After six years within Starfleet's Border Service, disgraced line officer Leo Verde must fall back on his law degree to salvage the remnants of his career. Transferred to Starbase 8 to a new field JAG office, Leo navigates the rocks and shoals of justice, while bringing his rough-and-tumble experience as a starship officer into the rigid world of courtroom decorum.

Seasoned and unconventional Starfleet officer Lieutenant Commander Leo Verde arrives as a disgraced transfer to Starbase Eight, the bustling hub in orbit of Memory Alpha. Previously a line officer serving on starships, he is reassigned to the local office of the Judge Advocate General, falling back on his law degrees. There, Leo finds himself embroiled in a web of injustice as he investigates the arrest of a marine corporal. His investigation propels him into a labyrinth of politics and power dynamics, placing him and his fledgling team of lawyers and paralegals at the heart of a high-stakes legal battle that will test their principles and resolve.

• READ: "Trial of Transfer" at Ad Astra

In his first field mission since joining the JAG Corps, Leo Verde and his team are dispatched to investigate a suspicious death aboard the Starfleet Border Service cruiser USS Detmer. What appears to be a straightforward case of manslaughter unravels as Leo digs deeper into the events leading up to the incident, uncovering hidden motives and conflicting eyewitness accounts. With his own personal history in the Service coloring his perspective, and the political pressure of the ship's pending classified mission near the Neutral Zone, Leo must navigate through the hard evidence in order to determine the truth before time runs out.

• READ: "Borderline Justice" at Ad Astra

WORK IN PROGRESS

Six months into his assignment on Starbase 8, Commander Leo Verde is called upon by Rear Admiral Neema Essa to join Task Force 17 as the force's judge advocate. The Task Force is on a diplomatic mission to the independent colony of Greenwood—a lush world beyond the Federation's borders and near the Kzin Patriarchy. Greenwood, an anachronistic society modeled on the Regency-era of British history, welcomes Starfleet for joint military exercises and renewed relations. As Leo works alongside Greenwood's Royal Navy, his efforts and personality intrigue Queen Amelia, the colony's unmarried monarch. Their growing connection challenges both his professional duties and personal feelings. Amid rising tensions with the Kzin and the complexities of Greenwood's politics, Leo must navigate his role as a Starfleet officer while managing his unexpected bond with Queen Amelia. His actions will impact not only the mission's success but also the future of his relationship with the Queen and the delicate balance between their two nations.

• NOW PLAYING: "At Her Majesty's Discretion" at Ad Astra, TrekBBS

1. The Week Between: These are the two scenes cut from "Trial of Transfer," taking place the week between Leo's arrival at Starbase 8 in Chapter Two and the events of Chapter Three (one week later), when he begins investigating the arrest of Corporal Torres.
2. For Want of a Crayon: Takes place between "Borderline Justice" and "At Her Majesty's Discretion," Leo presides over a dispute between two enlisted marines.

Conduct Unbecoming

by Gibraltar & Lord McCovey Cove

A crossover tale of Starship Reykjavik and First Duty, featuring the first-ever appearance of Leo Verde!

Reykjavík is called to the Federation/Gorn border to investigate the report of a Federation starship launching an unprovoked attack against the infamous reptilian species. Taking aboard a JAG officer (Leo Verde) who formerly served with the supposedly-rogue ship’s captain, Commodore Trujillo seeks to find the truth behind an event that may have sparked a war, while trying to placate a predator species the Federation still does not fully understand.

• READ: "Conduct Unbecoming" at Ad Astra

Following the events of Conduct Unbecoming, Leo Verde finds his Starfleet career at a crossroads. Lauded for his integrity and leadership during the Gorn border crisis, he’s offered his choice of assignments—and surprises everyone by choosing command of a starship still under construction: the USS Musashi. A newly commissioned Matsumoto-class command cruiser, Musashi represents both opportunity and burden for Verde: a test of his ability to lead beyond the courtroom, in the uncertain space between peace and provocation.

As Leo assembles his senior staff—some familiar faces from his JAG past and some untested—the Musashi becomes the Federation’s newest symbol of stability along a volatile frontier. But beneath the gleaming hull lie questions of loyalty, justice, and command: what does it mean to serve honor when the law itself bends under the weight of war?

The series continues the legal, moral, and personal journeys that began in First Duty, exploring Starfleet’s evolving role in The Lost Era; where diplomacy, command, and conscience collide.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Three months into her maiden voyage, the USS Musashi is drawn into a covert intelligence operation on the Federation’s turbulent frontier. During a clandestine operation, a deep cover agent’s life hangs in the balance when their identity is pierced, Captain Leo Verde must lead his crew into the Orion Syndicate-contested T’Niir sector to pull off an nigh-impossible extraction. Hunted by pirates and bound by duty, Leo discovers that command offers no absolutes; only choices made in the shadow of Alnilam.

• NOW PLAYING: "In the Shadow of Alnilam" at Ad Astra, TrekBBS

The following are short stories (in reading order) leading up to Book #1 of Musashi, with characters arriving to report to their billets aboard:

1. Reserved for Those Willing: Recently promoted Captain Leo Verde assumes command of Musashi, a state-of-the-art starship in its final stages of construction at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. While awaiting its completion, Leo navigates the challenges of leading a pre-commissioning crew while building trust with officers, some carrying the weight of complicated pasts. Each day tests his ability to balance the demands of Starfleet and family politics, crew dynamics, and the looming responsibility of bringing Musashi into active service. As the pressure mounts, Leo must prove he’s capable of steering his new command through both the unfinished ship and the ghosts of his own past.
2. Your Service Honors Us: With a mere two months left before Musashi's construction is completed, the new executive officer arrives to report for duty.
3. The Razor's Edge: Lieutenant Commander Taliah Chaudhari faces a career crossroads as unexpected news forces her to confront her own doubts. With the support of her commanding officer and old friend, Captain Zoe Valentinou, Taliah must decide whether to take a leap into the unknown or remain anchored in her frustration.
4. Strength from the Shadows: After a board of inquiry clears Commander Lilith Montgomery of wrongdoing, she is promoted to captain and assigned to the pre-commissioning crew of the USS Musashi as an intelligence liaison. Tasked with leading covert operations and managing sensitive intel, Montgomery must navigate a delicate power dynamic with the ship's commanding officer, Captain Leo Verde. Both skilled in the art of strategy, they begin to test the boundaries of trust and control. In the shadowy world of intelligence, the greatest challenge may be learning to work together.
5. A Work in Progress: Master Chief Esumi Benten ("Borderline Justice") embarks on a path toward redemption as she prepares to join Captain Leo Verde and PCU Musashi. After years of reflection and growth following her abrupt departure from the USS Detmer, Benten must confront the weight of past mistakes and prove—both to herself and to those who believed in her—that she’s ready to lead as the ship’s Senior Enlisted Advisor. With Captain Verde counting on her and a new chapter unfolding, Benten faces the ultimate challenge: embracing who she’s become and rising to meet the demands of command.