Meeting "Tex"

Posted on 11/16/2020 @ 5:06pm by Lieutenant Commander Wilbur Winchester JD & Lieutenant JG Jonah Webster JD
Edited on on 11/20/2020 @ 5:17pm

Mission: S3E1: Time of Change
Location: Starfleet Command, Earth - JAG Headquarters
Timeline: Day 80 at 1215

Lieutenant Junior Grade Jonah Webster was in a mood.

He stalked the corridors of the JAG offices, making his way toward the area that contained the offices of those who represented the defense. He needed his anger and frustration to simmer down before he met with Lt. Commander Wilbur Winchester - also knows as, "Tex." Jonah had only known the man through his reputation as one of the best defense attorneys Starfleet JAG had ever produced. The elder man also had a penchant for cowboy hats and cigars. To Jonah, Winchester sounded like those old school Texas Rangers he had read about in those westerns he would read as a child. He had been honored to be chosen by Winchester to help with the court martial of Lieutenant Larissa Syndel, so he was pissed this was being hampered by his ex, Carmen Hayes.

A half an hour earlier she had contacted him to let him know that she was being assigned to a six month stint on Starbase 309, and she was taking their son with her. The two shared custody, and part of that agreement was to let the other know if a reassignment came up so the agreement could be amended. Carmen was leaving the day after tomorrow, there was no time to meet with the guardian ad lidum to get the agreement amended. With this court martial looming over his head, he didn't even know if he would make it to see his son, and that pissed him off even more.

However, duty first, right? He sighed at that dumb cliche. That would be something his jackass of a father would say to him in times like these. But as dumb as the cliche was, he had to push his personal life aside and focus on the case.

He reached the offices and was directed toward Winchester's private office. He blew out a breath and rang the chime.

Lieutenant Commander Winchester was throwing darts in his office when the chime rang. Bullseye. "Y'all come in," replied Tex as he walked back over to his desk poured two glasses and picked one up to offer to his desk.

When the younger man entered Tex grabbed the brim of his hat and gave it a slight tug married with a small nod. "Howdy," he said to the man reaching out extending the glass. "A lil something to wear your whistle. Ya must be Jonah?"

"I am, and thank you," Jonah replied, taking the tumbler that was offered to him. He was never one for pretense, which probably gotten him written up more times than he could probably count. This was why he wore junior lieutenant pips and not full ones - at least that was a safe bet as to why. He brought the rim of the glass to his lips, tilted his head back and drank. A growl escaped him as he felt the liquid burn going down. "Wooo that packs a wallop."

The man let out a chuckle that burned deep. "It will put hair on your chest," the elder lawyer said. "Jonah, I don't know if you asked for this case or if was just plopped onto your lap, but we are neck deep in a raging river. We have to defend this woman, and I am not sure how to exactly approach it. They are going to try to railroad her."

"I like a good challenge," Jonah said. He placed the glass on the desk and took a seat. Even though he and the Commander didn't really know each other, they fell into an easy conversation. "Commander Rahmer is prosecuting, so you know she is going to try to railroad Syndel. This would have been easier if Syndel shot the guard in self-defense, but the Orion guard was out cold. I think the best we can hope for is getting a lesser charge, but I don't see how to recover her career after this." He shrugged and then continued. "We have to prove that she was a model officer, and that she didn't have some weird vendetta against Orion males. We have to make sure Rahmer doesn't try to play into the sterotypes of Orion females."

Wilbur puckered his lips at the name Rahmer. She came with a reputation. "If Rahmer is being assigned as prosecution, then they are worried. She's a shark in a tank of barracuda," noted the southerner. "I agree with you, Jonah. This won't be about getting our client off the hook. She's as innocent of this as a Ferengi carrying explosives toward a Falxian vessel." Wilbur took a deep breath as he contemplated. "We need to build ethos for our client and take a pathos appeal to a jury. If we can gain sympathy, they may spare her."

Jonah hummed in thought as he let the words sink in. "Do we maybe try for a plea deal to avoid a trial? Court martials don't always end up going that far, sometimes they can be wrapped up in just a few hours. I don't want to jip Syndel out of a fair trial, but I wonder just how fair it will be. Starfleet may let in Orion's to their ranks, but they are made to suppress who they are in doing so. Not to mention, Starfleet doesn't have the best track record with the Orions, I'm worried about bias."

"Rahmer loves attention, and a trial will give her the attention she craves" the cowboy hat wearing man replied. "I would like to get murder off the table personally. This may be more about a patch job than clearing her of guilt. If we can get lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter I would be content. She will serve time undoubtedly, but if we can show she has otherwise been a good officer, the court may be show leniency."

"I agree," Jonah replied. "Has a psychologist been in to talk with Syndel yet? I think if we prove she wasn't in her right mind when she shot the guard, that might help get voluntary manslaughter to stick much easier."

Wilbur chuckled. "I don't know if she has met with the Lieutenant yet. I haven't met with our client yet either, have you? I plan to though and soon; however, this psychologist has requested to meet with her, both of us, problem is she's also asked Rahmer to meet as well. This is not going to go well at all. I say we both go, but I'll arrive first and you wait...wait for Rahmer to arrive. Then make an entrance. I want to through Rahmer off her game."

"Alright, sounds like a solid plan," Jonah responded. "I'd like to talk to Syndel as well, when can that be arranged?" He was curious to meet with the woman, all they had to go on was paperwork from the Crazy Horse and from Starfleet Command.

Wilbur "Tex" Winchester nodded. "I want to meet with her as well. If you can, make arrangements for that and we will meet her together."

"Will do," Jonah said. The conversation had come to its natural conclusion. "Thanks for the drink, boss." Jonah gave a salute, a wink and a click to his tongue and then turned on his heel to leave the office. Let the fun begin, he mused to himself as headed to his own small broom closet of an office. He had work to do, he didn't want to let Winchester down, and he figured if he did a good job, there just might be a promotion in it for him.

He smiled at that thought...

A post by:

Lieutenant Commander Wilbur Winchester
Judge Advocate for Defense

and

Lieutenant JG Jonah Webster, JD
Junior Lawyer for the Defense
NPC for K. Gallagher