Maker - Michael Jan Friedman [78]
“He did,” said Picard.
“But,” the admiral pressed, “only after he had already exchanged volleys with the Nuyyad.”
Picard nodded. “That is correct.”
“Nonetheless, the battle was rejoined, and both Captain Ruhalter and Commander Leach—your first officer—were rendered incapable of command. That left you the highest-ranking officer aboard. At that juncture, you could have made your own attempt to communicate with the Nuyyad. However, you rejected that option in favor of continued hostilities. True?”
“The Stargazer was under attack,” said Picard. “My immediate superiors were already dead or incapacitated. It was imperative that I extricate my ship from danger.”
“Which you accomplished,” McAteer noted, “by destroying the Nuyyad’s ship.”
It was ironic. The last time he heard that charge, it had come from Brakmaktin. And all he could tell the admiral was what he had told the Nuyyad.
“They were pursuing us,” the captain explained. “It was either destroy them or be destroyed.”
“How do you know that if you neglected to contact them?”
Picard frowned. “It was clear to me that they were not interested in a peaceful resolution—not only because they had failed to respond to Captain Ruhalter’s hails, but because of the tenacity of their pursuit and the level of firepower they brought to bear.”
“But,” said McAteer, “for the record…you chose to destroy them rather than make another attempt at communication.”
The captain’s jaw clenched. “Yes.”
McAteer glanced at Caber, as if to say, I told you this fellow was incompetent. Then he went on with his examination.
“With the Nuyyad vessel destroyed,” he told Picard, “you proceeded to a world called Magnia—Serenity Santana’s home planet. Why did you not simply return to our galaxy?”
“The Stargazer was in desperate need of repairs,” the captain explained. “Had we attempted to cross the barrier, I would have exposed my crew to the energies that transformed Gary Mitchell some seventy years ago.”
“I see,” said McAteer. “That sounds like a legitimate concern. But why Magnia?”
“It seemed like our best chance to get parts we could use. If the Magnians originally came from Earth, there were bound to be certain similarities between their technology and our own.”
“Under the circumstances, a reasonable assumption,” the admiral allowed. “But when you arrived at Magnia, there was a ship in orbit. A Nuyyad ship, as I understand it.”
“Indeed,” said Picard. “A reminder to the Magnians that they were at the mercy of the Nuyyad.”
“You heard that later,” said McAteer, “if I recall the substance of your logs, and never received any confirmation of it. But for now, let us deal with your decision to attack this Nuyyad vessel as well. I don’t suppose you made any attempt at contact in this instance either?”
“I did not,” Picard told him. “I had already seen the behavior of her sister ship. And had I contacted her, it would have allowed her to prepare for our confrontation—which would have sealed our fate, considering our shield emitters and weapons batteries were still barely operational.”
McAteer looked incredulous. “So you attacked a vessel that made no aggressive action toward you?”
It sounded so absurd when expressed in those terms. But Picard had known he was right to attack that ship.
“I followed my instincts,” he said.
McAteer affected a sad smile. “Instincts are fallible. That is why Starfleet has protocols and regulations—which you, apparently, chose to ignore.”
“I did not ignore them,” said Picard. “I considered them and decided they did not apply.”
“In your judgment,” said McAteer.
“That is correct,” said the captain.
“The same judgment that led you to trust Serenity Santana?” The admiral chuckled derisively. “Isn’t it true that by this time you suspected Miss Santana of treachery—of leading you and the Stargazer into a trap orchestrated by the Nuyyad?”
“It is,” Picard had to concede.
“But in your judgment, it was advisable to engage the Nuyyad a second time?”
The captain glanced at the other two admirals. Caber was regarding him sternly, no doubt with