“I took an oath, and I knew my duty, but in the end, I betrayed it all. I did things no man should do. I acted as judge and jury and executioner. I decided who should live, and who should die. I played god.”

The words of a dead man echoed through the quarters he’d once inhabited, but now, he was gone. Chief Shafir had found him lying face down on the floor, his sidearm by his side. There was no doubt what had happened.

“I cannot claim innocence, nor ignorance. Not in this life, nor in the next. On Earth, I was given a second chance, my captivity recompense for my sins, but even in that baptism of fire ants and molten ore, I could not be saved.”

The medical staff had declared Lieutenant J.G. Jace Morgan dead on arrival. Once they’d ferried his body away, Chief Shafir had called Captain Lewis, and together, the two began to deconstruct what had happened. That was when they came upon his final personal log.

“When I returned to the Serenity, I reverted to that monster I’d become on Nasera. I knew better, but it didn’t stop me. Had just a few more seconds passed before the Bog signal stopped, I would have decided the fate of thousands more. That is a power no man should have, least of all one I should have.”

First on Nasera, and then again over Earth, Lieutenant Morgan had done his duty, but he wasn’t like the others. The young man hadn’t been able to box up his experiences and put them on a shelf. He’d become haunted by what had happened, and none of his colleagues seemed to understand.

“During his deposition, Commander Drake asked: ‘How can you live with yourself after that?’ Truthfully, I can’t. Every time I shut my eyes, I relive that nightmare, over and over, again and again, until there’s nothing left of me.”

The rage began to build in Captain Lewis’ eyes. The JAG investigator had intentionally ripped the scabs off their wounds, over and over, again and again, ever since Nasera, undeterred by what it was doing to the mental state of the team that had been through so much. The ivory tower shark cared for nothing but his investigation, and now a man was dead because of it.

“My captors on Earth, they had it right too. ‘You can make this all stop,’ they said. ‘You can make this all go away.’ They were right. I can, and I will. It is the only way.”

A single phaser shot rang out, and then the recording ended.

Captain Lewis and Chief Shafir stood there in silence. Neither said a word. What could they say? Lieutenant Morgan had not died on the battlefield in a valiant struggle against the enemy. He’d died by his own hand in his quarters aboard the Serenity.

“Delete it,” Captain Lewis ordered once he’d managed to recompose himself. “Delete it all. Make it so it never existed.” There was a darkness and an anger in his tone.

“But Jake, those were his final words…”

“No Ayala, those were not his final words!” Captain Lewis snapped back. “Those were the words of a man who gave up. That was not Lieutenant Morgan. Lieutenant Morgan was a loyal officer who did his duty.” The kid had risked his life to free the people of Nasera, and he’d done the same over Earth on Frontier Day. “He was a hero, and that is the only way he should be remembered. Can you make it go away?”

“Of course,” Chief Shafir nodded. She’d spent much of her breaking into systems without leaving a trace, and as much as it hurt, she knew Captain Lewis was right. Jace Morgan did not deserve to be remembered as someone who gave up.

As the chief got to work, Captain Lewis thought back to his last moments with Lieutenant Morgan. He’d seen the kid just a few hours ago, right before he’d turned the ship for Beta Serpentis. What was it he’d told Lieutenant Morgan then? Pour a stiff one and get some sleep. Fuck, how could he have been so blind? He should have said something more. And then when Morgan didn’t show up at battlestations, he should have sent someone to check on him. Instead, he’d just sort of forgotten about the conversation, wholly focused on the mission. He was always focused on the mission, and now it had cost a man his life.

“It’s done,” Chief Shafir declared as she stepped back from the console. She looked over at Captain Lewis with grief-stricken eyes, and a single tear ran down her cheek. “I… I… I just can’t anymore Jake.” One tear turned to many as Ayala Shafir slid to the floor and began to cry. “I can’t bury any more friends. If I do, pretty soon I’ll have no one left.” 

Captain Lewis just stood there awkwardly. He didn’t know what to say. This was not the sort of thing he was good at. You couldn’t shoot emotions with a phaser.

“We watched them murder Jason,” Shafir sobbed, recalling the town square in Nasera City where Petty Officer Jason Atwood had been executed by the Vorta after being captured by the Jem’Hadar. “We… we stood there and… and we watched. We fucking watched, and we did nothing!” Rationally, she knew there was nothing that they could have done. The mission came first, and they couldn’t blow their cover. That didn’t make it hurt any less though. “And then Nam and Ryssehl blew themselves up with the orbital station, and Kora caught an unlucky shot at the mansion.” That was three more members of their team that fell during the Battle of Nasera, but they weren’t even the ones that hurt the most. “And Brock…” Shafir exhaled, losing all semblance of control as she thought back to that moment in the tunnels beneath the planetary control center. “Brock is on me. I killed him. I should have kept him safe, and instead, I pressed the detonator.” That moment would be forever burned in her mind.

“We did what we had to do for the mission,” Captain Lewis offered as he took a seat next to her. “For our shipmates, for the people of Nasera, and for the Federation itself.” He reached out and set a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

His words didn’t help though, nor did his touch. For as deep as their bond was, the snowball of grief was rolling downhill, all the trauma, all the pain, all the little boxes she’d locked up in the deepest recesses of her mind. “And Fontier Day…” Shafir continued to cry as she thought back to the young officers she’d gunned down when they fell to the Borg signal. So many good officers had died by her hand. “It’s just like ninety-one all over again…”

“You can’t think like that Ayala,” Captain Lewis interrupted, knowing her line of thinking would lead her nowhere good. He remembered finding Ayala Shafir on Freecloud back in the nineties. She’d been a broken mess, working as a hired gun to make ends meet after resigning her commission following a year undercover doing unspeakable things. He’d been down and out himself at the time, having fallen on his sword to preserve the fragile peace of the eighties, and together, they learned to walk again. Together, they rebuilt themselves. “You really can’t.”

“Why not?!” she snapped back at him desperately as her eyes darkened. “I am Sayidat Alfawdaa, Jake. I am the lady of chaos.” The pseudonym she’d used as a hacker in her youth and resuscitated for her time undercover within the consortium, it had new meaning now. “Everyone around me dies! Every fucking one of them! I’m fucking cursed!”

“I get it,” Captain Lewis admitted sincerely as he locked eyes with her. “I really do. Ryssehl was my best friend, and Brock was my protege.” Both were now dead, as were so many that had trusted him and followed him into battle over the last forty years. He’d left a trail of bodies behind him ever since the Dominion War. “But it’s not that we’re cursed. It’s simply that we are willing to do the hard things that need to be done, and that comes with a price. A damn steep price.”

For a moment, the pair just sat there, thinking on those words. Captain Lewis was right, Chief Shafir knew. It was just the way of things.

“You know what really gets me here though?” Chief Shafir offered as she looked over at the spot where she’d found Jace’s body. “Jace had survived all of it. He made it through Nasera, and he made it through Frontier Day, and yet… I don’t fucking get it.”

“I do,” Captain Lewis said as he rose from the floor, conviction coursing through his veins.

Chief Shafir looked over with a confused expression.

“You heard him,” Captain Lewis explained. “You heard what he said. Drake got under his skin and twisted his mind.” The rage was building in his eyes. “After everything Jace went through, that piece of shit pushed him over the edge.” The anger was building in his veins.

“What are you going to do?”

“Drake did what the Jem’Hadar and the Borg could not. Jace’s death is on his hands,” Captain Lewis replied coldly. “And now he will answer for that.” It would not be quick, and it would not be painless. Not if he had anything to say about it.

“I’m coming with you.”

“No, you’re not,” Captain Lewis replied firmly. She looked about to protest, but he didn’t let her get a word in. “You all followed me, and you all trusted me. This is for me to do, and me alone.” Chief Shafir and the others, they were still young. They still had a full life ahead of them. He knew he might pay a steep price for what he was about to do, and they didn’t need to bear it with him. He had to do it though. It was a matter of honor.

“But Jake, they’ll have your hide for it,” Chief Shafir warned desperately. She knew from the look in his eyes he didn’t intend to merely exchange words with Polaris Squadron’s JAG officer. She knew how far her mentor could go. Typically, those in power looked the other way because he took it out on the enemy, but this was a JAG officer they were talking about. Even Jake Lewis wouldn’t be able to wiggle out of that one.

“Then they’ll have my hide,” Captain Lewis shrugged. His mind was made up. His people had sacrificed too much already, and it was well past time to put an end to this whole mess before Commander Drake could do any further harm to his team. “Don’t try and stop me.”

“I won’t,” Chief Shafir nodded with a deep sense of loyalty. She respected what he was about to do. She shared his perspective on the world. “Do what needs to be done. Just try not to get locked up.” She wouldn’t try to stop him, but she just hoped it wouldn’t be the last time she saw the captain as a free man. She’d only come back to Starfleet because of him.

Captain Lewis left without another word.

Lieutenant Morgan was dead, and someone was going to pay. The kid might have taken his own life, but that wasn’t the whole story. “How can you live with yourself?” That was what Commander Drake had asked the broken man, the words that had pushed him over the edge, the words that had killed him. For that, there was only one answer.

After leaving the Lieutenant’s quarters, Captain Lewis returned to his own. He approached his nightstand, flipped over the lamp that sat atop it, and detached a power source concealed within its base. Then he walked over to his closet, dug out an old running shoe, plied back the insole, and retrieved a polaron focusing crystal he’d hidden there. Systematically, he continued to move about his quarters, retrieving discreetly hidden items and assembling them into a disruptor.

Not even five minutes later, Captain Lewis re-emerged from his quarters. He still wore his standard issue sidearm, but it was now nothing more than a prop. If he used it, it would do nothing except ensure him a one-way trip to New Zealand. Instead, he would rely on the ghost gun he’d concealed in an angle holster beneath his pant leg, a weapon the investigators would never trace back to him.

Typically, Captain Lewis would have beamed over to the Polaris, but the polaron power source would have registered on the transporter’s sensors so he elected to take a shuttle instead. As he made the quick flight over, Captain Lewis had time to think back on the last few months. His team had been through so much. On Nasera, they lost half their team to the Jem’Hadar; on Earth, Shafir and Morgan had been tortured by the conspirators of the Changeling plot; and in the shadow of Sol Station, they’d fought and killed their own when the Borg assimilation signal overtook their colleagues. Every step of the way, they’d done their duty and sacrificed so much. They didn’t deserve this. It was time to put an end to Commander Drake before his machinations did further harm.

“Welcome back, sir,” a shuttlebay manager greeted the squadron’s intelligence officer as Captain Lewis stepped off the Type-12 shuttle. “Staying long this time?” It was a courteous ask, one of pure logistics as to whether he should leave the shuttle on the pad or move it below deck to make room for the other shuttles coming and going from Beta Serpentis III.

“Just here to debrief with Commander Lockwood about the Borg tech,” Captain Lewis replied nonchalantly. After he paid a visit to the JAG, he would continue to the ASTRA lab to chat with the ASTRA team lead. It would provide believable cover for his real purpose. “I won’t be long.”

The shuttlebay manager nodded as Captain Lewis departed the shuttlebay and headed for the turbolift. When Captain Lewis stepped inside, he was pleased to see he was alone.

“Computer, locate Commander Drake.”

“Commander Drake is on deck 7, crew quarters.”

“Deck 7,” Captain Lewis ordered. As the turbolift began to move, he smiled. It couldn’t have been a better set up. The traitor would die to his disruptor, and no one would find him for hours. When that happened, Captain Lewis would be there to help, and, after everything that had happened recently, it wouldn’t take much to work everyone up over the fact there must be a Changeling infiltrator or something in their midst. Who else would have used a polaron disruptor to kill the squadron’s JAG officer?

As Captain Lewis stepped out of the turbolift, his eyes were flush with conviction. He and his team risked everything for these people, and what Commander Drake had done was unforgivable. With anger coursing through his veins, the only thing on his mind was vengeance. The captain turned left, and then right, and then continued on his way towards Commander Drake’s quarters. With everyone consumed managing the aftermath of the Beta Serpentis situation, the corridors were empty.

Just a couple turns more, and he’d be there. He’d simply jack into the door control, override it, and then it would be done. But suddenly, he ran headlong into the one thing that could stop him.

“Going somewhere, Jake?”

Standing there in the middle of the hallway was Fleet Admiral Reyes. The expression on her face left no doubt to the fact she knew his purpose, and he didn’t miss the fact that, although they were within the safety of their own ship, she had a sidearm on her hip.

“Step aside, Allison,” Captain Lewis ordered coldly as he drew to a stop momentarily. “This does not concern you. Turn around, walk away, and forget I was ever here.” Long ago, Allison Reyes had been a shooter, same as him, and she had to understand.

“I can’t do that,” Admiral Reyes replied firmly as she set her hand on the butt of her sidearm. The message was clear. There was murder in the captain’s eyes, and she’d draw on her old friend before she let him pass. She had no other choice.

“Suit yourself,” Captain Lewis sighed, feigning defeat as he turned. But then he just kept on turning, spinning a full 360 as he drew his Starfleet issue sidearm from its holster.

Admiral Reyes was ready for it though, and she was as quick on the draw as the captain. “Really, Jake?! Really?!” she screamed. This was insane. What had gotten into him? Would he really shoot her where she stood? It would be throwing away his life.

“You still have time to walk away,” Captain Lewis begged desperately. “Don’t make me do this.” He didn’t want to stun her, but she would not stop him. No one would. Commander Drake was responsible for the death of one of his men.

“How the fuck are you going to explain this?” Admiral Reyes pressed without backing down.

“I’m not,” Captain Lewis admitted. His plan had been to use the polaron disruptor tucked in his ankle holster to do the deed without a trace, but the disruptor didn’t have a stun setting. He’d have to stun the Admiral to get to Drake, and if he did that, all plausible deniability was out the window. Still, he couldn’t let Drake’s affront pass, even if it meant spending the rest of his days in prison.

“What the fuck has gotten into you?” Admiral Reyes asked as she took a step closer to him, staring down the barrel of his phaser. “This isn’t how things are done.” She took another step forward, but he didn’t flinch. “Are you really going to shoot me?”

“If I have to,” Captain Lewis snarled back. “Get out of my way, or you’ll wake up in a few hours.”

She could see the bloodlust in his eyes, but still she didn’t blink.

Suddenly, Captain Lewis felt the cold of a phaser muzzle pressed into the small of his back. He’d been so focused on what was in front of him that he’d lost track of his six. Just like how he’d lost track of Lieutenant Morgan as the young man fell into the dark spiral of his trauma.

“Put it down, Jake,” said a young female voice from behind him.

Captain Lewis recognized the soft, gentle voice instantly. It was Ensign Elyssia Rel, the young flight controller from his team, the one who’d found a crack in his armor, the one who’d kindled a spark within him he didn’t know existed. “Are you really going to shoot me, Elyssia?”

“If you force me to,” Ensign Rel replied firmly. She didn’t want to, but she would if she had to. The Admiral had told her what Lewis was going to do if he made it to Commander Drake’s quarters, and there’d be no coming back for him after that. He’d spend the rest of his life behind bars. Whatever fledgling romance she’d begun to develop between them, it would be over, but even more importantly, it would mean that those Captain Lewis might go on to save in the future would now be on their own. She needed him, and they needed him. It couldn’t end here. “Please, Jake. Please. He’s not worth it. He’s not worth throwing your life away for.”

“This isn’t about Drake,” Captain Lewis insisted. “It’s about Jace.”

“Bullshit!” Admiral Reyes countered. “This is about you.”

“You know me better than that…”

“No, I know you just well enough to know that,” Admiral Reyes shook her head, refusing to back down. “This is about you and your guilt.”

“You didn’t hear him…”

“No, I didn’t,” Admiral Reyes admittedly with a pained voice, aware of what Lieutenant Morgan must have been going through that brought him to his end. “But if you did, you should have done something about it.” She locked eyes with him, daring him to speak. She knew how he could be. “I’m going to guess that instead you said something along the lines of ‘straighten that upper lip soldier’. This is as much on you as it is on Drake.”

The bloodlust snapped from his eyes. The Admiral wasn’t wrong.

“So turn the fuck around and go back to your ship,” Admiral Reyes ordered as she reholstered her phaser. “And don’t make dear Ensign Rel have to shoot you in the back.”

Slowly, Captain Lewis reholstered his phaser. “How’d you know I’d come here?”

“Because I know you,” Admiral Reyes replied with understanding borne of decades operating alongside Captain Lewis and people like him. The moment she’d heard about Lieutenant Morgan’s suicide and then seen that shuttle on approach from the Serenity, she knew its purpose. “Now get out of here before someone comes along and asks why we’re all hanging around outside the JAG’s quarters with phasers drawn.”

She had him beat, for now, and so angrily, Captain Lewis spun on his heels and stormed off back towards the turbolift.

Admiral Reyes watched him go, and then she looked over at Ensign Rel. She could see the mix of emotions on the young woman’s face. “Go,” Admiral Reyes urged, and she watched as the Trill flight controller turned and rushed off after the captain.

“Wait, Jake… wait for me…” Ensign Rel was saying as her voice faded into the distance. 

“You know you’re playing a dangerous game,” came a calm voice as Dr. Hall approached from behind the admiral. “But I must say, I’m impressed.” Most flag officers would have called security, but that would have just added more fuel to Commander Drake’s crusade. Admiral Reyes had kept it discreet by keeping it in the family instead.

“We still need him,” Admiral Reyes sighed. It was quite the pickle.

“I do not disagree,” Dr. Hall nodded. The galaxy was a dark place, and they needed people like Captain Lewis. “But you’re just inviting disaster by keeping them both here. You got to him in time this time, but what about the next time? Unless you want to see Captain Lewis locked up, it’s time to send Drake packing.”

“I can’t do that,” Admiral Reyes admitted. Nor did she want to. As much as they needed people like Captain Lewis, so too did they need people like Commander Drake, even as inconvenient as it could be at times. “As much as I get that it would be convenient for you and the captain.”

“You can’t always have your cake and eat it too, Admiral,” Dr. Hall warned. It might not happen today, or tomorrow, but she knew Captain Lewis’ type. So long as Commander Drake was still part of the squadron, Captain Lewis would not back down.

“It’s not just that,” Admiral Reyes conceded. “I can’t just make him go away. Not so long as this investigation is ongoing. I’m under strict orders unless you want the whole damn JAG Corps turning the ship upside down.” Commander Drake was a shark, and once he sunk his teeth into something, he wouldn’t back down until he got his day in court.

“Then will you get rid of him after he fails in court?” Dr. Hall countered. She had no doubt he would fail. The evidence was circumstantial without a witness. She and Captain Lewis would never flip, and the JAG’s only possible flip was now lying dead in the Serenity’s morgue.

“Yes, after that, I will see to his reassignment,” Admiral Reyes agreed. There really wasn’t another choice. Commander Drake had done them a good one during the corruption purge of 2399, but now he’d become too much of a liability. “And until then, Ensign Rel will just have to keep Lewis on a tight leash.”

“You know about the two of them, don’t you?”

“Yes,” nodded Admiral Reyes with a twinkle in her eye. “And for now, it works to our advantage.” Protocol around good order and discipline would have argued the opposite, but Admiral Reyes was more pragmatic than that. “When this is all over though, he and I will have a conversation about it. He’s got to see how it could compromise his judgment.”

Dr. Hall didn’t bother pointing out how compromised his judgment already was.

As Captain Elsie Drake stepped into the office, she noticed that all of the admiral’s personal effects were stripped from the walls and removed from the desk. Even the piece of debris from Utopia Planitia, the reminder he kept from that tragic day, was gone. That could mean one thing. 

“We’re being reassigned,” Rear Admiral Alex Grayson said as he looked up from a box where he was packing away a few last remaining items. “Please have a seat.”

“Where are we going?” Captain Drake asked as she pulled back a chair and sat down.

“Starbase 27.”

Captain Drake tilted her head in surprise. “That’s an odd place for us to run Task Force 47 from.” While technically their mandate extended across the entire galaxy, the Archanis Sector was hardly a strategic location from whence to coordinate the Fourth Fleet’s pathfinding operations.

“You misunderstand me,” Rear Admiral Grayson replied as he crossed the office and took a seat across from her. “Our time with Forty Seven is over… or mine is, at least.”

Captain Drake looked shocked.

“Elsie, I’m not a bureaucrat, nor an administrator,” Rear Admiral Grayson reminded her gently as he rose from the floor and joined her at the desk. “I’m a frontier commander, and my appointment as TFCO was always temporary. Commodore Alexandra Sudari-Kravchik has been appointed as the Forty Seven’s new Commander, and we – well me, and you, if you’re game for it – have a new opportunity on the horizon.” The excited expression on his face was in direct contrast to the one on the captain’s.

“I see… umm… I guess I am just more than a bit confused,” Captain Drake admitted. She had known Rear Admiral Grayson didn’t exactly enjoy his role, but they’d made a good team, and she felt like they’d really hit their stride during the recent Fleet Action. “Starbase 27 is an aging station in a backwater sector along a border with a long-time ally. Forgive me for saying it this way, but it hardly seems like a promotion, or even a lateral.” Rear Admiral Grayson might have been in the later years of his career, but she still had aspirations, and as much as she enjoyed working with him at the head of Task Force 47, she wasn’t sure she wanted to step off her career track like this. “It feels more like the end of the road.”

“If we were still in the nineties, I would agree with you, but the crisis with Hunters of D’Ghor and the fungal blight in the Meronia Cluster changed everything,” Rear Admiral Grayson clarified as he handed her a PADD with the specifics. While the captain began to read, the admiral provided a voiceover. “Starfleet Command has greenlit a massive reinvestment in the Archanis Sector to address decades of neglect and rebuild local faith in the Federation. The first phase of that project, replacing the aging Starbase 27 with a new Canopus-class station, was just completed, and now, we are surging assets into the region, including a detachment from the Corps of Engineers and a new diplomatic mission.”

“And where do we fit in this?”

“Given my past operating humanitarian and economic relief efforts along our borderlands, I was offered, and have already accepted, the position of Commander of Sector Operations for the Archanis Sector,” Rear Admiral Grayson explained. “And I could think of no one more qualified for the role of Station Commander for Starbase 27 than you.”

Captain Drake’s demeanor had turned abruptly, her eyes now alight with excitement. A modern starbase with five thousand occupants was a far cry from the diminutive outpost she’d run prior, and suddenly, rather than stepping off the fast track, it felt like a very natural next step in her career. “I… yeah… I mean, yes, if it’s all you’re making it out to be, count me in… sir.”

Rear Admiral Grayson breathed a sigh of relief. Although he’d been a bit skeptical of the young captain when he first arrived on Starbase 47, he’d come to rely on Elsie, and he was glad she would join him for the next chapter. “There’s more too,” he added with a twinkle in his eye. “I hear the charge d’affaires of the new diplomatic mission might be someone familiar to you.”

“Who?”

“Ambassador Michael Drake.”

“My father?” she asked, the shock evident on her face. Her dad, a former Admiral in the Fourth Fleet, had once commanded Starfleet’s operations in the Delta Quadrant, but he’d long since relegated himself to Earth where he served as a mere diplomatic advisor to a bunch of bureaucrats who hardly heeded any of his advice. “Someone finally convinced him his talents were being wasted in San Francisco?”

“Something like that,” chuckled Rear Admiral Grayson. He knew more, but he was cognizant of the boundaries between service and family. Ambassador Drake’s choices were his own to share with his daughter, especially after what he’d just been through over Earth. “I’ve never met your father before, but his reputation precedes him, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Now, Captain Drake was beyond elated. It had been a long time since she’d spent any real time with her father, and that, plus the career opportunity Grayson had just offered her, meant she only had one more question: “When do we leave?”

“I will depart directly for Starbase 27 tomorrow,” Rear Admiral Grayson explained. “But I need you to make a pitstop before you join me.”

“A pitstop?”

“Yes, I need you to rendezvous with Polaris Squadron first.”

“Reyes’ squadron?”

Rear Admiral Grayson nodded.

“Isn’t she Sudari-Kravchik’s problem now?” Captain Drake asked, not bothering to conceal her feelings about the Fleet Admiral. Allison Reyes’ reckless, gallivanting ways had created a few headaches for Captain Drake and Rear Admiral Grayson since she came under their purview.

“Not exactly,” Rear Admiral Grayson explained. “Someone with a paygrade far exceeding ours has concluded she’s going to remain our problem.” 

Captain Drake frowned. 

“There’s a logic in it though,” Rear Admiral Grayson added. “Admiral Reyes’ squadron will reinforce our security posture in the sector, which is understandably important after the D’Ghor crisis, and her background as a former Director at Starfleet R&D may be helpful with our reinvestment efforts.”

“Why not just rendezvous with her at Starbase 27 then?”

“Because she’s completely lost control of a delicate situation aboard the Polaris,” Rear Admiral Grayson replied, frustration evident in his voice. “And as the convening authority in this matter, I would prefer it resolved before they arrive.”

“The convening authority?” Captain Drake asked, recognizing what he was intimating.

“Afraid so,” Rear Admiral Grayson sighed. The Polaris had been ordered to report to Starbase 27 once it finished with Beta Serpentis III, and when it arrived, if the matter had not been otherwise addressed, he’d have a significantly unpleasant duty to perform. “Unless, of course, everyone ends up dead first. First, there was that assault against the JAG investigator by one of the suspects, but now one of the other suspects has turned up dead by apparent suicide.”

“What the hell is going on aboard Polaris?”

“That’s what I want you to find out,” Rear Admiral Grayson explained. “You’ll be tagging along with a Preliminary Hearing Officer for the preferral hearing.”

“A preferral? You mean the JAG is pursuing a general court martial?”

“Technically, they are seeking an indictment to go forward to a general court martial,” Rear Admiral Grayson corrected, for there was still a possibility it would not go to a trial. “But yes, if if it moves past preferral, then we’ll end up playing host to a general court martial when they arrive at Starbase 27.” Although Grayson disagreed with many of Reyes’ choices, he was also aware of what she and her team had accomplished, and under what conditions. As much as he understood the importance of the law, he did not revel in the fact that officers who’d sacrificed so much might lose their commissions for what they’d had to do.

“Who’s the investigating officer?” Captain Drake asked, although she was pretty sure she already knew the answer. 

“Commander Robert Drake.”

“Wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest for me to go?” Captain Drake countered. He was her brother, after all.

“You will have no official role in the proceedings,” Rear Admiral Grayson assured her, fully aware of what he was doing. “But I sense that your presence might be helpful for all parties involved.”

“I’m not sure what I’ll be able to accomplish,” Captain Drake warned, still uncertain what it was Grayson even wanted her to do. “My brother is a shark. He wouldn’t hesitate to lock up even his own family if he felt it necessary to uphold the laws and values of the Federation.”

“Oh, I’m very well aware,” Rear Admiral Grayson assured her. “I’ve already received no less than a half dozen calls from highly-placed officers related to this case. He’s pulling out all of the stops.” Meanwhile, Fleet Admiral Reyes had been out there obstructing the investigation every step of the way.

“And this preliminary hearing officer,” Captain Drake continued. “Are you sure he’s up to the task? If Robert has even the slightest indication that justice wasn’t served, he’ll go right over the guy’s head.”

“I assure you that Captain Adler will have no problem handling a brash young lawyer,” Rear Admiral Grayson chuckled. “Nor will he have any issue managing the admiral.” When he’d realized where the Polaris situation was headed, he’d sought out Eleazar Adler specifically.

Captain Drake wasn’t so sure. She’d grown up with Robert, and she’d spent the last five months dealing with Reyes. The pair would make a tall task for anyone. But at least the PHO’s role made sense. “I’m still don’t understand exactly what you want me to do,” she admitted. Did he simply want her to observe? Or to stabilize? Or did he have a preferred outcome?

“Neither do I,” Rear Admiral Grayson offered a non-answer. “But I trust you to figure it out when you get there.” There were too many unknowns to be certain from a hundred light years away. All he knew for certain was that Reyes had created a powder keg, and they needed boots on the ground to keep it from spiraling out of control.

“What if you don’t like the outcome?”

“I trust the system,” Rear Admiral Grayson replied cryptically. “And more importantly, I trust you.” He paused for a moment an then offered the slightest of hints at his preferred outcome. “Even Reyes cannot stop justice from being served, if that is where this leads, but it would be best if a less messy solution could be found.”

“Why are you still following me?” the captain asked, his tone devoid of any kindness or affection whatsoever. Anything he’d felt for the young woman before, it was gone now. Gone now, and maybe forever. She’d betrayed him. “You feel guilty? You want me to forgive you? You want me to tell you it’s okay? It’s not, and I won’t.” This was personal. She’d committed an affront to his very being, and there was a bite to his words that made it all too clear. “There’s nothing you can say that will make me forget what you did back there. You and Reyes both.”

“I told you on the shuttle back there… You get me as your escort, or you get a squad of security officers,” the Trill flight controller reminded him as they made their way out of the shuttlebay and wound their way through the interior corridors of the USS Serenity. “Admiral Reyes was very clear about that, and I figured you’d prefer my company.” The admiral had also wanted to keep it within the family, and that meant not involving security. She was still hanging onto hope that somehow she could stop this whole situation from spiraling out of control.

“Right now, I wouldn’t be so sure,” Captain Lewis grumbled. A security team hadn’t stopped him from avenging Lieutenant Morgan’s death. Ensign Rel had. Ensign Rel and Admiral Reyes.

“We did it for you,” Ensign Rel offered in barely more than a whisper. His words hurt, but she was sure they’d done the right thing.

“Bullshit!” Captain Lewis spun on her like a bear, an angry glare splayed across his face as he drew his close to hers. “She might have you convinced of that, but she’s got other reasons.” Maybe it was because Drake’s dad was an old friend, or maybe it was because she still felt she owed the Commander something after what he did for them ’99. Or she might have just wanted to avoid the mess of a JAG officer on the deck. “Allison’s no saint, and I assure you her motives weren’t pure altruism.”

His aggressive posture didn’t intimidate her, but his words did make her wonder. There was no doubt he knew Allison Reyes far better than she did. “Well, I did it for you!” Ensign Rel blurted out, desperate for him to at least recognize that. “I couldn’t let you throw your life away for that ivory tower ideologue!”

If anyone had come across the pair standing there in the corridor, it would have made for quite a sight, the bulky captain towering over the willowy ensign as she screamed up at him. 

Realizing how it looked, Captain Lewis stepped back, softened his posture, and began to walk again. “Look, if you don’t get it, you might not be cut out for this line of work,” he said coldly as they came to a stop in front of the door to his quarters. “It’s our code.” It was no different than the Vorta. The monster had killed a member of his team, and he’d irradiated the creature’s skull for it. Drake had done the same, and he deserved the same.

“Eye for an eye, no matter what? If that’s our code, it’s a fool’s code.”

Captain Lewis looked at her incredulously. “Are you for real right now?” She’d struck a nerve with him. Who was she to pass judgment on any of this? He was bleeding for the Federation on the floor of a Dominion prison before she was even an idea in her parents’ heads. “I have half the mind to pull rank and order you the fuck off my ship.” He didn’t have to put up with this shit.

Ensign Rel refrained from pointing out that her orders came from someone that far outranked him. Meeting power with power would only provoke him further, and he was angry enough as it was. Instead, she simply reached out and took his calloused hands within hers. “Lieutenant Morgan is dead. Nothing you do now will bring him back,” she offered gently as she stared into his eyes. There was grief there, yes, but there was something more too… guilt maybe? “What you were about to do back there, it wouldn’t have helped him whatsoever, but it would have put you away forever.”

“It would have been just one more price to pay,” Captain Lewis shrugged as his defensive nonchalance returned. He’d always figured he’d always end up dead on the battlefield, but spending some time in prison was a reasonably likely outcome too.

“But it would have been for nothing,” Ensign Rel insisted as she squeezed his hands. He had to see it. “On Nasera, after the evil heart of our enemy was laid to bear, after we freed the colony from their clutches, you told me that was why we fought, why we suffered, why we died… Well, today, I say to you that reason, that same reason, is why we must also walk away. You… we… we have greater purpose than retribution for the sake of retribution.”

“Perhaps,” Captain Lewis replied flatly as the door to his quarters slid open. He pulled away and stepped through the threshold. He just wanted some peace and quiet to himself. 

Ensign Rel didn’t take the hint though. She just followed him inside.

“You certainly are persistent…”

She just nodded as the door slid shut behind her.

“You’re really that much of Reyes’ puppy dog? I’m pretty sure her orders to escort me back to the Serenity didn’t mean making yourself at home in my quarters… my personal space.”

“You’d be surprised,” Ensign Rel smiled as she walked over to the replicator. The admiral had been pretty blunt with Elyssia about the reason she’d sought her out, and it definitely had something to do with the closeness the two had developed. “What would you like for breakfast?”

The captain stared at her with a confused expression.

“Captain, even you need to eat,” Ensign Rel insisted with a caring, almost motherly tone. “I can’t imagine you’ve made much time for yourself since you called us to battlestations as we tore out of Wolf 359.” Since then, they’d blown apart a transwarp gate within the Roche lobe of the Beta Serpentis binary pair and recaptured Beta Serpentis III from the Borg worshipers, and then he’d discovered the suicide of Lieutenant Morgan and tried to assassinate the squadron JAG.

“No, thank you. I’m good.”

Ensign Rel frowned as she stepped away from the replicator. She’d tried, at least. Slowly, she walked over to the sitting area and plopped herself down on the couch, gesturing for him to join her. The intimation was clear. She wasn’t going anywhere.

“I don’t get you, and frankly, I don’t get a lot of this,” Captain Lewis sighed as he took a seat in a lazy boy opposite her, resigned to the fact he wasn’t getting out of this. “I mean how did Reyes rope you into this? I thought you were one of the ones that got it…”

“Because she knew that I wouldn’t let you throw your life away,” Ensign Rel explained. “At least not unless it really matters. When it does, I promise you I’ll be right there alongside you, but this… this wasn’t it Jake.”

“Does she know about us?”

“Yes.”

“I see…” Captain Lewis frowned. That was problematic, but then again, this whole thing was problematic. His growing affection for Elyssia Rel had caused him to hesitate on Sol Station, and that had almost gotten them killed. He should have cut it off then, but he didn’t. And now, even after what she’d just done, he still found himself entertaining the conversation with her. He didn’t even understand why he was doing it, but he was.

For a moment, a silence settled between them, each lost in their own thoughts. 

“Tell me, Jake,” Ensign Rel finally asked. “What is it between you and Commander Drake? From the things you’ve said, and the way he gets under your skin, I sense this isn’t your first rodeo with him.” He’d made some cryptic allusions to it in past conversations, but he’d never really gotten into it.

“No, it most certainly is not,” Captain Lewis explained as his eyes darkened. “We first crossed paths after Hobus. It was a messy time, and we were asked to do messy things. We got caught up in the assassination of a Romulan Senator, and a young, but no less brash, Lieutenant J.G. Robert Drake was there to try and prosecute us for it.” His voice trailed off as he thought back to the events of 2389.

“And?”

“Well, I didn’t end up in jail, if that’s what you’re asking,” Captain Lewis chuckled. “People like me don’t end up there, not when Reyes and people like her still need us to do their dirty work. But what none of us anticipated was that Drake wouldn’t back down, and when the criminal case fell apart, he went straight to the court of public appeals. He drummed up civilian hearings and staged a media campaign that, when all was said and done, forced me out of Starfleet.”

The dots started to connect. “Is that when you set up your private outfit?” She thought back to the three private contractors that had shown up with a Ferengi trawler and assisted them in infiltrating and liberating Nasera.

“Yes, exactly. Sebold Industries was the only way I could continue to do what needed to be done,” Captain Lewis nodded. “And to be honest, with all the bullshit we’ve gone through recently, I sort of miss it. I mean, look how easily T’Aer and Grok went back to what they were doing after Nasera. They don’t have a JAG breathing down their necks.”

“But what we did on Earth, and what we did here on Beta Serpentis,” Ensign Rel pointed out. “We never would have been in a position to do those if you were still on the outside.”

“I suppose.”

“Did you do it though?” Ensign Rel asked. “The Romulan Senator?” There was no judgment in her tone, just curiosity. For as much as he’d almost done something very stupid today, she still believed in his moral compass.

“No.”

“So why did it turn out like it did?”

“Because we couldn’t reveal who did it,” Captain Lewis explained. “We took the hit in hope of preserving whatever equilibrium still existed within the fracturing Romulan government.” Not that it had probably helped all that much, given how things had turned out for the fallen empire.

Ensign Rel tilted her head curiously at the answer.

“If we had revealed the Romulan faction that had actually assassinated the Senator, we would have destabilized the situation further,” Captain Lewis continued. “So instead, we just sat there and took it.” He paused for a moment and then smiled. “And the irony is that Drake’s inquisition did actually help convince the Romulans that the Federation was taking it seriously, and that it really was just the actions of a few bad apples.”

“And what about on Nasera?” Ensign Rel asked. She’d been in the tunnels with Chief Shafir when Captain Lewis, Dr. Hall, Lieutenant J.G. Morgan, and Lieutenant Kora had assaulted the governor’s mansion. Captain Lewis had never shared what they did with the Vorta when they captured it. All Ensign Rel and the others had seen was the outcome when the Jem’Hadar gave up the fight. “Did you guys actually do what Commander Drake is accusing you of now?”

“What happened down there is between me, Dr. Hall and two of our dead colleagues,” Captain Lewis said firmly. He would not share the details with Elyssia Rel or Allison Reyes or anyone else. Doing so would only put them in the line of fire for Commander Drake. “If you’re going to stay here with me, at least promise me you’ll stop asking me questions you don’t want the answer to.”

“I can respect that,” Ensign Rel nodded. “But are you worried?”

“About Drake? Not in the slightest,” Captain Lewis shook his head. “What’s the worst he’ll do? Take my pips? It’ll be a relief if I have to go back to Sebold.” He’d already considered it multiple times, and the only thing that stopped him was the promise he’d made to Admiral Reyes. After what had happened today, he wasn’t sure that even meant a damn anymore.

“Drake’s talking about war crimes, Jake,” Ensign Rel cautioned. When Commander Drake and Petty Officer Morrey had visited her, they’d leveled all sorts of accusations related to torture and murder of an enemy combatant. “They may be going for more than your pips.”

“Capital punishment is off limits, as much as I wish it wasn’t,” Captain Lewis chuckled. “And if you mean jail, don’t forget what I told you earlier. People like me are needed. Even if he manages to convince a tribunal to lock me up, I’ll be out in a week, as soon as the news cycle moves on. Just like after Algorab.”

Ensign Rel looked far from comforted by his words.

“But don’t worry, Elyssia,” Captain Lewis assured her confidently. “He won’t win anyway. His only chance at a conviction just put a phaser to his head and pulled the trigger.”

“Did you hear what happened aboard Serenity this morning?!” Chief Petty Officer Geoff Morrey asked as he blazed into the staff offices of the Polaris Squadron JAG. He was more than a bit worked up. “Apparently, the lieutenant shot himself in the head.”

“Come again?” asked Commander Drake, setting down his copy of the Eridani Law Journal, where he’d just been reading an article on protectorate trade rights. “Who shot themselves in the head?”

“Lieutenant Jace Morgan.”

A pin drop could have been heard in the silence that followed. The attorneys, investigators and adjutants milling about the office were all more than a bit familiar with that name. Jace Morgan, an operations officer from the USS Serenity, was one of the three officers they were preparing to charge for war crimes perpetrated on Nasera during the Lost Fleet crisis.

“Are you sure?” Commander Drake asked, caught aback by the news. He didn’t doubt that the Chief had done his research first, but it was a shocking development if true.

Lieutenant Commander Terok, the team’s forensic medical examiner, had already pulled up the latest medical logs from the USS Serenity, and he quickly confirmed what the chief had heard:  “According to latest report from Lieutenant Feyir, medical staff reported to Lieutenant Morgan’s quarters at approximately 0500 hours, and he was declared dead upon arrival.”

“What was the cause of death?”

“The preliminary autopsy finds cause of death to be a single polaron discharge to the right parietal,” Lieutenant Commander Terok explained. “And security is tentatively considering it a suicide after they matched the resonance frequency to that of Lieutenant Morgan’s sidearm, which was found at his side.”

“What’s curious is who stumbled upon the lieutenant,” Chief Morrey noted. “Chief Petty Officer Ayala Shafir.” That name was also familiar to them all.

“Captain Lewis’ intelligence specialist found him?” Commander Drake furled his brow. “That is certainly curious.” Lieutenant Morgan was, by far, the most likely to flip from Lewis’ goon squad, and his death was thus quite convenient for Captain Lewis and Dr. Hall. To suppose that this was an intentional cover up would be a stretch, but Commander Drake had learned that, when dealing with people like Captain Lewis, anything was possible. “Terok, get over to the Serenity and insert yourself into the investigation.”

The Vulcan nodded and headed for the door. If anything was amok, he’d find it.

Commander Drake turned back to Chief Morrey. “Do we know anything else? Did the Lieutenant leave a note or a log? Did he say anything to anyone?” If the lieutenant had legitimately taken his own life, there should have been warning signs. “And for that matter, have we even confirmed he was right handed?”

“Yes, he was right handed,” Chief Morrey chuckled, amused that he and the Commander had gone straight to the same place. “And no, nothing so far as to his mental state, but tonight, I’m going drinking.” Everyone knew what that meant. The gregarious chief was notorious for digging up evidence while knocking them back with unsuspecting subjects.

“If there were any doubts about the guilt of Captain Lewis and his team, I think we can put those to bed now,” Commander Drake addressed the entire team. “Lieutenant Morgan’s death is either a guilt-ridden escape or a dirty cover up, and neither of those happen when everyone’s innocent.”

Around the room, there were only nods of agreement.

“Lieutenant Kel’don,” Commander Drake asked as he turned towards the Rotciv attorney who was leading drafting and would serve as his second chair when at last the case went to trial. “How soon can you turn a final on the preferral of charges?”

“I can flip it back to you before you’re up tomorrow,” the lieutenant nodded dutifully. It would be a late night, but that sort of came with the territory. The opportunity to serve as second chair in a high profile case like this made it more than worth losing a bit of sleep.

“Very well. I’ll get time on Reyes’ calendar first thing in the morning,” Commander Drake smiled. “It’s well past time justice be delivered.” In less than a day’s time, they’d be leveling formal charges against Captain Lewis and Dr. Hall, and then he’d get to work ensuring neither of them would ever commit war crimes in the name of the Federation again.

“Do we know who our preliminary hearing officer will be yet?” asked Lieutenant Kel’don, fully aware the first hurdle they would face would not be the trial itself, but rather the hearing to determine if the charges had merit to move forward to a general court martial.

“Yes, I just received notice that Captain Eleazar Adler has been assigned as our PHO,” Commander Drake confirmed, drawing a series of nods from around the room. Eleazar Adler was a name known to all of them, and it indicated just how seriously the case was being taken. “I’m told he will arrive in just over a week’s time.”

“Do we want to consider waiting until he arrives before we show our hand to Captain Lewis and Dr. Hall?” Chief Morrey suggested. “It might give us time to solicit more testimony.” It was not lost on any of them that the physical evidence they had was more than a bit circumstantial, and while Commander Drake was an excellent litigator, Chief Morrey was still hoping he might be able to conjure up an admission from one of the witnesses.

“And leave more time for our witnesses to turn up dead or our evidence to get lost?! Fuck no,” Commander Drake retorted. It came off a bit more aggressive than he meant it, but the news of Lieutenant Morgan’s suicide has shaken him a bit. “There’s nothing else we’ll surface keeping the status quo in place. But look on the bright side… a week in confinement might be good for our dear captain and that sick excuse for a counselor.”

Captain Lewis opened his eyes, and the memories began to flood back. Lieutenant Morgan was dead. The young man had shown so much promise, but he couldn’t overcome his demons. They’d eaten him alive, and then Commander Drake pushed him over the edge. The JAG had as good as killed him, and the captain had set out to avenge his man in the only way he knew how. He would have succeeded too if not for Admiral Reyes and Ensign Rel. 

He was sure the admiral had her own reasons, but he believed the ensign when she said she’d done it for him. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that though. He was used to being the one who looked out for others, not the one others looked out for.

Captain Lewis rolled over in his bed, expecting to see the ensign there. In the aftermath of the showdown on the Polaris, he’d been so angry at her, but she was persistent. She’d followed him back to his quarters, and then she wore him down, bit by bit. Eventually, he gave in, and all that rage, all that grief, all that despair, a gigantic clusterfuck of emotions he didn’t truly understand, it all snowballed into a night of physical abandon. And then, when it was all over, he slept. 

But where was she now? All that was left was a light imprint in the foam of the mattress. 

Captain Lewis sat up and looked around. The bedroom was dark and perfectly still. The captain climbed out of bed, pulled on a pair of gray sweatpants, and walked out into the living room. That’s when he saw her, the young Trill flight controller who’d somehow pierced his cold exterior and made him feel something. She was curled up in a ball on the floor, her head between her legs, sobbing softly. 

“What’s wrong, Elyssia?” the captain asked as he crossed the room and sat down on the floor next to her. She’d been the one thinking logically when he was not. She was the one that had put him sort himself out after his desperate plan had fallen apart. What had happened now? Why was she crying? He reached out and rested a reassuring hand on her back.

“Everything, Jake,” she admitted, struggling to look up. “Just everything.” A tear ran down her cheek.  “The whole Nasera thing… the suicide run in the Ciatar Nebula… the shootout in Milan… going up against our own in Healdsberg… becoming… becoming Borg…” Her eyes darkened as she recalled her experience on Sol Station. Although she’d learned to live with the voices of her symbiont’s past lives, nothing had prepared her to become part of the Collective.

“It’s been a lot,” Captain Lewis nodded. “More than anyone should have to bear.” He didn’t know what to say, but he wanted to help. He needed to help. Before Lieutenant Morgan had taken his own life, he’d been perseverating on his trauma, and now Elyssia was too. Could this spread like a contagion? That thought terrified him.

“I mean, what the fuck are we all doing?” Ensign Rel cried. “It feels like everything is spinning out of control. Like Lieutenant Morgan, I mean, he was tortured on Earth, and rather than helping him heal after that, what did we do? We asked him to blow himself up.” That had been the order Admiral Reyes had given Lieutenant Morgan, Chief Shafir and Dr. Brooks as the fleet fell to the Borg.

“There wasn’t another choice,” Captain Lewis insisted. “If Picard hadn’t stopped the signal, blowing the Serenity would have at least given the survivors a chance.” Even that probably wouldn’t have stopped the Borg advance, but it would have created chaos and slowed them down enough that a few more might have escaped.

“Sure, I get that, but think about it, Jake… To do what he was about to do, he had to accept his death, so how can we be surprised he took his own life after?”

“We do what we do to preserve life,” Captain Lewis reminded her, but she’d raised a scary point. Lieutenant Morgan wasn’t the only one with demons. His mind drifted to Ayala Shafir, who’d been though as much as any of them. She too had been there on the Serenity in those desperate moments, and she’d been the one who found Jace Morgan in his quarters. She’d always managed to hold it together, just barely, but did he need to worry about her now too?

“Jake, I know you cling to that adage,” Ensign Rel sighed. “But lately, we seem to be doing a lot more dying than living.”

Her words stung. Captain Lewis felt the pain more than she, or anyone, knew. Rysshel was his best friend. Brock was his protege. Petty Officer Atwood, Lieutenant Kora, Crewman Nam, and Lieutenant Morgan, they had each put their faith in him, and now all of them were dead, dead in the span of less than six months. In the last six months, he’d buried more of his team than he had left alive.

“All I’m saying, Jake, is that we need to hold onto those we have left,” Ensign Rel offered as she reached out and took his hand in her’s. “What if there was something we could have done for Jace that could have stopped…”

A chime at the door pulled them from their thoughts.

“Yes, give me a second,” Captain Lewis said as he pulled himself away from Elyssia and rose from the floor. “Enter.”

Before the door even finished opening, security officers began pouring through, six in total. He knew instantly what was happening. These were not his men. They were not from the Serenity. They were from the Polaris. They were not men well known to him, and they all looked like they’d come ready for a fight.

“Good morning gentlemen. What can I do for you? Some breakfast maybe?” Captain Lewis asked sarcastically, trying to size up the situation. It was not lost on him that these were the six biggest, meanest looking security officers one could have found in the entire department.

“Sir, you need to come with us,” demanded the lead officer, his hand resting on the grip of his holstered sidearm. The captain’s reputation preceded him. They’d heard rumors of what he could do and what he was capable of. They’d also been warned he might not come willingly, and that he should be considered armed and dangerous. “Now.”

“Where are you intending to take me?” Captain Lewis asked, his gaze narrowing on them as he debated his options. “And what if I don’t want to come?”

The lead security officer had a half dozen inches and at least fifty pounds on the Captain, plus five armed men to back him up, but still he looked very uncomfortable. Was the Commanding Officer of the USS Serenity really refusing a lawful order? Were they really about to have to take him down?

Before anyone could speak, Ensign Rel rose from the floor. “Jake, do what they say,” she pleaded. “Please.” The team needed him. She needed him. All of this would pass, she told herself, as long as he didn’t do anything impulsive.

“You should listen to the Ensign,” the security officer cautioned as he eyed the young woman over. For a moment, he wondered what a junior officer was doing here in the quarters of her half-dressed captain, but he had bigger issues to deal with. He inched his sidearm out of its holster, just slightly, but the intimation was clear. “We have our orders.”

“Relax kid, relax,” Captain Lewis smiled, raising his hands in front of himself disarmingly as he relaxed his stance. “There’s no need for that.” He stared at the man’s sidearm. “I’m a Starfleet officer, not a two-bit criminal.” 

The captain snatched a lightly worn black tank top off the floor and pulled it over his head as he made his way towards the door, the security officers taking up flanking positions around him.

As he reached the door, Captain Lewis looked back for a moment. “It’s all going to be okay,” he assured Ensign Rel. “This will all blow over.” 

And then he was gone, leaving Elyssia alone. Completely alone.

The PADD felt heavy in her hands. As much as she disagreed with its contents, Fleet Admiral Allison Reyes had no choice but to go along with it for now. The heroes of Nasera would be tried for the crime of doing what was necessary. Or at least those who were still alive would be.

This was not what they needed, nor what they deserved, but it was what they’d be getting nonetheless. There was nothing she could do to stop it. If she tried, Commander Robert Drake, the JAG officer she’d handpicked for Polaris Squadron, would go over her head, and then she’d be no help to Captain Lewis and Dr. Hall. That meant she had to play her part. For now.

The hiss of the door drew her from her thoughts.

“They’re en route,” Fleet Captain Gérard Devreux reported as he stepped into the diplomatic reception room that had been converted into a makeshift judicial chamber. Admiral Reyes sat at the front bench as presiding officer, while Commander Drake and Lieutenant Kel’don, the prosecutors from the JAG Corps, sat at a desk on the right. The desk on the left was unoccupied but that would soon change. The accused were en route.

“Were there any issues?” Admiral Reyes asked warily. She knew how impulsive Captain Lewis could be. She hoped he hadn’t done anything foolish. Not again, at least. Just a day prior, she’d had to stop him from committing a cold-blooded murder of the very JAG officer that would now be sitting first chair for his impending court martial.

“No ma’am.”

As she exhaled a sigh of relief, Admiral Reyes cast her eyes over at Commander Drake. The JAG attorney leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed and a smug look on his face, almost as though he was enjoying the drama. The admiral frowned. That kid had no idea how close he’d been to becoming a corpse, and she would not have completely blamed Captain Lewis for it. Commander Drake had helped push Lieutenant Morgan over the edge. The situation had spiraled out of control, and Admiral Reyes wondered if she would be able to steer it to the best possible outcome in the end – or at least the best outcome for those still alive.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to drop this, Robert?” asked Admiral Reyes. “After everything Commander Lewis has sacrificed for the Federation? After everything we’ve gone through? ” She knew it was futile though. Commander Drake didn’t compromise. Not for anyone or anything. It was what had brought them together years prior when they fought together to unravel a conspiracy within the highest ranks of the fleet, but now it was mighty inconvenient.

“Admiral, you sealed their fate when you sent them to Nasera,” Commander Drake replied bluntly. “But what Captain Lewis and Dr. Hall did down there, that’s on them.” The JAG locked eyes with the Admiral, and he didn’t blink. “That’s why they’re on trial, and you are not.”

From Commander Drake’s perspective, he’d actually been quite reasonable in the aftermath of Nasera. Nine hundred and thirty five officers had died as a result of the command decisions made by Admiral Reyes and her senior staff during the Battle of Nasera, but he’d elected to not investigate those choices out of respect to her and the difficult odds they’d faced. However, what Captain Lewis and Dr. Hall had done on the surface was not something he could look past.

Admiral Reyes frowned. No rank, no position, no relationship, no desperate situation, nothing whatsoever would stop Commander Drake from pursuing those who had desecrated the ideals of the Federation. Even all the history they shared would not dissuade him.

“Don’t feel bad, Admiral. If it wasn’t Nasera, it would have been something else,” Commander Drake added. “As much as you think you can control everything, you must realize that even you cannot tame the untamable. This is always how it was going to end for Captain Lewis and Dr. Hall.” If it wasn’t on Nasera, it would have just been somewhere else. It was just how rabid animals behaved.

“What about…” Admiral Reyes began to say.

“What about nothing,” Commander Drake interrupted, unwilling to entertain whatever mental gymnastics she was about to present. This was not up for debate. “We should consider ourselves lucky they didn’t do more damage this time, but there can never be a next time. Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Hall will be prosecuted for war crimes, and they will spend the remainder of their days behind bars.” It was the only way to safeguard the Federation from them.

“If they are found guilty,” Admiral Reyes reminded him. “So far, they only stand accused.”

“Oh, they are guilty, Admiral,” Commander Drake insisted coldly. “I have no doubt of that, and justice will be served.” For all the confidence with which he spoke, he knew though that he and his team had a tall task before them. The evidence was not as strong as his convictions. “And Admiral, let me remind you that, as Commanding Officer of Polaris Squadron, you have obligations to fulfill in this proceeding.” The relationship between Admiral Reyes and Captain Lewis was not lost on him. “I expect you to fulfill your duties impartially and by the book.” Otherwise, he would throw the book at her too.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, my friend,” Admiral Reyes assured him with a deep, but feigned, sense of sincerity. In reality, she absolutely intended to manipulate the proceedings, and she doubted whether they’d be friends after this. The reality was that the Federation needed people like Captain Lewis and Dr. Hall, and Commander Drake and his binary views of the universe had outlasted their welcome.

The door hissed open again, and a squad of security officers funneled into the room, flanking on all sides a lieutenant in teal and an older man in plain clothes. Dr. Lisa Hall, Polaris Squadron’s Counselor and the Cultural and Psychological Research Lead for the Advanced Science, Technology and Research Activity, had a nonchalant, disinterested look on her face, almost as though it was just another day in the office; meanwhile, Captain Jake Lewis, Polaris Squadron Intelligence Officer and Commanding Officer of the USS Serenity, had a determined and icy expression on his face, almost as if he was preparing for war.

The security team led the pair to the desk opposite that of the JAG prosecutors. They pulled back a pair of chairs and motioned for Captain Lewis and Dr. Hall to sit. The pair complied.

“Captain Jake Lewis, Lieutenant Lisa Hall,” Admiral Reyes began, staring at the pair with a deep sense of regret as to the proceedings that were about to unfold. “As the Commanding Officer of Polaris Squadron, and as a representative of the Admiralty of Starfleet’s Fourth Fleet, it is my duty to notify you that on this day, June, 18, 2401, the Office of the Judge Advocate General has filed a preferral of charges against you for crimes you are accused of committing on March 16, 2401 on Nasera II while serving as commissioned officers of Starfleet.”

Although it was a simple statement of fact, the mention of a preferral confirmed for Captain Lewis and Dr. Hall that the Judge Advocate General was seeking a General Court Martial, the most severe trial an officer of Starfleet could face. While capital punishment had been outlawed centuries ago, a General Court Martial could lead to prison time, up to and including a lifelong sentence. It would be Dr. Hall’s first time, but Captain Lewis had been through a General Court Martial once before. He’d avoided a guilty verdict, but even the mere proceedings had been enough to force him out of Starfleet for almost a decade.

Admiral Reyes then began to lay out the backdrop to the charges as laid out on the charge sheet: “The Office of the Judge Advocate General submits that on March 16, 2401, Captain Jake Lewis and Lieutenant Lisa Hall, along with two deceased Starfleet officers, Lieutenant Junior Grade Jace Morgan and Lieutenant Kora Tal, and at least two dozen civilians, identities unknown, executed a tactical operation against the governor’s residence in Nasera City with the objective of capturing the military commander of a Dominion force that had illegally occupied the Federation system.”

None of this was debatable or objectionable. It was fact that Captain Lewis and his team had gone to Nasera on a covert mission to undermine the defenses and command structure of the Lost Fleet in preparation for a counter-assault by the USS Polaris, and that, with the support of a group of angry colonists, they had executed a raid against the governor’s mansion to capture the Vorta in charge of the operation. This, and the other simultaneous operations that Captain Lewis’ team had conducted, had been essential in securing victory in the Battle of Nasera.

“While the initial assault on the governor’s mansion resulted in significant loss of life, including one Starfleet officer, an unknown number of civilians at least thirty in number, and an unknown number of enemy combatants at least twenty in number,” Admiral Reyes continued to read from the charge sheet. “It is the opinion of the Office of the Judge Advocate General that, until 1815 hours local time, the operation was within the bounds of the authorization of force issued by Commodore Imya Jori, Commander, Fourth Fleet Task Force 93, and that the loss of life, while regrettable, was within acceptable parameters based on the totality of circumstances on the surface of Nasera II on the evening of March 16, 2401.”

Captain Lewis could not hold back his surprise. Commander Drake had not submitted any charges related to his use of civilians? The JAG could certainly have cooked up a legal theory under which the Captain had used civilians with reckless disregard for their lives, and he’d even suggested as much in the early days of the investigation. The only reason Commander Drake had given him a pass was because the JAG had more substantive charges to level, and he didn’t want to get caught in a battle of semantics around the acceptability, or lack thereof, of the use of civilians during an occupation, which was a muddy subject given how civilian resistance movements had been celebrated across much of history.

“However, it is also the opinion of the Office of the Judge Advocate General that the actions of Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Hall, during the period between 1815 hours local time and 1910 hours, were not within the bounds of the authorization of force provided by Fourth Fleet Command,” Admiral Reyes continued to read, her tone growing serious as she leveled the accusation. “And further that criminal acts were committed during this period in violation of the General Orders and Regulations of Starfleet and the laws of the United Federation of Planets.”

If passing on their use of civilians wasn’t indication enough, the timestamps in the accusation told Captain Lewis everything he needed to know: this would be a war crimes tribunal.

“On the first count, Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Hall, you are accused of intentionally and unlawfully subjecting an unarmed and restrained enemy combatant to physical and pharmacological torture in violation of Starfleet Security Protocol 49, Starfleet General Order 2 and several interstellar treaties on the treatment of prisoners of war.”

Neither Captain Lewis nor Dr. Hall reacted. They had well-trained poker faces, but even more than that, neither felt even the slightest bit of remorse over what they’d done. Almost a thousand officers had died on Nasera, but it would have been far more if Dr. Hall had not bent the Vorta’s mind to the point that the creature gave the order to end the conflict.

“On the second count, Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Hall, you are accused of exacting capital punishment upon an individual in Starfleet custody in violation of Starfleet General Order 4. This charge may be elevated to an aggravated charge in the event that it is demonstrated that this action was, in part or in full, to prevent prosecution of the first count.”

Again, neither operator reacted. Where Dr. Hall had been the pharmacological mastermind, Captain Lewis had been the executioner. Not that it mattered who had pulled the trigger. Dr. Hall would have just as willingly. The creature deserved no other fate after all the lives it had taken: Lieutenant Commander Brock Jordan, Mr. Ryssehl Th’zathol, Lieutenant Kora Tal, Petty Officer Jason Atwood, and Crewman Nam Jae-Sun, all from their team, plus nine hundred and thirty other officers and an unknown number of civilians estimated well over ten thousand in total. Starfleet regulations might have banned capital punishment, but their code demanded nothing less.

“On the third count, Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Hall, you are accused of first degree murder in violation of the First Guarantee of the Constitution of the United Federation of Planets.”

Captain Lewis furled his brow at the civilian charge. The Vorta was not a Federation citizen, but the Constitution did provide its guarantees to any lifeform on Federation territory and, while it might be a stretch to argue that Nasera was Federation territory on March 16, 2401, the JAG had clearly set out to ensure that the totality of their incarceration would vastly exceed the remainder of their lives.

“And on the fourth count, Captain Lewis, you are additionally charged with multiple violations of Starfleet Command Regulations as it relates to issuance and supervision of illegal orders, with respect to one or more officers under your command and on the matter of the torture and murder of a prisoner of war.”

While the last one paled in comparison to the others, it would ensure that, even if Captain Lewis tried to pawn the built off on others, Commander Drake would tie him to the crime as the senior officer present. It also signaled that, if Commander Drake was open to cutting a deal, it would only be with Dr. Hall.

“Based on the nature of these counts, this preferral of charges has been referred to the Honorable Captain Eleazar Adler to determine whether or not these charges shall be referred to a General Court Martial,” Admiral Reyes wrapped up, just glad the recitation was over. As much as everyone in the room knew she was just doing her duty, she still felt like she’d just betrayed two people who had sacrificed so much for the fleet. “Captain Lewis, do you have any questions?”

“Not a one,” Captain Lewis said as he stared coldly at Commander Drake. It wasn’t that he was angry about the charges though. No, that just came with the territory. Instead, his fury was borne of the fact that he held Commander Drake responsible for Lieutenant Morgan’s suicide, and now, sitting in the chamber across from Drake in the chamber, his anger was building. He should have killed the JAG and avenged the lieutenant while he’d had the chance.

“And Dr. Hall?”

“No ma’am,” Dr. Hall shook her head calmly. The threat of life imprisonment didn’t phase her. In her past, she’d endured far worse than a comfy Federation prison cell.

“Then, in recognition of the impending charges,” Admiral Reyes concluded. “Captain Lewis, Dr. Hall, you are hereby suspended from duty and confined to your quarters until a determination is rendered in these proceedings.” Commander Drake cleared his throat from the plaintiff’s table, but the admiral tried to ignore him, “Security, please escort Cap…” 

“Ma’am…” Commander Drake interrupted. “A minute please.”

“Commander,” Admiral Reyes admonished, uninterested in entertaining anything further from the JAG. “There will be time to make a statement during the hearing.”

“Respectfully, ma’am,” Commander Drake insisted, refusing to back down. “The Office of the Judge Advocate General hereby requests that Captain Lewis and Dr. Hall be remanded into the custody of the brig officer of the USS Polaris. The risk to order and security is too great to allow them to remain free on their own recognizance.”

Admiral Reyes stared at him. “Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Hall have served with honor…” she began to say.

“Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Hall have a history of flagrantly ignoring restraints placed upon them,” Commander Drake pointed out. “Not even 48 hours ago, Captain Lewis disobeyed a direct order from my office to remain with the USS Polaris.”

To stop the Borg and save the crew, Captain Lewis thought to himself. But it wasn’t worth saying. It didn’t matter to him if he spent the next week in his quarters or in the brig, and frankly, he was sort of ready to just move on. This Starfleet appointment was proving more trouble than it was worth. There was a part of him that was ready to just be done with it and to return to private enterprise where he didn’t have to deal with holier-than-thou JAG officers.

“And before that,” Commander Drake added. “After being advised that they were under investigation, Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Hall conveniently found themselves on a two month soirée to Earth, out of reach of our investigators.” On that one, he knew Reyes was partially at fault too, and he could completely see Lewis, Hall and Reyes again contriving an excuse for them to run off once more. “Remember what I cautioned earlier, ma’am.”

“Very well,” Admiral Reyes sighed, recognizing this was not the hill to die on. “The defendants are hereby remanded into the custody of the brig officer of the USS Polaris.”

“Sir, you need to see this,” Lieutenant Irina Tarasova said, her voice uncustomarily frazzled as she approached the center island with a PADD in her hand. “Latest orders from the Polaris.”

Lieutenant Commander Ekkomas Eidran accepted the PADD, and as he read it, a look of shock washed across his face. “I assume you’ve authenticated them?” This would be the first time in his career he’d ever received instructions such as these.

“Three times, just for good measure,” Lieutenant Tarasova acknowledged. A security team from the USS Polaris had come aboard a couple hours prior, and now she knew why. “They’re signed by Fleet Admiral Allison Reyes.”

“Then it is what it is,” Lieutenant Commander Eidran sighed. The punches just kept coming. “Computer, prepare to transfer command authority.” He looked over at Lieutenant Tarasova. As Chief Security and Tactical Officer, the next step was, by custom, hers to take.

The computer chimed, awaiting further instructions.

“Computer, effective immediately, rescind all command codes belonging to Captain Jake Lewis, and transfer command of the USS Serenity to Lieutenant Commander Ekkomas Eidran,” Lieutenant Tarasova ordered. “Authorization Tarasova Four-Four-Eight-Tango.”

The computer chimed, awaiting acknowledgement.

“Computer, I acknowledge the orders and accept command of the USS Serenity,” Lieutenant Commander Eidran confirmed. “Authorization Eidran Two-Six-Nine-Alpha.”

The computer chimed again. It was done. Captain Lewis was no longer in command.

“The ship is yours, sir,” Lieutenant Tarasova added, as if the gravity of the order was not already clear. 

All around them, the bridge crew grew silent, staring at the Executive Officer and the Chief Security and Tactical Officer as they took in what had just transpired. 

As a Betazoid, Lieutenant Commander Eidran could feel their doubts and uncertainty. “Don’t you all have work you need to be doing?” They just kept staring. They felt a debt to their captain, a man who’d navigated them through Frontier Day and the situation on Beta Serpentis, and although it had been ordered by a Fleet Admiral, it still felt like a betrayal to strip him of his command so unceremoniously. “Lieutenant, you have the bridge. I’ll be in my Ready Room.”

Without another word, the now-Commanding Officer of the USS Serenity was gone. He didn’t have the mind to face the questions of the crew, as he had no answers for them, and frankly, he wanted some answers himself.

As soon as the doors of the Ready Room closed behind him, Lieutenant Commander Eidran put in an urgent call to the USS Polaris. He was informed that Fleet Admiral Reyes was otherwise occupied, but after rather insistently demanding that he speak to someone, he was eventually connected through to Fleet Captain Gérard Devreux, the Squadron Executive Officer and Admiral Reyes’ right hand man.

“Commander, I think the orders were fairly clear,” Captain Devreux explained to the young man once the Betazoid had unloaded his grievances. “Captain Lewis has been suspended from duty until further notice.” Although he said it in a matter of fact tone, his expression conveyed his disappointment. This was not what he wanted. As much as he often argued with the old spook about his methods, Captain Devreux was acutely aware that, were it not for Captain Lewis and his team, the Battle of Nasera would have turned out far worse. In fact, they might not have prevailed at all.

“But why, Captain?” Lieutenant Commander Eidran asked desperately. “We’re already torn up here dealing with the repairs from the battle and the news about Lieutenant Morgan, and now this…” He’d had to command the USS Serenity through heavy losses once prior, and now, here he was yet again in the big chair when he least wanted to be. “You’ve got to give me something more to go on.”

Captain Devreux could sympathize with the young man. He’d been there more than once himself, over the years, and a little more detail couldn’t hurt. “The Office of the Judge Advocate General has filed a preferral of charges against Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Hall related to their activities during the Battle of Nasera,” the captain elaborated. “It is a matter of protocol that they be suspended from duty until the conclusion of those proceedings.”

“A preferral?” Lieutenant Commander Eidran gasped. “You mean… you mean for a General Court Martial?” The Betazoid was, of course, familiar with the Starfleet Uniform Code of Justice and its most severe criminal process, but he’d never known anyone personally who was dragged into such a process. While Captain Lewis was a gruff old man with  questionable values, he lived and bled for the Federation, and did such loyalty not count for something?

“I’m afraid so,” Captain Devreux nodded grimly.

“And you said it’s about Nasera?” Lieutenant Commander Eidran confirmed. “What happened down there to warrant this?” After the stories he’d heard about Lewis’s team down on Nasera, and after the heroics he’d witnessed from Lewis over Earth, it just didn’t seem right.

“We fought a desperate, bloody battle for the soul of the Federation,” Captain Devreux replied, his eyes haunted by the crucible they’d been through. “And in the end, we prevailed, but not without hard choices made and too many lives lost.” He could still remember the stretchers lining the corridors after the battle.

“But what about that is worthy of a court martial?”

“Between you and I, I would say nothing. You weren’t there, but I was, and trust me what I say, after what we saw, the ends justified the means – whatever those means may have been,” Captain Devreux answered, his eyes dark and his voice uncharacteristically cold. Nasera had changed him. It had brought him face to face with an enemy so evil that suddenly Captain Devreux, the lifelong explorer, understood what had turned Captain Lewis into who he was. “But the JAG feels otherwise, and so here we are.”

“What’s Admiral Reyes going to do about it?” Lieutenant Commander Eidran asked. All that Lewis had done had to count for something, and Eidran couldn’t believe the admiral would just let him go down like that. He’d seen the deep bond between those two during the Frontier Day crisis.

“Allison is going to uphold the laws of our great Federation, just as she always has,” Captain Devreux replied cryptically, but he could see doubt in the younger man’s eyes. “Commander, you’d do well to remember that a preferral of charges simply means that the JAG believes grounds exist for a prosecution. It does not mean that Captain Lewis will be found guilty.” He chose his words carefully because he had no doubt that Captain Lewis and Dr. Hall did what the JAG accused. It was just that he didn’t want to see them go down for it. Not after all the pair had done. “It is just as likely that, on account of the evidence or in consideration of the circumstances, the Preliminary Hearing Officer may choose not to pursue a General Court Martial, or that, even if it goes to a General Court Martial, a jury may still not find him guilty.”

“What do I tell the crew?” Lieutenant Commander Eidran asked uncertainly. He had to tell them something, right?

“You tell them to do their jobs and to not dwell on rumors,” Captain Devreux responded firmly. “As I understand it, your ship took quite a beating during that hair-raising rescue in the Roche lobe, and that’s what they should be focused on.” The captain had been there with Admiral Reyes during their investigation of the Fouth Fleet conspiracy back in ‘99, and he knew how disruptive it could be if the crew got caught up in the courtroom drama. “Do not entertain their questions, nor their curiosities. Keep them focused on their duties.”

“I will do my best, Captain.”

“That’s all any of us can do,” Captain Devreux nodded, before changing topics. “And speaking of duties, how are the repairs going?” The USS Serenity had been pushed to its warp assembly to its limits to reach Commander Lee and Dr. Brooks before they blew themselves up with the transwarp gate, and as the Duderstadt-class cruiser raced away, it caught the shockwave of the warp core breach to its stern.

“It will be at least a week before every blown out emitter and shorted manifold is replaced,” Lieutenant Commander Eidran answered. “But we’ll be back at operational readiness, at least as far as propulsion and defensive systems go, by tomorrow afternoon.”

“That’s excellent progress, and very timely too,” Captain Devreux smiled. “Because the squadron will look to depart the system by tomorrow EOD. Starfleet Security is taking over the cleanup effort on Salvage Facility 21-J, and we’ve been told to expect, by first thing tomorrow, a team from Federation Colonial Operations that will take over administration of Beta Serpentis III. Once the handoff is complete, we turn for new shores.” It could not come soon enough either. The Borg were bad news, and he was glad they’d be soon closing the door on the whole Borg affair.

“Do you know where we’re headed?”

“Not yet,” admitted Captain Devreux. “But hopefully somewhere with a nice beach.” The crew desperately needed some R&R. It had just been one thing after another ever since the reemergence of the Lost Fleet.

“I won’t object to that, sir,” Lieutenant Commander Eidran chuckled. “Anything else?”

“No. That will be all,” Captain Devreux closed. “And Ekkomas, don’t worry… It will all work out in the end. Polaris out.”

As the link closed, both men were left to their thoughts. For Lieutenant Commander Eidran, he felt the onus of command and the weight of uncertainty over him. For Fleet Captain Devreux, it was little better. Although the captain had played it off with the younger man, he was nervous about what lay ahead. The whole affair between Commander Drake and Captain Lewis was worrisome, and he was skeptical if even Admiral Reyes would be able to navigate it. He just hoped she didn’t get caught up in trying to protect her old friend.