“Inspector Park, I understand you have been assigned to investigate Captain Aames on some preposterous insubordination charges.” Holmes waved a hand at his desk. “Oh, I’ve read the classified summary, and it’s nonsense. I’m sure if you dig deeper into the facts of the matter, you’ll find a bunch of button-pushers who’ve had it in for Nick for years and have jumped on this opportunity to get rid of him. If it would help, I can arrange to appear as a character witness—by televisit, of course, since I hope you can dismiss this matter long before the Aldrin reaches Mars. I hear through the grapevine that you’re under a lot of pressure in this matter, Inspector, and I would hate to add to that. But the people of Maxwell City would very much appreciate it if you could clear this up and get Captain Aames back to work. We would see it as proof that the System Initiative still puts safe and successful missions ahead of politics.” Holmes looked through the screen and directly into my eyes, and I saw the personality that had won him three terms as mayor. “And I would see it as a personal favor, Inspector. Nick Aames is a difficult man, but that old bastard made me what I am today. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.” The video ended, and the room darkened again.
That was one side of the story. The other side was in the virtual pile of reports, charges, and briefs from the System Initiative and the Admiralty and the Space Professionals. They wanted Aames’s head, and they didn’t try to hide it.
As if on schedule, my comm chimed with a message: Incoming call from Adm. Frank C. Knapp, Intl. Space Corps. Knapp was in charge of the Admiralty troops who patrolled the Aldrin. He had a temporary office in the H Ring, and no one dared notice that that put him as far from Aames as he could possibly be and still have air to breathe. On the list of admirals whom Nick Aames had crossed, Admiral Knapp was at the top.
I pulled open the call, and my comm showed Admiral Knapp: old but still healthy, extremely fit in his black Admiralty uniform, and a shock of gray hair framing a lean face with high cheekbones and bright eyes. Those eyes were known to spear into subordinates and make them squirm. Knapp was very pleasant socially, and he knew how to court favor politically; but he expected immediate results from those who answered to him. “Park, why haven’t I seen an interview with Captain Aames yet? We have enough flag officers to empanel a court, but they’re all sitting on their asses, waiting for you to do your job.”
“You’ll have it when it’s ready, Admiral. I’m not going to rush.” Fortunately I did not answer to Admiral Knapp. The IG is an independent office with a separate chain of command. Knapp could bluster and intimidate, but he could give me no direct orders. In fact, my plenary power meant that technically I could give him orders, though I could never imagine doing so.
Knapp slapped his hand on his desk. “Stop dragging your feet, Inspector. This case is open and shut. If you give these people time, they’ll cover up all the evidence. Just issue the charges, notify the panel, and get out of our way. Or do I have to march back to A Ring and walk you through it?”
Suddenly a bit of Dr. Baldwin’s story came back to me, and I decided it was a perfect reply to Admiral Knapp. “You can remove me, but you can’t second-guess me. Either I’m in charge here, or you are. But I won’t be your figurehead. If you have a problem with that, take it up with Admiral Reed.” Admiral Justin V. Reed was the head of the Inspector General division, and hence my boss—well, boss’s boss, to be precise. “Unless I’m formally relieved, Admiral, I’ll carry out my duties as I see fit.”
Knapp trembled, and he looked ready to leap through the comm, but he answered in a very even voice: “I shall call Admiral Reed. Count on it, Inspector.” He cut off before I could reply.
I wasn’t sure where I had found the nerve to defy Knapp. Oh, I was in my rights, of course. I had seen Reed once have an admiral thrown in the brig to remind him of the independence of the IG. But I was the most junior of inspectors, with a lot less clout than Admiral Reed. Still, something in those words of Nick Aames had reached me. I wanted to have that sort of conviction; and with the right words to support me, I had it, if only for a moment.
Still that left one unanswered question: Why hadn’t I interviewed Captain Aames yet? I didn’t want to say it to Knapp, but I really didn’t have an answer. There was just something unnerving about the man and his attitude, sulking there behind the black door of his cabin like Achilles in his tent. He had such a reputation in the Corps that I was intimidated without ever having met him; so I worked around the edges of the problem, gathering facts and interviewing admirals and crew. Anything I could do to postpone confronting the heart of the matter. Avoidance was part of it, but I suspected I had another, unconscious reason, and I had to work that out. I couldn’t avoid Aames forever.
Meanwhile everyone wanted something from me, but they all expected different outcomes. I felt trapped, like giant external forces were pressing down on me, trying to push me in different directions at once. Like a spaceship with all its attitude jets firing at once, so it couldn’t go anywhere, just spin in place and shake itself apart. Somehow I had to balance out all these forces and find a course that didn’t lead to disaster.
I wasn’t sure why I was making this so difficult. There was a quick way to deal with it, to put it all behind me, and I would have the support of the Initiative and the Admiralty as well: just find sufficient grounds for a court martial of Nick Aames, empanel a court from the officers who had come aboard with me, and turn responsibility over to the panel. It would be out of my hands then: let the panel do their fact-finding, problem solved.
Yeah, right. One problem solved, but a larger problem launched. If I read the mood on the Aldrin correctly, a judgment against Aames could lead to mutiny unless the crew was managed very carefully. Hell, some of the admirals were ready to charge them with mutiny already, since they had cooperated with Captain Aames when he had refused to relinquish command. The only thing stopping those admirals was that the Aldrin was already on its trajectory to Mars, and there was no way to replace the crew at this point. So tensions were high, and the crew was on edge.
And more than that, damn it, I refused to be pressured! I hadn’t chosen this job, I was just a junior inspector general, but I was the only IG who could rendezvous with the Aldrin before she left for Mars. I could feel that force, too, my superiors watching to see if I would screw up. But there was one more force: my own stubborn pride. I had a job to do, and I was going to do it right. Prove that I deserved this assignment. More than anything, that kept me going; but my job still felt like a battlefield, an uneasy truce between North and South, just as Korea had known for generations. And there, standing in the demilitarized zone, was I.
That night, that metaphor moved one step closer to reality.
The first indicator I had of the trouble was my comm chiming in the middle of the night. I checked the clock: I had been asleep less than an hour. The doctor’s pills had done their job, soothing the ache in my shoulder and enabling me to sleep soundly for the first time in two weeks. Somebody had better have a good explanation for waking me.
Then the comm screen lit up, and I sat up in my bunk and brushed my hair out of my face. “Admiral Reed.” I wasn’t sure what time it was where Reed was, but he looked like he always did: black uniform neatly creased, brass polished, face as clean as if he had just shaved. His bald head glinted from an off-screen light.
And as usual, his broad face bore a scowl. After a thirty-second light-speed delay, he responded. “Park, get out of bed. I need a report on this fight immediately!”
“Fight?” But in a separate window, my comm was already showing the details. Fight in E Ring between Admiralty troops and off-duty Aldrin crew. Three in infirmary with minor injuries. Commander Adika has arrested three Admiralty troopers and one Spacer 1st Class. Situation peaceful but tense. After that came a separate note: I warned you. —Dr. Baldwin. “Admiral, it looks to be settled already.”
Another delay, and then Reed looked angrier. “Settled? They’ve imprisoned three
Admiralty troops! The admirals are heating up the airwaves, demanding authority to pacify the ship. Is there a reason I should tell them no?”
I shook my head; and then, rethinking, I nodded. “Yes, Admiral, there’s definitely a reason. This ship is a uranium pile just waiting for the right neutron to set it off. We need to calm things down, not escalate them. Those troops can’t run this ship, so we need the crew to cooperate. Let me talk to Adika, find a way to handle things.”
After the delay, Reed looked doubtful. “You’re still pretty new, Park. I’ve received some complaints from Admiral Knapp. He thinks you’re wasting time, and maybe getting influenced. Park, don’t let a bunch of mutinous spacers push you around.”
I thought again of Dr. Baldwin standing up to Aames, and of Aames standing up to Holmes. “Respectfully, Admiral, I’m not going to let anyone push me around and stop me from doing my job. Not spacers, and not admirals. Now I have to go meet with Adika.”
Reed eyed me skeptically; but finally he said, “Carry on, Park. Dismissed.”
By the time I got to Matt’s office, Commander Adika was there waiting for me.
As I had dressed and then traversed the ring, I had thought about this meeting; and the more I thought, the more it seemed like slow caution was the wisest course. We were in a cycler orbit to Mars, and there wasn’t anything that would change that, so we were in no hurry. Maybe some time would let tempers cool, so that whatever I decided, the outcome would be more restrained. And with more time, I could better understand the true situation.
As soon as I saw Adika, my first thought was that Dr. Baldwin had not exaggerated her husband’s stature. The man was tall, dark, imposing, and impressive, standing at attention like a massive onyx Atlas holding up the world. His posture showed confidence and readiness, and his eyes swept the room as if he were on guard duty.
I could see Matt was nervous about supervising a superior officer, especially one who could snap his spine with one hand. He stood nervously, looking from the commander to me and back. “Do you need anything, Inspector?”
“No, Matt, we’ll be in my office.”
Matt looked at Adika and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure, Inspector?”
“Yes, Matt. You’re dismissed.” I knew he was trying to protect me, but I was sure I was safe. I had read Adika’s record, and he was no threat unless under orders.
Adika and I entered my office, and the door slid shut behind us. The commander stood before the desk as I sat. His face, carved from stone like the rest of him, betrayed no emotion as he looked at me. Those eyes were piercing, and I suspected he could read people as well as I could. He would have to, in his job.
I pointed at the guest chair. “Take a seat, Commander.”
Dark-brown eyes looked down at me, and he frowned. “Is that an order, Inspector?”
I shook my head. “There are no orders here today. It’s an invitation, Commander. I would like you to be comfortable for this discussion.”
“If it is all the same to you, I would be more comfortable standing.”
Stone. Absolute stone. He revealed none of the charm that had swept Dr. Baldwin off her feet. I was his opponent, and he would show me no weakness. He showed only patience: I had made a move, and he would wait to find out what I wanted, wait all day if necessary.
I decided I needed to reduce the tension. “As you wish. But feel free to sit at any time. Please relax and get comfortable, Commander, and explain this fight to me.”
His face impassive, Adika reported, “At approximately 2140, three off-duty Admiralty troopers—Rodriguez, Scithers, and Watkins—entered the public lounge on E Ring. The bartender served them drinks; as the night wore on, they drank more, and they became louder and belligerent. At 2245, she cut them off, and they took exception to this. They grew louder still, and they started insulting the Aldrin and Captain Aames. Some off-duty ship’s crew took exception to this, and words were exchanged. Words turned to blows. When I arrived to break things up, your Admiralty troops had holed up behind the bar as a defensive position and were throwing bottles at crew and passengers.”
I shook my head. “They’re not my troops, Commander. Who threw the first punch?”
Adika’s face remained stone. “I cannot say, Inspector.”
“Oh, bull! You have video records, you know who’s at fault.”
He nodded slightly. “I have my records, and I will reveal them if ordered to do so. But respectfully, Inspector, it is you and the Admiralty who are at fault. You created this situation.”
I sighed. “Not me, Commander. I don’t like it any more than you do.” I paused. “But I understand what you’re saying. Tempers are ready to blow at any minute. If we don’t prevent that, then we are at fault. We, Commander, and that includes you. I’ve read your record; you’re just the man to defuse this situation. What do you recommend?”
Adika stared down at me. “You mean besides clearing Captain Aames of all charges?” I glared at him, and he continued, “Separation and cooling off. Aside from official duties, confine all Admiralty troops to G and H Rings. Confine Aldrin crew to A through D. Treat E and F as a demilitarized zone: passengers only except for troops and crew on duty. Give everyone time to see reason.”
“And the three Admiralty troops you have in your brig?”
“They committed their offenses between the gravipauses. Legally, that means that it is Captain Aames’s responsibility to decide punishment for them. Since the Admiralty has seen fit to deprive the captain of his lawful command, I shall have to hold the men until he returns to duty and decides what to do with them.”
I shook my head. “Nice try, Commander, but unacceptable. I need you to turn those men over to me. Now. Or there will be no cooling off.”
“Turn them over to you? So you can turn them loose with no consequences for their actions?”
I looked in Adika’s eyes, trying to read him. “I’ll have them confined to quarters for the duration of this trip when not on duty. And I’ll have them reassigned to barracks work in H Ring. No chance they’ll come into contact with crew again. And this will go into their permanent records. But that’s the best I can do.”
Adika inclined his head slightly. “It is acceptable.”
I nodded and made notes on the desk. “Done. Thank you, Commander.” I thought I saw surprise in his eyes, if only for a moment. I think he expected me to argue with him more, but I couldn’t. I needed him on my side. If Dr. Baldwin was right, Commander Adika knew as much about Aames as anyone on this ship.
So I looked up from the desk. “Next subject: I want to speak with you off the record about Captain Aames.”
“Constance said you might, but are you sure that you really do? You might not enjoy a frank discussion.”
“To hell with what I enjoy.” His eyes widened a bit. Finally, a sign of life inside the stone. “I’m here to learn, I’m not on a pleasure cruise.”
“If I speak frankly, Inspector, you may learn true things, but things which will show that I do not approve of your work. No one in the crew does.”
I sighed. “Commander, I don’t approve of my work. I didn’t volunteer here, I was assigned. I have orders and duty here. Looking at your exemplary record, I know that duty matters a great deal to you, yes?” He nodded. “Well, I take it very seriously as well. I hope you can respect that.” He nodded again.
“But I’m not sure precisely what my duty is here yet,” I continued. “Before we go approving and disapproving, help me to figure that out. I might surprise you.”
For the first time, I saw just a hint of that Adika charm, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth. “Then you have not decided to charge Captain Aames?”
I pointed to the virtual stacks on the desk. “That’s the problem. You’re a commander, you understand regulations. You know the facts in this case leave me little choice: they all point to charges. And a conviction.”
The corners of his mouth turned back down. “If you go with the facts as recorded, Insp
ector. I see no other choice for you. But it is still wrong.”
“Relax, Commander, nothing is decided yet. Off the record—remember?—I have larger responsibilities than just the facts. And as you said: ‘the facts as recorded.’ The situation here is more complex than we can see if we only look at logs and records from the Admiralty. The Aldrin’s crew knows truths that aren’t in those records; or they think they do, which results in the same discontent across this ship. I need to understand what the Admiralty believes and what the crew believes, and then I need to extract a set of facts that I believe. And then I can make my finding. Only then.”
With that, Adika sat: still straight as a rod, but it was the first sign I saw that the commander could relax. “Inspector, I was not present on the bridge during the incident. I was not privy to any information there, and the captain is not in the habit of sharing his decision-making with me. He gives orders, and as his security chief, I execute them. I cannot shed light on the incident.”
“Yes, but I don’t care about the incident right now. I’m after a larger view, and as security chief, you know the mood of this crew better than anyone. You know how much trouble we could have if things go badly for Captain Aames. I’d rather avoid trouble for the sake of the mission, but I can’t let that stop me from doing my job.”
“That is the proper view of an officer.”
“But if possible, I have to head off potential problems. So I need to ask you—off the record—if I should find grounds to proceed against Captain Aames, and if the court should judge him guilty, are we looking at worse than tonight’s little fight? Could we possibly see a mutiny here?”
Adika almost nodded, just a half tilt of his head forward and back. “Inspector, one cannot say for certain, but I would rate the risk very high.”
“I see. So you think this crew is that lacking in discipline?”
The Last Dance Page 8
