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LIEUTENANT KEEGAN Khaliban
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"Doctor Bashir,"
Phil said. "How long have you served in Starfleet?"
Bashir, his
head turned away, watched Keegan sideways. "Ten years," he said.
Keegan stepped forward and Bashir
winced. "You are eugenic yourself, are you not?"
"Yes," Bashir
said.
"Doctor, are
you a Starfleet officer?"
"Yes."
"Please act
like it."
Bashir's head
snapped forward, his eyes wide. He straightened his back and tugged his
tunic into place.
"Thank you.
You are also an expert on eugenics. Tell me, what do you think of my
analysis of Starfleet Academy?"
"If any
manipulation exists, it is not intentional."
"I am not
arguing intent, Doctor. Is the analysis valid?"
"It is
possible, but I cannot support it one hundred percent."
"What percent
can you support?" Keegan asked.
"Perhaps
seventy," Bashir said.
"Have you
suffered much discrimination since Starfleet discovered your status?"
"Some, not
much."
"Describe it."
"Objection,
your Honors," Brown said, "Doctor Bashir's difficulties have no bearing
on Mister Keegan's actions. He was not aware of Doctor Bashir's status
when he committed his crimes."
"The objection
is sustained," Admiral Chauhan said.
"Yes, sir,"
Keegan said. "Doctor, you have worked extensively with other eugenics.
Are they all emotionally unstable?"
"No," Bashir
said slowly.
"You were, in
fact, able to help one of them, were you not?"
"Yes, Sarina
Faith."
"The other
eugenics predicted the Federation would lose the Dominion War. Is that
correct?"
"Yes," Bashir
said.
"Then, a
eugenic can be–"
"Now!" someone
yelled from the back of the gallery. Keegan, Bashir and the rest of the
court turned to the noise. A tall redheaded woman in a security uniform
stood up in the back of the room. "Now, Bashir!" she said. Julian
groaned. The woman started forward, her eyes on Keegan. Two security
officers intercepted her. She slid past one and twisted the other to the
ground. When more security pressed toward her, a mature cherub of a man,
dressed as an admiral, ran past the guards. One guard tried to stop him.
He tripped her and jumped over her, landing in a clutch of Voyager's
crew. Tuvok caught and controlled him. While the struggles occurred,
Keegan scanned the front of the gallery. He stopped on a man dressed as
a captain. The man's eyes gleamed wide, and he jumped at Keegan.
"Jack, stop
it!" Bashir said.
Jack punched
at Keegan. In a single move, Phil blocked the fist and struck Jack
across the jaw. Jack fell back. He paused for an instant and leapt at
Keegan with both feet. Phil caught him and shoved him hard into the
ground. Phil held Jack in place.
"He's killing
me!" Jack yelled. He twisted and screamed in agony. "Look at him! Look
at what he's doing! Ahhh!"
"Lieutenant?"
Chauhan asked.
"He's faking
it," Phil replied in a calm tone.
"Stop it,
Jack," Bashir said.
"He's killing
me! He's killing me!"
"Stop it!"
Bashir said. "Your faking it. We can all tell."
Jack stopped
struggling and turned toward Bashir. "You can?"
"Yes. Now,
stop it."
"He can't be
allowed to exist," Jack said.
"Why is that?"
Commander Brown asked.
"He's a
murderer. He's killed thousands. Millions."
"No, I
didn't," Phil said, but he sounded angry as if caught in a lie.
"You designed
the fusion reactors!" Jack yelled.
"I helped to
design them," Phil said in a flat voice. "But Khan ordered their
detonation. I was half-way to the Delta Quadrant then."
"Millions died
because of you!"
"Over a
billion," Phil said.
"He admits
it!" Jack screamed.
"We already
knew it, Jack," Bashir said.
"What?"
"He confessed
those actions before the trial," Bashir continued.
"He did?"
"Yes."
"All of them?"
No response.
Keegan pulled Jack to his feet and pushed him at a Vulcan security
officer.
"The defense
would like to request a brief recess," he said.
"All of
them?!" Jack said. Keegan walked through the clutch of people to the
defense table. "Everything?!" Jack yelled.
"You're
fishing for an answer," Keegan said.
"But there is
an answer."
"That," Phil
said, "is the responsibility of the prosecution."
"Tell me!"
Jack screamed.
"Why?! So you
can find out if you're exactly like me?"
Jack winced
away. His companions cringed and lowered their eyes. Bashir ignored the
reactions of his former patients in favor of the clear self-loathing in
Philip Keegan's face.
"Your Honors,"
Commander Ponomarev said, "The defense has requested a short recess."
"Yes,
Commander," Admiral Pek said. "This court is in recess for thirty
minutes. Security, remove these people."
While security
pulled the eugenics from the room, Anzhelika Ponomarev leaned toward her
client and whispered, "Phil–"
"Thank you,
Lika," he said.
"I was doing
my duty."
"I know," he
replied, "Thank you."
Thirty minutes
later, and with more security in the room, Lieutenant Keegan continued
his questioning.
"Have you
continued your professional relationship with Sarina Faith, Doctor?"
"Yes," Bashir
said. "I examine her once a year to see if there is any change in her
behavior."
"Has her
emotional state deteriorated?"
"No."
"Then, Doctor
Bashir, it is possible for an advanced eugenic to be emotionally
stable."
"Yes, but
Sarina and the others haven't received as much manipulation as you."
Bashir stopped on his own words. "Wait. That doesn't–"
"Thank you,
Doctor," Keegan said. "Tell me, why did your parents have you altered?"
"How could
that be?" Bashir continued. "You were–"
"Doctor! I
will ask the questions."
"Yes,
Lieutenant. I...I was suffering in school because of my inadequacies."
"Tormented
because of them? Particularly considering the reputation of your
parents?"
"Yes."
"How many
people suffer from averageness today, Doctor?"
"Obviously,
there's a range of the best and worst."
"Are the worst
rewarded in today's society?"
"No."
"Are they
condemned?"
"Children can
be cruel," Bashir replied.
"Yes. I know.
What about adults?"
"Very rarely."
"Yes, it is a
more tolerant society."
"Exactly."
"Then, you had
nothing to worry about when you reached adulthood."
"I suppose
not."
"Do you enjoy
your abilities, Doctor?" Keegan asked.
"Enjoy them?"
"Yes. Your
understanding of medicine, for example. Do you feel a thrill when you
discover something new or when you read a particularly insightful paper
from one of your colleagues?"
Bashir lowered
his face. "Yes. I do."
"Do you have
that right?"
"The right?"
"Do you ever
feel guilty knowing you may be stealing someone else's discovery?"
"Stealing?"
"Yes, Doctor.
If you had not discovered polytransitional recombinant cellular
cohesion, for example, someone else would have. You, in effect, stole
the discovery from that other researcher, whoever that might have been.
Does that make you feel guilty?"
Bashir
answered with a nervous nod.
"Your
'natural' colleagues, do you think they feel guilty?"
"I don't think
so."
"What is your
crime? What causes your guilt?"
Bashir sighed
and spoke as if the answer were old for him. "I cheated."
"And, your
colleagues did not?"
"Yes."
"Why is that?"
"They were
born with their abilities."
"So what?"
"I'm sorry?"
Bashir said, his head at a tilt.
"Is your
surgical ability cheating when you save a life?"
"Yes."
"Do the
patients care?"
"Some of them,
yes."
"Do you care?"
"I feel
guilty, as I said."
"Do you think
about that while you're helping them?"
"Yes."
"Does it stop
you?"
"No."
"Are you glad
you are able to help them?"
"Yes."
Keegan smiled
at a distant memory. "What are we, Doctor?"
"Eugenic."
"Yes. What
does that mean? We had no choice in what we became. What are we? What do
we represent?"
"Vanity,"
Bashir said as if familiar with the answer. "We represent the vanity of
our parents."
"What is the
strongest species in the Federation?"
"That's
difficult to say exactly. There are many forms of strength," Bashir
said.
"In a general
way," Keegan replied. "As you would classify strength."
"The Horta."
"The longest
lived?"
"The Medusans."
"The most
intelligent?"
"The Vulcans."
"Tell me,
Doctor, what advantage do I have over those races?"
"I don't
know," Bashir said quietly.
"What
advantage do you have?"
Bashir turned
his head in thought. "None," he said.
"Why did you
apply to Starfleet when you knew it was illegal?"
"I wanted to
serve in Starfleet, and I wanted to help people."
"Why did you
want to serve in Starfleet? Helping people could be done anywhere,"
Keegan said.
"Because it's
Starfleet. It's special."
"Thank you,
Doctor." Phil returned to his seat.
"You have
quite a list of deceptions to your name, Doctor Bashir," Commander Brown
said.
"Yes," he
replied.
"Your father
paid for those deceptions, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did."
"Did you ever
alter medical records to hide your nature?"
"Not exactly.
As a doctor, I knew how to confuse the sensors."
"Did you ever
rewrite computer records or delete files?"
"No."
"Did you ever
misrepresent your abilities?"
"Yes," Bashir
said. "But never with a patient."
"Did you ever
take control of a starship or Deep Space Nine to hide your identity or
make a point?"
"No, never."
"Did you ever
put anyone at risk–"
"Objection,"
Keegan said. "Lieutenant Commander Tuvok and Lieutenant Torres have
proven Voyager and her crew were not at risk while I was in control."
"The objection
is sustained," T'Lara said.
"Yes, sir,"
Commander Brown said. "Doctor, have you ever lied directly to a superior
officer?"
"Directly?
No."
"Are you
afraid of Lieutenant Keegan?"
Bashir lifted
his eyes to Keegan. "Yes."
"Why?"
"He likes what
he is."
"Why would
that frighten you?"
"I was
salutatorian of my class, because I was one of the best. I have been
asked if I intentionally failed to get valedictorian. I didn't. That
wouldn't be the case with Philip Keegan. He would place himself exactly
where he needed to be. He would choose his position because he could."
"Phil?"
Commander Ponomarev whispered.
"Do you have
an objection?" Admiral T'Lara said.
"No, sir,"
Keegan replied.
"Please,
Doctor," Commander Brown said, "Continue."
Bashir took a
breath and let it go. "I believe Mister Keegan has decided where he
wishes to be in Starfleet. He has created a scenario for it. He will get
what he wants, because we cannot know how to stop him."
"We are
pawns?"
"No. Not
pawns. We are elements of the equation. I don't think he can view us as
human. I don't think he can understand what we mean to ourselves and our
society. I don't think he can understand what humans have become. I
think he is the worst thing I have faced." Bashir stopped. He looked
around the floor, trying to find his answer. "No. He is like something I
faced. He is like the Founders. He has that same disregard for the
sentience of others."
"That's a very
strong comment, Doctor. Can you justify it?" Brown asked.
"No," Bashir
said quietly.
"Thank you,
Doctor."
"Redirect?"
Keegan said. T'Lara nodded. "Doctor, do you know why I hate Khan Noonian
Singh?"
"I've read
'Diary of a Child's Moment'."
"That tells
you what he did to my siblings and me. Some of it, anyway. Do you know
what he did to me?"
Bashir shook
his head.
"How did you
feel about the Founder that replaced you?"
Bashir tried
to respond, but failed.
"Now, imagine
you grew up with him and, at the age of six, looked at him as your hero.
How would you feel?"
"Objection,"
Commander Brown said. "I don't see how this has relevance."
"Sustained,"
T'Lara said. "Any other questions, Lieutenant?"
"No, sir."
After he was
dismissed, Bashir walked toward the exit but stopped near the
defendant's table. "I don't hate the Founders," he said.
"Who do you
hate?" Keegan replied.
"I hate what
happened."
"Thank you,
Doctor. I think you do understand me."
* * *
STARDATE -342376.59: May 18, 1981
"Thank you,
Kashmira, that was very insightful," the teacher said. Like all the
teachers on the island, he was also a genetic engineer, a fifth
generation eugenic, and the biological father of one or two of the
eugenic children. "Gescilene, can you describe the similarity of
reincarnation imagery as used by Li Po and Marot?"
Gescilene did
not answer. Instead, she looked toward the door of the classroom. Philip
Keegan, sitting behind her, followed her head and saw Allyn McPherson
enter the room.
"Mister
McPherson," the teacher said. "How may I help you?"
"I'm sorry,
father," he said. McPherson and the teacher looked nothing alike. "I'm
afraid you've become a problem."
"Problem?" the
teacher asked. McPherson took him by the head and snapped his neck. He
turned to the children.
"Bury him," he
said. "And dig enough graves for all of them." He spoke in a gentle
tone, without anger.
Phil and Gesci,
closest to the teacher, stood and picked up his body. They carried him
out of the building, followed by a long line of their siblings. More
batch ten children, with bodies in hand, met them at a large, unused
field. Shovels arranged like a pyre awaited them. The children dug
without voice or tear. When the first group was buried, Khan walked out
and ordered half the children back inside to get the rest.
"What do we
do?" Kashmira whispered.
"Shut up!"
Phil said.
"Dammit,
Phil–" Kashmira started.
"Shut up!
There's more than enough room here for us." Phil pretended to wipe sweat
away. "Try writing something."
"Do you–"
Gesci began, "Do you want to talk about reincarnation imagery?" She
responded to her own question by stabbing her shovel blade and two
inches of handle into the ground. She scooped out a block of dirt the
size of her ribcage and tossed it onto a pile.
Phil jumped
into a grave and pulled in one of his mothers. He lay her flat on the
soil, crossed her arms and, with a snap, straightened her head. He
closed her eyes and climbed out.
Nathari began
to whistle. Slow and steady, he created a requiem as he worked. The
slice of his shovel set the tempo. Phil, Kashmira and Gesci picked up
the refrain. Others down the line collaborated in tone. A symphony of
fifty voices and fifty shovels and more bodies than they wanted to
count.
Days later,
Phil sat in the library. Once a week, each child was given three hours
alone to pursue themselves. Khan, it was said, rewrote Sun-Tzu and
applied it to the instincts of Alexander. Kashmira wrote novels. Nathari
transcribed his music. Gescilene studied surgical techniques. Phil
usually read physics journals, but not this week. A large unread stack
stood at one end of his table. A small finished stack lay turned over at
the other end. In the center of the table, an eight year old boy cried
for his parents.
* * *
STARDATE 55434.01: Eighteenth Day of
The Trial
"Gordon's
Island, near Borneo," the computer said. "A mass grave of four hundred
and forty-eight people was discovered on this island in
twenty-seventeen. The site was dated to between nineteen seventy-seven
and nineteen eighty-three. No reason was found for the grave. The event
was attributed to the eugenics, but without solid proof."
"The defense
wishes to enter this information into record," Keegan said.
"So noted,"
Admiral Pek replied.
"The defense
calls Captain Montgomery Scott to the stand."
The fifty year
space veteran walked to the witness chair with a snarl and a grunt. He
sighted down the length of the room and watched Keegan rise and walk
around the defense table. Keegan gave the captain a moment of
unrestrained hatred before he began.
"Captain
Scott–"
"You'll get no
help from me."
"Captain,"
Admiral Chauhan said, "You may be retired, but you are still a Starfleet
officer. I expect you to do your duty."
"Aye, sir,"
the captain said. "Ask your damn questions," he said to Keegan.
"Thank you,
Captain. Do you fear me?"
Captain Scott
ground his teeth hard. "Yes."
"Why?"
"Why?!"
"Yes,
Captain."
"What the hell
do you mean 'why?'!"
"Captain
Scott," Chauhan said, "Please control yourself."
"Aye, sir," he
said. The captain turned to Keegan. "I fear you for what your kind did."
"My kind,
Captain, but not me. What did I do?"
Captain Scott
watched Keegan in silence.
"Captain, what
did I ever do to you?"
"Not a damned
thing," he said.
"So, you fear
Khan."
"Aye."
"Why?"
"Is that your
question?"
"Captain,"
Keegan said. "Please respond."
"He tried to
kill the captain, is all. And killed my own nephew. And Mister Spock. Is
that reason enough for you? He tried to take the ship. When he couldn't
get it, he tried to destroy it. Is that reason enough to fear him?"
"No," Keegan
replied, "It is not. The people you mentioned were all Starfleet
officers. They knew the risks."
"The hell they
did! My nephew was a cadet. He didn't know a damned thing."
"He knew to
stay at his post."
"Damned
straight! And it got him killed."
"Shouldn't he
be commended for that?"
"No, damn it!
He should be alive."
"But, he was
Starfleet. He knew the risks when he applied."
"The damn
scientists didn't!"
"Scientists?"
Keegan asked. Simone Brown and Anzhelika Ponomarev leaned forward
together. Their eyes met. For the first time, Anzhelika saw the cunning
of her client. She didn't like it.
"Aye," the
captain continued. "The scientists of Regula I. He killed them, tortured
them! I saw the bodies. Do you have any idea what he did to them?!"
"Yes," Keegan
replied, "He tortured me the same way."
Captain
Scott's face drained of blood and anger, and he fell back.
"Objection,"
Commander Brown said. "Move to strike."
Keegan turned
his head around toward Commander Ponomarev. He raised an eyebrow at her.
She spoke in a
stilted voice. "A spontaneous declaration from the defendant is always
admitted."
"That was not
spontaneous!" Commander Brown said.
"The
declaration occurred in open court without prompting from the
prosecution," Ponomarev continued. "It should be admitted."
Chauhan,
watching Keegan, said, "The defense co-counsel is correct. The statement
will be admitted. Mister Keegan, I assume you have no further questions
for this witness."
"No, sir,"
Keegan said. "I do not."
"This court
stands in recess for the next twenty minutes," Chauhan said. "Mister
Keegan, I suggest you take the time to speak with your co-counsel."
Back in the
holding cell, and alone with her client, Anzhelika Ponomarev tried to
pace away her anger. "What the hell were you thinking?" she yelled.
"I needed them
to know the information."
"Not like
that!"
"I needed them
to understand."
"By
embarrassing a legend of the Federation? Are you insane?"
"They needed
to hear it."
"Hear what?
What did he do? Why did he do it?"
"I cried. We
all did when our parents were killed. The scientists would torture us
for an hour each week, so we would not fear pain. Khan increased it to
three hours every day until we stopped crying. He took three sessions
with me himself. He was very professional in his work."
"Tell them
that, for god's sake. That's what you do in the Federation. Tricks like
this, manipulations, are wrong. Do you have any idea how much you've
hurt your case?"
"No," he said
simply.
"I made myself
believe you belonged in Starfleet. I'm not sure now. When we go back out
there, you damn well better do things the Federation way."
"I
understand."
"That ace, can
you still use it?"
"Yes, but I
don't know if I should."
She exhaled as
much anger as she could. "You must do what is right."
"I am
beginning to understand that," he said.
When they
returned to the courtroom, Admiral Chauhan asked Keegan to explain his
comment. He did. Then the admiral asked Commander Brown if she had any
questions for Captain Scott. She did not.
"Mister
Keegan?" Chauhan said.
Keegan stood.
"The defense rests," he said.
"Very good,"
Chauhan replied. "Is the prosecution ready to begin?"
"Yes, sir,"
Simone said. "The prosecution calls Voyager's Emergency Medical
Hologram." The Doctor walked down from the gallery to the witness chair.
He sat, scowled briefly at the defendant and tilted his head toward the
prosecutor. "Tell me, Doctor," Commander Brown continued, "How long have
you believed you were sentient?"
"For about
five years."
"According to
Doctor Zimmerman, that is unlikely."
"My 'father'
has some restricted notions about the development potential of my
program. Why, five years ago, I had already acquired an interest in
opera and the classics. I developed advanced medical techniques. I
studied holography, my own existence, philosophy–"
"The defense
concedes the Doctor's personal development," Keegan said.
"Thank you,"
T'Lara said. "Commander Brown, please continue."
"Yes, sir.
Doctor, how do you regard Lieutenant Keegan's action?"
"The
lieutenant took from me my right to choose. He stole a portion of my
sentience."
"Explain
please," the commander said.
"Scientists
define sentience as possessing intelligence, self-awareness and
consciousness. I disagree. I believe it is the act of desire. A machine
does not want. I do. I want to live. I want to think. I want to feel. I
want to improve myself. With desire comes choice. My program will hold
only so much. I must choose which information I will learn and which
skills I will possess. If I choose to learn an opera, I must leave out a
musical. My desires define me, so my choices define me. Lieutenant
Keegan took my right to choose."
"Did you have
the right to choose?" Brown asked.
The Doctor
shrugged with excess. "I am not an admiral, no. I do not know Federation
law as well as I might. But, I do know doctor-patient confidentiality."
"You also know
you must tell your captain of any illegal acts whether confidentiality
applies or not. Could you resolve this issue?"
"As I said,
no. I would hope the lieutenant would think enough of me to trust me."
"What if you
were wrong? Could you take that chance?" Simone Brown said. "You had the
ability to destroy a man's life. Did you have the right to make that
decision? Would any doctor, flesh or otherwise?"
The Doctor
tilted his head to the side in deep contemplation. "No," he said. "No
doctor would."
"Does that
excuse his act?"
"No," the
Doctor said slowly. "He should have found another method."
"Such as?"
The Doctor
started to answer, paused and started again. "I don't know. I don't know
the extent of his skills."
"You leave him
very little alternative."
The Doctor
paused again, with more flair. "I was not to blame for his situation. I
should not have been made a victim of it."
"Thank you,
Doctor." Commander Brown returned to her chair.
Commander
Ponomarev began to stand, but Keegan put a hand on her arm. He stood in
her place and walked to the middle of the room.
"Tell me,
Doctor," he began, "What do you think your decision would have been?"
"It's
difficult to speculate."
"I trust your
ability to do so," Phil said with a smile.
"I might have
reviewed your life aboard Voyager up to that point."
"And?"
"You did not
seem to show too much mental instability."
"Then, Doctor,
tell us your decision."
"I would need
to know if you posed a threat," the Doctor said.
"Did I?"
"I'm not
certain."
"Guess,
Doctor. What would you have thought?"
"Objection,"
Brown said.
Keegan turned
around, clearly surprised.
"The Doctor's
program suffered a breakdown from an ethical feedback loop," Commander
Brown continued. "The lieutenant's questions may cause another
breakdown."
"Lieutenant?"
T'Lara said.
"That was not
my intention," Keegan said slowly.
"Doctor,"
T'Lara asked, "Do you feel you can continue."
"Yes," he
said. "With respect to the prosecutor, I am perfectly safe."
"Very good,"
Brown said.
"Lieutenant,"
T'Lara said, "Please continue."
"Doctor,"
Keegan said. "What is your answer?"
"Some of your
actions appeared suspicious."
"Were they?"
"I don't
know."
"How long do
you think you would wrestle with this question?"
"I can't say."
Phil sighed
carefully. "Could you ever answer this question?"
"I don't
know."
"Is your duty
more to the ship or your oath as a doctor?"
"They are the
same if you posed a threat."
"Did I?"
The Doctor
paused, tilting his head and spreading his hands. "I'm not sure."
"Are you not
sure because of my actions in the last five years or the two previous?"
"I don't
know."
"Then or now?"
"Either," the
Doctor replied.
"Then, if I
had asked, would you have accepted the subroutine willingly?"
The Doctor
arched his eyebrows and turned his head to one side. Then he arched them
again and turned his head back. "I believe I would," he said. "But how
would you ask me?"
"The memory
buffer on the holodeck," Keegan said.
"What?" the
Doctor replied.
"When you use
the holodeck, your active memory is stored in the buffer. I could have
extracted that memory into the holodeck and asked it. It would not have
access to your core program and would suffer because of that. Had I
asked it the question, its decision would match yours to within
ninety-seven percent."
Commander
Brown stood. "The prosecution asks Doctor Zimmerman to confirm that
value."
Zimmerman
stood and walked to the edge of the gallery.
"Doctor
Zimmerman?" T'Lara asked.
"I estimate
ninety-four to ninety-six percent," he said.
"Thank you,
Doctor," T'Lara replied. "Lieutenant, please continue."
"I have no
further questions," Keegan said.
"Redirect?"
Chauhan asked. Commander Brown shook her head. "Doctor, you may step
down. Commander, your next witness."
"I'm sorry,
Lika," Phil whispered.
"For what?"
"For not
telling you this."
"The
prosecution calls Sarina Faith," Brown said in a clear voice.
Sarina, shy to
the point of non-existence, slipped down from the gallery almost unseen.
She pulled herself back into the witness chair and kept her eyes well
away from Lieutenant Keegan. She was sworn in and smiled at Simone
Brown.
"Professor
Faith, I asked you to research Lieutenant Keegan's claims and his
background prior to his abduction by the Caretaker. Could you tell us
your findings?"
She nodded and
took a quick, shallow breath. "Philip Keegan attended the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and earned Master's degrees in physics and
mathematics. He also assisted in the development of the first fusion
reactor."
"Was he
responsible for the design used to detonate the reactors?" Brown asked.
"No," Sarina
whispered and shook her head for emphasis. "Though I consider it
unlikely that he did not know of its existence."
"Is he the
author of Cochran's Unclaimed Thesis?"
"Yes," she
replied with a nod.
"Anything
else?"
Sarina turned
her face and body toward Philip Keegan. "He murdered a man in cold blood
in nineteen-ninety-two."
Simone and
Anzhelika spun toward Phil. The admirals, the gallery, the eyes of
Kathryn Janeway all moved to him. He didn't twitch. He hardly blinked.
"Well done,"
he said softly.
"Objection,
Lieutenant?" T'Lara said into the heavy silence.
"None, your
Honor." His eyes remained on Sarina.
"Commander
Brown," T'Lara said, "Please continue." Simone did not respond.
"Commander, are you able to continue?"
"Yes," she
said. "My apologies to the court." She straightened her tunic with a
snap. "Professor, why did no one else find this information?"
"Someone hid
it very well," Sarina replied still watching Phil.
"How could
that be?"
"He was
acquitted. Some assumed his disappearance was the result of revenge. No
further action was needed."
"Why was he
acquitted?" Simone asked.
"According to
the medical examiner, no human could do that much damage to a person's
skull without mechanical help. No machinery was found."
"Is that
analysis true of a eugenic?"
Sarina finally
turned her head to Commander Brown. "No," she said.
"How did the
victim die?" Simone asked.
"I shoved his
skull into a stone wall," Phil said.
"Why?" Sarina
said softly.
Phil drew a
deep breath and let it drain out of him. "Do you know how much I hate
Khan Noonian Singh?"
"Lieutenant,"
Chauhan said, "If you have pertinent information, please enter it into
the record."
"Has the
prosecutor completed her questioning?" Phil asked.
"Yes," Brown
said. "No further questions."
"Lieutenant?"
Chauhan said.
"Professor
Faith, do you fear me?"
"Yes," she
replied.
"Why?"
"You don't
know what you are," she said.
He laughed,
slowly. "I wish that were true."
* * * Page 7 Page 9
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