Trial Without Error 1 - Confrontation
Title: Trial Without Error
Author: Soledad
For disclaimer, rating, etc. see the secondary index page.
A few lines of dialogue are borrowed from the last scene of the episode “Hot Zone” - with a mighty twist.
CHAPTER 1 - CONFRONTATION
Major John Sheppard parked the puddle jumper where it belonged and sauntered out of the hangar, shaken and a bit groggy but extremely satisfied. Once again, he’d managed to keep the upper hand, and beyond that, he’d saved the city. All in one striking act. What was there not to be satisfied with?
His self-satisfaction deflated a bit, though, when he encountered Michael Naseband just outside the hangar door. For some reason, the mere idea of civilian security teams on an expedition like this irritated him to no end. The entire Stargate program thanked its existence the US military, so it would have been only just if the US military had been solely entrusted with the protection of the Atlantis expedition as well. But since the majority of the scientist came from other countries, their governments had got to say something about it, and the Germans insisted to send their own security people with their geeks. Which was ridiculous.
It wasn’t so that Sheppard would have been a sticker to the rules or overly militaristic - he was not. Every single commanding officer of his could have vouched for that. But he preferred to have the protection of Atlantis (or, indeed, any other unit he was involved with) firmly in one hand. Preferably his own. Hell, that was what he’d been trained for. This situation of mixed responsibilities only served to create confusion in a crisis.
As a rule, he was well capable of intimidate civilians into following him wherever he wanted them to be. Or to charm them into doing the same thing. It even worked with Rodney McKay, one of the most stubborn people he’d ever met. But Michael Naseband made him… uncomfortable. That big, bald-headed, quietly sarcastic man, with decades of police investigations under his belt, was completely immune against the famous Sheppard charm - the only reaction Sheppard had ever got from him was mild irritation.
So, yes, it was more than understandable that the German was the last person Sheppard wanted to see at a time when he was exhausted and sweaty and dirty and hungry and… just plain fed up with civilians. Nonetheless, it was wiser to show at least a minimum of politeness. Naseband had great influence among the German soldiers the Bundeswehr had sent to strengthen the Atlantis contingent, and as the military governor of Atlantis, Sheppard needed to stay on good terms with those guys.
“What do you want, Officer?” he asked tiredly.
“Commissar,” Naseband corrected, reminding the major that he was a high-ranking detective, not some street patrol cop. “Dr. Weir asks you to meet her in her office, Major.”
“Now?” Sheppard asked incredulously. Naseband shrugged.
“As soon as he lands, were her exact words,” he replied simply. Sheppard rolled his eyes.
“And she couldn’t have radioed me? Or are we having problems with the intercom system, too?”
“No,” Naseband chose his words carefully, “at least not the technical part of it, in Dr. Weir’s opinion. However, she seemed to worry that you might… not take her invitation seriously, so she asked me to escort you to her office.”
That didn’t sound good. It seemed that she was still royally pissed with him. Well, if nothing else helped, he’d have to do some grovelling. Civilians always liked that from the side of the military. It made them feel in control.
“You?” Sheppard asked. “Wasn’t that a bit of overkill? She could have sent any stray Marine for me.”
Naseband nodded. “Sure she could,” he agreed. “But she wasn’t certain that any stray Marine would have done her asking. Not after Sergeant Bates’ performance today.”
Shit, this was more serious than he’d have guessed. Royally pissed probably wouldn’t even begin to describe Weir’s reaction. He’d have to yank things into the right perspective before everything went to hell.
“All right,” he said, “let’s go then.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dr. Weir’s office was almost dark when they arrived, the elegant, blonde woman leaning against one of the large windows, the shadows sharpening her features to a mask of exhaustion and disappointment - but also one of grim determination.
“Thank you, Mr. Naseband,” she said. “Major, have a seat. Coffee?”
Sheppard shook his head, trying to figure out what to expect. But her manners didn’t reveal anything. Small wonder; she was a skilled and highly successful diplomat, she had her poker face firmly in place.
“Can I do anything else for you, Dr. Weir?” Naseband asked her, and she nodded.
“Yes. Please inform Dr. Kirkitadze and Major Vogel about my decision, and ask them to consult me here, in” she glanced at her wrist watch, “say, in thirty minutes. This won’t be long.”
Naseband nodded and left without a further word. Despite her previous declaration of this meeting not supposed to be long, Dr. Weir didn’t seem to be in a great hurry. She poured herself a coup of coffee from a thermos flask and drank it with small, thoughtful sips. Only when the cup was empty and replaced on the tray did she turn to Sheppard.
“So… are you all right then, Major?” she asked in a neutral manner. “You seem a bit battered, to be honest.”
Sheppard dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. “Yeah, just a little nuke - nothin’, really.”
She didn’t seem to like his flippant attitude but let it slip for the moment.
”The naquadah generator plan was very clever,” she said instead evenly. “Good work.”
”Thank you,” Sheppard replied with a sarcastic bow of his head, “but it really wasn’t necessary to drag me here just to say so. It would have been enough to pat my shoulders in the morning. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed. It was a somewhat… bumpy ride, and I hurt in places I forgot to even exist.”
He stood up to leave, but Dr. Weir’s voice stopped him mid-track.
”However,” she said, her tone revealing that the actual reason of their impromptu meeting hadn’t been to compliment him at all, “it cost us one of our spare energy sources. That’s one thing we need to discuss. The other is what happened earlier.”
Sheppard turned around wearily. “Now?”
”Of course not,” she replied, not allowing her irritation to colour her voice. “There will be ample time to analyze the details later. I just wanted to make something very clear: that can never happen again.”
Sheppard looked at her for a moment, realizing that she was angrier than he might have thought. He returned to the desk and sat down again.
”Look, I’m sorry about...” he began, but he was interrupted at once.
”No, Major, I don’t think you really are,” Dr. Weir said slowly. “I think you’re quite smug about the outcome of things. Now, I understand your expertise in military matters and I agree that I should defer to that expertise in such situations.”
”Thank you!” Sheppard commented sarcastically, but she went on as if she hadn’t heard his comment at all.
”But you are not the one who decides what is and what is not a military situation,” she said. “Both General O’Neill and Colonel Sumner warned me that you don’t respect the proper chain of command, but I thought we could work out a solution.”
Sheppard shrugged. ”Well, sometimes I see a situation a little different than...”
”No,” she interrupted him again, this time anger unmistakably flashing in her eyes. “That’s not the point, Major. The point is that you - you who were so eager to remind Colonel Sumner who’s giving the orders here - you disobeyed my orders at the first time we disagreed. As a result, you endangered yourself and the lives of many others.”
“Because I thought it was the best course of action to take!” Sheppard snapped, now fairly annoyed himself. Weir glared at him, her eyes growing cold. It was actually more frightening than any temper tantrum she could have thrown… had she been prone to throwing temper tantrums. Which she was not. Diplomats rarely were.
”And that was reason enough?” she asked. "Where was the guarantee that you were right - which, by the way, you weren’t!”
”Well, I’ve saved your ass, haven’t I?” Sheppard riposted, more defensively than he’d intended, and that annoyed him. She nodded.
”Yes, you have,” she allowed. “But that’s beside the point. You wanted to get your way and pulled rank to turn my own chief of security against me to force my hand - that was a low move; one that I won’t allow you to repeat.”
“So what do you wanna do?” Sheppard asked, not quite able to suppress the smugness in his voice. “You need me.”
“I do,” she agreed easily. Suspiciously easily for his taste. “But not necessarily in the position you fill right now. There are others of the same rank and with sufficient military expertise.”
“You can’t remove me from my post,” Sheppard protested. “I’m still the military commander of Atlantis.”
“Watch me,” Weir replied icily. “You think you can make me back off? Well, think again. Not even Vice-President Kinsey managed that, and compared with him you are a boy scout; and not even a very skilled one.”
While Sheppard was still gaping with indignation, she pushed the call button on her desk. A tall, black-haired, vaguely Middle Eastern man came in - another member of the European security team.
“Please escort Major Sheppard to his quarters, Mr. Kurtulus,” she said, “and see that he remains there until he’s contacted. And send in Sergeant Bates to me.”
The Turkish security officer nodded and gestured the flabbergasted Sheppard to follow him. On their way out, they met a very concerned Bates, but they didn’t get the chance to speak to each other.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dr. Weir’s meeting with Bates was even shorter than the one with Sheppard had been. Actually, it was barely more than an announcement from her side. She was so angry with him that she didn’t risk a longer discussion, in fear that she might say something she would regret later. That was one thing she - as the leader of the expedition and a career diplomat - couldn’t afford.
“Sergeant Bates,” she said in an even, restrained voice. “I have chosen you as the head of security on Atlantis because I trusted you. I thought you would be able to see beyond your limited militaristic horizon and realize whom you owed your allegiance. Apparently, I was mistaken. You have misused my trust and sided with Major Sheppard against me, in front of my entire staff and before the whole expedition. I can’t use a man with divided loyalties, and I can’t trust a soldier who turns against the legally established civilian leadership.”
Bates opened his mouth to say something, but she silenced her with a sharp gesture.
“Please, don’t. You’ll have plenty of time to argue for yourself later. I’ve only called you to inform you that hereby I remove you from your post as chief of security, effective immediately.”
“You can’t do that, Ma’am!” Bates protested, more shocked than angry, actually.
“I can, and I will,” she replied coldly. “I gave you the job in the first place, and I’m taking it away again. It’s a temporary solution right now, and there will be a proper hearing later. I wouldn’t keep my hopes up if I were you, though. I’m well within my right, according to the Atlantis Charta.”
That was all too true, and Bates knew it. He also knew that she was right. As head of security on a mission that was under civilian leadership, he nominally answered to Dr. Weir, the leader of said mission. Still, he’d instinctively sided with the highest ranking military officer, who had happened to disobey and override a direct order given by the civilian leader. It was a knee-jerk reaction - had he had the time to think about it, he might have reacted differently. Well, it was too late for that now.
“I understand,” he said. “What do you want me to do now?”
Exhaustion washed over her face all of a sudden, deepening the lines around her eyes and mouth, making her age years in a single moment.
“You’re confined to your quarters until further notice, Sergeant,” she answered, her voice flat and tired. “You’ll be contacted in the morning. Please leave now.”
Bates snapped to attention, turned on his heals smartly and marched out. If he noticed another one from the German security team following him, he gave no sign of it.
Theresa Weir slumped into the seat behind her desk and buried her face in her hands.
“God, I hate this,” she murmured, too emotionally drained to be truly angry.
For visuals: Jessica Steen as Dr. Weir in the 7th Season Stargate episodes Lost City 1 and 2:
Michael Naseband (left)with Alex Rietz and Branco Vukovic, who also appear in the "Moments of Joy" AU sometimes:
Chapter 2 - Reactions
Author: Soledad
For disclaimer, rating, etc. see the secondary index page.
A few lines of dialogue are borrowed from the last scene of the episode “Hot Zone” - with a mighty twist.
CHAPTER 1 - CONFRONTATION
Major John Sheppard parked the puddle jumper where it belonged and sauntered out of the hangar, shaken and a bit groggy but extremely satisfied. Once again, he’d managed to keep the upper hand, and beyond that, he’d saved the city. All in one striking act. What was there not to be satisfied with?
His self-satisfaction deflated a bit, though, when he encountered Michael Naseband just outside the hangar door. For some reason, the mere idea of civilian security teams on an expedition like this irritated him to no end. The entire Stargate program thanked its existence the US military, so it would have been only just if the US military had been solely entrusted with the protection of the Atlantis expedition as well. But since the majority of the scientist came from other countries, their governments had got to say something about it, and the Germans insisted to send their own security people with their geeks. Which was ridiculous.
It wasn’t so that Sheppard would have been a sticker to the rules or overly militaristic - he was not. Every single commanding officer of his could have vouched for that. But he preferred to have the protection of Atlantis (or, indeed, any other unit he was involved with) firmly in one hand. Preferably his own. Hell, that was what he’d been trained for. This situation of mixed responsibilities only served to create confusion in a crisis.
As a rule, he was well capable of intimidate civilians into following him wherever he wanted them to be. Or to charm them into doing the same thing. It even worked with Rodney McKay, one of the most stubborn people he’d ever met. But Michael Naseband made him… uncomfortable. That big, bald-headed, quietly sarcastic man, with decades of police investigations under his belt, was completely immune against the famous Sheppard charm - the only reaction Sheppard had ever got from him was mild irritation.
So, yes, it was more than understandable that the German was the last person Sheppard wanted to see at a time when he was exhausted and sweaty and dirty and hungry and… just plain fed up with civilians. Nonetheless, it was wiser to show at least a minimum of politeness. Naseband had great influence among the German soldiers the Bundeswehr had sent to strengthen the Atlantis contingent, and as the military governor of Atlantis, Sheppard needed to stay on good terms with those guys.
“What do you want, Officer?” he asked tiredly.
“Commissar,” Naseband corrected, reminding the major that he was a high-ranking detective, not some street patrol cop. “Dr. Weir asks you to meet her in her office, Major.”
“Now?” Sheppard asked incredulously. Naseband shrugged.
“As soon as he lands, were her exact words,” he replied simply. Sheppard rolled his eyes.
“And she couldn’t have radioed me? Or are we having problems with the intercom system, too?”
“No,” Naseband chose his words carefully, “at least not the technical part of it, in Dr. Weir’s opinion. However, she seemed to worry that you might… not take her invitation seriously, so she asked me to escort you to her office.”
That didn’t sound good. It seemed that she was still royally pissed with him. Well, if nothing else helped, he’d have to do some grovelling. Civilians always liked that from the side of the military. It made them feel in control.
“You?” Sheppard asked. “Wasn’t that a bit of overkill? She could have sent any stray Marine for me.”
Naseband nodded. “Sure she could,” he agreed. “But she wasn’t certain that any stray Marine would have done her asking. Not after Sergeant Bates’ performance today.”
Shit, this was more serious than he’d have guessed. Royally pissed probably wouldn’t even begin to describe Weir’s reaction. He’d have to yank things into the right perspective before everything went to hell.
“All right,” he said, “let’s go then.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dr. Weir’s office was almost dark when they arrived, the elegant, blonde woman leaning against one of the large windows, the shadows sharpening her features to a mask of exhaustion and disappointment - but also one of grim determination.
“Thank you, Mr. Naseband,” she said. “Major, have a seat. Coffee?”
Sheppard shook his head, trying to figure out what to expect. But her manners didn’t reveal anything. Small wonder; she was a skilled and highly successful diplomat, she had her poker face firmly in place.
“Can I do anything else for you, Dr. Weir?” Naseband asked her, and she nodded.
“Yes. Please inform Dr. Kirkitadze and Major Vogel about my decision, and ask them to consult me here, in” she glanced at her wrist watch, “say, in thirty minutes. This won’t be long.”
Naseband nodded and left without a further word. Despite her previous declaration of this meeting not supposed to be long, Dr. Weir didn’t seem to be in a great hurry. She poured herself a coup of coffee from a thermos flask and drank it with small, thoughtful sips. Only when the cup was empty and replaced on the tray did she turn to Sheppard.
“So… are you all right then, Major?” she asked in a neutral manner. “You seem a bit battered, to be honest.”
Sheppard dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. “Yeah, just a little nuke - nothin’, really.”
She didn’t seem to like his flippant attitude but let it slip for the moment.
”The naquadah generator plan was very clever,” she said instead evenly. “Good work.”
”Thank you,” Sheppard replied with a sarcastic bow of his head, “but it really wasn’t necessary to drag me here just to say so. It would have been enough to pat my shoulders in the morning. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed. It was a somewhat… bumpy ride, and I hurt in places I forgot to even exist.”
He stood up to leave, but Dr. Weir’s voice stopped him mid-track.
”However,” she said, her tone revealing that the actual reason of their impromptu meeting hadn’t been to compliment him at all, “it cost us one of our spare energy sources. That’s one thing we need to discuss. The other is what happened earlier.”
Sheppard turned around wearily. “Now?”
”Of course not,” she replied, not allowing her irritation to colour her voice. “There will be ample time to analyze the details later. I just wanted to make something very clear: that can never happen again.”
Sheppard looked at her for a moment, realizing that she was angrier than he might have thought. He returned to the desk and sat down again.
”Look, I’m sorry about...” he began, but he was interrupted at once.
”No, Major, I don’t think you really are,” Dr. Weir said slowly. “I think you’re quite smug about the outcome of things. Now, I understand your expertise in military matters and I agree that I should defer to that expertise in such situations.”
”Thank you!” Sheppard commented sarcastically, but she went on as if she hadn’t heard his comment at all.
”But you are not the one who decides what is and what is not a military situation,” she said. “Both General O’Neill and Colonel Sumner warned me that you don’t respect the proper chain of command, but I thought we could work out a solution.”
Sheppard shrugged. ”Well, sometimes I see a situation a little different than...”
”No,” she interrupted him again, this time anger unmistakably flashing in her eyes. “That’s not the point, Major. The point is that you - you who were so eager to remind Colonel Sumner who’s giving the orders here - you disobeyed my orders at the first time we disagreed. As a result, you endangered yourself and the lives of many others.”
“Because I thought it was the best course of action to take!” Sheppard snapped, now fairly annoyed himself. Weir glared at him, her eyes growing cold. It was actually more frightening than any temper tantrum she could have thrown… had she been prone to throwing temper tantrums. Which she was not. Diplomats rarely were.
”And that was reason enough?” she asked. "Where was the guarantee that you were right - which, by the way, you weren’t!”
”Well, I’ve saved your ass, haven’t I?” Sheppard riposted, more defensively than he’d intended, and that annoyed him. She nodded.
”Yes, you have,” she allowed. “But that’s beside the point. You wanted to get your way and pulled rank to turn my own chief of security against me to force my hand - that was a low move; one that I won’t allow you to repeat.”
“So what do you wanna do?” Sheppard asked, not quite able to suppress the smugness in his voice. “You need me.”
“I do,” she agreed easily. Suspiciously easily for his taste. “But not necessarily in the position you fill right now. There are others of the same rank and with sufficient military expertise.”
“You can’t remove me from my post,” Sheppard protested. “I’m still the military commander of Atlantis.”
“Watch me,” Weir replied icily. “You think you can make me back off? Well, think again. Not even Vice-President Kinsey managed that, and compared with him you are a boy scout; and not even a very skilled one.”
While Sheppard was still gaping with indignation, she pushed the call button on her desk. A tall, black-haired, vaguely Middle Eastern man came in - another member of the European security team.
“Please escort Major Sheppard to his quarters, Mr. Kurtulus,” she said, “and see that he remains there until he’s contacted. And send in Sergeant Bates to me.”
The Turkish security officer nodded and gestured the flabbergasted Sheppard to follow him. On their way out, they met a very concerned Bates, but they didn’t get the chance to speak to each other.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dr. Weir’s meeting with Bates was even shorter than the one with Sheppard had been. Actually, it was barely more than an announcement from her side. She was so angry with him that she didn’t risk a longer discussion, in fear that she might say something she would regret later. That was one thing she - as the leader of the expedition and a career diplomat - couldn’t afford.
“Sergeant Bates,” she said in an even, restrained voice. “I have chosen you as the head of security on Atlantis because I trusted you. I thought you would be able to see beyond your limited militaristic horizon and realize whom you owed your allegiance. Apparently, I was mistaken. You have misused my trust and sided with Major Sheppard against me, in front of my entire staff and before the whole expedition. I can’t use a man with divided loyalties, and I can’t trust a soldier who turns against the legally established civilian leadership.”
Bates opened his mouth to say something, but she silenced her with a sharp gesture.
“Please, don’t. You’ll have plenty of time to argue for yourself later. I’ve only called you to inform you that hereby I remove you from your post as chief of security, effective immediately.”
“You can’t do that, Ma’am!” Bates protested, more shocked than angry, actually.
“I can, and I will,” she replied coldly. “I gave you the job in the first place, and I’m taking it away again. It’s a temporary solution right now, and there will be a proper hearing later. I wouldn’t keep my hopes up if I were you, though. I’m well within my right, according to the Atlantis Charta.”
That was all too true, and Bates knew it. He also knew that she was right. As head of security on a mission that was under civilian leadership, he nominally answered to Dr. Weir, the leader of said mission. Still, he’d instinctively sided with the highest ranking military officer, who had happened to disobey and override a direct order given by the civilian leader. It was a knee-jerk reaction - had he had the time to think about it, he might have reacted differently. Well, it was too late for that now.
“I understand,” he said. “What do you want me to do now?”
Exhaustion washed over her face all of a sudden, deepening the lines around her eyes and mouth, making her age years in a single moment.
“You’re confined to your quarters until further notice, Sergeant,” she answered, her voice flat and tired. “You’ll be contacted in the morning. Please leave now.”
Bates snapped to attention, turned on his heals smartly and marched out. If he noticed another one from the German security team following him, he gave no sign of it.
Theresa Weir slumped into the seat behind her desk and buried her face in her hands.
“God, I hate this,” she murmured, too emotionally drained to be truly angry.
For visuals: Jessica Steen as Dr. Weir in the 7th Season Stargate episodes Lost City 1 and 2:
Michael Naseband (left)with Alex Rietz and Branco Vukovic, who also appear in the "Moments of Joy" AU sometimes:
Chapter 2 - Reactions