Assault on Cambriol: The Manhattan Trials

by Jerry Borrowman

  Jesik looked to Rameira’s monitor. He’d been joined by a beautiful young woman in a military uniform. The two of them consulted briefly and Rameira said, “We will refrain from any attacks, provided the transfer of our troops begin within the next four hours. After that, we will meet aboard the Allegro.”

  “Mr. Lansing, work out the launch arrangements with my First Officer. If all goes as agreed, we’ll see you tomorrow at 09:00 aboard the Allegro. Jesik out.”

  “Captain,” Lansing managed to say before the line went dead, “I ask you to keep an open mind at the conference.” Jesik gave him a scowl and terminated the connection.

  Turning to Rameira he said, “Thank you, Admiral, for showing restraint. You’ve been seriously injured by these people, but your willingness to refrain from revenge may well prevent an interplanetary war.”

  “You’re the man of the hour, Captain. You were the first to spot and protect the ships that brought us the evidence we need. I look forward to your leadership at tomorrow’s conference. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some urgent issues to attend to.”

  Jesik turned to the members of his bridge crew and congratulated them on a great job. Relief was evident in his face as he smiled while exiting the bridge.

  7 – The Peace Conference of Keswick

  Jesik watched apprehensively as Lieutenant Magill made his way painfully into the conference room, struggling on a pair of crutches. The Chief Medical Officer had reported they could save his feet, thanks to the effectiveness of the Alturian gel pack, but the radiation had destroyed enough nerve endings that he would never have full feeling. Jesik assured Magill that he’d have time to recuperate with assignments suited to his recovery. “I also think I should be honest with you,” said Jesik, “and tell you that you are not likely to advance any farther in the military. Even if your physical limitations don’t interfere, there is prejudice in the command structure.” The distressed look on the young man’s face confirmed his understanding of this reality.

  He undoubtedly uses crutches instead of a wheelchair to show his determination to overcome his disability, thought Jesik, but unfortunately, it actually draws attention to it.

  Looking around the room, Jesik quickly assessed the members of the various delegations. He was surprised to see Rameira was taller in person than he had appeared on the holographic projector. Usually it was the other way around. His dark complexion and jet black hair framed his face and eyes in such a way that they conveyed a sense of solid confidence and intelligence. Yet, he conducted his affairs with remarkable modesty. For example, even though he was the senior military officer present, he asked Jesik to preside. Rameira and Jesik had met privately for more than ninety minutes prior to this session and had mapped out the agenda and a rough outline of their plan for disciplining the Keswick rebels.

  While Rameira was cordial during introductions, his aides were decidedly unpleasant, making little effort to conceal their contempt at being aboard a Kalenden ship. Jesik’s experiences with the Alturians so far made him think they weren’t a very happy group of people.

  The person who intrigued Jesik the most, however, was the young woman Captain who accompanied the Alturian delegation. She moved with a grace and dignity uncommon for one so young and she enjoyed a prominence that wasn’t normally warranted by someone of her rank. Probably the novelty of a woman serving in a combat role.

  Glancing at the clock on the wall, Jesik saw it was time to begin. Everyone was assembled, except the rebels, including Loyalist Party ministers. The various delegations sat apart from each other, quietly chatting with members of their own group.

  “Captain, the delegation from the rebel Coalition has arrived and is now onboard.”

  “Have a double guard accompany them to the conference room, Chief, showing appropriate courtesy.”

  A few minutes later the doors slid open and four rebel leaders entered the room. All were relatively young, but had a hardened look to their features that spoke of the hardship they’d endured as outcasts of their society. They formed a single line and stood at attention.

  “Mr. Lansing, I presume? I’m Pietr Jesik of Kalenden and this is Admiral Lucien Rameira of Alturus.”

  “John Lansing, gentlemen.” He extended a rough hand.

  Lansing was ruggedly handsome, about six feet, two, with a high forehead, dark brown eyes and wavy hair that apparently refused to stay combed. He wore camouflage fatigues, the de facto uniform of the rebel Alliance. Not the usual dress for a peace conference, but on Lansing the crisply-pressed creases of his trousers and open shirt seemed appropriate and gave him the appearance of one who leaves nothing to chance. While the others in his party looked at the Alturians and Kalendens suspiciously, Lansing was remarkably controlled, fixing a steady gaze on Jesik. The intensity behind his eyes was almost unnerving and it was apparent why he’d risen to the top of the command ladder.

  After accepting Lansing’s hand, Jesik said, “Please be seated and we’ll make introductions around the room.”

  Jesik introduced each member of the Kalenden delegation, which included Commander Brighton, Lieutenant Commander Gentry, and Political Officer Barrows, who was seconded by Lieutenant Magill. Rameira, the Loyalists, and Lansing followed suit.

  When everyone was seated, Jesik rang an ornate mariner bell, salvaged from a sailing vessel on ancient Earth, to officially begin the conference. He’d chosen to use the bell to remind everyone of their common ancestry.

  Clearing his throat, Jesik said, “The battles of Keswick have brought a number of unfortunate surprises that have created an atmosphere of distrust and animosity. Things certainly turned out differently than my superiors anticipated or desired. Each party at this table has numerous grievances, some legitimate, some imagined. In the absence of open and uncensored information, misunderstandings are inevitable. Having spoken with Admiral Rameira, I know that when we arrived at Keswick we all had our own ideas of how to resolve these problems. Yet, now that the Loyalist government has collapsed, we’re faced with the new reality of bringing order to Keswick with new players and demands. While it may appear that this is an internal Keswick problem, humanitarian concerns, as well as an interest in the orchidite mines, forces both Kalenden and Alturus to take an active part in that re-organization.”

  Both the Loyalist and rebel delegations glowered at this, but were wise enough to hold their tongues.

  “Normally, the first order of business would be to have my political officer review the history of the conflict so we can speak from a common understanding. However, I cut Mr. Lansing short yesterday when he attempted to explain the circumstances surrounding the execution of the Royal Family. Since that’s the most serious charge hanging over the heads of the rebel Coalition, perhaps we should start there.”

  Lansing rose from his chair, quietly looked around the table until he’d made brief eye contact with each person in the room. “Thank you, Captain. Admiral Rameira and Captain Jesik, first accept my sincere apologies for the deaths of your advisers in the attack on the palace. It was not intended that way. I’m aware that your ships monitored our planet-wide broadcast condemning Alturian mercenaries for the murder of the Royal Family. In that broadcast we indicated that the rebel Coalition had simply sought to take the family into protective custody, while the government and our relationship to the monarchy was revised. We also expressed surprise by the murder. Our attribution of the assassinations to Alturus were, as events proved, entirely false.”

  Captain Carling brooded in her chair, arms folded, eyes narrowed, as Lansing spoke. He saw her out of the corner of his eye and it unnerved even as cool a character as him. It was obvious she was using all her self-control to suppress her rage.

  “What you need to know is that when we made that broadcast, I believed it was true. Later, when you aided your soldiers in their escape from the planet, I also believed you were helping them avoid justice. At that moment my comrades and I felt a continuing outrage that our group was not taken seriously, eve
n though we spoke for the vast majority of our people.”

  Lansing paused and looked around the room. By now everyone was brooding, waiting for their chance to respond. “Which is why, when Lieutenant Carter played his recording of the actual execution, I was sickened beyond words to find that it was rebel forces. Perhaps none of you have ever been betrayed and used in a most horrible fashion. Everything I believed to be true was proven false and I was left with the realization that people I considered my friends actually used me for their own dark purposes.” He took a sip of water.

  “What I’m trying to explain is that several members of the Coalition Council orchestrated the execution as well as the scheme to blame the Alturians, without the knowledge or consent of the rest of us. They were the ones you saw standing next to me yesterday, trying to cut the connection. Fortunately, you had the means to make that impossible.”

  “An old trick we learned in deep-space communications experiments,” said Jesik.

  “At any rate, I knew instantly that we had lost much of the moral ground for our cause. That’s why we fully complied with your demands. All Kalenden and Alturian personnel have been returned to their respective ships and are safe. Are there any we are unaware of?”

  “All our surviving troops have been accounted for,” said Admiral Rameira quietly. “Once the Allegro knocked out your jamming towers, we were able to tune into our electronic self-identification devices, which tell us if a person is alive or dead, as well as their location. We’ve retrieved all our personnel and destroyed the remains of those who were killed.” Commander Brighton indicated that all Kalenden troops had been retrieved as well.

  As Lansing started to speak Rameira interrupted. “Before you go on, Mr. Lansing, tell me why we should believe you? Yesterday you told your people that it was my forces that destroyed the monarchy. Now that we’ve presented proof of that lie, you make a fine speech blaming other members of your council. Is this just another way to avoid punishment for your outrageous conduct?”

  “There are two reasons why you may believe us. The first is that we have the four men responsible for the treachery in a prison ship, docked securely to the Allegro. They have each confessed to their part in the conspiracy and you can use your own interrogation techniques to determine the truthfulness of their confessions. For our part, their statements have been fully documented under Keswickian laws and our military tribunal has sentenced them to death. We chose not to execute them without first submitting the case to you. As a sign of good faith, you can choose whether to take them as prisoners yourself and try them under your separate laws, or you can allow us to exercise our jurisdiction. In addition to their signed confessions, a search of their personal belongings amassed documents and recordings that provide irrefutable evidence that the plot was planned in advance and without knowledge of the other members of the Coalition Council. All this will be made available for your inspection.”

  “I accept that,” said Rameira. “What’s the second reason we should believe you.”

  “As a council, we’ve prepared an announcement accepting full responsibility for the attack on the Royal Family. For those of our citizens who wish to see the grisly details, we will provide a link through the interstellar net to Lieutenant Carter’s footage of the execution. We’ll explain that while those who actually committed the assassination did so without our authority, they were part of our leadership team. We will also resign in favor of another group not implicated in the murder scheme, if the people decide they don’t want us. After a lifetime of living with censored news and propaganda, we want the citizens of Keswick to have complete, honest information to decide their own future, no matter what the cost is to any of us as individuals.”

  Captain Carling signaled a desire to speak and was acknowledged by Jesik.

  “So, Mr. Lansing, assuming this is all true, can you tell me what this war was about? Why are more than 500 Kalenden and 1000 Alturian troops dead, as well as untold casualties among the Keswicks? What did you possibly hope to gain to justify this suffering?”

  Lansing felt her suppressed fury, but answered as calmly as he could.

  “In the first place, Captain, it was never our wish that Kalendens or Alturians involve themselves in what we viewed as an internal affair. From the outset, we provided assurances that the rebel Coalition would protect the mines and secure the safety of the general population. But, the Royal Family was unwilling to consider any of our concerns, choosing instead to drive us into the jungles in an attempt to silence us. After centuries of living as second-class citizens in our own society, we simply could not tolerate that any longer. So we consolidated our strength among the citizenry. When it became apparent to the Loyalist government that they could not maintain control, they brought you in. By making you their allies, you became our enemies. Thus, your men and equipment became fair game for our attacks. That’s how it’s always been in war and we were fully justified in the attacks we launched against your military. The truth is, while Captain Jesik speaks of humanitarian concerns, the real motivation for your systems to become involved was to maintain control of the orchidite mines. While the cost of everything in the adjoining three quadrants has tripled over the past fifty years, the price of orchidite has remained essentially unchanged. Why? The answer is simple. The Royal Family continually increased production to maintain their lifestyle, while sacrificing the welfare of the general population so as to keep the peace with you. With all due respect, we do not consider our actions illegal or unnatural. We simply assert our right to play a role in the society in which we live.”

  Carling opened her mouth as if to reply, but thought better of it. The duplicity of the monarchy was apparent and it would be futile to dispute it.

  Admiral Rameira interceded. “I’ll accept, for the moment, that you were the victim of the same treachery that sought to implicate Alturus. What you haven’t addressed, yet, is what purpose this treachery would serve.” He paused and furrowed his brow before continuing. “Of course that’s obvious when one thinks of it. By making it appear that we are culpable, your comrades in the rebel Coalition could incite the second-class families of Alturus and perhaps even Kalenden, into joining a general revolt. I’m afraid that your words do little to reduce that threat. We are more vulnerable than ever.”

  Lansing attempted to suggest that the Coalition sought no allies, but he had to acknowledge under a withering cross-examination that there were many in the rebel movement who hoped for that very objective.

  “In fact,” Rameira fired back at one point, “members of your group were in contact with members of my crew and together you plotted the attack on the Allegro. It would well suit your purposes to have us fight each other, while ignoring your threat to the government of Keswick.” That brought on a whole new round of accusations and when the discussion heated to the boiling point, Jesik signaled a recess.

  As the groups parted into individual delegations, Jesik was thankful for his political officer’s advice that a separate room be provided for each delegation, so they could get away from each other and cool down. There’s certainly a shortage of cool, right now, he thought.

  Rameira stepped close to him and whispered, “A private word, Captain?” He and Jesik moved down the hall to Rameira’s stateroom, where they huddled for the next twenty minutes. “The stakes are escalating,” said Rameira. “The royalist government on Alturus is clamoring for me to blockade Keswick until an Alturian assault force can be assembled with enough power to subdue the rebels.

  “In other words, they want to invade and conquer?”

  “Exactly, Captain.”

  “And what do they think we will do while you take over the orchidite mines.”

  “I’m sure they hope that you will allow us to become your supplier. But if Kalenden intervenes we will be obliged to fight you, as well.

  Jesik felt his face flush. To be challenged on his own ship was an outrage, but before he could respond Rameira added, “I personally think it would be
a disaster, both for Keswick and Alturus,” continued Ramiera. “I’m not sure our Royals can count on unqualified support from the second and third-class families in an assault on their ancestral relatives who finally have a chance for equality.”

  “For my part,” said Jesik, “Kalenden is secure enough in its pseudo-democracy that my government isn’t frightened by internal rebellion. But we’re a proud people and my leaders think I’ve been too passive in not launching a counter-attack to avenge the attack on Allegro. They’re concerned, too, I’m being too accommodating of your needs, even though events prove you were in no way responsible for the freighter attack.”

  “Then what are we to do?”

  “First, as an outsider looking in on your system, it seems to me that it’s better to isolate the violent rebel element that initiated the attacks on the Allegro and the Keswick Royals from the more moderate members of the rebel Coalition. If your government runs roughshod over the coalition, sympathy will build at home for the entire rebel movement. But it would be easier to maintain the loyalty of your second tier families if your government is supportive of the rebels governing along with remnants of the Loyalist government. With that support, it would be easy to come down hard on the fringe elements on both Alturus and Keswick.”

  Rameira agreed. “Your course also has the advantage of avoiding a confrontation with Kalenden, since I assume any move on our part to unilaterally blockade the planet would be met with resistance.”

  “It would.”

  “Then I’m agreed that we have to find a way to strengthen the moderate elements of the coalition.”

  In the brief discussion that followed, they decided the best way to proceed was with a much more limited peace conference. While it would be impossible for either outside system to exercise real control on the planet, given their limited numbers, they could enforce a blockade that would eventually force the rebels into negotiations. So, in spite of all that happened, the new objective of the conference was to forget recriminations and come up with a workable plan for governing Keswick.