Halis slowly nodded. "Yes. Only for a fraction of a second. I had other things to worry about."
"I understand, Captain. But you did wonder?"
"Yes."
"Because you knew of no reason why she'd have been there instead of at her duty station in engineering?"
Captain Halis stared stolidly ahead for a moment before answering. "Yes."
"If I may summarize your testimony, then, Captain Halis, you had no indications prior to the destruction of engineering on the USS Maury of any problems, and had received no notification of any problems specifically in the after part of the ship which required special attention. Is that an accurate summation?"
The captain chewed her lip for a moment before answering. "Yes."
Commander Carr indicated her data unit. "I have here the performance reports prepared by Commander Juko and signed by you regarding Lieutenant Junior Grade Shen. They're very impressive."
Paul was certain a trace of wariness had appeared in Halis' eyes as she nodded. "Lieutenant Shen is an impressive officer."
Carr nodded. "In fact, one the performance reports you signed state that Lieutenant Junior Grade Shen is quote an exceptionally capable and competent engineering officer unquote. The performance reports also state quote I believe there is no engineering task which I could set to Lieutenant Junior Grade Shen which she would be incapable of mastering unquote."
Paul tried not to wince. I remember that wording. That's what Carr got Rear Admiral Hidalgo to say would be needed to sabotage a ship's engineering systems. He could see the side of Jen's face as she watched Captain Halis. What are you thinking, Jen? That being good at your job isn't supposed to be a bad thing?
Captain Halis, unaware of Rear Admiral Hidalgo's earlier testimony, nodded. "I can't recall off-hand the exact wording, but that sounds like the sort of assessment I would've made of Lieutenant Shen, yes."
Commander Carr leaned a little closer. "You believe, based on your judgment as her commanding officer, that Lieutenant Junior Grade Shen could do anything in engineering which she set her mind to."
"Objection." Lieutenant Bashir waved both his hands, palms down, at chest level. "Trial counsel is seeking to lead the witness, to put words in her mouth, and to reformulate the witness' statements in a prejudicial fashion."
Carr spread her own hands out. "Your Honor, I am merely attempting to accurately summarize Captain Halis' own assessments."
Judge McMasters shook his head. "Let Captain Halis summarize her assessments, Commander. Objection sustained."
"I have no more questions at this time, your honor."
Paul watched Commander Carr return to her seat. Damn. They're turning Jen's skills as an officer against her. Just like when they put her in pre-trial confinement. How do you fight charges that claim you're so good you can do anything? It's not like Jen can plausibly argue that she's incompetent.
Lieutenant Bashir approached the witness stand with even more deference than Commander Carr had. "Captain Halis, these 'teething troubles' you mentioned with the engineering systems. Did they concern you or Commander Juko at all, ma'am?"
"Yes, obviously, or he never would've mentioned them to me."
"So they weren't regarded as imminently unsafe, but were a concern?"
"Yes. That's correct."
"Captain Halis, the court has been told that the engineering systems on your ship were designed so that near-simultaneous catastrophic failures were impossible. But your ship had received extensive engineering modifications recently. Did Commander Juko indicate to you that these engineering modifications had caused any unusual problems?"
Paul could see Commander Carr watching Captain Halis intently as the captain pondered her answer.
Finally, Halis nodded. "Yes. Commander Juko specifically told me the SEERS was giving him some headaches."
"That's what he said, ma'am?"
"Yes. He said it was giving him headaches. I remember that exactly because he told it to me on at least two occasions."
"Did he specify the nature of these 'headaches'?"
"No. Lots of little things. That all he said."
"Did Commander Juko routinely inform you of his orders to the other officers in engineering?'
Captain Halis shook her head firmly. "No. Of course not."
"If he sent an officer to carry out some task, he wouldn't inform you?"
"No. I don't micromanage my junior officers, Lieutenant."
"Thank you, Captain Halis. So is it fair to say that there's absolutely nothing unusual or uncharacteristic about Lieutenant Shen having been ordered to go aft and you not being specifically informed of that tasking?"
"Objection." Commander Carr gestured toward the defense table. "It has not been established that Lieutenant Junior Grade Shen in fact received such an order."
Bashir looked toward McMasters and read the Judge's answer before it could be spoken. "I will rephrase my question, Your Honor. Captain Halis, is it fair to say there would be nothing unusual or uncharacteristic if Lieutenant Shen had received such an order and you had not been specifically informed?"
Halis nodded. "That is absolutely correct, Lieutenant. It would've been unusual if I had been specifically informed."
Lieutenant Bashir turned slightly and pointed at Jen. "Captain, do have any reason to believe Lieutenant Shen deliberately caused your ship's engineering equipment to fail catastrophically?"
"No. I do not."
"Do you believe Lieutenant Shen would purposely plot and execute the murder of her shipmates?"
"No. I do not."
"Do you know of any reason she would do such a thing?"
"No. I do not."
"Thank you, Captain Halis."
Commander Carr stood again but remained at the trial counsel's table. "Captain Halis, did Commander Juko ever tell you that the 'teething troubles' with engineering in the wake of the yard period constituted any kind of threat to the ship?"
Halis, her expression now openly grim, shook her head. "No."
"Do you have confidence that Commander Juko would've told you of any specific concerns regarding the safety of his equipment?"
"Yes, I do."
"Ma'am, would your Chief Engineer, Commander Juko, have characterized any problems he believed serious enough to lead to loss of life and damage to the USS Maury as 'a lot of little things?'"
Halis glanced at Jen, then shook her head. "No."
"In your opinion and based upon your experience with Commander Juko, would he have informed you of any equipment problems in the after portion of the ship which he regarded as unusually dangerous?"
"Yes." Captain Halis' face worked for a moment. "Commander Juko was a good man."
Commander Carr nodded several times, slowly. "Yes, Captain Halis. Captain, I believe it's fair to assume you were well acquainted with all your officers?"
"I know, or knew, them, yes."
"But not intimately. Would you say you knew all their personal secrets?"
"Of course not."
"Would you say you knew every factor that motivated every officer under your command?"
Halis laughed briefly. "I'm not God, Commander. The Navy may seem to give me that degree of power over my ship and crew, but I can't read minds."
Commander Carr nodded, turning away before speaking again. "Then you couldn't say you knew the reasons for every action of your officers, everything that might cause them to take an action."
" No," Captain Halis replied. "But that doesn't mean I'm incapable of judging the sorts of actions they will take. And the sorts of actions they would not take."
Carr nodded again. "Thank you, again, Captain." She returned to the trial counsel table.