Chapter 11

It was over an hour that they sat listening to the yelling before it was finally settled that they could go back to the ship to wait for the tribunal to reconvene.

It wasn't too much of a surprise for Jon to see Enterprise surrounded by Talmaician vessels, even though he knew he could overpower them all and make their getaway, he wouldn't attempt it.

He tried several times to contact Selminti to find out what was happening, only to be told that the representative was in attendance at the tribunal hall and would contact him as soon as he was available.

In the late evening, Jon finally got a call from Selminti. "Have they decided anything yet?" Jon asked.

"Yes and no." Selminti looked and sounded completely drained. "Do you humans always stir up this much trouble wherever you go?" He chuckled, letting Jon know he was only joking.

Jon laughed. "We try not to, but Trip has a habit of having trouble following him around like a puppy. So...what can we expect from this point?" Jon asked reluctantly.

"Well, the assembly has decided that a more in-depth investigation needs to be conducted, especially where Captain Te'zark's actions are involved. You said something about logs to prove Te'zark refused to assist you? Are these logs simply your own thoughts or…"

"No." Jon quickly replied, understanding where this was leading. "Everything that happens on the bridge is recorded by the ship's computer. It's a visual and audio recording that would also include the conversations between all three of us Captains."

Selminti seemed to get a second wind as a broad smile crossed his face. "Excellent! Can you send an unabridged copy to my office? From the moment you first entered Preen's orbit until the time you left your ship for the tribunal hall?"

Jon thought for a moment. "We're talking about a timeframe of over 48 hours, and not all of it was while in contact with Te'zark or Ja'zel. The concern here is that there might have been things said or done that have no bearing on this situation, and that Starfleet would consider classified. In fact, I recall having a conversation with my tactical officer about the possibility of an experimental shielding system being installed to the ship sometime in the future."

Selminti nodded. "I can understand that you can't allow classified information to be transmitted. Give me a few moments. Stand-by."

It was 45 minutes later when Selminti contacted him again. "The assembly has agreed that you only need to transmit the portions that are relevant to the case, but part of that agreement is that the committee will reserve the right to view the full journals, uh...logs as you say, if they believe anything has been withheld or altered. How soon can you send them?"

"Right now." Jon responded. "I had a feeling that that's what you were trying to lobby for and had my communication officer remove anything that might be classified. I will have to go on record to advise, no matter how your Zoning Committee feels, or what type of agreement made, I'm not authorized to release anything classified. They will have to go through Starfleet procedures for that, and I can tell you now, your great-grandchildren will still be requesting those documents before all is said and done."

Selminti gave a smile. "I wouldn't expect anything less. It might be a few...uh...days before I will be available to contact you again, but be assured, Captain, I'm doing everything possible to help you."

Jon noticed the emphasis on 'I'm' and nodded, reading between the lines, there were more on his side than what Selminti could publicly say. "I understand, thank you. Whenever you get the chance...I'll be here."

Selminti chuckled. "Of course you will be. Oh, Captain...get some sleep, you really look like you could use it."

Jon nodded as he ended the transmission. Him too? I must really look like hell. Jon thought to himself before crawling into bed, snuggling Porthos close to him.

§§§

Jon woke, feeling refreshed and well rested. He looked for a moment wondering where Porthos was when he spotted the pup on the floor, entertaining himself with one of his toys.

On further inspection, he noticed Porthos' empty food dish on the floor. I could have sworn I put that away last night. Guess I was more exhausted than I thought. He looked over at the time and realized it was well past noon. Did I really sleep over 12 hours? Sheesh! Guess Hoshi came in, fed and walked him. Must've really been out not to wake up at someone in my quarters.

He got up, yawning and giving his body a big stretch as Porthos dropped one of his rubber balls at Jon's feet, wagging his tail, excited to finally have someone to play with him. Well, if the senior staff left him alone this long to sleep, what's another 10 minutes? Jon gave the ball a quick toss and chuckled as he watched his furry friend scramble after it.

A sensation suddenly came upon him as he quickly moved to the small lavatory in his quarters. Re-emerging, he tossed the ball a few more times for Porthos when he noticed the small light on his computer blinking, notifying him that there was a message waiting.

He bent down, scooping Porthos up, holding him tight on his lap. His heart pounded as he hesitated to retrieve the message, seeing that the message was from Selminti. Would this be the last time he would be in the company of his four-legged companion? The dreaded thought made him tremble, as Porthos softly whined, sensing something was wrong.

Jon hugged his pup a little tighter. "It's alright, little buddy, I already have it worked out. Trip will take care of you from now on, and if he can't, Hoshi and Phlox both said they would. If it turns out that the entire crew suffers the same fate, Trip's parents said they would love to have you. You'll have a big backyard, grass, fresh air, tons of children to play with. Trip's little nieces, nephews and cousins are always dropping by the house, and I'm sure none of the kids will be shy about sneaking treats to you. No matter what happens, you'll be well taken care of and happy."

With trembling fingers and tears threatening to spill over the brim of his eyes, he tapped the button to retrieve the message.