Starbound (Lightship Chronicles)

by Dave Bara

  “What the hell is going on?” I asked.

  “I wish I knew,” she responded, taking my hand. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?” she said with some concern in her voice, enough for me to take it seriously.

  “No, they’ve been respectful. Should I be worried about that?” I said. She shook her head.

  “I don’t know, and I don’t know what’s going on. My lawyer has told me only that he thinks the court wants to be lenient with me, but that means they want to come down hard on you.”

  “Your lawyer is Claus Poulsen’s brother. It’s clear he hates me. He also made it clear that the Carinthian Navy wants to keep you as a resource for information to use against the Union Navy,” I said.

  “Like hell I’ll let myself be used like that. I haven’t resigned my commission and they haven’t tried to force me to do so. I won’t cooperate,” she said.

  “You should think about that,” I replied. “Agreeing to serve in the Carinthian Navy could get you off the hook.”

  “And what about you?” I shook my head.

  “I still have my royal standing. Perhaps it will suffice for them to convict me, hold me for a time, and then send me home in disgrace,” I said.

  “I wouldn’t bet on that.” I had no reply, so she continued. “What’s really going on? Is what Zander said true? Is Carinthia on the verge of a civil war?” she asked. I shrugged.

  “It could be. Some sort of renegade faction within the Carinthian military. But if it is that, then they have broad control and sweeping powers. They have High Station One locked down, and they have the cachet to kidnap the official representative of both the Union Navy and the Quantar government and stash us here,” I said. She looked very concerned.

  “I think you have to be very careful in there, Peter. Don’t take responsibility for things you didn’t do. They want your scalp. Don’t give it to them to protect me,” Dobrina said.

  “What can they do to me really? Hold me here?” I said. “They risk war with both Quantar and Earth if they try anything that brazen. I think this is brinksmanship. In the end they’ll find me guilty of something and maybe kick me off the planet, if what they’re trying to do is put cracks in the Union alliance. But that’s as far as they can go, nothing more.”

  She shook her head at me. “Don’t be so sure.” I kissed her then, on the forehead, for reassurance.

  “You take care of yourself in there,” I said. “Don’t worry about me.”

  “But—” I cut her off with another kiss, this time on the lips, just as a knock came at the door. A Feldjäger entered.

  “It is time,” he said. We both stood and I followed Dobrina out. We were taken back, under guard, to the same room where we had met the unpleasant Feldjäger colonel on our arrival. He was there again, seated across the room from us at a long wooden table. He was flanked by two assistants, a young man and a woman. Dobrina was escorted to a table in the center of the room, which had two chairs, one for her and the other occupied already by Karl Poulsen. I was seated at a table by myself. A dozen MPs spread about the room were the only others present besides the court participants. A large table with three empty chairs faced us, flanked by the Carinthian standard black and green flag with the double eagle on one side of the table and the Carinthian Navy flag on the other. The room, thankfully, had been outfitted with half a dozen space heaters.

  After ten minutes of waiting, an MP went to the main table and rang a naval bell three times. At this we all stood and a back door opened as three Carinthian Navy officers came through. By their looks they were all elderly, no doubt career men, and no doubt picked for their loyalty to the cause, whatever that may be. The one in the center seemed like a rock of a man, with a bristling crew cut of hair that still held some of its youthful black against an advancing army of gray. They all sat down and we followed suit. The man in the center, an admiral by rank, tapped a gavel three times and then spoke in Standard from prepared remarks, not looking up from the text.

  “I am Vice-Admiral Commack. I am the presiding judge of this tribunal. Vice-Admirals Sostek and Grunar will serve as associate judges. The charges before this court are severe and carry the heaviest of penalties. Both parties under court jurisdiction will be given a fair trial with the opportunity to respond in their own defense. By Carinthian Navy law Captain Kierkopf is provided with legal counsel. Under that same law, Mr. Cochrane, being an agent of a foreign government, is not extended the same privilege. Do you both understand?” he said, again without looking up.

  At Poulsen’s prompting Dobrina stood and responded, “Yes,” then sat back down. I said nothing and stayed in place.

  “Do you understand, Mr. Cochrane?” said the admiral without looking at me. The room stayed silent for several moments. Finally I said:

  “I understand, but I do not agree.”

  “Agree with what?” demanded Admiral Commack, looking up at me for the first time from under wire-rimmed glasses. I stood and absently buttoned my uniform jacket just to make him wait.

  “Firstly, sir, if this is a naval proceeding, you will address me by my rank, which is commander. But beyond that, I demand that you address me by the title that I undertook for this mission, which is Duke of KendalFalk, in which case you may refer to me as Sire, or Your Highness,” I said.

  He started to turn red at this. “This court will do no such thing,” he retorted.

  “Then I want that dishonor noted for the record,” I replied. Commack took off his glasses and looked directly at me.

  “Look around you, Mr. Cochrane. Do you see a court recorder?”

  I scanned the room. There was none. I did note what was undoubtedly an observation camera in one corner of the ceiling though.

  Commack smiled. “May we go on, Mr. Cochrane?” he said. Seeing no other opportunity, I sat back down. Dobrina gave me a displeased frown, no doubt upset that I was drawing the court’s wrath on myself, but I was determined to protect her at any cost.

  “Colonel Kobin,” said Commack to the prosecutor, “would you be so good as to read the formal charges?”

  Kobin read the formal charges against Dobrina, which ranged from abandoning her post to malicious neglect of her duty and fraternization. That last one stung and was no doubt aimed at me. He also read an extensive list against me.

  “Mr. Cochrane, as the agent of a foreign government, left his post as interim commander of Impulse to engage in a poorly planned rescue mission of the damaged shuttles at Levant, a mission which focused first and foremost on the rescue of Captain Kierkopf, with whom he was having an improper sexual liaison in violation of fraternization regulations. This act delayed the rescue of Captain Lucius Zander and his pilot, Ensign Claus Poulsen. This delay led directly to the death of Ensign Poulsen, a fine young Carinthian officer.” I watched as Karl Poulsen shifted uncomfortably at the mention of his brother’s name. Colonel Kobin continued.

  “Ultimately this neglect led to Impulse coming under attack by Imperial forces in the Levant system and forcing her retreat from the shuttle rescue operation. Because of this attack, Impulse’s Historian was forced to abandon ship in his yacht in order to keep her hyperdimensional drive from falling into the hands of enemy forces.” Now this was new. The rogue Earth Historian Tralfane was the major player in the hijacking and destruction of Impulse by our view of things. I wondered where this new information could have come from. I shot a glance at Dobrina, who caught my eye before turning her attention back to the charges against me.

  “The prosecution will prove that this act of neglect by Mr. Cochrane of the Union Navy led directly to the loss of Impulse and the death or abandonment of her entire crew in the Altos system. This act is a capital offense, and carries with it the ultimate punishment. The prosecution will seek said punishment when Mr. Cochrane is found guilty: death,” said Kobin in a simple, matter-of fact tone. Then he sat down. Dobrina’s face was full of worry. I tr
ied to calm her with a look of reassurance, but in reality I was stunned by Kobin’s statement of intent as well.

  Admiral Commack nodded to Karl Poulsen. “Your opening statement on behalf of Captain Kierkopf, Mr. Poulsen,” he said. Poulsen rose and straightened his uniform jacket, his lanky frame perfectly erect.

  “My client, Captain Kierkopf, has had a fine record of service in both the Carinthian Navy and then following that the Union Navy. Nothing in the charges against her are in line with either that record or her known character. I could bring multiple witnesses of this strong character, but I will spare this tribunal that time and simply note the many references I have already filed in my brief.” At this he turned to me. “Let it be stated clearly now and for the record that Captain Kierkopf was the victim of this man,” he pointed at me, “and his negligent actions at every turn. If Mr. Cochrane had followed both his orders and his duty the crew of Impulse would still be alive. My brother would still be alive, and Captain Kierkopf would not be here facing these charges. I ask the court to place blame where it clearly lies, in the lap of this man, Commander Peter Cochrane of Quantar.” With that he sat down. Dobrina started to speak but Commack cut her off with a wave of the hand.

  “You have spoken through your counsel, Captain, and you will not be allowed to speak again unless you designate yourself as counsel, which would be in defiance of this tribunal’s recommendations,” he said.

  She stood up quickly. “I do so request this of the court,” she said, barely under control. Commack looked right at her.

  “Denied,” he said. “Shall we move on to witnesses?” She shot me a look, but I waved her off with a hand gesture. We needed to pick our fights carefully. What happened next though, was a shock.

  Kobin rose and in his even tone said, “Prosecution calls Ship’s Historian Tralfane of H.M.S. Impulse.”

  “What?” said Dobrina out loud. We both turned to see a door at the rear of the room open and the primary villain in our comrade’s death walk through the threshold. I was on my feet and then being restrained by the Feldjäger MPs before I could control my reaction. How Tralfane had found himself in this place as a witness against both Dobrina and me was the main question. We had presumed he was in the hands of the Imperial forces he had given up the crew of Impulse to. A presumption that was now clearly incorrect on our part.

  He gave his cloak to an MP and then proceeded past both of us, moving slowly between our tables without looking at us or acknowledging our existence at all, then taking his place at the makeshift witness stand. I was forced back into my chair, each of the MPs keeping a firm hand on my shoulders.

  “Bastard!” Dobrina shot out.

  “Restrain your client, Colonel Poulsen!” demanded Commack, pounding his gavel. Poulsen forced Dobrina back into her chair and whispered to her vigorously, making firm hand gestures. For my part I simply glared at the man, wishing for all the world I had a coil pistol to dispatch him quickly. But restrained as I was by the heavy hands of the two MPs, such an outcome seemed unlikely.

  After the usual requests for the witness to identify himself, Kobin went right into questioning Tralfane.

  “On or about the date of 2768.12.30 CE were you involved in the mission of the Lightship H.M.S. Impulse to the Levant system?” he asked.

  “I was,” replied Tralfane. His appearance hadn’t changed at all. He still struck a tall, stoic and heartless figure, one ruled by his own intent, almost as if he was a god deigning to be dragged into the affairs of mere mortals. It wasn’t just arrogance, but a firm belief in his own superiority to those he stood before that came through the most, as I’d never seen it before. Clearly, whatever had transpired after he had abandoned Impulse, he was none the worse for wear.

  “Did Mr. Cochrane, during the series of events in the Levant system, put a fully charged coil pistol to your head?” said Kobin. No pulling punches here.

  “He did,” replied Tralfane.

  “And did he also abandon his post as designated commander of Impulse to affect the rescue of the shuttle commanded by Captain Kierkopf?” asked Kobin. Again Tralfane answered in the affirmative. “And to your knowledge, were Mr. Cochrane and Captain Kierkopf, then a commander aboard Impulse, engaged in a sexual liaison against navy regulations?” I glanced at Dobrina. The look on her face was one of seething hatred.

  “They were, as she was also previously involved with Mr. Cochrane’s brother,” said Tralfane coldly. That was an outright lie. Our affair hadn’t started until our rehabilitation assignment, when we were both officially “on leave” from Starbound. I wanted to punch him, to defend my lady’s honor, and my brother’s. The MPs seemed to sense this and tightened their pressure on me.

  “And do you feel this had an impact on the decision Mr. Cochrane made to rescue her first?” asked Kobin.

  “Undoubtedly,” Tralfane said, almost casually.

  “May I speak?” I said, interrupting. This led to a sharp round of gavel pounding by Commack.

  “This is not your designated time, Mr. Cochrane. You will get a chance to make your statement when the prosecution has finished with reporting its facts!” Of course those facts were highly questionable, but there was one ring of truth in all this; I did have a budding relationship with Dobrina, and it did impact my decisions, but not to rescue her shuttle first. That part was untrue, and Tralfane of all people knew it.

  Then Kobin started in a different direction.

  “Please tell us what transpired aboard Impulse after the failed rescue attempt by Mr. Cochrane that resulted in the death of Ensign Poulsen,” he said.

  Tralfane shrugged, a practiced gesture for certain. “With Mr. Cochrane off the ship and Captain Zander either seriously injured or dead, I had to take care of Impulse as best I could,” he said. That almost made me laugh. Almost. “Impulse was experiencing a degradation of her HD containment field, and I had to move her away from the area where she had been attacked.”

  “Did you consider Impulse still in danger?” asked Kobin.

  “Yes,” nodded Tralfane. “Grave danger.”

  “Go on.”

  Tralfane cleared his throat, again in a practiced manner.

  “With the containment field in jeopardy of collapse, my first thought was of the crew of course. I decided to move Impulse away from the danger zone and take her closer to Levant to see if we could make repairs. With no shuttles left aboard, rescue of Captain Zander or the commander would have to be a secondary priority, and to be frank I didn’t really care what happened to Cochrane, who had taken Impulse’s Downship for his own purposes,” he said, looking in my direction with disdain. “When we were a few hours out from Levant, the HD drive became critical and I had to start depleting the crystal for the safety of the ship and her crew.” I knew this was a lie. The main HD drive had come through the displacement wave attack with minimal damage thanks to my own actions and was running smoothly when I left on my rescue mission.

  “Running on the secondary drive was taxing on Impulse’s systems, damaged as we were in the displacement wave attack we were led into by Captain Zander. At this point we were then taken over by a tracking control system, something of Imperial design, a relic of the old empire. Debilitated as we were, we were unable to break away from this system and Impulse was dragged into the automated jump point generator at Levant prime and propelled to Altos, where her fate was then unknown to me,” Tralfane finished.

  “And how did it come to pass that you were not with Impulse when she jumped?” asked Kobin. Tralfane shifted, his face displaying what I could only conclude was mock guilt for abandoning the crew of Impulse to their fate in the Altos system.

  “I detached from Impulse in the yacht, prior to it going through the gate, to keep the yacht and the HD drive aboard her out of the hands of any potential hostile forces on the other side of that jump gate. Impulse still had several days of battery power left, more than enough to
keep her going until we could mount a rescue, so it was agreed that I would take the yacht and make my way to the natural jump point of Levant and began a series of jumps back here, finally arriving at High Station Three. Unfortunately, by the time I got here it was too late. Starbound had already gone through the gate at the Union Navy’s order and then Cochrane here destroyed Impulse during the attack by an Imperial dreadnought in Altos space,” he finished.

  Kobin looked down at his notes, as if considering what more to ask. It was an award-winning performance. “Thank you, Mr. Tralfane,” he finally said, then turned to Commack. “No more questions at this time.” Commack nodded and then looked to Karl Poulsen. Poulsen took the signal and stood, never leaving the area of his desk. He shuffled through his papers for a few moments as Dobrina and I exchanged worried glances.

  “Mr. Tralfane, during the planning aboard Impulse for the mission to the Levant system, did you see or observe Captain Kierkopf do anything that implied negligence of her duties?” he finally said. Tralfane struck a thoughtful pose before responding.

  “No,” Tralfane said, “but the rumors of her tryst with Cochrane were all over the ship.”

  “That is not the question I asked,” said Poulsen sharply. “Did you see anything in the performance of Captain Kierkopf’s duties that implied negligence?”

  “No,” Tralfane conceded.

  “And would you say that the initial attack on Impulse in the Levant system was a direct result of Captain Zander’s ignoring of his orders not to engage potential dangers to his ship?” Dobrina shifted in her chair at this. I could tell she was not happy with this line of questions.

  “If you are asking my opinion, which is all I can offer, then yes, Captain Zander was responsible for putting Impulse in the line of fire,” said Tralfane. Tralfane had no love for my first captain, that was certain.