Swords and Saddles (22 page)

“Thank you, captain. No more questions.”

Commander Carr walked over to stand before Captain Dila. “Sir, when you did the analysis of the attackers’ plans, did you discover a major error on their part in the execution of their plan?”

Dila frowned in thought. “You mean the fourth water tank?”

“Yes, sir. The fourth water tank. The attackers blew open three water tanks, is that correct? But instead of blowing open a fourth, they instead set their charges against a bulkhead with no water tank behind it.”

“That’s right.” Dila leaned forward, pointing at the schematic. “You see, they must have been working off of old station plans. A year old at least. In the intervening period, there’d been some internal modifications to increase structural stability, storage capacity and other things. On the old plans, that bulkhead confined the fourth water tank. But the tank’s limits were moved a great deal to port, you see here, on the far side and a little to port on the near side. The work was finished about three months before the attack. Of course, the tactic might still have worked. The fourth tank was insurance, to guarantee the station’s destruction, but the three they did blow open could have done the job.”

Carr shook her head, looking perplexed. “But they didn’t. Weren’t the bulkheads marked with standard identifying data?”

“Absolutely. The bulkhead the attackers blew open was labeled spares storage and the new one was labeled liquid storage. All according to regulation. But the attackers undoubtedly had orders laid out in their data pads specifying exactly what to do and where, so that’s what they did.”

Commander Carr seemed skeptical. “The attackers ignored clear identifying signs and instead followed orders exactly?”

“That’s right. When we analyzed their actions based on damage and time lines and all the other available evidence it became clear that they moved very quickly and precisely for the first part of their attack, but when something unexpected was encountered they didn’t seem to know what to do. Like when they captured engineering central and found all of the consoles shut down. They apparently just waited there afterwards until the Marines came through.” Dila waved vaguely. “We consulted with experts on terrorism, and they all concurred that the people sent on suicide attacks like this aren’t leaders or even particularly bright. As one of the experts said, they’re smart enough to pull a trigger and dumb enough to believe what their leaders tell them about how great it is to die. So these attackers certainly came in with a detailed plan specifying exactly what to do and where to do it. Even though every data pad carried by the attackers was destroyed or wiped we can be certain of that because of our analysis of their actions. They blew that bulkhead there because that’s what their orders called for. They may well not even have known
why
they were blowing holes where they did.”

“They were just following orders,” Carr observed. “Exactly following orders.”

“Right. Exactly. That’s a good word.”

“Sir, some of the charges allege that Chief Sharpe’s failure to engage one attacker increased the chances the station would be destroyed. Do you agree with that as an engineer?”

Dila scrunched up his face, one hand rising to rub his neck. “Just one? Where was this? When? I find it hard to believe – Was it when the attackers were first entering the station? At the access trunks?”

Major Hue rose and shook his head. “No, sir. We’ll provide a full accounting of that incident to the members lat –“

“If it wasn’t then and there I really can’t say. Seems odd. Lieutenant Shen? What do you think?”

Jen barely kept from reflexively replying to her commanding officer’s question before the judge rapped his gavel on the bench. “I’m sorry, captain,” Halstead said, “but Lieutenant Shen hasn’t been called as a witness in this case and cannot testify.”

“Well, all right,” Captain Dila conceded. “But you really ought to ask her, too.”

Commander Carr nodded with a serious expression. “Thank you, captain.”

Judge Halstead gave a narrow-eyed look at Carr as she returned to her seat, then glanced at Major Hue. “Does Trial Counsel wish to redirect?”

“Briefly, Your Honor.” Hue stood up but didn’t leave his table. “Captain Dila, notwithstanding the attackers’ failure to blow open the fourth water tank, didn’t the response to the attack still require the utmost speed? Could any delay have been fatal?”

“Yes. Didn’t I already say that? That’s why Lieutenant Shen’s –“

“Thank you, captain. Were there any uncertainties in your engineering analysis of the threat to the station?”

Dila appeared once again puzzled by the question. “There’s always uncertainties, though the scale of them varies.”

“Then you can’t be one hundred percent certain that one individual’s actions couldn’t have made a difference one way or the other.”

“No. Not one hundred percent,” Dila agreed.

“Do the members of the court have questions for the witness?” the judge asked.

LCDR Nasser nodded respectfully to Captain Dila. “Sir, what’s the margin of error in your engineering analysis of the results of the attack?”

“Plus or minus one percent,” Dila answered instantly.

“Then there’s only a one percent chance of significant variation from your results?”

“Yes.”

“Including the possibility that one individual’s actions could have significantly worsened the results of the attack?”

“Right. Are you an experienced engineer, commander?

“No, sir,” Nasser replied. “I work in Operations.”

“You seem to have a good grasp of things despite that,” Dila observed.

“The members have no further questions,” LCDR Nasser said, one corner of his mouth twitching as he obviously fought down a smile.

Major Hue took a few deep breaths as Dila left the courtroom. “The prosecution calls as its next witness Colonel James Lamont, United States Marine Corps.”

Lamont marched to the witness stand as if assaulting an objective, took the oath, then waited, sitting at attention.

Major Hue gestured toward the large projection of Franklin still displayed on one side of the courtroom. “Colonel, did you lead the team analyzing the military aspects of the attack on this station on 6 July?”

“Yes, I did, major.”

Hue held up his data pad. “Trial Counsel would like to introduce the military analysis into the court’s record. Colonel, could you please explain how the attack on Franklin on 6 July developed?”

“Certainly.” Colonel Lamont hunched forward slightly to study the diagram, then nodded and began speaking, using pointers to indicate parts of the image. “The terrorists were launched inside individual stealth pods with just enough power to keep them alive for the duration of their transit. The mass and velocity of individual pods and their shielding were carefully designed to avoid being detected by the station sensors watching for approaching objects. There’s no doubt they must have been launched from one of the merchant ships transiting this area well above Franklin Naval Station’s orbit, using spring launchers or something similar which provided no signature for us to detect. Whoever planned the attack must have extensively observed and analyzed the station’s defenses to identify a path and means of approach which would avoid those defenses.”

Lamont indicated an area on top of Franklin’s disc, not too far from the hollow core. “They landed in this area between zero one twenty two and zero one twenty four universal solar time. They tried to spoof the locks on the access trunks here and here, but failed because the security protocols had been changed within the last year. The attackers then blew open the access trunks at zero one thirty one, providing the first clear indication of their presence, and entered the station. They subsequently resealed the breaches in the access trunks to keep the water they freed from its tanks from being sucked out into space.”

The three-dimensional schematic of Franklin’s interior pivoted. “During the next several minutes the attackers fired EMP bursts down passageways they used or passed, burning out sensors, lines and junctions. Within a couple of minutes the station was effectively blind to events in a spreading area while the duty watch standers tried to determine what was going on. The station’s emergency response teams were called out at zero one thirty eight as mandated by standing orders in the event of possible external or internal threat activity, but were being deployed without any idea of the nature of the threat. Fortunately, at zero one forty two, Franklin’s command structure received the first clear confirmation that an attack was underway, as well as descriptions of the attackers.”

Lamont paused, his eyes going to Jen, and he nodded approvingly to her before returning to the diagram. “The attackers had occupied this entire area before the Marines on the USS
Belleau Wood
were called out for combat employment at zero one forty four.” Red blotches appeared in scores of places on the schematic. “Explosives brought by the attackers blew open tanks, bulkheads and partitions in many places while the station emergency response teams contained the threat and the Marines deployed for their counterattack.”

“Marine counterattacks went in here, here, here and here beginning at zero two one five. Resistance was fanatical, with all but two of the attackers fighting to the death, the two survivors being too badly wounded to suicide. By zero three zero two, all resistance had ceased. Subsequent sweeps confirmed that all attackers had been neutralized. None of their equipment or persons contained any identifying data, and analysis of their equipment indicates a mix of raw materials and components whose geographic origin could not be established. Neither of the two survivors appears to know where they were trained or anything about the ship which launched them.” Lamont leaned back, waiting for further questions.

Major Hue indicated the schematic. “Was victory certain, colonel?”

“Victory is never certain, major.”

“Our defending forces suffered casualties.”

“Correct. Four masters-at-arms dead, several others wounded, and nine Marines wounded.”

“Could we have lessened the number of casualties if we’d waited a little longer before counterattacking?” Major Hue asked.

“Probably. But we didn’t have the luxury of time.”

Hue nodded, his face grim. “Colonel, if you give an order, do you expect it to be obeyed?”

“Of course I do,” Lamont replied.

“Do you regard an order given in combat to be any different?”

“Different?” Lamont studied Major Hue. “No. An order is an order. If anything, combat increases the need to know that your orders will be obeyed promptly and correctly.”

Major nodded again. “No further questions.”

Commander Carr approached the Marine colonel respectfully. “Colonel Lamont, you reported that between zero one thirty three and zero one fifty nine the attackers were blowing open tanks, bulkheads and partitions in the areas they controlled.”

“That’s correct.”

“In other words, the attackers began their demolition activity before the station emergency response teams had even been called out, and continued it until a short time before the Marine counterattack went in.”

“That’s also correct, commander.”

Carr paused, looking at the schematic. “Did the attackers try to break through the defensive perimeter established by the emergency response teams?”

The Marine shook his head. “No. As best we can tell they stopped trying to take new areas by zero two hundred at the latest.”

“By zero two hundred at the latest the attackers had gained control of as much of the station as they desired?” Carr asked.

“Objection!” Major Hue pointed at Carr. “Defense Counsel is asking the witness to speculate on matters about which he can have no certain knowledge.”

“Objection sustained,” Halstead replied immediately. “Counsel for the defense is to ensure her questions are framed appropriately.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Carr, seeming unabashed, focused on Lamont again. “Colonel, did the attackers give any indication after zero two hundred that they desired to gain control of more of the station?”

This time Lamont shook his head decisively. “No, commander.”

“Was there any indication that the attackers planned to survive the action?”

Lamont snorted. “No. As the report indicates, those who could suicided rather than be captured.”

“Then they didn’t cease offensive action out of fear of dying in the attempt to seize more of the station? Before zero two hundred they had already done what they needed to do?”

“Objection!” Major Hue gestured toward Carr. “Defense Counsel is once again asking the witness to speculate, this time as to the mindset of dead men and women.”

“Your Honor,” Carr stated, “I believe the question is firmly grounded in established facts, that the attackers had ceased offensive action and that they did not act in fear of dying during the attack. Surely a Marine colonel is capable of drawing expert conclusions from those facts.”

“No one can know why the attackers chose to do or not to do any action or actions,” Hue insisted. “None of them can testify to their motives.”

“Their established actions testify for them,” Carr argued.

Halstead rapped his bench lightly with his gavel. “Both counsels make good points. But Defense Counsel has already established the point she wished to make. Objection sustained. Let’s move on, Defense Counsel.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Carr faced Lamont again. “Colonel, you reviewed all of the records of the fighting on this station on 6 July? What shape were those records in?”

“While the Marine records were fully intact, the records of the station and its personnel often suffered from gaps and interruptions caused by the damage to the station’s sensors and various forms of interference.”

Carr nodded. “Have you personally been in combat, Colonel Lamont?”

Lamont smiled very briefly, indicating his ribbons. “A few times, commander.”

Walking over to the schematic, Carr indicated the symbols representing station defenders. “Colonel, to what extent did you evaluate the actions of individual defenders? How well or appropriately each responded to whatever they encountered?”