“However, he let the Biozi capture Ophelia, didn’t he?” Kor pressed her.
Talia frowned and turned to DeCourt. “Mr. President, the colonel is twisting the facts. Captain Hunt did everything he could to keep both Dr. Darus and Ophelia safe. He was facing a dreadnaught that could somehow detect the Remembrance, despite cloaking, plus sixteen other Taar’kuun warships. They had us surrounded. The very fact that he managed to keep Dr. Darus alive and out of Taar’kuun hands was remarkable. Why are you questioning his integrity?”
“Now that you mention it, I find it interesting that Raak’naar could follow the Remembrance despite its state-of-the-art cloaking,” Kor pointed out.
DeCourt glanced at the holo-screen gleaming above his desk. “Colonel Kor uncovered some facts that give me pause. I hate to question Captain Hunt’s integrity, but I cannot ignore those facts. The captain engaged in some…questionable missions for which I see no authorization. As the ASF has been conducting operations not sanctioned by the government, I have no choice but to grant Colonel Kor’s request and set up a public hearing.”
“Sir…” Cordova started, but DeCourt stopped him with a motion of his hand.
“Your objection has been noted, Captain Cordova. As the president of the Alliance, I have the right and the responsibility to convene a hearing. That’ll be all.”
Cordova burst out of DeCourt’s office, his face flushed with anger. “That’s paranoia, pure and simple,” he muttered.
Talia followed him closely. “What kind of evidence do they have against Captain Hunt?” she asked him in low voice.
“Circumstantial at best,” Cordova replied. “Kor suspects that Hunt sent his team to Neo’s surface not to investigate the signal from the hidden transmitter, but to destroy the evidence. He thinks Hunt is involved in the Earthist conspiracy. Ridiculous.”
“They’ve lost their mind. Both KK and DeCourt.”
“I don’t think so,” Cordova said darkly. “KK may be paranoid, but DeCourt knows what he’s doing. I don’t like where this is going. I don’t like it at all.”
*****
DeCourt organized the hearing with military efficiency and set it for the following day. Talia was still in the dark as to what happened to Battlegroup Vega, Captain Hunt, and Adrian. She arrived in the courtroom where the hearing was to take place. As the CMO and president’s adviser, she would watch from the front row.
Waiting for the hearing to start, she used her portable nanocomputer to watch the news. Polls showed Winsley leading by a small margin, while DeCourt was in second position. With fifteen percent support, Shana had made an impressive start. She compensated for her lack of experience in politics with charisma and charm, and she could count on the unwavering support of thousands of hardcore Earthists.
DeCourt presided over the hearing. As there was no congress, judges, or prominent jurists of any kind on Neo, the president had absolute authority in matters of law.
Talia found that scary. A single individual held too much power. That’s not how the Alliance was supposed to function.
In the absence of officially appointed prosecutors, the lead investigator had the floor. Kor began by calling various members of the ASF to the stand. These preliminaries proved tedious, and Talia followed with only mild curiosity.
But her interest was piqued when Kor called a geneticist to the stand, one of the few scientists who traveled to Neo with the fleet of refugees.
“Doctor, explain why Captain Hunt’s retroforming was incomplete,” Kor asked.
The geneticist was a short, middle-aged male wearing spectacles, more as a fashion statement than by necessity. It wasn’t that difficult to correct anyone’s sight with bionic technology.
He adjusted them atop a bony nose and cleared his throat before replying. “Captain Hunt is what we call a Human/Taar’kuun hybrid. In some individuals, the retroforming virus couldn’t fully restore the human genotype. The most frequent reason for that is irreversible genetic alteration—”
“We don’t need the scientific details,” Kor interrupted him. “What you’re saying is that Captain Hunt is what people call a grayskin.”
Talia almost jumped when she heard Kor using that derogatory term. She’d suspected that Hunt was a hybrid, but she found it shocking that Kor had brought up this subject at a public hearing. It sounded like pure racism.
The geneticist wriggled in his chair. “We don’t use that term,” he squeaked, obviously uncomfortable. “As I said, we call such individuals hybrids. Their cells express both human and Taar’kuun genes. Hybrids represented approximately ten percent of the human population after the Retroforming.”
“Ten percent, huh?” Kor said. “That’s quite a lot—one in ten. Why don’t we see them more often? Is it true that most surrendered to the Taar’kuun to be re-assimilated?”
This question triggered a hubbub of excited conversations, and DeCourt called the audience to order.
At length, Kor resumed, “Doctor, to your knowledge, is it true that hybrids are more likely to defect to the TGS?”
“Well, hmm, statistics show a trend—”
“Yes or no,” Kor snapped.
The geneticist seemed to shrink in the witness chair as all eyes set on him. When he replied, his voice was barely audible. “Yes.”
“No further questions for this expert,” Kor said to DeCourt. “Mr. president, allow me to call my last witness.”
DeCourt nodded. “Proceed.”
Kor turned to the public, while the geneticist scuttled out of the courtroom.
“I’m calling Admiral Winsley to the stand.”
Winsley rose from his seat and stared at DeCourt. “Mr. President, I wasn’t informed—”
“Please, admiral,” DeCourt said, locking gazes with his political opponent.
The air filled with tension. Talia felt her pulse quicken.
Chin lifted, the admiral marched to the stand and eased himself into the witness chair.
“Admiral Winsley, tell us what happened during the evacuation of Vega-IV,” Kor prompted.
Winsley tensed, but his expression remained composed. “The ASF fleet defended the planet for as long as it could, but we were overwhelmed. On the day of the invasion, the TGS sent twenty thousand warships against the Alliance. We detected seven thousand hostile warships in the Vega system alone, plus thousands of support ships. That’s the largest armada in recorded galactic history. With only a thousand warships spread across Alliance space, the ASF stood no chance. I managed to assemble three hundred warships to defend Vega-IV. Our fleet delayed the Taar’kuun forces to allow the evacuation of as many Alliance citizens as possible. When I realized the battle was lost and there was nothing we could do to turn the tide, I ordered all remaining ships to leave the system.”
“Tell us about Captain Hunt’s actions on that day,” Kor demanded.
“I ordered him to engage a hostile carrier,” Winsley said. “The Remembrance took damage during the engagement, and I ordered it to retreat.”
“Then what, admiral?” Kor pressed him. “With all due respect, you’re not telling us the whole story. What did Captain Hunt do next?”
“Colonel, I’m not at liberty to divulge the details of a military operation,” Winsley protested.
“Please answer the question,” DeCourt told him coldly. “Remember, you are under oath, and any untruthful answer will be considered perjury.”
Kor stared Winsley in the eyes. “Admiral, did Captain Hunt order his crew to fire on a civilian ship?”
This question triggered a hubbub in the gallery. DeCourt restored order only by threatening to vacate the courtroom.
Winsley glared at his interrogator, his jaw clenched tight. “I gave the order to fire a warning shot,” he confessed. “Civilian ships were interfering with military operations and refused to comply with my orders. They were putting the entire fleet at risk.”
Kor’s slanted eyes narrowed into slits. “Admiral, are you testifying that you ordered Captain H
unt to fire on refugees, civilian ships you were supposed to protect?”
“Enough!” Winsley rose from the witness chair. His eyes dashed from Kor to DeCourt. “I won’t let you besmirch the ASF. This is no public hearing; this is witch hunt!”
DeCourt’s face remained unreadable, though Talia imagined he was satisfied.
This hearing wasn’t about finding a mole in the ASF, Talia realized. It wasn’t about finding Sun Jin’s killer. It wasn’t about transparency, justice, or the safety of the Alliance. DeCourt convened it only to discredit Winsley.
“We did everything in our power to save as many civilians as possible,” Winsley said, and Talia felt a disarming sincerity in his voice. His gaze wandered through the courtroom as he addressed the audience, stopping briefly on the cam that was broadcasting the hearing in real time.
“I wish we could’ve saved more,” he resumed. “We were outnumbered twenty to one, for star’s sake. It was chaos. Taar’kuun fleets were everywhere. Many civilian craft trying to leave the system were shot down or captured by the enemy. We were powerless to save them all. We watched thousands, millions of our people die, in space or on the surface. We watched as our capital was annihilated by an antimatter blast. Ask yourselves, what would you have done in my place? What?”
“Admiral,” Kor croaked, but Winsley cut him short, glaring at him from the witness stand.
“How dare you? You who have been tried and convicted of war crimes! You who tortured innocents! Thousands of my people gave their lives to protect the civilian fleet on its journey to Neo, not to mention the millions who died in the war. Vice Admiral Scar and a thousand crew members of the ASC Liberty sacrificed themselves so twenty thousand civilians could escape. Scar was ten times the officer you are, Colonel Kor. You’re a disgrace to the armed forces of the Alliance. And I’m done with you and your travesty of justice.”
Winsley stepped down from the witness stand and stalked out of the courtroom.
27
Winsley strikes back
The news channels and the cybernetwork brimmed with conversations about the hearing. Everyone had an opinion and was eager to share it. Some defended Winsley, others expressed their lack of confidence in him. DeCourt had clearly scored points and shifted the public opinion in his favor.
In emotional turmoil, Talia couldn’t work, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. She went to the hospital in the middle of the night, but her restless mind refused to focus. She paced back and forth in her office, walked to the vending machine, changed her mind, having no appetite, and finally returned to her apartment.
She dropped on the bed and pressed her palms against her face, holding back tears. Winsley was no saint, but he didn’t deserve being ambushed by a disgraced officer doing DeCourt’s dirty work.
She never had much love for politics, but that night she realized the full extent of her hatred toward politicians like DeCourt.
After a sleepless night, she forced herself to ingest breakfast and went to Winsley’s office first thing in the morning. She saw in his drawn face that he’d likely spent the night in the office.
“Admiral, how are you?” she asked him.
He offered her a tired, mirthless smile. “Thank you, doctor, I’m fine. Is it a social call, or are you concerned about my health?”
“Neither,” Talia replied firmly. “I’m here to assure you of my support. We cannot let DeCourt win.”
Winsley sighed and leaned back in his chair. His smile grew bitter. “The truth is, I made a bad call when I ordered Hunt to fire on civvies. I was angry and desperate. I wanted to save what remained of my fleet at any cost. What motivated me at that moment was the thirst for revenge. I was wrong.”
“Admiral, no one’s perfect. DeCourt has done much worse. His mistakes led to an uprising, remember?”
He rocked his head. “I’m no politician, doctor. I have no experience in this area. Maybe I’m not qualified.”
“Nonsense!” Talia was surprised to hear so much determination in her own voice. “You’re the leader the Alliance needs. Right now, we don’t need career politicians; we need honest people who have the interests of people at heart. You fit the bill better than anyone. We must stop DeCourt, and I think I know how.”
He stared at her intently. “Really?”
“We fight fire with fire. In other words, we turn Kor against his master.”
“That’s a bold idea. How do you propose to accomplish that?”
“He put the ASF on trial yesterday. Now you can threaten to put him on trial.”
“For what? DeCourt amnestied him after the Battle of Chloris.”
“No. For the assassination of Israr Multan.”
Winsley’s eyes narrowed as he pondered Talia’s idea. “That makes sense. The problem is, we don’t have any proof.”
“I know that Colonel Kor contacted an ASF officer using her red channel and ordered her to assassinate Multan. He used an ASF authentication code. That happened two weeks before Multan’s shuttle blew up.”
Riley had told her that at a counseling session, so by revealing this information Talia was taking liberties with the doctor-patient privilege. However, she felt she had no choice. The future of the Alliance was at stake.
“Interesting,” Winlsey said. “Very interesting. I was informed of that after the fact, but I didn’t know Kor had used an ASF code. If so, he left a trace in the system, and I can recover it.”
He woke his terminal and typed something on a virtual keyboard. The search took mere seconds. “I’ve got it. But we still can’t tie Kwan Kor to Multan’s shuttle explosion.”
“He doesn’t know that. You can bluff. Tell him you have proof.”
Winsley nodded resolutely. “Doctor, if I manage to get elected, I promise you’ll be my most trusted adviser. Not only in health-related matters.”
He invited Kor to his office, and asked Talia to wait in another room. He put his cell comm on speakers so she could follow the conversation.
Kor arrived promptly; she could imagine him standing at attention before the admiral. Even though Winsley wasn’t his CO, old habits die hard. Kor would stand at attention before any officer of higher rank.
Winsley went straight to the point and accused Kor of conspiracy to murder Israr Multan.
“I won’t be tried for that, admiral,” Kor replied. “I was following the president’s orders.”
“Did DeCourt order you to blow up Multan’s shuttle?” Winsley asked.
“What?” Kor croaked. Talia imagined an amazed expression on his dagger-shaped face. “I did no such thing, admiral. The goal of Operation Laser Scalpel was to remove Multan with surgical precision, avoiding any collateral damage. A clean kill. But Commander Lance disobeyed orders and destroyed the sniper rifle our agent managed to smuggle on board the ASC Jamnagar. By doing so, she ruined our chances of taking out Multan quietly. The explosion of his shuttle was just a lucky accident.”
“I have intel that indicates otherwise.”
“With all due respect, your intel is wrong. I would never blow up a civilian shuttle. It’s not my style.”
“Ah, c’mon, colonel,” Winsley snapped. “You murdered civilians before. You may think that helping DeCourt get elected will secure your own future in the Alliance. But remember, whatever the outcome of the elections, I’ll remain the Head of the ASF, and you don’t want me as your enemy. DeCourt has thrown you to the lions once to save his own career, and he’ll do it again. I swear I won’t rest until I bring you to justice.”
“I know you don’t think much of me, and you probably won’t believe me if I swear that I didn’t assassinate Israr Multan. So I’ll find who sabotaged his shuttle and bring you proof of my innocence.”
Dismissed, Kor strode out of Winsley’s office. Talia intercepted him. “Colonel, how’s your investigation progressing?”
Kor stared at her with suspicion. “You had a hand in this, doctor. Admit it.”
Talia raised her eyebrows, feigning innocence. “What
are you implying?”
“Never mind. It doesn’t matter anyway. The investigation into Sun Jin’s murder hit a wall. A wall called ASF. How can I find the traitor when ASF people are always covering for each other? Now I’ll look into another possible murder—Israr Multan’s.”
“Can I be of any help?”
“Don’t you have duties to attend to, Ma’am CMO? I dunno, a hospital to run, for example?”
Talia pursed her lips, but refrained from showing anger. “I know ASF protocols better than you do. But if you don’t want my help…”
“Sorry if I offended you, doctor. I appreciate your offer. I can use all the help I can get. Come with me.”
As far as Talia could remember, that was the first time she’d heard Kwan Kor apologize. He invited her to his office in the basement of the main administrative building. There, he activated his terminal and started typing. Talia waited patiently for explanations.
“People think I’m a brute and a moron, but it happens I also have real investigative skills,” he said without taking his eyes off his screen. “I discovered a couple of intriguing facts. There was an exchange of encrypted comms between the president and a certain agent known only by his code, Agent S. This exchange happened just days before Israr Multan’s death. The same agent is mentioned in old AIS reports dating to the first year of the Alliance. But nothing in between. It’s as if Agent S had vanished for several years to reappear on the fleet right when DeCourt needed him for a top-secret op.”
“Aren’t you the head of counterintelligence?” Talia asked. “Can’t you find the identity of this agent?”
Kor shook his head, staring at the screen. “It’s not that simple. The president gave me that job after the Battle of Chloris. My predecessor was killed by the Earthists when they took control of the Capitol. Some secrets died with him, including the identity of Agent S. All I know is that this agent was very active during the first months of the human rebellion against the Biozi. He or she traveled from one world to another, like a courier.”
“Beside Agent S, do you have any other leads?”
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