by D. J. Holmes
Suzanna reached out and muted the holo projection as the feed cut away from the reporter to a group of analysts who would no doubt dissect everything that had just been announced. “Well, they did it,” she said to the group she had gathered. “It was not a bluff. James will be furious and deeply hurt.”
“At least he will have your letter First Councilor,” Davenport replied. “He will know you support him.”
“Yes, he will,” Suzanna agreed. “News of what we are about to do will reach him almost as soon as he hears about the findings of the tribunal. That will give him a measure of satisfaction. Shall we release the recording?” Suzanna asked as she turned to one of her guests.
Fairfax shook his head. “No. Not yet. I’m sure Kapoor and the others are concerned about how the military will respond. They will try and do damage control now. Let’s give them a little bit of time. In this case time is like rope, let’s give them a little more to hang themselves with.”
Suzanna looked back to the holo projection. The news anchor was questioning a couple of men in naval uniforms. She could guess what was being discussed. Her husband’s naval career and his command capabilities, or lack thereof. “Are you sure? The longer we leave it, the more the narrative is focused on James and his removal.”
“I’ve been doing this a little bit longer than you dear,” Fairfax replied with a smile. “Trust me. Those two guys might be throwing James under or they might just be defending him. Even if they aren’t, others will be. Your husband is not popular with the ruling admirals in the UN Navy, but he is very popular among the lower ranks. At least those in the British, Chinese, Japanese and US navies. Getting public opinion to approve of removing him in the middle of a potential war is going to take some smooth talking. Let’s see who is trotted out to do the dirty work.”
Suzanna glanced at Andréa and Cynthia to see what they thought. Andréa gave a slight nod to say she approved of Fairfax’s suggestion. Cynthia shrugged. Suzanna understood, whilst Cynthia was experienced in Haven politics, Earth politics were relatively new to her. “All right, we wait,” Suzanna decided. She didn’t need to ask Davenport. She knew what he was thinking. It was almost as hard for him to watch James’ name be smeared through the mud as it was for her.
“Well then, turn the volume back up, let’s watch and see how this plays out,” Fairfax requested.
Andréa reached over and unmuted the newsfeed. For the next two hours Suzanna watched as the news was repeated again and again and dissected and analyzed from every angle. Fairfax insisted that they keep alternating between several different broadcasts to get a feel for how people were responding. For the most part, Suzanna had to focus on keeping herself from tightening her hands into fists. Within the first five minutes of watching, she had looked down to see that her nails had cut into the palm of her hand. It was far from easy to watch analyst after analyst paint her husband’s past in as dark a light as possible.
Here and there, there were some glimmers of hope. One Japanese Commodore had actually shown some respect for James. She had talked about how damaging a change of command in the midst of serious combat situation could be for morale and efficiency. Other, more junior officers also reported their surprise and disappointment at hearing the news. As Fairfax had predicted, the senior UN Admirals that commented on the tribunal were all in favor of it.
“We have a special guest on the show,” the news anchor reported. “Admiral Gonzales of the Military Subcommittee has just joined us in the studio. He will be speaking to us shortly.”
“Here we go,” Fairfax said as he sat forward. “Let’s see just what reason Gonzales gives. Vatu and Kapoor must be starting to sweat if they have sent him out to try and justify this.”
“Change the broadcast,” Andréa said. “Switch to HNN.”
“What are you talking about?” Fairfax asked. “Gonzales is about to come on.”
“Kapoor is already on HNN,” Andréa said as she waved the datapad towards Fairfax. “One of my aides just alerted me.”
Suzanna had to suppress a smile. She had never seen the former Prime Minister move so fast before. In a flash he was on his feet and reaching down to the holo projector. A moment later Kapoor’s face was being projected in front of them. She was smiling pleasantly as a presenter asked her a question.
“I want to thank you again for agreeing to appear on our broadcast,” the presenter was saying. “The news that broke earlier today was surprising to many people. I have to ask, why was this tribunal allowed to proceed by the Military Subcommittee? We have had a number of analysts on today talking about Vice Admiral Somerville’s past. I understand from certain perspectives it can look checkered. However, all that was known to the Military Subcommittee before he was appointed to the Outer Defense Fleet. Why have you taken such drastic actions now?”
“Well,” Kapoor replied without breaking her smile. “First, let me thank you for having me on your show. The tribunal’s finding and the subsequent removal of Vice Admiral Somerville from command is certainly a significant occurrence. However, I think drastic would be overdoing it a little. We have many competent commanders within our military. Somerville’s replacement, Vice Admiral Lightfoot, is more than qualified to lead our forces and defend our borders from the Flex-aor. He has the full confidence of the Military Subcommittee.”
“That is pleasing to hear Representative Kapoor. Still, I think there are many who would like my question answered,” the presenter pressed. “The Military Subcommittee could have quashed any attempts to hold a tribunal. Yet our sources tell us that the concerns that led to the tribunal originated from within the Subcommittee. Can you explain to the public why this happened?”
“Certainly,” Kapoor answered. “The decision to hold a tribunal and assess Vice Admiral Somerville’s fitness for command was a purely military affair. It was the Admirals who sit on the Military Subcommittee who brought this issue to our attention. It was their understanding of the strategic situation that gave rise to our concerns. Admiral Somerville was tasked with defending the X-32 system and preventing another Flex-aor invasion fleet from passing through the system and into our space. Instead of doing this, Somerville has taken his fleet into unexplored space. Right now, no one knows where his ships are. The Admirals on the Subcommittee felt this was a seriously flawed decision. So much so, that as the tribunal has shown, they have lost confidence in Vice Admiral Somerville’s ability to fulfil his duty. It was therefore of paramount importance that Somerville be removed and replaced as quickly as possible so that a competent commander can lead our most important fleet.”
“So your nation’s history with the Vice Admiral has no bearing on this decision?” the news presenter asked. “It is no secret that Somerville has had an antagonistic relationship with the Indian government, both militarily and politically.”
“Those are things of the past,” Kapoor said. She waved her hand to dismiss the suggestion and allowed her smile to return. “India wants Humanity’s best commanders to be in charge of our fleets. That is all.”
“Ah ha,” Fairfax said as he slapped his thigh. “We’ve got her. No politics involved my ass! That’s a quote that will come back to haunt her.” He turned away from the holo projection to face Suzanna. “Now we release the recording. Let the news broadcasts play this interview alongside her meeting with you. That should make for some interesting entertainment. Do I have your permission First Councilor?”
“Go ahead,” Suzanna replied as a smile far different to the one Kapoor was still showing spread across her face. It had been easy for Davenport to smuggle a visual recording device into the UN buildings. Especially as it was of Haven design and unknown to the UN security guards. After she had reviewed the recording with Cynthia and Andréa, they had both suggested she include Fairfax in their schemes. It was a good idea, Fairfax had access to the high ups in every major news broadcasting network. He was already tapping away at his datapad, sending out the visual file.
Knowing that the recording
was going out, that events were now out of her hands, Suzanna felt a weight lift off her shoulders. The tribunal had already found James guilty. She couldn’t change that. They would just have to deal with the consequences. And we will be dealing with them together. That is what matters, she thought. For a moment she closed her eyes and relived all the emotions the last two weeks had brought. She understood politics, but what Kapoor and the others had done made her skin crawl. “I’m sick of this,” she said as she opened her eyes and looked to Andréa and Cynthia. “At least it will all be over soon, Cynthia, contact Scimitar and let them know will be departing soon. If not today, I intend to get out of here by tomorrow. There’s nothing more we can do here.”
“There, it’s sent,” Fairfax said as he looked up from his datapad. “Wait, what?” he asked as he looked from Cynthia to Suzanna. “You can’t leave so suddenly. People will want to interview you. The public will want to hear your side of things.”
“Then I’m afraid they will be disappointed,” Suzanna said as she stood and paced back and forth. “I’ve already been manipulated and pushed here and there by Kapoor and her allies. I’m the First Councilor of Haven. I’m not going to waste any more time on this. I can’t help James any more by staying here and so I must return to Haven. I have duties there. The recording will speak for itself.”
“I’m sure it will,” Fairfax said slowly. “But you could still help it along. An upset wife and the leader of an entire star system calling out the Machiavellian actions of the Military Subcommittee will put pressure on Kapoor and her allies. It may even make things a little easier for James when he returns to Earth.”
Suzanna shook her head. “No, it won’t. They hate him. They’ve already shown they don’t care about political opinion. Yes, this will hurt them, but it will only fuel their rage. They will still be trying to drum him out of the Navy when he returns to Earth. Our home and our future is the Haven system. I need to go back and prepare for whatever economic reprisals Kapoor has in mind.”
“It’s starting,” Andréa said, breaking into their conversation. “Look, they’re showing your recording.”
“Here we go,” Fairfax said with glee.
Though Suzanna hated Kapoor, she didn’t turn to the holo projection with the same level of enthusiasm. The recording would hurt Kapoor and her allies. It would show her to be a liar and, for those who were unbiased, it would show just how willing she was to put Earth’s safety in danger to further her own political agenda. Still, Suzanna knew the recordings could not undo what had been done. James had been removed from command. That would hurt him more than any tribunal or court martial finding. The recordings couldn’t change that.
Despite her feelings, she watched the next hour of news broadcasts. Time and time again the recording of Kapoor threatening her, Haven and James was played alongside Kapoor’s insistence that there had been no political agenda in James’ removal from command. Just as Fairfax had predicted, Kapoor didn’t reappear on any of the news broadcasts, nor did Admiral Gonzales or any other official spokesperson.
“Ma’am,” Cynthia said to get her attention. “We’re getting flooded with messages from the news broadcasters. They would like you to make an appearance to discuss your recording and experiences with the Military Subcommittee. What shall I say to them?”
Suzanna shook her head. “I’m not making any public appearances. You can respond with a written reply. Inform the broadcasters that as First Councilor of Haven I am disgusted that the other elected representatives of Human nations would seek to threaten Haven’s economic future to further their pathetic personal vendettas. And, as a wife of one of the most decorated living naval officers, I am ashamed that my husband has been treated in this way. Tell them I am happy to let representative Kapoor speak for herself.”
Fairfax let out an audible sigh. “What is it?” Suzanna asked as she turned to him.
He was shaking his head. “Don’t you see? Your words are one thing, but the fire in your eyes as you spoke them is quite another. That’s what the public needs to see.”
“Well my words will have to do,” Suzanna replied. “I don’t want to argue about it. There was a time when you could order me about, but I’m afraid that time has passed.”
“I know, I know,” Fairfax said as he waved his hands at her. “My time in the limelight has gone. But you have to admit, I have been at least a little useful.”
“That you have,” Suzanna replied with a nod. “And you have my thanks.”
A beep from Fairfax’s datapad made him look down. A very different look came across his face as he read whatever had been sent to him. “What is it?” Suzanna asked, this time with more concern.
“I just got a note from one of my sources. Someone from the UN has been looking into the protocols for detaining and arresting a senior political figure,” he said as he looked up. “You do know recording meetings without every party’s consent is illegal?”
Suzanna looked to Andréa before answering, “I wasn’t fully aware no, though I guess I suspected as much. It wasn’t something I was concerned about.”
“And neither would I have been if I had thought of the idea,” Fairfax replied. “But it does put you in a slightly difficult situation. I find it hard to believe Kapoor would try and detain you. It would play bad for her. But…”
“But that’s assuming Kapoor is thinking rationally,” Suzanna finished. “She could try and detain me out of anger. It might look bad for her, but also for me. Not to mention, it would hurt Haven. Companies thinking of investing in our system will think twice if the elected leader is facing criminal charges.”
“I think I’ve changed my mind,” Fairfax said as he stood. “Perhaps it would be best if you left. We should head to Scimitar now.”
“Then we’ll take our leave,” Suzanna said as she stood. “Thank you again for your help,” she said to Fairfax. “Thank you to all of you,” she said as she looked at Andréa, Cynthia and Davenport. We have fought for James’ honor, it is time to return home and fight for Haven’s future. Let’s not waste any time. I have no desire to be arrested.”
*
Less than an hour later Scimitar had broken orbit and was heading towards the shift passage to the Alpha system. Cynthia was still monitoring the news broadcasts. In contrast, Suzanna was staring out of one of Scimitar’s view screens. She was quite happy to be distracted by the sights and the busyness of the Sol system.
“Ma’am,” Cynthia said looking up from her display. “We have a COM link from Beijing. It is Empress Na.”
Suzanna looked at Cynthia, surprise written across her face. Given how their last conversation had ended, she had thought Christine would be the last person to contact her. “Put her through I guess,” she replied. She smoothed her expression and put a warm smile on her lips. “Empress Na, it is a pleasure to talk to you again.”
“The pleasure is all mine First Councilor,” Christine replied. “I’m sorry we are not talking under better circumstances. I fear removing James from command will be to all our detriment and I’m sure he will be hurt as well. At times, neither the British Navy nor the UN Navy has been kind to him.”
“No,” Suzanna agreed, she didn’t feel like saying more, the pain was still too raw.
“I will not take much of your time,” Christine continued when Suzanna remained quiet. “When I learnt that your yacht was breaking orbit, I wanted to speak to you. I want to assure you again that I will do all that I can to make up whatever investments Kapoor and her allies take from Haven. I respect you for the stand you have taken and I’m glad for James’ sake that you have stood by him. I want to honor your choice and help as much as I can.”
“Thank you Empress,” Suzanna replied. “And thank you for speaking to me before. It was helpful. You gave me guidance when I was lost.”
Christine’s eyebrows rose. “That’s not how I remember the conversation. I seem to recall I lost control of my emotions and made a fool of myself.”
“You di
d not make a fool of yourself,” Suzanna assured her as she shook her head. “James has shared much with me about his past with you. I think though, you showed me even more. I understand the decision you made and I respect you for it, but knowing James, seeing how it still affects him, I could not do it to him again.”
“I will forever be thankful to you Suzanna, for giving him what I didn’t. I want to wish you both luck and blessings for the future. If you’re not on Earth when he returns, I will do what I can to help him. You have my word, if a court martial is held, I will be in his corner.”
“Then he will be in good hands,” Suzanna replied. “Though, if it comes to that, we will both be in his corner. Nothing will be able to keep me away.”
“Well then, I look forward to meeting you in person again First Councilor. Though I hope it is under different circumstances. I will not take up any more of your time. Safe travels.”