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

Montoya made her way to Sick Bay, where she found Lt. Flores and Dr. Boyce talking. "Belle!" Flores called when she saw her friend. "Come on in! Pull up a bed!"

Montoya smiled. "Don't mind if I do." She went over to the bed next to the one Flores was sitting on and stretched out on it with a sigh. "You spent the night here?"

"I think Iron Horse - or whatever his name is - is sleeping in my bed." Flores grumped. "I didn't want to get crammed in with our technicians down in the cargo hold so the Good Doctor was gracious enough to let me stay here. It's not nearly as bad as what they did to you, though. You must have gone stir crazy in your cabin."

"Slightly."

"I wanted to come see you, but that goon they placed outside your door wouldn't let me in."

"I know. I could hear you screaming at him. Does your mother know you use that kind of language?"

"Who do you think taught it to me?" They chuckled at that. "Well, the good news is, you're out of Solitary."

"It doesn't feel that good. Confinement was preferable to what I went through today."

"Doctor Boyce and I were watching the whole thing. You did great."

"Oh, please! It'll be a miracle if I didn't get myself and Brigid hanged. I'm such an idiot!"

"No, you're not! You're one of the smartest people I know!"

"Maybe in an academic sense. I have a Doctor of Science degree in Astrophysics and Masters level education in two related disciplines, yet every day I spend on this ship I feel like my I.Q. drops ten points. I think I hit 'Moron' the day I touched the Warp-Futzers' pyramid."

It was then that she noticed Boyce had gone over to a cabinet and was fixing something. He came back over to her bed carrying a small glass filled a third of the way with amber liquid. She sat up and he handed her the glass. She took a sip, then looked at him. "I thought alcohol was illegal on Starfleet ships."

"I can use it for medicinal purposes." Boyce said with a smile. "We'll call this 'Healing a bruised ego'." She grinned at him, then took another sip as he sat on the bed next to her. "As for feeling like a moron, that's actually a common malady in this service."

"Don't tell me you've ever felt that way."

"Oh, yes. Isabel, Starfleet was created by Space Cowboys for other Space Cowboys and Cowgirls to enjoy. Serving aboard ship means you are surrounded by people who fly, fight and maintain spacecraft for a living. Some of them have been doing it for decades, and if you haven't spent a whole lot of time doing any of those things yourself it can be a bit overwhelming for you. All that's happened to you this week is that you've gotten a crash course in just how overwhelming it can be. The hearing is a prime example."

"Does it ever get better?"

"Sure. You just keep telling yourself that the cowboys are all here to do a certain job, but that's the job they were brought here to do. You're here to do your job, and as long as you do it well, you have nothing to feel inadequate about."

"But I can't do my job without their help."

"In some ways the reverse is true. Enterprise was sent out here to accomplish a mission, but without you there is no mission. Nothing saps crew morale faster than a lack of purpose. Your mission gives everyone that purpose."

Montoya looked at him for a moment, then smiled and turned to Flores. "You're right. He's good."

Flores grinned. "Toldja. And he's sure that all this is going to work out in the end."

Montoya turned back to Boyce. "Are you?"

"I'm positive." Boyce said, smiling. His smile faded when Montoya's face fell. "What's wrong?"

She turned to look at the floor. "I think I finally realized what's been worrying me. I think you may be right about how this will turn out." She took another sip of her drink, then looked at him. "I'm just not sure you should be."

Silas, the gallery and the clerk were all back in place when the Lander called the gathering to attention at precisely 1300 hours. McDonald and the board walked in and resumed their places and, once again, Sisko had Silas remain at attention while the rest of the company sat down. When everyone was settled, Sisko addressed them:

"In a state of truce, it is understood by all parties that there will always be a certain amount of hostility between the once-warring factions, and that hostility can lead to aggressive - and sometimes reckless - actions on the part of frontline forces as they interact. This has been true in the past for both the Human and Klingon races, and it is true now as both races face each other in what is essentially a Cold War. Yet even with that understanding we expect our armed servicemen to act correctly and professionally whenever they confront someone from the opposing side, lest the Cold War regress into a Shooting War. Most often our warriors live up to that expectation, but as we have seen some of them let events overtake them, and the consequences of such missteps may be dire. When such incidents occur, we can only hope that they will serve as a warning to others about the dangers of pushing the envelope to the breaking point.

"With that said, it is the finding of this Board that the loss of the Klingon Raptor was the result of Pilot Error, brought on by diminished visibility, unduly aggressive maneuvers and a collision with an airborne lifeform. We further find that Lieutenant Commander Silas acted correctly in all respects by maneuvering to evade the Raptor, thereby safeguarding her spacecraft, her superior officer and her mission. We therefore recommend that Commander Silas be returned immediately to Active Flight Status and reinstated as Smallcraft Group Commander aboard USS Enterprise upon the conclusion of these proceedings. No charges will be filed against her, and no letters of reprimand will be added to her jacket." With that he raised his gavel.

Jhang was on his feet before Sisko could bring it down. "This is an outrage!" He bellowed.

The outburst drew the attention of everyone in the room. Everyone except Koloth, that is. His attention was on the Lander, who had his sidearm out and aimed right at Jhang's head. It was a stark reminder to Koloth that he and his officers were the only three Klingons in a ship full of Humans and theirs was the only Klingon warship in an orbit full of Starfleet.

Sisko addressed his response to Koloth. "You have your answer, Captain."

Koloth gave him a fang-bearing grin. "Of course, Admiral. I will relay it to my superiors, and I thank you for your prompt attention to this matter." Then he lowered his voice and gently squeezed Jhang's wrist. "There will be other battles, Commander."

Jhang glanced at him, then turned to glare at Sisko. Still, he reluctantly sat back down, allowing the Lander to holster his weapon.

When order was restored, Sisko banged the gavel and concluded the hearing. "We're done here, people."

"Attention On Deck!" The Lander called a final time. Sisko, McAllister and Ironside rose and filed out of the room, followed by McDonald and the clerk. When they were gone, the Lander called out, "As You Were!" then left as well.

That's when the cheering started. Silas was soon surrounded by grinning Starfleeters offering congratulations. Koloth and his men, not wanting to be sickened by the adulation, simply headed for the nearest exit. Just before he crossed the threshold Koloth tried one more time to catch Silas's eye. This time he was successful. She looked away from the officer she was shaking hands with in time to see Koloth looking at her. She offered him a small smile. It seemed to say "Better luck next time." He simply glared at her for a moment, then left.

Pike had caught the whole exchange as he waited his turn to shake hands with her. "I'd better get our friends back home before they break something." He said with a grin. "In the meantime you and Montoya are back on duty as of now. Good work, Commander."

"Thank you, Sir." She said, grinning back. Then Pike left, and after shaking a few more hands Silas looked around for Montoya. The Science Officer was nowhere to be found.

Koloth turned the entire confrontation over in his mind as the Starfleet transport shuttled him back to Martok, this time escorted by two Raptors. It had ended just as Jhang had predicted. Of course the Humans had pardoned their pilot, and Toro's actions had given them the perfect excuse to do so. Still, there was some consolation. First, Koloth had gotten what he wanted. He'd seen the faces of the Human flight crew, looked them in the eye. In Brigid Silas he'd seen what he expected to see, a woman who had probably gone through Starfleet Academy, definitely gone through their War College, and come out an officer desperate to match her skills against the Great Klingon Menace. She'd had her chance this week and triumphed, after a fashion, so she was pleased with herself at the end, though she would likely be more cautious in the future. Isabel Montoya was another matter. Obviously she had never gone to the Academy or through pilot training. She couldn't even stand at attention properly. From all outward appearances she was what she was supposed to be: a civilian scientist given a temporary rank and assigned to a warship. Then again, such appearances were perfect for hiding more sinister truths. The entire act might have been put on to disguise Montoya's true purpose aboard Enterprise, or Montoya might have been substituted at the hearing for whomever had really been in the Cavalier's cockpit with Silas. He couldn't help but notice the looks Montoya had given Silas during her testimony. It made him wonder who this "Science Officer" was to the pilot. A friend? A subordinate? A lover? A pet? He chuckled silently at the ideas that popped into his head, and at the futility of trying to solve this little mystery himself. He had their names and their faces, and soon his commanders would have them, and soon after that the Empire's intelligence organs would be on the trail of every scrap of information they could find on Brigid Silas and Isabel Montoya. He was sure that what they turned up would be very interesting, and would make the Enterprise a prime target for reconnaissance as long as the two were aboard.

Further consolation came in the form of the wording of the Board's finding. Toro had killed himself by being "unduly aggressive." The thought of this made Koloth laugh out loud. When his superiors heard that line he was sure some would bristle at it, as Jhang had done, but most would simply accept it for what it was: Human posturing. No one would seriously condemn Toro for doing what he was trained to do. After all, what Humans called a "Cold War" was still a war, and they knew it, and in a war there was no such thing as being "unduly aggressive" with your enemies. By way of excusing their officer the Humans had also declared that Toro had acted correctly, which meant that he would likely receive a posthumous advance in rank and a hero's honors. The victory he'd helped the Empire achieve was small in the grand scheme of things - a few intelligence gains - but worthy of his sacrifice nonetheless.

Martok departed soon after Koloth returned. Sisko, McAllister and Ironside returned to Trailblazer when the Klingons warped out of the system and the cruiser and her escorts warped out soon after that, leaving Enterprise alone in orbit around Shiva Three once more. As the Science Department's officers moved back into their quarters and the Officer's Mess was restored to its original state, life aboard the starship slowly got back to normal.

It was a half-hour before Midwatch that night before Silas saw Montoya again. Silas was reading in her bunk when one of her roommates came in. "I passed Montoya on the way here." He said. "She asked if you were in here."

Silas got up immediately. "Could you give us a minute alone?"

The officer smiled as he grabbed a datapad from his own bunk. "I just came to get this." He went right back out the door. "Go on in." He said to someone just outside. A second later Montoya came in.

Silas smiled wide. "Hey," She said.

Montoya smiled back. "Hey. I was hoping we could talk."

"Sure. Have a seat."

"Oh, no, that's not necessary. This won't take long, and I have to get ready to go on watch anyway."

"Oh…okay. I didn't see you come back to the hearing."

"I asked Commander McDonald if it was all right if I didn't come back. She said that she didn't expect me to be called to testify again, so it was okay. I watched it with Wendy. Really, I just wanted to get out of that dress uniform."

Silas grinned. "I know how you feel. I changed back to Colors as soon as I got back here. 'Course for me it's the same color…" It wasn't that funny, but they both chuckled to relieve some of the tension. When they recovered, Silas said: "Captain Pike said we're back on duty."

"I know. He told me."

"Oh. So…what did you want to talk about?"

"Something's been bothering me. Everything that's said between the Cavalier and the ship is recorded in the flight recorder, right?"

"Right."

"What about what's said in the cockpit, what we say to each other over the helmet radios?"

Silas nodded. "That too. All transmissions are recorded and stored in the flight recorder…but if it's your privacy you're worried about, no one ever hears that stuff except in extreme circumstances."

"Like a mishap investigation?"

Silas chuckled. "Okay, yes, like a mishap investigation. Why?"

"I was just wondering if they heard everything that was recorded?"

"Everything relevant, sure."

"Everything relevant? Why not just 'everything'?"

"In this case they didn't need to hear everything. Just what transpired during the engagement. Look, Isabel…"

Montoya took out a 'pad. "I'm concerned about something you said before the engagement. I looked at the voice transcripts, but the only reference that corresponds is labeled 'inaudible', but I know I heard you say it."

"Heard me say what?"

"'A-M-F.'"

There was a silent pause between them, then Silas chuckled. "Okay, so?"

"I know what that means."

"Okay, so we can both curse in English and Spanish. I don't see…"

"It just seems to be an odd thing to say if Admiral Sisko was right and all you were doing was defending yourself and me."

"Well, what should I have said?"

"I honestly don't know, but saying that makes it seem almost like you were trying to get rid of him."

"I was trying to get rid of him!"

"I don't mean evading him, I mean…you asked me to turn on the active sensors. How do I know you weren't planning to shoot the Raptor down?"

"I couldn't shoot him down without arming the missiles I was carrying. You would have had to arm them!"

"Well, even if that were true…"

"Whaddya mean 'if that were true'! So now you think I'm lying?"

"I don't know, Brigid! I don't know whether you're lying or not, and there's no way for me to be sure because I don't know anything about starships or Cavaliers or Raptors or anything else about your world!" She forced herself to calm down. "I want to know, I just don't."

"Well, how can I help you, Isabel?"

"Tell me that if Admiral Sisko and the others had heard what you said they'd have come to the same conclusion."

"Of course they would have! Why would what I said have had any more bearing on the decision than all the other evidence?"

"Sisko said the Klingon was 'unduly aggressive'. I think what you said would indicate some aggression on your part."

"Isabel, it was trash talk! You must have heard of it! It's only been around since the Dawn of Man! I'm sure that the Board would have given it all of five seconds worth of attention!"

"I would be more than happy to accept it as trash talk if it weren't for the fact the 'M-F' - as you called him - is now dead, along with an innocent creature whose only crime was getting in the middle of some alien pissing contest, and I would simply feel better if I could know for sure that you - that we truly had nothing to do with either death."

"You're being impossible! You're asking me to give you perfect clarity! There's no way I can do that!"

"I'm not asking. Find a way." She tried her best to make it sound like an order.

Silas just looked at her, then she turned around, thought for a moment and ran her hand through her hair. When she turned back she grabbed Montoya by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.

"Okay, Isabel. I can't make it any clearer than this. Here's what you have to believe if you insist on thinking that I intended to kill the Klingon: You have to believe that I'm so great at reading alien species that I'm practically psychic. You have to believe that I knew exactly what that Klingon and what that whale would do and when they would do it, which is what I'd have had to know in order to guarantee that the Klingon would execute the maneuvers he did and ultimately put himself in a position where I could use the whale to both decoy him and cause him to crash. And then you have to believe that my mental powers are so vast that I clouded the minds of everyone else involved, so that when the inevitable investigation was conducted I would be absolved of any guilt in the Klingon's death, thereby guaranteeing that even though I just committed an act of war, the Klingons would have no legitimate reason to retaliate against United Earth. And then, on top of all this, you have to believe that out of the five starships full of people from two different civilizations that have been in Shivan orbit for the past two days the only person that has any idea what I've actually done is you." Silas gave Montoya a moment to digest all that. "That's what you have to believe, if you refuse to believe what's been determined, which is that the Klingon got pushy, we rough-housed a little, he pushed too far and paid for it. And as for the whale - stuff happens, no matter what planet you're on."

There was a note of cynicism in her voice, but the look in Silas's eyes was what truly bothered Montoya. It was because the look told her truths that Silas would never voice: That she didn't have to be psychic to see patterns in the Klingon's tactics that would have let her predict his every move; that all that she'd need to predict the whale's movement was to recognize signs that Montoya had missed when they first observed them; that it was entirely possible that everyone else involved, Klingon and Human alike, knew exactly what she'd done and the whole hearing was a farce that would allow both sides to settle the matter without further bloodshed; and that, far from being the only one to figure it all out, Montoya was simply the last to know.

They stood there staring at each other until Montoya couldn't stand it anymore. She put on a weak smile. "Then I guess I'll just have to accept the finding," she said. "It was a mishap. Nothing more."

Silas bowed her head and let go of Montoya's shoulders. She let out a sigh of relief, and when she looked up again she had a genuine smile on her face. She reached out and lightly brushed Montoya's chin with her fingertip. "Smart Girl." She said softly, then she turned back to her bunk. "Y'know, with the Klingons gone and everything back to normal the third time ought to be the charm. Want to try another flight tomorrow?"

Montoya hesitated, weighing her answer. "Actually, I was thinking of having Wendy take over the Shiva away missions. I'm going to be spending more time in the Control Room working with Number One. She said she'd help me develop more of a Command Sense."

Silas smirked. "That's probably a good idea. Another time, then?"

"Another time." Montoya said. She spent another second just watching Silas's back, then she left the stateroom. As she made her way through Enterprise's corridors she tried to keep one thing in mind:

Brigid's here to do her job and I'm here to do mine. I just have to concentrate on doing my job.

It wasn't very comforting, but it helped.