Crineal Chronicles 1: In Hera's Service (25 page)

“So
what? My father is the Vice Chair of the Council. They aren’t going to convict
me,” Del’Tarim replied with supreme arrogance.

Junon
thought he was sadly mistaken. “Then nothing I do will matter, will it? I’ll do
your friends a favor though and not call them to the stand so they won’t have
to perjure themselves.” And with that he went back into the court room with Del’Tarim
seething behind him.

The
vice admiral looked at him. “Are you done, Commander Junon?”

“Yes,
Ma’am, thank you. I have no questions for the witness.”

Reylenth
looked at him in surprise. “Very well, the witness is excused.”

“The
prosecution calls General Crineal,” Illyat said.

Del’Tarim
felt a surge of cruel satisfaction as Crineal hobbled into the court room to
the witness stand. Junon winced. An injured and decorated war hero as a witness,
you couldn’t ask for better.

When
Crineal had been sworn in, the Lt. Commander addressed him. “General, thank you
for making yourself available today despite your injuries. Now, could you
please relate the events of the sixth of this month to the court?”

“Certainly,
Lt. Commander. I arrived back at my quarters to find that my assigned recreation
assistant, Cyndora, was in a state of distress. I asked her what was wrong and
she told me that she had been assaulted by an officer whilst returning to my
quarters. She said that he had threatened her life if she didn’t let him in the
following morning. I asked her to describe the officer and from what she told
me I believed the officer to be Commander Del’Tarim.”

“Then
what did you do, Sir?”

“I
called Colonel Jaynes as head of security. I believed that any attempt to
breach a senior officer’s private quarters was a matter of the utmost
seriousness and should not be taken lightly. I told her of the incident
involving my assistant but did not name the officer I suspected it to be.
Colonel Jaynes agreed that this would be a most serious breach of ship’s
security if it were true and agreed to attend my quarters the following morning
with a security team.”

“I
see. And in the morning?” Illyat prompted.

“Colonel
Jaynes and two other marines arrived as agreed at oh seven hundred hours and we
had breakfast. I then placed a call to the two officers I was due to meet at oh
nine hundred and explained to them that I would be detained but asked them to
enter my office and wait for me there. Then at just a little after oh nine hundred,
the door comm buzzed and my assistant answered it. A man’s voice ordered her to
let him in. The colonel and a marine joined me inside my bedroom to wait whilst
the second marine concealed himself in the kitchen area, in case Cyndora was in
need of immediate protection. The door comm to the bedroom was active and we
could hear the man threaten Cyndora and then the door to my quarters opening. I
heard booted footsteps enter, the door closing and the man utter more threats.
At that point I opened the bedroom door and the three of us entered the lounge
area to find Commander Del’Tarim standing there with a key card in his hand.”

“I’d
like to play the court a recording, if I may?” Reylenth nodded her assent.

Illyat
picked up her data pad and Del’Tarim’s voice filled the court room, uttering
threats.

“Was
that what you heard from your door comm, General?”

“Yes,
Lt. Commander, it is.”

“Thank
you, General. I would like to enter the recording as evidence, if it pleases
the court.”

Reylenth
glanced at her fellow judges. “The court will accept the recording.”

“Thank
you, Your Honor. General Crineal, do you know why Commander Del’Tarim might
want to assault and rape your assistant?”

Junon
stood. “Objection, your Honor. That would be speculation.” It wasn’t much, he
thought, but he had to try.

Reylenth
agreed. “Objection sustained.”

Illyat
was quick on her feet though. “General, could you tell the court where you
first met Commander Del’Tarim?”

“It
was in Flight Bay Alpha Ten. I had just finished a combat patrol in which my
squadron had taken casualties and heavy damage in the defense of this carrier.
As per Local Flight Regulations I left my craft before completing the post-flight
checks I would normally carry out so I could go and check on my injured pilots.
Before I could leave the bay Commander Del’Tarim ordered me over and began to
verbally abuse me in front of the entire flight bay for not completing the
checks. He didn’t ask for my rank until some way into his tirade.”

“I
see. And what did you do?”

“I
told him who I was and suggested that he needed to read the local flight
regulations. And that when he had done so, he should report to my office the
following morning.”

“And
how did that meeting go?”

“I
asked the commander if he had read the regulations. He said he had and
apologized. I suggested that it might be wise to acquaint himself with the
local procedures to avoid any repetition of the unfortunate incident. Then I
dismissed him.”

Illyat
put on a look of amazement. “I see. Didn’t you press charges against Commander Del’Tarim
for his behavior or threaten to do so, at least?”

Crineal
shook his head. “No, Lt. Commander. It was the commander’s first day and
everyone makes mistakes. I thought that I should go easy on him in light of the
stress he was under.”

“That
was most forbearing of you, Sir. No further questions.”

Reylenth
looked over to Junon. “Commander? Your witness.”

“No
questions, Your Honor.”

The
vice admiral looked at him silently for a moment before dismissing Crineal.

“The
prosecution calls Colonel Jaynes,” Illyat said.

The
tall, scarred marine colonel took the stand. “Colonel Jaynes, would you relate
to the court the events of the sixth and seventh of this month, please?” Illyat
asked.

“Certainly,
Lt. Commander. On the evening of the sixth I received a call from General
Crineal explaining that his assistant had been approached and threatened by an
unidentified officer in an attempt to gain access to his quarters for the
following morning. He said he felt that this was a serious threat to the
security of the ship if someone thought they could gain access to senior
officers’ private quarters. I concurred. He requested that I arrive at his
quarters at oh seven hundred to await events.”

“And
the following morning?” Illyat nudged.

“I
arrived at the general’s quarters at oh seven hundred with two marines and
placed two security holo recorders, one either side of the door, before
entering. The general’s assistant served us breakfast and we waited. At just
gone oh nine hundred the door comm activated and a male voice demanded to be
allowed entry.”

“Colonel,
is this what you heard?” Illyat played the colonel the same recording she had
played Crineal.

“Yes,
Lt. Commander.”

“Please
continue, Colonel Jaynes.”

“I
placed one marine in the kitchen area for the assistant’s safety. I, and the
other marine, joined General Crineal to wait inside the bedroom. Once we heard
the man enter the room we came out to apprehend him.”

“And
the man was Commander Del’Tarim?” Illyat asked.

“It
was,” Jaynes said, looking at the commander.

“And
did he have an explanation for his presence?”

“He
said that the general’s assistant had invited him there.”

Illyat
adopted a look of surprise “Really? And in light of the threats you had just
heard, did that seem likely to you?”

“No,
not at all.”

“And
how did he explain his gaining access to the general’s quarters?”

“He
was holding a key card. He said that he’d found it outside the door and thought
it might be illegal. A few minutes later he claimed instead he thought the key
card might belong to the general or his assistant.”

“And
is this the key card you took from the commander?” Illyat took a bag containing
the gray card over to the colonel who examined the identifying seal on the bag.

“Yes,
that’s my identifying evidence seal.”

“If
it pleases the court I’d like to have the key card admitted as evidence,”
requested Illyat.

 Reylenth
nodded to the clerk. “The card is accepted.”

“And
what did you do with the card, Colonel?”

“I
took it from the commander and ran it through a diagnostics pad. It showed to
be an illegal uncoded key card.”

Illyat
addressed the panel. “The prosecution has entered the diagnostic readout as
evidence item fifteen.” The three judges studied the information on their data
pads. “I would like to play the court the recordings from the devices that the colonel
had placed outside the general’s quarters, if I may?”

Reylenth
waved her permission and Illyat started the playback. The recordings showed Del’Tarim
approach the door, check the corridor, activate the comm panel, threaten
Cyndora and finally take the key card from his pocket and use it to open the
door before disappearing from view. Junon watched the whole thing in a state of
depression; so much for ‘finding’ the key card.

“Colonel,
is that the recording you took from your device?” Illyat asked.

“It
is.”

“And
did you see any signs that the commander picked the key card up from outside of
the general’s door as he claimed?’

“None
at all. He clearly took it from his pocket.”

“Thank
you, Colonel Jaynes. I have no further questions. I request that the court
accept the recording to be admitted as evidence.”

“So
accepted,” Reylenth said. “Commander, your witness.”

Junon
stood again. “No questions, Your Honor.”

“Colonel,
you are excused,” the vice admiral said.

Illyat
rose once more. “The prosecution rests its case, Your Honor.”

The
vice admiral turned to Junon. “Commander, would the defense like to make an
opening statement now?”

He
stood up. “Thank you, Ma’am, but the defense wishes to decline to make a
statement.”

Reylenth
looked more than a little surprised. “Very well, then you may call your first
witness.”

Junon
looked straight ahead. “Ma’am, the defense declines to call any witnesses.”

Everybody
in the room stirred at this, even Illyat looked taken aback. Reylenth fixed him
with a stern gaze. “Commander, I was under the impression that the defense had
entered a plea of Not Guilty?”

“Yes,
Ma’am. That is what I was instructed to do by my client.”

“But
you have hardly cross examined the prosecution witnesses and failed to bring
any of your own forward to support your case?”

“Yes,
Ma’am. I believe that any cross examination would have not furthered my client’s
case nor would any witnesses I might call. Therefore, to protect my client’s
interests, the defense rests.” Junon could not have made a plainer statement to
the court that Del’Tarim was as guilty as hell.

“Very
well. Lt. Commander, would you like to make a final statement?”

Illyat
rose and, to Junon’s relief, kept it brief, but then he thought that she hardly
needed to work at it.

“Your
Honor, the prosecution believes that it has shown that Commander Del’Tarim is
guilty of the offenses he is charged with and requests that the maximum
sentence be applied.”

The
vice admiral nodded. “Thank you, Lt. Commander. Commander Junon, would you like
to make a final statement?”

Junon
stood. “Your Honor, my client states that he is innocent of the charges set
before this court.” There wasn’t much else he could say.

“The
court will now retire to consider its verdict,” Reylenth said, and she and her
fellow judges rose and left the room.

They
were gone less than thirty minutes. Everyone stood as they reentered the court
room. Standing next Junon, Del’Tarim looked completely unconcerned. He knew
that his father would have paid off the judges and they would acquit him.

Vice
Admiral Reylenth spoke. “Commander Del’Tarim, having heard the charges and
listened to the evidence against you, this court unanimously finds you guilty on
all charges. Do you have anything to say?”

Del’Tarim
stood there open-mouthed and unbelieving, as he tried to comprehend Reylenth’s
words. Junon carried out his final act for the defense.

“Your
Honor, the defense asks that leniency be shown in your sentence in light of the
officer’s past record.”

Reylenth
nodded at him. “Thank you, Commander. The court will adjourn until tomorrow
morning to consider its sentence.”

The
following day the court reassembled, but with the addition of Crineal and
Cyndora as observers.

Junon
sat by Del’Tarim’s side once more as Reylenth opened the final proceedings. This
morning Del’Tarim just looked uncomprehending as to what was happening to him.