Spence looked at her appraisingly and she stared back with a rock steady gaze. "Yes, I believe you do," he said. "You're not the type of ensign that I usually represent. Most are nervous, and very unsure of themselves."
"As was I, but I've changed quite a bit over the past half year. The things that I've done, and that have been done to me, have radically changed me and my perspective of life."
"I can see that in your eyes, Ensign. But for the trial, I want you to look soft and vulnerable. I want the judge and jury to believe that you were entirely a victim of circumstances."
"I don't think that I'll ever again see myself as a victim, Commander, and I hope that no one else will either. That implies weakness."
"Hmmm— okay, think about this. You're facing life imprisonment. Be strong and righteous, but look feminine. Can you do that?"
"Aye, Sir. That I can do," Jenetta said, as she thought about the things that she had learned from Leah, and from her training in the medical lab at the Raider spaceport. Not that she could, or ever would, exhibit most of that knowledge in a courtroom.
"Good," Commander Spence said.
* * *
Jenetta spent the next four days pacing the floor in her cell. On the evening of the fourth day, and the eve of her court-martial, Lieutenant Marlo brought her a complete dress uniform to wear for the trial.
"Here's everything you'll need," Lt. Marlo said. "Go easy on the makeup. We want you to look sweet and innocent."
Holding up the hanger and opening the tunic, Jenetta said, "There's a skirt with the tunic. I don't wear skirts."
"Tomorrow you do. The dress code permits female officers the choice between pants and skirts with dress uniforms. If it's any comfort, I'll be wearing a skirt."
Jenetta sighed and said, "Aye, lieutenant."
After the lieutenant had gone, Jenetta looked through the package that accompanied the uniform. In addition to makeup, it contained underwear, stockings, a garter belt, and dress shoes with low, squat heels.
* * *
Jenetta was taken to the courtroom the next day, hobbled in full prisoner restraints. Every eye in the packed room was upon her as she was escorted to her seat from the door near the front of the courtroom, but she failed to see a single familiar face. She certainly didn't expect to see her mother, since Earth was eight to ten months away by passenger ship. And her father and brothers were probably all off on active duty in various parts of Galactic Alliance space. The court-martial would be over long before any of them could get there, but she'd hoped that someone from the Vordoth would come to lend moral support. They couldn't possibly all have turned their backs to her, could they?
The courtroom itself was typical of most justice courts found on Space Command bases. SimWindows, projecting a scene that could have been shot outside some real courthouse in Midwestern North America, lined the sidewalls. A deep-blue cloudless sky provided the backdrop for dozens of single story buildings in a sleepy little town. All that was missing was the smell of wildflowers carried aloft in fresh air, with maybe a slight odor of manure-based fertilizer from the farmlands in the distance. The judge's bench, jury box, and counsel tables were all made from synthetic compounds that realistically simulated the oak courtroom furniture used on Earth centuries ago. The ‘oh-gee' chairs in the jury box along the left wall, like the judge's high-backed chair, were deeply padded and designed for comfort, a necessity where you're expected to sit almost motionless for hours on end, but the chrome and laminate chairs at the counsel tables, like those of the audience and gallery seating, were only lightly padded. Security cameras looked down from each corner and the center of each wall in the large room. Although they never moved, each provided full pan, tilt, and zoom capability to their operators, insuring that every minute of the proceedings would be preserved for posterity. Jenetta would have been shocked to learn that one floor down, an entire media production room staff was already busy at work adjusting volume levels and panning the gallery for reactions to her appearance and treatment. Each of the eight wall mounted cameras, and the six discreetly hidden cameras, were being controlled by a separate cameraman. A director issued instructions for zooming or panning, and continuously called out to the operator at the switcher, after deciding which of the fourteen shots would go out live on the feed.
After Jenetta was seated, her four Space Marine guards took up positions along the sidewalls between the Sim Windows. She sat quietly at the defense table between Lt. Commander Spence and Lieutenant Marlo, as the court waited for the judge to come in. When he did enter, Spence and Marlo made a major production of helping Jenetta get to her feet. The judge noticed the activity and stopped momentarily to witness the sight of the petite young woman struggling to stand up while in full restraints. Jenetta actually could have gotten up easier on her own because the two JAG officers were intentionally pulling their client in different directions, although it didn't appear that way.
Once Jenetta was standing, the judge continued to his chair and sat down. The nameplate on the bench identified him as Rear Admiral (L) Chester Margolan, and he certainly had the look of a career JAG officer. His hair was a shock of bright silver, and his deadpan face and manner loudly proclaimed that this was his courtroom and that you'd best pay attention when he spoke, or be prepared to experience his wrath. As soon as he was seated, everyone else in the courtroom sat down as well. The admiral immediately picked up a small silver rod and tapped the silver tubular chime suspended in a small frame in front of him on the bench, three times.
"This court is now in session on this 19th day of January, 2268," a female chief petty officer announced loudly.
"Chief, bring in the jury," the admiral said.
The jury of four male and two female officers was comprised exclusively of captains, as required in a general court-martial where an officer is charged with multiple capital offenses. Jenetta watched them closely as they filed in and took their seats in the jury box. She was sure that she had never met any of them before.
As soon as the jury was settled, the judge said, "The chief petty officer will read the charges."
There was some murmuring in the courtroom as the chief petty officer started reading the official charges, but only a gasp and then stunned silence after she read the murder charge and gave the number of counts.
As the chief petty officer sat down, the admiral said, "Commander Pierce."
A forty-something commander at the prosecution table stood up and came to an easy attention. With black curly hair, there was little about him that would be described as anything but average.
"Sir?"
"If you have an opening statement, you may begin."
"Thank you, sir."
Commander Pierce looked towards the jury box. "Ladies and Gentlemen, you've heard the charges. I will prove each and every one during the course of this court-martial, most supported by testimony already offered by the defendant herself to officers from our Intelligence Section. Ensign Carver has flagrantly violated the rules that we in Space Command all live by, and she must pay the price of that disregard. Thank you."
Then it was Lt. Commander Spence's turn to present his opening remarks. He turned to face the jury as he stood up. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Ensign Carver is a young officer that found herself alone and abandoned by Space Command, just a few months after graduation from the Academy, as the result of a tragic accident that occurred more than eleven years ago. Until just a few months ago, she was innocuously floating in space, asleep in a stasis chamber. Subsequently rescued, she awoke to a galaxy that she no longer knew. While attempting to return to the Space Command family, the ship in which she was a passenger was attacked by Raiders and she was forced to take aggressive actions to protect her own life, and that of others that had come under her care and protection. We should be celebrating her courage and actions rather than looking for ways to punish her simply because she couldn't get advance permission to destroy the declared enemies of the Galactic Alliance. Thank you."
With the opening
statements complete, Commander Pierce began his case. "I call Ensign Carver to the stand."
With the help of her attorneys, Jenetta rose and shuffled slowly towards the witness box. The chief petty officer had immediately come forward to swear her in, but then had to wait while Jenetta hobbled over because the restrictive chains on her ankles prevented her from taking anything greater than the smallest of steps. Cameras around the courtroom zoomed in on her legs as she shuffled along.
"Raise your right hand," the chief said when Jenetta finally reached her.
Jenetta raised her right hand as high as the restraints, which held her hands firmly at her waist, allowed. The chief petty officer turned to Admiral Margolan to see if the slight movement met the requirements of judicial proceedings.
"Just a minute, Chief," Admiral Margolan said. Looking towards the table where the prosecution attorney and Commander Kanes were sitting, he said, "Commander Pierce?"
Commander Pierce jumped up. "Sir?" he said.
"Has the defendant exhibited any sign of violent tendencies while in custody?"
"No sir. She's been a model prisoner."
"Is she being well guarded whenever she's outside the brig?"
"Yes sir. Four armed Marine guards accompany her at all times."
"Do you feel that we're in any danger of being harmed by the defendant while court is in session?"
"Uh— no sir, Admiral."
"Then why is this young officer being forced to sit there shackled hand and foot."
"Uh— it's because of the nature of the charges, sir. Regulations state that prisoners charged with multiple capital crimes must be restrained at all times."
"As I recall the regulations, they only recommend that prisoners charged in capital crimes cases be restrained at all times, but it's mandated for those that exhibit violent behavior while being taken into custody or while in custody. In light of the prisoner's model conduct, and diminutive size, I order that all restraints be removed and not be used further unless the prisoner exhibits violent behavior which as such justifies her restraint."
"With all due respect, Admiral, the prisoner, by her own admission, is trained in kick-boxing, and killed an armed guard with her feet at the Raider detention center in order to effect her escape. There is a potential danger."
"As a Space Command officer, I would use my feet, hands, teeth, or anything else I possessed, to effect my own escape from Raider jailers. That doesn't mean that I would do so here on a Space Command base. Release the prisoner."
One of the Marine guards immediately walked to Jenetta and removed the restraints. As soon as they were off, she tugged at her tunic to straighten it, braced to attention, smiled at the admiral and said, "Thank you, sir."
The admiral nodded soberly and said, "You'll only stay free of the restraints as long as you offer no resistance to your guards, Ensign."
"Yes sir."
"Continue chief," the admiral said.
Jenetta was sworn in, gave her name and serial number, and took her seat in the witness box.
Commander Pierce walked to where she was seated, glared at her, and asked accusingly, "Ensign, did you sabotage the engines of the Hokyuu?"
"No sir," Jenetta replied in complete surprise. "Were they sabotaged, sir?"
"You were the last one to exit the ship before it exploded. Why was that?"
"Somebody had to be the last one, sir. I got out as quickly as I could after the alarms woke me up and I found an available pod."
"But the escape pod you used was one from the engineering deck, not the quarter's deck. And the computer in the pod shows that the ship exploded just six seconds after you ejected. That's cutting it rather close isn't it?"
"Way, way too close, sir, but not by choice. I couldn't find an available pod anywhere on the quarters deck, so I went down to the engineering deck to search for one. I felt that I'd have a better chance there because of the late hour."
"As a result of your tardy departure, your pod was apparently damaged by the explosion. The damage allegedly prevented the retrorocket from firing, catapulting you into deep space, and ensuring that you were long gone before the rescue ships arrived. Or was the retrorocket disabled before the pod even ejected?"
"Are you suggesting that I purposely disabled the retrorocket so that it wouldn't function— sir?"
"It would give you a cast iron excuse for being AWOL should you ever decide to return, wouldn't it?"
"Objection, Admiral," Lt. Commander Spence called out. Rising to his feet he properly addressed his comments to Admiral Margolan. "Sir, the engineering section has already determined beyond a shadow of a doubt that the damage was caused by the explosion rather than tampering, and that someone did in fact sleep in the chamber for more than ten years. Ensign Carver was alone in the pod. DNA from the hair and skin cells found in the escape pod has been identified as being exclusively that of the defendant. Ensign Carver maintained a daily log for the three months prior to entering the stasis chamber and it has been certified as being her voice and image. We have the inspection logs and depositions and can produce the examining engineers and technicians, if necessary, but Commander Pierce has already conceded in pre-trial discovery that the defendant was the sole occupant of the escape pod and stasis bed for the entire ten years, eight months and seven days."
"Objection sustained," the admiral said, "move along Commander Pierce."
"Yes sir. Ensign, why didn't you contact Space Command as soon as you awoke?"
"I wanted to, but Captain Lentz refused my request, informing me that they had to maintain radio silence while in Raider controlled space."
"Raider controlled space?" Looking at her with suddenly narrowed eyes, Commander Piece said in a loud and angry voice, "Ensign, this is the Galactic Alliance, not a Raider hunting preserve."
"Sorry, sir. Everyone I've met refers to that sector in those terms because of the high level of Raider activity there during the past decade, and the chances of attack if you're not part of a Space Command protected convoy."
Commander Pierce glared at her for a couple of seconds before asking, "Captain Lentz is the same individual that you allege was the commandant of the Raider base?"
"Yes sir."
"And so you admit to taking orders from the Raider hierarchy. How long have you worked for him?"
"I've never worked for him. At the time that we first met, he was the duly appointed captain of the Vordoth, as far as I could know."
"And at what point did you finally decide to contact Space Command?"
"After the Raiders attacked the Vordoth, there seemed little point in maintaining radio silence."
"And you immediately set course for Higgins after you destroyed the Raider fighters?"
"We changed our flight path by moving to a parallel course, but Higgins was our destination, yes."
"And then, after assuming command of the Vordoth, you decided to take side trips around the galaxy instead of coming directly here."
"We were being tailed by a Raider destroyer, sir. We couldn't outrun it, and we had to somehow prevent them from relaying our position to other Raider ships ahead of us. My only alternative was to go on the offensive. I formulated a battle plan and we engaged the Raider destroyer. After we destroyed it, we resumed our trip to Higgins on a parallel course well away from our previous route."
"You took a fifty-year-old freighter into battle against a modern Raider warship, risking the lives of everyone on board and the cargo?"
"I would naturally have preferred to engage them with a warship, sir, but the freighter was all I had available to me." A chuckle passed around the courtroom and Commander Pierce scowled before Jenetta continued with, "I had no choice, either of the vessel used or the action."
"But one engagement wasn't enough for you. You had to pick another fight, this time pitting your freighter against a Raider medium cruiser with twenty times your firepower?"
"We received an urgent distress call from a Nordakian convoy that was under attack
by another Raider force. The officers of the Vordoth felt that it was our duty to respond and lend assistance."
"Ensign, you were in an old freighter, not a modern battleship, and you had a duty to return here, not run around engaging hostile forces with an unarmored, lightly armed ship full of civilians. And whatever were you thinking when you took an unarmed space tug into a heavily fortified Raider camp, thereby risking the lives of the two civilians that were on board with you, not to mention risking the tug, which happened to be private property?"
"I saw an opportunity to learn the location of the Raider base and gather vital information that Space Command could use in its efforts to locate and defeat the Raiders."
"But instead of immediately returning with that information, you embarked on a dangerous adventure where you secreted eight-hundred metric tons of Corplastizine in the Raider spaceport. Did you have authorization to plant a weapon of mass destruction in that space port?"
"No sir."
"And then, having destroyed what could have been a most valuable and useful asset to the Galactic Alliance, in addition to fifty-four large warships and dozens of valuable passenger liners and cargo ships, you begin flying all over the galaxy in a Space Command battleship, wearing captain's bars, and letting everyone believe that you were a captain by virtue of appointment from Space Command."
"I never told anyone that I was a Space Command appointed Captain."
"Oh, you just wore the rank insignia of a captain."
"Uh, yes."
"And after you had taken prisoners during your little adventure, did you then turn around and mercilessly torture three of them on the bridge of a GSC warship, in clear view of horrified civilian witnesses."
"I had t…"
"Just answer yes or no, Ensign. Did you or did you not intentionally and repeatedly use electric shock devices on Raider prisoners in full view of civilian witnesses."
Jenetta hesitated for a couple of seconds. "Yes."
Commander Pierce nodded and turned to return to his seat. "No further questions."
* * *
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