While there wasn't much question in his mind as to what to do with most of the conspirators that he captured, there was one that he honestly wasn't sure what to do with.

Katara. The fourteen year old girl who by all accounts, fell backwards into the situation, attempted to kill the Yeerk along side of Sam and his group, then... gave up.

It put him in a tough position. She was just a kid who made a rash and remarkably stupid decision. Now he had to decide whether she should.

He had wanted to deal with her immediately, but he wasn't in the frame of mind to. He needed to think, but that at least came with one advantage. It would also give her time to think, which is about all she'd be able to do while being held in the brig.

Now that he finally had a chance to rest and clear his head, he decided to have a talk with the girl. He needed to see where her head was at, and what she learned, if anything. Or if she was as lost as Sam was.

He had her moved from her cell into one of the interrogation rooms. He had her wait there for a few minutes, then finally walked in.

"Miss Katara."

About a full day had passed since the Yeerk mess, when Leon called all of Security together for a debriefing. He wanted to give everyone a chance to get their wounds treated and to rest up. To say that it had been a rough day yesterday would be an understatement. He also wanted to give his people a chance to get their heads clear. Emotions run high after a battle, so he wanted to let everyone cool off and let some of the things the Captain said sink in.

Leon himself, though, wasn't able to take advantage of the time off, though. He looked like shit, less from the physical injuries than from the physical and emotional fatigue wearing on him. With Claire still out cold from emergency surgery, he hadn't slept at all, and likely wouldn't until he knew she was all right. Even now, his thoughts didn't drift far from her.

But with his team assembled in the briefing room, Leon stood front and center to address them.

( Read more... )

After healing up and making sure Yuri is reassured, Jaime leaves her to seek out Leon. He has some apologies to make, possibly some bones to pick if Leon doesn't seem to understand his own contribution to the disaster (but Jaime intends to leave him alone about it if he gets it) and also needs to see about getting Khaji punished for what he's done. Jaime, seeing himself as Khaji's sort of...keeper, regarding morality, is willing to suffer the same punishment, if that's what it takes.

He doesn't have to go very far.

Leon's right there in the MedBay next to some young woman that Jaime vaguely thinks he's seen hanging around him before.

Yeah, so the 'bone to pick' thing is dropped completely. His boneheaded 'let's flush out the conspirators--whoops, civilians!' plan was indeed boneheaded, but Sam was an idiot, and he didn't help by jumping in, and Khaji didn't help by making it worse--and above all else, Jaime is not the type to kick anyone while they're already down.

"Is she going to be okay?" he asks in a voice full of quiet concern.

The fighting had finally ended, but not before a lot of damage had been done. A number of people had been injured, but they were being treated now. Winchester had been subdued, but not before he saw the Yeerk dead. The rest of his group had also been taken down and cuffed, with two exceptions. The first being the mysterious redheaded fellow, who had disappeared during the melee. No one could locate him as of yet. The other was Katara, who because of both her age and her healing ability was allowed to helped the wounded, but under close supervision. They of the group were all sat at the edge of the area where the wounded were being treated, under a rather armed (and not at all happy) guard.

He had been informed about what happened to Claire, and while he was dying to rush down to the medbay to see her, he needed to see this through to the end. The fighting had stopped, the insurrectionists had been captured, but there was still one more thing he needed to do to finish this all off.

The doctors didn't need him in the way anyway.

He had sent out a message to get that last part kicked off, though, so that final part would be taken care of soon. Until then, Security was instructed to keep watch over Winchester's group until it was time to move them, and help patch up the walking wounded so the medbay could concentrate only on the more serious cases. He himself simply waited quietly, slightly away from everyone else, holding the pieces of the smashed Yeerkball.

Vega's being very sneaky. Well, okay, actually not. He's trotting down a hall on his way to the city, making sure to throw some hallway twists in to potentially lose any adults pursuing him. Mostly though, he's feeling pretty pleased with himself. Lock him up in the sensoriums like a little kid when interesting things are happening, huh?

He wants to go see what's up with this whole Yeerk mindslug thingy, is it so much to ask?
It can't be all that dangerous.

[Instructions: Here.]

Despite a few tricks up their sleeves, the Conspirators hardly stood a chance. It's all or nothing as they make a few last ditch attempts to kill the Yeerk, and as the fight grinds to a screeching halt.

Will they kill the Yeerk?

Will someone other than the Yeerk get killed in the crossfire?

[Instructions: Here.]

The fighting begins in earnest, as bystanders get dragged in, have to duck out of the way, or join in to help out, but with more people entering the fray, there's even more chaos.

Buildings have been cracked, a nearby fountain has been smashed, causing water to pour over the ground and make things even more of a mess.

Can anyone, Security or the Conspirators, keep the situation under control?

[Instructions: Here.]

Mahatma Gandhi once said: "In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place."

It was entirely likely that the crew would be very split on interpretation of that quote. Some thought the right thing was punishing what they saw as a mind-slaver for a crime with the ultimate penalty. Others thought that if a trial had dictated that imprisonment was punishment enough that it truly was.

It was time to move the Yeerk, in its containment unit, from the Precinct in the City, to its secure prison in the MedBay, where its prison sentence was to take place.

It was also time for the conspirators to move and make sure that it never made it.

( There's a storm brewing )

When he was ready, he finally called all of security into one of the briefing rooms. In front of where he stood, there was a holographic layout of part of the city, which highlighted the few direct routes between the Precinct and the Hub. Somewhere along those routes Sam would have to attack, since outside of the city, Stacy wouldn't let him.

Out of all of the routes, he chose the widest walkway there. Right now they had Sam outnumbered and outgunned, but none of that mattered if they didn't have room to utilize it.

A group of six, consisting of Leon, The Master Chief, Samus Aran, Worf, Marcus, and Ronon, were going to take the Yeerk. Carol Danvers would be flying overhead. The rest of the Security team would be along the route, keeping watch out for Sam, but their primary function would be crowd control. If Sam attacked, it would be up to them to protect the bystanders first and foremost, and keep others from getting involved. If people started jumping in, the situation could spiral downwards in a hurry. He did not want a riot on his hands The six with the Yeerk would be the primary ones to engage Sam and whoever he had with him.

When Leon addressed the group, he spoke as if he was laying all his cards out on the table, but he did not mention his suspicions about a traitor among them. They needed to trust each other, and they needed to believe that he trusted them. And he did trust them... he trusted them enough to mention the sub-armory, where some of the more high powered weapons, non-lethal riot ordinance (including rubber bullets, flashbangs, tear gas, and beanbag shotgun rounds) and basic body armor (re: Kevlar) was available to them.

But there were still a few cards he was going to play close to the vest.

"All right, people, that's the plan. Any questions?"

Down in the room that the conspirators had chosen to hide Sam after busting him out of detention, the group had gathered for one last time. On a table lay John Winchester's journal, which--with the help of the conspirators--now had a map of the area surrounding the precinct and all the possible routes to the hub, which then led to the rest of the ship. There weren't many of them. And most of those that were there were normal humans. The other side--the side that had chosen to protect the Yeerk--had them both out-numbered and out-gunned. That meant that the plan had to adjust for that.

Hitting them in transit, while they were transporting the Yeerk back to the medbay, had been decided was the best option. It meant they wouldn't be taking on the entire security team but, instead, a much smaller detail. People would be positioned in various locations, meaning the detail would have to face a fight on several flanks if it came down to force. And, finally, while waiting for the security detail to arrive at a narrow street or a bottle-neck was the most effective battle strategy, it was likely the most deadly. Therefore, they'd opted for a wide-open area for two reasons.

First, because of the huge spectacle that had been made with the trial, there was bound to be a crowd. Since crowds can more easily form in wide-open areas with lots of space, that meant most of the security personnel would be tied down trying to keep them under control. Which meant less chance of reinforcements. And having a large crowd nearby had one other benefit: it would put a damper on the super-powered ones, they were less likely to use their full powers with a bunch of innocent bystanders around that might possibly get hurt because of it. Not after the battle with the cockroaches.

Second, it gave more room for bystanders to flee once--and if--the fighting started. People would be less likely to get trampled trying to run to safety if there was room for everyone to run.

The plan was set and agreed upon. And there was even a surprise or two in store for the security detail escorting Schmuz to safety.

"Ok," Sam said, looking up from the map to the group around him. "So, we're all 'go' with this, right? If anyone wants to back out, now's the time to do it. All I ask is that you let the rest of us do what needs to be done and wait here until we're gone."

She'd been careful at covering her tracks, but sometimes you can be too careful--sometimes someone notices you taking great pains to not be noticed. Leela slips around a building in the city, and slips out of her Cloak of Disregard. Which was her normal cloak, mind you, but even here she could still do the occasional blood-weave. It's just magic is a time-consuming process, and she isn't fond of relying on it in general so she doesn't make a habit of trying to use it on the ship, but now--right now, it's an ace up her sleeve.

Or was, at any rate.

She's nowhere near where they hid Sam at the moment, but the fact that she's skulking about is enough for the observant onlooker to realize she's sneaking around for some reason.

After listening to the prosecution’s case and the defense’s case, the eight person jury was ushered into a secure and empty room to determine the fate of the Yeerk known as Schmuz-44356. The charges presented to the court were as follows:

11 counts of Kidnapping
2 counts of Attempted Kidnapping
13 counts of Conspiracy to Kidnap
11 counts of Enslavement
2 counts of Attempted Enslavement
13 counts of Conspiracy to Enslave
7 counts of Attempted Murder
28 counts of Assault with Intent to Kill
35 counts of Conspiracy to Commit Murder

Let the deliberations begin...

Down in the city, there is a building. It is massive. It's architecture makes it clear that it is a police precinct, taken from some strange world that the crew had likely never heard of before. It's not a pretty building, built for functionality and not for beauty. It's purpose is clear to any who see it. Inside it are rooms upon rooms, including rows of cells. Some are strange, utilizing intensely powerful force-fields to keep highly powerful detainees contained. Others are more familiar to many of the crew. They resemble the average steel bars and concrete cells that have graced many a television show or movie. All of them are empty.

And therein lies the problem. One of these cells, one of the plain, bland, bars and concrete cells had an occupant at one time. News of his arrest, apprehension and hunger-strike had swept through the crew like wild fire. Deemed a threat to himself, his fellow crewmates, and the Yeerk he'd plotted to kill, it had been decided that Sam Winchester would remain detained in the precinct until the conclusion of the Yeerk trial. The trial was not yet over...but Sam was gone.

There were few clues to the how. The cell door hung open, looking like he'd just walked out of his volition. Like he'd been free to do so all along. Who had helped him was likely to be a short list...perhaps... Why he'd escaped was obvious. What he planned on doing was equally obvious. The more important questions were: Where was he now? The ship is big. But hiding anywhere where someone could merely ask Stacy for Sam's location would be stupid. So that left the city...which was also big. There were hundreds of places to hide in the Vatican alone.

And, lastly, when would he--and whoever had helped him--make his move?

The trial was not yet over. The jury had not yet come back with a verdict. But Sam Winchester was free. Likely hiding out until the verdict was revealed, waiting to take matters into his own hands if it came back as anything but 'death.' And, from the looks of things, he may not be alone....

[OOC: If you wanna have your character discover that Sam is gone and react and such, please do so. You can tag back and forth with your characters reacting and such. I will be posting later a subthread of Sam with the person(s) who helped him escape. If you would like to have one of your characters be one of those people, gimme a poke at my e-mail or on AIM (it's on the Contact List).]

Judge James T. Kirk is presiding. The Jury: Jamie Hemeros, Arha Masaari, Chris Ramirez, Malcolm Reynolds, Diana Titov, Sir Sparhawk, Fitz Kreiner, and Cameron Mitchell. Each had been informed not to discuss the trial, even amongst themselves.

The charges that have been presented to the court:

11 counts of Kidnapping
2 counts of Attempted Kidnapping
13 counts of Conspiracy to Kidnap
11 counts of Enslavement
2 counts of Attempted Enslavement
13 counts of Conspiracy to Enslave
7 counts of Attempted Murder
28 counts of Assault with Intent to Kill
35 counts of Conspiracy to Commit Murder

The Prosecution has mounted its case. Now the Defense is calling its witnesses, to try to prove the Yeerk's innocence.

Let the proceedings continue....

Word of the trial had spread through the crew like wildfire. Some of the crew had already made their decision about the guilt or innocence of the defendant. Others were less certain. But all awaited the first day of trial anxiously. That day had come....

( Hear ye, hear ye... )

Let the proceedings begin....