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INQUIRY
by
Kirok of L'Stok

"… a quest for knowledge, data, or truth …"

-- American Heritage® Dictionary, 4th Edition

A Star trek Fan Fiction

Published by
THE HOUSE OF L'STOK

Table of Contents
DAY 1 - Picard............................................................................................ 3
DAY 3 - Riker............................................................................................. 6
DAY 5 - La Forge........................................................................................ 8
DAY 6 - Data............................................................................................. 10
DAY 9 - Findings....................................................................................... 12

First ed. (Forum) published on TrekUnited, Sep 8, 2005

Second ed. (NewsGroup) published on Alt.Startrek.Creative, Jly 11, 2008
Third ed. (Pdf) published on TrekUnited & Issuu, Aug 23, 2008

This work is a fan production and is offered as a free download for your enjoyment.
The trademarks and copyrights of Star Trek lie with CBS / Paramount and no profit can be directly or
indirectly made from fan productions. Any attempt to sell, rent or otherwise make a profit from it should be
reported to the copyright owners or their licensees for their action.

I reserve the moral right to be identified as the author of the original content in this work

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DAY 1 - Picard
Proceedings of Court of Inquiry into the loss of the USS
Enterprise-D at Veridian 3 on stardate 48650.1 convened at
Starfleet Headquarters, San Francisco, Earth
Stardate 48838.8
The court met pursuant to orders from the President of the United
Federation of Planets
Members Present:
Fleet Admiral Nechayev
Vice Admiral Paris
Captain Solok
Fleet Captain Phillipa Louvois, Judge Advocate

Vice Admiral Paris could not help but hate courts of inquiry such as these. Nobody benefited from them. Oh,
certainly, if you took the logical, Vulcan view of them, they were simply a way of finding out the reasons why a
disaster happened so that the same thing would never happen again. However, the reality was that if an officer were
found to have made a mistake that cost them their ship it would follow them throughout their career. In many cases
it spelled the end of their career. His jaw set as he remembered some of his good friends from academy whose bright
promise, for one reason or another, had ended up in some dead-end career posting. His frown grew deeper as he
remembered another court, years ago …
Shaking his head to clear away the painful memories - was Tom still alive? - he took the time to review the other
members of the board sitting at the bench beside him. There was the inevitable Vulcan, Captain Solok of the U.S.S.
T'Kumbra - insufferably blunt and superior but an acknowledged expert on Starship management. Phillipa Louvois,
the rising star of the Judge Advocates department, who he understood, had crossed swords with Picard before. And
Alynna Nechayev, now the Fleet Admiral, the highest-ranking officer in Starfleet. Ruthless, a brilliant strategist, he
could still remember her as a vivacious, wild ensign in Academy. What could have happened to her to turn her into
this cold, soul-dead automaton that could send men to their death without batting an eyelid.
In all there was more than two hundred years of service experience sitting beside him.
Owen Paris looked down at the hidden computer console that was set into the bench before him where aides could
flash graphics, data or video logs at a moment's notice. It was not as if the facts were in doubt. Every square metre
of hull plating that had been recovered had been catalogued and examined in minute detail. The computer logs,
which had survived the crash, had been impounded and analysed by the Judge Advocate General’s Office. Every
word, every action had been documented and debated by experts in psychology, Federation law, Starfleet
regulations …
The facts behind every question they could ask were already known to the Nth degree. This whole charade was a
waste of time, however Nechayev had specifically asked for him on this board so he would be damned if he
wouldn't make sure that the truth came out.

The Judge Advocate having read the order concerning the court, the
court was then duly sworn according to law by the Judge Advocate,
and the Judge Advocate by the presiding officer of the court.

Jean Luc Picard was then called as witness, and being duly sworn,
testified as follows.
Jean Luc drew himself to attention and faced the bench before him. Never a man for hiding from danger, he faced
his enemies with a determination that had seen him face down the Klingon High Council and Cardassian torturers.
He did not fool himself though. One slip here could mean the end of his Starfleet career, which for him would have
been worse than a death sentence!
One after the other, he looked them straight in the eye, for he had earned the right to stand before them as an equal, a
peer. In them all he saw razor sharp wits and unforgiving judgement, in some he saw a hint of sympathy, in one he
saw undisguised animosity.

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 Question by Judge Advocate: What is your name and rank?

Answer: Jean Luc Picard, Captain, Starfleet. Commanding officer of

the USS Enterprise-D

Q: State what you know in regard to the loss of the USS

Enterprise-D.

A: The Enterprise-D was on a mission to ensure that Doctor Tolian

Soran did not attempt to destroy the star of the Veridian system.
The destruction of this star would have caused the destruction of
the planet Veridian 4, which had a population of two hundred and
thirty million.

I determined that the course of action that would involve the

minimum amount of conflict would be for me to speak to Dr Soran,
to persuade him to give up his plans. At first it was thought that
he was on the Klingon Bird of Prey which de-cloaked when we
entered the Veridian system but when they hailed us it became
apparent that he was on the surface and that they would not allow
us to approach him without a fight.

Our secondary purpose was to effect the return of our Chief

Engineer, Geordie La Forge. The Klingons admitted that they had
him on board but in the confrontation they would not return him.

The best way to achieve both of our objectives was to offer myself
as an exchange for Commander La Forge on condition that they would
transport me to wherever Doctor Soran was.
Jean Luc had gone over this a thousand times. Sometimes he felt like he had never escaped from the Nexus, the way
he constantly relived the episode on Veridian 3. He needed neither a Starfleet Board of Inquiry nor holographic
computer logs to re-live the experience. He had only to cast his mind back in an unguarded moment and he was
there. The heat from the Veridian star was beating down on his head, he tasted the dust in his mouth, he could still
hear the scream of tortured steel as the suspension bridge fell …
A thousand and one times.
The questions went on, this time it was Admiral Nechayev who was speaking.

Q: Captain, you left your ship during a confrontation which

escalated into a pitched battle from which the Enterprise-D did
not survive. Why did you leave your post?
Deanna Troi, who was in the public gallery of the court, listened impassively as Jean Luc's voice took on an icy
formality. She knew that he was seething with outrage at this blatant attack but he was such a consummate diplomat
that he had perfect control of himself at all times.

A: I had discussed our course of action regarding Dr. Soran with

my senior staff before reaching the Veridian system and it had
been agreed that I had the greatest chance of dissuading him. The
return of our Chief Engineer in return for myself should have
stabilised the situation between the Enterprise and the Klingon
Bird of Prey since it was a fair judgement to assume that they
were more then a match for the old Klingon warship.

I did not abandon my post. I transferred temporary command to

Commander Riker in whom I had, and still have, every trust. A
trust, I might add, that he showed was well placed by his
brilliant counter attack against the Klingons, his successful

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 evacuation of the Enterprise and the safe crash landing of the
saucer section on Veridian 3.
Blast Nechayev! Picard could have easily been trapped into defending himself against an implication that he had
abandoned his post. Instead, he had subtly turned the tables by turning it into a statement that they either had to
support or attack. If their attack on his reputation were proven groundless there could be considerable trouble. In
many ways it was like a game of Tri-D chess.
Fleet Captain Louvois leaned forward …

The Judge Advocate General ordered that it be read into the record
that there was no implication that Captain Picard had abandoned
his post improperly.
The testimony was read over to the witness and was pronounced by
him correct. The court having no more questions to ask, He was
allowed to retire.

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DAY 3 - Riker
Commander William Thomas Riker was sworn in as a witness according
to law to testify as follows:

Will Riker stood stiffly to attention, his head held high, staring intently at the centre Admiral. Nothing was said but
he felt a definite air of disapproval. They knew each other from the Jellico incident.

Question by Judge Advocate: What is your name and rank?

Answer: William Thomas Riker. Captain, Starfleet

Q: State what you know in regard to the loss of the USS

Enterprise-D.

A: On Stardate 48632 a Klingon Bird of Prey, afterwards identified

as belonging to the Duras sisters, decloaked off our bows as per
the tendered Logs. In a message they admitted that they had our
chief engineer, Geordie la Forge, prisoner. It was obvious that an
illicit business transaction had taken place between themselves
and Doctor Soren. We had two overriding objectives – to stop
doctor Soren from destroying the star of the Veridian system and
to rescue our chief engineer.

Responding to Hails, the Klingon Commanders Lursa and B’Tor showed

no interest in our attempts to retrieve La Forge until Captain
Jean Luc Picard offered himself as a prisoner exchange.

Q; Captain Riker, considering General Order 15, why did you allow
your commanding officer to place himself in what was obviously a
hazardous situation without an armed escort?

Will knew that his whole career rested on his next answer because strictly speaking he knew he had been in the
wrong. The safety of his captain was one of his responsibilities and over the years there had been many times when
it had come down to a contest of willpower between them over this particular issue.

From their very first confrontation when he had just joined the Enterprise-D at Farpoint station he had known that
this would be a bone of contention between them. Finally they had come to terms with the fact that although Will
could not stop his captain from putting his life on the line alongside his crew he would not let him do so alone.

A: [Riker] Over the seven years that I have served under Captain
Picard I have gained the utmost respect for his judgement in
combat situations and have come to realise that although I might
not always have been able to see the logic of his commands, they
have invariably been sound.

Our discussions had conceded that the captain was the best person
to handle Dr Soran although originally we had planned on fielding
a full away team. The situation with the Klingon Bird of Prey and
our lack of time made the only option a one-on-one prisoner
exchange. The lives of millions of people hinged on this and the
captain had quite simply no other option.

If I thought that Captain Picard was under the strain of fatigue,

psychological, emotional or any other kind of influence I would
have over-ridden his decision without a moment’s hesitation. As it

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 was, my faith in my commanding officer superceded any questions I
had about the logic of his decisions.

It was a gamble, but in this case he felt that the truth was his best defence. The fact of the matter was that in the
constantly changing situations they found themselves -usually one emergency after another - they could not afford to
simply react by simply following orders. Riker had delivered his answer with as little emotion as possible, but his
body language betrayed him. Chin out, head back, frowning, almost glaring: daring them to comment on the
statement.

Slow seconds passed and the tension grew as he swivelled his gun-barrel gaze from one to another, daring them to
make the next move.

It was going to be a long day ...

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DAY 5 - La Forge
Geordi La Forge was then called as witness, and being duly sworn,
testified as follows.

Question by Judge Advocate: What is your name and rank?

Answer: I am Geordi la Forge, Lieutenant Commander, Starfleet,

head of Engineering on the Enterprise-D

Q: State what you know in regard to the loss of the USS

Enterprise-D.

Geordie was nervous although few could ever tell since they couldn't see his eyes, making his emotions harder to
read for those who did not know him well.

A: After being declared fit by the Chief Medical Officer I

reported for my next shift in Engineering. During the battle with
the Klingons the Engineering section took repeated hits that came
straight through our shields. This caused the magnetic interlocks
to rupture which had, in turn, caused a massive Warp coolant leak.

Never one to dwell on the past, he had been too busy to think much about that last battle until now. Strangely
enough, when he thought about the Enterprise-D he did not visualise it as he had last seen it, a hissing screaming
hell of sparks and explosions. He remembered the years when it had been his home, the focus of his whole life, his
work place, where he had socialised and researched ways to squeeze every last quantum particle of thrust out of the
engines.

Q: Lieutenant Commander, The Engineering section of the

Enterprise-D was destroyed by a Warp core breach. Why was the Warp
core not ejected in time to save the ship?

A: The Enterprise had taken heavy damage from the renegade Klingon
Bird of Prey and not only was the emergency ejection mechanism
off-line but the exit point of the ejection tube was covered by
debris so that an emergency ejection would have destroyed both
sections of the Enterprise.

As the day wore on he went over the details of the battle piece by piece, answering each question with clarity from
his encyclopedic knowledge of his engines. Late in the afternoon, Fleet Captain Louvois the Judge Advocate, looked
up from her desk console after a particularly long and convoluted technical question. She seemed to be thinking how
best to broach the next subject.

Q: Thank you Lieutenant Commander, whilst this board does not

suggest that you had anything to do with it, it has been
determined that the reason the Klingon renegade ship was able to
penetrate the shield’s of your ship was because a transmitter was
secreted in your VISOR. This made it possible for the Klingons to
spy on the Enterprise and give them the ship’s shield modulation
codes. Why was this not picked up by the ship’s scanners when you
were transported aboard?

Geordie knew why she was being careful about his sensibilities. He had spent close to a week under the scrutiny of
Starfleet Counsellors being debriefed over the part his VISOR had played in the destruction of the Enterprise. He

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had never known what it was like to see naturally and, ever since he had received his first VISOR at five, it had
seemed as natural to him as his hair or nails. To think that something which was almost an extension of his body
could have betrayed them had been hard to take, it was true. The counsellors had gone through all the psychological
double talk about guilt and the psychoses that it could create, but in the end they needn't have worried. The fact of
the matter was that he was an engineer, a pragmatist, and his life was ruled by facts and data, cause and effect. He
accepted life for what it was and questions of 'What if…' rarely entered his mind.

A: Subsequent investigation of the Transporters and my visor

showed that the optical spycam was shielded by the same method
that Doctor Soran had used on board the Amargosa observatory to
hide the existence of his laboratory. It was a new development in
Nanotechnology that we had no way of guarding against.

One of the purposes of a board of inquiry was to ensure that the same circumstances would never happen again.
Transporters and sensors had been adapted to ensure that this type of shielding would not slip past them again.
Geordie was already working with Starfleet Medical on ocular implants that would make the VISOR redundant.

The board members could not see Geordie's eyes - the windows to his soul.

Nobody could.

A small smile touched the eyes no one could see.

Soon, he thought, very soon

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DAY 6 - Data
The anderoid, Data was then called as witness, and being duly
sworn, testified as follows.

Question by Judge Advocate: What is your name and rank?

Answer: My name is Data, Lieutenant Commander, Starfleet

Q: State what you know in regard to the loss of the USS

Enterprise-D.

A: I was on the bridge of the Enterprise during our battle with

the Duras sisters. Our hull was breached on decks thirty-one
through thirty-five and only our hull integrity force fields were
holding us together. Commander Riker was able to exploit a
weakness in the design of the Bird of Prey that allowed us to make
their cloaking device come on line. Since this made their shields
drop for a moment as it took effect, it allowed us to send a
spread of photon torpedoes that hit their Warp core causing it to
impload.

Captain Solok took over the questioning, his sallow, expressionless face showing only a hint of academic interest.

Q: Commander Data, you had been implanted with an emotion chip

that malfunctioned. Do you feel that it impaired your ability to
perform your duties?

Data’s mild expression and equally logical turn of phrase matched his well, however there were subtle differences,
as for example when his face would light up with animation as he spoke of his friends. Just for a second Deanna
thought she saw the sheen of nervous perspiration on his forehead as he faced the inquiry board. Did he have his
emotion chip turned on right now?

A: The emotion chip initially performed its function by generating

emotions in me but it overloaded and fused itself into my
positronic relays so that it could not be safely removed at the
time. It did affect my conduct during the phaser exchange on board
the Amargosa observatory but Captain Picard ruled that I was not
in complete control of myself at the time.

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow in what could have been an expression of sceptical query. It was no secret that he had
a deep and abiding loathing of the very concept of emotions.

Q: But you were in control of your emotions during the battle with
the Klingons?

A: Sir, Captain Picard reminded me that millions of people were

relying on me to discharge my duties as a Starfleet officer.
During the battle I was swamped with all kinds of new emotions but
my Academy training and experience on the Enterprise gave me a
framework that I was able to hold on to.

It was quite enlightening. I still felt the fear, the desire to

live and the remorse at my earlier failure, but they were

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 overpowered by anger, confidence and a desire to regain the
respect of my friends.

Solok paused, blinking, as if trying to grasp the idea of emotions being used to cancel each other out. No, the idea
was patently impossible.

Q: Considering the problems that the emotion chip has caused, why
should it remain in your system? How can we be confident that you
will discharge your duties competently?

A: Sir, I have been through intensive testing at the Daystrom

Institute and the emotion chip has been certified compliant within
operational parameters. I have asked that the emotion chip be
allowed to remain because it is the logical step in my development
as a sentient being. I would respectfully submit that its presence
in my positronic matrix brings me closer to an understanding of
humanity and to say that my emotions make me untrustworthy would
be to discriminate between myself and other Starfleet officers who
have emotions.

Solok's expression was frozen in its perpetual look of pained disdain. Such a waste! This sentient machine, born into
perfectly objective logic, seemed bent on experiencing the depths and heights of an emotional existence. Why would
you want to destroy perfection he felt the urge to cry out. However this emotion - like all others - was instantly
confined to Vulcan Hell, that closely guarded area of their forebrain where all emotions were stored until the time
came, once every seven years …

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DAY 9 - Findings
There being no more required evidence the court, after due
consideration, reports the following facts:

That the USS Enterprise-D was lost in orbit about Veridian 3 on

stardate 48650.1 after a brief battle with a renegade Klingon Bird
of Prey. The Warp Core breached due to loss of coolant and,
because it could not be ejected, exploded destroying the
Engineering Hull. The Saucer section suffered irreparable damage
when it crash-landed on the surface of the planet after
successfully separating from the Engineering Hull with the full
ships crew evacuated or accounted for.

That we fully and entirely exculpate from blame all on board said
vessel at the time of the catastrophe there being no possible
chance under the circumstances shown in the testimony of saving
the vessel or preventing her from crashing.

That Commander William T. Riker breached General Order 15 but

because of the extraordinary circumstances of the situation, no
conviction be recorded.

N. Nechayev, Fleet Admiral

O. Paris, Vice Admiral
P. Louvois, Fleet Captain
Solok, Captain

The cheer that went up was allowed to continue for a matter of seconds until the Master at Arms ordered for all to
rise whilst the members of the bench retired.

In the antechambers to the courtroom, the four members of the Board showed their relief that the ordeal of the
inquiry was over for them as well. Nechayev made straight for the desk and logged on to start clearing the backlog
of her regular work. Owen Paris got a mug of coffee from the replicator and slumped onto the lounge, whilst
Louvois and Solok bustled about gathering their personal belongings. Solok was the first to leave, followed by
Louvois after some polite small-talk with Admiral Paris. Owen Paris sat rolling his coffee around in it's mug until
Nechayev finally looked up from her terminal ...

“Come on Owen, spit it out.”

He looked up from the cooling coffee, suppressed anger boiling in his eyes.

"Off the record?”

Nechayev snorted. “You know as well as I do, nothing is ever off the record.”

“I need to know. Riker admitted in court that he had broken a Starfleet General Order by letting his commanding
officer put himself in danger. It was your vote that saved his skin, Alynna, why?"

"It is not for us to lay blame and deliver judgement. Our task was to collect facts, draw conclusions from those facts
and make recommendations for further action. In this case the majority conclusion was that a breach of regulations
had occurred but that Commander Riker had been right in doing so.’ She pinched the bridge of her nose to banish
the fatigue that was fighting for release within her. “We went through all this. If he had followed regulations, the
mission would have been a failure and a whole planet would have been wiped out."

The grizzled old man opposite here rose from the lounge and slammed the coffee cup down on the table before her
anger written in his face.

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"Isn't this sending the message that in certain circumstances, rules can be broken? Was this what the Enterprise died
for?"

Nechayev was surprised although she could not allow it to show. She had known all along that Owen Paris had not
wanted to have anything to do with this Inquiry, but she had wanted his opinion as a counterpoint to her own.
Perhaps the memories of his own son's court martial were just too painful for him? Surely not! Owen Paris was
many things but he was neither weak nor a fool. She felt inclined to give him some leeway on this and overlook the
breach of protocol.

"Come now Owen, you know the old saying from Academy as well as I do: rules are for the guidance of wise men
and the obedience of fools. No one is suggesting that obedience to regulations be construed as optional I would not
like to think that Starfleet is made up of fools. Any Starfleet officer can break General Orders if he believes he can
convince a Court Martial that it is justified." The steely-eyed woman smiled grimly. "I have known it to happen
three times in my career."

She made as if to go back to her paperwork "As to the Enterprise dying, The Enterprise-D was probably the most
technologically advanced starship of its age but it was as sentient as the Tricorder on this desk."

But Paris wouldn't be swayed from his point. His voice went up a notch as he planted both hands on her desk and
hovered over her.

"Don't play games with me, Alynna. I'm talking about discipline, knowing what your crews will do in battle, being
confident that they'll follow orders and you're talking semantics."

Nechayev looked up from her work, her face carefully devoid of any emotion, her voice only holding the barest hint
of emphasis

"Admiral Paris."

Her eyes carried her message across, twin hooded blue diamonds that bored into him as if he were a junior lieutenant
who was way out of line. She paused to let the impact of her change back to formality sink in. Nothing was ever off
the record for an admiral.

"Since you obviously know your General orders, you will no doubt be aware of General Order 17. 'The commanding
officers of Starfleet vessels and installations are to consider the lives of their crew members and/or civilian
population as sacred. In any potentially hostile situation, the captain will place the lives of civilians and crew above
the fate of his ship.' If the crew of the Enterprise had not hazarded everything to save that planet, I would have had
them drummed out of the service."

It was Paris who broke eye contact first as he stood and turned abruptly to storm back to his briefcase, which he
started angrily stuffing with papers. Without looking up he grated out "Starfleet lost her flagship on Veridian 3 and
you are letting the men responsible walk away."

Even as he said it he marvelled that it was he who wanted to see someone's career suffer for the loss of a vessel.

Alynna Nechayev left her desk and walked around to stand before her old comrade. "But before she was destroyed
her crew accomplished their mission, the salvation of a planet, and were able to save themselves. She served her
purpose and went down fighting."

"In my years of command I have seen countless ships vaporised in the blink of an eye and I tell you now …" Owen
Paris looked up in surprise at the angry growl of pent-up emotion that came from the small woman before him. " …
it worries me not one ... tiny ... bit."

Her expression did not flinch but the eyes ...

"No. It's the memory of the officers and crews who died in them that haunts me at night."

Just for a fleeting moment they shared a rapport they had not had since the loss of the Potemkin over thirty years
ago. He started to say something but she turned quickly to return to her desk. Reaching it she turned to him and the

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moment was gone. Once again she was Starfleet's senior admiral

"The Enterprise did not 'die'." She went on. "Her captain and crew, her mind and spirit if you want to be poetic, have
survived and will make up the core of the next starship that will be named Enterprise."

"Starfleet is not simply a collection of starships, Deep Space stations and spacedocks. It is an organisation made up
of the finest that the United Federation of Planets have to offer. You thought this inquiry was simply to investigate
the loss of the Enterprise-D? The last Enterprise is gone."

She walked behind the desk, slumped back in her chair and steepled her fingers before her

"This inquiry was to examine the real essence of the Enterprise, her crew. Who were they and how had they been
affected by the destruction of their home of the last seven years. There will always be an Enterprise in Starfleet, a
new one is reaching completion as we speak. However without a good crew she would not be able to live up to the
high expectations that go with the name. In this case I'm confident she has a crew just waiting for a new home."

"Yes."

"This inquiry is over."

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