safety mechanism to which Rear Admiral Hidalgo has testified.'
Judge McMasters nodded. 'Enter the manual into the record.'
Focusing on Rear Admiral Hidalgo once more, Carr took a step toward him. 'Sir, you've testified based upon your expert knowledge that there is no possible way in which the engineering system of the USS Maury could've suffered accidental nearly simultaneously catastrophic failure of its components. How, then, would you explain what happened?'
Hidalgo licked his lips, looking at Jen for a third time and then looking away. 'It had to have been done on purpose.'
Carr once again paused for a long moment before speaking again, letting the phrase settle firmly into the minds of listeners. 'On purpose. By sabotage, you mean?'
'If you want to call it that.'
'Internal or external sabotage?'
'Internal. No question.'
'A human agent on the Maury. Someone had to have done something to cause all those safety mechanisms to fail.'
'Absolutely. They had to have done a lot of somethings! Override the software, mess with the physical safety interlocks like circuit breakers, cross connect some things that aren't supposed to cross connect. I don't know exactly how'd you do all that, but that's what'd have to happen.'
'A lot of somethings, you said, sir. So a single act of carelessness, a single error, couldn't cause it.'
'Absolutely not. You might lose a single piece of equipment that way, if everything else went wrong, but not damage on this scale.'
Paul stared at Lieutenant Bashir, who was frowning down at the surface of the defense counsel's table. Object, you idiot. You're letting them point the whole thing straight at Jen. But Bashir said nothing.
'Rear Admiral Hidalgo, could you cause such a thing to happen?'
'Perhaps. I've never considered doing it, for obvious reasons, but I assume I could.'
'Objection.' Lieutenant Bashir finally stood, speaking clearly but without force. 'Witness is making an assumption based not upon his expertise and experience but upon pure speculation.'
Judge McMasters looked toward Carr, who spread her hands as if not comprehending the objection. 'Your Honor, the witness is an expert on these systems. His informed judgment, whether based upon things he's actually done or things he has only considered in theory, is still expert.'
Bashir shook his head. 'Your Honor, I would argue that this speculation goes outside the witness' area of expert knowledge. By his own statement, he's never considered doing it. Perhaps Trial Counsel could ask the witness if he would be willing to swear that he unquestionably could do such a thing?'
McMasters looked at Carr. Carr looked at Hidalgo. Hidalgo scrunched up his face in thought. 'I… think so.'
The judge looked directly at Hidalgo. 'The question, Admiral, is whether you would certify it definitely could be done by someone.'
Hidalgo's mouth worked for a moment, then he nodded. 'Yes. I would be willing to so certify.'
'Then the objection is overruled. Continue your questioning of the witness, Trial Counsel.'
Bashir sat down, his mouth a thin line.
Commander Carr faced Rear Admiral Hidalgo again. 'You say it could only happen on purpose, sir. Would it be hard to do?'
Hidalgo nodded briskly. 'Very hard.'
'Complicated?'
'Absolutely. That's why I said it'd have to an internal agent. Everything would have to done just right. Or, just wrong, I guess I should say.' Hidalgo started to smile, then looked guilty over making his joke.
'It would take an exceptionally competent and capable engineer to do such a thing?'
'Yes. Certainly. Someone who'd have to know that system cold.'
'Would that someone also have to be well-trusted?'
'I'm not sure…'
'Trusted. Able to go pretty much anywhere in engineering and not have what they were doing checked out.'
'Objection.' Lieutenant Bashir gestured toward Rear Admiral Hidalgo again. 'Your Honor, what is the basis for Trial Counsel's question? She's leading the witness.'
McMasters frowned in thought, but looked over at the member's table as Captain Carney cleared his throat. 'Judge, if I may, my personal opinion as someone who's held command is that knowing a system cold and being trusted are pretty much the same thing. One implies the other.'
Lieutenant Bashir spoke with obvious care. 'Your Honor, in this case, I would respectfully suggest that knowledge and character are two separate issues.'
Carney frowned slightly despite Bashir's careful tone and phrasing.
Judge McMasters thought a moment longer, then shook his head. 'No, I believe the argument presented by the captain is a sound one. These are two sides of the same coin. Objection overruled.'
Bashir sat again. Paul couldn't read his disappointment from his expression, but he knew it had to be there. Not only did he get overruled, but the senior officer among the members stuck his nose in and got it a bit bent out of joint. Great.
'Thank you, your honor. Rear Admiral Hidalgo, should I repeat the question?'
'Uh, no. You asked if it would need someone who wouldn't be watched or have what they did checked, right? Well, of course. They'd have to do a lot of stuff they weren't supposed to do and not get caught.'
'Thank you, Admiral.' Commander Carr turned to face the defense table. 'You've already testified that you met all of the engineering officers on the USS Maury prior to her last underway period. That included Lieutenant Junior Grade Shen?'
'Of course.'
'What is your professional assessment of her as an engineer?' Bashir began to rise. 'Based upon what you know,' Carr added. Bashir frowned and sat down again.
This time, Hidalgo avoided looking toward Jen. 'She seemed very capable.'
'Did you, personally, see any reason to question her expertise as an engineering officer?'
'No.'
'Would you say it was fair to describe Lieutenant Junior Grade Shen as being exceptionally competent and capable?'
'Objection.' Lieutenant Bashir's word held more force this time. 'Trial Counsel is putting words in the witness' mouth, and asking him to make an in-depth evaluation of an officer he met only briefly.'
'Sustained.' McMasters pointed his gavel at Commander Carr. 'Let the witness answer questions in his own words.'
'Yes, Your Honor. Thank you, Rear Admiral Hidalgo. I have no further questions at this time.'
Lieutenant Bashir, still standing from his last objection, walked up to the witness. 'Rear Admiral Hidalgo, hadn't the USS Maury recently had extensive changes made to her engineering system? Changes which rendered her engineering system unique?'
Hidalgo frowned. 'Well… unique…'
'The Ship's Efficiency Engineering Regulator System. SEERS for short. It's brand new.'
'That's true.'
'How much experience do you have with SEERS-equipped engineering systems?'
'None! You said yourself, it's brand new. No one has experience with such systems in an operational environment.'
Lieutenant Bashir frowned as if puzzled. 'But, then, how you can be so certain of what that system would do under any and all circumstances? Isn't your expertise and experience with different engineering systems, sir?'
Hidalgo flushed slightly. 'It's still basically the same. More so. SEERS was designed to reinforce and consolidate all those safety features. Everything I had to say about safety in an engineering system goes double for a ship with SEERS!'
Bashir paused. Even Paul could see he'd been thrown off by the force of Hidalgo's reply, but Bashir recovered
