Badger (24 page)

He looked up and found Kenning studying him closely. Jacob started to speak, but Kenning gestured for him to stop. “No, Captain Hull. Please don’t give me your answer now. Think on it a while, and if you have second thoughts, contact me before the trial. Otherwise, just know there are those of us who are behind you.” Kenning glanced over Jacob’s shoulder and stood. “It has been a pleasure as always, Captain Hull.”

Jacob didn’t respond. He didn’t in fact look up from the table until he heard someone calling his name a few minutes later.

“Jacob?” He turned partway towards the voice before he realized it was Catherine. She was standing a few feet away, and her eyes were moving between him and the retreating form of Commander Kenning. “Jacob, what’s going on?”

His tongue finally seemed to function again, and he somehow managed to get the answer out. “It’s nothing, Catherine. I have to go.”

A shadow of fear passed across her face, and for the first time he realized that Catherine had been just as aware of the possibility of his court martial as he had been. She opened her mouth to ask the question he’d been asking himself until a few moments ago, but he shook his head. “No, not me. I’m not the defendant. I’m a witness.” Her mouth closed, and he grimaced. “I really have to go. I’m sorry. I’ll call you.”

Jacob stood and started for the door. He would hitch a ride in a cab to the closest hotel and then check in with headquarters. If Kenning had been telling the truth, there would likely be a court summons waiting for him. If not, Kenning would have quite a lot to answer for, and Jacob hoped that was the case. Otherwise, if Nivrosky was truly on trial, he would have to make a choice Jacob truly did not want to make. As he left the restaurant, he wondered to himself exactly when things were going to start making some damn sense again.

Chapter Twelve

The man waiting for Jacob on the steps of the Great Chamber wasn’t dressed in the typical Celostian Navy uniform. While he wore the same blue coat, tunic, and trousers, dark stripes ran down the sleeves and the sides of the trousers to set the officer apart. His rank insignia differed as well. Instead of the eagle and bars, the eagle had been placed over a background of a set of scales. A pair of medals marked his rank equivalent as a lieutenant commander.

The Judicial Corps was an uncommon sight on the border. Given the constant danger and stress of the combat conditions, the cold, deliberate processes of military justice were typically reserved for units that had been rotated out of the fire. It was especially convenient to restrict the Corps to the inner systems, because then adequate records could be preserved of the court proceedings. All too often the rulings of the Judicials along the border were lost with the destruction of ships until the Navy had made a practice of bringing the crews back home for whatever business the Corps had with them.

When Jacob drew close, the other officer spoke in a crisp, formal tone. “Captain Jacob Hull, Celostian Navy?”

Jacob came to his feet and returned the salute. “Yes, Lieutenant Commander. Are you my escort?”

“My name is Lieutenant Commander Osa Barnes. I’ve been ordered to bring you to the hearing and accompany you until your testimony has been given.” He paused. “The court extends its apologies for this interruption of your leave as well as for summoning you so soon after your recent deployment. Circumstances prevented us from reaching other accommodations, however.”

“I…understand, Lieutenant Commander.” Jacob doubted the representatives of the Celostian Union gave a damn about how rested he was, but he kept that to himself. He had enough to worry about without giving a lieutenant commander in the Judicials a reason to gossip about him.

The Great Chamber was a solid, permanent-looking building, befitting the style of the capital of the Union. While all the other structures surrounding it soared up in pillars of metal and glass, the architects of the Chamber had focused on settling it on sturdy foundations. Stone pillars supported the dome that sheltered most of the building, while a small mountain of stone steps marched up its front face. At the top of those steps lay the main entrance to the structure, and that was where Jacob and his escort were headed now.

As Jacob made his way up the steps, he paused to glance at the statues representing justice flanking the doorway. Regal and merciless, the two winged figures carried both sword and balance, and the way the blindfold had been drawn about their eyes only made them seem more sinister as he passed between them and entered the Chamber.

Lieutenant Commander Barnes scarcely paused before leading Jacob directly to the Hall of Judgment, where only the most important of their trials were held. The lieutenant commander paused at the great oaken doors, speaking with the guards who stood on either side of the portal. Then the great doors creaked open, and Jacob walked through into a room he never thought he would see.

It was as old as the Union and probably older than the Regency that had preceded it. The room had been furnished in the style that was formal nearly a hundred years ago, with the great stone dais at the back marking the focal point for the entire room. It was designed that way with good reason, for the dais held the desks of the two counsels, one for the defense and the other for the prosecution, as well as the seats for both witnesses and the accused. Around the raised dais sloped the observation galleries, where the populace, reporters and other onlookers could sit and see the work of the Council play out before their watching eyes.

At the very back, raised above the dais, was a small bulwark that separated eighteen throne-like seats from the rest of the room. On those seats sat the members of the Council of Elders, also known as the Lower Seats. The Council’s position in the government’s structure was between the House and the High Seat. They acted as a judicial power apart from the High Seat, guaranteeing his actions remained within the bounds the Acts of Union had given him, while they in turn were watched by the representatives their respective Seatings had sent to the House of the People.

Only the High Seat could appeal a decision of the Council, but none in recent memory had chosen to use that particular power. If Smithson did intervene, it was likely the Council would choose to impeach him as well, since his pardon would be a deliberate flouting of their authority. That would create an even greater conflict throughout the Union, and it was a risk Smithson was unlikely to take unless he had a good reason. For all intents and purposes, the judgment rendered here would be final, no matter what the outside world would think of it, and that fact made Jacob shudder when he recognized High Admiral Nivrosky sitting in the place of the accused.

Lieutenant Commander Barnes led Jacob to the witness box just below the level of the dais. He looked around, noting there were others he recognized. Captain Upshaw sat, looking grim. Kenning was there as well, and Jacob felt a flash of hatred when the other man met his eyes and smiled. Other officers were present as well, and they all wore expressions ranging from outrage to defeat. None of them looked in the High Admiral’s direction. Jacob did, and he shuddered a second time when he saw the despair lingering in that iron hard stare. The High Admiral looked as close to uncertain as Jacob had ever seen him. Given the way the Lower Seats were staring at him, Jacob couldn’t blame him. Things did not look good.

As he settled into his seat, Lieutenant Commander Barnes saluted in farewell. “Good luck, sir.”

Jacob glanced at him and returned the salute. “Thanks.” He looked back toward the High Admiral and sighed. “I think we’re going to need it.”

Two hours later, Jacob staggered into his assigned waiting room. His head swam, and he felt as if he had been holding his breath for the past day or so. He gulped for air, fingering the collar of his uniform. The air in the room tasted too full for his comfort, a far cry from the sterile air of recycled oxygen, but it was still a relief. Anything would have been after his experience in the Hall.

Whatever Nivrosky must have been expecting when the trial had started, things had clearly not gone his way. The trial had been brutal, with every single command decision exposed to scrutiny and debate. Officer after officer had given their accounts of the battle and the events that led up to it, and all had placed the blame for the supposed disaster squarely on Nivrosky’s shoulders.

Finally, the prosecution called for a momentary recess. Jacob managed to work his way free of the Hall, desperate for an escape from the suffocating atmosphere of despair inside the room. Each of the witnesses had been given a small conference room to rest in, though they had not been permitted to speak with each other during the break. Kenning had nearly managed to break that rule by pushing through to the crowd toward him, but at the last moment Jacob had gotten away. He didn’t need to talk to the man a second time, not when everything seemed to be going to hell anyway.

For a few moments he leaned back against the door and let his head fall back against the wood. It took a while for his breathing to steady. As the bands of iron around his chest loosened, he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. Everything was moving so fast. What was he going to do?

“A rough day,
captain
?” Al-shira’s voice brought Jacob’s head forward with a snap. He stared, open-mouthed, as she stretched and leaned back in her chair. “This is a pretty nice mess you’ve put yourself in, Captain Hull, but at least you’ve managed to upgrade the seats. The ones on
Wolfhound
always hurt my back.”

“What—How did you—” Jacob shook his head, uncertain about whether he felt frustrated or relieved to find her here. “Did the guards let you in here?”

Al-shira shrugged, nonchalant. “I suppose they did. You tell people you’re carrying a message from the flagship, they tend to let you in to where you need to be.” She put her feet back on the ground and stood. “So,
captain
, how is the trial going?”

Jacob winced. The short answer was it was not going well. Kenning had given a version of the intelligence report he had delivered in the original briefing, only this time he seemed to suggest the entire attempt of neutralizing the General was useless from the beginning. His analysis of the Oduran leadership now seemed to directly contradict what he had said during the briefing, and the defense lawyer pointed that fact out. Unfortunately for the High Admiral, the commander had a ready defense—he had been instructed to prepare a briefing to explain the goals of the meeting, not to justify it in the first place. A more complete briefing would have included both views. Jacob had no doubt the officer had buried the very phrases he had used within the text of his original analysis; it was just the sort of move Kenning would use to cover his own culpability.

Captain Upshaw’s testimony was almost worse. As the flag captain for the
Badger
, Upshaw had seen every decision Nivrosky had made during the carnage of Wayward. The red-faced officer had seemed almost uncomfortable himself with the level of hesitation he described in the High Admiral, and whatever justifications he presented for his superior’s decisions seemed weak and forced. By the time Upshaw stepped down, Jacob could tell by the expressions of the members of the Lower Seats any chance of victory Nivrosky might have had had evaporated.

Finally, he forced himself to answer. “That would depend on who you are at the moment, Commander. I wouldn’t want to be in High Admiral Nivrosky’s shoes right now.”

Her eyes grew sharp. “Understandable, but not everyone shares your opinion,
captain
.” She smiled and tilted her head to the side. “Don’t be so surprised, Jacob. There are plenty of people who would love to have the job of High Admiral, especially the types of people who have been blocked by Admiral Nivrosky’s policies. Quite a few ambitious men and women covet his authority, and they’d be glad to see the man fall.”

The way she had said that last phrase sent a sudden chill through Jacob. He locked eyes with her. “You’re telling me they’ve set him up. That he’s not going to win no matter what.”

She shook her head and walked to the nearest window. “Not exactly. After all, the Seatings wouldn’t have risked their own positions by corrupting their votes. I think we can count on them doing their duty.” Al-shira grimaced. “The witnesses, on the other hand…”

Jacob saw again Kenning’s face, and anger flared to life through his shock. “Kenning tried to influence my testimony. He’d have been popular with a lot of the other officers, and he told me if Nivrosky didn’t suffer for Wayward, I would.” He ground his teeth. “They tried to
use
me.”

Al-shira nodded slowly. “They’ve set the whole thing up, hoping he’ll finally take the fall.” She paused, and then spoke as if forcing the words past some obstacle. “You need to be careful out there,
captain
. If I know you—and I do—you’re going to do something stupid. These are people in power. They aren’t going to appreciate it if you screw up their plans.”

There was a shadow of concern in those fierce eyes. For a moment, Jacob was on the edge of thanking her, but he turned away before he spoke. His words were rough on his tongue. “Thank you, Commander Al-shira, but I can take care of myself. I hope you haven’t put yourself in danger to tell me this. You have your career to worry about.”

He did not have to look to know she had clenched her hands in anger, or that the concern had been replaced by a sudden anger. Yet her voice came softly, like the whisper of a sword being drawn from its sheath. “Jacob, you can do whatever you like in there. I can’t stop you—I won’t stop you—but I need you to think about something.” She paused, and the silence lasted long enough he turned to look at her.

Her expression was serious, and her anger, though it still burned, was buried deep. When she spoke, it was with a deliberate firmness. “However angry you are at me, Jacob, you need to think about whether or not you trust me. Because if you do, then I am telling you,
captain
, these people will destroy you if you leave them even the slightest opening to do so. Remember that.”