The courtroom, Qo'noS, 2375

Mid-morning, Trial Day 4

Taking a sip of the water that Krahl had once again provided for her, Chrissie fixed her gaze on her husband, taking comfort in the sight of him. He looked calm and untroubled, his stance that of a proud warrior, showing no fear. It was not that she was thirsty, but the water gave her a momentary respite, a chance to breathe and steady herself before continuing the story.

She'd told the court little of the argument with Sarah – although what had happened had been far too one-sided to be called an argument. The American woman's attack on her had left her too shocked and intimidated to defend herself and even now, all these years later, it still hurt that her most trusted friend had called her a whore.

After Sarah had left, Chrissie had cried herself to the point of sickness and her rebellious stomach churning and rejecting the breakfast she'd eaten only a couple of hours ago, she'd been forced to run for the bathroom. Her stomach finally empty but still oddly unsettled, she'd cleaned up the mess she'd made, rinsed her mouth and splashed some cold water on her face. Glancing in the mirror to check her appearance, she'd been shocked at what she'd seen. With red rimmed eyes and unnaturally pale skin, the woman staring back at her was no-one she knew. What had happened to her? How had she let herself become this weak, frightened person who wouldn't say boo to a goose? That changed now, she decided resolutely. She was falling in love with Krang… there, she'd admitted it to herself. Love… yes, she was head over heels in love with him and she rather thought that Antonio and Josefina loved him too. Klingons valued strength and if she was to become a fit mate for a man like Krang, she needed to regain her confidence and start asserting herself again.

While she was in the bathroom, she removed the green dress, washed, and then pulled on some clean clothes - a pair of black jeans and a soft lambswool sweater, unromantic but practical. Another glance in the mirror convinced her to apply a little makeup - just a little blusher, a tiny touch of eyeshadow in a neutral shade and some lip gloss. She didn't often wear it but right now, she looked like a ghost. Finally satisfied with her appearance, she'd picked up the dirty clothes and with some distaste for the state they were in, shoved them into a carrier bag. After three days, she thought wryly, they would probably walk to the washing machine on their own.

Heading to her bedroom, Chrissie pulled out the backpacks that she'd last used during that headlong flight from Spain and began to pack.

The job did not take long. Chrissie had very little to call her own, having left almost everything in Spain. Her passport, driving licence, bank book, birth certificates for her and the children. Some clothes, a few toiletries and a bottle of perfume David had given her for Christmas. Her anniversary edition of 'The Lord of the Rings' also went into the bag along with the French/English dictionary she'd appropriated from David's bookshelves. He'd never miss it and it would be useful. There were other books as well, books she loved and would miss, but she could not carry them and reluctantly she decided to leave them behind. Picking up a photo album full of pictures of the children, she hesitated over it but decided to take with her. Diego featured in several of the pictures and the thought of him made her grimace, but the children had a right to know their father.

Satisfied that she had everything she needed, Chrissie moved to the room shared by Toni and Fina and repeated the process. Clothes, some of their favourite toys and games, the books she'd been using to teach them.

Finally, it was done. Chrissie had looked around the flat one last time before leaving. This was David and Sarah's place now and she did not think she would ever come back here. It was time for her to move on to a new chapter in her life.

Sighing, Chrissie put down the glass of water and prepared to continue her story. "If Kay'vin noticed I was upset, he was wise enough not to comment. He just helped me load up the shuttle and took me back to France. The next few days were happy ones, almost idyllic and I was completely oblivious to the gathering storm. Krang worked most of the weekend but he took a few hours off on Sunday and we spent an afternoon together as a family. The following week began almost the same way. I decided to…"

The sound of a door opening and closing caught Chrissie's attention and she stopped speaking, turning in an effort to see what was going on. She was not the only one wanting to know. Around her she could see the various spectators turning their heads in a mixture of curiosity and irritation at the disturbance. It was not the great doors, she realised, the sound was not loud or impressive enough for that, rather it was one of the side access doors. A murmuring began in the spectator's gallery, becoming louder as the gathered audience reacted. The two previously missing lawyers came through the doorway and moved into the centre of the courtroom, one on either side of a woman.

From her place in the witness stand, Chrissie could not see the woman's face, half hidden as she was between the two men who were escorting her but she appeared tall and elegant, carrying herself with a proud stance that spoke of military training.

Coming into the centre of the room and facing the judge, the trio came to a halt and the defending lawyer spoke up. "My lord judge… We bring you a witness."

It was only then that Chrissie got a good view of her face. The woman was older than she remembered but was still clearly recognisable as the young lieutenant she had met back on Earth. They were not close, but they had met once or twice since then and she was married to one of her husband's most trusted friends. Chrissie remembered with a pang of sorrow that she had lost her mate only a few short months ago. "Marla?"

Seated on his great throne, the judge leaned forward, carefully studying the woman who was standing in front of him. "Identify yourself."

"I am Marla, wife of Kay'vin, former captain of the Hegh'Ta. I hold the rank of commander in the Defence Force, currently on long-term leave. I was one of the officers who took part in the so-called Earth Project and I am here to offer my testimony with regards to the events that lead to its failure."

"You claim to have served in the Defence Force over a hundred years ago," the judge growled. "How is it that you are still alive?"

"Well that's a nice welcome," Marla snapped, glaring at the judge. "I come here to offer my testimony and the first thing you ask me is why I am not dead?"

To Chrissie's amusement, the judge flushed. "The question was perhaps badly worded," he allowed. "However, if you truly are old enough to have been present during the events in question, then many of us, myself included, would like to know the secret of your immortality. You will answer the question."

Marla inclined her head regally.

I joined the Defence Force as soon as I was old enough," Marla began, "and at the age of twenty-six, I was assigned to the Earth project. Kay'vin was ten years older. We fell in love and shortly after our return to Qo'noS, we decided to take the oath…"

Predictably, Marla's family had refused permission for the marriage. Kay'vin was not from a good family and they wanted better for their daughter. She'd married him anyway, in direct defiance of their wishes and had been immediately discommended.

They had been lucky; both of them had been junior enough to avoid the wrath of the High Council. Even so, their careers had suffered. Marla had eventually left the Defence Force to take on a civilian job and raise a family. Kay'vin however had remained in the military. Unfairly held back from progression, as were the majority of surviving officers, he was however, too loyal to quit and too stubborn to die and so he had eventually been assigned as first officer to Captain K'Temoc on board the IKS T'Ong.

"When it became evident that the T'Ong had been chosen to go on a long-term sleeper mission," Marla continued, "I re-enlisted and was offered the role of chief engineer of the T'Ong. As I am sure you know, the ship emerged from deep sleep ten years ago and shortly after that, Kay'vin was finally offered his own command, the IKV Death Hand. Again, I went with him, serving as his chief engineer. After Death Hand was destroyed in battle at the beginning of the Dominion War, he was offered Hegh'Ta. I continued to serve with him until approximately eight months ago when I took long term leave to help our granddaughter with her new baby after her mate was killed. As you are aware, Kay'vin was…"

She stopped for a moment, taking a deep, shuddering breath before finishing, "Kay'vin died in battle against the Jem'Hadar and was posthumously awarded membership of the Order of the Bat'leth." Stopping again, she turned to glare at Krang. "While I had heard about this trial, I had believed it concerned more recent events. Had I been aware of the nature of the charges, I would have come forward sooner."

Krahl bowed his head in acknowledgement of that. The woman had given him a lot to think about. He'd been aware of the death of Hegh'Ta's previous captain but Kay'vin was not an uncommon name and Krahl had not realised that he and the young lieutenant who had been Krang's aide were one and the same.

"His death was a loss to the empire," Krahl acknowledged. "It is a shame that Kay'vin did not survive to tell his story here today."

Marla frowned at that. Her husband's life and death were more than just a convenience and she was determined that his voice would be heard. Moving forward, she placed a data chip on the desk in front of the judge. "This contains my husband's personal logs from the time period in question." She glanced towards the watching I.I. officers. "I am sure that Imperial Intelligence will be happy to verify that they are both authentic and unaltered."

That was an unexpected and welcome development. Krahl turned his gaze towards Lorgh, wordlessly asking the question. The operations master responded with a sharp nod. Yes, he would be happy to have his department verify the chip. He too wanted to know what Kay'vin had to say.

Satisfied, the judge turned his attention back to Marla. "Once verification is complete, these will be entered into the court logs as evidence. You have the thanks of the court, madame. As the only surviving witness, you…"

"You are mistaken, my lord," Marla interrupted him. She was starting to enjoy herself now. "I am not the only survivor of the Earth Project."

"Madame," The judge growled, "I can assure you that the records have been carefully checked. There are no surviving Defence Force officers from that time period."

"There are no officers left," Marla agreed, "Most of them were either executed or sent on various high-risk missions and died doing their duty to the empire. You do not however take into account the common soldiers. The great Houses have long considered them to be invisible, fit only to obey orders and die on demand. Canon fodder, so to speak. And yet, without them, there would be no Defence Force and no Klingon Empire."

Krahl took a deep breath. Her attitude was both unacceptable and intoxicating and for a long moment, he wavered between anger and arousal, not quite sure if he wanted to kill her for her disrespect or to…. It had been a very long time since anyone had dared to speak to him in such a way. She was magnificent! She was also, he realised with some consternation, correct. It had not occurred to any of them to look for witnesses amongst the common soldiers, or even that any such soldier might have anything of value to add. In hindsight, that could be an error of judgement.

"Commander Marla, if you are aware of any survivor, whether officer or soldier, who is able to add to our understanding of these events, then you will identify them now!"

Watching the battle of wills between Marla and the judge from her vantage point in the witness stand, Chrissie found herself fighting the urge to giggle. She would never have dared to speak to the judge in that manner, but if she was assessing his reactions correctly, he seemed to be almost… no, there was no 'almost' about it… he was enjoying it.

How was her husband reacting, Chrissie wondered, turning her gaze to the dock to check on him? His face was expressionless, but she had long since learned to read him and the faint twitch around his lips betrayed his inner amusement.

She and Krang had thought of asking Marla to testify and had even gone to see her but quickly realising that Marla was still in shock and grieving for her husband, they had decided to leave her in peace. Marla had assumed that the trial was in relation to Krang's insubordination during the war and they had not disabused her of that notion, nor had they informed their lawyer that there was a living witness. Marla was, Chrissie suspected, going to be angry with them about that.

Marla's claim, however, that there was another living witness, was a surprise. The Judge, Chrissie saw, was equally surprised. Demanding that Marla identify the person in question, he was already summoning the court guards and giving orders. "Find this witness and bring him before the court," he demanded. Turning his gaze back to Krang and Chrissie, he added, "In the meantime, you will continue with your story."

Again, my thanks go out to RobertBruceScott and JDC0 for their continued support and interest in this story. Both of them are fantastic authors in their own right and I strongly recommend their stories.

Thanks also to Solasnegreine for favouriting this story. Hope you are enjoying it.