Day 3: Witness Statements
I didn't sleep that night at the Four Season. Not really. I might have been in bed, and my eyes might have been closed, but my brain was still on. I couldn't answer this question that had been rolling in my mind for the entire six months that this investigation had been going.
What happens if Blackjack isn't guilty?
He was so cocky, so self-assured, I'd even started doubting the case. What would it mean if he really had bought the Federation, like I would buy milk at the grocery store?
Could it be that our system was that broken? That we could place one man above reproach, above the law, just because he was a hero? And because he was a hero, this man – who was directly responsible for killing Marines, would walk away from any punishment. More than that, he would be rewarded, with a vacation, a pension, and his legacy as a hero intact.
I believe in the Federation. Call it patriotism. Call it nationalism even. I truly believe that the United Federation of Planets is the greatest system of society ever devised. And if Blackjack was to walk away as a free man? What would that mean for the greatest system of society ever devised?
By now the protests had spread to the entire city. Block after block, crowds of regular people were shouting, holding signs, venting their anger.
"Ashcroft came to my high school last year," one young kid said to me when I asked him for his thoughts, "I was all set to join Starfleet. Now… I'm not so sure."
But there were other opinions as well, especially from a large guy who called himself a sociologist. "Innocent until proven guilty! What evidence actually exists of these crimes?! There is far too much aggressiveness on the part of the Marines. I voted against the Marine bill when it was first tabled. This case clearly proves my vote was not in error."
Hard as it may be to believe, people still thought that Blackjack was innocent. If I had to guess, it was a coping mechanism. Trying to deal with the trauma of seeing this man, the example of a hero, spit on everything he supposedly stood for.
It took twenty minutes to get through the crowds. I was nearly late to watch Blackjack come down in his morning shuttle trip. But I caught him just before he walked in. A Marine had thrown a pizza at him but managed instead to hit a Starfleet Security Guard. A fight was about to break out, but the Fed-Sec patrol pizza agents managed to haul the -throwing Marine out of the area before any fists could fly. It wouldn't be the only shot fired that day.
The Witness Testimony went about as one would expect. The testimony is public record and not worth reprinting here. A veritable who's who of the Federation testified. Aki, Ben Sisko, Sera Thorne, Dan Beckenridge, Susan Markstrom, John Liley, James Layton, V'Melak. No Klingon testified except for Commander Worf. It was damning evidence. Lies, betrayal and anger.
But Blackjack managed to make a mockery of it all. After each witness, he called himself to the stand, over and over again. On the third such occasion, he actually put his feet up on the banister and fell asleep.
"Bailiff," Beatrix said with a deep sigh, "Please wake the defendant."
The Security guard shoved him awake to which Blackjack started yawning. "What's it cost to get some coffee in here? Hey Sweetheart, pour us an espresso will ya?"
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Beatrix lost her entire composure and shot to her feet. "God Damnit! Shut your fucking mouth Ashcroft! One more peep out of you, and I'm ruling summarily right here and now!"
Stunned silence filled the courtroom. But Blackjack broke it, with laughter. "Oh, that's rich. I haven't laughed this hard since Beckenridge and his goons came to bust me. I hate to do this Sweetheart, but Title 18, Section 6, UFPC. Defence moves to have the judge recuse herself for blatant disrespect and bias. And if you won't take this motion, I'll file for a mistrial."
I swore right that Beatrix was going to kill him, even if she had to beat him to death with her gavel. But she stopped herself. The problem was that Blackjack had yet again invoked the law to his favour correctly. Telling a defendant to shut his fucking mouth? That's a fairly clear-cut case of bias.
"Court will recess for one hour while I consult with my law clerk on the validity of the Defendant's motion." Beatrix said, almost defeated. It took barely half an hour before she called us all back in.
"After studying relevant regulations and codes of conduct, I am, with the absolute greatest of reluctance, forced to accept the defence's motion. A Judge Magistrate of the United Federation of Planets is required to be impartial, unbiased and professional. Clearly, my comments to the Defendant were in violation of these requirements. Therefore, I will now recuse myself from the case. The Court will recess until 0900 tomorrow morning, at which time a new presiding judge will rule over the case."
Blackjack, with his disgusting smirk, spoke up yet again. "Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out. Oh, and you forgot one thing. Section 7, you'll have to call a new jury too."
She could only sigh. "Correct. Recess is extended to 1000 to brief and seat a new jury. Dismissed."
Blackjack was hauled up to his feet by security. But as if this day wasn't already strange enough, it was about to get stranger and scarier. Blackjack raised his hand to flip off Robert as he usually did, but before his left hand could raise up, a phaser bolt rocked through the large window facing out to the street. It missed Blackjack's head by inches. Everything happened so fast that I can barely remember it all. The glass of the window shattered everywhere. Everyone threw themselves onto the floor. Jackson pulled his phaser and covered me, his training and instincts pushing him to protect civilian lives.
When I think back to what happened over the next few days, I find myself wishing that phaser bolt had hit Blackjack.
The scene outside was chaos. Starfleet security flooded the courtroom. There was so much shouting and screaming. The magnetic shield around the courthouse was lowered and Blackjack was beamed out to the Sovereign. Fed-Sec Tactical Units, Starfleet Security, and armed Marines all shouted and aimed at each other, accusing the other of taking the shot. Fed-Sec locked down the courthouse. The Marines overturned hovercars and tables for cover, digging in like the streets of San Fran was a trench line. And Sovereign herself dropped from orbit and parked over the courthouse, clearly ready to lace the street with her phasers if that's what it took.
It took almost 12 hours to calm everything down, but for those twelve hours, I thought the Federation was about to erupt into civil war.
I was so, so wrong.
─•~:~•─
