When she was finished with the five men she played selected portions of the incident. Each time a witness was called the Ensign asked to wait before he cross examined them. Miss Gera and Miss Winters were confused, but Miss Gera seemed to go with it. She replayed the video, slowed it down to make sure everyone saw that indeed, the Private did throw the first punch, and that punch did knock her client off his feet.
Finally she presented an affidavit from a qualified medic stating a list of injuries to her client, as well as a bill. She didn't call her defendant to the stand.
“Ensign?” the judge asked as the woman made a show of sitting and not quite smirking for the cameras.
The Ensign looked up from his tablet and nodded. “Yes your honor. May we see that footage again? The entire footage, not just the little bit that Miss Gera helpfully played. I'd like the court to see what was left out.”
“Objection!”
“Why? It's your evidence,” the Ensign replied mildly.
“Ensign, kindly address your comments to me, not to another party,” Judge Farley interjected rather frostily.
“Sorry your honor,” the Ensign replied.
“I too wish to see the entire record of the incident in question miss Gera.”
“I don't have it. I was only given these portions to prove our case.”
“Right. Well, we can subpoena them.”
“Perhaps your honor, but we also have the Private and his implants. Also the implants of others that witnessed the altercation, as well as their statements,” the Ensign said, waving to indicate a group of people behind him. Miss Gera turned and frowned.
“Your honor, I object. We have no list of these witnesses,” she said. “As such we haven't had time to vet any of them.”
“Nor have you taken a statement from the Private. But I am interested in getting to the bottom of this. Please proceed Ensign, for now your objection is overruled Miss Gera. I may revisit it in a moment though,” the judge said, nodding politely to her.
She frowned and seemed to want to object again, but finally sat quietly.
“Ensign?” the judge asked as the Ensign took a chip and plugged it into the vid screen. “Ah.”
The video started with a time chop five minutes before the incident. It played all the way through for the entire hour before it ended with the arrival of the station police. “As you can see, Miss Gera has left quite a bit out, like the taunting, the setting up of the camera's by her client, as well as her client physically getting in the way of my client and then further insulting him.”
“I object your honor! I haven't seen this, nor was it in any of the witness statement!” Miss Gera said, getting to her feet.
“And I wonder why,” the judge replied dryly.
“Your honor, I'd also like to call Doctor Thornby to the stand. She is head of the Anvil medical establishment as well as the head of medicine for the system.”
“I see. Doctor Thornby?” the judge called, glancing her way. She rose. “Please come forward.”
The doctor came forward, murmuring to people as they moved their legs out of the way, or in one case, a camera bot. Finally she stepped up to the witness box. She raised her hand and swore the oath to tell the truth then took a seat.
“Doctor, perhaps you can shed some light on why you are here?” the judge asked, leaning back and propping his face up with one finger and his knuckles.
The doctor nodded as the Ensign handed her the medical statement from Miss Gera's table. “I hadn't seen this, but...” she looked it over and pursed her lips in an angry frown. “When this came forward I queried all of the medical facilities on the station. Mister Yurelli was never admitted to any of them. This statement is bogus,” she said, handing it to the judge. “The doctor who signed it isn't even on the station. He is on the capital colony and serves as a chiropractor.”
Miss Gera's male counterpart muttered an oh shit that a few in the court room behind him caught. That started a murmur behind him. He pulled Miss Gera to the side and murmured to her for a moment.
“I see,” Judge Farley replied, eying mister Yurelli. “In your medical expertise can you tell me if his damage is valid or not?”
“Without having examined him your honor?” Thornby asked, smiling a crockered smile.
“Just from here,” he said.
“Well, first off, two black eyes? He was punched once, on the left side. I can understand some damage, the Private has enhanced strength, but he also pulled his punch.”
“How so?” the judge asked.
“Because, if he hadn't, mister Yurelli would have been dead. Even at half strength.”
“Oh.”
“I'm scanning him now with my implants. From this distance I can't see any broken bones. There is some swelling, but not much. I can't tell from this distance if he has soft tissue damage in his neck however. It might be strained, but I'd have to do a scan or two to be sure.”
“I see.”
“Miss Gera, we do need to settle this. Perhaps we should recess so Doctor Thornby or another qualified medic can examine your client.”
“Your honor! That is an intrusion into my client's right to privacy!”
“You brought up his injury and entered it into the official record counselor. That gives the defendant the right to question the injury. Since there are questions over its validity, I think we need to have them settled.”
“Your honor!” she protested. Her male counterpart tugged on her arm. She frowned, and leaned over to him. They whispered fiercely. Finally she frowned and straightened. “Your honor, in light of the testimony, my client will drop the case.”
“I see,” the judge replied. “I'm still interested in a fraud case. And then there is the perjury involved here. Does the defendant wish to drop the case?” he asked, turning to the Ensign.
“The civil case your honor? Or the others you mentioned?” The Ensign asked. Doctor Thornby got up but the judge motioned for her to sit back down. “The criminal cases aren't my jurisdiction, they belong to you and to my co-counselor of course,” he said bowing slightly to the ADA on the other side of the Private.
“This is bull,” Mister Yurelli growled, getting to his feet. He pulled the halo off as his two attorneys tried to stop him from leaving. “What? We're done here! This is over. You said I'd get all kinds of money! You said they'd piss themselves to settle! Well lady, that didn't happen! You said that we'd be the one giving them a black eye in the end! Stupid broad! I'm gone!” Their efforts to shush him only made him madder. The courtroom burst into an uproar as he wiped makeup off his face. “I look like a damn whore! All for nothing!”
“Sit down Mister Yurelli!” the judge said coldly, slapping his gavel. He motioned to a pair of bailiffs to restrain the man. Yurelli struggled but then settled after a moment, staring defiantly and sullenly about himself.
“Miss Gera, I see we have a serious contempt of court issue. Not only have you and others conspired to pull one over on this court, with perjury, false evidence, and theatrics, you've shown a decided disregard for any hint of truth or justice. I find your actions contemptible in the most heinous, most criminal way. I will see you disbarred for this actions,” he snarled.
He turned to the defendants. “Private, you have my apology for this farce. Next time son, walk away though.”
The Private nodded but remained grimly silent. There was just a hint of triumph in his eyes and demeanor for being vindicated in such fashion though. The judge snorted and turned to Mister Yurelli.
“Mister Yurelli,” he drawled. “I am sure the district attorney's office is working on a inciting to riot case among other things. I strongly suggest you find more... adequate counsel soon. You will need it. Until then, you will be remanded for contempt of court until I say otherwise.”
“Miss Winters, please see my court recorder later for a full copy of these proceedings,” the judge said, gavel hovering. Finally he rapped it. “I rule in favor of the defendant. Case dismissed.”
&
nbsp; Jethro and the other Marines and naval personnel watching the entire proceedings with their implants or on vid screens all cheered.
Outside the media split into three groups, one each for the two parties and another interviewing the various witnesses. “I wouldn't say he got off lightly,” the Ensign said, shaking his head. NJP can be hard. He's obviously been demoted one rank, lost a month's pay, and he'll be confined to quarters for a month. To a Marine that can be a bit harsh, especially when he and other Marines were baited. I've seen the other reports, which unfortunately didn't enter the official record. But this was obviously a coordinated effort by dozens of parties for some political gain that,” he smiled. “Backfired. That is my prepared statement ladies and gentlemen, have a good day,” he said, clapping the Private on the shoulder and leading him away.
“Good for him.”
“The Ensign?”
“No, Holder. He kept his mouth shut the entire time. Smart. Too smart for him really, someone had to be on his ass. He probably had someone riding him through his implants to make sure he kept his trap shut.”
“I bet,” Sergei snorted.
“Just be glad it wasn't one of us. Could you imagine if it had been? Claws anyone?”
“Oh boy,” Hurranna sighed as they watched the media turn to the other camps. Yurelli was arrested, and his attorneys abandoned him in a drive to get away as fast as possible. That amused the hell out of the Marines.
The media went into a frenzy as talking heads started to spin the incident for their own gains. “Turn it off,” Hurranna said in disgust, turning away.
In the evening news Miss Gera put out a statement that the judge had obviously been biased and she was considering an appeal. The next morning her law firm quietly announced that she had been fired.
Chapter 12
Once he was free of the crowd, Jethro was drawn to the armory. He wasn't really sure why, but the urge to see his armor was there, almost overpowering. He had a lot to do, duty, checking in on the latest ROE changes, that sort of thing, but for some reason he had to go see his suit.
Riley was amused when he noted the panther checking his suit out, staring at it in its locker behind the counter. The armorer kept it near since it was the most advanced suit and it impressed the hell out of all his visitors when they saw it. Everyone wanted one, even him. “It's still there, right where you left it,” he said dryly, picking at the pile of parts on the counter without looking up. Jethro nodded silently. He felt something, a weight lifting the moment he was on Firefly, and he realized he'd been under a bit of a cloud until he made his way to the suit.
“Any problems?” Jethro asked, jacking into a port on the suit's right arm. He felt something, a trickle of data that was immediately walled off. It wasn't like he'd understand any of it anyway, it was encrypted. Still, he wasn't sure what was going on. It had started as a standard handshake protocol identifying him, but then had quickly gone far beyond his limited understanding of code.
He turned, his shield and wings were stored in racks behind the armor.
“No,” Riley said with a shrug. “We've got another squad to sort out. The Commander picked up some odd pieces in trade. I'm guessing a few pieces were from the Neo armor that came with your suit.”
“Really?” Jethro asked, flicking his ears. The matriarch had said that they'd cannibalized the suits in order to pay for various things over the centuries. “Still working?”
Riley made a face. “Some of it. The electronics were crap of course, military self destruct and all that. But the frames and shells were there. One was pretty warped.”
“Warped?”
“Dunno,” Riley shrugged, crossing his arms. “Must of seen some action. One was damn near radioactive too. I thought it'd glow in the dark. We got some tricks for that. Drew out the neutrino's and it's clean.”
“Cool.”
“It's all good. Well, once I've got it sorted out and back together,” Riley replied, waving to the parts on the counter. Jethro looked at them. There were piles of parts, wiring harnesses, and actuators. Riley had a system, but only Ox could figure it out. Jethro had worked with the armorer now for months and he was still lost. “I've got it all inventoried so don't muck it up.”
Jethro held his hands up. “Sure, I mean, no problem. I won't touch a thing. Can I get some suit time?” he asked.
“Something up?”
“No, just been thinking about it for a while.”
“Well, no, no joy rides. Sorry sonny, boss's orders and all,” Riley said, picking up a rag to polish a wrench. He saw the panther's ears sag. “But I suppose you can check her over for her weekly maintenance check up. That'll save me doing it.”
Jethro's ears went from flat to perked up in an instant. “Thanks Riley,” he said.
“I must be getting soft in the head or something,” Riley muttered, letting the panther past and into the suit up room.
...*...*...*...*...
Discipline problems cropped up. Soldiers were people, they were tightly controlled and wound most of the time, that built up a lot of angst that needed a way to express itself, a release valve. Some found proper outlets to such energy, but others didn't. MP's and DI's landed on each incident hard. But fights were becoming more of a problem with the crowding in the boots barracks, as well as between squids and jarheads. Some people who volunteered and were waiting on their colonies to be picked up were now rethinking or terminating their contracts.
NCIS and ONI were all over each incident. As was JAG to clean up the mess. The exposure was good in some ways, each department gained in both prestige and experience. Their fair handling of each investigation helped with their prestige. Some of the more uglier incidents garnered media attention. Horatio allowed the media into the courtroom to film it which started a media courtroom broadcast interest. Also an interest in JAG and NCIS. There was even talk of reality networks or shows based on those branches.
In a rare move Logan shifted some of the veterans and some of the contractors to man the completed stations. It was a drop in the bucket but it showed some progress was being made. He also accelerated the hab construction in San Diego and shifted a few hundred people there to live and work to improve the base.
San Diego was still a problem, the giant Bernal sphere had only one functional micro fusion reactor on board. It relied almost totally on power beamed to it from the growing solar farms. Heating inside was troublesome, the largest energy drain. The metal structures within the base bled of heat quite quickly. So did trying to keep the kilometer diameter salt water pool for the Ssilli heated. Ice was reported to be floating on the surface of the habitat.
“We've got to do something, and soon,” Jethro observed. Pressure was mounting to either go to Agnosta or scrap the idea and throw every resource the navy had at maintaining San Diego.
Apparently the governor was starting to bring this internal Navy debate to the public eye, he was pressuring the navy to drop Agnosta and throw everything at San Diego, even trying for system loyalty. “Guilt trip. Yeah right.”
...*...*...*...*...
Jethro looked at his partner for the shift. They were guarding the starboard drive room, only naval personnel on watch were to be allowed in. That or officers. He was a bit dubious about his partner, he was definitely so new he squeaked. He wasn't sure if his human partner understood the rules, he was a noob, a new boots. He was a new guy, a recent recruit from out of the system with rather sketchy training reported in his implant IFF. From their occasional soft talks the panther had picked up that the guy was a descendant of Samoans and a Hawaiian colony on New Haven. Apparently Marines ran in the family, his family had a lot of them running back far before mankind left long lost Earth. He rather excitedly told Jethro about his great great great grandfather, who had recently died. He'd sat at the old man's feet and listened to him tell stories of being a Marine Sergeant during the Xeno war. When he'd heard about Pyrax he and two of his cousins had cashed in everything they had to get here to join up.
Captain Pendeckle came by, most likely inspecting the Marines to make sure they were doing their jobs properly Jethro realized.
“Everything all right here Marines?” the Captain asked in passing.
“Aloha Captain. E maika'i ana nã mea a pu.”
“What? What did you just say?” the Captain asked, coming to a stop.
“Sorry sir, he's new.”
“I wasn't talking to you Corporal,” the Captain said coldly. His eyes bored into the new recruit.
The big guy straightened. “Sorry sir. It means 'everything will be all right,'” the big guy replied.
“What's your name son?” Captain Pendeckle demanded, scanning the Marine. He could get it off the Marine's Identity Friend or Foe package, but wanted to hear it anyway.
Something apparently told the Marine he'd put his foot in it. “Private second class Keoni Nahele. It means God is gracious and Forest. I'm from New Haven.”
Pendeckle eyed the Marine. “I don't need a lecture on what it means or where you are from. You however need to re-read your orders son. You also need to work on your protocol. Understood?” he asked, sending an e-mail to the young man's acting DI to get the kid straightened out. Soon enough the kid was going to wish he'd never been born.
“Shoots sir.”
“Shoots? Shoot what? No...” the Captain shook his head in annoyance. He rubbed his brow.
“No ali'i, Shoots means yes,” the big guy explained, hands apart. “Chief, I mean, um, sir.”
Captain Pendeckle stared at him for a long moment. “Oh. Son, for your information, in the navy and the Marines we usually say Aye aye.”
“Oh.”
“You're a Marine now son. Act like it.”
“Roger d'at,” the big guy said with an enthusiastic nod. Captain Pendeckle just rolled his eyes. Jethro looked at the human in amusement. “What?” the big guy finally asked.
“I'm just trying to determine if you were pulling his leg or not. It's not wise to mess with officers. They tend to mess back with shit details.”
Jethro: First to Fight Page 24