DISCLAIMER: Star Trek and all related characters are the property of Paramount Pictures, Inc. and CBS-Paramount Television. No copyright infringement is intended. This work of fiction is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. The original characters and events are the sole property of the author and may not be used without permission.

STAR TREK:

THE CAVALIER INCIDENT

By Darrin Colbourne

Klingon transports were too large to fit through the Enterprise's airlock doors, so a Workhorse was sent to Martok to retrieve Koloth and his party. As arranged, there was no one aboard the transport but the flight crew, who were both unarmed, and it was expected to return with no one else but the flight crew, Koloth and two of his officers. The Klingons were to be similarly unarmed. The transport would be escorted both ways by two heavily armed Cavaliers from the Trailblazer's smallcraft group. If the Workhorse deviated in any way from its pre-arranged flight path on the return trip, the Cavaliers would blow it out of the stars.

Fortunately the transport returned without incident. Pike was waiting in the Hangar Deck for its arrival. This time he was wearing his Dress Black uniform. So were the Landers he had stationed on either side of the access hatch. The Landers were also armed with combat rifles, which they held at Port Arms. They all waited patiently until the access hatch opened, but the patient façade hid a tension no one dared admit to.

All too soon the hatch opened and the Klingons stepped through. Flight Ops announced: "Martok, Arriving."

Pike could see the Klingons had chosen to wear their version of dress uniform, though that consisted of little more than the black fatigue pants and boots they always wore and a ceremonial leather vest that reached down to their knees. Each vest was decorated with blood red Klingon script that spelled out in large characters each man's name, father and armada. The markings on the vests were more than overshadowed by the tattoos on the wearers' arms. Each right arm displayed the various ratings and ranks the man had achieved throughout his military career. Each left arm bore his combat decorations. Only Koloth was marked with the tattoo that symbolized the Klingon equivalent of Pike's rank insignia, and his left arm was near buried in awards. Pike also took a moment to note that at just over seven feet tall and at what looked like well over three hundred pounds of lean muscle, Koloth was the runt of the trio. "Permission to come aboard, Captain?" He bellowed with a friendly grin.

Pike grinned right back as he went to greet them. "Permission granted. Welcome aboard the Enterprise." They shook hands in the Klingon way, clasping wrists. Pike tried hard not to wince under Koloth's grip, while Koloth forced himself not to roll his eyes at Pike's feeble attempt to reciprocate.

When they broke Koloth introduced his companions. "This is my First Officer, Jhang," he said of the giant to his left, "and this is my Chief Guardsmen, Rogo." This was the bigger giant on the right.

Pike shook hands with each man in turn, then turned to lead them to the lift. "If you gentlemen will follow me…"

As they walked, Koloth noted the ranks of Landers that were flanking them. "Two platoons of Landers!"

Pike put on a wide grin. "An honor guard."

Koloth grinned back. "I'm flattered."

Pike nodded. It was then that he noticed the hilt of the dagger in Koloth's belt. From head-on it was hidden by the vest. He cocked an eyebrow at Koloth. "A weapon?"

Koloth glanced at the dagger, then offered a fang-bearing grin to Pike. "Ceremonial. Came with the command."

"Impressive."

"Thank you."

"I'm going to have leave you when we get to where we've set up for the hearing. I'll be along later. You'll understand after it gets started."

"That 'complication' we discussed the other day?"

"The very same."

The Officer's Mess was cleared and set up for the hearing. As the dignitaries and observers gathered there, two of the principle witnesses were waiting in the Wardroom across the passageway. Chief Engineer Adams was sitting in his usual seat, busying himself with something on a datapad. Science Officer Montoya couldn't sit still, so she tried to pace, and silently cursed the small amount of pacing room the Wardroom offered. They were both wearing their Dress Black uniforms, as was anyone else involved in the proceeding. Montoya hated the uniform. It felt like a suit, something she only wore when she spoke at symposiums, an activity she always dreaded.

Adams watched her out of the corner of his eye, but never looked up from his 'pad. "You're getting yourself worked up over nothing." He said to her.

"Easy for you to say." She said. "You're not on trial."

"See? That's what I mean. No one's on trial. Not even Silas."

"Everybody keeps telling me that, but no matter what you call it, it feels very much like we're both on trial."

"Believe me, Isabel. If you were being tried for anything you'd know the difference."

She turned to say something to him, but Pike almost ran into her as he entered the Wardroom. "Sorry, Montoya. Well, I just delivered our special guests to the hearing room."

That made Adams look up. "What are they like?"

"Oh, big bastards, lotsa tattoos, handshakes like old-time longshoremen. The usual."

Montoya stared at Pike. "How can you be so blasé about all this?"

Pike shrugged. "I've met Klingons in person before."

"I mean everything! Aren't you worried at all about what might happen to you if they find Brigid guilty of something? And if you say 'It's not a trial' I'll hurt you, and thanks to Sgt. Larkin I know just how to do it!"

Pike's eyebrows went up. He glanced at Adams, who offered him a shrug and a half-smile and then went back to his 'pad.

He turned back to Montoya. "Commander, I'm not worried because I know exactly what I was doing and what I wasn't doing in the Control Room when the mishap occurred, and I'm not worried about Commander Silas because I'm sure she knew exactly what she was doing in that cockpit. So what's bothering you?"

Montoya looked away for a second. "Maybe it's because I have no idea what was going on in either place. I was in the cockpit with Brigid and I still don't really understand what happened. I keep going over it in my mind, wondering if there was something I could have done to prevent that Klingon's death…"

"And what could you have done?"

"I could have ordered her to stop before it got out of hand."

"So could I. I didn't because I didn't foresee it getting out of hand, and as far as I'm concerned it didn't get out of hand."

"The Klingon pilot might disagree with you."

"He might, but that's not my lookout. I can only go by how I saw the situation."

Montoya just looked at Pike for a few seconds. There was a hint of that look she gave him the day they met. "You have no idea how frustrating it is to talk to you people sometimes." With that she went back to pacing.

Pike just looked over at Adams, who shook his head and checked his watch. "They should be getting started about now…"

About twenty off-duty crewmembers showed up to sit in the gallery for the hearing. The proceeding was also being televised on ShipNet so that anyone aboard could watch on their desk computers or datapads. Part of the front row of the gallery had been reserved for the Klingons. Naturally, anyone who wanted a good view avoided sitting behind them.

The gallery faced a table covered with a white cloth and with three chairs set on the opposite side, one more chair set on the end to the gallery's right and another set a ways from the opposite end. Behind the table were three poles bearing the flags of United Earth, the Starfleet and the Landing Force. Set on the table in front of the middle chair were a small wooden gavel and pounding block. These were for Admiral Sisko, who would preside over the hearing.

Centered between the gallery and the table was a single chair. This was reserved for Commander Silas, who was escorted in by a Lander after the gallery had settled in. The Klingons paid special attention to her as she entered and sat down. Koloth grimaced. A female, one of those tiny ones that Human males seemed to find so attractive, the kind that had to compensate for their lack of real strength by operating powerful machines like tactical craft. There seemed to be an overabundance of such women in Starfleet. Fortunately it was one weakness the Armada didn't have. A proper Klingon woman would be embarrassed to be so slight of stature. So this was who Toro had matched himself against. The golden-haired officer deftly avoided making eye contact with Koloth. He took this philosophically. He didn't expect her to be easily intimidated - despite her physical appearance - and he had plenty of time to try again.

A few seconds after Silas arrived a female crewman entered carrying a data slate. She was the clerk assigned to record the proceeding. She took the chair set aside on the gallery's left and set up a portable stand for the slate.

When he saw the clerk was ready, the Lander who'd escorted Silas in took station beside the door and called the gathering to attention: "Hear ye, Hear ye! This hearing is now in session, Admiral Benjamin Sisko presiding! Let all who have business before the Board stand and be recognized! Attention On Deck!"

Everyone rose at once. Silas and the other Starfleeters in the room came to full attention. The Klingons stood At Ease, a calculated move to demonstrate that their recognition of the Board's authority only went so far.

The Board of Inquiry entered the room as they would be seated: Captain McAllister first, then Admiral Sisko, then Captain Ironside. They were followed by Commander McDonald, present as the investigating officer. The presiding officers took their places at the table, while McDonald stood to McAllister's right. When he was settled in, Sisko picked up the gavel and banged it once. "Commander Silas, stand fast," he said, "the rest of you may be seated."

Silas remained at attention as the gallery sat down. When everyone was settled Sisko addressed her: "Lieutenant Commander Brigid Silas, this board has been convened to investigate your actions on the day of 4th November, 2266. I'm obliged to tell you that the purpose of the investigation is to determine whether disciplinary measures against you are warranted as a consequence of those actions, but that as of right now you have not been formally charged with any crime. That means this is not the time or place for you to mount a defense. That will only be necessary if this board determines that you should be charged with a crime and bound over for court martial. Do you understand what I've just told you?"

"Yes, Sir." Silas said. "I understand."

Sisko nodded. "Commander McDonald, you may begin."

"Aye, Sir." McDonald said. She approached Silas. "Commander, please raise your right hand." When Silas complied: "Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do." Silas said.

"Please be seated. Admiral, I'd like to begin by having Commander Silas tell us what happened on the day in question in her own words…"

It took considerable effort, but Pike and Adams eventually managed to get Montoya to sit down. Getting her to sit still was another matter. She fidgeted, drummed her fingers on the table and looked expectantly at the door, sometimes all at once. Every now and then she would look at the Wardroom monitor. "Is there any reason we can't just turn that on, switch to ShipNet and see what's happening in there?" She asked at one point.

"Several reasons, actually…" Pike said.

"Which is why I had it shut off when I found out they were going to keep the witnesses in here." Adams said.

"How very thorough…" Montoya muttered.

"Look, what do we have to tell you to get you to relax? You're so worried about being found guilty of something you're going to go in there looking like you committed high treason!"

"Isabel," Pike said, "there's nothing to this. You're going to go in there, Number One's going to ask you a few questions, Admiral Sisko and the others will ask some questions, and then you'll sit in the gallery and watch the rest of it with everybody else. Just answer the questions truthfully and there won't be any problems."

"And what if I'm not sure what the truth is?"

"There's nothing wrong with answering 'I don't know' when it's appropriate."

Montoya thought about that for a moment. She turned back to say something else to Pike, but before she could get it out there were a couple of taps on the door. It slid open and admitted the Lander from the hearing. "Commander Montoya," he said, "they're ready for you."

Montoya looked at Pike and Adams one last time, then stood, adjusted her jacket and took a deep breath. Then she followed the Lander out of the Wardroom.

After the door was closed Adams turned to Pike. "What do you think she'll do?"

Pike shrugged. "She'll tell the truth. That's all we need her to do."

Montoya's heart was thumping all the way across the corridor and into the hearing room, making a trip that only lasted a few seconds feel like walking the last mile. She did her best to maintain her composure as she walked over to the empty chair by the table - the Witness Stand - and stood in front of it. She reminded herself to stand at attention, and further admonished herself to remember that that meant keeping her hands at her sides.

Commander McDonald came over to her. "Raise your right hand, please." She said. Montoya complied. "Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do." Montoya said.

"Please be seated." Montoya complied. "Please state your full name, rank and posting for the record."

"Isabel Montoya, Lieutenant Commander, Science Officer, USS Enterprise."

"Commander Montoya, in her testimony Commander Silas told us that you were serving as her Weapons Systems Officer on the mission she was flying when the mishap occurred. Is that correct?"

"Well, yes, but I wasn't there to turn on any weapons. The whole point of the flight…"

"A simple 'Yes' or 'No' will suffice, Commander."

"Yes, it's correct."

"Please tell us in your own words what happened during the mission."

"Well, Brigid…Commander Silas and I were descending to Shiva Three to observe the native aquatic life from the air. We had only been in clear air for a few minutes when we detected a scanner lock. It turned out to be a Klingon Raptor targeting us."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing, at first. I turned off the alarm that tells you when you're being targeted and I told Commander Silas about the Raptor. She rocked the Cavalier to let the Klingon know we knew he was there, then he descended to our altitude and waved to us. I waved back."

"Why?"

"Commander Silas said that's what you're supposed to do. It's what we did the first time we went down to the planet and saw a Raptor."

McDonald checked the 'pad she was holding. "That would be during your sortie of 1st November, would it not?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Commander Silas testified that you encountered the same Raptor both times. Is that correct?"

Montoya thought about it for a moment. "I honestly don't know. I can barely tell one Starfleet ship from another. I wouldn't know what to look for to identify a specific Raptor."

McDonald offered a small smile. "Of course. Please continue. What happened after you waved?"

Montoya risked a glance at Silas. Their eyes met, but Silas was sitting perfectly erect and still, and nothing in her body language gave Montoya any clue as to what she should say.

She turned her attention back to McDonald. "Well, after we waved, Commander Silas dove to the planet, and the Klingon started to chase us. We flew North, I think, and we were traveling at Mach numbers. I assume the Raptor was right behind us."

"You assume? Didn't you know? You were operating Rider One's sensors."

"I've only had a few days' instruction on the systems, and at the time I was more concerned with getting Commander Silas to stop than I was with tracking our pursuer."

"Why did you want her to stop?"

Montoya glanced at Silas again. Still no hints. She turned back to McDonald. "Because I was afraid that something like what happened would happen."

"You were worried someone might get hurt."

"Yes, I was."

"Please continue."

"There isn't much to tell after that. We flew around for a while, the Klingon chased us and at one point the ship told us he went into orbit and was going to intercept us on his return. Commander Silas flew to a spot somewhere in our intended patrol area and pointed the Cavalier toward the sky. She asked me to give her control of the active sensors so she could target the Raptor."

"Did you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

A pause. "I thought the situation couldn't get any worse."

"Did she target the Raptor?"

"She tried to, but nothing happened. She thought the Raptor might have cloaked."

"Did you try to confirm that?"

"She did. She asked the ship if the Raptor had cloaked, but before we could get an answer I told her about the whale."

"One of the life-forms you were observing?"

"Yes. I thought that it was going to leap into the air the way they did when we first encountered them." Another pause. "I was right."

"I see. Then what happened?"

"Commander Silas got us out of the way of the whale, then something happened to the air around it, and then…" She had to compose herself. "And then the whale was destroyed, and the Raptor crashed into the sea. We called for Search and Rescue and stayed to observe and assist if we could. Then we were called back to the ship and relieved of duty and confined to quarters."

McDonald nodded. "Thank you, Commander. Sirs?" She stood aside and Montoya turned to the officers at the table.

Captain McAllister started them off. "Commander Montoya, you said that you tried to get Commander Silas to stop what she was doing because you were worried someone would get hurt. Why didn't you simply order her to stop?"

Montoya hesitated. "I wasn't sure I had the authority to order her to stop."

"You weren't sure? Well, I suppose that's understandable, but if you were that worried why not try it and see if she complied?"

Montoya got a little defensive. "Well, if I didn't have the authority, what good would it have done?"

"Fair enough, but did you ever consider that if you didn't have the authority to order Commander Silas to stop, you also wouldn't have had the authority to assign her to the mission in the first place?"

Montoya was struck dumb as that simple bit of logic sank in. She turned to look at McDonald. To her credit, the Executive Officer was simply standing At Ease and watching the Board passively. There was no hint of an I-told-you-so on her face.

Montoya bowed her head for a moment, then turned back to McAllister. "No, Sir. I never considered that."

"Well then, why do you think Silas undertook the mission?"

She shrugged. "I honestly thought she was just being helpful."

"Of course she was, but wasn't she also doing her job as Smallcraft Group Commander by using the resources available to her to assist you in accomplishing your mission?"

Montoya conceded defeat. "Yes, she was."

Satisfied, McAllister sat back, signaling that she was done questioning Montoya. Captain Ironside took over. He took out a datapad and began as he scrolled down something on the screen. "Commander Montoya, I'm looking at a transcript of the communications between Rider One and Enterprise on the day in question." He stopped scrolling when he found what he wanted. "Do you recall the following dialogue: 'Rider One, Prize, we read you as going evasive and accelerating through Mach Numbers. Do you require assistance, over?', 'Negative, Prize. Just giving my wingman some impromptu ACM instruction, over.', 'Roger that, Rider One. Be advised that your wingman is accelerating to overtake and that King One is also enjoying the show. Give 'em something pretty to watch, over.'"

Montoya nodded. "That was just after Commander Silas leveled off and began speeding North."

"Do you understand what the dialogue means?"

"I think so. The ship noticed that we were off course and speeding up and called to ask why, then Silas said that about ACM - I'm afraid I don't know what that means…"

"Air Combat Maneuvering."

"Oh. Well, anyway, she said that and then the ship gave her permission to continue and to give the Klingons a good show."

"Can you think of any reason why she should have been ordered to stand down?"

"Just that I thought something bad might happen."

"I understand that, but was there something specific about the situation that led you to think something bad might happen?"

"It's just…things are so tense between Humans and Klingons right now that I thought if things went too far either Commander Silas or the Raptor pilot might do something they shouldn't and someone could get hurt."

"I see. I need you to understand something, Commander. If you, as the On-scene Commander, had an assessment of the situation that conflicted with that of the Theater HQ, it was your duty to make that assessment known to Theater HQ and, if necessary, take action yourself to see that the situation was resolved without incident. That means whether or not you thought you had the authority to order Silas to stand down is irrelevant. If you had information that led you to conclude that her actions would lead to an unfortunate incident, you had an obligation to order her to stand down. Am I clear?"

Montoya gulped. I'm going to jail… "Yes, Sir. Perfectly."

"So I'll ask you again: Was there any specific thing about the situation that led you to believe that Commander Silas's actions would result in the loss of Rider One or the Klingon Raptor?"

"No, Sir. There wasn't."

Ironside glared at her a moment longer, then sat back.

Montoya dreaded what Admiral Sisko would ask her. He surprised her. "I believe we've heard what we need from this witness. Thank you, Montoya. You may step down." She nodded to him and stood up quickly, then started to walk toward the gallery, hearing McDonald call for Captain Pike as she did so. Instead of finding a seat she bypassed the gallery entirely and exited the Officer's Mess through another door. Once she was in the corridor she proceeded at a brisk trot to the nearest head. She made it just in time.

Pike's testimony was well underway when she slipped back into the hearing. She found a seat near the back of the gallery, trying to go unnoticed, but she couldn't avoid Koloth's sidelong glance. Pathetic, he thought. He couldn't imagine Starfleet being anywhere near so desperate for line officers that someone so useless would have been given a commission.

"When she descended to treetop level and accelerated through high Mach numbers," Pike said, "I had my Communications Officer ask Silas if she needed help. Silas responded by saying she was giving the Klingon pilot some 'ACM instruction', which I took to mean she was attempting to shake him, or at least make his job of shadowing her so tough he'd have to pack up and go home."

"And you granted her permission to do this?"

"Yes, I did."

"Why?"

"Frankly, I thought it needed to be done and decided to assist her in any way I could."

"Of course. Please continue."

"Silas proceeded North until the Raptor began to close and then stopped short, then turned Southeast when the Raptor overshot her. She continued on that course until the Raptor made a wide turn to intercept, then turned further South and transited at hypersonic speed to her patrol area. The Raptor went 'Feet Cold' when he couldn't intercept her and transited through low orbit until he reached a reentry point where he could intercept her from above. Silas anticipated the maneuver and went to a hover in a position where she could illuminate the Raptor."

"Did she illuminate him?"

"We couldn't tell from orbit, but I assume she tried to because she radioed soon after asking us to confirm whether or not the Raptor had cloaked. We were about to have her stand by for a bistatic search when she reversed at high speed from her defensive position. By the time we could figure out why she was doing it the Raptor had ditched. At that point Silas stood down from the engagement and radioed to us and the Martok for Search and Rescue, then stayed on-scene to help coordinate the effort. The Klingons responded immediately and we lent assistance."

"Was the pilot recovered?"

"Unfortunately not, and when the search began to focus on finding the flight recorder we withdrew."

"Thank you, Captain." McDonald said, then turned the questioning over to the board.

"Captain Pike," McAllister said, "you said that you thought that Commander Silas's actions were warranted, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

"And yet you relieved her and Commander Montoya of duty and restricted them to quarters. Why?"

"It's standard procedure to stand down the flight crew in the event one of our spacecraft is involved in a flying mishap."

"And the restriction?"

"The death of an alien citizen was involved, and in this case the flight crew consisted of two of my senior officers. Some restriction was necessary pending the investigation, but I couldn't confine them in the brig without formally charging them, and at the time I saw nothing to charge them with. I still don't see anything."

"You understand, Captain, that if we determine that they must be charged, as their commanding officer you would face charges as well."

Pike didn't flinch at the remark. "I understand."

Ironside took over then. "Captain, Commander Montoya testified that she was worried that Commander Silas's actions might lead to someone getting hurt. Was there any time during the engagement when you shared her concerns?"

"No, there wasn't. I had confidence in Commander Silas's skills and judgment."

"Well, Montoya was on the scene. How do you explain the discrepancy between your assessment of the situation and hers?"

"Commander Montoya has never been a tactical pilot and has never trained with tactical pilots. I would explain her assessment as that of a novice. I can understand where the engagement might have looked worrisome from her perspective, but not from mine."

"Did she make her concerns known to you at any point?"

"No, she didn't. I wasn't aware that she'd had any misgivings until just now."

"Would you have done things differently if you had known?"

"No, I wouldn't have. My assessment of the situation was based on experience Montoya doesn't have."

Then it was Admiral Sisko's turn. "What was Montoya doing in the cockpit at all if her lack of experience was an issue, Captain?"

"It wasn't an issue in the beginning, Sir. It only became an issue when the Klingons showed up."

"Explain."

"When I was given this assignment I was told by Admiral Jellico to rely on my Science Officer's expertise when planning survey missions. This was meant to be just such a mission. When it was first laid on my only concern was whether we had the right resources aboard to do the type of reconnaissance flights Montoya was planning, but Silas had planned to conduct the bulk of them herself and Montoya assured me that she could get the data she needed with minimal fuss. Essentially, all she had to do was sit in the backseat and look around. She had more than enough experience to do that. Only the appearance of the Klingons gave us any pause, but the nature of the mission didn't actually change, and Silas and Montoya assured me that they could continue it with some modification to the flight schedule and by giving some rudimentary SWO training to Montoya and her deputy. Silas and her deputy would actually be flying the missions, so I was confident that if anything went wrong they could handle it."

"And you think Silas lived up to your expectations in this instance?"

Pike smiled. "Yes, Sir. She's still here."

He'd made it a point not to look at the Klingons as he delivered that line. It was a good thing. The look Koloth was giving him could melt Titanium.

Sisko nodded. "Very Well. Thank you, Captain. You may step down."

"Aye, Sir." Pike stood up straight and walked toward the gallery as McDonald called Adams to the stand. Montoya expected Pike to sit somewhere in the front, but he surprised her by coming all the way back to sit next to her. "Where'd you go?" He whispered to her when he settled in. His tone was perfectly innocent.

She resisted the urge to hit him. "I just had to go. Thanks for the vote of confidence, by the way."

"My pleasure."

"You're still not worried about what will happen?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Is permanent calmness something they taught you in the Academy?"

"Not in the Academy. In Space Warfare School. It's called 'Situational Awareness', which is pilot speak for 'paying attention', and the only reason you're still worried is because you haven't been paying attention."

"Then tell me what I'm missing!" She hissed.

Pike turned his attention to the Witness Stand. "Just listen to John."

Montoya just stared at him for a moment, then relented and did as he told her. McDonald was in the middle of asking Adams a question. "…and you had access to the flight data recorders of both spacecraft?"

"Yes, I did." Adams said.

"Today we've heard from Commander Silas and two other witnesses that soon after Rider One went 'Feet Hot' the Klingon Raptor shadowing the Cavalier illuminated it, Commander Silas acknowledged the 'kill', then went evasive. The Raptor pursued until he could no longer overtake or intercept the Cavalier in the atmosphere, then went into orbit, transited to a reentry point that would guarantee an intercept and reentered. Silas transited to a spot where she could intercept the Raptor and prepared to illuminate him, but was forced out of position by the actions of one of the native lifeforms. The Raptor collided with said lifeform and then was lost. Does the data confirm any of that?"

"The data from both craft confirms all of it."

"We have also heard that the Raptor cloaked at some moment near the end of its flight, but none of the witnesses were able to confirm that. Does the data confirm that as well?"

"Yes, it does." He turned to the board. "If you'll use your 'pads to access the files on ShipNet, I can talk you through the readings."

McAllister and Sisko took out their datapads. Ironside was already using his to get onto the network. When he saw they were ready, Adams took out his own and accessed the appropriate files, then slaved the other 'pads to his. "We'll start with the readings from the Raptor's flight recorder. The gauge markings have been translated into English. I'll fast-forward it to the relevant information." It took a few seconds for him to do so. "This is just a few seconds after the Raptor reentered the atmosphere for the last time."

"What are we seeing?" Sisko asked.

"In a moment you'll see a slight change in power utilization and sensor calibration and the On-Board Countermeasures indicator will toggle from 'Off' to 'On'," - a short pause - "there. In short, this shows that the Raptor cloaked almost as soon as it went into 'blackout.' The other on-board systems automatically adjusted to compensate."

"You're sure this information is accurate?" Ironside asked. "There's no way the information is incomplete or altered?"

Sisko glanced at the Klingons as Ironside said this. Jhang bristled slightly, but Koloth showed no outward sign of being insulted.

"There was some data loss due to damage," Adams said, "but nothing relevant, and we wouldn't have the information we do have if the Klingons' engineers hadn't done such a good job retrieving it. There's no sign of tampering."

McAllister spoke up next. "Is there any indication that the pilot was ordered to cloak his ship on reentry?"

"No, Sir. Up to that point the Klingons had been operating in the open. In fact, during the 1st November sortie the pilot asked the Martok if he should cloak and was told to remain visible. From the data available it looks like this time he chose to cloak on his own."

"And you say that all the data is accurate? Including this velocity reading at the time he went into blackout and cloaked?"

"Yes, Sir. As I said, there's no evidence that the data's been altered. Data from Enterprise's own tracking systems confirm that velocity reading."

"And he was inverted and in a nose-down attitude…was he trying to kill himself?"

"There's no way for us to know that for sure."

"Well, isn't it true that the Raptor's cloaking system will obscure the pilot's vision as it hides the ship from other observers?"

"Yes, Sir, it is. Most of the ship's tracking systems can be adjusted to operate in conjunction with the cloaking system, but for the invisibility part of the equation to work the price the pilot pays is the use of his optical systems and his own eye-view of the outside world. There would literally be nothing for him to see through his cockpit canopy, so he would be flying solely on instruments that would give him an imperfect view of his surroundings."

"So he was rocketing toward the surface with his visibility impaired by his own countermeasures, and under those conditions he would only have had seconds to pull out of the dive safely, yet-" She advanced the data further. "-he didn't actually set himself to pull up until he was almost at wavetop level. If he wasn't trying to commit suicide, what was he doing?"

"I can only speculate on that, Sir."

"Do so." Sisko ordered.

"Yes, Sir. From what we can tell by comparing the data from the two tactical craft, it looks like the Raptor was trying to swamp Rider One."

Murmurs rose up from the gallery immediately upon hearing this. Sisko banged the gavel once, then turned his attention back to Adams when things quieted down. "Continue." He said.

"Yes, Sir. The Raptor was being quarterbacked throughout the engagement by its base ship, just as Enterprise was quarterbacking Rider One, so it's safe to assume the pilot had a pretty good idea of where Silas would be when he reentered. His angle and speed of descent suggest that if he didn't pull up at the right moment the two ships would have collided, destroying both, but, as Captain McAllister said, he was maneuvering to pull up at wave-top level, possibly just above the Cavalier. The atmospheric effects caused by the Raptor's sudden change in trajectory would have thrown the Cavalier into the water."

"Why go through the trouble?" Ironside said. "If he'd wanted to destroy Rider One he could have done it from orbit."

"I don't think he intended to destroy Rider One. A good pilot might have been able to save the Cavalier, or at least keep it intact enough after the crash for the flight crew to survive. I think he just wanted to see how good a pilot Silas was."

"So why did he cloak?" McAllister asked.

"So no one would see it coming in time to stop him, especially Silas. By the time she'd have gotten confirmation that he'd cloaked during blackout the shockwave of his passing would have hit."

"What kept him from pulling up when he saw Rider One back off?" Sisko asked.

"Confusion. From his perspective Rider One had no reason to back off because Silas couldn't see him. The problem was there was very little he could see. He didn't know why his target was backing off and it must have puzzled him more to see an even bigger target take its place…"

"The Shivan whale."

"Yes, Sir. He spent precious seconds trying to work out what was going on, and by the time he figured it out he was already 'conflicting' with the whale, which resulted in an even more garbled sensor picture. He was essentially flying blind when he impacted."

There was more murmuring. This time Sisko silenced it with a stern look. He took the opportunity to read the Klingons' faces. Jhang and Rogo looked livid, and this time even Koloth looked less than pleased with Adams's testimony.

Sisko turned back to Adams. "So you're saying that if that whale hadn't jumped into the air when it had…"

"...we'd be fishing for Commanders Silas and Montoya down there." Adams said, finishing the thought. "Of course, it's just speculation, but it's the only conclusion that fits the data."

There was a brief pause as Sisko let that sink in, then he nodded to Adams. "Thank you, Commander. You may step down."

"Aye, Sir." Adams rose and headed toward the gallery. The Klingons glared at him as he approached, but he only raised his eyebrow at them as he passed. Moments later he was sitting next to Pike and Montoya in the back.

Sisko turned to McDonald. "Do you wish to call any other witnesses?"

"No, Sir." McDonald said.

"Very Well. We will reconvene at 1300 hours and present our findings. We're adjourned." Sisko banged the gavel one last time.

"Attention On Deck!" The Lander called out. Everyone rose again as Sisko, Ironside and McAllister left the room, then the Lander escorted Silas out. Then the clerk and McDonald filed out, followed by the members of the gallery.

Montoya left with Pike and Adams. She checked her watch as they entered the passageway. "How can they be sure they'll have a decision so soon?"

Adams shrugged. "They have everything they need to puzzle out what happened. I think Sisko's being generous with the time, personally."

"You guys want to grab something to eat?" Pike said. "We'd have to raid the Chiefs' Mess, but I'm sure they won't mind. We'll just owe them some favors."

"You two go ahead." Montoya said. Lost in thought, she headed in the opposite direction.