Finally A Free Man

Posted on Mon May 25th, 2015 @ 12:58pm by Jackson Banning V & Lieutenant Bajun Julisa

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Main Brig / The Nexus Club

* * * Main Brig * * *

Jackson sat up and rubbed his eyes. The nap had been too short but all the chaos with first a member of the JAG staff being hauled in, then an Admiral, had pulled him from sleep. He’d tried to get back to his snoozing after that but, after counting the dots in the ceiling grids yet again, he gave up. The brig was quiet now and he was getting restless. There had been no word from Oz and Li either and that concerned him.

Soon he was up on his feet pacing. The one good thing is that the whole mess, including the woman, who had landed him in the brig seemed to be wrapped up. Maybe he’d get out soon. He’d half expected Gilroy to appear but the news that Kai had been hit with a phaser in all the craziness meant that as soon as he was able, Gilroy would leave a big Gilroy-shaped cloud where he used to be when he ran for sickbay. The thought amused Jackson - people who said Klingons weren’t sentimental didn’t have a clue. So his pacing continued as he whiled away the time.

Gilroy had not only left a cloud of dust behind when he'd left Security to go check on Kai, he had completely forgotten that Jackson Banning was a guest of Security. One person hadn't forgotten, though: the Prosecuting Attorney. "Evening, Mr. Banning. It's interesting meeting you under these circumstances."

Jackson turned, hearing an unexpected female voice, to see Julisa standing before the force field. “You’re not Gilroy,” was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

She laughed. "No, I am not a seven foot tall part-Klingon. Sorry to disappoint. I'm Bajun Julisa. You remember, don't you?"

Jackson stepped up to the force field, looking out past her to the left and right. Seeing no one close, he nodded. He then mouthed one word to her. ‘Recording.’

"Mr. Banning, all charges have been dropped. I'm here to release you," she looked behind her at the officer and gave him a code. The force field dropped. "It's just that easy."

Jackson stretched, then stepped out to stand beside Julisa. “So, Eria’s jumped into the deep end of the pool has she?” He laughed and shook his head. “She apparently doesn’t have the sense God gave a billy goat. An’ thank you. Remind me to kick Gilroy when I find him.”

"Has anyone updated you on the situation?" She watched him then turned and started walking. "Walk with me."

“Sure.” He fell in step beside her, taking a surreptitious glance as they went. She looked rather severe in her uniform and tightly wound hair, far different from the last time he’d seen her. She also seemed to have something to say and so he took the hint and was silent till they hit the turbolift. “Where are we goin’?”

"Up," she glanced at him as if he should have known that answer. "This whole thing is about things that happened on Bajor."

Jackson nodded. The lift began to ascend and he turned to face her. “And Cardassia. She drilled me to no end, sure that I was hidin’ somethin’. I didn’t get to be my age or where I am if I folded every time someone gave me a mean look. Nor did you.”

"When I saw the footage on the isochips we found on Betazed, I nearly swallowed my tongue. Of all the random shit in the world - I get assigned to go on that particular investigation? Gods....," she shook her head. She paused, a thought having occurred to her. "That was random, wasn't it? Or did the Admiral know?"

Jackson sighed aloud. “I’m sure she did, thanks to her spoon-head buddies. What the hell happened to you on Betazed? I heard rumblings from my cell but no specifics and Vic didn’t know either.”

"We - well, me - I was shot at. They missed thanks to Dae Nalas, but hit our informant. We found the isochips and other information but I got separated from Dae and Solis. The guy - Azoulay's lackey - stabbed me through the hand. Look at this," she lifted her hand to show him her palm. "Solis fixed it. You can't even see where the blade went through. But it was right here," she pointed and drew a line with her finger. "Amazing that doctors can do that. Too bad they can't erase the memory of the pain, without taking the memory of the event with it."

“Yeah, pity that,” Jackson answered. “So y’all got away with the evidence and I can guess what it was, can’t I?”

"I'd wager that you can," she eyed him. "I watched all of the footage. There's none of the rescue."

Jackson smiled like the proverbial cat that ate the canary. “I might be able to help ya out there. Depends on if ya want it known.”

"I don't care, one way or the other. I've always harbored a theory that you picked me simply because I was there and your initials are mine backwards." A smile threatened to show on her lips.

“That’s good.” Jackson laughed, now leaning back against the wall of the turbolift. It slowed, then stopped and the doors opened. "Ladies first. You had dinner yet?”

"No, but I'd be happy to have dinner with you, if you're asking," she replied. They left the lift and walked several stores down the Promenade to the Nexus. "This is a nice place you have."

“We like it.” They entered the main door and Jackson waved to Camille as they moved on deeper into the club. “My table or my office? The scenery is much better out here and with the music we won’t be overheard.”

"Out here is fine," she said then followed him to his table. Servers descended upon them and they quickly had drinks then food. "When we were shot at on Betazed, I wasn't expecting it, and I think I screamed like a child. But it wasn't half as scary as my time on Bajor."

“Nothing can compare to that.” He sipped his wine, looking at her over the glass. It tasted so good after his days in the brig and he drained it. “So many deaths, so much horror. And here we had one of our own involved in it up to her neck. Does Nico know?”

"About me? I don't think so. He didn't show any sign that he recognized me the other night. I had to show him some of the footage - Azoulay was there. Right there! Watching them as they did that...," her disgust roiled up and she stopped. "I had spent weeks trying to negotiate his release. The whole time, they said he was being well-treated."

Jackson snorted. “If a Cardassian’s breathin’, he’s lyin’. I heard she’s the one who caused his meltdown the other day.” He shook his head again and refilled his glass, then hers. “It’s a shame she’s in custody. I swear I'd be willin’ to help him make her into a lampshade.”

"You're talking to a prosecutor, Mr. Banning," she warned him. She might feel the same, but laws trumped desires like that for her. "Any idea where my partner in that rescue might be now? If Azoulay choosing me to go on that trip to Betazed wasn't a random thing, then he should be checked in on."

“You make a good point. If anyone would remember that day, it’s Eria. The last I heard, and it’s been a while mind you, Nico doesn’t recall any of it except that it was his brother, but not anything of the actual event. I haven’t talked to him since he got here but I am goin’ to, you can bet on that.” Jackson took a bite of his dinner and moaned with satisfaction. “Brig food can’t touch this. An’ yeah, lookin’ up his brother is my first order of business.”

"I'll do it," she answered. "You're a civilian now. Granted, you're married to the CSEC. Have you heard from her?" She took a bite of the food and agreed it was good, though not as wonderfully and heavily spiced as Bajoran food tended to be.

“She’s not reported in lately, no.” Jackson gave Julisa a long look. “You’re out of the loop, darlin’. I’m back to my old pursuits, shall we say?” He set his fork down on his plate and leaned closer to Julisa. “I will tell you this - I know where that rescue feed is. Last time I saw it...well let’s just say you look great on film.”

She blushed to the roots of her hair then coughed and took a sip of wine. "Ah... I'll trust you mean just in the course of that mission." She was recalling a Commodore who had the perverse proclivity of recording his sexual conquests. "Where is the rescue footage?"

“Around.” In truth, Jackson knew where it had been but the news about Kai being shot in Admiral Hawke’s office had concerned him. It was one more thing on his list. “I do know that Monique failed miserably in her little quest. She was next door and she talks in her sleep.”

"Oh. OH." She knew where the chip was now. "I wonder if that would help Nico at all now."

“Maybe later. I think that man’s had enough of rememberin’ the hell he lived through for a bit. Maybe once Robin’s made a little more headway. This was one clusterfuck of a setback.” Jackson handed over the empty wine bottle and took a fresh one from the server. “I do think he will appreciate knowin’ he’s got friends here though, an’ that includes you. I’m sure he is grateful for what you an’ Dae an’ Solis did, even if he doesn’t remember you yet.”

"We'll see. I've gotten kind of a weird read off of Solis a few times since leaving Betazed. As if something happened when we were separated," she shrugged and let Jackson fill her glass again. "Eh, we're home safe and that's what matters. That and that we got solid evidence against Azoulay to back up Nico's memories."

“She won’t slip outta this one.” Jackson tilted his head as he looked back at her. “Weird how?”

"I don't know... Just a bit closed off and protective. You don't think any of this would fall under Temporal Affairs, would it?" Her look was skeptical.

“I don’t see how it could. Nothin’ was ever changed as far as I know.” Jackson shrugged.

"Isn't that the point? We wouldn't know if events were changed. Anyway, Azoulay has been caught trying to cover up her war crimes, and we've removed a couple of accomplices." She toasted that bit of news, clinking her glass against Jackson's.

He smiled and toasted her. “I’ll say that’s the big thing here. It’s over, isn’t it? Now Nico can get on with his life and get himself back together. There’s Holbridge too. He’s still in ICU. No good deed goes unpunished, they say. That woman sure left a trail of destruction in her wake.”

Julisa nodded, "Gilroy delivered images recovered from a contact lens recorder earlier. Apparently Holbridge was wearing it when he was beaten. The chip was damaged, but the images show a woman the computer identified as Anna Rasovic in the moments just before the attack. The records on her claim she's just a merchant but the damage to Holbridge suggests otherwise. And I haven't yet figured out where she fits into all of this. Then," Julisa sighed, "there's this scene down in guest quarters near the Cherry Pit, where a guy posing as a Bajoran was found with a glass laced with poison, a bloody shirt hidden away, and a bloody knife holding down a suicide note. Why hide the shirt when you've just stabbed the table with the bloody knife?" She rolled her eyes. "The blood is Holbridge's, so I'd say that Anna Rasovic planted all of it. Now we just need to locate her."

“Go hammer on Azoulay and I bet you’ll get your answers. If she thinks they’re goin’ to lay that fake suicide at her feet, she might be more cooperative.” Jackson ordered dessert, then looked back to Julisa. “How’s Ray?”

"Good. Upset about Monique, but overall pleased that this is over. Looks like Mrs. Banning missed all the action."

“And for that she will be insanely jealous.” A frown passed over his face a moment. “I don’t doubt that things were equally sticky where she was.” He left it at that. “I suppose y’all will be busy the next few days?”


"Very, sorting through evidence and witness statements. We need to pack it all up to go back to San Francisco with Azoulay. And seeing where Rasovic and her victims fit in, if they do."

“Are you going with her or sending under armed guard?”

"I'm not sure I should answer that, considering you want to make her into a lampshade," she laughed. "But, no I'm not going with her."

The tension in Jackson’s shoulders eased just a little. “I think that is wise, and I’m sure Ray does too. Will you tell him any of what happened last year?”


"I could, but I don't see that he needs to know. Not even Solis knows and he was sort of affected by it."

“Should I ask?” Jackson pushed his dessert plate away so the server could place the snifters of cognac before them. He lifted his and swirled it gently.

"He and I had just met, then I disappeared off the subspace for four months and didn't contact him. I've never had the clearance to tell him why." She left out several details.

“And from your tone, I’m guessin’ he didn’t take it too well. I’m sorry Julisa, that’s all on my shoulders.” Jackson sighed, then sipped his cognac. “Trust me, I’ve been on both sides of that fence and they both suck.”

"Yeah. He called Siri every day during those months. But we're here now and that's in the past." She shrugged, sipped the expensive cognac and smiled at Jackson. "Besides, I could have asked for clearance. Do I have it now?"

Jackson wasn’t sure how to answer that. He took another drink and finally shook his head. “Not yet. I wanna check with Lucius but I’ll plead your case.” He grinned at his own joke.

"If the footage is found, then Ray would know. Makes me wonder what Nico knew that Azoulay wanted to know. Pre-Cardassian treatment, I mean. I wouldn't put it past the Cardassians to torture just for fun but Nico's treatment seemed... more pointed and purposeful." She turned her glass on the tablecloth.

‘I think it was too. An’ I’m glad they didn’t know squat about Enarans and thus everything backfired.” Jackson rubbed his eyes. “I know that sounds all kinds of wrong, but Nico woulda been tortured either way. Their ignorance at least gives him the satisfaction of not revealin’ anything. I think he can eventually deal with that happened but if he’d spilled any information, I don’t think he could live with that.”

"I'm glad we were able to put a stop to it when we did." Her own very short experience with having a knife through her hand taught her that there was no way she could have held up under what Nico had had done to him.

“I’ll let ya know once I talk to Lucius. But be prepared, I don’t see how we'll keep this from Ray. You know how he is, he will find it eventually.” A waiter approached to inform Jackson that he had a transmission from Oz. Jackson’s face lit up immediately. “I need to get this. But I’m glad yer home an in one piece. We’ll talk soon.”

"Of course. And thanks for dinner," Julisa said, watching him with a smile. She hoped Solis' face lit up like that when she was mentioned.

****************
Jackson Banning V
Owner & Keeper Of Secrets
The Nexus Club

Lt. Bajun Julisa
Way More Interesting Than You Thought