A sharp chime echoed through the observation lounge aboard Deep Space 11, a room which had been adapted for the sole purpose of playing host to the trial of one of Starfleet’s finest. When the chime rang a second time, a hush descended across the room, the many in attendance finally coming to order. When the final chime of the courtroom’s door sounded, it had an ominous tone to it – a tone that suggested it be the death knell to Fleet Captain Keziah Nazir’s stellar career.

Watching with bated breath, the attendee in the gallery stared as the doors finally parted, showing Nazir standing at the entrance of the tribunal chamber aboard the Copernicus-class starbase, momentarily frozen in place. The gleaming insignia on her dress uniform felt like it weighed a thousand tons, a symbol of authority that had once been her pride but now only reminded her of the fall she was about to endure. The room itself was starkly lit, its cold light reflecting off the polished black floors, amplifying the sterile, oppressive atmosphere that had become commonplace across Starfleet in recent years.

It was as she took in her surroundings that the Trill mistress of the Lakota locked eyes with her XO, and those who had been allowed to break the Lakota lockdown in order to be there for the proceedings. At least she’d been afforded the dignity to arrive at her trial without the shackles she’d read about in many of her 18th and 19th century human crime novels. All she could think about was those pips on her collar, and whether they’d still be shackled to her when all was said and done.

Once she felt a hand placed on the small of her back, she took a deep breath and stepped forward, her boots tapping rhythmically on the floor as she walked into the lion’s den. The eyes of the tribunal were on her: Fleet Captain Kelvan Vos, the imposing Eforisan figure seated at the high table, as stoic and calculating as ever, and the lone adjudicator of her fate. Across the room, Captain Kerina Marten, her prosecutor, watched her like a predator observing its prey. Marten’s Cardassian eyes were sharp, unrelenting, and filled with the cold promise of justice. A far cry from the Vulcan who would soon occupy one of two chairs at the adjacent defence table. Captain T’Prynn, to her credit, was interested in one thing only – the truth – and as Keziah glided into position between chair and table, she nodded respectfully  at her counsel.

From his seat at the high table at the front of the court, Kelvan Vos waved his hand, authorising counsel and defendant to take their seats. Once the scraping of chairs had subsided, the white-haired veteran sat forward and addressed the court.

“This hearing is now called to order,” his voice deep and authoritative as he smashed a small wooden gavel into its base plate and signalled the start of the official proceedings. “On this day, Stardate 240110.2, the bench shall consider the charges brought by the Office of the Judge Advocate General against Fleet Captain Keziah Nazir for crimes alleged to have occurred on Stardate 24019.4, in the Eridanus system of the former demilitarised zone.”

“Let the record show the parties present,” Fleet Captain Vos followed procedure to the nth degree, despite knowing all of the minute details days beforehand. Formalities had to be observed, and with that in mind, he looked towards the table on the port bulkhead, by the large bay windows.

Rising to her feet, the Cardassian with onyx waves nodded at the presiding officer. “Captain Kerina Marten for the prosecution, your honour, representing the Office of the Judge Advocate General,” she announced to those in the room who had, until this very moment, never met the woman.

Vos noted the Cardassian’s introduction, and turned to the tables near the starboard bulkhead.

“Captain T’Prynn, first officer of Deep Space 11 and defence counsel your honour,” the Vulcan beside the accused nodded to the judge. All the while, Keziah’s eyes were glued to the man at the front of the chamber, watching his every move as he picked up a data PADD and began to read from it.

Once the two lawyers were done with their introductions, the presiding officer commenced with the next stage of proceedings. “The charges are as follows,” he read from the device, ​​”Count One, a charge of gross misconduct. The defendant is accused of making decisions during the mission to Eridanus that violated Starfleet’s ethical guidelines and protocols. Count two, a charge of dereliction of duty. The defendant is charged with failing to fulfil her obligations as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Lakota NCC-42768 by allowing her personal struggles and impaired judgement to interfere with her ability to make sound decisions during the mission.”

The first real hint of emotion crept over Trill’s usually stoic face as she made eye contact with the judge for the first time at the mentioning of her recent medical difficulties.

“On the fourth count, a charge of reckless endangerment,” he averted his eyes back to the charge sheet and continued reading, “ where the defendant is accused of recklessly endangering the lives of civilians by choosing to defend a strategic military base instead of providing protection to civilian transports under threat, resulting in their destruction and the loss of countless lives.”

At this point, the Efrosian slipped the data PADD back to the table top and clasped his hands together. Glaring at the Captain across from him, she could almost taste the disdain he had for her on the air in the room. “The final, and perhaps most damaging charge, is that the defendant be unfit for command for reasons which were hidden from Starfleet and her crew, and are presented as evidence here that the defendant was no longer fit to command, leading to catastrophic consequences on the mission. How do you plead, Fleet Captain Nazir?” he asked her at last.

Nazir could feel about thirty sets of piercing eyes boring into the back of her skull while she rose to her feet and tugged on the hem of her jacket, joined by the prim and proper Vulcan advisor at her side. “I plead not guilty, your honour.”

And for the first time today, Vos actually showed some signs of empathy, wanting to shake his head and urge her to reconsider this choice, but knew he couldn’t. Slouching back in his chair, he nodded slowly. “Very well then,” his words quieter, softer than previously, “Captain Marten, Captain T’Prynn. You may begin your opening statements.”

Rising from her seat at the table on port side wall, deliberately chosen by the Counsel for its positioning on the lightest side of the room, the Cardassian prosecutor nodded, with a slight bow of deference to the older man’s position of authority. Rounding the table, the youngest of the command level officers there present pulled on the hem of her dress uniform jacket and came to a stop between her table and the gathered attendees.

With a deep breath, and much consideration about her opening salvo, Kerina Marten’s opened her case for the prosecution.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” she began, her words solemn and measured, “on Stardate 24019.4, Fleet Captain Keziah Nazir made a decision that did not just cost lives—it shattered the very trust placed in Starfleet to protect the innocent. Today, I’ll prove how…”