It was the dead of the night on the planet of Vulcan, but by no means was the planet asleep. The dark awoke the le-matya, wild sehlats, and other dangerous predators. This night was no different.

Nine Romulans stealthily moved through the desert leading up to TíSenishraís parentís home. Quietly, they slipped in the front door and fanned out, securing the forward room. The lead Romulan switched on his IR goggles and began scanning the house--two signatures on the lower level, two signatures on the upper level. The tricorder he held clearly indicated that the two on the upper level were the elder Vulcans. The lead Romulan grinned and motioned for one of his troops to secure the upper level. The remaining Romulans moved to the stairway and began the descent to the lower level of the house.

As they reached the bottom of the staircase, the remaining Romulans removed their disruptors from their holsters and changed their setting from kill to maximum stun. They creeped along the hallway to the outside of the room their scanners told them their target was. The lead Romulan kicked in the door and three of his troops rushed in to secure the occupants.

Only the occupants needed no securing--they were still asleep. The lead Romulan frowned and fired his disruptor at the bed--holograms. This couldnít be a good sign...

Lieutenant Commander Dade Rojc came crashing down from the top of the doorframe. Rojc landed on top of the first Romulan and rolled. The Romulans were caught off-guard, but the numbers were in their favor.

Meanwhile TíSenishra began firing at the Romulans from a secured spot in the hallway, quickly gunning one of them down. Telak dodged behind a vase in the hallway, avoiding the notice of TíSenishra. Back in the bedroom, Rojc tore into the remaining Romulans, scooping up the fallen disruptor of the first Romulan and hastily shooting two of them before taking cover behind a dresser. Disruptor blasts seared into the dresser, as the Romulan troops desperately tried to hit Rojc.

Back out in the hallway, TíSenishra came out of her hiding spot after shooting what she believed to be the last Romulan between her and the room. She jogged down the hallway to the bedroom to help Dade out.

Not that Rojc needed the help--he had the superior cover. Rojc paused momentarily as he determined where his would-be kidnappers were. He leapt from his cover behind the dresser and briskly dispatched the Romulans. Rojc grinned to himself--two elderly Vulcans and two half-awake Starfleet officers had just taken down a detachment of elite Romulan soldiers.

Dade smiled as his wife appeared at the shattered doorway. "That wasnít so difficult, was it now?"

Telak threw TíSenishra away from him and let his disruptor respond for him. Rojc noticed the movement too late and was caught off-guard. He fell unconscious to the floor. Telak scowled and looked down at the Vulcan woman--probably should take her too.

"Telak to TíKhera--engage transport."

The Romulan soldiers, Dade Rojc, and TíSenishra disappeared in the shimmering glow of a Romulan transporter beam.

Back on Starbase 7 the next morning, Vice-Admiral Bates whirled around in his chair and glared at the Lieutenant in the doorway. "What!?"

The lieutenant tugged at his collar and swallowed the lump in his throat. "We just received word that Commander Dade Rojc and Commander Senishra have been kidnapped from Vulcan by Romulans."

Bates jumped up from his chair. "Get me a channel to Starfleet Command now!"

Rojc groggily came to, but found himself unable to move. He blinked his eyes a couple of times in an attempt to clear his vision. He didnít like what he saw.

He was in a full body suit, which explained his lack of movement, in a darkened prison cell, on what obviously was a Romulan A-type warbird. Two guards stared icily at him through the forcefield. TíSenishra was nowhere in sight.

Dade heard a door open and before he knew it, another Romulan, bearing the rank of Commander stood in front of the forcefield; the guards gone. Probably Tal Shiar.

"Rojc, Commander Dade, of the planet Angosia. Starfleet serial number 702432193. Posted to Starbase 7 to await further re-assignment. Recently married to Commander TíSenishra."

Rojc stared blankly at the Romulan. "You know all that about me, and here I know nothing about you. By the way, itís Lieutenant Commander."

Telakís features remained grim. "How fortunate it is I who get to deliver the news of your latest promotion to you."

"As Iím sure youíre well aware, youíve just broken a whole slew of laws, not to mention violate the Khitomer Accords and the Neutral Zone," Rojc returned lightly.

"You killed one of my men, severely injured another four, and indirectly resulted in the injury of three of my other officers. You live up to your reputation."

"Ah..." Rojc uttered understandingly, "The veruul who used my wife as a human shield. Nice tactic."

The Romulan glared at Rojc. "Commander Telak of the Tal Shiar."

"So do I get to know what this is all about or are you going to keep me in suspense all the way to Romulus?"

"You will find out soon enough, Commander." Telak smirked evilly and gestured to someone outside of Rojcís line of sight. Two Romulan guards drug an unconscious TíSenishra in front of the forcefield and left.

"You bastard!" Rojc roared. "I swear I will kill you if anythingís happened to her!" He struggled to break free of his bonds.

"Youíre hardly in a position to be making threats." Telak bent down and pulled TíSenishraís head up by her hair. "Such a pretty face--pity she has no tactical talent. Perhaps you should have chosen a wiser mate. Tell me, does she taste as sweet as she looks?" Telak smiled mockingly at Rojc.

Rojc burned with rage. In the back of his mind he knew he shouldnít allow the strength-enhancing drug into his system, but rational thought did little for him at the moment. With a guttural howl, Rojc tore his arms free of their constraints and set about freeing the rest of his body, much to the horror of Telak. In the blink of an eye, Rojc was free and at the forcfield, desperately trying to push his way through.

Telak, mouth agape, stumbled backwards to the cell control console and increased the power level of the forcefield. Rojcís determination only grew. Telak quickly entered a new command and the cell began to flood with anesthezine. Rojc was weakening, but still not going down. Telak scowled and entered a new command. A stun setting-blast ran through the forcefield. Rojc fell back, barely retaining consciousness.

Telak re-strengthened the forcefield and once again at the foot of it. "Impressive."

Captain Xanthus Knight entered Vice-Admiral Batesí office and saluted. The Command Center directly outside the office was in pure chaos--the scene inside the office was little better: dozens of reports, analysisís, and other official document were scattered around, in the center of it all was Admiral Bates--red faced and sweating as he cursed someone out over a communications link.

Bates noticed his entry and subsequently ended his communication without a word to the other party. "Knight--recall Arona, IvíOor, and Nicot and go take command of the Phantom."

Knight glanced at Bates uncertainly.

"No, this is not a recovery mission," Bates relaxed and calmed down a bit, "The Romulans arenít clear on whatís going on, but they have given us permission to send one ship to Romulus. If it's some kind of trick, theyíll think twice before they attack a ship with the firepower of the Phantom."

"Sir may I remind you that I am not an accomplished diplomat?"

"Youíve got diplomacy and political theory backgrounds at the Academy--thatís good enough for me," Bates replied impatiently. "Now get going!"

Rojc awoke abruptly with a bright light in his eyes. From somewhere he realized he was being addressed.

"Commander Rojc, I will again ask you--how do you plead?"

Rojc attempted to situate himself so the light was not in his eyes, but his attempt was met by a swift jab in the stomach.

"What is going on here?" croaked Rojc.

His question was met only by another jab in his stomach. "Answer, prisoner!"

Dade blinked his eyes and tried to clear his mind to think clearly--it was no use, they must have him drugged. He stared in the general direction of the voice making the demand for his plea. "Not guilty," he mumbled.

Once again he was struck, this time across the right side of his face.

"How do you plead?"

Dade tried as hard as he could to think of the proper response--after all, he was in a Romulan court now. Guilty until proven innocent; but there had to be another way to plead--

The searing pain of a powerful electric discharge abruptly interrupted Rojc's thoughts.

"Not guilty!" he repeated, gaining some strength in his voice.

"Commander Rojc, this is your last chance to enter your plea." The voice paused. "Guards--if he does not respond with ëguilty,' execute him."

His mind raced, a flurry of thought. One last chance--hopefully it would do the trick.

"Guilty," Rojc answered solemnly. "Provisionally!" he added with a shout.

There was a loud murmur from around him--spectators?

"Order! Order!" shouted the voice. "What is your provision, Commander Rojc?"

The light was removed from his eyes and before long his vision was restored. "Renshaya," he answered weakly, his mind finally beginning to clear. It was about time his body began to adapt to the drug.

A murmur once again went up from the crowd of spectators.

"Order!" The Romulan chief magistrate cleared his throat. "That is an ancient rite and not applicable to this situation."

"Deny me that rite, and upset all the traditions that your government is set upon," replied Rojc, "Go ahead and give your dissidents that satisfaction."

Rojc tensed his body for the blow he expected--much to his surprise, none came.

"You will refrain from using political propaganda in this court room or be held in contempt!" returned the chief magistrate angrily, "You are neither a Romulan or a Vulcan--therefore the renshaya cannot apply to you."

Dade chuckled. "The renshaya shall be exercised for any citizen. By my marriage to TíSenishra, I am a citizen of the planet Vulcan."

"Your request is denied, nevertheless."

"And how long have you been on the payroll of the Tal Shiar, Chief Magistrate?" Rojc shouted indignantly.

There was a long pause. "So be it, Commander. Choose your Advocate."

Dade stared directly into the eyes of the Romulan chief magistrate before him. "I choose the only defender who will argue on my behalf fairly--my wife, TíSenishra."

The crowd exploded at Rojcís response. Once again the chief magistrate shouted to silence them. "Very well. Court is recessed for the day."

The guards around Rojc briskly hurried the grinning Starfleet officer from the courtroom.

"You fool!" shouted the Romulan chief magistrate, Ruwon, "You provided him with his only advantage!"

Telak scowled. "His only advantage will prove to be his undoing, Ruwon. The Senate approved a diplomatic teamís arrival from the Federation--they will no longer be able to represent him."

"They will still be able to advise his wife!"

"A scientist. She has no experience with law whatsoever," answered Telak, "And Rojc himself just armed us with the single greatest thing we needed: justification."

Ruwon opened his mouth to shout his response, but stopped as the realization came to him. "And hence the Federation loses a large portion of their leverage against us. Excellent."

"Iíve done all I needed to, Ruwon. Now you do your part and make sure Rojc is condemned."

Captain Knight sat in the command chair on the USS Phantomís bridge, disdainfully watching the two Romulan warbirds that hung in their path.

"Opinions?" asked Knight, directed at the bridge officers.

"I think we just scared the hell out of them. Always thinking weíll use a Galaxy or Sovereign," replied Nicot with a chuckle. "I still donít like this one bit, though--it's been almost fifteen minutes." A chime from Tactical drew Nicotís attention. "Incoming message from the Romulans," reported Nicot from the Tactical station.

"Looks like weíre about to find out whatís going on," mused Knight, "Onscreen."

"We apologize for the delay, Captain Knight."

"Anything we should be concerned about?"

"Not at all, Captain. We were merely awaiting the arrival of the rest of our escort." At that, seven more Romulan warbirds de-cloaked. "Have no fears, Captain," the Romulan commander grinned toothily afterwards, "They are only here to escort you."

Knight remained cold and detached. "Weíre ready to proceed whenever you are. Phantom out." He turned to Nicot. "Tactical readout?"

"Shields and weapons arenít powered up on the warbirds, but are obviously on stand-by," reported Nicot, "We spooked them, all right."

"Receiving a signal from the lead Romulan warbird," came IvíOorís voice from the Conn, "Theyíre ready to proceed."

"Follow them, Mr. IvíOor."

TíSenishra didnít give a damn about maintaining Vulcan emotional control--she rushed up to her badly bruised husband and tenderly embraced him.

Knight set foot in the room soon after TíSenishraís entrance.

"Senishra, it is imperative that we proceed," said Knight quietly, "Time is of the essence."

TíSenishra shifted herself into a seat next to Rojc, and looked up at Knight. "Dade and I have wed, my proper name is now TíSenishra."

Knight glanced from Rojc to TíSenishra in disbelief. "I guess congratulations are in order."

"No," replied TíSenishra firmly, "Congratulations will be in order when we have overcome the Romulan treachery."

"Telak had this all planned," Rojc chided himself, "I should have realized--"

Knight interrupted. "Calm down, Dade. Youíve given them some breathing room, nothing more."

"Breathing room?" asked Rojc incredulously, "I pretty much validated their intrusion into Federation space and my subsequent abduction. I canít help but feel just a little bit upset." Dade shut his eyes and shook his head. "Have they told you what the charges are against me yet?"

"No," answered Knight, "What are they?"

Rojc shrugged. "No clue. They wouldnít tell me either."

"Thatís actually standard Romulan practice," began Knight, "When an accused is entering a plea, thatís the only thing heís there for--the magistrate wonít discuss anything else."

"Donít they have to inform him before he goes to trial?" asked TíSenishra incredulously.

"No." Knight shook his head. "Wonít be announced until the prosecutor or magistrate makes opening comments."

"Youíd think that with such a harsh legal system, Romulan society wouldnít be so rife with intrigues," asserted Rojc.

"Quite frankly, TíSenishra, youíll have to wing the opening statement," added Knight, "After opening arguments, you can request a half-hour recess. Weíll have to proceed from there."

"I hereby call to order the case of the Romulan peoples versus Starfleet officer Commander Dade Rojc," began Ruwon. "Commander Rojc, you are charged with the seduction and rape of Princess Vallera Movar, to which you have pleaded guilty. Advocate TíSenishra, make your opening statement."

TíSenishra was shocked, as was Knight and Rojc--but unlike the others, she was able to hide it. She rose from her seat and cleared her throat. "Nearly eight years ago, Commander Dade Rojc was one of forty Starfleet officers captured from the USS Nassau and sold to the Romulan government. Those officers, including Commander Rojc, were beaten, tortured, experimented on until they were left broken or dead. As I shall prove, Princess Vallera Movar took unfair advantage of the defendant at a time when his psyche was the weakest. I shall prove that Princess Vallera Movar used the defendant on numerous occasions after his release from the prison camp. And lastly I shall prove that Princess Vallera Movar is the one guilty of the crime here, not Commander Dade Rojc." TíSenishra sat down and folded her hands. "That is all."

The Chief Magistrate nodded. "Prosecutor Telak, call your first witness."

TíSenishra stood. "I move for a recess."

Ruwon stared icily at the Vulcan. "Denied. Proceed, Prosecutor."

Telak smirked and stood up. "I call Doctor Sarion Jeral."

A short, middle-aged Romulan stood up from the mostly empty spectator benches and walked up onto the witness stand.

"Doctor," began Telak, "How can you conclusively prove that Princess Vallera has indeed been raped by the accused."

"I object!" stated TíSenishra.

Ruwon glared at her. "Be silent. You will have your turn to present evidence."

"Because she is pregnant," replied Jeral after a moment.

Rojcís jaw dropped. He usually didnít like surprises. This only increased his dis-like of them.

"And...?"

"The DNA of the child is composed of that of her mother, the Princess, and her father, Commander Dade Rojc," finished Jeral. "We retained the defendantís DNA on file from when he was imprisoned. It was an obvious match."

"One final question, Doctor, have you been able to determine the date of the conception?"

"I have. Based on my examination on stardate 51103.49, Iíd say the child was conceived roughly six months ago--which is concurrent with the time that the Princess and Commander Rojc would have been in contact."

Telak nodded to the Doctor and sat down. "No further questions."

Dr. Jeral stepped down and walked out of the courtroom.

"Next witness--Princess Vallera Movar," announced Telak. The courtroom doors immediately opened, admitting Vallera who was surrounded by several guards. She stepped up to the stand without even glancing at Rojc. After she was situated, Telak once again rose. "Princess, please describe the nature of your ërelationshipí with the defendant."

"He was a prisoner at Internment camp 2XF on Kaliph IV for a year while it was under my command," replied Vallera, her eyes downcast, "He was brought to my attention after his questionable involvement in an assassination attempt on my life."

"Tell me, Princess, what happened to your would-be assassin?"

"At Commander Rojcís urging, his life was spared."

"Hardly standard policy, is it not?" asked Telak.

"No it was not," responded Vallera after a moment, "Prisoners had been executed for much less both before and after the incident."

"And your ërelationshipí with Commander Rojc afterwards?"

Vallera sniffled. "I had originally intended to break him--as a source of knowledge about his altered capabilities and entertainment. He led me to believe that I had succeeded in this objective. He proved his manipulative capacity soon after, using our interaction as a means of getting into my bed and thus controlling me."

Rojc jumped up from his seat defiantly. "THAT IS A LIE!" he shouted fiercely. Several Romulan guards rushed forward to quell Rojcís violent rage before he could act against the Princess.

Ruwon looked down at the subdued Rojc. "Commander Rojc, if there are any further outbursts from you, you will be sedated and locked in a prison cell for the duration of your trial." He turned towards Telak. "Continue Prosecutor."

"Describe the events of your last meeting with Commander Rojc."

Vallera let a grimace slip before returning to her cold demeanor. "He had invited me to his quarters on the USS Phantom, presumably to discuss further details about his mission and any further aid that Special Task Force 23 could render to his ship. Shortly upon my arrival, he offered me a drink, which I came to understand was drugged." Valleraís eyes began to water. "I donít have a clear recollection of the events after that until the next morning, when I remember waking up on his living room floor, naked."

"Obviously the two of you engaged in sexual relations. Is that correct?"

"Yes." Vallera was clearly crying now.

Telak handed Vallera a cloth to wipe her face with. "No further questions."

Rojc glared at Vallera disdainfully. She might be coercing and untrustworthy, but she was not doing this willingly. He knew her well enough to finally understand what was happening: someone was hoping to use her to simply to gain a political victory over the Federation.

"For my next witness, I call in Prisoner Number 2XF-45235, Jaglon Shrek."

A dilapidated Yridian was pushed through the courtroom doors, practically being dragged up to the witness stand by the guards surrounding him.

Telak paced in front of Shrek, never taking his eyes off of him for a long, silent moment. "Prisoner, I am told you have details concerning the true nature of the assassination attempt seven years ago at the 2XF prison."

The Yridian was shaking. "Please forgive me, but my memory is not what it used to be--which one assassination attempt was this?" he asked tepidly.

"It involved a Starfleet Officer, Dade Rojc." Telak pointed Rojc out to Shrek. "And it involved a Breen, named Neeron XíRoíUs. The accused supposedly intervened and prevented the assassination from taking place."

The Yridian frowned nervously as he struggled to remember what his captors had intended for him to say. "On at least one occasion, I remember a conversation taking place between Rojc and the Breen."

"And...?" Telak prodded.

"They seemed to be planning an assassination attempt, which they intended to fail. Rojc was to gain the trust of the keepers of the prison--I do not fully remember their motives."

Telak turned to the guards that had brought the Yridian in. "Remove this worm from my sight."

The guards picked up the trembling Yridian and dragged him away.

TíSenishra could only look on helplessly as the situation got darker and darker. When would she actually be able to defend?

"Prosecutor Telak--have you any further witnesses?"

"Just one," Telak replied with a cold grin. "I call Commander Dade Rojc."

A guard stepped up and prodded Rojc towards the witness stand. He reluctantly provided no resistance and sat.

"Commander Rojc, you are an operative in the Starfleet Intelligence Corps, are you not?"

"Yes."

"Describe what those duties entail."

TíSenishra stood up triumphantly. It was about time she got her opening. "Objection! Under the terms of the Khitomer Accords and the amended Treaty of Algeron, an officer cannot be asked to reveal information which may be sensitive or otherwise of official importance. By asking that question, the Prosecutor must be replaced."

Ruwon shifted his glare from Telak to TíSenishra and back again. "We will take an hour recess."

"You said the Vulcan would not be a problem, Telak," began Ruwon, "This plan was all your doing, and now she has brought up a legal technicality to remove you from Prosecutor."

Telak was quiet and deep in contemplative thought.

"Well?" asked Ruwon impatiently, "Might I remind you that this will not look good to the other magistrates."

"I obviously underestimated the Vulcanís closeness with Commander Rojc," spat Telak, "Iím sure some sort of mishap will prevent her from continuing as Rojcís Advocate."

"And then? He simply chooses another," Ruwon scowled.

"Thatís right," sneered Telak, "Captain Knight. The two do not ëget alongí."

"And if Knight proves just as effective?"

Telak shrugged. "Theyíre here on Romulus. We can invent things as needed."

Meanwhile back in the holding room, a small power relay exploded. Fortunately Rojc and Knight were uninjured for the most part. TíSenishra was not so lucky.

It was nearly forty-five minutes later that Knight and Rojc finally spoke again, this time in a new holding room.

"Whatís your plan, Knight?"

Knight sighed. "Its not looking good. Other than that technicality TíSenishra pulled off, theyíve effectively removed all doubts that you are guilty."

Rojc massaged his temples, desperately trying to keep himself calm. "Your confidence is reassuring..."

"I thought we solved this little attitude problem here," began Knight, "Is it just for me, or are you always this insightful?" He paused. "Damn! A Romulan princess? What the hell were you thinking?"

Rojc closed his eyes meditatively. "A lot of what Vallera said about what happened in the camp is true--the difference is that she was the one who did the manipulating; I was broken." He shook his head. "Its almost like she used Elaasian tears on me."

Knight watched Rojc slip further into a depression-like state. "Look--I understand this isnít easy for you, but weíre going to need a whole lot more than your word."

Rojc frowned. "My personal database back on the Phantom has everything you should need to dismantle Valleraís credibility. IvíOor or Nicot can provide you with the password--Iím not going to tell it to you now for obvious reasons."

"Itíll have to do," declared Knight. "Iíll warn you now, Rojc, you may not agree with or appreciate some of my tactics."

"Whatever you do, itíll be better than rotting in some filth hole prison again and letting these bastards win."

It was almost twenty minutes later that Knight entered the courtroom. He was late once again. Knight walked hurriedly down to the front of the room, slipping into his seat next to Commander Rojc.

Rojc said nothing to him, instead he only shook his head--maybe if the situation werenít so grave, Knightís continued lateness might still provide him with some entertainment.

The Chief Magistrate scowled at Knight. "Are we at last ready to begin?"

"Yes, Magistrate."

"Prosecutor Rejal, call your witness."

The Romulan woman who had taken over for rose from her seat. "The prosecution has no further witness they wish to call." After she finished, she again sat.

Knight grinned to himself. He hated having to put a defendant on the witness stand, and the Romulans had lost their nerve to do so.

"Advocate Knight, call your first witness."

Knight looked over the data on the PADD he was holding before he stood to respond. "I call Doctor Sarion Jeral to the stand."

Doctor Jeral stood and walked up to the witness stand with a smug look.

"Doctor Jeral, please explain to me how pregnancy conclusively proves rape."

The Doctor chuckled. "I should think it obvious."

Knight was not amused. "Perhaps you didnít hear my question correctly. Obviously pregnancy is, in most cases, the result of intercourse. How can you prove that it was conclusively rape which led to the act?"

"Because no Romulan would ever willing be involved with a lower life form," he sneered.

"Conjecture and irrelevant, Doctor," retorted Knight. "Answer the question using only your area of expertise--medical fact."

Jeral stopped smiling. "There was no conclusive medical proof at the time of my examination."

"Earlier you testified that you have Commander Rojcís DNA on file, is that correct?"

"It is."

"Iím finished with the witness." Knight looked back down at the PADD. "I call Doctor Arona Illysa to the stand."

Arona approached the stand from just behind where Rojc sat. She glanced icily at the Romulan prosecutor before finally taking the stand.

"Doctor Jeral testified earlier that there was, in fact, samples of Commander Rojcís DNA on file in the Romulan medical database. Would it be at all possible for that DNA to be used in artificial insemination?"

Arona grimaced to herself. Knight was grasping at straws here. "There are numerous variables to consider, but yes, there is at least some possibility."

"Considering that Doctor Jeralís examination took place nearly four months after the alleged encounter, would there be any way to conclusively prove rape?"

"If in fact it was a non-violent confrontation, if some sort of drug were used, then you would be very hard pressed to find a physician who could give any type of useful evidence," Arona replied.

"During the time in question, your medical log lists that Commander Rojc was administered a dose of Britori-9. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is."

"Commander Rojc also remained on duty after he received the drug, did he not?"

"He did, against my orders."

"Could you please explain the use of the drug and its affect on a humanoid?"

"Britori-9 or B-9 as it is sometimes abbreviated is an extremely powerful sedative. Its often used to control violent or dangerous behavior with large animals," explained Arona, "Commander Rojcís metabolism is such that unlike 99% of all known humanoid species, he can safely take the drug."

"So why exactly would Commander Rojc need the aid of such a dangerous drug?"

"Commander Rojc is an Angosian veteran of the Tarsian War," answered Arona. "A complex treatment of mental conditioning was used to program him to survive under any circumstances--which usually manifests itself as violence. Psychotherapy techniques were found to only have a limited degree of success in rehabilitation, thus the drug was used to bridge the gap from potentially dangerous psychopath to ënormal.í Its usage is only meant to be temporary and in small doses, as it remains in the userís system for a long time."

"At what time did Commander Rojc receive his dosage?"

"After the appearance of the Romulans."

"So after nearly being killed, facing the death of his Captain--who was a good friend, retaking control of the Phantom from Dominion forces, and engagement with a number of opposing Breen vessels, it was only after Rojc opened communications with the Romulans that he requested the B-9?"

"That was my understanding of the situation."

"And when was the last time he had received a dosage of the drug, previous to this incident?"

"A little more than four years," replied Arona, "Which is strangely concurrent with Commander Rojcís last encounter with Princess Vallera."

"Thank you Doctor." Knightís eyes once again returned to the PADD as Arona returned to her seat.

"Lieutenant Commander Lucia Guitarrez."

Guitarrez rose from her seat and took the stand.

"Commander, you were the Chief Engineer of the USS Phantom during the time of the alleged encounter between Commander Rojc and Princess Vallera, were you not?" asked Knight.

"I was."

"Records show that you attended the first face-to-face meeting between Phantom senior staff and Vallera and her staff. Correct?"

"Yes. It was not only in official records, but both mine and Commander Rojcís duty logs as well."

"What was Commander Rojcís reaction to the Princess?"

"I had known Commander Rojc personally for almost six months prior to that meeting," began Guitarrez, "I have neither before nor since observed Commander Rojc to be so tense and apprehensive."

"How did Vallera act towards Commander Rojc, in your opinion?"

"She was very calm and collected, but at the same time, Iíd almost say that she was flirtatious towards Rojc," Guitarrez answered.

"At any time did you observe Commander Rojc invite Princess Vallera to his quarters?"

"No, I did not, and I was present at all their meetings before the night in question," replied Guitarrez, "Additionally, the internal communication logs of the Phantom showed no evidence of any type of communication taking place between Commander Rojc and the Princess."

"Thank you Commander."

Guitarrez smiled reassuringly at Rojc and stepped down from the witness stand.

Knight was on a roll and he knew it. As backwards as it was, he sort of enjoyed the Romulan trial procession--the fact that the opposing side couldnít interrupt or speak to a witness immediately after the other side had finished with them could be invaluable. He had made "medical proof" nothing more than questionable at best, established an inherent weakness of Rojcís towards Vallera, and had shown that from a third partyís view, Princess Vallera showed no signs of fear towards Commander Rojc--Knight need only ask a few poignant questions of Vallera to destroy the credibility of her word.

"I call Princess Vallera Movar to the stand."

Vallera, still surrounded by her guards, returned to the stand slowly. She felt sick as she did so.

"Records indicate that you were relieved of command of prison camp 2XF on Kaliph IV. Why was that?"

Vallera frowned. "There was an question of my conduct towards prisoners."

"What sort of conduct?"

"I donít remember." She stared at the floor.

"Allow me to refresh your memory." Knight glanced at the PADD he held. "It says here that there was an inquiry into rumors of you having illicit relationships of a personal nature with prisoners."

From the back of the courtroom Telak frowned. He had underestimated his foe. Telak stood up and surreptiously left the courtroom. He would have to resort to plan B.

"In fact, there are questionable instances here that pre-date Commander Rojcís arrival at the camp," Knight continued, "So he was neither an isolated incident or the first of such relationships. Do you deny the truth of this evidence?"

Vallera glanced around nerviously, hoping to catch some kind of support from Telak, only to find him gone. She began to tremble.

"Princess--do you deny that these allegations are true? Allegations that are on record in the military archives of your own government?"

Vallera bowed her head in shame. "I do not deny them."

"For the sake of argument, weíll consider your testimony of the events on the Phantom accurate. Why did you agree to assist Commander Rojc and the crew of the Phantom?"

"He promised to make me regret it if I refused."

Knight feigned confusion. "I donít understand."

Vallera looked Rojc in the eye ever so briefly. "What do you mean?"

"Isnít it obvious, Princess? A seasoned and Romulan Naval Academy-trained Admiral, in charge of four warbirds at peak battle effeciency was outclassed and intimdated by a lowly Lieutenant Commander aboard a Federation ship which was barely functioning."

Ruwon and Rejal both frowned at that comment from Knight.

"Arenít Romulan officers actually trained to never let their guard down?" Knight continued, "The mere fact that you stepped onto the Phantom was a severe breach of protocol. Tell me, Princess, what possible motive could you have had for beaming aboard the Phantom when all the official business could have just as easily took place on a secure subspace channel?"

"Commander Rojc asked me aboard."

"Are we now to believe that Commander Rojc has some sort of mind control abilities that simply caused you disregard some of the most basic foundations of all Romulan naval protocols?" asked Knight, purposely trying to sound ridiculous. "You can do better than ëhe asked me aboard.í So, once again, I ask you, why board the Phantom?"

Vallera frowned. "Past association with Commander Rojc."

"Therefore even if your testimony previously was true, you went out of your way, breaching protocol to put yourself in a situation you knew could be hazardous for you," Knight surmised, "Are we expected to believe that Romulan Naval Command hands out command postings to incompetents?"

Vallera had no answer as the tears streamed down her face.

Knight shook his head. He was almost tempted to let up on her. Almost. "So in the end we have two possible explanations, Princess. Either you are incompetent and woefully unfit for any of the responsiblities you held, which I canít believe is the case since the Romulan Naval Command rates you very highly and you otherwise have an excellent service record. Or--you purposely boarded the Phantom for both the perverse enjoyment of harrasing Commander Rojc and hoping to set him up for this trial or similar circumstances. Which would you have us believe?"

Vallera could respond with nothing more than a sniffle. Was he still asking rhetorically? She had lost track. She could still hear talking from somewhere, but no longer understood the words.

All that Vallera could comprehend at the moment was the incredible loss she would suffer--the end of her military career; loss of all political backing; loss of the freedom she had gotten used to; possibly even the loss of her life--and on top of all that, the father of her child would never even want to be in the same room as her ever again. It was too much to bear. The world around her began to blur--the last thing she recalled before everything went dark.

The courtroom plunged into chaos as the Princess collapsed into a heap. Knight backed away from the witness stand slowly as several Romulan guards rushed to her aid.

Both Doctor Jeral and Doctor Arona stood and started towards Vallera to see if they could help, but it was clearly not as two guards initiated an emergency beam out for the Princess.

Rojc, meanwhile, did not know quite how to react. He grimaced ever so slightly as he sat in silence, trying to figure out the whirl of thoughts in his mind before they consumed him.

Arona realized Rojcís problem almost immediately and hurried to his aid. She glanced at Knight. "I need to get him back to the Phantom so he can get his medication!"

Ruwon looked at the Starfleet doctor with mild dis-interest. "Doctor, Iím not about to allow that."

"We donít have time to argue," Arona spat back, "The guards can accompany us if thatís youíre concern."

Rojc was now showing signs that he was pain. He began to shake violently as he struggled to maintain control.

Ruwon rolled his eyes and nodded. "Four guards."

Arona wasted no time responding to the Magistrate, instead she tapped her comm-badge. "Arona to Phantom--emergency transport for me, Commander Rojc, and the nearest four Romulans directly to sickbay." Arona, Rojc, and the four Romulan guards subsequently beamed out of the courtroom.

Knight remained behind, scowling. Now that was a set of circumstances he hadnít anticipated. Nevertheless, it only strengthened his case, exhibiting the effect Vallera could have on Rojc. He composed himself and turned back around to the Chief Magistrate. "The defense rests."