Joint Duty Log || Admiral A. Hark & Major General P. Potter || "Unfinished Business"

Posted on 241501.06 @ 8:31pm by Admiral Alexander Hark & Major General Paul Potter

Mission: Reconciliation & Reconstruction [Fleet Plot]
Location: Office of the Commander-in-Chief, Starfleet Headquarters

He still felt the pain in his knees as he used his cane to walk to the office that held the Commander in Chief of Starfleet. During the civil war, he was lucky to have remained in his posting not by helping the bastards that were going against everything that the Federation stood for, but by reminding those in authority that Starfleet Judge Advocate Corps was there to provide legal support to the members of Starfleet no matter what side they were on.

The JAG Corps were lawyers first and foremost and they were the experts and for the most part President and his cronies left his division alone. He knew he couldn't protect everyone that was assigned to JAG, but he worked his ass off to use who ever he trusted in BuPERS to keep everyone from his lawyers to the guards assigned in their current billets.

Stopping before the desk, Paul looked at the aide, "Is he ready?"

"He is, go right in General," the Aide replied with a slight smile as she gestured towards the door to the office of the Commander in Chief.

Nodding toward the aide, Paul entered the room and looked at Hark as he sat at the desk, "Haven't had a chance to change anything, huh?"

"I had the Corps remove the scorch marks from the wall General," Xander replied with a slight chuckle as he gestured to the fresh panel behind him, "It would seem we had some rather trigger happy invaders when we left."

"That was a fucking mess," Paul replied as he looked at the man, "Civilians don't belong mucking in the affairs of Starfleet even though oversight can be a good thing at times. The bastards took it to far, and now the JAG Corps has to go though every record and logs during this war."

"Not just the JAG," Xander replied as he gestured towards the stack of padds next to him, "All of these deal with command and higher level officers who sided with Federation first," he added before gesturing to the second stack, "This is also a stack of the complaints against Starfleet and the Federation from former member worlds, member worlds in which it is my first task to try and bring back into the fold, which is not an easy task."

"Have fun with that," Paul replied, "As always please forward case to JAG. We need to talk about Sharpe and the case that is still active against him."

"Given that the case against Sharpe was carefully created and aggrevated by Federation First and coupled with the fact that he's one of the men responsible for freeing a large number of captured Flag Officers from their custody, I think we should see our way to clearing the case against him, the last thing we need to do is to disgrace one of the heros of this civil war." Hark replied as he fixed his gaze on the JAG officer.

Looking at the Commander in Chief, Paul returned his gaze as he spoke, "Even though it was something that was brought before my office by anyone. The JAG Corps is there to provide legal and policy advice to Starfleet. At the time of the report, it was a legitimate complaint and even though the complaining officer is no longer in Starfleet, I have to move this along. Frankly, I want this off my desk."

"Then move it along to the file marked 'recycle'," Hark replied with a nod, "General Sharpe is being assigned to the Gamma Quadrant alongside Fleet Admiral Malone, the case against him stops here."

Paul looked at the man before he opened his jacket and pulled out a PADD, "The only way this is getting off my desk is via your signature, sir."

Sliding the PADD across the table, Paul leaned back and looked Hark since the ball was in the CinC court now. Paul may have wanted to get the damn thing off the docket, but he wasn't going to whitewash the thing.

"As long as it is dropped," Hark replied with a sigh that reverberated against the walls, his desk was filled with paperwork, complaints against former Starfleet Officers who had sided with the Federation were flooding in from all corners of the galaxy, he pressed his thumb onto the PADD and gave it his print, his formal identification, "There, Now, do we have anything else to discuss, General?"

"Just to let you know that my division has heard whispers of people coming forward to present war crimes against Malone," Paul replied, "However, there are just whispers, but other than that I have nothing more."

"War crimes?" Hark asked sceptically with a tilt of his head to one side, "We won't be entertaining those, the people answering for war crimes will be those involved with Federation First, they breached any number of the articles of the constitution of the Federation."

"With respect, Admiral, we shall be looking at both sides," Paul replied, "I have been intrusted to send my finding on this matter to the Federation Sub-Council of Justice."

"War Crimes?! You want to mention War Crimes?!" Hark shouted as he slammed his fist down on the desk, causing his mug to jump and spill its contents over the wood and leather, "Why in the hell are we even entertaining this conversation when Federation First used Subspace weapons against Starfleet forces? Weapons I might add that are banned by the Khitomer Accords!" the greying Admiral continued before picking up a PADD and throwing it at the Judge Advocate General, "If you want to make yourself useful, show that to the damned Sub-Council and see if they still want to chase down Malone for imagined war crimes, we have bigger fish to fry."

Paul looked at the younger officers for a second before taking the PADD, "With respect, Admiral, both sides were called Starfleet and as such, the average citizen has no idea who to trust. I will follow the law in this case and I will instruct my Corps to look at both sides. The law is clear for all, it does not take side and the truth will not be lost in this fog of war. If that is all, sir, I have to get back to my office."

"That may be so General, but only one of those sides authorised the use of banned weaponry, we should be focusing on those and the people who led this take-over of the Federation using underhand methods, do not forget that we have the entire former executive branch in custody, they need to be tried too." Hark replied sharply, "I have no doubt we will be seeing each other again soon, show yourself out."

Standing up, Paul snapped to attention, "Understood, sir."

=/= End Log =/\=

Admiral Alexander 'Xander' Hark
Commander in Chief
Starfleet Command

&

Major General Paul Potter
Judge Advocate General of Starfleet
Judge Advocate General Corps