A communications officer turned to Halsey on the bridge, “Captain – Lieutenant Iziraa reported a colonist for murder.  She had him transported to the brig, and her report has just come in.”

Leopold turned in his chair, “A colonist for murder?”  He stood and accepted a PADD from the officer and began to read.  It was a fascinating and terrifying read – the man had used the attack as a cover to kill his wife.  At least the evidence was showing that to be the case.  Halsey sighed, “He’s made a complaint to me.”  He turned to his wife, “Lieutenant Walker-Halsey, you have the CONN.”  She gave him an annoyed look, and he headed for the turbolift, reading from the report.

He was still reading it when he arrived in the Mercy’s brig.  The Brig Chief stood, startled, “Captain Halsey!”

Waving him off, the CO stepped into the middle of the room, nodding to the occupied cell, “That’s Daniel Blair, correct?”

Ensign Gerald Pottinger made his way to stand beside the captain, “Yes, sir.  He told me he would speak to no one but the captain.”

Halsey chuckled, amused.  “Well, I don’t want to keep him waiting.”  He stepped forward and sat in a chair, signaling to Pottinger to turn on the communications channel to the cell.  “Good afternoon. I’m Captain Leopold Halsey, USS Mercy.  I understand you had a complaint you wished to register?”

Blair jumped up and ran to the wall of the forcefield, “I wish to register a complaint, yes.  Lieutenant Izira.  That’s Izi…”

Halsey waved his hand, “I know who she is, Mr. Blair.  She’s one of my security officers.  What is the nature of your complaint?”

“She falsely accused me of killing my wife!  And she physically assaulted me.  I want her written up and put before a judge advocate general.  I’ll press charges!”

Leopold held up the PADD for the man to see, “I have her report here.  I also have multiple eyewitness reports from both Starfleet personnel and civilians who saw what happened.  Would you like to rethink your complaint?”

Blair frowned.  That was not the answer he had been expecting.  He stared at the captain, “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You assaulted my security officer…or at least attempted.  I’m charging you with the attempted assault of Starfleet personnel.”  He looked up from his PADD, “I think that’s sorted.  Next is the allegations that you murdered your wife.”

The man was still catching up from what had just happened.  It took him a moment to get his outrage back on track, “That security officer was crazy.  I didn’t kill my wife.  The doctor scanned her wrong.  It happens all the time.”

Halsey tapped at his PADD, taking notes, “Murder happens all the time, Mr. Blair?”

“No, you fool.  The doctor’s scanning things wrong.”

“You get one warning, Mr. Blair.  Speak to me or any of my crew in that form again, and this interview will be over.” For the first time that day, Daniel Blair stopped talking.  Halsey gave him a nod, “Good call.  The doctor rescanned your wife three times.  When they transported her body aboard, they did further scans with handheld tricorders and then moved on to our high-powered medical diagnostic equipment.  Each time, without fail, the original accusation by Lieutenant Izira was backed up by the evidence present with your wife’s body.  We’re assembling the data and evidence for transport.  Starfleet Security has dispatched a transport for you to be taken into their custody.”  Halsey stared at the man, “Do you have anything you wish to say for the record?”

Blair felt the captain’s eyes boring into him as the rugged outer shell of his bravado slowly fell away.  What emerged was a ball of fear, afraid at every corner. “I didn’t mean to kill her…I mean…I did.  I just wanted her to take us home.  I didn’t want to be on this godforsaken planet anymore.  But she had to help people.  She had to serve ‘the greater good’, whatever the hell that was. And look what it got her!”

Halsey finished his report and stood, “It got her murdered by you, Mr. Blair.  You’ll be going home…but I doubt you’ll see any of it from your cell, where you will be for the rest of your life.  Ensign Pottinger, secure the prisoner.”  The walls and a single reinforced door slipped up from the floor and interlocked around the suspect who began to scream and shout.  Halsey could still hear him as he walked out.