Chapter 9

Jon was feeling a bit proud of himself with his plan to stall the tribunal as he made his way back to the bridge, he just hoped his cleverness would hold out.

No sooner than the lift doors slid open, he heard the announcement that he was dreading. "Sir, Minister Velmin wishes to speak with you." Hoshi said with a slight nervousness.

Jon sighed. "I'll take it in my ready room."

He put on his best diplomatic smile as he opened the channel, seeing the older man with snow-white hair and light-colored orange eyes. He wondered if at one time the hair matched the eyes and noticed the aquamarine coloring wasn't as dark as he had seen in the others, making him think it was due to age. "Minister Velmin, it's good to finally speak with you personally. I want to thank you for sending Captain Ja'zel to assist with keeping the situation...in order."

Minister Velmin gave a slight nod. "It was in the best interest of Talmaic Prime to ensure that there weren't any...misunderstandings. I wish this were a social call, however, I am required to instruct you and the ones directly responsible for disabling the terraforming platform to submit yourselves to the tribunal hall immediately. I also wanted to contact you personally, to inform you of what to expect on your arrival, as you are unfamiliar with the customs of our tribunals."

Jon shook his head. "I'm sorry, Minister, but as I'm sure you have been informed, one of my officers was injured while on the planet and is currently being treated by my physician. The other is showing signs of illness, we believe from drinking water found on the surface, and is also in treatment. My doctor says that it will be 2 to 3 days before they are well enough to be released from our medical facility. Your tribunal will have to wait."

Velmin narrowed his eyes as Jon kept a straight face. "Captain, in agreement of the Minister Council and the Zoning Committee directive 926, section 48, subsection 12, our laws dictate that a tribunal is to be held immediately after an accused is taken into custody. I'm sure Captain Te'zark informed you that the two in question, yourself, your ship and the rest of your crew are considered to be in custody?"

Jon nodded. "Yes, he did inform me of that. However, directive 926, section 48, subsection 12, part B states that exception is to be made to accommodate the accused when the accused is in the care of medical professionals, and that a tribunal is to be postponed until said accused is no longer undergoing medical care."

There was a slight pull at the corner of Velmin's mouth and a glint came to his eyes. "I see you have been familiarizing yourself with our laws."

"Yes, I have." Jon stated plainly. "And as we are not from your planet, and this being the first time our species has visited, I would like to request fair representation on behalf of myself and my crew, as dictated in directive…" He picked up the PADD next to him, holding it up to be sure Minister Velmin could see it as he read. "...591. Which states that any accused may request a community representative."

Velmin gave a full smile. "Of course, Captain. I will ensure that you have a representative. I will have them contact you shortly to assist in your tribunal. Captain, I sincerely wish our two species had started off under better circumstances."

"As do I." Jon replied. "I will expect the representative to contact me later today?" He questioned to ensure that his first conversation with this representative wouldn't occur as they were walking into the tribunal hall.

"Of course. The representative should contact you in a few zelak." Velmin scowled, looking at his own PADD. "Ah, here. Hours...a few hours."

Jon chuckled at the pronunciation, as it came out sounding like 'who you russ'. He politely corrected Velmin's pronunciation as the two men chuckled before ending the transmission on, what Jon hoped, a friendly note.

§§§

Jon escorted the representative sent to assist towards the sickbay, where he could speak to all three together. Hoshi had explained to him, that he misunderstood the role of the representative, as the representatives are not attorneys to defend the accused as one would have on Earth, but rather to assist a person with interpreting the directives, or laws, of the Talmaician people, as it is up to the accused to defend themselves.

Jon silently wondered how many people were found guilty of a crime, sent to their labor camps, simply because they weren't articulate enough to prove their innocence. He worried that Trip's big mouth and emotional outbursts during the tribunal might seal their doom.

Once the introductions were made to Representative Selminti, since it was his first time seeing a Talmaician, Trip sat for a moment blinking at the tall, thin man with brownish-green hair, eyes to match, and the aquamarine coloring cresting the hairline. He looked to Jon, who seemed to read his mind, as Jon nodded that all Talmaicians looked like that.

Selminti looked down at Trip's leg, startled by the eel. "What in Sactorm is that? Is it what caused your injury?"

Trip shook his head. "No, it's one of Doctor Phlox's so-called cures. He just loves attaching these slimy slugs to me whenever he can."

"Osmotic eel, Commander. Do we really need to go through this again?" Phlox sighed as he emerged from the lab, hearing Trip's comment about 'slimy slug'.

Trip silently shook his head, as he has had this argument several times in the past with Phlox, and lost every time. Selminti looked around, noticing all of the animals. "Are all these used to treat your patients?"

Phlox smiled widely. "Why yes, they are, although not all are placed on the patient. This Andorian spider, for example, produces a numbing agent in the secretion of its saliva glands. These Klingon grubs provide a wonderful anti-diarrhoea treatment when ground up and ingested."

Jon looked horrified at that bit of information. "Uh...Phlox? Is that what you had me drink last month when I ate too much of that persimmon fruit and...well...you know."

Phlox grinned. "It worked, didn't it?"

Jon turned pale as he fought down the bile that was rising from his stomach while Selminti nodded thoughtfully. "I have a relative who is a physician, she would be very interested in these homeopathic, natural treatments. May I invite her to your ship so that she can study these creatures and their health benefits?"

Phlox scowled. "Well, considering where we all might end up spending the next 30 years of our lives…"

Selminti nodded grimly, suddenly reminded of the reason why he was there. "Yes, well I hope to make sure that won't be the outcome for any of you."

"From my understanding, you are only able to help us with interpreting your laws, we will be in the position to defend ourselves? Is that correct?" Jon asked.

Selminti nodded. "Normally that is the case, however, as you are new to our world, and the severity of the charges, High Minister Velmin has petitioned the Minister Council and the Zoning Committee that I will be allowed to speak on your behalf. The council agreed unanimously, but the committee took more to convince before finally voting a majority in that favor. So, I will be acting as your benefactor, if you agree to this."

Jon nodded quickly. "I think that is the best course of action for us. Thank you."

T'Pol was a little more cautious about this arrangement. "Representative Selminti, I would like to know exactly why High Minister Velmin is going to these lengths to assist us. As I understand, he was the one who sent the ships to aid Enterprise from a possible attack, and now, apparently going against the normal procedures of a tribunal. Is he not at some sort of risk to his position by these actions?"

Selminti gave a slight look of uncertainty, unsure if he should reveal the information. After taking a few seconds to debate with himself, he nodded. "Truth is, Velmin doesn't like what the Zoning Committee stands for. He could never openly admit this, but he knows that the circumstances of landing your shuttle on Talmaic Preen was unavoidable, and disabling the platform wasn't done as an act of sabotage. The committee, on the other hand, is determined to use you as an example.

"You see, there is a divide among our people. Most are happy with the way things are on Talmaic Prime, and see no reason for terraforming our neighboring planet, as the costs of doing this has put a strain on our economy. There have been protests and radical attempts at stopping the project, all of which have failed and those involved sentenced to the camps, but to charge and sentence an entire crew of a starship? Well, the committee has convinced themselves that it would send a message to any future activists who might consider going against them."

Trip's brows furrowed. "I don't understand why the Zoning Committee is so determined to destroy a planet."

"Destroy? Commander, is that what you think is happening?" Selminti said with shock as he shook his head. "No, that's not what they're doing. The terraforming process is making the planet habitable, the project has been going on for 3 and a half cycles and is projected to be complete within the next 2 cycles. That's why the Zoning Committee is so upset that the platform has been disabled. It could set the deadline back another cycle."

"Why is it so important to terraform the planet? What would the consequences be if the project is delayed?" Jon asked, trying to understand how deep in hot water they really were.

"If the project isn't completed on time, the committee could be held accountable for the lost revenue expected to be gained from opening the planet as prescribed in the agreement directive article section 27. Telmaic Preen is to become the most luxurious vacation destination of all time, making Risa look like nothing more than a...what is your expression? Ah yes, a sideshow attraction."

"You mean...my crew is to stand trial, possibly branded as terrorists for...MONEY?!" Captain Archer bellowed out.

Selminti nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. Everything the Zoning Committee stands for is about profit and prestige. That is why so many are against the committee, but sadly, the Minister Council is forbidden to interfere with the progression and advancement of our people, as it is established in our most ancient laws. The committee has taken advantage and bastardized those laws to suit their own needs and greed. It's a shame that eel wasn't what caused your injury on the planet, Commander."

Trip scoffed. "Sounds like you don't care too much for the committee yourself. Why would it matter if this slug…" Trip raised a hand to Phlox. "...eel caused my injury?"

T'Pol's brow rose as she pieced it together. "If the eel was on the planet, it would be proof of life. Am I following correctly?"

Selminti smiled. "Exactly. If there is life on Preen, the committee would be forced to shut down their operations and all of you would be absolved of the charges. Since that is not the case, we will have to try a different tactic, so…"

Phlox cut him off. "Ah! But there is life on the planet. The bacteria that has accelerated Mr. Tucker's infection is a living organism."

Selminti shook his head. "Unfortunately, by Talmaician standards, microscopic bacteria aren't considered as life or proof of. I can appreciate the sentiment, but I still have to work within the confines of the law." Turning his attention to Trip and T'Pol as he continued. "Tell me what had transpired that led to disabling the platform, and start from the beginning, the circumstances why you landed on the planet in the first place. Perhaps there will be something in your accounts that I can use to get you all out of this situation."

Trip and T'Pol told them everything that had happened, leaving out some things (none of them needed to know the more personal details). When they were finished, Selminti smiled. "Self preservation. This is good, very good. And Commander Tucker, you regret that you were forced to disable the platform to save your life, and the life of your colleague?"

Trip looked up at him, mortified by the question. "Hell no I don't regret it! Why should I?"

"Trip." T'Pol quietly scolded.

Selminti shook his head. "Commander, listen to me very carefully...I'm sure, now in retrospect, you regret that your only option was to disable the platform. If there were any other way to save your life, you would not have taken the actions you did and you feel remorse for your interference. Is that correct?"

Trip's mouth opened, then suddenly snapped shut as he looked at T'Pol. He wasn't sure if it were his own thoughts, or if she was using their bond to silently speak to him. Breathe. Now is not the time to act on emotions. Breathe. Clear your mind. Breathe. Think your response through, logically. Breathe.

He took in a large breath through his nose, slowly exhaling from his mouth. "Um, yeah, if there was another option, I would have taken it, there wasn't any other way to save us but to disable the platform. I didn't know it was going to cause this much trouble, and I guess I am sorry for the inconvenience, but like I said, there wasn't any other way."

Without warning, Selminti's attitude suddenly changed. "Why didn't you contact your ship to help you get off the planet before resorting to sabotage?"

Trip was taken by surprise from the question. "Wait. What? Sabotage? Hold on here!" Breathe. Logic. Calm. "Well...um...we didn't know Enterprise was in orbit, or that they had received our distress call. We were on our own to survive, and that meant doing whatever it took to live long enough to get off that planet."

"Why did you choose to land there? Didn't you at least attempt to make it to Telmaic Prime? Didn't you attempt to contact Telmaic for assistance?"

Trip shook his head hard. "No. I mean...the shuttle was badly damaged and it wouldn't make it to Telmaic. As for trying to call Telmaic for assistance...everything happened at once and…"

"You had time to check your files for a place to land, didn't you? Surely you would have had time to open a channel to ask for help." Selminti continued to drill out.

Trip was visibly shaken by all of this as his head began to swim. "I...well...it was T'Pol who scanned for someplace to land, and we tried hailing Enterprise but they were out of range. Then I was focused on trying to steer us towards the night side of the planet so we would have time…"

Selminti again cut him off. "It was just a coincidence that you happened to land so close to the platform then? You simply miscalculated and landed too far away, causing you to bide your time until the platform made its rotation back around so that you could carry out your sabotage! Isn't that what happened, Mr. Tucker? Admit the truth!"

Trip was at the edge. "What! No! I told you what happened! We didn't even know it was a terraforming platform until it was almost on top of us! We would be..."

"Aren't you an engineer, Mr. Tucker? Is it your testimony that you are not able to recognize a terraforming platform until it is 'on top of you' as you just stated? What kind of engineer is unable to know the signs of terraforming from a distance?"

Jon was just as confused and angry as Trip. "Selminti! What is all of this about? Whose side are you on anyway?"

Selminti let out a breath. "I'm sorry. I had to prepare you for what to expect. The committee will attack you, pick apart your accounts of the situation, try to confuse you, try to get you to admit to something that isn't accurate and twist your own words to use against you. They will also try to get you to turn on each other."

T'Pol's left eye twitched. "As long as we are truthful...they will fail."