A Galaxy Unknown (32 page)

After Jenetta was seated, her four Space Marine guards took up positions along the sidewalls between the Sim Windows. She sat quietly at the defense table between Lt. Commander Spence and Lieutenant Marlo, as the court waited for the judge to come in. When he did enter, Spence and Marlo made a major production of helping Jenetta get to her feet. The judge noticed the activity and stopped momentarily to witness the sight of the petite young woman struggling to stand up while in full restraints. Jenetta actually could have gotten up easier on her own because the two JAG officers were intentionally pulling their client in different directions, although it didn't appear that way.

Once Jenetta was standing, the judge continued to his chair and sat down. The nameplate on the bench identified him as Rear Admiral (L) Chester Margolan, and he certainly had the look of a career JAG officer. His hair was a shock of bright silver, and his deadpan face and manner loudly proclaimed that this was his courtroom and that you'd best pay attention when he spoke, or be prepared to experience his wrath. As soon as he was seated, everyone else in the courtroom sat down as well. The admiral immediately picked up a small silver rod and tapped the silver tubular chime suspended in a small frame in front of him on the bench, three times.

"This court is now in session on this 19th day of January, 2268," a female chief petty officer announced loudly.

"Chief, bring in the jury," the admiral said.

The jury of four male and two female officers was comprised exclusively of captains, as required in a general court-martial where an officer is charged with multiple capital offenses. Jenetta watched them closely as they filed in and took their seats in the jury box. She was sure that she had never met any of them before.

As soon as the jury was settled, the judge said, "The chief petty officer will read the charges."

There was some murmuring in the courtroom as the chief petty officer started reading the official charges, but only a gasp and then stunned silence after she read the murder charge and gave the number of counts.

As the chief petty officer sat down, the admiral said, "Commander Pierce."

A forty-something commander at the prosecution table stood up and came to an easy attention. With black curly hair, there was little about him that would be described as anything but average.

"Sir?"

"If you have an opening statement, you may begin."

"Thank you, sir."

Commander Pierce looked towards the jury box. "Ladies and Gentlemen, you've heard the charges. I will prove each and every one during the course of this court-martial, most supported by testimony already offered by the defendant herself to officers from our Intelligence Section. Ensign Carver has flagrantly violated the rules that we in Space Command all live by, and she must pay the price of that disregard. Thank you."

Then it was Lt. Commander Spence's turn to present his opening remarks. He turned to face the jury as he stood up. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Ensign Carver is a young officer that found herself alone and abandoned by Space Command, just a few months after graduation from the Academy, as the result of a tragic accident that occurred more than eleven years ago. Until just a few months ago, she was innocuously floating in space, asleep in a stasis chamber. Subsequently rescued, she awoke to a galaxy that she no longer knew. While attempting to return to the Space Command family, the ship in which she was a passenger was attacked by Raiders and she was forced to take aggressive actions to protect her own life, and that of others that had come under her care and protection. We should be celebrating her courage and actions rather than looking for ways to punish her simply because she couldn't get advance permission to destroy the declared enemies of the Galactic Alliance. Thank you."

With the opening statements complete, Commander Pierce began his case. "I call Ensign Carver to the stand."

With the
help
of her attorneys, Jenetta rose and shuffled slowly towards the witness box. The chief petty officer had immediately come forward to swear her in, but then had to wait while Jenetta hobbled over because the restrictive chains on her ankles prevented her from taking anything greater than the smallest of steps. Cameras around the courtroom zoomed in on her legs as she shuffled along.

"Raise your right hand," the chief said when Jenetta finally reached her.

Jenetta raised her right hand as high as the restraints, which held her hands firmly at her waist, allowed. The chief petty officer turned to Admiral Margolan to see if the slight movement met the requirements of judicial proceedings.

"Just a minute, Chief," Admiral Margolan said. Looking towards the table where the prosecution attorney and Commander Kanes were sitting, he said, "Commander Pierce?"

Commander Pierce jumped up. "Sir?" he said.

"Has the defendant exhibited any sign of violent tendencies while in custody?"

"No sir. She's been a model prisoner."

"Is she being well guarded whenever she's outside the brig?"

"Yes sir. Four armed Marine guards accompany her at all times."

"Do you feel that we're in any danger of being harmed by the defendant while court is in session?"

"Uh— no sir, Admiral."

"Then why is this young officer being forced to sit there shackled hand and foot."

"Uh— it's because of the nature of the charges, sir. Regulations state that prisoners charged with multiple capital crimes must be restrained at all times."

"As I recall the regulations, they only
recommend
that prisoners charged in capital crimes cases be restrained at all times, but it's mandated for those that exhibit violent behavior while being taken into custody or while in custody. In light of the prisoner's model conduct, and diminutive size, I order that all restraints be removed and not be used further unless the prisoner exhibits violent behavior which as such justifies her restraint."

"With all due respect, Admiral, the prisoner, by her own admission, is trained in kick-boxing, and killed an armed guard with her feet at the Raider detention center in order to effect her escape. There is a potential danger."

"As a Space Command officer, I would use my feet, hands, teeth, or anything else I possessed, to effect my own escape from Raider jailers. That doesn't mean that I would do so here on a Space Command base. Release the prisoner."

One of the Marine guards immediately walked to Jenetta and removed the restraints. As soon as they were off, she tugged at her tunic to straighten it, braced to attention, smiled at the admiral and said, "Thank you, sir."

The admiral nodded soberly and said, "You'll only stay free of the restraints as long as you offer no resistance to your guards, Ensign."

"Yes sir."

"Continue chief," the admiral said.

Jenetta was sworn in, gave her name and serial number, and took her seat in the witness box.

Commander Pierce walked to where she was seated, glared at her, and asked accusingly, "Ensign, did you sabotage the engines of the Hokyuu?"

"No sir," Jenetta replied in complete surprise. "Were they sabotaged, sir?"

"You were the last one to exit the ship before it exploded. Why was that?"

"Somebody had to be the last one, sir. I got out as quickly as I could after the alarms woke me up and I found an available pod."

"But the escape pod you used was one from the engineering deck, not the quarter's deck. And the computer in the pod shows that the ship exploded just
six
seconds after you ejected. That's cutting it rather close isn't it?"

"Way, way too close, sir, but not by choice. I couldn't find an available pod anywhere on the quarters deck, so I went down to the engineering deck to search for one. I felt that I'd have a better chance there because of the late hour."

"As a result of your tardy departure, your pod was apparently damaged by the explosion. The damage allegedly prevented the retrorocket from firing, catapulting you into deep space, and ensuring that you were long gone before the rescue ships arrived. Or was the retrorocket disabled before the pod even ejected?"

"Are you suggesting that I purposely disabled the retrorocket so that it wouldn't function— sir?"

"It would give you a cast iron excuse for being AWOL should you ever decide to return, wouldn't it?"

"Objection, Admiral," Lt. Commander Spence called out. Rising to his feet he properly addressed his comments to Admiral Margolan. "Sir, the engineering section has already determined beyond a shadow of a doubt that the damage was caused by the explosion rather than tampering, and that someone did in fact sleep in the chamber for more than ten years. Ensign Carver was alone in the pod. DNA from the hair and skin cells found in the escape pod has been identified as being exclusively that of the defendant. Ensign Carver maintained a daily log for the three months prior to entering the stasis chamber and it has been certified as being her voice and image. We have the inspection logs and depositions and can produce the examining engineers and technicians, if necessary, but Commander Pierce has already conceded in pre-trial discovery that the defendant was the sole occupant of the escape pod and stasis bed for the entire ten years, eight months and seven days."

"Objection sustained," the admiral said, "move along Commander Pierce."

"Yes sir. Ensign, why didn't you contact Space Command as soon as you awoke?"

"I wanted to, but Captain Lentz refused my request, informing me that they had to maintain radio silence while in Raider controlled space."

"Raider controlled space?" Looking at her with suddenly narrowed eyes, Commander Piece said in a loud and angry voice, "Ensign, this is the Galactic Alliance, not a Raider hunting preserve."

"Sorry, sir. Everyone I've met refers to that sector in those terms because of the high level of Raider activity there during the past decade, and the chances of attack if you're not part of a Space Command protected convoy."

Commander Pierce glared at her for a couple of seconds before asking, "Captain Lentz is the same individual that you allege was the commandant of the Raider base?"

"Yes sir."

"And so you admit to taking orders from the Raider hierarchy. How long have you worked for him?"

"I've never worked for him. At the time that we first met, he was the duly appointed captain of the Vordoth, as far as I could know."

"And at what point did you finally decide to contact Space Command?"

"After the Raiders attacked the Vordoth, there seemed little point in maintaining radio silence."

"And you immediately set course for Higgins after you destroyed the Raider fighters?"

"We changed our flight path by moving to a parallel course, but Higgins was our destination, yes."

"And then, after assuming command of the Vordoth, you decided to take side trips around the galaxy instead of coming directly here."

"We were being tailed by a Raider destroyer, sir. We couldn't outrun it, and we had to somehow prevent them from relaying our position to other Raider ships ahead of us. My only alternative was to go on the offensive. I formulated a battle plan and we engaged the Raider destroyer. After we destroyed it, we resumed our trip to Higgins on a parallel course well away from our previous route."

"You took a fifty-year-old freighter into battle against a modern Raider warship, risking the lives of everyone on board and the cargo?"

"I would naturally have preferred to engage them with a warship, sir, but the freighter was all I had available to me." A chuckle passed around the courtroom and Commander Pierce scowled before Jenetta continued with, "I had no choice, either of the vessel used or the action."

"But one engagement wasn't enough for you. You had to pick another fight, this time pitting your freighter against a Raider medium cruiser with
twenty
times your firepower?"

"We received an urgent distress call from a Nordakian convoy that was under attack by another Raider force. The officers of the Vordoth felt that it was our duty to respond and lend assistance."

"Ensign, you were in an old freighter, not a modern battleship, and you had a duty to return here, not run around engaging hostile forces with an unarmored, lightly armed ship full of civilians. And whatever were you thinking when you took an unarmed space tug into a heavily fortified Raider camp, thereby risking the lives of the two civilians that were on board with you, not to mention risking the tug, which happened to be private property?"

"I saw an opportunity to learn the location of the Raider base and gather vital information that Space Command could use in its efforts to locate and defeat the Raiders."

"But instead of immediately returning with that information, you embarked on a dangerous adventure where you secreted
eight-hundred metric tons
of Corplastizine in the Raider spaceport. Did you have authorization to plant a weapon of mass destruction in that space port?"

"No sir."

"And then, having
destroyed
what could have been a most valuable and useful asset to the Galactic Alliance, in addition to fifty-four large warships and dozens of valuable passenger liners and cargo ships, you begin flying all over the galaxy in a Space Command battleship, wearing captain's bars, and letting everyone believe that you were a captain by virtue of appointment from Space Command."

"I never told anyone that I was a Space Command appointed Captain."

"Oh, you just wore the rank insignia of a captain."

"Uh, yes."

"And after you had taken prisoners during your little adventure, did you then turn around and mercilessly torture three of them on the bridge of a GSC warship, in clear view of horrified civilian witnesses."

"I had t…"

"Just answer yes or no, Ensign. Did you or did you not intentionally and repeatedly use electric shock devices on Raider prisoners in full view of civilian witnesses."

Jenetta hesitated for a couple of seconds. "Yes."

Commander Pierce nodded and turned to return to his seat. "No further questions."

Chapter Twenty-Five

~ January 19
^h
, 2268 ~

"Commander Spence, do you wish to cross-examine?" Admiral Margolan asked.

"Yes sir. Most definitely."

Walking to the witness chair in a deliberately unhurried manner, Commander Spence looked placidly at Jenetta and said, "Ensign, I think it would benefit the court to hear all the events— in the order they occurred. Would you tell us, in your own words, everything that happened from the time you awoke on the Hokyuu with the alarms sounding to abandon ship, until you were arrested at the Higgins Base Hospital. Take your time and don't skip any details, however small."

"I object most strenuously, Admiral," Commander Pierce said, jumping up from his seat. "This could take weeks and we don't have time to listen to ridiculous tall tales, fabrications, equivocations, and prevarications."

"Objection overruled. Commander Pierce, in this court
I decide
what we have, or do not have time for. As for it being a tall tale, fabrication, equivocation, or prevarication, you will have the right to object to anything that you feel is immaterial or inaccurate, and you have the right to re-cross at the end of the defendant's testimony. Proceed, Ensign."

So Jenetta began recounting her story once again, in minute detail. Her testimony took sixteen long days, owing mainly to seemingly constant objections from Commander Pierce that required Jenetta to repeatedly relate key points concerning her attacks on the Raider destroyer and cruiser, and the escape from the detention center. Then another six days were exhausted with his additional cross-examination. The court had ordered Lt. Commander Spence to have Jenetta skip over testimony regarding her meeting with Commander Pretorious near the cargo-bay detention area, and she was restricted from even mentioning it, but there was little else that wasn't covered in excruciating detail. When Jenetta recounted events of her attacks on the Raider warships, the Vordoth bridge logs played on monitors in the courtroom. And when she told of the Raider base destruction, the image logs from the Prometheus displayed.

Pierce next questioned Kanes and the members of his intelligence section, then rested the prosecution's case.

Spence then called Doctor Rebecca Erikson, Lieutenant Gloria Sabella, and Lieutenant Charles Moresby to testify about events aboard the Vordoth. Gunny Rondell and Crewman Browne were called to testify about their trip in the space tug, the escape, and the taking of the Prometheus; and Captain Yates was called to testify about the escape and the taking of the Chiron. Commander Pierce seemed to grow angrier and more belligerent as each witness extolled the conduct of Ensign Carver.

Lt. Commander Michaels was the last defense witness to be called. Under cross-examination, Pierce grilled him about his knowledge of Jenetta's rank and when he learned that she was really just an ensign.

"Commander Michaels, you first met Ensign Carver on the day that you escaped from the Raider detention center. Is that correct?"

"Not precisely, sir."

"Oh? Well, then when
did
you first meet her?"

"I first met Ensign Carver on the day that she
rescued
me and forty-nine others from the detention center."

"I see," Commander Pierce said, scowling slightly at the correction. "And what was your understanding of her rank?"

"She identified herself as Captain Jenetta Carver."

"And you accepted that?"

"After three months of suffering at the hands of the sadistic guards in the Raider detention center, I would have accepted her as God if it got me out of there."

"Yes, I quite understand, Commander. And you agreed to follow her orders if she released you?"

"Yes sir."

"And you were present when she callously shot down Captain Starnos and his first mate, and then ordered them locked up again to await their cruel fate?"

"Uh— yes sir, I was present when the incident occurred."

"And you followed her orders because you feared that she would shoot you down as well?"

"No sir. I had given my word. Unlike Starnos, I keep it."

"But you believed that she held the rank of captain in Space Command?"

"No, sir."

"No?"

"She appeared much too young to be a captain, sir. Although I separated from the service a couple of years ago, I was reasonably sure that I would have heard if such a young looking officer had attained even Lt. Commander rank. But— Gunny Rondell and Crewman Browne called her ‘Captain' and immediately followed what-ever orders she gave, without question or hesitation. When we rendezvoused with the Vordoth, the entire crew of the freighter referred to her only as ‘Captain' and also followed her orders without question. And all of the Nordakian officers called her ‘Captain' and also did whatever she asked of them. Furthermore, she has a Space Command ring that shows her to be a graduate of the NHSA class of ‘56, so it was— I suppose— possible that she had reached the rank of captain. I guess that I came to accept her rank as genuine because of the overwhelming corroboration by— everyone around me. And I very quickly came to respect her abilities and judgment."

"But she didn't reveal to you that she was actually only an SC ensign until ten days before arriving at Higgins?"

"Yes sir."

"Thank you. No further questions."

"I have a couple of more questions for the witness," Lt. Commander Spence said, standing. "Commander Michaels, when you
did
learn of Ensign Carver's Space Command rank, what did you do?"

"I, uh," Lt. Commander Michaels took a deep breath and sighed. Looking clearly embarrassed, he answered quickly, "I was so upset that I jumped up, spilling a mug of coffee on myself."

The courtroom erupted in laughter and the Admiral admonished them, citing the seriousness of the charges.

"No, I mean did you try to take control of the ship?"

"No sir."

"Why not? You found yourself taking orders from a young female officer, very junior to your own former Space Command rank?"

"To me, she was still Captain Carver. I had promised to follow her orders until we reached a Space Command base, and my word is my bond."

"But you would have tried to take control at that point if the ship was in danger?"

"Uh— no sir, I wouldn't have. Knowing Ensign Carver as I did by then, I can't imagine that I could have done any better, so I would have followed whatever orders she gave. And besides, if I had tried to seize control, every other person on that ship would have voted to throw me out an airlock."

"The rest of the ship's personnel respected her?"

"
Respected her?
" Lt. Commander Michaels echoed, his voice rising substantially in pitch. "That would be a
gross
understatement. Sir, in my twenty years in Space Command, I never saw such unfeigned respect afforded to any captain, or even any admiral. She had saved every last one of them from death or worse, and they
knew
it. I've heard some of the Vordoth crew call her the Ice Queen, but that's strictly a reference to her professional demeanor on the bridge during combat operations. They all knew of her competence, her compassion, her personal warmth, and her genuine concern for their safety and wellbeing. They would have done
anything
that she asked of them. Anything!"

"Thank you, Commander, that's all."

Lt. Commander Spence turned away, then turned back.

"Oh, one last thing, Commander. Did you concur with Ensign Carver's action when she
temporarily incapacitated
Captain Starnos and his first mate with a stun pistol?"

"Absolutely. If she had let him go off on his own, he might have destroyed all our chances for escape. We were deep in the bowels of a Raider stronghold with 18,000 Raiders between us and freedom. A second escape party doubled the likelihood someone would be detected. Once an alarm sounded, the station would go on alert and be locked down. Nobody would have gotten out."

"That's all, Commander, thank you. Admiral, the defense rests."

Jenetta locked eyes with Lt. Commander Michaels and gave him a hint of a smile as he stepped down and passed the defense table on his way to the back of the courtroom.

"Commander Pierce," Admiral Margolan said, "do you have any rebuttal witnesses to call?"

"No sir."

"Then you may begin your closing arguments, gentlemen. Commander Pierce?"

Commander Pierce stood and approached the jury. "Ladies and Gentlemen, you've sat here patiently, day after day, and listened to witnesses laud the virtues of Ensign Carver. She has apparently made a great many friends during the past few months. But this case isn't about friendship, it's about the
rules
that form the basis for our service. Ensign Carver has repeatedly chosen to disregard those rules and we cannot allow this to become an example that others will imitate.

"Rather than proceeding directly to this base when she had the opportunity, she willfully chose to remain away. That constitutes desertion according to the regulations that all Space Command officers, noncoms, and enlisted personnel live by.

"She blatantly impersonated a superior officer by wearing the rank insignia of a Captain, and while she may never have stated it outright, she certainly allowed people to believe that it was her official rank by virtue of Space Command appointment.

"She appropriated private property, and then caused it to be destroyed when she intentionally detonated an explosive device of incredible power inside the Raider space station.

"By her direct actions, she is responsible for the deaths of 18,231 citizens. It makes no matter what their occupation; they were alive before Ensign Carver caused their deaths inside the spaceport. She was acting independently, and with-out authorization, when she carried out this mass execution.

"Lastly, this— this— Ice Queen—
willfully
tortured three fettered prisoners on the bridge of a Space Command vessel, in plain sight of others. This can
not
be tolerated in this day and age.

"You must find her guilty of all charges, so that others won't consider following her example by ignoring the military regulations that we in Space Command live by. Thank you."

"Commander Spence?" the admiral said.

"Yes sir, I'm ready."

Lt. Commander Spence stood and approached the jury. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your patience with this case. It's not the usual type of case that's heard in this courtroom. In fact, it's not the usual type of case that's heard in
any
courtroom. Why do
you
think that is?
I
think it's because cases like this are not usually prosecuted. When someone displays the courage, strength, and intelligence that Ensign Carver has exhibited, they're hailed as heroes, and parades are given in their honor. They aren't shackled hand and foot and thrown into a dark, tiny prison cell, left to wonder and worry in solitude about their fate, as has been done to Ensign Carver since she was taken into custody.

"Let's examine each of the charges carefully. First, Desertion. There is simply no basis for this charge. Ensign Carver was the victim of an explosion aboard a ship soon after she graduated from the Academy. She was just beginning her career when, all of a sudden, she's flung out into space and
lost
." Lt. Commander Spence paused for effect. "She was extremely lucky to be found and awakened ten years and eight months later, and has since that time been trying to get to a Space Command base. Every witness that has testified has spoken of her intense desire to return to Space Command. There was never any intention on her part to either leave Space Command originally, or remain away one minute longer than necessary. Her deviations were for good and valid reasons and strictly followed the oath that she took when becoming a Space Command officer.

"Second, Impersonating a Superior Officer. Again, there is no basis for this charge. Ensign Carver was
asked
to take command of the Vordoth. She didn't demand, or even request, to become its captain. And the uniforms she wore, which were not even Space Command issue, were altered without her consent, by a second-in-command who felt that the insignia of rank was appropriate aboard a freighter to help the crew identify with her new position. You've all had an opportunity to examine the uniforms, marked as defense exhibits C through F, and seen that the buttons are clearly stamped with the merchant services logo. When she referred to herself as captain, it was as the Captain of the Vordoth, and later of the Prometheus. In the detention center, it was necessary for her to quickly gain the acceptance and support of the captives if she was to successfully lead them to freedom and safety. She
never
said that ‘Captain' was a Space Command rank, and she
was
the
legitimate
Captain of the Vordoth at that time.

"Third, Appropriation of Private Property without Space Command Authority. There isn't any basis for this charge because Ensign Carver was the duly recognized Captain of the Vordoth. By accepting the temporary position of Captain, she accepted responsibility for the assets of the freighter company, and was duly authorized on that basis
under Galactic Law
to use the assets as she saw fit to preserve and protect the remaining assets. The freight company has not pursued any legal remedies, indicating that they are happy with the situation, and in fact most appreciative of Ensign Carver's assistance in saving the ship, crew, and most of the cargo.

"Fourth, The Murder of 18,231 Galactic Citizens. These were not galactic citizens; they were Raiders. They were murderers— rapists— drug dealers— slavers— thieves— and criminals of every sort. In a word,
scum
. If any Space Command ship had encountered them, its captain would not have hesitated to blow them out of existence. Ensign Carver simply saved the Space Command lives that might have been lost in future encounters and engagements with these Raiders and their
fifty-four destroyed warships
.