Lasiter just stared at the three for a moment.... Then, "Commander Dais what are your thoughts on this matter? Is it worth the diplomatic trouble it will cause to get this Allso fellow to cooperate with you?"
Not waiting for an answer, Lasiter continued with some questions for K'Tael. "Commander K'Tael, is this case related to any others that you are currently working on? Will solving this case present evidence or gain witnesses that will close those other cases? If I can secure this Allso fellow can you gaurantee me a conviction in this or other cases." Now he waited to see just how they would respond. K'Tael jumped in before Dais had a chance to respond. It would probably affect the Commander's response. "Sir, there is a real strong chance that this investigation *could* lead us to close some of the other cases my department is working on. The Bajorans have repeatedly come to the fore in our investigations. At the same time, there is no way that I can guarantee a conviction. I can pull together evidence that will help build a case, but I am neither a lawyer to present a case or a sitting jury member to help decide a verdict. All I can say is that this will most likely point us in the right direction in a number of cases." K'Tael could only hope his honesty and frankness would help Lasiter understand the situation better. Dais Had been about to tell Lasiter that he thought it was worth the diplomatic strain to bring this investigation to the fore. "Sir, if I might add, I have a feeling that there is more to this hand than meets the eye. We have recordings that show high officials at the consulate are connected with this. We cannot allow diplomatic immunity to be used as an excuse for murdering Federation citizens. The hand is human." "The fact remains that Starfleet is not a law enforcement institution, and our claim to jurisdiction is tenuous at best." Lasiter stopped long enough to take in a slow deep breath. "The tight rope that we must walk, gentlemen, is not simply a Starfleet issue, but one of the civilian, diplomatic, and political issue. If we misstep we, meaning Starfleet, will get bogged down in a quagmire of scandal that will make Starfleet look terribly bad and stagnate any reform proposal that is sent before the President and the Federation Council. This is something that we can not afford in our current state of affairs. However, on the otherhand if we are careful and succeed, we will have taken the first major step in reshaping and reforming the fleet. So with that in mind answer this... Will this be a protracted ordeal, or will this be quick? Can you resolve this case without Mr. Allso? Can you solve the other open investigations without this? What are you going to do to make sure that we do not misstep?" "I believe that with Mr. Allso's assistance, this case can be brought to close quickly, sir. I believe this case to be crucial to some of our other open investigations. As for avoiding a misstep, I can promise to follow this case through to conclusion as quickly and as thoroughly as possible." K'Tael paused. "I would like to comment on what you said earlier about Starfleet not being a law enforcement institution, it you would allow me to speak freely." (OOC: Assuming yes....will change if you say no) "Sir, if this crime did occur on station as I believe, than I dp represent law enforcement in this case. I and my department comprise what would be considered the police force on Spacedock. It is my duty to bring this to conclusion." (response) }}}=) Lisa
