Chapter 5 – Riot and Dishonor
Jack sat with Zaylie in the reception area of Admiral Vogt's office for over an hour.
“This is unusual,” Jack murmured.
“They were expecting you?”
“Yes,” he said. “I had assumed this was an important matter.”
“What was it?” Zaylie asked.
“Sorry, but I'm not at liberty...”
“Understood.”
He turned to her. “That's not like you at all.”
“I expect I'll find out in time,” she said. “I can be patient.”
He nodded. “I believe I was contacted by an entity the other night.”
“Contacted?”
“Yes,” he said. “This entity had contacted me once before.”
“One of the Q?”
“I don't think so,” he said. “But I suspect this may be important.”
“You say you've...”
The door into the admiral's office opened outward.
The woman Jack had spoken to before came out of the office. “Captain McCall?”
“Commander Bolano,” Jack said, standing.
Bolano turned to Zaylie. “And you are?”
“Lieutenant Zaylie Burton, ma'am.”
“My conn officer,” Jack said with a smile.
“Get out,” Bolano told Zaylie.
“Excuse me?” Jack said.
“I told her to get out.”
“And I'm her CO,” Jack said. “I think that...”
Bolano turned again to Zaylie. “I speak on full authority of Admiral Vogt, get out, and don't come back.”
“She brought me down in a shuttle and will taking me back to the Chamberlain,” Jack said.
“No, she won't.” Bolano turned and went back into the office. “Come with me, Captain McCall.”
“Wait here,” Jack said to Zaylie under his breath. “Something's not right. If they run you out, go straight to Kadan.”
“Aye, sir,” Zaylie said, taking a seat again.
Jack walked into the office, and behind the desk was an older woman who he recognized as Admiral Vogt. Next to her were two other officers he didn't know, a human male, and an Andorian female, both held the rank of captain.
“Thank you for coming here on your own, Captain McCall,” Vogt said, folding her hands together.
Jack had only spoken to her once three years earlier on Yed Post IV at the reception for Mei-Wan's presentation. They'd shared only small talk.
“I'm not sure how else I would have come here,” Jack said.
“Your cover story of being contacted by some entity was a good one.”
“I'm afraid there's been some sort of misunderstanding, ma'am,” Jack said. “I was contacted by an entity.”
Vogt quickly turned to Bolano. “You said that he...”
“I thought he had.”
Vogt turned back to Jack. “I am sorry, Captain McCall. I thought you were aware of what this was actually about, and you had shown a level of discretion which...” She shook her head. “It doesn't matter I suppose.” She looked up at the human male standing next to her. “Captain Alverson, if you would.”
Alverson stepped forward, and up to Jack. He was a tall, stocky man with several scars on his face. “Captain Jack McCall, I am Captain Mark Alverson of the Judge Advocate General's office. You are hereby charged with violation of the Omega Directive, having failed to eradicate the Omega technology discovered on Geryon IV, and disobeying the direct orders of the President of the United Federation of Planets, and Commodore Stuart Dameron.”
“What?” Jack nearly shouted. He hadn’t at all expected this. “The people of that planet were no threat to anyone. Dameron and his Zeparan friends saw the Omega Directive as a means to have the Federation take sides in a war the Zeparans started long ago. To have attacked that planet would have made me and my crew mass murderers! No Directive could ever justify such an action!”
“May I remind you, Captain McCall,” Alverson continued. “That anything you say from this point forward may be used against you in the case in which you have been charged.”
Jack looked about the room. No one was laughing. “You are being played by Dameron, and the Zeparans.”
“Be that as it may,” Alverson said. “You have been charged with a gross violation of the chain of command, and Starfleet regulations, and worse, you broke faith with Starfleet. You took an oath to defend the Federation, and you turned against every citizen of that Federation. You shall come with us for processing, and for temporary holding until you can face a preliminary hearing.”
“I am under arrest?” Jack asked, shocked at the words he was hearing.
“You shall be taken into custody,” Vogt said. “There shall be a preliminary hearing within the next twenty-four hours to determine whether or not you shall be held until trial or released on your own recognizance.”
“If you would, Captain McCall?” Alverson said, pointing toward the door.
Jack shook his head, but knew all the words he wanted to say might make things worse. “Of course.”
“Jack,” Vogt said. “Out of respect for your father, I am trying to keep this as low key as possible. Please don't make a scene which requires me to take more drastic action.”
Now Jack remembered. Cynthia Vogt. She and Jeremiah McCall had been involved some two decades ago, one of his father's several relationships over the years.
Alverson and the Andorian captain led the way to the door. Jack followed.
Once they were back in the reception area, Zaylie rose from her seat.
“Captain?”
Bolano zeroed in on her. “I thought I ordered you...”
“My captain ordered otherwise,” Zaylie said, undeterred by the higher ranking woman.
“I asked her to remain,” Jack said.
Bolano frowned. “Your captain is in no position to order you to do anything. Report back to your ship.”
“Sir?” Zaylie asked.
Jack followed Alverson to the outer door. “Follow your orders, Lieutenant.”
“Aye, sir.”
***
“Arrested?!” Loftus asked, standing from the command chair on the bridge.
“That's what it looked like,” Zaylie said. “I did a quick check of the officers present, and two of them were from the Judge Advocate General's office.”
“Dameron?” Melissa asked.
“Has to be,” Kristy Bishop said.
“But how can they charge him for violating a directive they won't admit exists?” Zaylie asked. “He still has a right to an open trial.”
“I'm sure there are subsections of the directive which cover that,” Loftus said. “And you know how Dameron is. He's probably out to make an example of the captain.”
“But Jack refused the order on the basis of not committing genocide,” Melissa said. “That has to count for something.”
“Given the Omega Directive is secret, there's no way for us to know what it allows and doesn't,” Loftus said. She looked at Melissa. “As his wife, you should still have access to him.”
“You know they'll monitor everything we say,” Melissa said. “If you're thinking we can get any information from him, or...”
“No,” Loftus replied. “At the moment, we need to make sure he has an attorney, and that he knows all of us see it as our duty to testify on his behalf.”
“That's a message I can definitely get to him,” Melissa said with a smile.
***
Melissa sat across from Jack in a room with a thick transparent divider down the middle, her on one side, him on the other.
She placed her hand on the barrier between them. “Are you okay?”
He smiled. “Yeah, they're feeding me, and giving me water.”
“That's not what I meant,” she replied. “How are you holding up?”
“I don't think it's hit me yet,” he said. “It feels like I’m in some strange place I can’t recognize. It all happened so fast.”
“Yeah,” she said.
“I assume Kadan knows.”
“Yes, she's checking with Starfleet to see what's going on, but so far, they've not replied back.” Melissa stared at him for several moments. “I don't suppose you can tell me anything.”
“It's classified.”
“How can the charges against you be classified?”
“When the matter at hand is classified, the charges are.”
Melissa shook her head. “This isn't how things are supposed to work.”
“Unfortunately, there's a difference between how they're supposed to work and how they do work.” He looked down. “The universe has a habit of throwing things like that at us.”
“I’ve got a lawyer for you,” Melissa said.
“That was fast,” he said.
“Someone your friend Marie suggested.”
Jack smiled. “Thank her for me.”
“You can do that yourself when this is over,” Melissa replied.
“The lawyer any good?”
“She said he was the best.”
“I hope they have clearance for this case due to the classified nature of the charges,” Jack said.
“This is insane!” Melissa nearly shouted. “They can't charge you and control who your lawyer is.”
“Can’t they?”
That sent Melissa over the edge. “For God's sake, Jack! This violates everything Starfleet is supposed to stand for!”
“They don't see it that way.”
“It's not up to them!”
“Unfortunately, they have all the guns,” Jack said.
“No, they don't.”
Jack didn't at all like her tone. “Don't do anything foolish.”
“You mean like stand up for what's right?”
He shook his head. “There's what's right, and what seems right. They may look the same, but sometimes they aren't.”
“That's bullshit!”
“Don't ruin your career,” Jack said. “If this lawyer is as good as Marie thinks, maybe I can beat this.”
Melissa nodded, calming down. “Okay... for now.”
“Thank you.”
“Any message for Loftus?”
“Take care of the ship.”
Melissa frowned. “I mean, something more than that?”
“No,” he said. “I want her to do the same as you. Just sit tight and let this run its course.”
“She's not going to like that,” Melissa said. “I know I don't.”
“It's the only option any of us has for now.”
