J. B. Tilton/Page 5

TWO

"Admiral," said Archer after everyone else had left the room, "I've known Malcolm for a year now. He's a member of my crew and a good officer. I can't believe he'd do something like you've described. Exactly what is it he's supposed to have done?"

"Five years ago," said De Haan, "then Ensign Reed was assigned to the Polaris. Its mission was very simple. Track down and locate the base of a race of marauders who were systematically attacking Earth ships. The captain of the Polaris, Jeremy Humphreys, eventually located the base.

"It was a small, not very well secured asteroid in the Collina system. Captain Humphreys realized a strategically orchestrated assault on the base could put it out of commission. He contacted Star Fleet Command and received permission to proceed."

"I never heard any of this before," said Archer.

"It was all classified," said De Haan. "It has just recently been declassified. Captain Humphreys assembled his strike teams and took out the base. After they were finished, he set course for Earth. On the way back, the Polaris ran into about a dozen marauder fighters returning to the base. A fight ensued and the Polaris was destroyed."

"What has this to do with Malcolm?" asked Archer.

"During the battle," continued De Haan, "a transmission was sent to the marauders. It contained precise information regarding the damage to the Polaris and let the marauders know where to concentrate their attacks. Because of that transmission, more than half the crew of the Polaris was killed. Some of the crew was able to escape in escape pods. Ensign Reed was one of them."

"So, you think Malcolm sent that transmission?" asked Archer.

"The computer system on the Polaris was fried during the battle," said De Haan. ""A couple of years ago a transport freighter discovered the back up data recorder of the Polaris floating in space. It was returned to Star Fleet Command. Recent advancements in computer technology have allowed us to retrieve the information previously irretrievable. We've thoroughly analyzed the information on the data recorder. It clearly shows that Ensign Reeds' security code was used to send the transmission."

"There has to be some mistake, sir," said Archer.

"I wish there were, Captain," said De Haan. "I'm not out to crucify Lieutenant Reed. I'm just to here to get at the truth. But the evidence is undeniable. I've had it downloaded to the Enterprises' computers so you can take a look at it."

"I'll have my science officer take a look at it immediately," said Archer.

"A Vulcan, I understand," said De Haan. "Sub-Commander T'Pol, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir," said Archer. "She's very efficient."

"No doubt," said De Haan. "I would expect nothing less from a Vulcan. There's a lot of extraneous information she'll have to sift through. And there's still a lot of it we haven't been able to retrieve, but she should be able to sort out the pertinent data."

"Thank you, sir," said Archer. "I'm sure there's some reasonable explanation for all this."

"That's why we're having a hearing instead of going straight to court martial," said De Haan. "Some of the command wanted to return Lieutenant Reed for immediate court martial. It was finally decided to give the Lieutenant a chance to explain what happened. But I can't think of any reason why he would transmit that type of information to the enemy during combat. I'm afraid it doesn't look good for him, Captain."

"I know, sir," said Archer. "With your permission, I'd like to be his advocate."

"That's up to him, Captain," said De Haan. "Those rights you were so quick to point out that Lieutenant Reed has say it's his choice who his advocate is. But I don't have an objection to it. I'm sure Commander Jacobs won't have an objection, either. We're both familiar with your reputation about being so protective of your crew. I don't think Lieutenant Reed could have a better advocate."

"Thank you, sir," said Archer. "I guess I'd better go talk to Malcolm and find out what he has to say."

"I think that is a good idea, Captain," said De Haan.