Geordi swallowed a few times as he made his way to the stand. He was the first witness Picard called that day. He sat, and nodded to Picard. He spared a glance at Justine – her thermal image was colder than it should have been, and she was staring at the table in front of her, listlessly.

"How would you describe Ensign Riley?"

Geordi leaned forward. "Exemplary. She's often the first in and the last to leave, and has proven herself an invaluable part of my workforce."

"Can you be more specific?"

"About six months ago, we were having difficulty boosting the warp drive during peak energy consumption hours, and Ensign Riley derived an algorithm to divert power from alternating couple drives, and boosted our efficiency by 17%. I submitted her for a commendation shortly thereafter."

"And how does Ensign Riley interact with the other crewmembers?"

"She's well liked. I often see her joking around during work, and she's usually with a group of friends in ten forward after hours."

"Is there anything unsatisfactory about Ensign Riley?"

Geordi hesitated. "Y-yes…" he said slowly. "She has a … silliness… that is inefficient sometimes. She has a tendency to clown around with the other ensigns when work is slow. I believe that I once submitted her for disciplinary action after she filled Commander Cheswick's shoes with no-goo-glue."

Someone in the audience snorted with suppressed laughter. Geordi thought it sounded like Commander Cheswick's wife.

"But overall she is satisfactory?"

"More than satisfactory. She is one of the finest ensigns I have ever worked with. I am certain that she will have a stellar career." Geordi risked a glance towards Justine. A very small smile fluttered across her face.

"Thank you," Captain Picard said. "No further questions."

"I, however, do have a few questions," Miranda said, standing. "Lieutenant LaForge, I have in my hands a transcript of correspondence between Lietuenant Data and Bruce Maddox. Is the name Bruce Maddox familiar to you?"

"Yes," Geordi said, unable to keep the venom out of his voice. "He argued that Data was not a person, but Starfleet property."

"Yes, very apropos to today's proceedings, don't you agree?"

Geordi gagged on his anger, but Miranda continued before he could speak. "In these letters, Data refers to you as his 'best friend.' Is that an accurate characterization?"

"Data is a very close friend of mine, yes."

"Data the robot?"

"Android."

"Data the android is your best friend? Data, who by its own admission is unable to feel emotions, is your best friend?"

"It is a unique friendship," Geordi felt beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. "But it is a friendship."

"Tell me, Geordi, who is Leah Brahms?"

The courtroom went silent. Geordi felt the blood rushing from his face. He fought to keep his hands from shaking. "Leah Brahms designed the Galaxy-class warp drive system." He said quietly.

"Does it interest you to know that I have been communicating with Dr. Brahms?" Miranda approached Geordi slowly. "It says here that you created a holodeck simulation of her, and that you were more than infatuated with it. It. The simulation, not the person. In fact, you and Leah didn't get along that well when you met her in real life, did you?"

Geordi swallowed several times, trying to think of something to say, but Miranda beat him to it. "So let's see. Your best friend is an unfeeling android, you fall in love with hollographic simulations, and J375 is one of your favorite ensigns. I think we're seeing a pattern, here, Commander, I think you and your ocular implants prefer computers and warp coils and holographs to real people. I think that you're the kind of Commander that would rather sit in the corner and play with his toys than – "

"Objection!" Captain Picard stood. "This is irrelevant."

"I'm establishing the witness' credibility."

"Overruled," the judge said severely. "You may continue."

Miranda paused for dramatic effect. "No further questions."

Geordi stood, feeling like his legs were made of pudding. I've failed her, he thought. I've failed her. She'll never forgive me, never. He couldn't look at her, couldn't bear to see the pain and the anger in her face. He walked past the defense table, out of the courtroom, into the hallway, each step faster than the last. He tore his visor off his face, pressed his back to a wall, and sank to the floor.

What if she's right? a small part of Geordi whispered. Data. Leah. Justine. What if I'm the one who… the one who can't connect. Can't be human. Can't love. Geordi's ocular implants began to seize, and the left hand cathode sent out a sudden volley of sparks. He realized he was crying.