The Court Martial of Larissa Syndel (Part 1)

Posted on 11/27/2020 @ 1:44am by Rear Admiral Josiah Rynott & Lieutenant Commander Wilbur Winchester JD & Lieutenant Commander Kiernan Gallagher VII & Lieutenant JG Jonah Webster JD
Edited on on 03/02/2021 @ 6:22pm

Mission: S3E1: Time of Change
Location: Court Room #3, Starfleet Headquarters, Earth
Timeline: Day 90 at 0800

The bell rang indicating that court was in session and the low hum of conversation quieted and stilled as Rear Admiral Josiah Rynott took his seat. The spectator section was filled to capacity, some in uniform, and some in civilian clothes including several members of the press and the defendant's former commanding officer, Cian D'Anvers. On this, the second day of the proceedings, with the eight-member jury already having been impaneled and given its instructions, attention now turned toward the JAG officers assigned to defense, Lieutenant Commander Wilbur Winchester and for prosecution, Lieutenant Commander Alex Rahmer.

Lean and possessed of nearly forty years' experience in Starfleet, Rynott was known for playing his cards close to the vest, as the idiom went. With a full head of silver hair that his grand children claimed made him easier to spot in a crowd and sharp blue eyes that had stared down more than one adversary over the years, he remained a force to be reckoned with. At the moment, though, his expression neutral, he turned to Commander Rahmer, known throughout JAG as something of a legal pit bull though he privately doubted anyone had had the courage to say that to her face, and nodded. "Prosecution may begin," he said.

Alex was wearing her dress uniform on this day. She always liked getting into it because it reinforced her role as the hand of the Federation. She was here to make sure that the Federation was defended and that criminals were put away, never to see the light of day. After all, such animals as "that Orion," should never have a place in a civilized society. She stood up slowly and deliberately, allowing all eyes to fall on her. Knowing that silence made people listen more closely, she took a second or two to stride near the jury. They would see her for what she was, wide open to the public, holding no secrets.

She gave them a grave smile, her eyes apologizing in advance for the inconvenience of having these military members taken away from their important jobs to go through what would likely prove to be a pro forma trial. Nonetheless, the defense insisted, rather than pleading to do just that. Disgusting! And they all know that thing is guilty as sin, too! She should have pled. I would have given her a fair term of years so I would not have to waste these people's time....

"Ladies and gentleman of the jury. Thank you for taking the time to uphold this very sacred duty and tradition of a trial by jury. The accused, over there," Alex turned and pointed meaningfully at Syndel, "is charged with first degree murder. That means that the Defendant in this case is accused of willfully, premeditatedly, and with malice aforethought killed Ross Stuber. Now, I know, ladies and gentlemen of the jury that might sound like a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo to you, so I will do my best to translate for you. Understand, ladies and gentlemen of the jury that the burden is upon us, the prosecution and the people of the Federation to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the Defendant purposely killed Ross Stuber and that it was no accident. Instead, the evidence will show that the Defendant took a phaser, purposely took the phaser and pointed it at Ross. The Defendant purposely clicked the setting from stun to kill. The Defendant then fired the phaser at Ross and killed Ross."

Alex paused letting that information all set in for the jury members before continuing. "You jury members will see all this evidence as recorded at the Auction House and hear from those who witnessed the Defendant's actions in person. Once you have seen all of this evidence and heard the testimony, you will see that the Defendant is beyond a reasonable doubt, guilty of first degree murder and we will ask you to return a verdict of guilty against the Defendant for first degree murder. Thank you."

Inwardly, Alex smiled. She had hit all of the high points of the evidence, humanized the victim by name, and completely omitted any humanizing aspects to the Lieutenant. Outwardly, Alex gave another grave nod to the jury and then slowly walked back to her table, never completely allowing her eyes to leave the jury and simultaneously leaving as much of her back as possible to the Defendant and her counsel.

Attention turned now to the defense team. Commander Winchester had adopted something of a good ole' boy persona though there was no doubt that however slow the drawl in his voice, the mind beneath was quick and sharp. Josiah nodded in his direction as he said, "Defense, you may proceed."

Lieutenant Commander Winchester stood and immediately removed his hat from his head. “I take my hat off to the prosecution,” he said in a peculiar beginning to his opening statement. “You see, the prosecution has the easy task of condemning our client’s actions and persuading y’all to do the same, condemn Ms. Syndel, but what a marvelous job my colleague has done though she made the mistake of practicing law when her true talent is clearly in writing, because, that ladies and gentlemen of this fine here jury, was a pile of fabricated horse shit” he said shaking his head and walking a bit away from his table and giving a small nod at the junior lawyer assisting him as if to say the game is afoot.

Wilbur Winchester did not waste any time. “What the prosecution did was try to paint the ‘victim,’ of this supposed ‘crime’ as the Orion guard that met an ill fate in that room. Though said guard was on the receiving end of Syndel’s phaser fire, do not be mesmerized by the charm of the prosecution today, a clever charlatan as she may be” he added with a chuckle. “No, you see, folks, there are truer victims of what happened, and it is your job today, not to allow a young lady, a fine Starfleet officer, to fall victim to injustice” he said assertively.

“The victim that my colleague has neglected to mention, is that of Master Chief Petty Officer Henri Boudreaux, may God rest his southern soul,” Wilbur said shaking his head and hanging in for a moment in a mournful manner, before raising it to address the jury further. “Forty-seven years old, Human, and from Louisiana. He was not supposed to be on that space station. He and Syndel were captured, brought there, and they were separated. In that time, his life was taken away by an act of pure barbarism, and at the hands of who? Not that poor woman who sits over there with her service, her career, her livelihood resting on y’all. No, Henri Boudreaux lost his life at the hands of someone else, perhaps even Ross Stuber” explained Wilbur. “ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you can’t save Henri Boudreaux, and neither could Lieutenant Larissa Syndel, she felt responsible for them being caught and taken captive and walking into a room where her shipmate, her friend lay lifeless, ask yourselves not if what Lieutenant Syndel did was proper, instead, ask yourselves what you would have done in her place?” opined Winchester. "Thank you, your honor" he added looking at Rear Admiral Rynott.

In the gallery, Tahlin shifted and took K'Taal's hand. "Charming fellow," she whispered. "We'll see if his charm is up to that lamblasting from the prosecution."

"Hush, my dear... Things are getting interesting."

Josiah nodded and returned his attention to the prosecution. "If you're both ready to proceed, Commander Rahmer, you can call your first witness."

It took everything in Alex's power not to react to the theatrics of Winchester. After all, he immediately lost credibility when he attacked her and lost more when he played the blame the victim game. Let the jury see him for what he is and the client. If he desires to make a mockery of himself and his client let him. All that matters is that Orion is gone from a civilized society.

Alex smiled at the jury and again avoided any eye contact with either party on the defense side. She announced in clear concise tone, "The people will call Lieutenant Jodon Joral to the stand."

Lieutenant Joral was guided through the room and took the appropriate seating for what he was there to do, provide what he could. He say ready to respond to anything and everything presented to him as he took a deep breath. It was unnerving, but he tried to keep himself composed.

Once Joral sat in the witness chair and sat down, Alex gave Joral a warm and sympathetic smile. It was a shame that the animal Orion was making the Lieutenant go through this pain and agony. Doing her best to keep Joral at ease, she started with some softball questions:

"Lieutenant Joral, would you please tell me your position and rank in Starfleet?"

"Executive Officer of the USS Crazy Horse, Luna class starship. I hold the rank of Lieutenant" replied J.J. as he made sure to answer it all.

"And what rank and position were you in when the events occurred that brought us here today?"

"The same, Sir."

"Thank you. And do you remember the events that brought you to the Auction House?"

"I remember the events as they unfolded from my perspective."

"I see. And can you tell me what happened when you went to the Auction House?"

"Yes, I can," Jodon began. He took a breath and then proceeded. "We were supposed to be collecting information from the station. It was primarily recon, but we ended up finding missing colonist from Skunil. In the process, we discovered the Chief and Lieutenant Syndel, but it was Syndel we found alive. The Chief was deceased, killed after having been separated from Syndel. We entered the room, subdued the armed guards and made the discovery of the Chief's body. Lieutenant Syndel did not take the sight of our fallen colleague well. She responded by shoving our Chief Science Officer aside, and then increased the setting of her phaser and shot an Orion guard."

"Let's take a step or two back, Lieutenant. In what condition did you initially find the Defendant?"

"Battered, bruised, and not how she normally is aboard the Crazy Horse," J.J. responded. "She looked like cattle, and not treated kindly."

"Did the Defendant have a phaser when you found her?"

"No, sir. I do not believe she was, but we had several security personnel with us and reinforcements arrived. She likely was given one in the process."

"When you found her, did she say anything and how did she appear to you?"

Lieutenant Commander Winchester objected. "Your honor, with all due respect, Lieutenant Joral has an admirable service record, but not as a sociologist, psychologist, nor psychiatrist" the defense asserted. "Prosecution is essentially asking to make an assessment of the defendant's psychological state," explained Wilbur Winchester. "I have no issue with the lieutenant providing if Lieutenant Syndel said anything, but a psych evaluation is not within his expertise."

Alex responded simply, "I'm not asking for an expert or psychological opinion. All that I have asked is for how she appeared, nothing more, nothing less. It is perfectly acceptable for someone to describe someone's appearance."

"Overruled," Josiah said as he turned toward the Crazy Horse's First Officer. "Witness is directed to answer the question."

From his place in the rear of the court room, Cian watched the proceedings. Command rank officers often engaged in negotiations or first contact situations and there was about them something of the same sort of dance. Teasing out information, trying not to make a misstep that the other side could capitalize upon. For a moment, his gaze strayed to Syndel who sat unmoving, bracketed by the people whose skill or lack thereof would decide her future. He had been born as property, without rights of any kind, and so, he had grown up with a measure of control that other races did not seem to possess. When your existence could end on the whim of your betters, you learned how to keep what you felt hidden deep within yourself. He couldn't imagine being so angry that he would violate his own belief system. And he wondered, though he doubted he would ever truly know the answer, if Syndel shared those beliefs? Or had she just paid lip-service to the Federation ideals this whole time.

To Be Continued

A Post by:

Captain Cian D'Anvers
Commanding Officer
USS Crazy Horse

Lieutenant Jodon Joral
First Officer
USS Crazy Horse

Lieutenant Commander Alex Rahmer
JAG Attorney for the Prosecution

Lieutenant Commander Wilbur Winchester, JD
JAG Attorney for the Defense

Lieutenant Jonah Webster, JD
JAG Attorney for the Defense

Lieutenant JG Lae'Or Tahlin
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Crazy Horse