Najma sat in the brightly lit brig at a small table, in a stationary chair as an older man entered and sat in the vacant stationary chair that was on the opposite side of the table. The man’s forehead was entirely covered with thick wrinkles, and his bushy grey brows sat underneath them. He had a somewhat strict expression on his face as he addressed her, “Miss Moreino, I am Matthew Akpan, your attorney here to represent you in your deposition. Your father sent me to help you.”

Najma didn’t acknowledge him, instead, she sat there in her chair and stared at him.

Unphased, Matthew went to the small replicator, programmed two cups of tea, brought them to the table, slid one in her direction, and said with a big grin, “Nice brig. You have a food replicator. That is not common.”

“Let’s skip all the pleasantries. Why are you in here talking to me and not out there trying to get me out of here?” Through the frown on her face, her hazel eyes appeared to be a light brown.

His grin faded as he said, “I understand that you have been court marshalled,” he looked at the PaDD in his shriveled hands, “on a number of charges. Your XO refused any additional charges, he argued you were a good officer under the best of circumstances however the security guard you attacked…. well he was not so compassionate. Therefore, you are being charged with two counts of assault, the Federation refused to drop the count of you shooting your XO even though he insisted. One count of bodily injury causing harm to a Federation officer, the disturbance of operations on a starship…..”

“I am aware of the charges,” Najma interrupted him as she crossed her arms across her chest.

The man put the PaDD down and looked her right in the eyes, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so angry? Don’t you want me to help you?”

“I don’t know if you can,” she said as she looked away from him refusing to make eye contact. “Besides no one is trying to understand my side of the story. What happened to me.”

The man got up, walked around the table, and stood directly behind her. He put both hands on each of her shoulders and said, “Najma. I care. That is why I am here. So why don’t I take your recorded defensive statement and we go from there?

Najma nodded in agreement.

Walking back to his seat, he sat, cleared his throat placed his PaDD on the table, hit the record button, and said, “This is Matthew Akpan, Federation Attorney, ID 07072011. I was appointed by Boreas Moreino to represent his daughter, Najma Moreino, in a series of indictments brought against her on the USS Elbersh. I will be taking a recorded defensive statement from my client thereby documenting her account of the story, which we may or may not use in her defense.

He looked at Najma and said, “Please state your full name and rank for the record.”

“Najma Chaandi Moreino, Lieutenant, Chief Science Officer on the USS Elbersh.”

He nodded and said, “Miss Moreino, you are here because you were detained at 0400 hours, stardate 90806.12 on the USS Elbersh. Will you state what happened and speak clearly please?”

Najma nodded and began her statement:

“Well, I really didn’t want to get into all the details but since you asked, I have to tell you. I was dating one of my shipmates and it was all good, for a while. However, this idiot had been chatting with other females on different planets and all over the universe.” she waved both hands in the air to indicate the universe, “I found out because I went to visit his quarters and he wasn’t there, so I was looking around to see what he had been doing, off duty and not with me. Anyway, I activated the last transmission he sent out and it was to some Risian female. He apparently had been planning to go visit her when he took his next leave. I mean, I wasn’t going to let him disrespect me like that,” she put her hand on her chest as she continued speaking, “so I decided to do something about it.”
The man sat there and listened to her with his right palm on his right cheek. “I went to the armory and got a phaser because I was going to shoot that traitorous coward right between his eyes. However true to his namesake he took off running when I found him. I chased him, and I know it wasn’t entirely rational, but I stopped, took aim, and fired off a couple of shots. He dodged them but one of the shots hit my XO.”
As she told her story, her attorney kept a clear face as he picked up his PaDD and stopped the device from recording. “Luckily the phaser was only set to stun. I mean I knew it was. It wasn’t like I was trying to kill anybody.” She rolled her eyes as she continued speaking. “It would have been worth it, too, if those phaser beams would have landed on my coward ex instead of my XO. I would have then gone over there and kicked his @$% while he was laying there stunned.” She cleared her throat.

The man held up his hand at her and said “Najma, your statement is quite incriminating. You are blatantly admitting you shot the XO for…..no good reason.”

Najma was bewildered and she held both hands out to the side as she spoke, “Well I am telling the story as it actually happened. What? Do you want me to lie? If you listen to the whole story, you will understand the justification.”

Matthew let out a loud sigh and then said, “I doubt it, but alright then. Why don’t we just not record this version? We will record another slightly…. more favorable version later, if we must. However, I am interested to hear the rest of your story as you remember it, so please proceed.”

She adjusted the simple headband she’d been wearing and continued, “Well so, that isn’t even the worst part. I was told to drop the phaser by the security team and of course, I complied. However, one bald-headed grizzly bear-sized loser decided he wanted to put his hands on me and since I don’t like people touching me, I socked him right in his eye. You’ll never believe that fool let out a high pitch shrill and fell to the ground holding his eye.” She started laughing as Matthew sat there and looked at her with a disinterested look.
Najma continued, “After that happened, I was stunned and tackled to the floor like I was some kind of wild 800-pound Sehlat.” She shook her head as she recalled the memory. “I mean all that force to take me down? I am no more than 120 pounds soaking wet.” She calmly rubbed her hands through her elbow-length straight jet-black hair.

The man nodded and said, “Interesting story, but I don’t think you understand the damage you have caused; do you know what happened to the XO and the security officer?”

Najma thought about the question and then said, “I was told the XO didn’t suffer any serious injuries, in my opinion, he shouldn’t have been in the way. However, the security officer apparently suffered a retina separation…or something like that and needed a visor to see, you know like the one Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge wore?”
Matthew nodded as if confirming everything she was saying as he continued looking at his PaDD.
Najma continued, “They told me I had to pay for it, you know since I caused the injury. I was like I am not paying for no damn Geordi LaForge visor; he shouldn’t be on the security team if he was that easy to take down and last, I checked I only hit him in one eye, I thought visors were for those that couldn’t see anything. I mean the man still has one good eye! Right?”
She held one hand out toward the old man for confirmation. He didn’t say anything, instead, he squinted his old wrinkly eyes at her. Najma scoffed, rolled her eyes, and said, “In any case you know how they do, they deducted the cost of that crybaby’s visor from my stipend, and in the end, it’s whatever because I am just happy now, he can see his way out of my life with his new Geordi LaForge visor.”

“Well, you seem to be taking all this pretty well considering the amount of trouble you potentially are facing.” Matthew said looking at her.

Najma shrugged and said “I feel it was all totally justified.”

“It was not.” The attorney candidly said to her, “but you are lucky because your uncle called in a favor for you.”

Najma rolled her eyes again, “Yes, I heard. My great-uncle and aunt Eugene and Lailia Dacascos intervened on my behalf even though I didn’t ask them to do all that. They need to be worried about their own daughter, my cousin, Eulailia. I don’t know how she is going to make it as a Starfleet officer. That girl is scared of her own shadow. Besides, if given the opportunity, I could’ve handled the whole situation myself and gotten the same outcome.” She rolled her eyes and said, “Some people don’t know how to mind their own business, and that’s part of my problem, people are always worried about what I’m doing.”

Matthew laughed and shook his head, “You are the WORST of all the high-born brats that I have ever had to represent. However, it pays very well. I am an old man and about to retire very soon. Anyway, I was told the Admirals reviewing our case intend to propose deferred adjudication pending the outcome of successful service in the Black Fleet on the USS Wolverine. They need someone with…. uh your personality type over there. The CO and the XO have already agreed to take you on board because you have a specific skill they are looking for. A specialization in Cybernetics. I heard the Captain often has his own interpretations of the Starfleet rules himself.”

“The USS..What?” ask Najma

“Wolverine. A ship let’s say that is …. ideal for people like you.” he said with a smile.

“What do you mean people like me?” she asked seriously

He chuckled and said, “Tough. I honestly think you will fit right in. But I dont think Captain or his XO are going to entirely tolerate your narcissistic behavior. You are going to have to shape up. You hear?”

Not sure if the question was rhetorical or not she decided not to respond.

“Anyway, I am here to see this agreement through. Or not it’s your choice. However, based on what I just heard I would take the deal. Any idiot knows you can’t tell that story as defense and expect to get the slap on the wrist you are getting.”

“Did you just low-key call me an idiot?” she said glaring at him.

“I am just saying your story is not going to hold up as a defense.”

She took a long sigh and said, “Great, they want to put me on a ship full of misfits.”

Moreino,
(Court marshalled & facing some serious charges)