Solbidyum Wars Saga 4: Too Late for Earth (41 page)

“Senior Justice,” he said addressing Justice Mastoeth and then turning toward the vast arena area, “honored members of the Senate.  I was at Alle Bamma when Tibby attacked the laboratories there.  We were testing flora and fauna for their viability as cures to many of the diseases facing parts of the Federation and were on the verge of a new discovery for curing Stagner’s Disease, a disease that has shown itself to be resistant to all known antibiotics and nano-biotic’s as well.  Our presence on the planet was a peaceful one and we were unarmed and unprepared for the sudden attack that Tibby made with his ship the
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.  His first incursion took place when he, and a team of his men broke into our laboratories in an attempt to steal any samples of our work that he could.  He was spotted by some of our workers; they tried to stop him, but he and his team were armed, and they fired on our team killing and injuring several, then they set fire to several of the buildings and fled.  The next day they opened fire on all our bases from orbit, setting fire to them and destroying them.  Our people began boarding ships to flee, but as we tried to get away Tibby, and his crew, began shooting us down and demanding we surrender.  I was fortunate in that the ship that I was on escaped, but the others were either killed or captured and taken prisoners.  They were later shipped back here to Megelleon where they were tried as traitors to the Federation, incarcerated, and are serving sentences now.  They were only innocent civilian scientists trying to find needed cures for diseases.”

Honstin ended his testimony and nodded to Leader Roritat, who returned to the podium.

“Tibby’s lust for power didn’t end there; about a year later, he tried to steal a prototype ship that was being developed on the planet Gaimse.  Gaimse is not a part of the Federation, but they have close ties with us and the ship they were working on is alleged to be faster than those we currently have and possess cloaking capability as well.  The Gaimseian’s were hoping to market this ship to the Federation but Tibby desired it for himself apparently, and he tried to steal it from the shipyard on Gaimse.  Not all the details are known of his attempt there as the entire shipyard was destroyed when his efforts were thwarted by the Gaimseian’s military.  As Tibby fled in the
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they targeted the ship yard, destroying the prototype ship, its plans, and the engineer responsible for developing it.

“From Gaimse, Tibby took his ship to Goo’Waddle, where he allied himself with two known enemies of the Federation; the Ruwallie Rasson, a group of renegade pirates and slavers that refused to join the Federation when the rest of their planet gave up slavery and aligned themselves to us, and the androids that once tried to kill off all humans in the universe.  With the help of our sworn enemies Tibby disrupted commerce on the planet, destroying crops on the calgana and pirating merchandise traveling to and from the planet.  Tibby and his pirate horde took over the planet; currently, the planet is being run by the androids while the pirates continue to extort local businesses.  We also have information that the orphan children of the victims of Tibby’s raids on Goo’Waddle have been taken prisoners and are now sequestered on Tibby’s estate here on Megelleon.  We can only imagine the use he is putting them to and the horrors they must be enduring.”

There was a sound like rushing wind throughout the assembly area as people gasped and whispered at Roritat’s last statement.  I had to confess, he delivered a most convincing story with enough actual details to make the false statements appear real as well.  I was getting a sinking feeling in my stomach that things were not going well at all, and for the first time I began to doubt that my telling the truth was going to get me out of this mess.

By now, we had reached noon and the assembly took a two-hour break for lunch.  Where all the senators went and how so many were served was something that I still contemplate.  I was escorted out by the same Senate guards who had brought me into the Senate chamber.  Once we had passed through the door leading from the Senate hearing room, we made a right turn and went down a side corridor instead of through the opposite door where the troopers who had taken me into custody still waited, or so I assumed.

“We’ll take you to get something to eat; if we return you to Leader Roritat’s men, I doubt you will get anything.  He’s hoping to make you look as bad as possible, and if you are starved, dehydrated and tired you won’t be able to respond well on the stand. Furthermore, Commander Wabussie is concerned that they may try to drug you so your thinking will be dulled when you take the stand, and you will be confused, making it appear like you are trying to hide things.  It’s important you be totally honest with everything you say on the stand when you are questioned.”

While he was talking, we arrived at a small dining room that the captain said was used by the Senate guards for their own dining.  The food was not fancy, but it was good and nourishing.  While I was eating I asked the captain, “Can you tell me where the Admiral and Commander Wabussie are and why they are not here?”

“They will only be allowed in the Senate hearing chamber during their statements in defense of you.  During that time, your accusers will not be allowed in, but they will be able to view the event on vid screens from another chamber not far from here.”

“Is that where the Admiral and Commander Wabussie are now?”  I asked.

“I believe the Admiral and some of his aides are, but the Commander is meeting with an agent who just arrived bringing new information that he believes will help you.”

“What about Senator Tonclin?”  I inquired.

“He’s here in his Senate seat about three-quarters of the way down the assembly hall. He’ll be on the stand most likely tomorrow when he gives testimony to support you.”

“I wish this thing was over,” I said as I pushed the plate of half eaten food away as my appetite had faded.

I was allowed to freshen up in the small lavatory next to the dining area and then was returned to the Senate hearing room where I sat silently in my boxed area while the senators slowly returned to their places.

Once everyone had taken their seats, a man entered my box with a headband that I knew was to be used to check if I was lying or telling the truth.  He took several readings and after that another man entered the box and looked at the readings also.  Apparently, both men were satisfied that everything was working properly; the both men approached Justice Mastoeth and spoke to him briefly before leaving the area.  Justice Mastoeth rose and walked to the podium; as he did a chime sounded throughout the hall and everything went quiet.

“Unless there are more charges and testimony to be given against the accused, we will begin the questioning phase of the hearing.  Leader Roritat will be leading the questioning and may be aided by those in his box if he so designates.”

Leader Roritat approached the podium once more grinning and looking at the assembly like a rock star expecting the crowd to stand and cheer; I would not have been shocked if he had raised his hands over his head in a victory sign.  Once at the podium, he turned and looked at me, as he did, his expression changed to one of fierce intensity.

“Well, Thibodaux James Renwalt, what do you have to say about the charges brought against you?”

“I would say that I am amazed how well you were able to integrate truth and fiction into such a convincing tale.”  I answered.  I noted that a green color bar on the screen remained green; I knew that if it changed to yellow, it would indicate I was trying to find a way to obscure the truth, and if it turned red, it would indicate I was lying.

“Let’s begin with how you convinced the admiralty to seek refuge aboard your ship the
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before the attack on their headquarters; you had no evidence that there was any threat to them, did you?”

I was amazed at the way he worded the question, as if he expected me to react emotionally, possibly saying something not quite true and triggering the yellow indicator on the truth detector, thus creating suspicion with the senators.

“There was no hard evidence, but with the events that had just taken place on the
DUSTIN,
the probability seemed high to me.”  I answered.  The bar stayed green.  I noted Leader Roritat frown, but he continued.

“And you had no part in the bombing of the capitol and the admiralty headquarters?"

“None whatsoever.” I replied.  The bar stayed green.

“I see,” Leader Roritat said.  “What about the attack on the supposed undersea base in the western ocean?  Did you really believe there was a base there or did you just bomb the area for effect?”

“No, honestly I wasn’t sure there was a base there, but we had followed a patrol ship from the
DUSTEN
; it had entered and submerged in the ocean near there so we had reason to believe there probably was a subsea base there.”  I said calmly.  The bar stayed green.  Leader Roritat seemed frustrated and said something to Justice Mastoeth that I could not understand.  The Justice stood up and walked to the podium and asked, “Are you actually from the planet Earth?”

“Yes, I am from Earth.”  I answered.

“Would you please say you are from Plosaxen!” The Justice said.

Suddenly, I realized that he was testing to make certain the headband was working properly so I said, “I’m from Plosaxen.”  Immediately the bar on the screen turned a bright red.  I could hear a slight buzz of conversation around the hall as the Justice said something to Leader Roritat and returned to his chair.

The Leader cleared his throat and continued his questioning.

“Isn’t it true that the actions of Commander Thimas and Corporal Lexmal had nothing to do with the Brotherhood?”

“Not to my knowledge,” I answered.  “We had solid evidence connecting both Commander Thimas and Corporal Lexmal with the Brotherhood.”

“Oh, and what evidence did you have that Commander Thimas was working for the Brotherhood and not just for himself?”  Leader Roritat growled as he glared at me.

“His own statement when he made his open broadcast to the Federation saying, ’This is Captain Thimas of the BROTHERHOOD OF LIGHT aboard the ship
DUSTEN
;’ I believe it’s a matter of record if you care to check the vids of the event.”  I heard some hushed chuckles about the hall, and I observed Leader Roritat's face, and ears redden.

“Isn’t it a fact that when you boarded the
DUSTEN
to retake it from Thimas, you had help from the Brotherhood, and that you didn’t take the ship on your own?”

I was about to answer “no,” when I caught myself; I saw the green start to tint a little yellow on the screen.  “It’s true that once we were aboard, there were a few Brotherhood members who had been part of the mutiny who felt they had made a mistake and provided some of my team information that helped us.  However, it was only one or two individuals.”  The bar remained a solid green for my entire statement.

“And you know for a fact that all the other members of the mutiny were ALL Brotherhood members?”  He quizzed.  Once again, I could see the style of his question; obviously, I would have had no way of knowing for sure that ALL the mutineers were Brotherhood, but there was every reason to suspect so.  I answered, “I didn’t know for sure at that moment they were all Brotherhood men, I only learned it later after we had taken them all prisoners." The bar stayed green. I was starting to wish I could get the Leader to wear a similar headband, so I could see if he truly believed the things he was accusing me of and in his implications of the innocence of the Brotherhood.”

“Tibby, I have Garfreed Aliquatee here; he’s the director of the Federation Office of Investigation. He tells me that the FOI hasn’t found the number of Brotherhood members in the
DUSTEN
mutiny anywhere close to what you allege, nor do they find evidence of Brotherhood involvement in nefarious events you alleged are taking place all about the Federation.  How do you explain that?”

“I would have to say it would appear that the FOI isn’t doing a very good job; either that or that the FOI has been compromised in some way by the Brotherhood.”  I could hear a buzz of conversation after my statement.

“You’re accusing a branch of our Federation government of being subversive against the Federation that it is sworn to protect?”  Leader Roritat shouted.

“To quote an old adage from my home world, if the shoe fits wear it; during the events of the
DUSTEN
mutiny, and afterwards, we found the information provided by the FOI to be unreliable and at times totally false.”  I said.  I saw Garfreed Aliquatee redden and laugh a forced laugh as if to slough off my comment, but it obviously hit its mark.

“So, if the intelligence you had was bad, how exactly was it that you were able to get aboard the
DUSTEN
without the help of one of the Brotherhood men on its bridge assisting you by not alerting Commander Thimas of your approach?” The Leader demanded.

“We used a cloaking device.”  I answered, to gasps from about the hall.

“A cloaking device?  You have a cloaking device, and you’ve kept it a secret from the Federation?”  Roritat asked as a grin began to creep back on his face.

“Yes, but it’s hardly a secret from the Federation,” I answered.  “It’s been installed on a number of Federation ships and eventually will be on all the larger star ships.”