Pre-Ramble
Okay let me just get this out of the way, I am not a lawyer, nor a service member so I don't know what a hearing or court-martial like this would actually look or sound like. There are only two episodes of TOS I can base this on. So take this for what it is, melodramatic space opera. Everything I know about lawyering I learned from watching TV dramas. While writing this I got carried away and forgot the point of the trial, but it was fun to grill all the characters and see the story from their point of view. I hope it is fun to read and not a boring chore. But, if you don't like it just skip everything labeled Court Martial. I don't think you will miss any major plot developments. Warning though, so far the Court Martial Saga is about 15k words long so I broke it up into sections :-)
Hearing Room - Starbase 12
Commodore Stone presiding
-Lieutenant Uhura-
"The prosecution calls Lieutenant Nyota Uhura to the stand."
Uhura took a calming breath before she approached the stand and placed her palm on the ID scanner. The computer confirmed her identity and read her service record for the court.
"Lieutenant Uhura, let me get right to the point," Lieutenant Wyatt, the prosecuting officer said. "What is your relationship with the defendant?"
Uhura looked over at Spock, who sat stiffly at the defense table. She stared at him a long moment before she gave her answer. There was no turning back. "He's my husband."
A cacophony of whispers broke out in the hearing room, which was packed with spectators from ships from all over the sector. The base had to turn ships away for the first time in its history because of overcrowding. No one had predicted the amount of attention this trial would garner, but the prosecution seemed to relish the publicity. Lieutenant Uhura had just made him famous.
"Is that so?" He said pretending to be surprised. "Congratulations are in order. It is a recent marriage, isn't it?" Wyatt asked dramatically.
"Yes, you could say that," Uhura responded.
"When and where exactly were you married, Lieutenant?"
"We were married while Spock was on medical leave on Vulcan."
"I see. During the same medical leave in which the defendant is accused of abduction, assault, and theft?"
"Yes, that's the one," Uhura grumbled.
"So, where were you on the night of your abduction, Lieutenant?"
"Objection!" Miss Shaw interjected.
"Where were you on the evening that Mr. Spock took his unexpected medical leave?" The prosecutor rephrased the question.
"I worked my regular shift on the bridge of the Enterprise and then retired to my quarters for the evening."
"And on that evening, at some point, were you taken from the Enterprise by Commander Spock?"
"Taken?" she asked in surprise.
"Yes. Did Commander Spock enter your quarters and physically remove you from those quarters to a shuttle bound for Vulcan?" the prosecutor asked again.
"Well, if you put it like that, yes Commander Spock took me to Vulcan on a shuttle that evening."
"Did you volunteer to accompany Mr. Spock to Vulcan?"
"Did I Volunteer? No."
"Well, did you agree to accompany Mr. Spock after he asked you that evening?"
"No, he didn't ask me to accompany him to Vulcan as far as I can recall."
"Then if you didn't volunteer, and you were not asked to visit Vulcan with Mr. Spock, how did you end up there, Mrs. Uhura?"
"I don't recall exactly, it's all a blur."
"According to the ship's logs and personnel reports from several Enterprise officers, you were seen being taken from the Enterprise on a shuttle solely operated by Mr. Spock."
"So I've been told," Uhura replied in a bored tone.
"So Lieutenant, again, if you did not voluntarily accompany Mr. Spock to Vulcan, one can only assume that someone took you involuntarily without your consent. Isn't that correct?"
"No."
"No?!" Wyatt asked in disbelief.
"No! You could assume anything you like. One could also assume that I seduced Mr. Spock and lured him to Vulcan," Uhura teased.
"Mrs. Uhura, do you expect this court to believe that you seduced Mr. Spock and somehow piloted a shuttle to Vulcan without him overpowering you at some point?"
"Stranger things have happened on the Enterprise. But no. I expect you to believe what I already told you. That I don't know how we got to Vulcan. I only know what I was told. I honestly don't remember."
"Well luckily, several of your fellow crew members do remember that night very well. And I have their sworn affidavits stating that they saw Mr. Spock carrying you through the corridors of the ship. Do you still wish the court to consider that you somehow lured Mr. Spock?"
"I never said I lured him, only that it could be ASSUMED." She said pointedly, crossing her arms over her chest in an angry motion.
"Well then, Mrs. Uhura, let us logically assume that you did not lure Mr. Spock to Vulcan. Can you tell the court, knowing that Mr. Spock carried you to the shuttle bay, is it reasonable to conclude that he abducted you against your will?"
"I suppose that could be considered "reasonable", but Mr. Spock did not abduct me from the ship."
"So you mean to tell the court that you deny being removed from the Enterprise against your will despite sworn testimony of your fellow crewmen?"
"No man is going to make me do anything against my will without me putting up a fight."
"Lieutenant, please answer my question. Are you testifying that Commander Spock had your consent to leave the Enterprise and travel to Vulcan? Need I remind you of the penalty for perjury?"
"He didn't not have my consent," she hedged.
"Let's not play games, Lieutenant. Either he had your consent or he didn't, which is it?"
"Then I guess he did."
"Lieutenant Uhura, we have sworn testimony of several crew members stating that they saw the Commander carrying your unconscious body through the corridors of the Enterprise to the shuttle bay! Do you mean to sit here and testify that he did that with your consent?"
"Objection! Asked and answered," Miss Shaw stated.
"No, I'll answer again," Uhura said, staring at the lawyer. "Spock knows me better than just about any person alive. I trust him completely. So if he needed to carry me off somewhere, then I'm going. Without him asking," she said pointedly.
"Is that so? You would just blindly follow him wherever he commanded? That doesn't sound like free will to me." Wyatt pontificated.
Miss Shaw objected, "Argumentative." and it was sustained.
"Then tell me, how did Mr. Spock enter your quarters that evening?" Wyatt asked.
"I don't know."
"Did he have your consent then, too?"
"Sure," Uhura said. She really didn't remember how he got in, and she didn't care.
"So you invited him to visit you that evening?"
"No, I didn't invite him. He was supposed to be in the sickbay."
"Did you open the door for him when he called?"
"No, I didn't," Uhura said. These questions were bugging her.
"So you didn't let him in and you didn't invite him to enter? Then how did he get in, Lieutenant?"
"Why don't you ask him?"
"I will, Lieutenant, I will. But first, is there anything else you remember about that night?"
Uhura smiled sweetly. "No."
"Mrs. Uhura, your marriage to Mr. Spock was a sudden one, wasn't it?"
"I guess you would say that."
"Is that what you would say? Did you plan on getting married while on Vulcan?"
"No, I didn't plan to go to Vulcan."
"What was your plan?"
"There was no plan, it just happened."
"Were you married before or after Spock's treatment for this undisclosed illness on Vulcan?"
"Um, before."
"Why did you marry so suddenly? Why not wait until he was well?"
"Well..." she tried to think of a good reason without saying they had to marry or else Spock would die.
"Mrs. Uhura, did Spock force you to marry him?"
"Absolutely not! It was just a spur of the moment thing."
"Um-hmm. How long was your engagement to Mr. Spock before your marriage on Vulcan, then?"
Uhura had not expected that question to come up. She looked over to the defendant's table where Spock was seated. He looked like his usual serious self clothed in his dress blues, but she could tell he was as uncomfortable as she was. And he only had eyes for her. She wished she could tell him everything was going to be alright. She could do this, for him. She was his Aduna. She turned back to the prosecutor. "Well, that's an interesting question."
"And why is that Mrs. Uhura?"
"Because it's actually a funny story. You see, according to Vulcan customs and traditions, I proposed to Spock about a year ago."
"Really? I take it he accepted your proposal at that time?"
Uhura grinned while she looked over at Spock and gave him a wink, "Apparently."
Her answer caused Mr. Wyatt to scowl. "Then no further questions."
Uhura was relieved and was ready to leave the stand but before she could make a move Miss Shaw approached her. "Lt. Uhura you said that you didn't let Mr. Spock into your secure quarters but do you have any idea how he could have entered? Did he override the circuits on your door? Or did he blast his way in with a Phaser?"
Uhura shrugged, "He probably used my lock code."
"How did he obtain your code? Did he use his security clearance to override the lock as the first officer?"
"Of course not! I gave Mr. Spock my door code ages ago," Uhura scoffed.
"Why did you give Spock the lock code to your door?" Miss Shaw asked.
"Why not? Why does anyone give out a key, Miss Shaw? So he could unlock the door and enter."
"Why would Commander Spock need to enter your quarters with a key?" Miss Shaw asked and a wave of murmurs went through the room.
"Why does that matter?" Uhura asked with growing annoyance.
"Please humor the court, Lieutenant. Why did you feel the need to give Commander Spock your door lock code?"
"I wanted him to have it, just in case," Uhura said.
"In case of what?"
"Why does it matter? I said I gave it to him, he could enter whenever he needed to."
"And did he?"
"Did he what?!" Uhura said, losing patience.
"Did he enter your quarters whenever he NEEDED to?" Shaw asked.
Uhura didn't answer. She didn't like where this line of questioning was leading. She looked over to Spock again and told him with her eyes they were going to have a chat about these questions later.
"Lieutenant," Miss Shaw asked again, regaining her attention, "did Mr. Spock use your lock code on more than one occasion in order to enter your quarters?"
"Probably. Who keeps track of such things?"
"People ordinarily keep track of who enters their personal quarters."
"Well, so do I, but I didn't count how many times he let himself in if he ever did; like I said it was for just in case, not an everyday thing."
"Mmm-Hmm. So would you say he let himself into your cabin at least once?"
"Ok, sure."
"How about five times?"
"Maybe, again I didn't keep track."
"Then would you say, although unusual, it wouldn't be unheard for Commander Spock to enter your quarters unannounced?"
"I wouldn't say unannounced. He would ring the buzzer and then let himself in with my permission. Mr. Spock is very polite and also very punctual. If I invited him over and maybe I wasn't home yet or wasn't ready, I didn't want him just waiting outside the door so I gave him permission to let himself in. Is that a crime?"
"No. Miss Uhura, it most certainly is not a crime for your apparent fiancee to enter your quarters with your lock code. By the way Lt. who else did you give your lock code to?"
"Objection! Immaterial." Wyatt said.
"Your honor, I think it fair the court knows how "secure" the quarters in question are. After all the prosecution claims the Lt. was 'kidnapped' and 'abducted' from secure quarters. I think it only logical to establish just how secure was the facility my client is accused of breaking and entering."
"I'll allow it. Lieutenant, you are instructed to answer the question." Commodore Stone said to Uhura.
"Lt. Uhura, how many people did you give your lock code to?"
"I don't recall, a few."
"Well, how about an estimate? We know there is Mr. Spock. Was there anyone else?"
"Sure."
"Okay, so how many people?"
"I don't know off the top of my head. Just a few friends."
"Shall we say, five friends?"
"I don't know! Maybe. I mean, I wouldn't give my door code to just anybody."
"Why not?"
"I mean... well, anybody could enter if they have your code. The ship is already a close-knit environment. We work rubbing shoulder and elbow against one another all day long. At the end of your shift, you need a private place to retreat to. You don't want just anybody barging into your quarters at all times."
"So five friends having your lock code is too many?"
"Yes. I think so..."
"Ok then, was it maybe three friends?" Miss Shaw pressed.
"I don't know."
"Is three still too many?"
"Look, I don't recall giving my code to anybody else except-"
She stopped short.
"Except who Lieutenant?"
"I guess there were a few people. There was Lt. Masters and Lt. Riley and-."
"Lt. Riley?" Shaw asked, stopping Uhura. "I don't believe I know of a Riley on board the Enterprise."
"He isn't. He transferred to the Farragut."
"Ah. So this friend, this Lt. Riley he had your lock code too?"
"Yes, I suppose I gave it to him," Uhura said softly.
"You only suppose? You don't know for sure?"
"Yes, he had the code," Uhura said with annoyance.
"Ok then. So Lt. Riley and anyone else?"
"Yes. But I really wouldn't give it out willy-nilly you understand."
"Of course. You value the privacy of your quarters, is that right?"
"Yes, that's right." Uhura agreed.
"And you only give out the code to a few special friends?"
Uhura looked suspiciously at Miss Shaw.
"Yes, I guess so."
"Good. So Lt. what kind of friendship did you have with Mr. Riley?"
Uhura didn't answer. She knew these questions were leading to trouble.
"Lieutenant, do you need me to repeat the question? What kind of relationship did you have with Lt. Riley?"
Uhura looked over at Spock again. She hoped he could read her mind, because she was definitely gonna give him a piece of it when this was all over. She did not want to talk about Kevin Riley. "Lt. Riley was... my friend at one time." She answered finally.
"Just a friend? Perhaps a very close friend?"
"Perhaps."
"Would you say an intimate friend?"
"Objection! That is completely irrelevant. Is counsel trying to besmirch the character of the witness?" Wyatt asked.
"Now, why would I do that? This is my client's wife. Surely anything that reflects negatively on my client's wife reflects poorly on his character as well?" Shaw argued.
"Counsel, where are you going with this line of questioning?" Stone asked.
"Your honor, I'm coming to the heart of the matter now, if you will allow me a little leeway?"
"Make your point counsel, quickly."
"Yes, your honor." Shaw turned back to Uhura. "So again, lieutenant, was Riley an intimate friend?"
Nyota blushed and looked over at Spock. Of course, Spock knew all the intimate details of her life, but still, she didn't relish telling her business in open court.
Spock's unrelenting stare was not comforting in the least, but as the staring match continued between them he raised his arrogant brow. Is he challenging me? She was the PID KOM, she had forced this trial after all. She couldn't back down now. "Well," she stammered, "we were not exactly 'intimate'."
"What do you mean 'not exactly intimate'?"
"I mean... um, well we dated for a while but I wouldn't call it "intimate" exactly."
"You were dating but not intimate?" Shaw asked.
"That's what I said. We dated, but it just ended. He turned out to be a real jerk if you must know."
There were gasps in the crowd. It was rare that you heard anyone from a starship put down a fellow officer. "I'm sorry, but he was a jerk," Uhura said, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly again.
"Lieutenant, I'm sure he was. Now, it seems, we've established that Mr. Riley and Mr. Spock had the lock code to your quarters, is that correct?"
"No. Don't make it seem like I only gave my code to men. There were females too," she insisted. "Like Charlene and Christine..."
"Nurse Christine Chapel?" Shaw asked.
"Yes, she and I are... uh... We were close friends."
"Lieutenant, judging from the list of people who had your lock code; your female friends, your not-quite boyfriend, and Mr. Spock. Would it be safe to say these four shared a rather intimate or 'very close' friendship with you? Close enough you felt safe with them having free access to your living quarters?"
Uhura didn't like the word 'intimate' being thrown around, but she couldn't dispute it and not hurt Spock's case.
"I suppose so."
"So would you say that Mr. Spock did not have to break into your quarters on the night of the incident in question because he had the code and implicit permission to enter when necessary?"
"Correct, he had my permission to let himself in whenever 'necessary'," Uhura emphasized. She wasn't a hussy after all.
"And just one more question. Has Mr. Spock ever entered your quarters using your code without our consent?"
"No! Never!" Uhura nearly jumped out of her seat in outrage.
"Objection your honor, again I question the purpose of this line of questioning?"
"The purpose is to show that my client did not break and enter into Lieutenant Uhura's quarters. Let the record shows that Mr. Spock was given the lock code of Lt. Uhura's quarters along with implicit consent to enter the lieutenant's quarters whenever he deemed it necessary."
"So noted," Stone said. "Now shall we move on, Counselor?"
"Of course, your honor."
"Lieutenant Uhura, we've established Spock had permission to be in your quarters whenever 'necessary'. But the charges also state that he forcefully and unlawfully removed you from the ship and took you to Vulcan. Is that what happened?"
"No. No, Spock never forced me to do anything."
"So you willingly accompanied Spock to Vulcan where you were married?"
"More or less."
"More or less? Lieutenant, did Mr. Spock forcefully remove you from your quarters? Yes or no?"
"No."
"Did he threaten you or coerce you at any time?"
"No, of course not."
"Then did he physically assault you or intimidate you?"
"No! I don't recall that night very clearly, but I know he would never hurt me. Period."
"Then how did you get to Vulcan?"
"I don't know, I can't remember that part."
"What do you remember about that night?"
"I just remember Spock was in my sitting room. I think I had just gotten out of the shower. He said he needed my help... I think. I don't remember. I knew he was sick. I had seen him in sickbay earlier that day..."
"You saw Spock in the sickbay that day? Why were you in sickbay?" Shaw asked.
"Yes, I saw him in the sickbay. I had stopped by to check on him after my shift, to see if he was okay."
"Did you discuss anything with Spock at that time?"
"I didn't actually visit with him. It was too busy, but I did see that he was under restraints and resting."
"And that was the last time you saw Mr. Spock before you saw him in your quarters that evening?"
"Yes."
"When you discovered Spock in your quarters, were you frightened?"
"No, I was more surprised."
"Why were you surprised if he had the code?"
"Well, I'd seen him in restraints not long before that. I was sure he'd still be in the sick bay recovering or being treated."
"Why didn't you call security when you found him in your quarters?"
"Why would I?" Uhura asked with a defiant tone.
"According to the prosecution, Spock had escaped sickbay. There was a general alert for his capture and return."
"Well, I didn't know that. As I said, I was off duty and getting ready for bed. Even if I had known, I probably wouldn't have called security."
"Why not? Isn't that proper protocol?"
"He was my friend. I would have contacted Dr. McCoy or the Captain directly rather than sic security on him while he was ill."
"Okay then, Lieutenant, so you discovered Spock in your sitting room, then what happened?"
"I said I don't remember. I was surprised to see him. Maybe he asked me for help. I don't remember exactly, and then the next thing I remember is waking up on Vulcan."
"And you didn't think that odd to have such a blackout?" Shaw asked in shock.
"You'd be surprised at what I consider odd," Uhura joked.
"Dr. McCoy examined you shortly after he arrived on Vulcan and his medical report states that there was no physical evidence of abuse of any kind and there were no foreign substances in your system; meaning you were not drugged. Do you corroborate that finding?"
"Yes, I do. Spock never physically harmed me in any way, ever. I woke up on Vulcan feeling fine, just a little confused."
"Didn't you think it strange to wake up on an alien planet with Mr. Spock?"
Uhura laughed. "Anyone who has ever served on the Enterprise is not easily surprised by strange situations. Having previously, been physically and mentally assaulted by aliens, as well as being nearly asphyxiated on the bridge, waking up on Vulcan with Spock was the least of my worries."
"Thank you, Lt. no further questions."
"I have a few follow-up questions, your honor," Wyatt said.
"You may proceed Mr. Wyatt."
"Lt. You say Mr. Spock did not physically assault you in any way?"
"That's correct."
"However, Mr. Spock is a Vulcan, and it is perhaps a little-known fact that Vulcans are capable of mental manipulations, a kind of telepathy."
"Objection! Assumes a fact not in evidence." Shaw said.
"Sustained." Stone said.
"Let me rephrase. MRS. Uhura," Wyatt said, emphasizing the misses. "Are you aware that Vulcans possess PSI abilities and are capable of communicating mind to mind?"
Uhura hesitated before answering. "Yes."
"Mrs. Uhura, is it possible that Mr. Spock used this, er... mental ability, to subdue you and remove you from the Enterprise against your will?"
"No, Spock would never harm me," she reiterated.
"I didn't ask if he "harmed" you. I asked if he could have subdued you telepathically?"
"I don't know. I'm not an expert on Vulcan telepathy. And I'm not aware of any Vulcan ability to cause harm using their minds. Vulcans are pacifists."
"Are they really? No further questions."