| Stories → Star Trek: Conflict → Episode Forty-Nine |
The crew of the USS Admonitor attempt to free Edward Shield from incarceration on Earth.
Summary[]
Chapter One[]
Edward Shield has been shipped to Earth, where he is placed into the custody of Starfleet Criminal Investigative Service, who have been assigned to work out the case against the New Insurrectionists in order to give the Federation President legal power to have him (and eventually, the rest of them) killed for treason.
An all-too-brief hearing is presented, where very similar to the mock-trial from many years previous, Shield is forced into silence by electric shock while Alynna Nechayev reads the list of accusations against him. The list is long, and some of them are fabricated while others are somewhat substantial but elaborated...
- Here is the list of "crimes" attributed to Edward Shield on 2406 in the hearing...
- Treason
- Conspiracy
- Slander
- Rabble-Rousing
- Assault on Starfleet officers
- Allying with known enemies of the Federation
- Seven counts of murder
- Attempted murder
- Nine counts of rape
- Conduct Unbecoming a Starfleet officer
Most of the more serious ones are fabricated (some outright outlandish), but these are emphasized to the court and Shield is silenced before he can utter any word in his own defense. The Federation President offers SCIS to detain him until such time as they deem necessary to orchestrate a meaningful execution.
Chapter Two[]
Fredrick Drake, assigned by Admiral Nechayev, escorts Shield to a secret base under the supervision of Captain Halliwell. While there, he is immediately incarcerated in a mirror room, bound to a chair by force fields. Samantha Carter and Olivia Benson, second-wives of Captain Halliwell, tell Fredrick Drake that they're in control of the situation, since this is Stargate Command business and not that of Starfleet. Drake, however, wants to know that justice is done here and opts to remain at the facility.
They say nothing, but go to the incarceration room for the interrogation. Drake tries to get in to witness the interrogation, but the security personnel try to keep him out, saying that he has no authority. He says that he's a Starfleet officer, and therefore has the authority, but the security tell him that Starfleet has no jurisdiction with Stargate Command. When his attempts to enter the interrogation room fail, he taps his comm-badge to request permission from Carter, but accidentally opens a listening channel to the interrogation room.
Carter and Benson play the "good-cop/worse-cop" routine in their interrogation. Here it is, presented in dialogue...
Carter: Ensign Edward James Shield...
Shield: That's captain, if you don't mind.
Benson: [smacks Shield on the back of the head] Its a [expletive] phony title, concocted by that [expletive] Young, SCIS doesn't recognize it.
Carter: ...I've reviewed your case and, to be frank with you, its shocking.
Benson: Damn right, it's shocking!
Carter: To be perfectly honest, Shield, I can see no way you are ever going to be able to leave this facility. Since your...comrades are still considered enemies of the Federation, they'd be killed on sight if they entered Sector 001.
Benson: Just what those bastards deserve!
Carter: Were Stargate Command or SCIS to grant you release from this facility, you're still marked for death by Order 865.
Benson: You hear that, you twisted son of a [expletive]? You're trapped down here.
Shield: Please don't talk about my mother like...
Benson: [kicks Shield in the groin] Or what, you [expletive] punk? You'll rape me like you tried to rape James Halliwell?
Shield: I never touched Captain Halliwell, I'm not homosexual...
Benson: [pounds Shield's hand against the duranium-steel bolted table] Don't give be that [expletive], you worthless piece of [expletive]! Your lies won't work with us!
Carter: You have only one option, ensign. Cooperate. There's no guarantee that we'll treat you in any specific way because, under Order 865, you have no rights at all.
Benson: You know what that means? [grabs Shield by the hair on the back of his head] That means we can [expletive] you up just like your sorry [expletive] deserves. Give your [expletive] all the [expletive] you [expletive] deserve!
Carter: This is also a secured facility, so there is no chance of break-in from outside, or break-out from within. So why don't we cooperate, shall we?
Shield: Look, I don't mean anyone any harm or ill-will...
Benson: [slams Shield's face into the duranium-concrete floor] [expletive]! Captain Halliwell is lying in a hospital bed, dying from a disease your worthless [expletive] gave to him!
Carter: It's true. From a report filed by Captain Riker, on stardate 240512.9 you were infected by an unknown alien pathogen, which mutated you into something...inhuman. Now since Federation scientists haven't had time to examine this virus, we don't know its affects. It could be fatal...
Shield: It IS fatal...
Benson: [starts choking Shield] Don't you talk to her like that, you worthless [expletive]!
Carter: ...all the more reason you cooperate, so you can tell us what the cure is...unless you want Halliwell to die...
Shield: It's not the rage virus, he's suffering from...
Benson: You [expletive] liar! [slams Shield's head into the floor] He never showed a single sign of illness until you [expletive] raped him that day he came in peace to educate your sorry [expletive]!
Shield: I don't touch men!
Benson: [punches Shield in the jaw] GO TO HELL, YOU [expletive]-SUCKING PIECE OF [double expletive]!
Shield: Whatever is wrong with him is because of his own loose living...
Benson: How dare you insult the greatest captain in Starfleet history, you son of a [expletive]-sucking [expletive]!
Carter: Help us help you. Cooperate, and everything will be better.
Shield: I was right. [Benson kicks him in the groin] If this what you do to your enemies... [Benson repeatedly smashes his face into the ground until is nose breaks and starts bleeding] ...everything I said was right.
Benson: [punches Shield in the nose again] CHOKE ON YOUR OWN BLOOD, YOU WORTHLESS [expletive]-SUCKING PIECE OF [double expletive]!
(the rest of the interrogation is rather grotesque and violent and therefore has been omitted).
- For a VERY conservative example of Olivia Benson's treatment of Edward Shield, watch Batman's actions during the Interrogation scene.NOTE: Shield never acted like the Joker did, but still received harsher treatment.
Drake decides to intervene, but he is stopped by Captain Halliwell, who tells him that he should leave now and forget what he's heard.
Chapter Three[]
K'hallA is in argument with Lianna Young. Young insists that they go to Edward Shield's rescue at once, but K'hallA says that a true warrior should have killed himself rather than allowed to be captured. Young reminds her that they saved him before, when he should have died, and that she needs to realize that Shield is not a Klingon. Young leaves, but says that she can act like a Klingon all she wants, despite the fact that her people have given up on the old ways, but she cannot expect non-Klingons to uphold her ways as well.
Drake asks by what circumstance Halliwell has recovered from his illness. Halliwell says that he hasn't recovered, that the illness has begun to spread and Starfleet Medical can't figure out even what the disease is, much less how to cure it. He said that he has injected himself with various stimulants in order to be well enough to travel so that he can personally oversee the execution of Edward Shield. Drake says that this is not how the Federation runs, but Halliwell says that this is his world, wherein he is god and there are no limits to what he can do. Furthermore, he says that the Federation gave him the power to make this world possible and that there is nothing that can be done about it. He further informs Drake that there is no chance of escape or penetration without his permission, so it is completely unlikely that any help will come to Edward Shield.
But Drake has decided to make a decision that might get him court-marshaled if it ever got out. He finds Sarah Mac Mackenzie, another one of Captain Halliwell's second-wives, and asks her if he can contact someone in Starfleet. Mackenzie says that they can't authorize an out-bound communication without authorization, but Drake says that it's important, because, by order of Starfleet Command, he'll be staying here for a longer time and he has to tell his commander that he won't be reporting back for a while. Mackenzie agrees and Drake contacts Tristan Marshal, asking him to look up floor-plan specs for the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. Tristan says that the plans are classified to all but authorized personnel, but Drake says that a prisoner has broken loose in the base and he has to get the floor-plans so he can circumvent the escapee. Marshal agrees and sends Drake the plans for the base.
Chapter Four[]
Meanwhile, Lianna Young is preparing to take the USS Admonitor alone back to Sector 001 to rescue Shield, when she gets a message from the Enterprise. K'hallA admits that she was wrong about abandoning Shield, since it would be dishonor not to fight for those for whom she has a blood-oath. She further says that she may have grown too accustom to the captain's chair and didn't want to surrender it, which was why she was hesitant. With a smile on her face, Young says she's glad to have her back with them.
Back on Earth, Edward Shield has been taken to an execution chamber where Captain Halliwell wants to torture him just a little bit more before having him killed. Flanked by his bodyguards and many wives, he asks for another round of stimulants before entering the room. After a full dosage of each, he asks for more so that he will be twice as strong. Though Karen Loews, his medical assistant and the one administering the stimulants to him, says that this could be dangerous, Halliwell disagrees and orders a two-fold dosage, to which she complies. Thus enhanced, he commences with beating on Edward Shield without mercy for an entire hour. Due to the affects of repeated heavy blows, Shield is rendered unconscious after thirty minutes of torture. But Halliwell, not pleased with just hurting him, begins taunting the unconscious body, telling him that he's crossed the line long enough.
Meanwhile, Fredrick Drake has used the floor-plans to make his way out of the base via Sector 02, the least defended portion. Once outside, he notices all the heavy weapon emplacements, all of which are capable of surface-to-orbit fire against orbiting vessels. Suddenly he receives a message from Tristan Marshal. Marshal says that two ships have been detected entering the Sol system, but Drake says nothing. He turns off the transmitter and begins trying to contact the ships.
A communication is picked up on the USS Admonitor, where Fredrick Drake speaks to Lianna Young. Here it is in full...
- You don't know who I am, but I know your friend, Edward Shield. He's been captured, I'm sure you heard the news. It's been broadcasted practically everywhere. Listen, I know where he's being held, but you just have to trust me because we're running out of time. They're gonna kill him unless we act now. I'm sending you a floor plan of the facility, Sector 02 should be lightly defended. I have to leave, I've crossed the line just by speaking to you. Good luck and...godspeed.
Chapter Five[]
A meeting is on-going between the crew of both ships. Young fears that it could be a trap, since they've been deceived by Starfleet officers before. K'hallA says that they should meet their enemy face-to-face and fight their way to Edward Shield, but Nox has another idea. He suggests that they send one person into the base to shut down the defenses which, since he is at Tactical he takes planetary scans the moment the warp into the orbit of any planet, are considerable and designed for defending against both ground and orbital assaults. He says that once they do this, they can then beam an away team down to rescue Edward Shield. Young likes the plan and asks who would want to go on a near-suicide mission into the base. Nox volunteers, but Young says that he's too useful to be killed, the same with most of the others who volunteer. Then she gets an idea...
Captain Halliwell's torture is done, and he orders his women to prepare the torture devices. Meanwhile, Drake has found James Halliwell's personal PADD and transfers the floor-plans into them.
Meanwhile, Lianna Young has found the one for the job: Dauk-Dauk. She tells him that his services are required in order to save Edward Shield; all he has to do is enter the Cheyenne Mountain Complex and shut down the orbital and base defenses so that the away team can beam in safely. Though Dauk has a vague recollection of the base, even though he can't ever remember even stepping foot there, he agrees to the task. As he makes his way to the transporter room, Loghri says that, due to Dauk's size, Sector 02 would be an easy break-in. Young said that she took that into consideration, also noting that, if it fails, it is no loss to her.
Dauk-Dauk is beamed to Colorado, where he makes his way into the Cheyenne Mountain Complex via an air-duct leading to Sector 02. Because of his size, he is able to evade all security systems and arrives at the power terminal for the base defenses. But he hesitates momentarily as a flash of unknown memories involving himself and this place suddenly surface. Nox yells at him over the comm to hurry up, which causes Dauk-Dauk to power down the defenses but accidentally trip the base's intruder alarm.
The away team - consisting of Lianna Young, K'hallA, Loghri, Rookwood, Nox and Krall - beam into Sector 02, only to discover his failure. Young swears she'll gut him herself, but then leads the away team on their search and rescue.
Meanwhile, the alarms have been detected by the base's personnel. Halliwell tries to turn on the automated defenses and security countermeasures, only to find that they've all been powered down. He orders Engineering to fix the problem, while he sends security to find the intruders. He then tells Olivia Benson to take the prisoner to solitary until he's finished off the intruders. Loews tries to persuade Halliwell not to go, since his stimulant levels are low, but he says that he's toyed around with these [expletive]s long enough, that he must now end them before they become a permanent threat to him (though he doesn't say the latter, because he can never believe that anyone could ever become a threat to him).
The away team is able to hack into the computer's security system and find where Edward Shield is located. However, by doing so, they also had to re-activate some of the power to the base's defense grid, making passage there impossible. Nox decides to use a short-cut tunnel in Sector 02 shown on the floor-plans. K'hallA follows him, but while Lianna Young is about to lead the others with them, they are cut off by security, headed by James Halliwell. Young orders the crew to stand their ground, and Halliwell orders his security to open-fire, offering no mercy.
Meanwhile, as Nox and K'hallA make their way through the tunnel in Sector 02, she comments that both of their races have hated each other for so long it is ironic that they're now working together; he says that he sees irony in the fact that they, who once hated each other unto death, are now fighting together. They reach Solitary and find Edward Shield. Coming around to consciousness, he asks K'hallA if its not against her Klingon code of honor to rescue a captured comrade. She replies that he isn't a Klingon, and he's much more valuable alive. They reconnect with the Away Team, who have broken free of the cross-fire and are going back to the beam-back point, but James Halliwell has abandoned his security team and is after them on his own.
But he begins vomiting blood and collapses. He tries to reach Loews on his comm-badge, asking for more stimulants, which leads Edward Shield to suggest that he burned through the greater portion of his double-stimulants while he was torturing him. Realizing a similarity to Admiral Sanders' failure to catch them when he and K'hallA broke from prison, Shield asks Halliwell to accept their help, but he says that he and his minions are responsible for his illness, which he never had until they showed up. Shield says that he never had anything to do with it, and hopes that Halliwell will learn to accept responsibility for his own actions. They then leave, but Halliwell shouts after them, saying that this is his fault and no one else's, and that he'll find him and kill him.