Commander Carr held up a card which Paul easily recognized as a station access pass. "Does the witness recognize this?"
The witness blinked. "It's a station access pass."
Carr stepped closer, holding the pass close to the witness. "Can you identify which particular pass this is?"
After peering at it closely, the witness nodded. "That's a pass I examined at the request of NCIS."
"What was the result of your examination?"
"The pass had been tampered with. Very nice work, using some techniques I've seen mainly in foreign intelligence services and some components of foreign origin."
Carr held the pass higher, turning to look at the members' table. "This pass was found in the possession of Lieutenant Pullman when he was arrested. Dr. Vasquez, what was the result of the tampering to which this pass was subjected?"
Vasquez smiled brightly as she recalled her examination of the pass. "It was very nice work, as I said. Didn't I? As you know, a pass reports the presence of a specific individual and in particular reports when that individual has entered certain areas of the station. Well, this pass didn't do that."
"It didn't function?"
"No, no, no! It functioned. It has to function. If station biometrics detect a human presence without a pass they'll sound an alert and locate the person. They can that do that, you know. They have to for life support and station stability compensation and things of that nature. Heat emissions, carbon dioxide emissions, oxygen usage, those things and others reveal when a human is present. A person without a pass creates a sort of bubble in which no one appears to exist even though station systems can track a living presence. It instantly alerts the system that someone is wandering around without their pass. This tampered pass instead generated a series of false identities on request. The default was a sort of generic Joe Station Worker whose presence wouldn't seem unusual at any place in the station."
"The tampered pass allowed the bearer to remain undetected, then?"
"No." Dr. Vasquez seemed puzzled by having to elaborate. "Not undetected. Unremarked is a better word. A person will be detected on the station whether they have a pass or not. I just said that, didn't I? The tampered pass created identities which no one would notice. In the sense that they wouldn't care. Think of it as camouflage, allowing the bearer to blend in so that the automated systems and any human observing the read-outs would pay no attention to the person with the pass because that person would seem totally unremarkable."
"I see." Commander Carr turned the pass in her hand, looking down at it. "So the bearer of this pass could go anywhere on the station without sounding any alerts?"
"Yes. Because it also generates false security codes as needed. I don't know where they got the codes- No, wait, of course I know where they got the codes. They got them from the person they gave the pass to, didn't they?"
Carr smiled tightly and nodded. "That's correct, Doctor. Station security codes are among the documents on the list of classified materials provided to the South Asian Alliance. Then you believe this pass had to have been tampered with by someone with access to the actual codes?"
"Yes, yes. No other explanation. No one could've guessed those codes. Once they had the codes they could program that pass to allow their agent to access even more areas and more secrets."
"Objection." David Sinclair pointed at the pass. "The witness is speculating."
"No, Your Honor," Carr replied. "The witness is using her expert opinion to explain the tampering done to this pass."
"She has no way of knowing-"
The rap of Judge Campbell's gavel cut off the debate. "I'd like to say something. Dr. Vasquez, do your regard your most recent statements as speculation or as technical explanations?"
Vasquez blinked again. "Technical explanations. It's the only way it could've been done."
"But, Your Honor," David Sinclair protested, "the witness is speculating as to the motivations and plan of action of foreign entities. There's no way she could know that information."
Campbell frowned at him, then at the witness. "Objection overruled. The court believes the witness' statements do not address issues outside her expertise." David Sinclair sat down, shaking his head. "Is Defense Counsel commenting non-verbally on the quality of the court's ruling?" Judge Campbell asked.
David Sinclair stopped moving his head. "No, Your Honor."
"Good. I'd hate to have to cite a lawyer for contempt. Continue, Trial Counsel."
Commander Carr held up the pass again, refocusing everyone's attention on the object. "Then, to summarize, this pass created false identities to disguise the movements around the station of whoever carried it, and contained security access codes for every area of the station?"
"Yes," Dr. Vasquez agreed. "Whoever carried that pass could go unnoticed anywhere on the station."
"And leave no record of their access to areas of the station?"
"Uh, not quite. They'd leave a record. A false one. It wouldn't be them, it'd be a record that a Joe Generic Station Worker had been there. Next time he went to the same area, the pass might indicate it was another Joe Generic Station Worker."
Carr nodded, her face grim. "And you have no doubt that these modifications must have been done by foreign intelligence sources?"
"No question. I recognized the techniques used. They're a variation of some spoofing technology our own intelligence agencies developed." Dr. Vasquez suddenly looked perturbed. "I don't think I was supposed to say that."
Judge Campbell nodded. "I feel fairly certain you weren't. The courtroom is ordered to disregard the witnesses's last statement. Bailiff, check with the fleet security manager on whether or not we need to provide a classified information nondisclosure statement for everyone in this room to sign. No one is to leave the courtroom until we've received an answer to that." She looked back at the witness. "Please continue and please avoid doing that again."
"Yes," Dr. Vasquez replied, nodding rapidly. "I'll try."
Commander Carr once again tried to gain attention, this time by walking right up to the edge of the witness stand. "Dr. Vasquez, who was this station security pass issued to?"
"Oh, that's easy. Lieutenant junior grade Bradley Pullman, United States Navy, when he arrived on station to report to his ship."
"Thank you, Doctor. No more questions."
David Sinclair stayed seated, staring at the top of the defense table. Paul watched him, wondering what his brother was thinking. He can't ask his usual questions about whether something can be tied to Pullman. That's Pullman's pass. Is there anything he can say that doesn't just emphasize the trial counsel's points?
Finally, David Sinclair shook his head. "Defense Counsel has no questions for the witness."
Commander Sriracha looked around, then spoke to Dr. Vasquez. "Doctor, don't ship's systems also read those access passes?"
Dr. Vasquez gave more vigorous nods. "Yes. Same system, smaller scale."
"Then this pass would've also let Lieut- excuse me, whoever carried it to move unobtrusively around their own ship as well?"
"In theory," Dr. Vasquez concurred.
The other members frowned at the answer, though Lieutenant Mahris' frown was slightly time-delayed by his need to ensure Captain Nguyen was frowning first. Paul knew what they were thinking as surely as if he could read their minds. Someone sneaking around a ship. Deceiving their shipmates. Not about some minor criminal stuff but about stealing secrets. That just feels so wrong.
Commander Sriracha blew out a heavy breath. "Thank you, Doctor."
There was a brief delay then, with everyone waiting until the bailiff returned with a data pad containing a classified information nondisclosure statement that everyone had to sign. Paul signed as well, even though he was already sworn never to reveal classified information. And "never" meant exactly that. It was a source of some amusement to him that the nondisclosure agreements had been open-ended since some time in the late twentieth century. Death didn't release someone of their obligation. Neither, presumably, would the death of the universe. A billion years from now Paul would still legally be bound by the agreements he'd signed. Not that he imagined he'd be worried about that by then.