"The militia immediately asked for volunteers to intercept this sat and determine who had fired on us and why. The private vessels Silly Willy and Begger's Ride, already off Home, responded, Captain Lu of the Silly Willy standing off, commanding the operation and acting as a relay at a distance that should preserve the data stream if the object was booby trapped. Begger's Ride closely matched orbit, in complete disregard for their own safety, to allow us to know the who and why of this, rather than destroy it from a distance. There should eventually be some recognition made by the Assembly for their valor."
"The satellite at close range had the open frame of a railgun visible. It tried to bring this to bear on the Begger's Ride. They used a gyroscopic attitude system, which is very precise for aiming, but does not transverse rapidly, so the militiamen were able to avoid being targeted and poured laser fire into the railgun until even the primary injection system was ruined. Rather than expose their people to a fight to gain entry, they elected to stand off and overload the vessel's cooling system with laser fire, until they forced a surrender. This worked."
"After the internal temperature became inhospitable, a suited man came to their airlock and indicated a surrender with open empty hands. Albert Johnson, an experienced rigger, expert in zero G work, volunteered to recover the person surrendering and make an inspection of the craft, to recover whatever information was available. I particularly commend his service," Jon paused, to make a point of it.
"The Satellite was USNA Space Forces, it carried their insignia and the fellow who surrendered was a USNA lieutenant in uniform. He indicated his superior was getting ready to blow the satellite and suicide, to prevent capture, but he shot him in the back of the head to prevent him carrying out this plan. Mr. Johnson carried the lieutenant to the Begger's Ride and returned to gather various manuals and disks, he also cut the sat computer out whole and brought it back for analysis."
"Look at Wiggen," Lindsey whispered. Her face was a mask of horror.
"The satellite was destroyed by missile fire after they backed off." Jon stopped and looked uncomfortable. "As head of Security, I need specific arrest powers. I appreciate those were made clear in the fourth Assembly. However, as head of the militia I have no explicit arrest powers. We are not at declared war, to take prisoners of war, neither if we were, are we signatories to the various conventions that define civilized warfare. However, I asked the militia crews to bring back any prisoners they could take. I'll own to that."
"The only thing recovered, which I find critical to our understanding of the attack is this." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a bright bit of jewelry. "I doubt you can see this in the rear. It's a little silver plus sign pin. The dead Captain in the satellite had it in his pocket rather than on his collar. It was the only item in his personal effects that gave any hint he was associated with the Patriot Party. We have the lieutenant available for interview and perhaps the Assembly would see fit to make a determination what to do with him. Until then, let me suggest you give your attention to Robert Lewis. He can best describe his thinking and his official response to the attack."
April's dad did stand up. "As resident manager for Mitsubishi I have a great deal of discretion. If I do not preserve the physical habitat, then all the other picky questions are moot. We have experienced aggression before. President Hadley of the USNA directed two nuclear weapons against us, in the closing days of his administration. The Chinese and Americans both sent warships into orbit near us and it was likely that only because they eliminated each other, we did not suffer another attack from one or both. The Shuttle Cincinnati of course, shortly thereafter landed an invading force."
"Given this history and that we saw two similar satellites remaining in orbit, I felt it was far too great a risk to stay in LEO. Especially when our shield, the Rock was reduced to passive blocking with the radar wiped out. There was a contingency plan discussed to move M3 to a safer location, so I immediately authorized that as resident manager. I'm happy to say my bosses have been supportive with that decision. The residents not universally so." That got a round of laughter from those who knew how much flack he'd been catching.
"It will take a month, at considerable expense, to move M3 to a halo orbit circling between L2 and the moon. The owners of the Rock also feel insecure and wish to move, however they favor the Earth side area of stability around L1. If no Earth powers interfere it will be moved there, but it will take them closer to three months to do so. They will draw mass from the Rock itself to move it." Robert was antsy and got up paced to the corner of the platform, clasping his hands behind him.
"This does mean we will be paying more for Earth goods, because there is about a ten percent energy premium to move things to our new location. On the other hand we will be closer to lunar resources. When in position, the Rock partnership has agreed to mount a relay point for us to communicate with the Earth side of the moon." He turned and paced back to his seat, standing.
"Since North America seems to be in chaos politically, I'm even more certain this move is the correct thing. You might have noticed President Wiggen of the USNA came in and was seated at the beginning," he said, waving a hand in her direction.
"The gentleman with her is her Security Chief, Mel Wainwright. She's not here on a secret vacation," he said, smiling. "She came here, because it was one of a short list of places to run from the latest and very nearly successful, assassination attempt. I say this not to seek any favor with her, or influence you on her behalf, but as simple fact. She was easier to deal with than any of the other parties seeking to replace her. We have no idea how we shall deal with any of the other factions, the Patriot Party in particular, all of who seek our destruction." He stood looking at them, like he was reviewing it all mentally, or making sure he'd covered everything.
"These are the facts, as well as we know them and what response we felt necessary. Where that takes us now politically and what changes or responses you collectively wish to make we throw open to the Assembly. We each have some ideas, having dealt with this, but do not wish to voice them ahead of everyone else, as if we were an administration." He sat down.
"The floor is open to questions and comments," Mr. Muños invited. "Mr. Coleman," he recognized a gentleman who stood.
"I'd like to address Ms. Wiggen first, if she has no objection."
"You may address me. I may or may not answer, if the question is too much to my disadvantage," she said quite clearly without a mic.
"Fair enough. Does the fact you are here, indicate that you have been unable to retain control of North America? Are you in fact still President or not? I ask to know who we are going to have to deal with."
"I am not in control of the USNA," Wiggen admitted. "I'm not even sure the USNA exists at this moment. The Congress has scattered in cowardly fashion. The military is deeply split. The courts seem to be in hiding. We are in a sort of cold civil-war, from what I can see in the news feeds. I have not informed anyone of my location, until I showed myself here. If this Assembly is fed to Earth news agencies."
"I suffered a long series of attempted assassinations, most unknown to the public, culminating in the burning of the White House you saw reported on the video channels. If I had any hope to avoid another more successful attempt I would have stayed. From a legalistic view, I have not resigned my office. Whatever authority the Patriot Party holds is strictly by force. They have made no move to call elections, or presented a military government, composed of whatever officers are directing them, to lend themselves any legitimacy. Something they will eventually have to do to govern," she predicted.
"I do not however, wish to hold office like Lincoln, over a country divided and preserve my office at the cost of the death of thousands, or even millions, if it comes to a full bore civil war. If the people reject the Patriot Party, I believe they will do so, with, or without me. I was given the office unelected, out of necessity and have never been a strong symbol of the Union."
"You notice the public in
dignation is over the burning of the White House. The House itself is a more powerful emblem than my office. If people wish to oppose the Patriot Party I am ready to let them take up the cause. I will say this about Home. Removing yourselves from their sky, will have a negative effect on the Patriot Party. They need an external enemy to rally the people against. Otherwise they simply look like any other selfish power grubber, if they have no external opponent."
"I'm curious then, why have you not resigned your office?" Coleman asked. "Is it not likely that shedding the office, will remove the incentive to assassinate you? and if you don't wish other to die for you, doesn't retaining the office encourage those who might assume you will regroup and come out of hiding to continue fighting the Patriots?"
"I am considering resigning my office. I am however, selfish enough that I want to know if Home will allow me sanctuary, before I do so. That's why I'm here and I eventually would have asked that question of the Assembly. If you refuse me, then retaining the title of President may be the only coin I hold, to buy my safety elsewhere. The Vice-President does not appear to be presenting himself, eager to take up the torch. I have no idea if he is alive or free. I also have in mind issuing a number of pardons before I resign. It would surely appear petty and vengeful to contest them, if they are otherwise given my resignation on a platter."
"Perhaps we should settle that first," Coleman agreed. "It is the custom we limit ourselves to two questions each session," he explained to Wiggen. "I will use one of mine to ask the Assembly if we should allow President Wiggen to reside on Home, regardless of her office, or if it is too risky for Home to harbor her?"
"Well, he certainly loaded that question with a bunch of pointed assumptions," Mel whispered to Wiggen. "All favorable to you, I suspect."
"How do you people say?" Mr. Muños asked. It was a formalism already, but he still made it sound like he was asking each of them individually. The big screen behind them usually had some environmental scene, but it had been blanked for the Assembly. It now showed a tally of yea and nay. Most of those in the audience bent over to input their vote.
The vote ran to 1437, a surprising number abstaining. 1113 yea, 324 nay, before there was a long enough pause to end the vote.
"Does that satisfy you?" Coleman asked.
"Thank you, it does. I'd also very much like to hear the examination of your prisoner, if you are going to bring him before the Assembly."
"I don't wish to use my second question at the moment," Coleman told her. "Perhaps if someone else wishes," and he sat down.
"Jon Davis?" Mr. Muños recognized the Security Head.
"I ask the Assembly to question my prisoner and determine what to do with him."
"How do you people say?" he asked again. It was 1678 yea, to question him. 7 nay. Lieutenant Moore was produced quickly from the corridor and stood before them on the front of the platform in front of the table, unbound and in civilian clothing.
"Will you answer questions, or will you stand silent?" Muños asked.
"I've already shot my mouth off enough it would be sort of silly to clam up now," he said. "Besides you guys could stick a helmet on me and read my responses to a list of questions and know everything I'd tell you anyway. Everybody is going to run veracity software on what I say out loud. There's no hiding anything now, unless I suicide like my Captain intended. Go ahead. Ask away, whatever you want."
"Ms. Hu, if you wish to question him, please do so," Muños invited, picking her for a reason.
"My husband was killed by the fire from your satellite. He was on the Rock and you made him hamburger so fast he never knew he died. I'm left alone with two children. He was working on extracting materials from the Rock, he wasn't a soldier. Why did he die?"
"I have no idea why," Lt. Moore, answered. "We got numbers, the Captain put them in the computer and it shot eventually, when everything lined up. I have no idea if he knew what he was shooting at, much less why. As far as the motives of the people way above us - I don't know them any more than you do. I was listening to the Assembly out in the corridor, on my guard's hand com. I didn't even know my Captain was Patriot Party. We weren't buddies. I know the news channels all make you guys look bad. That's about all I know, that the Powers-That-Be hate you people. I never shot the gun myself. I maintained it. I was the backup operator, but they never needed me. I never thought of it before now, but if something happened to me, instead of the Captain, I'm not sure he could have kept the gun running. I guess he'd have just used it until it busted beyond working, or they replaced me."
"But you were willing to shoot blind at anyone they told you to. Do I have that right?"
Moore stood silent for a long time, but it was apparent she was not going to yield or let him off the hook without an answer. "Yes," he finally admitted in a small voice.
"This man is a war criminal," Hu said in a firm voice. "He was willing to kill civilians on command. If anything, his not caring who he was shooting at, is worse than doing specific murder. He owes me blood guilt," she claimed and sat down.
"Mr. Patsitsas," Muños recognized a middle aged fellow, who stood.
"I'd question the prisoner, but a different point first. These two similar objects in orbit need to be examined. If they visibly mount a railgun like this sat, they need destroyed. They continue to be a hazard to all civilian traffic and the Rock when they try to move it. Even leaving we are at hazard from them for some time. With North America in chaos, we have no idea who commands them, or how they will be used. I'd ask the Assembly to dispatch the militia to remove them at a distance and with as little hazard to themselves as possible. We know enough from the one, that there is no need to risk anyone again for intelligence." He nodded at Muños.
"Is it the will of the Assembly to remove these railgun platforms, as Mr. Patsitsas proposed? How do you people say?"
The vote was fast and it passed 1683 to 3. There had never been such a small dissenting vote before. "The Assembly has instructed you Commander," was all Muños said to Jon. "I believe you had a question for the prisoner?" he asked Patsitsas.
Moore had been visibly taken aback by the order to destroy the other satellites, like his. He faced the new questioning deeply rattled. That was four more USNA crew condemned to die.
"Yes, didn't your Captain ever try to recruit you to the Patriot Party?" Ben asked.
"No, I had no idea he was Patriot," Moore explained. "He made it very clear we was too far apart socially to even chit-chat. Better just to read in his bunk, than slum with me. He was New England Yankee and educated in a fancy college. His family had some kind of businesses and they did stuff like ride horses and go sailing. Upper-crust stuff. I knew that much just listening to him on calls. I was from a middle class family, dumped down to negative tax when their jobs disappeared. He was always saying God willing and God this and God that. I never figured I had any hot line on what God thought. None of my family were ever all that religious. My aunt Beth always said the church didn't have any use for them, once uncle Buck didn't have a decent job any more. Negative tax people don't drop much on the offering plate. Captain Jacobs would never have recruited me to anything that was high class enough to belong to himself."
"That's pretty clear," Ben Patsitsas said. "No further questions."
"Heather anderson," Muños recognized.
"The temptation is to execute this fellow. He attacked us when we are not at war. I agree he is a war criminal. Indeed, they broke their treaty, so all of them are guilty who have touched this. There must be thousands more of them, from what I am hearing is happening in North America, but this one is here for us to deal with. I can't say we got all that much out of him. He deserves death, but no matter what we do with him, it is going to be twisted and condemned and used against us down below. I'd forego the small satisfaction of squashing this bug and send him off on a shuttle to ISSII or New Las Vegas. Put them in the uncomfortable position of deciding what to do with him. I suspect it will be a case of no good deed goes unpunis
hed. They will find some way to blame him, for doing exactly what they ordered him to do. Not to mention, shooting your commanding officer in the back will not endear him to much of anyone. Just my suggestion, for when we vote on it," she said and sat again.
"Ms. Helen Bookbinder," Muños recognized next.
"Agreed, this one is a distraction. Anything we do with him will seem petty. Let us take a vote to either ship him off to his fate, first shuttle down, or execute him forthwith and move on to more important matters."
Mr. Muños might have called the vote, but Robert Lewis stood back up, unhappy looking and held a forestalling finger in the air.
"You wish to raise some point before a vote?" Muños asked.
"Yes, I'd like to move along and dispose of him too. But I must point out Mrs. Hu said quite clearly, she is owed a debt of blood, because of her husband. I think you have to offer her justice, before you can dispose of him either way. In fact I think you should ask if any of the other seven killed have family who demand personal satisfaction, before the Assembly makes an inferior claim. This is not something to properly vote on. We should not parcel out justice by the whim of public opinion, over those who were directly wronged."
Mr. Muños inclined his head gravely, acknowledging that. "Is there anyone else, who lost blood relatives to this man's actions, who make a claim?" he demanded. "Speak up and lay any demands on us now," he commanded.
The com took Muños attention and he put the call on the screen behind them.
"I am Leif Gustafsson and my brother John died in the rigger's showers. I am hearing he did not die directly by this one's hand, but he is an accomplice in murder. But then as Ms. anderson says he is one of thousands, who we do not happen to hold in our hands." He looked really hard at the monitor, probably looking at Lt. Moore. "I agree, for my part, to ship him off and may he have the joy of his master's justice. I don't ask his life. I don't allow him that much importance," he snarled and cut the feed.
April 4: A Different Perspective Page 37