Clidepp Requital (10 page)

Over the next few hours, Sydnee's mind began to manufacture all kinds of consequences for her decisions and actions while assigned to the
Perry
, ranging from simple reprimands to severe censure, reduction in rank, and loss of pay and privileges. Since she was already assigned to the
Perry
, the dumping ground for misfits and screw-ups, there was little they could do to her assignment-wise except post her to a ground position at a base no one had ever heard of and permanently revoke her pilot credentials. To keep from dwelling on possible punishments, she began to review in her mind all of the events she believed the BOI would be investigating. She wanted to have her answers ready so she could respond without hesitation, but at the same time, she knew that no matter how well she prepared, there were bound to be questions for which she was not prepared.

At 1138, the door to the hearing chamber opened and Captain Lidden emerged. As the door closed, Sydnee rushed to him and asked, "How did it go, sir?"

"I'm not permitted to discuss the hearing with you or anyone not connected to the JAG office. You'll have your opportunity to address the Board after lunch. Be back here at 1300."

"Yes, sir," Sydnee said to his back as he walked to towards the exit.

Sydnee was surprised that none of the
Perry
's officers were in the officers' mess when she arrived, but when she thought about it, she realized it was logical. If they didn't have to appear at the BOI hearing, they had probably either gone home or anywhere where they could enjoy their day dirt-side.

After eating alone, she strolled around the base, heading back to the Judicial Center at 1250. The waiting room was empty when she arrived, so she took her seat and waited.

When the doors to the hearing chamber opened at 1300 and the JAG lieutenant gestured to her, Sydnee rose, straightened her uniform, and followed the lieutenant into the hearing room.

Three SC officers and two Marine officers occupied the chairs on the raised platform. Two of the officers were Rear Admirals (Lower), one was a Marine Brigadier General, and the other two held the rank of SC Captain and Marine Colonel. The three general officers occupied the center seats, with the captain and the colonel sitting on opposing ends. When the JAG lieutenant gestured towards the chairs at the long table facing the hearing officers, Sydnee sat down, then immediately had to rise again to identify herself for the record and take the oath.

Admiral Holden, according to the nameplate on the table in front of him, took a minute to explain that the subject for this day's hearing would be the events that occurred aboard the diplomatic ship,
Darrapralis
.

"Lieutenant," the JAG officer said, picking up a viewpad from the table near the right wall, "I'll be posing the questions from a prepared list, but you'll address your answers to the Board. They can interrupt at any time and directly ask you questions which might be required to clarify your previous statement or to ask you something which might be unrelated to your answer. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Do you have a prepared statement to read to the board regarding the subject which will be covered today or any questions about the procedures?"

"No, ma'am."

"Very well. Let's begin."

Over the next four hours, the board listened to Sydnee's version of what had happened aboard the
Darrapralis
, viewed the video from her helmet cam, and queried her extensively about her motivations.

"That will be all for today, Lieutenant," The JAG officer said after the Board chairman had declared the proceedings in recess for the day. "Be back here tomorrow at 0800."

"Yes, ma'am," Sydnee said as she rose and braced to attention, facing the admirals and captains. She then turned and left the hearing chamber.

Sydnee sat in the waiting room throughout the next two days while the Board began their investigation into what had happened after the
Perry
located the
Abissto
in orbit around Diabolisto. Since she hadn't been aboard the
Perry
when the collision with the
Glassama
occurred, she wasn't called to testify. The Board recessed for the weekend, with plans to resume on Monday morning.

Sydnee debated whether to go home over the weekend but decided against it. It would be a major distraction and she wanted to keep her head clear for Monday in case she was called.

Over the next month, Sydnee spent her weekdays either sitting in the witness waiting room or testifying to the events on Diabolisto or the events in space after she located the damaged
Perry.

The Board of Inquiry finally recessed to consider the testimonies and deliver their findings. Sydnee was required to remain available during all weekdays until further notice in case the Board needed additional testimony. She was too keyed up to go home anyway. The Board hadn't been easy on her. They had pressed her for specifics and motivations for practically every minute of her time on the planet and in space until the
Glassama
was out of action.

The Board had apparently been so thorough that no one was recalled to give additional testimony, but it was twenty-three more days before they issued their preliminary report and recommendations. The Admiralty Board took just one day to review the findings and approve all recommendations.

"Lieutenant (jg) Sydnee Marcola reporting to the Captain as ordered," she said as she entered the office being used by Lidden and braced to attention. Lidden's XO, Commander Bryant, was present and sitting in a side chair.

"At ease, Sydnee," Lidden said. "Have a seat."

Sydnee was a little surprised by the informality. Lidden had used her given name before but only when they were alone in his office. He had once said that when she was told to have a seat, it meant she wasn't in trouble. But on a later occasion he'd told her to forget that because she was in trouble up to her ears. Because of the mixed messages, she was unsure of what was to come.

"Sydnee, the BOI report has not been officially released yet, but they've concluded their investigations and made their recommendations to the Admiralty Board, which then voted to approve all recommendations. Following the AB vote, certain information was relayed to me with the stipulation that it have limited distribution until the official report is released. At this time, only you and Commander Bryant will be briefed.

"First, the Board has confirmed that your actions aboard the
Darrapralis
were right and proper for the situation. That was almost a given since the Admiralty Board had already reviewed the incident and ruled. But now the official record will state that even key government members in the Clidepp Empire have been privately buying and selling Terran slaves while publicly denying all allegations. The recovered victims were deposed in the hospital as they were being treated and their testimony has become part of the BOI official report. The Empire will never again be able to deny any involvement in perpetuating the slavery problems."

"Um, does that give us the right to free them if we encounter any ships holding slaves?"

"Ships in GA space do not have immunity from slavery laws, except diplomatic ships."

"So the situation has not improved, sir?"

"On the contrary. The GA is pushing the Empire to officially renounce slavery and free all slaves. Unfortunately, they're presently involved in a civil war and we can't expect any legal remedy until the issue of who will control the Empire is settled. Eventually it will be settled, and if the new governing body doesn't adopt the proposed ban and free all slaves, they will find the GA unresponsive to their needs and calls for assistance as they try to rebuild their nation after what we expect will be a horrible, protracted war."

"Um, that's something I suppose."

"It's a great deal more than just something. It's not going to happen right away, but it's going to happen, and we'll be out there to help keep an eye on it.

"Second, the Board, on recommendation from the Mars shipyard engineers, has decided not to repair the
Perry
. It will be stripped of its weapons and armament, then scrapped and recycled. The crew will be reassigned to another ship with orders to return to the sectors we've been patrolling."

"Um, the
entire
crew, sir?"

"Most, as far as I know at this time. Those details are still being decided. A couple of the Marines have reached the end of their enlistment and haven't re-upped yet. There will be one SC officer leaving the ship. Lieutenant Bronson, for failing to react properly during the envelope merge, will be reduced in rank to ensign and reassigned to a post dirt-side."

Being posted dirt-side was about the worst thing that could happen to a bridge officer. It was even worse than the loss of rank.

"That's too bad," Sydnee said.

"He was mainly responsible for the damage to the
Perry
. He only lost his concentration for an instant, but it was the precise instant when his concentration was of paramount importance. If he had dissolved the envelope when he was supposed to, the damage to both ships would have been considerably mitigated and perhaps even non-existent."

"Um, and the rest of the crew, sir?"

"I have been absolved of any responsibility for the initial damage to the
Perry
. The Board ruled that I was performing correctly in accordance with established procedures. My last orders to Lt. Kennedy was that he should perform recon activities only until support arrived, so I'm not being held responsible for the deaths on Diabolisto. I will be given command of the ship assigned to patrol the sectors along the Clidepp border, with Commander Bryant as my XO.

"A number of Purple Hearts will be awarded for injuries sustained during battle, and you'll be receiving a Purple Heart for the injury to your arm. All members of the
Abissto
crew, who performed so valiantly under your command, will receive a GA Star for coming to the rescue of the
Perry
in a severely undermanned and partially disabled ship. Depending on their branch of service, that will either be the SC Star or the Marine Star.

"For your actions and bravery on Diabolisto and throughout the entire period, including preparing the
Abissto
for our use and captaining the ship during the battle, you'll be receiving, in addition to your SC Star, the Bronze Comet. A number of the
Perry's
crew will also receive commendations for acts of selfless bravery during the attacks. And lastly, a commendation has been added to your file for your actions and fast thinking that prevented injures to the captured medical staff during the recent prisoner insurrection aboard the
Babbage
."

"Um, thank you, sir."

"All I did was make the recommendation. The Board agreed that you deserve it and approved the recommendation."

"Um, thank you for the recommendation, sir. Do we know what ship we'll be getting, sir? I hope it isn't the
Tokyo
."

Lidden and Bryant both chuckled.

"No, it's not the
Tokyo
," Lidden said. "We'll be sailing on the
Denver
, GSC-DS2026."

"DS2026?" she said, her eyes lighting up. "A Dakinium-sheathed Destroyer?"

"Yep," Lidden said with a grin, "a brand new
Lyon
-class DS Destroyer that's being christened in several weeks."

"Wow!"

"Wow, indeed. Captain Bersmeister is mad as hell; he was supposed to get the next DS Destroyer. But the Admiralty Board decided that with things worsening in the Clidepp border area, our crew has to get back out there as quickly as possible. And they acknowledge that we'll need the newest ship available to handle the influx of refugees and control potential border skirmishes between the Empire and the rebels. Bersmeister will get the next destroyer off the line and everyone else in the queue will slip down by one position. The situation isn't so bad, though. I understand the Mars shipyard is currently turning out a new, full-sized warship every few weeks and at least one new Scout-Destroyer every single week.

"The Scout-Destroyers have proven to be invaluable in fighting most of the threats facing the GA, but they can hardly fit every need. Admiral Carver used them effectively as her primary weapon in the war against the THUG-pact members because they're highly maneuverable, completely resistant to laser weapons, and almost indestructible against torpedoes. As a result, Light Destroyers, Light Cruisers, and Frigates have been completely phased out, and the Destroyers have been increased almost to the size of the former Frigates. The
Lyon
-class Destroyer is 580 meters in length and 280 thousand tons with 18 decks. The crew complement is 958, and the ship has a top speed of Light-9793.48. I've also learned that our ship designers have come up with some interesting variations on other ship classes."

"Really? Like what, sir."

"We'll save that for later. The only reason I brought it up is because the design-modification training is going to cut into your leave time. I'm sorry to inform you that there won't be time for an extended visit home for any of us. Today is Friday, and I need everyone to begin training on the
Denver
next week so we're ready for our space trials in two weeks. You should be starting on Monday, but I've excused you for that day. However, you'll have to be aboard the
Denver
on Tuesday at 0800, alert and ready for training classes. That means just three and a half days leave."

"Um, I understand, sir. Three and a half days is enough time. I usually start getting antsy after two days with my mother. I love her, but she drives me crazy sometimes because she's always after me to resign my commission."

"Really? You still have about five years left for your educational requirements."

"My stepfather has a lot of pull with politicians, and he says he can get me a job in a Space Command support role that will allow me a special exemption so I can leave the service immediately. I've told him I don't want to leave the service, but my mother keeps nagging him, so he keeps offering to
help
me resign."