“That’s just great!” Jade exclaimed as she spilled her fresh cup of coffee all over her brand-new desk. Well, new to her. She’s sure that it is has been used previously but it was new to her and that’s what counted. She looked around the room searching for something to clean the mess up with. Thankfully, she spotted a towel quickly and was able to mop up the liquid before it spread too far. Where did the towel even come from? She had no idea, and she frankly didn’t care at that moment. Perhaps it was left over by whoever had cleaned her office the day before. They had done a fantastic job. The place was spotless. Of course, it would not be a proper first day for Jade if she didn’t find some way to make a mess. Was she cursed? It was quite possible or at least that’s what it seemed like to her. She wasn’t even sure if such a thing existed, but she definitely had it if it did.

“Alright, settle down now and back to work,” Jade said aloud to herself. She had spent the entire morning getting used to where things were located in her office and deciding whether or not she liked the way things were currently organized. That was until she received a communication less than 30 minutes ago from her superior that she had received her first case. She had been rattled ever since. It was her first day and she had already been appointed as defense attorney to a captured prisoner who had been recently re-apprehended on the starbase. A special hearing had been set to bring about other charges after his escape. She had not expected a case of this magnitude on her first day.

She could thank her superior officer for the spilt coffee. She wouldn’t have been so rattled if she had just been handed contracts to review or research to perform. This was just her luck. She was still lost in thought when she heard a knock on her door. She jerked her head towards the door to her office in surprise. She hadn’t expected a visitor. She mused on who it could be while she walked to the door and opened it. She plastered her face with her practiced “professional” smile like she had done at least a thousand times prior to this moment.

The door opened to reveal a young man and Ryke offered a matching professional smile. He didn’t have much call to deal with the legal department on a day-to-day basis but given that he was one of the few counselors aboard who specialized in cases that could get violent, he did deal with security a lot.

“Lieutenant Hart? Name’s Ashfield,” he said, offering a hand. “I’m the counselor assigned to the T77E case.”

“Hi, Ashfield, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m not exactly sure why you’ve stopped by but please come in,” Jade provided. She opened the door wider for him and made a sweeping motion with her hand that she hoped would be a welcoming gesture. She guessed time would tell if it actually worked or not.

She gave the man another smile and then started to make her way toward her desk. She was glad she had been straightening things earlier and didn’t still have papers everywhere. “I have about 30 minutes before I have to head to the hearing for T77E, as you have referred to him. What can I do for you?” Jade stated as she reached her desk and turned back toward the man.

Ryke followed her into the room, standing with his padd and file loosely clasped in his hands in front of him.

“I just wanted to touch base beforehand,” he replied. “The file points to him being a somewhat unstable character, which is why counseling have been assigned as well. Obviously, you’re the lead on this case so I wanted to see how you wanted to play this. Some attorneys prefer me to observe from another room, while others are happy for me to be present. It’s your case, so the choice is yours.”

Jade paused a moment before responding. She had not anticipated a counselor being assigned to the case as well. The man standing in front of her had met the prisoner before. Perhaps that was something that would benefit us both. “I see,” Jade finally declared. “I think it would be to both of our benefits if you were present. I have not yet met T77E and could use another person’s opinion. I trust that you’ve had a chance to review his file. Is there anything that you think that I should know regarding the prisoner?”

Ryke reached up to rub the back of his neck. It had been a long day already, and didn’t look like it was going to end soon. “He’s a career criminal, but not a very bright one. It would be more accurate to say he’s a career prisoner. Too light-fingered for his own good, and with a tendency to annoy the wrong people in the wrong places. To be honest, given his file, I’m surprised someone didn’t take advantage of the ship breakout to settle scores with him.”

Jade took a second to think over what the man just said. Did she need to worry that someone would attempt to take this prisoner’s life? she thought to herself. “Regardless of personal feelings, I have been assigned as this man’s representative and I must ensure that I represent him to the best of my ability. Thank you for that information. I will speak with the administrators and let them know that he will need to be watched,” Jade finally replied. “This emergency hearing will be relatively short and is only being held to determine whether any additional criminal charges will be filed and if any time will be added to his sentence. I don’t foresee facing anything unexpected or for any complications to arise,” she provided.

Jade took a glance at the time and was surprised at how much time had passed so quickly. “It looks like it’s time for me to head towards the hearing. If we leave now, we will make it with a few minutes to spare. Would you like to walk with me?” Jade posed. As she spoke, Jade gathered the files scattered across her desk and stuffed them in her bag. She grabbed the shoulder strap and strung the bag over her shoulder and then looked to the man waiting for his answer.

“I would be delighted.” Ryke smiled and stepped back to trigger the door. As it slid open, he swept an arm out. “After you.”

Jade smiled and stepped first through the door. She was glad to have the company of someone else as she made her way towards her first hearing. She was confident in her abilities, but she couldn’t help feeling nerves the closer they got. She had to take a deep breath to try and push away the negative voice of her father that was starting to occupy her thoughts. As they reached the door that would lead them into the hearing, Jade turned toward Ryke. “Well, here we go. We made it a few minutes early.” She entered the room and made her way towards her table. Her client wasn’t here yet, but she would meet him soon. She found herself wondering what type of person he would be. I guess time will tell she thought to herself and then took a seat. She was glad to have Ryke with her even if she barely knew him. Hopefully, this hearing would go well, and she could relax afterwards.