Star Trek Hunter
Episode 7: The Great Mushroom
Scene 11: Case Closed
7.11
Case Closed
With a now familiar and very appropriate sounding squawk, Justice Irons delivered her ruling: "First, with regard to the plaintiff's complaint, due to the unenforceability of the patent applications at the heart of this case, I am dismissing this case without prejudice. No harm, no foul, no precedent, no damages."
The plaintiff and her lawyers did not make any reply, but this was clearly not the ruling they had hoped for. Mayor Sally Chesticut let her hand fall to the plaintiff's mushroom with a soft, squishy sound.
Irons turned to direct her remarks to the defendant's mushroom. "Second, with regard to the actions of the defendant, all patents granted by the planetary administration are hereby voided pending appeal and further, the planetary administration is hereby enjoined against granting patents or even reviewing patent applications pending a broad competency review. Additionally, I am recommending a full audit of all planetary administrative rulings and activities."
Irons leveled her gaze at Planetary Administrator John Westinghall. "Administrator - I strongly recommend you get your house in order ahead of this recommended audit. Given the state of your patent review process, I strongly suspect you may have other, more serious procedural issues. Mr. Westinghall, I believe you foresaw a judicial rebuke. Consider this it."
"Case dismissed. Court adjourned," Irons concluded. She banged the mushroom again, creating a rather sour sounding squawk.
.
At that moment, in another area of Porte Abello, a fight was about to break out. Almost no one knew why and few had any idea who would be fighting, but the premonition of a fight was drawing spectators, including the Hunter's crew. Ensign Tolon Reeves had a bad feeling about it and put his squad on alert.
Dr. Carrera had a much worse feeling about it and had gathered as many of the crew as he could find. As he drew near to the crowd, his worst fears were realized - 1.) there were a lot of nausicaans, 2.) they were armed with swords, 3.) Pep was in the middle of it. And in a bad way.
No less than six nausicaans were holding Pep's arms behind him. He was leaning forward, trying to drag them off their feet. Another nausicaan stepped in front of the giant and drew a sword, set to plunge it into the giant's heart.
Carrera let out a high-pitched scream and charged toward the sword-wielding nausicaan. Nausicaans were large and this one was much larger than normal. Carrera was a small man, so he went for the knees. Investigator Buttans also ran toward the nausicaan at tremendous speed. Although Buttans was not as large as his opponent, he was able to tackle with considerable force due to his speed - Buttans, Carrera and the nausicaan went tumbling - but not before the nausicaan left his sword embedded in Pep's chest.
The nausicaan drew a knife, only to find himself wrestled firmly to the ground by Tolon and Belo Garr. Jarrong stepped over him, first relieving him of the knife, then with a roundhouse left punch, relieving him of consciousness.
Several nausicaans seemed to be fighting each other and the two whom Pep had knocked out in the bar a few nights previously, took on the nausicaans who were holding the giant's arms, enabling him to pull free of them. Pep removed the sword from his chest and pushed his hand into the wound, which was bleeding profusely.
Several nausicaans fell - first those close to Pep, then others. Only those close enough could see Mlady's tiny figure sprinting among the towering nausicaans at tremendous speed, a small phaser in each hand, stunning every nausicaan at point blank range, regardless of which side they appeared to be fighting on. Within less than a minute, no one who had been fighting was left standing except for Pep and Mlady. Pep removed his hand from the sword wound and Mlady put her mouth to the bleeding wound. "Hunter, two for medical beamout!" Pep gasped, holding Mlady's mouth to his chest. Within a few seconds the transporter whisked them away, leaving several members of Hunter's crew slack-jawed at what they had just witnessed.
A little further away on the edge of the crowd, Dr. Tali Shae quietly called for medical beamout.
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7.11