Legacy of the Argus

by E. R. Torre

  When the Prosecutor’s arguments ended, Inquisitor Raven spoke.

  “The defendant is offered a chance for rebuttal,” he said. “Inquisitor Cer, do you have anything to add?”

  Inquisitor Cer rose.

  “There is nothing I wish to offer, Inquisitor,” she said. “My life is at the court’s mercy.”

  “Then we will have a break,” Inquisitor Raven said. “During this time, the judges will deliberate the case before presenting their findings.”

  It took the judges less than an hour to sift through the evidence and, by that fact alone, Inquisitor Cer knew their verdict was not good.

  Inquisitor Raven returned to his place at the head of the court’s table. He motioned to the Security Guards and the judges also returned to their places. Inquisitor Cer watched them. They did not look back at her.

  “Have you reached a verdict?” Inquisitor Raven asked the judges.

  The lead judge produced a sealed envelope.

  “We have.”

  “Present it,” Inquisitor Raven said.

  The lead judge handed the envelope to Inquisitor Raven. He opened it and read the verdict. He did not react to what he read and, for several seconds, was dead silent. His silence lingered to the point it elevated the tension within the conference room. After a while, the lead judge said:

  “Is our verdict not clear, Inquisitor?”

  Inquisitor Raven put the paper back in its place and sealed the envelope.

  “It is clear,” Inquisitor Raven said. “Thank you for your time and consideration.”

  Inquisitor Raven set the envelope down before him. He took several deep breaths before again speaking.

  “While you’ve been deliberating, so too have I. As the highest ranking Phaecian officer and only Inquisitor on this panel, my options are plain. I can defer to the judges and accept and abide by their verdict. However, as this matter involves a fellow Inquisitor there is precedent for Inquisitors to administer matters of justice between themselves. I have decided that in this case, I will invoke my right to judicial override.”

  There were gasps in the chamber and the galley stirred. The Panel of Six Judges, unlike those in the galley, maintained their composure.

  “This is your right,” the lead judge said.

  “Thank you,” Inquisitor Raven said.

  The chamber grew very silent and Inquisitor Raven continued.

  “A judge in any trial should be impartial and the matter involving Inquisitor Cer is clearly very personal to me. The results of Inquisitor Cer’s actions are well known and my pain… my pain is still so very raw. But I should not –I must not– allow it to influence my decision. I also know there are many who wonder why we’ve bothered with this trial. For all we know, the Phaecian and Epsillon Empires are in flames as we speak and the Wake and the Cygnusa are the last battleships left.”

  “Yet even in the face of apocalypse, I cannot abrogate my duties. Should we return to the Empires at some unknown future time and find them relatively intact, the matter of Inquisitor Cer will have to be dealt with by another court. How long must Inquisitor Cer be forced to wait? What if we never return? Is it fair for the accused to remain locked up indefinitely with this matter hanging over her head? No. This situation is best dealt with right here and right now and by the rules of the Holy Text, any verdict reached in these chambers is final and cannot be reviewed. Inquisitor Cer, please stand.”

  Inquisitor Cer did so.

  “In the matter before us, there is no doubt you were a part of Overlord Octo’s retinue. Your association with him extends to a period of three years. This is correct, is it not?”

  “It is, Inquisitor,” Inquisitor Cer said.

  “The crimes Overlord Octo admitted to perpetrating, the vile sex slave organization he and members of his party and, most disgracefully, some within both the Phaecian and Epsillon Empire, operated on for years happened and, again according to the records, terminated well before you joined him. I ask now and for the record, Inquisitor Cer, when did you first become aware of Overlord Octo’s actions?”

  “Shortly before we arrived in the Longshore Shipping Lanes, approximately two weeks ago.”

  “And upon learning of his crimes, you claim Overlord Octo tried to assassinate you.”

  “He did.”

  “After failing to stop you and when confronted, Overlord Octo took responsibility for his actions and tried to destroy the Xendos and everyone on board.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “You alone survived Overlord Octo’s actions and feared the search party sent to find you, the search party led by the Cygnusa, would not allow you to be captured alive.” Inquisitor Raven paused and lowered his head. “In this, you were correct. Overlord Emeritus –the being we now know as the Prototype– had no intention of allowing you to be captured and brought to trial. Whether by my hand or others, you were not meant to leave the Longshore Shipping Lanes alive, something admitted to me by Inquisitor Fulano of the HPB Reverie. His vessel was hidden there while we searched for the Xendos. He told me he was ordered by the Prototype to destroy the Cygnusa or any ship that should capture you alive.”

  There were gasps from the stands. Inquisitor Raven let the chatter die down before continuing.

  “Inquisitor Cer, if I judge you guilty, there will be questions whether I allowed personal and professional influences affect my judgment. If I find you not guilty, there will be questions as to whether I have given in to the pressures of the events currently surrounding us. There are many here who have seen their fill of destruction and death and are sick of it and sick of the idea that you, Inquisitor Cer, should be punished for actions you did not known about nor were a party to. So, if I declare you innocent, is this because it is the easiest thing for me to do? Am I willing to ignore the proper charges brought against you? As an Inquisitor and Commander of this vessel, I choose to balance these issues while searching for the proper, the just, verdict.”

  “Inquisitor Cer, your actions, while justified, are nonetheless soiled by your association with Overlord Octo. You may not have known what he was involved in before joining his entourage, but is it not the role of an Inquisitor to research these things and act upon them? Ignorance is not –and cannot– be an excuse. You should have checked Overlord Octo. You should have found, and exposed, the darkness in his past, rather than let events do so for you.”

  “And yet,” Inquisitor Raven continued. “Did not I –and indeed every single Inquisitor of the Phaecian Empire– find ourselves in the very same situation with regard to Overlord Emeritus? Did we not also miss the evil hiding under the surface? Was not my own personal tragedy the result of the very ignorance I am today judging you on?”

  Inquisitor Raven paused. He shook his head.

  “To find you guilty, Inquisitor Cer, I must find myself, and every single Inquisitor who followed Overlord Emeritus, guilty as well. Should we survive these dark times, we will be tasked to at the very least re-examine our core beliefs. My actions today and at this moment therefore represent the last time I use the law as they have stood for millennia to make this judgment.”

  Inquisitor Raven rose from his chair and walked to Inquisitor Cer’s side.

  “Inquisitor Cer, I find you guilty of the charges brought against you.”

  There was another loud gasp from the audience. Inquisitor Raven raised his hand and the chamber grew silent.

  “But Inquisitor Cer’s guilt is my own and therefore whatever sentence I declare against you must be the same as that against me. I order that we be stripped of our honorable titles of Inquisitors. Perhaps this is the new way, Cer. Perhaps together we can return to what is left of the Empires and re-establish the Inquisitor Order. Perhaps together we can eliminate all that is bad while honoring all that is good. With hard work we may be able to reclaim that proud title for ourselves.”

  A dead hush settled over the room. Raven then lifted his right hand and offered it to Cer.

  “Together, rather than alone
,” he said.

  Cer looked down at Raven’s hand. She reached out and grasped it.

  In doing so, the room erupted in applause.

  Raven released Cer’s hand and motioned for silence.

  “As of this moment I am no longer an Inquisitor of the Phaecian Empire and therefore this vessel is no longer under my command,” he said. He turned to the panel of six judges. “I leave this chamber so you may decide who deserves to lead these proud men and women.”

  86

  Raven retreated to his quarters and walked to his desk.

  He sat, head down, and remained still for a while. When he looked up, his eyes were upon his family portrait.

  He reached for it. His beloved wife’s smile, so glowing, made him ache inside.

  “I hope…” he began and paused. “I hope you can rest in peace now.”

  He set the portrait down and got up. He walked to his closet. There weren’t many clothes there and, looking around the room, he realized he had few personal belongings. He took the clothes from the closet and laid them on the bed. He sighed.

  He’d miss command of the Cygnusa. He’d miss this room and its magnificent view. He looked out and, in the distance, saw the pale blue dot, the planet the ship was still moving toward.

  “All good things come to their end,” he muttered.

  He walked to the bathroom and collected his personal effects. As he did, the door chime rang.

  “Come in,” he said.

  The door slid open and, to Raven’s surprise, Cer stood there.

  “May I come in?” she said.

  Raven laid his toiletries beside his clothing and nodded. Cer stepped into the room and stopped near his desk. She noticed the framed portrait.

  “I came here to once again say… to say how sorry I am.”

  “Judgment has been rendered, Cer. Nothing more need be said.”

  “There is,” Cer insisted. “When I was in the Longshore Space Lanes and certain you would capture me, I despaired. I knew I was set up and I knew you were being used to take me out. When I escaped, I’m ashamed to say I didn’t think of the consequences of my actions and I felt… I felt elation. I had gotten away with it. I had no idea that by doing so, I sentenced an innocent woman to her death. When I found this out, I felt nothing but a deep shame.”

  “Is that why you surrendered so easily this time?”

  “What makes you think—?”

  Raven shook his head and smiled.

  “If you’ve come to talk, Cer, at least be honest with me.”

  Cer nodded.

  “The Xendos might well have been able to camouflage herself again and avoid your detection,” Cer said. “Even if it didn’t, we could have deviated from our course and, in the vastness of space, a single battleship, even one as sophisticated as yours, would never have found us. Yes, Raven, I refused to hide. After what happened to your wife, I offered my life in penance.”

  “Eye for an eye?”

  “If need be.”

  “Overlord Emeritus promised me I would avenge my dear wife’s death,” Raven said. “I have, but not in the way he wanted. I appreciate your gesture, Cer. I’ve made peace with my loss and with you. I hope, in some way, this makes me a better man. If not for me, then for my children.”

  Raven’s communicator beeped and he moved past Cer and to the computer on his desk. He activated the device and, on the computer’s monitor, appeared Lieutenant Sanders.

  “Inquisitor Raven,” she began.

  “Just Raven, Lieutenant. I’ll have the Commander’s quarters cleaned up and ready in a moment. Has a determination been made as to who will take over the Cygnusa?”

  “Yes Inqui… uh… Raven, sir.”

  “And?”

  “Sir, the council and all officers decided there was only one person deserving of this command. The person who took us through the fires of Hades itself and who selflessly fought for those who had few willing to fight for them. The man who showed us that even in tragedy, one can forgive. The decision was unanimous. You, sir, will remain our Commander.”

  For the first time in many years, Raven was at a loss of words.

  He head came down and he took several sharp breaths.

  Cer laid her hand on his shoulder.

  “Tell them what they want to hear,” she whispered in his ear.

  Raven nodded. He composed himself and stared at the monitor. Behind Lieutenant Sanders were the ship’s officers and a large group of scavengers. They were all still inside the makeshift courtroom.

  “I… I thank you for this honor,” Raven said. “And I promise that for as long as I command the Cygnusa, I will not disappoint you.”

  He looked away and at Cer.

  “None of you.”

  87

  Raven walked the ship’s corridor and made his way down to the security cells.

  Once there, he motioned for the Security Officers to open the door leading inside the main waiting area. The door opened and Raven stepped inside. He faced a Security Officer behind the glass panel and said:

  “Open Cell Number 6.”

  The Security Officer pressed buttons on the computer before him and a click was heard coming from down the hall.

  Raven walked to Cell Number 6. He pressed his hand against a computer panel and, after confirming his identity, the cell door slid open.

  Within that maximum security cell and sitting on her bed was Catherine Holland. The expression on her face much the same as the last time Raven saw her.

  “Inquisitor,” she said.

  A small, pained smile appeared on Raven’s face.

  “From now on, just call me Raven,” he said. “Come.”

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “You’re no longer a prisoner,” Raven said. “Even more importantly, the Xendos is parked in our landing bay.”

  There was considerable surprise on Catherine Holland’s face. She tried to contain it.

  “Did they…?”

  “B’taav and Cer made it back,” Raven said. “They brought two others. It is my understanding you know one of them.”

  Catherine Holland could no longer hold her emotions. Tears formed on her eyes.

  Raven held out his hand.

  “Come,” he repeated.

  Catherine Holland reached for Raven’s hand. She needed it. Despite her powerful physique, her legs nearly gave out under her.

  Raven and Catherine Holland reached the Cygnusa’s medical bay soon after and, once in it, Catherine Holland’s face lit up.

  Within the medical bay was Cer and, next to her and lying on a bed, B’taav. In the bed next to his and holding B’taav’s hand was Nox. Both of them looked very pale and emaciated. Standing next to Nox was a woman Catherine Holland didn’t recognize. She was half human and half machine.

  “Hello again, Becky Waters,” Raven told the woman. “They tell me you woke up from your long sleep.”

  “Radiation is a tough thing to scrub,” Becky Waters said. “Though I did have some very pleasant dreams.”

  “As did I,” Raven said. “We’ll have to talk about them at some point.”

  With a tearful gasp, Catherine Holland rushed to Nox’s side. Cer got in her way and stopped her before she reached her lover.

  “Much as you want to, you can’t touch her,” Cer said. For a one-time Inquisitor, her voice was surprisingly gentle.

  “W… what’s happening?” Catherine Holland asked.

  “There’s a fight going on inside Nox, between her body and Paul Spradlin’s nano-probes.”

  “And B’taav’s immunity to them...?”

  “Is keeping her stable,” Becky Waters said. “Somewhat.”

  Catherine Holland looked from Cer to the medical staff behind Raven.

  “What can we do?” she asked.

  “For now, nothing,” Cer said.

  “Nox and I’ve been through much and she’s told me plenty about you, Catherine,” Becky Waters said. “She’s come too far to die on a med table.
”

  “How long can she last like this?”

  There was no answer which proved the most frightening answer possible. Catherine Holland noted the worry on Cer’s face and realized she was just as heartbroken by what was happening to B’taav as she was with Nox.

  “B’taav doesn’t have to do this,” Catherine Holland said.

  “He knows,” Cer said.

  “I already lost Nox once,” Catherine Holland said. “You shouldn’t have to lose—”

  “We’re not going to lose anyone,” Cer insisted.

  “We may not have a choice,” Catherine Holland said.

  88

  It took a little less than two days for the Cygnusa to arrive at and orbit the third planet of the Elicia system.

  In that time, the crew worked hard to make sure whatever was broken within the vessel was fixed while also trying their best to get some much needed rest.

  As was common with long space trips, there was little for the commander of the craft to do other than oversee what others knew only too well how to do.

  When they approached and entered Planet 3’s orbit, a meeting was called to discuss the ship and her status.

  The conference room, used only days before for the trial of Cer, was occupied with the heads of the Cygnusa and, representing the Xendos, Cer and Becky Waters.

  “Cygnusa achieved orbit around Planet 3 exactly one hour ago,” Lieutenant Sanders said.

  “Have you determined where the distress signal came from?” Raven asked.

  “No sir,” Lieutenant Sanders said. “The signal hasn’t repeated in twelve hours. It’s as if whatever was sending it sensed our arrival and shut it off.”

  “What about the planet itself?”

  “Planet Three has minimal atmosphere and temperatures ranging from two to three hundred degrees below zero.”

  “Should we go down and explore it?” Cer said.

  “Where would we start?” Lieutenant Sanders said. “Our computers, sensors, and telescopic equipment have come up with nothing specific worth investigating.”