Maker - Michael Jan Friedman [82]
But this wasn’t any other court. Picard’s future as a captain in Starfleet lay solely in the laps of three men, one of whom happened to be his accuser.
In other words, he didn’t stand a chance.
According to protocol, the admirals would present their verdicts one at a time. McAteer offered to go first.
Clasping his hands in front of him, he shot a look of regret at Picard—one he had probably practiced in front of a mirror. Then he said what everyone in the room expected him to say.
“This is a difficult decision for me,” he began. “However, Captain Picard demonstrated a serious lack of judgment and a disregard for established protocols in a clear-cut first-contact situation. Regardless of the outcome, he fell short of Starfleet’s expectations. And in the process, he endangered all of us.
“To allow him to repeat his mistake would be a most grievous error on our parts. We can make only one responsible choice—to demote him and reassign command of the Stargazer.”
Leaving his words hanging in the air, McAteer sat back in his seat. And Admiral Mehdi sat forward.
“Obviously,” he said, “Captain Picard diverged from recommended behavior in his dealings with the Nuyyad. But as we have seen, he was right to do so. Foremost Elder Dojjaron said so himself, and who would know better than he?
“Admiral McAteer may say Captain Picard was lucky. I say he was following the sort of instincts that encouraged me to grant him his captaincy in the first place. We must allow him to keep on displaying those instincts where he belongs—in the center seat of the Stargazer.”
Then it was Caber’s turn. Picard smiled to himself. It had been a good run while it lasted.
Caber sat there for a moment, looking solemn. Then he addressed the room.
“Admiral McAteer,” he said, “is a man who obviously has the good of the fleet at heart. And he makes a cogent argument for relieving Captain Picard of his command.”
Picard bit his lip to keep from protesting. McAteer and Caber may have thought he was a loose cannon, but he wasn’t going to do anything to confirm their opinion.
“As the admiral has said,” Caber continued, “the evidence is clear. Captain Picard relied on the word of a woman who had already proven herself capable of lying to him.”
It will not be so bad serving as a first officer, Picard thought. Or would they break him down even further?
“He diverged from Starfleet protocols, ignored his training, and resorted to violence in a first-contact situation.”
Picard sighed. It had only been a few months since he was Captain Ruhalter’s second officer. I suppose I could live with that as well, if it comes to it.
“I don’t take the letter of Starfleet law lightly,” Caber continued. “It represents the accumulated wisdom of a lot of intelligent men and women—the people who commanded starships before we were born. Some of them gave their lives furthering our knowledge of the universe.”
But not on the Stargazer, Picard thought. That would be too much to ask. Walking the same corridors he had walked as captain, facing the same crewmen…except there would be pity in their eyes for what he had become….
“And I’m not talking about survey data or navigation logs. I’m talking about how we approach a species we’ve never seen before—how we put our best foot forward, even when it places us in danger—because in the experience of all the captains who came before us, that’s the way we get the job done.”
Normally, thought Picard, yes. But not in this case. It was too late for first-contact protocols.
“I wish,” said Caber, “that I could say I approved of the way Captain Picard handled the situation. However, I would have done it differently. And I, like Admiral McAteer, believe that discrepancy is a direct result of Picard’s inexperience.”
The captain glanced at Admiral Mehdi, but he saw no hope there. Just a resignation that mirrored his own.
“As I see it,