Representing

Posted on 08 Feb 2025 @ 10:22am by Major Porter Wallace

Mission: M4 - Falling Out
Location: Obsidian Command
Timeline: M4 - MD25 - 1430 HR
1755 words - 3.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Rit Sarteniac liked Vulcans. In fact, he loved Vulcans. That hair. Those ears. The eyebrows! That emotionless gaze sent a thrill up Rit’s spine, especially when all those things belonged to someone who sat on the bench.

They didn’t much appreciate Rit, but they didn’t have to like him. They needed to like the logic of his arguments, and he’d wager his logic against anyone’s any day of the week and twice on the Pirate Queen’s birthday.

It just so happened to be the Pirate Queen’s birthday today.

“I think my motion speaks for itself,” Rit said in response to a question lobbed his way by the Honorable Judge V’Tash. She looked young for a judge, but viewscreens tended to shave a few years off and dating a Vulcan by the smoothness of their face would be an act equal to only the best carnival barker. “According to the Starfleet Family Act, paragraph four, subsection two, the civilian Federation courts are clearly the wrong venue for this particular case.”

There were two other heads on the view screen: Omoleye’s and Childress’s lawyers. No one’s clients were there, not for an in camera hearing. Rit liked how appropriate the Latin phrase of “in chambers” had become when most all of these types of hearings were done on viewscreens. These types of proceedings could be a bit more chaotic, too, as both the other lawyers drowned each other out with their protests. Another thing Rit liked about Vulcans is that emotion outbursts (even ones that weren’t really all that emotional) tended to piss them off. The judge silenced the two lawyers with her index finger.

“Ms. Das,” V’tash intoned the lawyer’s name for the Childresses with a flatly. If she hadn’t been Vulcan, Rit thought it might be a way of admonishing the lawyer for speaking without being called on.

“Your honor, the Wallace – excuse me – the unmarried Major Wallace and Chief Petty Officer Xeri have no standing to bring a motion in this case. They are not the recognized adoptive parents under any law of the Federation or its planets.”

Rit raised an eyebrow in perfect imitation of a Vulcan. V’Tash noted it with an eyebrow of her own. “I think Lieutenant Sarteniac makes a good point,” she said as if Rit had just given a full-throated dissension. “Question the veracity of Major Wallace nor Chief Petty Officer’s partnership is ill-advised. Further, they were not in a position to officially adopt the child. Your petition halted their ability to even start the process. In the case of standing, I find that they have it. Mr. Xie?”

“My clients and I have no issue with their standing,” the Omoleye’s lawyer said. “Our issue is with the Starfleet Family Act itself. As it stipulates in paragraph seven, subsection 3, the Act can only be applied to active personnel. The child was born after the crew of the USS Sunrise was declared missing and presumed dead by the Federation. Our question is whether the child was born of active Starfleet personnel or not.”

Rit had considered this preposterous angle and already had rehearsed what he was going to say. When V’Tash looked at him, he smoothly offered his opinion. “Starfleet personnel held in captivity have any designation changed retroactively. The crew of the Sunrise, including Jimoh Omoleye and Rachel Childress, were active at the time of the child’s birth.”

He could tell V’Tash was looking at the other two lawyers as if to say, ‘anything else?’
Neither of them responded.

“Mr. Wallace, you did not submit an opinion in this matter. As the appointed legal counsel for the child, I would have expected you to.”

Although they were seated across the table from him, Marcus Wallace and his co-counsel and daughter, Victoria, were in the same conference room with Rit. Unlike the others, he’d been able to see the pair exchange notes scribbled on PADDs as the in camera hearing continued.

“We’re not being lax with our representation your honor. However, I’ve not yet been granted access to my client. I don’t feel like I’m in a position to offer a brief one way or the other.”

“No access?” V’Tash said, as close to a hint of accusation as a Vulcan could muster as her eyes swung to Rit.

He’d known this was going to be a problem, but his best excuse was feeble at best and he girded himself for the Vulcan equivalent of a hiding. “Per medical advice. The counseling staff doesn’t feel he’s in a position to understand what’s going on. Captivity was hard on them all. To him, Major Wallace and Chief Petty Officer Xeri are his parents. Even suggesting otherwise could have adverse effects on his health.”

“This case hasn’t left my court yet, Lieutenant Sarteniac. I expect you to work with Mr. Wallace to find a time within the next forty-eight hours, understood?”

Rit didn’t smile – it would’ve been pointless to try and charm the judge in this case – but did give a simple nod. “Of course.”

“I will wait for that meeting and for Mr. Wallace’s brief before making my ruling on your motion. In other words: don’t waste my time.”

“Yes, your Honor.”

“Very well. Inform me as soon as the meeting is scheduled.”

With that, the hearing was over. Rit stood up and pushed in his chair and made for the door at the far end of the room. Marcus Wallace met him there, PADD in hand. “You’ll reach out to me with time and place.”

“Of course, Counselor,” Rit replied jovially. He didn’t like Marcus’s tone nor phrasing, but a thin skinned lawyer was of little use to anyone.

“Good.” Marcus had to wait a fraction of a second for the door to swish open, but then bolted out of the room.

“To hell with you, too,” Rit spit at the closing door, only to be surprised by a throaty laugh. He’d forgotten about Victora Wallace, still seated at the table. “Sorry,” he mumbled toward the woman.

Victoria waved away the apology and laughed again. Her laughter reminded Rit of some sort of melodic chime, which immediately put him on edge. Every Orion woman he’d known since he was a little boy had tried to manipulate him. Human women might lack the pheromones, but he’d known some to be as wily as the most skilled Orion courtesan.

“Dad doesn’t know what to think about you. You were a criminal lawyer, right? I looked you up,” she said as explanation. “You worked for the Orion Syndicate.”

“Not for the whole Syndicate, just one family,” Rit said, a little too defensively.

“Your record speaks for itself. Dad thinks my uncle went out and got the meanest, toughest son-of-a-bitch lawyer to make his life a living hell,” she explained, rising from the table. Rit was a large Orion, but the Victoria’s height shocked him. The top of her head easily came up to his shoulder. “He’s also worried about Ikemba. Mean lawyers lead to hard fought cases which aren’t a joy for the kids, you know?”

“I’m not mean,” he replied, still on the defensive. “And I was happy doing what I was doing before.”

“Defending the Syndicate?” Rit shook his head forcefully. “Than what?” She moved closer to him, nearly close enough to feel her breath in his face.

“Worms. I was studying...worms. After I left my previous employer I went to the Academy and studied biology. Worms have an interesting...ability...to...er...” The more he explained, the more he began to wonder whether he’d truly been happy dissecting floppy invertebrates for a living. Or maybe it was because Victoria smelled like a flowers. The scent was some collection of Earth flowers whose essence had been boiled down into a perfume no doubt.

“Oh. Fun,” she said with little enthusiasm.

“It was...work. To do. And. Not. Syndicate. Stuff,” Rit mumbled while he considered whether it was too late to switch his area of focus to botany and organic chemistry. He wouldn’t mind smelling flowers all day.

She stepped around him to the door, at the same time switching the topic back to the case. “I think you’re going to drag this out until the kids eighteen or thirty, more like. No matter what T’Vash’s opinion is, Lakshay Das and Xie Wu will appeal – or you will. That’ll drag the case out for months while everyone writes new briefs. You’re probably planning on throwing a few more motions into the fray, which will also have to be appealed. That’s just the first appeal, am I right?”

It took a few moments for Rit to clear his head of the floral bouquet and focus on the question. “I am not about to comment on my legal strategy.”

“Of course not,” she laughed. “You’d disappoint me if you did.”

“Then why ask?”

“Why not?”

They walked out of the conference room together. To Rit’s disappointment, Victoria turned left while he turned right. “Major Wallace didn’t hire me,” he blurted, causing her to turn around. “I was assigned by the station’s Chief Diplomatic Officer to the case.”


“Right. Commander Rubens. Did you know he basically threw Dad and me out of his quarters when we first showed up? Not very diplomatic.”

“I got the distinct impression that if I were cause you – and your dad – bodily harm, Ruben’s try to award me a medal. I think there’s probably something else going on there, because as far as I can tell he doesn’t really know the Major or the Chief very well.”

Victoria looked thoughtful for a moment. “No doubt.”

“Anyway. Tell your dad. Neither Porter Wallace nor Ibis Xeri had anything to do with my hiring.”

“I will.” Victoria turned around to walk away, then turned back around. “Thank you.”

Rit’s brow furrowed. “For what?”

“The interesting conversation. See you again, Counselor.”

He stood there dumbly watching her walk away, both worried he’d given some important piece of information away and wondering when they’d get to speak again.