Episode 3: Truth; The First Duty
Teaser
Stardate 45714.7 – Twenty Years Ago
He stood with back ramrod straight. He looked at the convened judges. Captain Satelk, his calm Vulcan demeanor betraying none of the disappointment he may have felt towards him. But Admiral Brand, she was the epitome of righteous indignation. He would have assumed that she would have liked nothing more than to take a phaser and vaporize him, to completely rid Starfleet of the dishonor he had brought on them.
"You of all people must realize that there are consequences to every crime," Admiral Brand said. "I do not see why I should not expel all of you from Starfleet. This Academy is an institution of higher learning. Helping mold the next generation of Starfleet. And yet, the four of you turned the entire Academy into a laughing stock."
"I concur," the Vulcan said. He held up a PADD. "This entire incident has already leaked to the Federation News Network. According to the reports I have read, people are skeptical about the very moral foundation of Starfleet. They question whether we are entering a dark age that not even Wolf 359 produced."
"So again," the elderly Admiral said, her eyes squinting. "Why should I be lenient with your fellow cadets, Mister Locarno?"
Nicholas Locarno cleared his throat. He looked her directly in the eyes. He didn't care anymore if there was any breach in decorum. He was getting expelled from Starfleet either way. His future was in ruins.
"Because I will take full responsible for Cadet Albert's death," he said.
"Yet you didn't act alone," the Admiral retorted. "You all concealed the crime. Five starships were damaged. A death occurred. Lies of omission from all four of you prevented the truth from coming to light. A miscarriage of justice was nearly carried out."
"But I can handle taking the punishment and blame for what happened, ma'am," Nicholas said. "I was the one who persuaded the others to keep quiet."
"But they went along with you," Satelk pointed out. "No Starfleet officer, not even a cadet, is forced to carry out anything against their conscience. They could have come clean at any time. But they didn't."
"That's only because they were following my lead," the young man argued. "It was my choices that led us here. They followed my lead and instructions. It's my fault that things have turned poorly, but don't make them suffer for simply following me!"
"I am still inclined to their expulsion from the Academy and denying them the chance to enter Starfleet," Admiral Brand said. She sniffed as she looked at him. "Nothing you have said convinces me to change my mind. Infact, all you have done is given me a greater conviction of their moral cowardice."
Nicholas Locarno closed his eyes. No, he couldn't let his squad be kicked out of Starfleet. They all had dreams of exploring the stars, pushing the boundaries of knowledge. They were the architects of the future. He couldn't let them be expelled.
So, he opened his eyes and rounded his shoulders. He was needing to change tactics. If appealing to their sense of loyalty to leadership and command wouldn't work, he would have to play his trump card.
"What will it be said if you expel Cadet Hajar?" he asked. "Her father is the ambassador to the Orion's. He has great influence and pull and if you kick her out, you better believe her father would cause trouble."
Brand's eyebrows raised in surprise at this blunt attack. Satelk seemed intrigued by where this young man was going to go. But Nicholas wasn't done yet.
"What about Wesley Crusher? He's perhaps the most gifted person in the entire Academy. If you expel him, you deny Starfleet all his skills. But what will it also show about Picard? He lobbied for his appointment. You expel his man, and you show the Federation that you don't trust him. That he's still more Borg than man and not to be forgiven.
"Also, what type of message does it send? Wes stood up and told the truth even after being given a pass. You tell every single cadet that telling the truth is more dangerous than keeping quiet."
The two officers said nothing. Instead, they passed a look between each other. Nicholas knew he was winning the fight. He just needed to go all in.
"Last but not least, can you really afford to toss out Sito Jaxa? She's a Bajoran. You can't afford the PR nightmare by kicking out a Bajoran, who has already lived her entire life being denied what she needs because of her race. That's a political quagmire with results you don't want to deal with."
He knew he had struck a nerve as the Admiral's face soured even more than it had already been. The two officers turned and began talking to each other in hushed whispers. Confidence surged through him as he watched them. He had always been very persuasive, and he was glad now that he had such refined skills.
A good minute or two passed in silence. Well, not really silence. Nicholas didn't say anything though. So, it was similar to silence in that respect. The two officers seemed to come to a decision, and they turned to him.
"You must realize that this isn't just a slap on the wrist, Cadet," Admiral Brand said. "Conspiracy to suppress facts from an official investigation, five counts of damaged Starfleet property, manslaughter. This is all punishable by jail-time. We were going to split the time to be served between the four of you. But if you take it by yourself, you will get all of their times combines."
"Are you certain you will be willing to accept all this by yourself?" the Vulcan captain asked.
"If it keeps my fellow cadets in Starfleet and assures their future?" Nicholas said proudly, puffing out his chest. "Absolutely."
"Why?" Admiral Brand asked him. She crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward. "Why are you willing to accept such severe consequences?"
"Believe it or not, ma'am," Locarno said. "My first and foremost concern is about the welfare of my squad-mates in Nova Squad. I would do anything to protect them."
"I find it curious," Captain Satelk said. "If you had shown the same determination for the safety of your squad a week ago, Cadet Albert would still be alive."
