Cold Case
Rated: PG-13
Classification: Star Trek Story
Summary: Those
who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.
Spoiler:
Disclaimer: Star Trek: The Next Generation characters portrayed belong to Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Television. No copyright infringement intended. All other characters depicted are purely fictional and any similarities to actual people are purely coincidental.
Author’s Notes: Part four of a cross over story arc that includes:
All available at http://www.geocities.com/jagrslc/cross_over/cross_story/onefftoc.htm
Feedback: Please?
Story Written February 20, 2002
2200 LOCAL
TEN FORWARD
Ten Forward was a hub of activity. As the relational center for the entire ship the place felt like ancient New York… it never slept.
Commander Deanna Troi sat in a corner and watched her fellow crewmates interact. As the Counselor aboard the USS Enterprise, she was restless and needed a challenge. Surprising for a senior officer who was serving on the flagship of the United Federation of Planets… but there you had it even the surprising was loosing its appeal.
The bartender Guinan rumored to be at least one thousand years old approached. “Deanna… is everything all right?”
Deanna gave the older woman a watery smile. “Am I that easy to read?”
“Only to people who know you. You strike me as being restless.” Guinan assured her.
“Then I strike you correct. I think I need a challenge.” She confessed, just then Commander William Riker, First Officer walked in. “And that is not it.”
“Of course he isn’t.” Guinan faked seriousness.
“Guinan I need to stimulate my mind not my body.” She protested.
“I am told that the mind is where the best stimulation takes place.” She stood. “Think about it.”
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SIX MONTH’S LATER
2035 LOCAL – DEANNA’S OFFICE
The doorbell chimed. “Enter!” She called.
Riker stepped in.
She looked up from the file she was studying. “Will!”
“You forgot.”
The memory slowly dawned on her. “Dinner! Oh Will I forgot! I got so caught up pin this that …”
He calmed her. “It’s all right. So what is **this** that seems to be taking my place?”
She passed him the file and moved to the replicator. “Have you eaten yet?”
“Without you? Never!” he declared. “Criminology? Something I should know?”
She returned laden with food. “I needed something to do.”
“OK but criminology?”
“It’s not about law enforcement skills and strategies the emphasis compliments my training and experience. It examines the social structural foundations of crime, deviance, to embrace social harm, including the social control institutions, as well as the power dynamics involved in defining crime, prosecuting crime, and official sanctions for deviance and those "at risk".” She rattled.
“Wow!” was all he could say with his mouth full of food.
She swallowed “I know… but with the Academy offering the Masters via distance learning I thought I’d tackle it.”
“So how is it going?”
She snorted, “It has been a while since I studied … but all in all not bad. I am working on a paper involving the USMJ and Article 43 the statutes of limitations on violent crime.”
“…and?” he sensed there was a but in there.
“I’m in information overload.” She sighed and stretched out.
He contemplated the problem. “Why not use the holodeck? Pick an advocate and debate your position?”
She sprang up and kissed him “That is brilliant! Now why didn’t I think of that!” she paused “Sorry I got carried away there for a moment.”
“Deanna the day I object to a kiss from you … commit me.” He grinned.
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ONE WEEK LATER – 2200 LOCAL
HOLODECK FOUR
Deanna had put the final touches on her paper and was ready she stepped into the suite and activated the program, there before her stood a female Marine Colonel.
“Computer identify…” Deanna commanded.
“Marine Colonel Sarah Mackenzie, Judge Advocate, Chief of Staff Judge Advocate General’s Office.” The Computer complied.
Deanna recognized the name but had never seen her picture. “Why do you have her as a Colonel?”
“The time frame specified for interaction General Sarah Mackenzie, Judge Advocate General was Colonel Mackenzie and Chief of Staff.” The computer informed her.
Deanna smiled; she was about to see why the indomitable General became the JAG. “Activate program.” She instructed.
Mac just stood there.
Deanna suddenly felt awkward. How did was she supposed to address her/it? General? Colonel? Mac? What? She finally just asked. “How do you wish to be addressed”
“At this timestamp I am referred to as Colonel by staff and Mac by friends.” She answered sounding like a replica of the computer.
This would not do. “Computer don’t we have personality for the Colonel?”
“Please restate your command.”
“Do we have any other databases on Colonel … General Mackenzie?” Deanna rephrased. Sometimes she forgot that the computer was not completely interactive.
“As a military officer the physiological profile of the General is available. Trial TV in the case of Lt. Kinsley recorded Lt. Colonel Mackenzie as well as interviewed her. The lecture by Lt. Colonel Mackenzie to the midshipmen at Annapolis on the Trial of Commander Mackenzie is also available. As Colonel Mackenzie she is recorded at various sittings of various Congress sub committees; notably on sub committees Chaired by Congresswoman Bobbie Latham of Michigan. The Colonel debated before both the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the United States Supreme Court; Closed Circuit TV recordings being available under the freedom of information act. As General Mackenzie…” The computer would catalog the entire list of allowed.
“Stop!” Deanna almost shouted. “Computer extrapolate and download into the matrix the physiological profile from these databases. How close will the facsimile be?”
“There will be a two percent margin of error.”
“I can live with that - do it.” She commanded.
The Colonel came to life. “As I was saying most people call me Mac. I think in this case I can extend that to you Commander.”
“I’m Deanna.” She said.
“So! You want to know what exactly regarding Article 43?” Mac sat at her desk. For the purpose of the exercise Deanna had recreated the JAG headquarters circa 2002 at Falls Church Virginia.
“Why do it? There is much on the fact that you achieved the landmark decision, even more on how you went about doing it but nothing on the why. ”
“Are you with JAG?” Mac asked
Deanna chuckled. “Hardly! I am a psychiatrist.”
Mac nodded “That explains it. Well we had a case and when all was said and one the Admiral committed suicide and we never found out the truth of the case.”
“Admiral Morris?” Deanna said.
“You do your homework.” Mac was impressed.
“Well not many Admirals committed suicide in such a blazing fashion in 2002.” She admitted.
“It was a straight case of he said she said.” Mac began to warn to the story. “A woman had been in a coma for thirty years and finally awoke to accuse the Admiral of attempted murder. What sent me on the crusade was that had the accusation been true the statute of limitations would have prevented a court martial!” She adjusted herself. “Article 43 (b) (1) states: Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person charged with an offense is not liable to be tried by court-martial if the offense was committed more than five years before the receipt of sworn charges and specifications by an officer exercising summary court-martial jurisdiction over the command.” Being a creation of the computer she stated the article verbatim.
“… and your concern was…” Deanna suspected but she wanted to hear it said.
“That the only reason that attempted murder is not murder is because something happened to interrupted the intent from being completed. I realized then that had evidence surfaced to implicate the Admiral we could not have tried him.”
“There were other articles.” Deanna pointed out.
“True but none would carry the weight. A change was needed.”
“And that became your line of argument. That the interrupted act didn’t equate to an interrupted intent.” Deanna confirmed.
“Exactly. I need a coffee fix. You want?” Mac replied.
Deanna nodded. They walked into the kitchenette and found two Captains there. “Computer pause program.” The scene froze. “Computer identify the two new characters.”
“Captain Harmon Rabb Jr. and Captain Sturgis Turner.”
There was something familiar about the Rabb name. “Computer at this date stamp what is the relationship between Captain Rabb and Colonel Mackenzie?”
“The Captain and the Colonel were professional partners.” Came the reply.
“… that all?”
“On star date 20100714 Admiral Rabb married General Mackenzie.”
That was it! That was why the name was familiar. “Computer resume program.”
“Hey Mac.” Sturgis spotted her.
“Hey yourself. Gentlemen meet Commander Deanna Troi.” She introduced.
“She’s picking my brain on the Statute of Limitations argument.” She suddenly looked at Deanna. “Harm was on the case that got me started.”
“I was?” He sounded surprised.
She gave him an exasperated look. “The Admiral Morris case.”
“Ah yes.” He remembered.
“Did you think he was guilty?” Deanna was burring to know.
“Mac never voiced an opinion on the matter… but I always felt that his death followed hotly by the death of one Clarke Palmer was too pat.” He confessed.
“I still have
no comment on it.” She warmed her hands on the coffee mug.
“What’s this
for Commander?” Sturgis asked.
“A master’s
degree.” Deanna replied.
Her combadge
beeped and an announcement followed. “All senior staff to the observation
lounge!” Came her Captain’s voice. Even
as she saved the program she wondered at what new crisis was facing them now.
THE END