The Hall of Justice, Qo'noS, 2375

Trial Day 1

Accompanied by a pair of heavily armed Klingon warriors, Chrissie entered the courtroom and looked around her with a mixture of nervousness and curiosity. She had been separated from her mate on arrival and escorted into a waiting area or anteroom of some sort while Krang been immediately surrounded by a squad of soldiers and taken off in a different direction. She'd been waiting for about an hour when they finally returned for her.

All around her, high above the floor where she stood, were what looked like observation levels, similar to those balconies in old Earth theatres, where at a normal trial, the general public could stand and watch the proceedings. It didn't look as if there were seating arrangements for spectators and she remembered with a touch of bitter humour that Klingons gave little, if any, consideration to physical comfort. But this trial was a closed session and today the upper terraces were empty. At one end of the room was a raised platform containing the only seat in the room – a great thronelike chair with a sturdy table in front of it. Chrissie guessed that this was where the judge would sit. In this place, even the chancellor would remain standing.

The chamber itself was dimly lit and the fine smoke billowing from the torches fastened to the walls, gave a reddish glow to the room, adding to the heat permeating the chamber like a blanket. Qo'noS was a planet of extremes at the best of times, and the thunderstorms that had plagued the city notwithstanding, this was one of the hottest summers on record.

So far, the hall was almost empty. Apart from Chrissie and the two guards, the only other living beings within the chamber were her husband and Captain Mackenzie, standing at Krang's side in his role as Cha'DIch - and of course the two lawyers for the defence and the prosecution. The defence lawyer, resplendent in the uniform of a Defence Force Captain, was a middle-aged warrior named Qeyn. He had been a highly successful lawyer with a flourishing law practice but at the onset of the Dominion War, had left his practice in the capable hands of his partner and signed up to the Defence Force, where he'd quickly risen through the ranks to become a captain of his own ship.

The prosecutor was a tall, heavyset Klingon called T'Bor, who looked a little older than Krang. Unlike Qeyn he was a civilian and was dressed in a black, formally styled tunic with an insignia that Chrissie did not recognise but guessed to be some indication of his rank or position - and in direct contrast to his opponent, who was standing quietly, waiting with remarkable patience for the judge and chancellor to arrive, T'Bor stood with his arms crossed, and his fingers twitching, looking as though he was having to restrain himself from pacing impatiently up and down.

Not knowing what to do or where to go, Chrissie took a step towards her husband but one of the guards stepped in front of her, preventing her from approaching the defendant. Silently, he gestured towards an empty area at ground level, separated from the main hall by a waist-high, heavy, ornately decorated railing - waist high, that was, to a Klingon; the uppermost bar came up to Chrissie's chest. Obviously, that was where the witnesses were supposed to wait until they were called to the stand. She went where she was directed without argument and the two guards took up position at either side of the gateway.

The silence of the courtroom was broken then, the suddenness of the noise startling Chrissie and making her jump, as Chancellor Martok made his entrance. The leader of the Klingon Empire pushed open the massive doors with enough force to make the massive wooden constructs thud against the opposing walls, the sound echoing throughout the room. The heavy cloak flapping regally about him, he strode across the chamber and took his place at the far end, almost directly opposite where the judge would sit.

Behind him, those few members of the High Council and senior officers who were permitted to attend, followed at a respectful distance. All of them choosing to remain on ground level, they moved around the courtroom to take their places. They stood resolutely in varying positions, some with hands behind their backs, others with arms folded before them, all of them displaying that inner confidence, bordering on arrogance, that came with high rank. One of them, Chrissie saw, was General Kurn zantai Kazrel. She had met him once, when he had brought Captain Qeyn to the house to talk with her husband. Another one she did not recognise but thought his face and cranial ridges were vaguely familiar, and she wondered momentarily if she should know him.

Two more men entered the room, both wearing the same black uniform as Krang. Chrissie could only assume that these were Imperial Intelligence officers. One of the two, a middle-aged man who was shorter than his companion and somewhat unprepossessing in appearance, yet at the same time had an air of authority that told Chrissie he held high rank, moved across to the chancellor and spoke briefly with him before taking his place in the lower viewing gallery.

As the last of the council members settled themselves into place, the doors to the second level, the judge's level, opened, and a dignified, grey-haired Klingon slowly entered the room. The judge stood in the doorway for a moment, taking the opportunity to survey his surroundings, his gaze stopping occasionally on people who caught his interest - as such, the chancellor, two or three of the council members, Krang and the two humans gained long, individual looks from the old Klingon standing on the dais above them. Slowly and with great dignity, he approached the throne-like chair that was set aside for his use and adjusting his cloak slightly, seated himself in it.

The judge held a gavel in his hand, a heavy instrument that to Chrissie's eyes, seemed sinister in its design, a symbol of the injustice that was being done here today. It looked like the clawed hand of a demon grasping a globe and the sight of it made the human woman fight the urge to shiver. After raising the globe and holding it in mid-air for a moment, the judge struck the table-top before him with unexpected strength, making sparks fly. Lifting the globe again he struck the table a second time, and then again, a third time.

Chrissie was unable to suppress the shudder that tore through her. Krang had explained the proceedings to her, but even if he hadn't, she would have known what the banging of the globe meant. The trial, her husband's trial for treason, had begun.

As the judge began to speak, Chrissie watched her husband, desperately wanting to approach him and take his hand for their mutual comfort, but the ancient traditions of this place would not allow it. Not that a Terran court would be any different in that respect, but angry and resentful about what was happening, Chrissie did not feel like being reasonable.

This particular courtroom was, she knew, reserved for the more serious crimes such as treason and it was rarely used. Klingon justice was nothing if not direct and criminals were not often taken alive, preferring death before capture. Of those who were brought here, few ever left as free men. Forcing herself to pay attention to the proceedings, Chrissie listened to what the judge was saying. The proceedings were, of course, in tlhingan Hol, a language Chrissie spoke fairly well by now, but this was tlhingan Hol at its most formal and she needed to pay careful attention to make sure she understood everything that was going on.

"Krang son of Marek of the House of Inigan, you stand before us today, accused of treason against the Klingon Empire. You have already been found guilty of this crime in your absence and sentence has been passed. That sentence was death. However, at the request of the Chancellor..." He glanced across at Martok, his expression making it clear that he did not appreciate the chancellor's interference in judicial affairs, "…Today we begin a new trial." Again, the judge looked around the courtroom, surveying those present, his gaze finally coming to rest on the outworlder who stood by the side of the accused. "Captain James Mackenzie..." He changed to Federation Standard English, flawlessly pronouncing the Terran name. "This is an internal Klingon matter and does not involve the Federation. What is your purpose here?"

The Terran captain stepped forward. He was wearing ceremonial Klingon clothing rather than his Starfleet uniform, emphasizing his role in the proceedings and his right to be here. "I stand here as Cha'DIch to my brother Krang."

The judge frowned. "You are a tera'ngan, Captain Mackenzie. Are you sure that you understand the significance of what you are doing?"

"I understand that whatever the outcome of this trial, I may share his fate," Captain Mackenzie responded, his voice clear and firm.

The judge gave a nod of acknowledgement and lifting the globe again, he brought it down sharply against the desk. "Very well," he said. Then, reverting to his native tlhingan Hol, he continued, "Court is in session. Prosecutor, you may begin."

The prosecuting lawyer, Colonel T'Bor, moved into the centre of the room and stood facing the judge. "The prosecution contends that Krang son of Marek is guilty of the charges laid against him and intends to prove that he did wilfully disobey orders from the High Council, and that he did commit treason by collaborating with the enemies of the Klingon Empire. We call our first witness, Qis'ta Martinez to the stand."

"I object!" Captain Qeyn interrupted. "Under Klingon law a wife cannot testify against her husband." The objection was nothing more than a formality and one that he knew would be overturned, but he would do everything in his power to impede the prosecution, however futile it might ultimately be.

"The prosecution acknowledges that this is correct," Colonel T'Bor said quickly. "However, this woman is one of the very few surviving witnesses to this period of history. It is not our intention to use her testimony against the accused, but to explain much of the background of what actually happened. We believe that this will be of interest to all present, including the defence."

The judge nodded. "You are correct when you state that there are very few living witnesses to these events. In fact, there are only two available to us - the defendant, Krang son of Marek and his wife Qis'ta Martinez. However, Chancellor Martok has authorised the release of classified documents from the historical archives. Starfleet Command has also sent us the appropriate mission logs from the USS Enterprise commanded by Captain Kirk. It is my feeling that due to the unique circumstances of this case a different approach is necessary. If both the prosecution and the defence will agree, I believe that we should begin by allowing those involved to simply tell their story, uninterrupted and in their own words."

The prosecutor and defence lawyer stared at each other for a moment in total surprise. This part of the trial, the meqba', had strict rules for the presentation of evidence and what the judge was suggesting was a complete departure from standard trial procedure. Qeyn hesitated, considering his options. He had already heard Krang's story and although Kurn had succeeded in persuading him to take the case, he did not hold out much hope of actually winning. Certainly, they had nothing to lose in trying this new strategy. Finally, he nodded. "I agree."

"I also agree," Colonel T'Bor said, turning to face Chrissie as he spoke. "Will you agree to testify under these circumstances?"

Very pale, Chrissie stepped forward, glancing nervously over to her husband was standing. He gave a slight nod and reassured, she said, "I will testify." At the judge's signal, she moved across the room and took her place in the witness stand.

"Will you confirm for the record, your name, date of birth and planet of origin."

"I am Christa Martinez Inigan, wife to Krang son of Marek of the House of Inigan. I was born on Earth on March twentieth, 1965." She hesitated before admitting, "I don't know the stardate. We didn't use them then."

"Tell us about the invasion of Earth."

"It was 1992 and I had just celebrated my twenty-seventh birthday" Chrissie said. She closed her eyes momentarily as the memories came flooding back. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she began to tell her part of the story.

Note: from this point onwards, there are only minor corrections to the original version. To any new readers out there, thank you for reading and I hope you are enjoying the story.