It's an interesting
System of Justice
It does have its
flaws, however.
It emphasises procedure
over substance,
form over fact.
The Truth must
be won.
I'll see you on
The Battlefield.
[Wardroom]
(Admiral T'Lara (a Vulcan female) strikes the ship's bell six times.)
T'LARA: This hearing will come to order.
We are here to consider the request of the Klingon Empire
that Lieutenant Commander Worf be extradited for trial on charges of murder. Advocate Ch'Pok, you may present your charges.
CH'POK: The Klingon Empire makes the following
allegations against Lieutenant Commander Worf :
That on Stardate 49648, while commanding the Starship Defiant, he knowingly fired upon and destroyed a Klingon civilian transport ship near the Pentath system. That as a result of that action, four hundred forty one Klingon civilians were killed. It is my intention to prove that Mister Worf was grossly negligent in his command of the Defiant. That his lust for combat overrode his good judgement. I ask only that he be returned to us to face the judgment of his own people. Thank you.
The Sisko : The Advocate neglected to mention in his opening statement
that at the time in question, the Defiant was under attack by two Klingon warships.
This was a combat situation with hundreds of lives at stake. It was at that moment,
when suddenly the transport ship decloaked in front of the Defiant.
Worf gave the order to fire, not because he was reckless or negligent,
but because he believed he was firing on a warship.
We intend to show that the destruction of the transport
was a tragic, but unavoidable, accident.
T'LARA: I will hear formal evidence beginning tomorrow afternoon at fifteen hundred hours.
[Promenade]
The Sisko : I want to know everything there is to know
about the Klingon who was commanding that transport ship.
ODO: You suspect that he wasn't just on an innocent passenger run.
The Sisko : I'm going to argue that he saw the battle and
then decided to join it. That he decloaked in order to attack the Defiant.
ODO: Not the smartest decision he ever made.
The Sisko : That's where you come in. Use your contacts in The Empire and find out something about this captain I can use. Was he reckless, did he have a reputation for drinking, did he have a death wish? Something.
ODO: I'll see what I can do.
(Odo gets onto the turbolift.)
CH'POK: Captain. (hands over a PADD) The witnesses I intend to call.
The Sisko : Thank you.
CH'POK: A remarkable station, Captain.
The Sisko : Thank you. We don't get many Klingon visitors anymore.
CH'POK: After this case is over, you might be seeing a lot more of us.
The Sisko : Oh?
CH'POK: When Worf is extradited, the Federation will be forced to admit that one of its officers committed a massacre. That will put you on the defensive throughout the quadrant. And while you're busy trying to repair a badly damaged reputation, we'll find ourselves with certain opportunities.
The Sisko : An opportunity to annex more Cardassian space and set up additional military bases in this sector?
CH'POK: Possibly. But in any case, Worf is about to present us with something we never could have won in battle. Sympathy. Any move we make against you will be seen as a legitimate response to an outrageous slaughter.
The Sisko : You're presuming an awful lot.
Worf maintains his innocence.
CH'POK: And you are about to remind me that the burden of proof is mine. It's an interesting system of justice you have, Captain. It does have its flaws, however. It emphasises procedure over substance, form over fact.
The Sisko : I'm sorry if you feel it puts you at a disadvantage.
CH'POK: On the contrary. I look forward to fighting on your terms.
The Sisko : This is not a fight. It's the search for the truth.
CH'POK: The truth must be won. I'll see you on the battlefield.
[Wardroom]
CH'POK: I have studied Commander Worf's report, the Defiant's sensor logs, and the reports of the other officers on the Bridge. And I believe every word of it. It's a point of pride for the Federation that Starfleet officers never lie or commit fraud, so I will accept the facts of the case as they have been submitted.
The Sisko : Admiral, if there are no facts in dispute, then this hearing would appear to be at an end.
CH'POK: We Klingons are not concerned with matters of fact and circumstance. What matters to us is what was in Worf's heart when he gave the order to fire. Was he just a Starfleet officer doing his duty or was he a Klingon warrior revelling in the battle? That is why I am here. Because if he was a Klingon lost in the bloodlust of combat, only we can judge him, not you.
The Sisko : We can't put a man's heart on trial. It's a subjective issue that cannot be reasoned in a court of law. I ask that the advocate be limited to arguing the evidence in this case.
CH'POK: Someone told me this was a search for the truth. Should we not follow that search wherever it takes us?
T'LARA: The question of Commander Worf's motive is relevant. I will allow you to explore this issue, but only as far as logic permits.
CH'POK: I bow to your judgement.
T'LARA: You may call your first witness.
[Worf's cabin]
WORF: Captain.
SISKO: I thought you should know O'Brien and
Bashir are throwing a party for you at Quark's.
It looks like quite a bash.
WORF: I am aware of it, but I have MUCH on My Mind.
Ch'Pok was right. I DID have something to prove
when I took Command of The Convoy, and I DID NOT
realise it until I stood there, looking down at him,
blood trickling from his mouth --
In that moment I remember thinking
"Finally, he had given me what I REALLY wanted :
a REASON to ATTACK him --
And I had that same feeling
when the Klingon ships first attacked :
Finally, a chance for Vengeance.
.....I should not have accepted The Mission.
SISKO: I'm glad you realise that. That was your first mistake. What was your second?
WORF: When the ship decloaked,
I should have checked The Target before I fired.
SISKO: You're DAMNED RIGHT, You SHOULD'VE Checked!
You KNEW there were civilian ships in The Area :
You FIRED at something you hadn't IDENTIFIED!
You made A Military Decision to Protect Your Ship and Crew,
but You're a STARFLEET Officer, Worf -- We DON'T put Civilians
at risk, or even potentially at risk to Save Ourselves.....
Sometimes that means We lose The Battle, and sometimes Our Lives;
but if You can't make THAT Choice, then You CAN'T wear that uniform.
WORF: Yes, sir.
SISKO: At ease, Commander.
Now -- all that being True...
The Reality is,
no harm has been done.
There are NO Dead
Children on Your Conscience.
You got LUCKY.....
WORF: I Do Not FEEL Lucky.
SISKO: And THAT'S WHY, despite everything that's happened
You're going to make a HELL of A Captain some day. Now, let's go;
They'll all be waiting --
Look, This Party isn't for YOU as much as it is for THEM;
Things got a little TENSE there, for a while --
They NEED A Release, a chance to CELEBRATE.
WORF: But I Do Not FEEL like celebrating.
SISKO:
Part of being A Captain is knowing When to Smile,
make The Troops happy, even when it's the LAST thing
in The World you want to do -- Because They're YOUR Troops;
and You HAVE to Take CARE of Them.
WORF:
Life is a great deal
more complicated in
This Red Uniform.
SISKO:
Wait till you get four PIPS on that collar.
You'll wish you had gone into BOTANY.
