An Exchange of Hostages (5 page)

“Very well. You’re to feel free to raise any issues that come to mind at any point, of course. Later.” A formality on the Tutor’s part. Koscuisko gave every indication of having studied the structure carefully. More fool Koscuisko, because once he got to where he was going, none of that would matter in the slightest. Everybody knew what Ship’s Surgeons were really there for.

“Let us proceed, then. You’ve been introduced to the philosophy behind the Levels of Inquiry, Confirmation, and Execution, which is to say the Bench endorsement of the principle of swift and certain punishment for crimes against the Judicial order. It’s time for us to begin to examine these Levels in greater detail, to prepare a foundation upon which to build when we reach the practical exercise phase of Term.”

And not a moment too soon for her taste, either. This was what Mergau had come here for, after all; this was what her Patron meant for her to master. The Levels. The Levels, and the Writ itself, which they were not to consider as a separate lecture subject until nearly five more weeks had passed — just before the exercises were to start.

That would not be boring, when they got to the exercises.

“Levels One through Three, the Preliminary Levels, Inquiry. The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Levels, the Intermediate Levels, Inquiry and Confirmation. Levels Seven, Eight, and Nine, the Advanced Levels — Inquiry, Confirmation, and Execution. The Tenth Level of Inquiry, Command Termination. Let us first consider the Judicial foundations implicit to the process of Inquiry. Student Noycannir, if you will assist us?”

She didn’t mind the sly trick in Tutor Chonis’s method. She was ready for him. She was almost always ready for him; not only ready but more than willing to play the Tutor’s manipulative game.

“The Preliminary Levels, Tutor Chonis. The first level at which it is permissible to invoke the use of force. Security may take measures appropriate to the Preliminary Levels, but only at risk of discipline unless the Security is under the direct guidance of a fully rated Inquisitor with custody of an active Writ.”

This was the beginning of the single most dangerous challenge she had ever undertaken, and she could not bear to stop and think of how complete her ruin would be should she fail to prevail in her Patron’s name.

She let the joy of battle comfort her, instead, and concentrated on the fact that she was nearer day by day to victory.

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“And with this discussion of the Writ we conclude our examination of the history, the philosophy, the formal structure, the Levels, and the Judicial mandate of an Inquisitor with a Writ to Inquire.”

Tutor Chonis addressed himself to the summary title still displayed on the wall-screen viewer behind his desk. He knew that his Students were tense. The closer they got to the crucial break between pure lecture and the first practical exercise, the tenser they became, too. “Let’s just review the block of instruction.” Who should he call on first? He’d catch them both, of course, and off their guard if he could manage it. Much more than mere replay-knowledge was to be tested at Fleet Orientation Station Medical — and as often as could be maneuvered without becoming crushingly obvious.

He heard a shifting sound from the table behind his back. Student Koscuisko. Sliding his seat away from the study-table, probably. They’d had twelve weeks together in indoctrination and review; Chonis felt confident in predicting that young Koscuisko would be scowling, his wide, high forehead scored with irritation, his mouth pursed sourly.

Koscuisko was too easy.

So he would call out Noycannir to be first.

“Student Noycannir, will you detail the Privilege of the Writ for us, please.”

He could not hear a reaction, not even with the augmented hearing in his right ear — where he had all but lost the natural faculty years ago in an explosion. He knew what that no-sound looked like, well enough. She’d be stiff as stalloy in her seat, and glaring — an equal mix of aggression and insecurity.

“The Privilege of the Writ. Established by Judicial order 177-39-15228. The First Judge Caris Raber, Presiding.”
Well?
her sullen, stony eyes always seemed to ask.
Is that good enough for you? I’ll bet you thought I couldn’t get it right. Well, it’s high time you learned better.
She never seemed to be secure, even when she clearly knew the material very well.

“The Writ is granted by Judicial order, and cannot be voided except by Judicial order or expiration of contract of service. It is a failure to support the Judicial order to reject a grant of Writ prior to the expiration of Fleet contract.”

She could be subtle, too, and politic; she rehearsed the abstract blandly, without the slightest hint that she even cared about that irony visible on her narrow, sharp cunning face. Once the Writ was granted, it was treason to attempt to lay it down before your eight years of service had been completed. Which reminded him . . .

“Thank you, Student Noycannir, it’s quite a lot for one person to try to get through alone. Perhaps Student Koscuisko would explain the unique legal position granted by the Privilege of the Writ?”

He knew Koscuisko didn’t like this part. As if Koscuisko could be said to care for any of it.

“Of the Judicial offenses punishable under Law, only one can override the Privilege of the Writ. That offense is challenging the Judicial order by act of treason, mutiny, or insurrectionary intent.”

As represented, for instance, by failure to obey lawful and received instruction from one’s superior commanding officer. Or in terms of Koscuisko’s birth-culture — one’s oldest brother, one’s father, or the oldest brother of one’s father, if there was one. In other words, precisely what Koscuisko had been trying so strenuously to accomplish before he had finally submitted to the overwhelming weight of Aznir tradition and reported to Fleet Orientation Station Medical as his father directed.

“Wrongful imprisonment cannot be cried against the Writ, because the Inquisitor does not bind into confinement but only enters into the Judicial process when a suspect has been apprehended.” Koscuisko was obviously of a mind to be thorough about it, since he had been asked. “Loss of function cannot be cried against the Writ, because the Inquisitor would not be free to perform his Judicial function without fear of repercussions, and one cannot be penalized for performing one’s Judicial function. For the same reasons loss of life cannot be cried against the Writ. Loss of personal or real property cannot be cried against the Writ, because the Bench does not apprehend without reason . . . ”

Turning around now in his seat, Tutor Chonis regarded Koscuisko with a benevolent eye. It was always gratifying to have one’s mental image confirmed. Student Koscuisko was sitting with his legs crossed and one elbow on the study table, marking off points one by one on the fingers of his left hand; precisely as Tutor Chonis had imagined him.

“ . . . and the integrity of the Jurisdiction is considered to be resident in the Writ. Judicial discrimination may not be questioned in Judicial process. Loss of privacy cannot be cried against the Writ — ”

Tutor Chonis held up his hand and Koscuisko fell silent, folding his itemized fingers into a pensive fist. “Thank you, Student Koscuisko. Well. You have made it quite clear that you are both thoroughly familiar with the philosophy and the crucial legalities that justify, or I should say mandate, your Writ.”

Not to mention keenly aware of how useful a Writ could be to an ambitious administrator like First Secretary Verlaine. What had put the idea in Verlaine’s mind at the beginning was anyone’s guess; all Tutor Chonis really knew for certain about it was that Verlaine had been pulling strings, trading favors, cashing in tokens with reckless abandon over the past two years in his campaign to get Student Noycannir admitted.

Verlaine didn’t want an Inquisitor on loan from Fleet who would necessarily have divided loyalties. Verlaine felt Fleet could have more Inquisitors at much less expense if it waived its requirement for Bench medical certifications. Student Noycannir was here to prove that point.

If the First Secretary had his way, there’d be Inquisitors at each Bench center, for each circuit, and for each Judicial processing center — all in support of the Judicial order, of course.

And only incidentally to the detriment of the political power of the Fleet, which had up until now maintained an unchallenged monopoly over the Writ and the lawful exercise of coercive and punitive physical force.

“I have reviewed your progress with the Administrator, who has expressed very great satisfaction with your mastery of the material to date. It has therefore been decided that the scheduled week of assurance iterations will be waived. We are permitted to move directly to the next block of instruction.”

Insult 101, as Tutor Jestra had been wont to call it. The Preliminary Levels of the Question started with hearing a confession out and ran through assisted inquiry — which was the maximum degree of violence that could be invoked without a Warrant. Inquisitors were seldom disciplined for violating restrictions, though, since superior officers were generally willing to overlook such lapses as long as they didn’t have to look too closely at what was happening in the first place.

To Orientation Station staff, assisted inquiry seemed so benign compared to the Intermediate or Advanced Levels that as far as Tutor Chonis was concerned it did in fact amount to little more than calling a person names.

The prospect of their first practical exercise generally affected the students somewhat more dramatically. Chonis checked the reactions to his surprise: Student Noycannir froze up in her seat whenever she felt threatened, yes, just like that. Student Koscuisko straightened up in his seat, leaning over the table and staring at the carefully replicated artificial grain of Chonis’s semi-veneer wall-covering as if there was a text to be read there.

“The Administrator has asked me to declare an extra half of personal time, in token of his appreciation for your accomplishments. Please prepare the material issued for first lecture, Segment Two, the Preliminary Levels. We will start first thing in the morning. Thank you, Student Noycannir, Student Koscuisko.”

Fortunately by this time Students were accustomed to spending their personal time alone with only their bond-involuntary Security for company. The Administration took steps with every class to ensure that Students were isolated from each other to the maximum extent possible; training was much more efficient if Students were utterly dependent on their Tutors for approval and validation.

Now, for instance, if Students were permitted to meet and compare notes, they might conceivably recognize the schedule shift for the simple psychological trick that it was. There was no time allowance for assurance iteration.

There never had been.

Every Term it appeared on the schedule, to give the Students the false sense of temporary security that a weeklong buffer between pure theory and the first messy — clumsy — practical exercise could provide.

And every Term Students were moved straight into Preliminary, to keep them off balance and insecure and so eager for reassurance — for official approbation — that they would be willing to beat some helpless stranger with their bare hands just to get a word of praise from their Tutor.

“We start tomorrow with first-lecture, usual time. And then we’ll move to theater in a few days.” They needed some extra nudging to get them up and out of his office. “Your first exercise is scheduled for today week. We’ll review some of the previous exercises to help you prepare prior to the practicum. Enjoy your free time. Good-shift to you, Students.”

Koscuisko shook his head just a fraction, as if breaking himself out of his immobility, and started to rise. The moment Koscuisko began to shift, Noycannir was out of her chair smoothly and swiftly, unwilling — as always — to see him get one step ahead of her in anything.
Tomorrow, Students,
Chonis promised them in his mind, watching them take their confusion out of his office.
Tomorrow we will begin to test your mettle.

And in the meantime?

In the meantime reports from the assigned Security troops usually proved amusing, as each Student sought to find some psychic balance after the unexpected shock.

The door slid together behind Koscuisko’s back, and Tutor Chonis leaned back in his chair and smiled.

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It had been a week since the Tutor’s traditional trick of moving the Students straight into preparation for their first practical exercise. Joslire had taken his officer through the evening drill; now Koscuisko was relaxing with his rubdown, quite possibly thinking of nothing more than his supper to come.

Koscuisko seemed to be relaxed enough.

Lying on his belly with his arms folded under his head, Koscuisko nuzzled his chin into his fist like a blissfully happy young animal, making undefined sounds of contentment. Joslire suppressed his involuntary grin of amused recognition. Yes, that muscle had pulled tense during today’s training; and yes, it did feel good, when it surrendered up its tension to an expert hand. And if he was not an expert hand, at least Joslire was good enough by this time to tend to Koscuisko’s relatively minor aches and pains to his satisfaction.

He’d had Students both more and less athletic than this one in the past, but none who accepted the requirement for exercise with so good a grace. Stiff, sore, and grumbling strictly to himself, Koscuisko never hinted at avoiding practice or suggested cutting it short, except in carefully qualified jest. That made things easier for everybody. Joslire was grateful to his Student for the grace with which Koscuisko took direction; it made living with his governor much easier. He was adequately confident of his own ability to discriminate between being sworn at in the line of duty and being sworn at because he wasn’t doing his duty; but the possibility of confusion arising was an unpleasant one.

The more perplexing problem remained that Koscuisko seemed to take all of Fleet Orientation — physical exercise and soon-to-be-intensified combat drill alike — as some sort of an amusement, or a joke. Koscuisko was younger than his years, there was that. The Aznir stayed children for longer than the Emandisan did, Aznir lived longer than Emandisan, and Joslire had told himself he could have expected Koscuisko’s attitude to retain some of the blithe, carefree flavor of a privileged childhood even after years of medical school.