Operating the mammoth vessel Hastelloy won from the Novi required just over thirty thousand crewmen. Before they could do anything, however, these crewmen needed to be educated. They all had resided inside the Nexus for several thousand years, and a lot had happened during that time which they needed to know.
Bellum stood holding the collective attention of the classroom’s behind the central lectern. He recounted for the class the battle that left them stranded on Earth as well as the fallout the Lost Fleet had on the Republic. They also learned about the defeat of the Alpha, the oppression and eradication of other worlds in the name of safety, and the subsequent attack on Earth by the Novi Republic. The carefully orchestrated curriculum took three days to work through, concluding with the climactic entrance of a human form occupied by a Novi life force.
“Lieutenant Tonwen, would you please join us and remove any lingering doubts in the minds of our class as to the veracity of what we just spent the last three days learning about,” Bellum’s voice beckoned.
On cue, Tonwen opened the door and stepped through into an awestruck auditorium. All eyes doubled in size the moment Tonwen addressed the chamber in their Novi language. “Every word you have heard is true. We do not recount these events to you seeking self-exaltation. The five survivors from the Lazarus crew did our duty and nothing more to return ourselves, you, and all who remain in the Nexus home to Novus. Home to the noble Republic, which we all honorably serve, but as you have learned, that noble Republic is no more. It has been replaced, usurped by those whose moral compass is guided by our darkest, our most primal and basic instincts: revenge, hatred, arrogance and fear.”
“There can be little doubt that their actions were driven by a noble quest to bring the Alpha war to a swift end. Had the moral degradation of our Republic stopped there we can all agree that the Novi would have been the better for it, but it did not stop there. Several thousand years later, we now find ourselves at odds with a morally bankrupt government entity that is bereft of compassion or decency. Can the unprovoked attack on a helpless world inhabited by billions leave us with any other conclusion?” Tonwen rhetorically asked.
Raptured silence was the only response from the room until a voice shouted out, “What do we do now?”
“We fight to get our Republic back,” Tonwen answered, exactly as he and the rest of the Lazarus crew had done in all the classes before this one. The specific wording of the question varied slightly from class to class, but it always carried the same meaning – what next?
“Fight? Rebel?” were two of the many words of protest heard from the audience. Everyone always leapt to the assumption of violent rebellion.
“No,” Bellum shouted over the chaotic frenzy to bring the room back to silent attention. “There are many like me who seek to reform the Republic, but we are hopelessly scattered and silenced. All of you, revered members of the lost Fifth Fleet will be the unifying force we need to let the reform movement begin. It begins with you, all of you following Captain Hastelloy’s lead in this effort.”
Tonwen allowed a long, contemplative silence to linger up and down the ascending rows of the auditorium before asking, “Non-violent reform with no civil war. Those are your orders, ladies and gentlemen. Will you follow them under the command of Captain Hastelloy?”
“Yes, sir,” came the room’s immediate and resounding reply accompanied by enthusiastic cheers.
“You are a true testament to the Republic we all serve. I leave you to your assignments then,” Tonwen said and proceeded to exit the room with the cadence of duty officers entering the auditorium to hand out roles and responsibilities for the crewmen.
Tonwen navigated his way through the massive battle cruiser holding its undetected position behind the Earth’s moon. Eventually he arrived on the bridge to find Commander Gallono occupying the captain’s chair while a dozen Novi crewmen busied themselves around the ship’s command center.
“How did your third batch turn out?” Gallono asked with a hint of cynicism leaking into his otherwise pleasant tone.
“You make it sound as though we are baking cookies rather than reintegrating our fellow crewmen,” Tonwen answered.
Gallono cocked his head a bit to deliver a playful smile before responding, “Aren’t we though? We follow the captain’s script just like a recipe and get the same results every time. Where’s the fun in that?”
“I believe the captain values results over your entertainment.”
“Sure, when it’s all said and done we’ll have ten or twenty million Novi yearning to restore our once noble Republic to its rightful path. Do any of us seriously think that we will be able to stand against what, eighty or ninety billion Novi loyal to the Republic as it is today?”
“Do not forget that we also have control of this ship now for our cause,” Tonwen countered with mocking optimism that set Gallono off.
The commander clapped his hands together and let loose a jovial laugh that turned the heads of everyone on the bridge. “Tonwen, every couple of hundred years I can always count on a good laugh from you. How could I forget that we now control this mighty battle cruiser? I’m sure the whole of the Novi fleet and the council controlling its every action is ready to run up the white flag in surrender and submit to what the captain has in mind.”
“We have all seen him achieve remarkable feats against long odds with scarce resources before,” Tonwen countered with every speck of levity now removed from his voice. Others were watching and needed to see confidence, not concern from their commanding officers.
Without a moment of hesitation Gallono replied, “No one has more faith in the captain than me. If anybody in existence the universe over can pull this peaceful reform movement off, it’s the captain. I’m simply stating that I haven’t a clue how he intends to do it.”
“Captain Hastelloy also has our heritage to leverage. Our people spent over thirty thousand years nurturing the galaxy’s less advanced civilizations. In the end, I must believe that will trump the last couple thousand years spent oppressing the galaxy and becoming the very thing we fought against in the Alpha war,” Tonwen concluded.
“In that case, I suppose it is then a simple matter of removing the darkness from the people’s eyes to allow enlightenment to shine through once more. The problem is that task is not so simple. The fleet will come after us and to that end, I need you to run another scan and see what’s going on outside the system,” Gallono ordered.
Tonwen responded with an affirmative nod and made his way to his science workstation. To say Tonwen was impressed with the evolved scanning equipment of the ship was an understatement of epic proportion. The sensors made those of the Lazarus look like a cave man fanning smoke signals versus a high-speed fiber optic data network. There was no comparison.
If the Novi had an energy signature within a hundred light years of their location, he could tell the make, model, armament, crew compliment, and even if the ion engines were running rough. The pure joy of having such clarity from a distance was not to be found on this particular scan however. Something was drawing massive amounts of bandwidth from the scanners, leaving him with only the most basic results.
He pressed a few keys to dig into the source of the resource drain when Commander Gallono asked, “How do things stand?”
“Not much appears to have changed, but there is something odd,” Tonwen replied as he beckoned the commander over with an energetic wave of his hand. “There are still some ship signatures within a light year of us, and their efforts to establish a listening and resupply base on Alpha Centari appear to be progressing.”
“Some ship signatures? They appear to be progressing,” Gallono repeated in a disappointed tone. “I thought these fancy new sensors of yours could tell us what the mess hall on every ship from here to the central core was serving for the next meal. I need details. How many? Armaments? Where their last space fold originated?”
“I would be delighted to provide you such insights, but something is already
utilizing most of the sensor array.”
“Override it then,” Gallono grunted as he came to a stop and peered over Tonwen’s shoulder.
“I have been trying to do exactly that, but I do not have the required access authority.”
“What? Let me try,” Gallono said while reaching past Tonwen. “These fat human fingers have a tough time operating the Novi consoles sometimes.”
When his command codes were also refused Gallono tried it one more time and then took a different approach. He queried the system to reveal whose command code initiated the resource-hoarding scan. It was Captain Hastelloy.
“What on Earth could the captain be looking for?” Gallono wondered aloud.
“Using that much of our sensory resources, I doubt he is directing his investigative efforts in Earth’s direction,” Tonwen deadpanned back, drawing a second set of laughs from the commander.
“Maybe he’s looking for like-minded allies within the Republic,” Gallono got out before the doors to the captain’s office on the left side of the bridge opened.
Hastelloy made a straight-line path for Gallono and handed him a data pad. Tonwen got a brief glance at the contents, and it looked to him like a long series of space fold coordinates.
“When we have the ship fully crewed, execute this series of space folds and notify me when we’ve made it to the second to last jump point,” Hastelloy ordered and turned around to head back into his office.
“We’ll be leaving Earth undefended,” Gallono challenged.
“They have the gravity weapon. The Earth’s safety is well in hand,” Hastelloy answered.
“Another seventy-two hours and we should be under way,” Gallono reported to Hastelloy’s back. “In the meantime, should I assemble the senior staff for a briefing on the plan?”
“You’ll know the whole plan as soon as I do. Until then, you have your orders, Commander,” the captain answered in a distant voice before closing the office doors behind him.
“He certainly is in a mood,” Tonwen observed.
Gallono shook his head with concern, “After serving with him for ten thousand years and counting, I can tell you that it means either he’s not sure what to do next, or he doesn’t like what he’s about to do.” After a glance down at the data pad he concluded, “This is taking us mostly around the outer rim. I don’t think he’s looking for friends inside the Republic that far out, do you?”
Tonwen left the question unanswered as he noticed that his desired scanning resources were returned to him.
**********
“Thank you for your candid testimony before this court, Lieutenant,” the magistrate said as he worked to key in his finishing notes on Tonwen’s testimony.
“Just to summarize and clarify,” Chancellor Malum spoke up in his role as the People’s advocate, “Captain Hastelloy not only revealed advanced technology to the humans, but he actually showed them how to use it and turned over control of this gravity weapon to them?”
“It was done to protect and preserve the planet from an unprovoked Novi attack,” Tonwen insisted.
“Yes, yes of course. The motives aside though, does that accurately sum up the captain’s actions?” the Chancellor pressed.
“Yes, your summation is accurate,” Tonwen conceded, reluctant to do so.
“Captain Hastelloy also turned over a technology that interferes with the Nexus. A move that nullifies our ability to retain life forces in and around the planet Earth?” the magistrate asked. “This is in addition to attacking Novi ships with this technology?”
Once again, Tonwen had no choice but to answer, “Yes, he did.”
Tonwen’s last bit of testimony resulted in a ferocious uproar from the audience threatening to send the courtroom’s roof into orbit. In their collective eyes, nothing more needed saying. Hastelloy’s guilt was obvious beyond any reason or doubt. It was time to hang him high and the mob wanted to see it done right then and there.
“Order, order,” the magistrate bellowed in between the electric crackle of his black sphere banging against the table. “I will have order or this courtroom will be cleared.” When the riotous mob failed to heed his calls, the magistrate leaned over to Chancellor Malum who sat motionless in his seat with a satisfied smile lighting up his thin lips, “I will clear out the cameras as well.”
That threat provoked an immediate response from the Chancellor. He could not afford to lose this large of an audience for his show trial. He stood up from his chair raising his arms high and wide, and motioned downward to induce a settling effect over the crowd. “Please, respect the rule of law and trust it will deliver the justice we all seek. We all must respect the process.”
The magistrate waited another twenty seconds for even the slightest whisper in the chamber to fall silent before directing his attention away from Tonwen and onto Hastelloy, “Anything you wish to add or ask in your own defense, Captain?”
“No, Lieutenant Tonwen’s testimony was entirely accurate.”
“Very well, the witness is excused and the court calls Captain Valnor to address the final charges of murder and treason.”
Chapter 22: Coming Full Circle
Hastelloy followed Tonwen with his eyes as his former science officer walked down the ground floor tunnel leading underneath the room’s stadium seating away from the courtroom. As the dark, shadowy corridor swallowed him from view, Hastelloy’s eyes moved on to follow an individual making his way down from among the audience.
The brand new officer’s uniform he wore was spotless with not a thread out of place or discolored. If that was not enough, the edges of the freshly minted captain’s insignia affixed to the Novi’s collar gave ample evidence as to how recent the promotion to the rank had been for the young officer.
It occurred to Hastelloy how polar opposite the demeanor of his crew had been when their names were called to give testimony. Tonwen shielded himself with his typical emotionless detachment and retold events as he saw them. Gallono looked on the verge of tears at having to give testimony against Hastelloy. The magistrate practically had to pry it out of him, loyal to the bitter end as always.
As Valnor stepped onto the ground floor to make his way to the witness chair opposite the magistrate, Hastelloy realized neither was the case with his former pilot. If anything, Valnor looked…eager. His former ensign was eager to serve up evidence against his former commanding officer.
Hastelloy viewed the Novi now seated in the witness chair feeling a surge of emotion so potent it almost drew tears. Valnor had come a long, long way. When they first crashed on Earth, the ensign was so green he made grass bristle with envy. That inexperienced boy would be looking down at his hands folded neatly on the table right now, terrified and unsure of his every thought or move.
This man before him now owned himself. Using his political acumen, Valnor laid the foundation for the glory of Rome to enlighten humanity for a thousand years as Augustus Caesar. Valnor fostered the Renaissance to draw the human civilization out of the dark ages with his visionary leadership, independent from Hastelloy’s orders or planning. Valnor then displayed unparalleled military prowess by halting the Nazi’s unstoppable rampage across the Soviet Union. He reversed the flow of that tide to decimate the German army and ultimately conquered Berlin, seeing to the defeat of Hitler and Tomal.
Captain Valnor’s confidence did not originate from the rank he wore. It had deep roots from within resulting in a self-assurance that was simply a given. Some may have perceived it as arrogance, but Hastelloy knew the look. It was identical to the one greeting him in the mirror every morning. It was a confidence derived from countless lifetimes spent achieving the impossible. Valnor had come into his own in every possible way, and that did not bode well for Hastelloy’s chances of exoneration in the proceedings.
“Captain Valnor, how many crewmen of the Lazarus survived the crash landing on Earth nearly five-thousand years ago?” the magistrate asked straight away.
“Including myself, five still occ
upied physical forms while the remaining life forces of the Fifth Fleet were housed in the Nexus.”
The magistrate looked up from his notes, opened his arms out wide and asked, “How many crewmen in physical form left the planet aboard the cruiser that Captain Hastelloy pirated from the Republic fleet?”
“Pirated?” Hastelloy snapped. “I object to the characterization that the wording of your question implies.”
“How would you describe it?” the magistrate insisted with great annoyance at the interruption.
“I assumed command considering the illegal nature of the original crew’s actions,” Hastelloy countered as if the answer was self-evident.
“Illegal by whose estimation?” Chancellor Malum insisted from his seat at the magistrate’s right hand side. “The crew was carrying out orders handed down by the Republic council.”
“And how truly troubling is that fact?” Hastelloy sighed with a disgusted snarl. “You and the council bring shame to the noble legacy of our once proud Republic.”
“Enough,” the magistrate shouted as he banged his fist holding the dark orb to elicit silence from both of them. With the sense of calm decorum restored, he asked of Valnor, “How many left the planet?”
“Four,” came his efficient response.
“What happened to the fifth crewman? Did Captain Hastelloy leave him on the planet to oversee its defense? Was he not regenerated for some disciplinary reason and therefore inside the Nexus as a life force to be regenerated upon return to Novus?”
Origins: A Greater Good Page 14