A World Apart

As Captain Morgan sat in the court room he pondered the events of the last week. The arrival of his hip at the starbase, the calling of the tribunal, the testimony, and ten minutes ago the recess to determine the final verdict. So far the testimony had been all in his favor but two things bothered him. First was the presence of Admiral Sampson, a three striper who was well on the way to be the next head of Starfleet, and the presence of his father, Admiral Michael Morgan. The third admiral was unknown to him but for three admirals to oversee his tribunal gave him a lot to be concerned about. As he waited he thought about the trial. All the logs and experts said he was right in what he did. But that had little bearing on the outcome. It was another fifteen minutes till they reentered. The whistle sounded and he rose along with the rest of the room. The admirals entered and sat. They called for him to stand to hear the verdict.

“It is the finding of this court that, number one, there was no way for the accused to foresee the storm that disabled his ship. Number two, there was no way for the accused to foresee life on the planet he approached. Number three, there was no way to foresee the inhabitants could hear and interpret his communications, Number four, his actions in saving the pilot from said planet were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Federation. And number five, his actions upon that decision were made with the best of intentions and were made professionally and competently.” Admiral Sampson declared.

What? They said he did the right things? And they weren’t going to kick him out? He was confused.

“If you agree with the findings of this tribunal captain, please indicate so.”

“I do sir”

“Then we shall adjourn.”

The captains head was swimming. He was acquitted of any wrong doing. He was sure they would find he did something wrong and bust him down a rank or two. His luck had turned for the better. A part of him wondered how much of it he could attribute to the ponys. He would have to thank Rock Hammer the next time he went that way.

As he left the courtroom he was summoned by Admiral Morgan. He hadn’t seen his father in almost a year. He and his father were close when he was a child but they had grown distant once he joined Starfleet. His father smiled at him.

“I'm proud of you son. Not many people break the prime directive and have their careers survive. And good job on your first first contact. As far as I can see it went well.”

“Thanks dad, but the real credit goes to the ponys. A truly peaceful people. What more could I ask for”

“Agreed, and so I must ask you to preform one more duty. The diplomatic corps representative on the station has asked to interview you before he leaves for the planet. He wants all the information he can get on them before he goes to the planet.”

“Sure dad, I'd be glad to. The ponys are such a peaceful people but I cant help but think there’s something they are hiding.”

“How so?”

“They don’t like to talk about their past. I talked to the one that we brought aboard and she thought ponys had been there all along, but they don’t seem to be evolved from anything else that’s on the planet. And their leader asked if we had ever found a planet with life like them. A real diplomat might find out more but I didn’t want to push my luck.”

“Good choice. But I agree that somethings off there. Go meet with ambassador Smith. Tell him that and anything else he might need to know.”

As Morgan left he wondered how to celebrate his acquittal. Maybe Tavik would be up for a drink or two. She rarely drank but this was big for him. But first he had to report to Ambassador Smith. He headed to the diplomatic corps office. Once he arrived he identified himself and found he was expected. The secretary asked him to have a seat. A few minutes later she called for him to go into the office. When he entered he saw a very posh office. The ambassador was well known for helping several races avoid all out war. He was glad such an experienced person was being sent. As he entered the ambassador motioned for him to have a seat in the comfortable chair across the desk from him. As he sat Smith finished the notes he was going over.

“Do you mind if I record our conversations?” Smith asked

“Not at all” Morgan replied

“Good. I want to have notes to go over later.”

“I'll help however I can. I want our relations with the ponys to have the best chance.”

“What do you think of these ponys?”

“Theres something off about them but they are peaceful and friendly.”

“What do you feel that’s off?”

“Their past. They most likely didn’t evolve there but no one talks about it. The leaders know about it but the average pony has no idea.”

“And what do you base this on?”

“The information the sensors gave us show no base for their development. And the pilot we had aboard said they had always been there. Then their leader asked if we had ever seen any life forms like them. It didn’t add up but I didn’t want to push my luck at the time.”

“Other than that, do they seem to be hiding anything?”

“No. Other than that they are open and honest as far as I saw.”

“Good. May I call you back for more interviews till I leave in a week?”

“Yes ambassador.”

“Thank you captain. And I must say I was called in to advise on your court martial. And I advised them you did very well. There are not many captains that could have pulled off what you did. A first contact with positive results and no prior experience. I have to ask if you would like a place in the diplomatic corps.”

“I respectfully decline sir, once was hard enough.”

“Very well, if you remember anything important come see me, or if I have any questions I’ll call for you.”

“Yes sir”

As the captain left, he felt another relief. An ambassador told him he did well. Maybe he wasn’t the screw up he thought he was. Tavik had told him many times his self doubt was illogical. No matter how many times he was told he still felt it. But he felt a crack in it now. Maybe he wasn’t as inept as he thought he was.

Admiral Sampson was going over the crew for the first diplomatic mission to Pliohippus. He was sending the Oberth class USS Seeker. The crew were veterans of many first contacts. With Ambassador Smith, they would be more than ready for this. He reread the reports from Challenger. They hadn’t done anything too wrong in their contact. So all should go well. He sent our the orders. It would be about two weeks till they arrived. The ambassador should be ready by then. With Captain Morgan being at Smith's disposal for the next week and a half all information should be available to him. He didn’t know how well this would go but it had the best chance.