Their gazes locked and awareness sparked between them. “The government’s only mistake was trusting Shadow Leader with far more authority than he deserved. Do you understand?”
“I understand that you’re not looking for justice,” Drex snapped. “You’re looking for a performance with a predetermined outcome.”
“Call it what you like.” Jenna straightened her shoulders and sat a little straighter. “This is the only offer you’ll get.”
“Shadow Leader and Marsden are both human,” Sedrik pointed out. “Why insist that the battle born try them?”
“We’re not insisting, we’re allowing you to try them. That must be clear as well. Despite the actual destruction and loss of life, the bombing is the more important case. And the bombing took place on Lunar Nine.”
“How can you say that,” Kelsey flared. “Hundreds of thousands of people died in L.A.”
Much to her surprise, Drex explained. “The L.A. Massacre lacks a vital element for proving guilt, motive. No one intended to harm anyone. As Doctor Fermont said, it was a horrific accident.”
“Marsden says the same about the bombing,” Sedrik reminded. “The bombs were supposed to have exploded in an automated warehouse.”
“But they were still intended to harm,” Jenna said. “They were intentionally, and maliciously, placed in the food crate. It’s a much stronger case.”
The dynamics between the two lawyers was fascinating. They were on opposite sides of the issues, yet they clearly understood each other’s thinking. Not to mention the not-so-subtle sexual tension pulsing between them.
“Rodyte laws are much harsher than human,” Sedrik warned. “Will you really abide by our decision?”
“As long as you abide by the conditions I outlined,” Jenna stressed. A long moment of silence followed then she asked, “Are there any questions about our agreement or our expectations of you?”
“I want the entire procedure televised,” Sedrik decided.
“Why?” Distrust and skepticism formed her expression.
“I want there to be no misunderstandings. Unlike the U.S. government, the battle born prefer full disclosure.”
She looked at Drex, brows arching. “You really do want to turn this into a performance. Don’t you?”
He just grinned at her.
“If you want to blame everything on Shadow Leader and his wayward agent, I have no problem with that,” Sedrik concluded. “They are primarily to blame. I just want to make damn sure no one else goes under the proverbial bus.”
Chapter Twelve
Rodyte military tribunals were considerably different from human trials. The tribunal was presided over by either three or five high-ranking officers who had received extensive training before they were eligible for their first trial. There were only nine qualified judges among the rebels, but their decisions were final. The prosecution presented their evidence and called their witnesses. The defense was given an opportunity to “challenge” any of this information and then they presented their evidence and testimonies. The prosecution was also allowed to challenge the defense’s information, but the entire process generally took days rather than months.
Given the severity of the situation, Sedrik convened a five-man panel aboard the Destroyer. The large, overtly aggressive warship conveyed the exact combination of strength and restraint for which the general was looking. Martin Wallace, aka Shadow Leader, was tried first. The actual tribunal was not open to the public, but a live feed was transmitted throughout the battle born fleet. The signal was also sent to several communication satellites, along with images of the ship, so humans could watch the trials. And watch it they did. Humans tuned in at record numbers to watch the bastards responsible for the L.A. Massacre squirm—and hopefully fry.
Kelsey found it hard to watch her former commanders shouldering the entire blame, yet like so many on Earth, she was captivated by the spectacle. Martin Wallace and Royce Marsden had both made decisions and taken actions that cost hundreds of thousands of innocent people their lives. Still, it felt wrong that the government was refusing to take any responsibility for either tragedy.
Martin sat like a statue through the entire trial, not reacting to even the most damning evidence. When one of the judges asked him if he had any regrets, Martin offered his only statement. “I knew Marsden was becoming unhinged. If I had acted upon that realization and removed him from power, none of this would have happened.”
Apparently the judges agreed with him. Nine hours later they declared him guilty of a laundry list of charges. The same judge who had asked him about regret delivered the sentence. “You will be transported to Penal Colony Six where you will live out the remainder of your life. If at any point during this sentence, you request a lethal self-injector, one will be provided to you. That concludes this tribunal.”
The transmission focused on Shadow Leader’s stricken face and then faded to black.
“Rodytes allow assisted suicide?” Kelsey dragged her gaze away from the wall display and forced herself to move.
“If a person chooses death over permanent incarceration, who are we to deny him or her that option.” Jakkin stood beside her chair, hand lightly stroking the back of her hair.
She looked up at him, morbidly curious about the practice. “How many request the injector?”
“It depends which colony they’re assigned. There are six and the conditions are more restrictive at each one.”
Martin Wallace had been assigned to the sixth and most restrictive, so chances were strong that he’d end his own life. Pity flickered inside her, but memories of all that followed quickly extinguished the spark. Shadow Leader had shrugged and walked away when the battle born offered to trade her for Marsden. She hadn’t really been their prisoner at the time, but Shadow Leader hadn’t known that. He was drunk on power and utilized the Solar Warden program for his own financial gain with no thought of his agents’ wellbeing. She would not waste any more time thinking about Martin Wallace.
She stood and stretched, a vigorous workout would probably do her good. “When does the next trial start?”
“Not until tomorrow morning. We’re scheduled to testify around two in the afternoon, one right after the other.” When she only nodded, he said, “I need to get back to the command center before my crew forgets who I am.”
“I’m going to go kick the crap out of the sparing simulator. I’m going crazy just sitting here.”
“Understood. I’ll see you later.”
* * * * *
Royce Marsden’s trial began bright and early the following morning. Rodyte ships and all public areas of Lunar Nine were under continual surveillance, so the first few hours were spent watching video files of the destruction.
Jakkin tried to remain objective, but Kelsey had been directly involved in the restaurant bombing and he had been directly involved in the L.A. tragedy. It was quickly apparent that Drex Kaen had taken Jenna Fermont’s suggestion to heart. Despite the much larger death toll in L.A., he focused almost entirely on the restaurant bombing.
Rather than pacing in his cabin until they were called on to testify, Jakkin and Kelsey shuttled over to the Destroyer after lunch and watched the trial live. The video files had been so damning, Jakkin wasn’t even sure why they needed additional evidence, but he was happy to provide his perspective of the horrible events.
Drex called Kelsey first and Jakkin sent a wave of calming reassurance across their link as she went forward. The room was set up with two long tables at one end, and four rows of chairs arranged behind. All five judges sat on one side of the first table, facing the other table and the chairs. Armed guards stood to either side of the judges a silent reminder that this was a military procedure. The attorneys and Marsden sat behind the second table, facing the judges. Several empty chairs separated the prosecution from the defense, and a simple lectern had been set up to the right of the tables for the witnesses.
As Kelsey reached the lectern, Jakkin scooted to the edge
of his chair. She appeared calm. However, he felt anxiety and regret, though the emotions were muted. He didn’t think she was trying to shut him out, more like suppressing the feelings so she could maintain her composure.
“Please state your full name and planet of origin for the record,” Drex began as he stood and made his way to the area between the two tables. His dark gray suit was immaculate, blue-streaked hair neatly trimmed. He looked confident and in control.
“Kelsey Anne Lindon. My planet of origin is Earth.” She sounded composed, but he still felt her anxiety.
“Thank you.” Drex flashed a quick smile. “Have you ever been to the restaurant Vingarra?”
“I have,” Kelsey admitted.
“Could you please explain what happened while you were there?”
Kelsey took a deep breath, then words poured out of her in a tense rush. “The restaurant was extremely crowded that night, but two human females and their guard caused quite a stir. So the hostess found us a table as fast as she could.”
“Two human females?” Drex asked. “Who was the other?”
“Alyssa.”
He nodded. “Do you mean Alyssa Wallace, daughter of Martin Wallace, also known as Shadow Leader?”
Jakkin cringed. What was Drex doing? Wouldn’t revealing that Kelsey was a spy destroy her credibility?
“Yes.” Kelsey was clearly as surprised by Drex’s tactic as Jakkin.
But Drex didn’t delve deeper. All he said was, “Please continue.”
“We hadn’t even placed our order when the first blast shook the place. People started running for the door, but the second blast was even stronger. That’s when real panic set in. The ceiling collapsed and the kitchen caught on fire. It was complete pandemonium.”
“How did you react?” Drex stood in front of her, his posture relaxed, as if they were having a casual conversation.
“I exited as quickly as possible.” She was starting to sound defensive, and Jakkin didn’t blame her.
“What about Alyssa? Did she require assistance?”
Kelsey glanced at Jakkin her confusion obvious. “She was knocked around pretty hard by the force of the explosion, but she was still on her feet.”
“On the video recordings, it appears as if you were holding a weapon. Did you in fact have a gun?”
Her anxiety spiked and Jakkin clenched his fists. Had Drex forgotten he represented the prosecution? Or who was on trial?
Jakkin passed her another wave of encouragement, even though his own composure was rapidly fraying.
Kelsey slowly licked her lips. “Yes, I had a weapon and I felt threatened enough to pull it. Is that against the law?”
Drex clearly had a reason for revealing Kelsey’s past, but Jakkin couldn’t imagine how it would benefit the prosecution. “You came to Lunar Nine through the transformation program. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Volunteers are scanned for weapons several times during the approval process.”
“Your point?” she snapped.
“Where did you get the pistol?”
Why is he doing this? she cried across their link.
I don’t know, love, but Sedrik requested Drex personally. Just go with it.
I don’t like it. But she answered, “My contact gave it to me after I’d arrived on Lunar Nine. That was after all the munition scans.”
“What sort of contact?” Drex persisted.
Obviously angry, Kelsey just spit it out. “My Solar Warden contact. I was working for Martin Wallace at the time. My primary responsibility was protecting Alyssa. That’s what I was doing with the gun.”
“Just so there’s no confusion. You are admitting you are, or actually were, a Solar Warden spy?”
“Correct.” Her voice was so strained Jakkin wondered if she were clenching her teeth.
“Do you still work for Solar Warden?”
“I do not.”
Drex nodded, a hint of a smile bowing his lips. “When and why did you sever your involvement with the Solar Warden program?”
“My allegiance began to waver during orientation. So much of what I’d been taught about the battle born was inaccurate. Then I met Jakkin and my doubts were compounded. Finally the explosion at Vingarra made me realize I wanted nothing to do with my former employer. I refuse to work for terrorists.”
“Traitor,” Marsden sneered, but Jenna quickly shushed him.
“Were you ever given orders by anyone with more authority than Martin Wallace?” Drex went on, ignoring the outburst.
“No. Shadow Leader was the ultimate authority and everybody knew it.” It was true, but it chafed to admit it because she was giving in to Uncle Sam.
“Thank you, Ms. Lindon. I have no further questions.” Drex skirted the table and returned to his seat.
“Would you like to challenge, Dr. Fermont?” The senior judge, the one seated in the middle of the five, asked.
Jenna shook her head. Jakkin could only see her profile, but she looked annoyed. “I have no questions for this witness.”
“You’re dismissed, Ms. Lindon,” the senior judge told Kelsey.
Realization unfurled inside Jakkin as Kelsey returned to her seat. Drex had preempted Jenna’s attack. By introducing the fact that Kelsey was a spy, he’d controlled the narrative every step of the way. Maybe Sedrik’s confidence in the lawyer was justified.
“My next witness is Commander Jakkin Arvik,” Drex announced.
Jakkin stood, so he could quickly hug Kelsey as they passed in the aisle. “You did great,” he told her, then went and stood behind the lectern.
“Please state your full name and planet of origin for the record,” Drex prompted.
“Jakkin Arvik, Commander of the Fearless. My planet of origin is Rodymia.” He tried to keep his eyes on Drex, but Marsden was right there in his peripheral vision. Unlike Shadow Leader, Marsden made no effort to hide his hostility.
“Was the orientation for human volunteers held aboard your ship?” Drex began.
Jakkin focused on the lawyer, refusing to be distracted. “It was until recently.” Drex had spent several hours with Kelsey and him the night before preparing them to testify. He wanted Jakkin to give a very generic rundown of the events leading up to the disaster in L. A. No expounding, no justifications, just clear statements of fact.
“When and why did your mission change?” Drex asked.
“General Lux ordered six of our ships to take up positions above strategic cities in the United States. My city was Boulder, Colorado.”
“You said the cities were chosen strategically.” Drex pulled back the side of his jacket and slipped his hand into his pocket. “Why Boulder, Colorado?”
“Martin Wallace lived near the city.”
“Could you please explain the events that followed your arrival at your designated position?”
All right. Short, specific answers. “Two unidentified ships approached our location. They were attempting to mask their position, but their shields were only working intermittently.”
Drex encouraged him with a quick smile. “What happened next?”
“I asked them to identify themselves and state their purpose for interfering with my mission.”
“Your mission?” Marsden scoffed. “You were the intruder!”
“Dr. Fermont, instruct your client to remain silent or I’ll have him removed,” the senior judge said.
“Yes, sir. I apologize.” She leaned over and spoke to Marsden in a quiet yet urgent tone.
He made a face and folded his arms across his chest.
“Please, continue, Commander,” Drex said.
“Royce Marsden identified himself and told me to leave.” Jakkin took a breath, trying to organize his thoughts into succinct statements. “We engaged our covert shields, believing that would make it impossible for Marsden to engage us.”
“Did it?”
Jakkin shook his head, images from that horrible day tugging at his memory. “No. They were able to
target us even with our covert shields at full strength.” Hopefully, backward engineering the Vengeance would reveal how they’d done it.
“What did you do when you realized they could accurately target you?”
“We ran,” Jakkin stressed.
“Damn right you did,” Marsden snarled.
Jakkin ignored him. “We were there to make a statement not start a war.”
“How did the other ships react?”
“They pursued us.” He glanced at Marsden, feeling agitated and restless. This man’s irrational need to take on the battle born—even knowing it was futile—had resulted in the L. A. Massacre. “Their older ships wouldn’t have been able to keep up, but we’d never seen ships like those two before.”
Marsden snorted, looking smug.
“Did you turn and fight?” Drex moved closer, blocking his view of Marsden. The message was clear. Stay focused.
“No. I had no intention of engaging them. I would have retreated all the way back to Lunar Nine.”
“Coward,” Marsden whispered loud enough to reach his ears.
Jenna leaned in once more, likely warning him to be quiet.
“What happened next?” Drex shifted again and Kelsey came into Jakkin’s peripheral vision. Had the clever attorney done that intentionally?
“One of the ships—the one commanded by Jason Marsden—flew past the Fearless then abruptly came about.”
“Is there a strategic purpose for such a maneuver?” Drex expertly guided the conversation into the points he wanted to make.
“They were trying to prevent me from escaping, while they both fire on my ship.”
Drex tilted his head as he asked, “Wouldn’t they risk hitting each other?”
“That was my exact thought,” Jakkin told him, “yet neither Marsden nor his son seem concerned about it.”
“Did both ships fire on you?”
“They did.” Jakkin’s stomach knotted as he realized the next logical question.
“Did you fire back?”
“We did. At that point we had no alternative but to defend ourselves.”
Fearless (Battle Born Book 12) Page 20