Captain of Enterprise and reduced in rank to Lieutenant but he has already done so. Court dismissed."
Soval was surprised at the verdict. Logical all the data showed the captain had been innocent of any wrongdoing and no matter how much he chided humans on their emotional choices he found it unlikely that would be the sole reason for the decision reached.
He noted Gardener's pleased expression, which he found interesting. He was surprised that it wasn't upset or sadness at losing a capable officer and college, no it was more like a predator's smile who'd got its kill. Mystified he turned noting the blank expression on Archer's face before the corner of the man's mouth turned up in the hint of a smile. The man's eye's held the glint of victory which only confused the ambassador even more, the man should be upset at verdict and while Archer's expressions showed he was their was also a hint of victory.
Intrigued he watched as his former Nemesis got to his feet before striding out of the court, a gaggle of press official's following behind. Sitting back in his chair he decided he'd visit Archer later, now though he had to deal with Starfleet and the Vulcan High Command and sent a message to his cousin on the T'Mar.
