by Britt Ringel
The woman bit down hard at the unrepentant words and realized she would be forced to grant him another swing of the verbal sword. “Who specifically, Captain?”
“Admiral Wallace, who, by virtue of this defense, is unwilling to accept the consequences of his actions and is attempting to use this forum to escape accountability for his deeds like the coward that he is. I’m not—”
“That is all, Captain Heskan,” the irritated attorney interrupted loudly.
“I’m not at all surprised,” Heskan persisted, “that Wallace isn’t seeking relief against my accusation via a duel and, instead, cowers behind these eleven esteemed officials.”
“That’s enough!” the inquisitor shouted. “These transcripts will be read in the corner office of every corporation!”
“Captain Heskan,” the archjudge spoke as a disapproving parent might to an unruly child. “That will be enough of that.”
Heskan looked to the elderly woman and nodded penitently. Past her, Heskan noticed the judge at the far end was concealing what might have been a smirk.
“As you can see, your Honors,” the woman in black summarized, “the witness is unashamed of his reprehensible smear against a noble. Were his criminal actions allowed to pass without sanction, this court would only encourage the marginalization of those souls entrusted with positions over their subjects inside the LMA.”
Miller stood once again and pleaded, “Your Honors, we passionately request a continuance so that the accused can be made aware of his rights.”
“The captain has already been made aware,” the huntress countered. “Archjudge Perry has seen to that. Defense requests a ruling for our countersuit as provided for by the law. This court has stressed to defense counsel repeatedly the urgency of current matters and the need to avoid unnecessary delays, including the denial of defense counsel’s request to postpone this hearing for many months. Is it not incumbent upon the court to follow its own directives?”
The archjudge looked to each side of the panel. After a brief discussion among them, she cleared her voice and addressed Miller. “All rules and procedures relating to immediate judgment have been followed by defense counsel and the court must fairly and properly enact the application of that process. Consequently, your motion for continuance is denied.” The elderly woman rapidly stroked the controls of the inlaid screen in front of her. “It is the finding of this court that Captain Garrett Heskan is guilty of the violation of the LMA’s Articles of Nobility, specifically public disparagement of a noble by an untitled citizen.”
The woman in black stepped close to Heskan, smiling deliciously at him in anticipation of the sanction.
“As a result of this violation, Captain Heskan will be barred from all corporate events for the maximum period under law, two years.” She raised her gavel and declared, “It is so ord—”
“Those articles are antiquated,” Miller beseeched before the judgment could be rendered.
The archjudge stopped her gavel in mid-downstroke and glared angrily at the man. “That is your last outburst, Counsel.” She restarted her proclamation. “Two years. It is—”
“One moment, Madam Archjudge,” interrupted the small judge at the end of the panel.
The senior judge looked curiously at him. “You wish to add something to the record, Judge Bäcker?”
Bäcker stared across the courtroom at Miller. “Your statement about the antiquity of those laws is interesting yet irrelevant. This court cannot simply ignore established precedent just because it may be venerable. However, there are instances in history of noble titles being conferred through one’s deeds, rather than through ceremony.”
The archjudge paused pensively before announcing, “This is the Honorable Judge Bäcker’s area of expertise. I shall defer to his opinion.”
The line of Bäcker’s mouth twisted upward faintly. “Mr. Miller, is it your argument that Captain Heskan is a noble, not through standard fons honorum but per factis non verba?”
Miller gaped uncomprehendingly at the judge. “Uh, yes, your Honor.” In his astonishment, he had forgotten to stand.
“Then you bring up an interesting historical point,” the judge complimented the bemused attorney. “You are, undoubtedly, citing the Tricia Ripley Nine Thirty-two case as your precedence.”
Miller scrambled to his feet before parroting, “Undoubtedly.”
Heskan watched the turn of events in fascination before an epiphany struck him. Judge Bäcker must be the representative from Seshafi!
“Then, given that precedent, you must cite two examples of honorem implicatio,” the judge instructed.
The courtroom was deathly silent as Miller consulted his datapad. “Oh yes, um, implied honor. Yes, your Honor.” Again, his head tilted down as he scanned his datapad feverishly. A smile slowly grew, replacing his self-doubt. “Can we please hear the excerpt from Elathra’s holo-log starting at time fourteen oh eight point seventeen?”
“Captain Heskan,” Clayton Covington’s earnest voice crackled over the courtroom speakers, “can you promise us that whatever the outcome, you’ll conclude this battle with honor… with corporate honor?”
Heskan heard himself reply. “This is about protecting your homes, soon to be my home. This is about sending a message to Wallace and all the other armchair admirals that Seshafi won’t go gentle into that good night.”
Covington’s next bold words rang throughout the large chamber. “That’s honor, Karl. Look at his ship! If he’s willing to press on, I’m willing to follow him.”
The corner of the Judge Bäcker’s mouth turned upward. “Who was the first individual in that conversation, Counsel?” His expression appeared as if he already knew the answer.
Miller smiled widely. His words boomed with a mixture of authority and pride. “That was Sir Clayton Covington, son and heir to Archduke Joshua Covington.”
“Interesting that a knight, and the archduke’s son at that, would call out the accused’s actions as noble,” stated a magistrate next to the archjudge.
“Your second example, Counsel?” Bäcker requested.
Miller frantically reviewed the log on his datapad. After several moments, he nearly burst out laughing. “Please play the excerpt at time thirteen twenty-eight point fifty.”
Former Commander Nguyen’s desperate words pleaded with Seshafi’s new fleet commander. “But, Captain, my section can’t withstand another pounding from their van.”
There was the briefest moment of silence before Heskan’s determined response rang through the room. “It won’t have to, Commander. All ships execute immediate one hundred eighty degree rotation. My section is now the van.”
As soon as Heskan’s words had finished, Miller asked confidently from behind his table, “Captain Heskan, what was the impact of that order?”
Heskan looked grim as he recounted, “That order placed my rearguard, a section comprised solely of snows and corvettes, against Sade’s vanguard, a section with line ships and brigs.”
Miller circled his table and asked loudly. “What ship did you face specifically as a result of your protection of the demolished Seshafian vanguard?”
“The line ship, Courageux.”
“Please remind the court what ship classification Elathra holds.”
“She was a snow,” Heskan stated.
“Was?” Judge Bäcker questioned. “Clarify.”
“The run against Courageux,” Heskan explained, “and the subsequent run against an enemy brig resulted in the loss of my ship.”
“You,” Miller stated dramatically, “a mere privateer at the time, placed your sole means of livelihood against such incredible odds. Why?”
Heskan felt a lump rise in his throat. Its effect made it difficult to speak. “I didn’t want those people to suffer. Seshafi deserves a better fate than to fall because of such treachery. I may not have been a citizen but I was damned if I could sit idly by and watch good people suffer.”
Miller smiled delightedly at Bäcker. “You
r Honor?”
After a moment, Bäcker looked down at the woman standing near Heskan. “Defense counsel, your rebuttal?”
The woman shook her head in exasperation and whispered, “Must be nice to have a judge making your arguments for you…”
Bäcker smiled in a manner only a grandfather could. His scathing retort belied the kind, soothing tone of his voice. “Counsel, I am old and this wig covers my ears so I believe I missed the bulk of the last statement you will ever make to a magistrate. Would you care to repeat yourself?”
The woman in black flushed a deep red. “Y-your Honor, I’ve never even heard of per factis non verba. I need more time to compile a proper response.”
Miller nearly bounced with glee. “Just because the defense has not deemed this session worthy to send a functional representative, does this fact trump the rights of the accused?”
“It does not,” agreed the archjudge.
The huntress stared pleadingly into the center judge’s eyes. “You must give us more time to properly mount a rebuttal, your Honor.”
The archjudge shook her head. “By your own request, I am forced into immediate judgment, Counsel. You have specifically pointed out that this court must abide by its own directives. State your response or forfeit it.”
The woman in black scanned each of the judges with an imploring expression. She found no solace in any of them.
“Captain Heskan,” Judge Bäcker said, breaking the interminable silence. “Do you believe your actions were those of a noble?”
Heskan knew the correct answer but struggled anyway. His eyes fell to the floor and he felt himself slowly shaking his head. “I… I didn’t do those things because I thought they were noble. I just did what any sailor would do for the people around him.” Despite knowing she was absent, he felt himself blush at his next words anyway. “I did it for the woman standing next to me in battle, and for all my comrades-in-arms.” He quickly added, “I did it for Commander Nguyen too, whose ship had already withstood more than its fair share of punishment, but mostly, I did it because years from now, I don’t want to look back at that critical moment in time and be ashamed of who I was.”
Bäcker replied immediately. “By the power invested in me, by the power of the High Court of Nessus, I dub thee, Sir Garrett Heskan. Retroactive to the time of demonstration, of course.”
Heskan felt himself break out in gooseflesh. Sir? I’m a knight? The thought was as ludicrous as it was real.
“Defense counsel,” the archjudge stated quietly, “your countersuit now appears to be moot.”
The dark inquisitor failed to answer and, instead, unleashed a hateful stare at Heskan that raised even more gooseflesh over his arms.
“The countersuit is dismissed. Do you have any further questions for this witness?”
The depth of malice within the defense counsel’s eyes made Heskan glad that it was merely Wallace and not this shark in a business suit that he faced while aboard Elathra. Finally, after an eternity of feeding upon Heskan’s soul, the woman twisted from him and stalked back to her table in silence.
“You are dismissed, Sir Garrett Heskan,” the archjudge said. “This court is now in recess until ten hundred hours.”
* * *
The court bailiff escorted Heskan back to the witness holding room. Waiting for him were Miller and Vernay. The twosome’s smiles threatened to rip the skin near the corners of their mouths.
“Congratulations, Sir Garrett!” Vernay exclaimed with enthusiasm followed by a wince. Despite her joyous attitude, bloodshot eyes and pale skin betrayed her current physical state.
Heskan groaned. “You caught all that?”
Vernay mockingly waved her datapad in her right hand. “For all posterity,” she replied as she moved for the refuge of a nearby couch.
Heskan rolled his eyes before addressing Miller. “Thank goodness the Seshafian judge helped bail us out.”
Miller’s eyebrows furrowed questioningly. “He wasn’t in the courtroom. Both IaCom and AmyraCorp magistrates have recused themselves. That’s why there were only eleven judges seated.”
The waiting room’s door kicked open, producing a smiling Thomas Wilder.
Heskan rocked back slightly at Miller’s news. “Then who was that judge on the end?”
Miller’s expression conveyed his confusion over the turn of events. “That was Judge Bäcker and I have no idea what got into him. He’s traditionally been a very critical judge to AmyraCorp’s lawsuits. All of Aurelios’ judges are, at every level of The Courts.”
“That judge is from the Aurelios system?” Vernay asked from across the room. She was leaning back on the couch, resting her head on the soft, leather cushions. Her right arm was draped over her eyes, shielding them from the offending light.
Wilder nodded and answered, “Yes, and Volkmancht-Kaufmännisch harbors an intense dislike for us over the freedoms we give our citizens.” He shrugged. “Maybe that’s changing but I haven’t the foggiest clue as to why.”
Heskan snorted lightly to himself as he thought of Joachim Müller, the enigmatic engineer whose freighter had changed his destiny. “Me neither, unless Aurelios is a small world.”
Chapter 19
“I see the spring in your step has returned,” Heskan teased his companion as they climbed the steps of the Madison Judicial Complex.
Vernay offered a half smile next to him. “I swear these stairs looked twice as steep two days ago.” She looked at the disc burning brightly above the massive structure in the turquoise sky. “And I thought Nessus’ sun had gone supernova. Lesson learned: respect Hollaran bourbon.”
“I still can’t believe you came to watch my testimony,” Heskan remarked as they walked toward the queue at the building’s entrance. He was forced to accept the longest line since he was carrying a briefcase that would require a manual inspection. The additional delay would be minor, though, because the security admissions process had been perfected over decades.
“I wasn’t going to miss it for all the worlds.” She raised her datapad. “I’m so happy I made it. Now, we have your dubbing ceremony recorded for all time.” Her smile twisted mischievously. “Do you want to be addressed as Fleet Commander, Captain or Sir when we’re in battle? Or all three?”
Heskan scowled at her as he dropped his briefcase onto a grav-belt and stepped through the security rings. “That’ll be enough, Commander.”
“Yes, Captain, Sir Garrett Heskan, sir,” Vernay replied with a wicked grin.
“Remember how shy you were around me on Anelace?” Heskan asked with inflated fond remembrance. He stepped past security and waited for his briefcase to be returned to him.
Standing at the threshold of the building, Heskan watched Vernay swipe her datapad over the entrance panel. She stepped inside the building proper and waited for him to repeat the procedure. As he stepped inside, an automated announcement sounded throughout the grand foyer. “Announcing, Sir Garrett Heskan.”
Heskan brought a hand up to cover his eyes even as Vernay beamed at him.
“You better get used to it, Garrett,” Vernay told him. “All kidding aside, you know that the archduke is going to promote you to admiral soon and that comes with the baron title.”
The pair walked down an enormous hall toward the central lifts. The hallway was easily twenty meters wide with ornate, marble statues towering ten meters over them. Each statue depicted a founder of the thirteen existing corporations. Heskan had to raise his voice to be audible, the marble interior of the space reflecting every conversation inside it to create a cacophony of white noise. “I’m never going to get used to it. I’m not royalty or nobility or whatever you call it. It’s ridiculous and I don’t even want it. I’m just a sailor.”
Vernay stepped closer to him once they reached a bank of elevators. She leaned into him and rose to her toes in a bid to reach his ear. “I know that, Garrett,” she said in a lowered tone, “but these people take their peerage very seriously. It might not matter to you
but it matters to them. A lot. Don’t disrespect them by belittling what they consider a great honor. Think of it as a Brevic medal.” She soured momentarily before adding, “Well, one that you’d want.”
Heskan examined the woman close to him. She’s right, of course. “How’d you get so wise?”
“Good mentors.”
“Well, I still don’t care for the pageantry and this city is too large for me. I can’t wait to be home.” The statement surprised him. Home. I just called Seshafi my home.
“How’s your house coming?” Vernay asked.
“Should be complete or nearly so by the time we get back. I could, in theory, move in, unless they’ve run into more trouble.” He smirked. “The price tag for that pool was an unpleasant surprise.”
“The sauna will be cheaper,” Vernay informed him casually.
Heskan snorted but then glared at her. “What sauna?”
“Captain!” Clayton Covington’s friendly voice carried down the stone hallway. Heskan saw the young heir and Commander Joseph Tannault walking quickly toward them. As they neared, Covington smiled widely while praising, “Congratulations on your titling, Captain. I cannot think of a finer example of today’s chevalier than you, Sir Garrett.” Tannault dipped his head next to Covington in acknowledgment.
“Please,” Heskan said while waving his hand, “it’s no big deal.” After a moment’s consideration, he added, “But it is certainly appreciated and I’m honored. As I understand it, we share the same status so I hope we can skip the formality, Clayton. More than anything, I just want to make sure we get underway as soon as we’ve heard the ruling. I’ve had my fill of Nessus.”
Covington glanced downward to his datapad. “We’re scheduled to cast off in two and a half hours, Captain. We currently have twenty-four crewmen and passengers outstanding.” His datapad chimed quietly. “Captain Nguyen just boarded. Twenty-three outstanding now. If they all arrive early, I’ll order us to break the moorings as soon as we can.”