"What?"
Everyone was here now, and watching quietly. I suspect none of them were game to interrupt us.
"When presented with a defense they couldn’t penetrate, they kept on trying to. When presented with an enemy out of missiles, they went on the offensive, knowing the defense was still there. And only when their losses were extreme, did they retreat."
"And what does that tell you?"
"No idea yet. I only just got here."
Jen swore under her breath.
"Why did you let that last ship go?"
I looked around. They all wanted to know. I sighed, and shook my head.
"What happens when you send out a force, and nothing comes back?"
"What?" asked Lea.
"They either cower in fear of the unknown, or they send a much bigger force to find out what happened to the first force."
None of them seemed to grasp it.
"This is an enemy who doesn’t give ground, and isn’t fazed by something they don’t understand. If they were all destroyed, they'd be back with a fleet double or triple the size. Are you ready for that?"
Reluctantly, Jen shook her head.
"What happens when you let one go?" I paused. "No-one? Now they know we have a defense they can't penetrate, and a new weapon which is beyond anything they've seen before. It has to give them pause. The pause gives us the chance to regroup. And possibly do some recon."
"Let me guess," said Lea. "You read another book."
It broke the tension, and there were some chuckles. Whatever answer I had, never happened.
"WHO THE FUCK GAVE YOU THE AUTHORITY TO GIVE ORDERS TO MY FLEET?"
Jen went rigid. The rest of us turned to face the active com screen.
It was him.
Sixteen
Give Jen her due, she got her shit together so fast, no-one noticed her initial reaction except me. She turned to face him.
"Someone had to," she said, with her command voice.
"Someone had to, SIR!"
"I'm not calling a rapist sir. I’ll go as far as calling you a pig, if you like."
Someone started clapping.
I stopped when everyone looked at me. There were shocked looks on the bridge of the other ship. He, was going red.
"You're relieved of command, Commander."
"I'm not in your command, for you to relieve."
"Everyone here is. When the previous Admiral died with his ship, they sent me out to save the situation."
"And a bang up job you were doing too."
I thought he was going to lose it, but he noticed me instead. I hadn't really been paying attention, which was possibly why I was clapping when no-one else was. I'd been looking for his quarters, and found both them, and his secret viewing room. All the vids Jess and I had seen before were there, plus a few I'd not seen before. I copied the new ones, made eye contact with Jess, and gave her a nod towards the door. She quickly left.
His attention now on me, I thought I should at least listen to him.
"We've been looking for you for a long time mister. They tell me you wield some impressive new tech, and it saved the day here today. Where the fuck have you been since the war started?"
"Not here. And in fact, until a few days ago, I didn’t even know there was a war on."
"Well consider yourself drafted. Get your arse over to my ship immediately."
There was a long silence, while he waited for me to rise, and leave to find a shuttle. I didn’t move. Eventually, I felt the need to break the silence.
"I think not."
"You what?"
"You heard me."
"GET YOUR ARSE OVER HERE, NOW!"
"Stop playing with him Thorn," said Jess from the doorway.
She held up one of the vids, and nodded to me.
"What are you waiting for? An armed escort?"
"I'm contemplating where to hold court."
"Court? What are you gabbling about?" He turned to someone out of vid range. "Get a squad of marines over there, and get him over here, with whatever tech he possesses."
There was an 'Aye sir' from the background.
I rose to my feet, and walked to the front of the bridge. I raised my right hand to neck level, and held thumb and first finger about two fingers width apart.
He started to choke. I raised my hand further, and he rose up off the deck, hanging in midair. I looked around what I could see of the bridge over there.
"Who's the next in command over there?"
"I am," said the man standing behind the slowly choking him.
"Rank?"
"Captain."
"So it's your ship?"
"Yes."
"Good. Is your XO there as well?"
"Yes."
He sounded confused now.
"Your XO will be in command for a while. I have something else for you to do."
"You do? Who are you?"
"Judge Thorn. This pirate, slaver, and rapist, won't be commanding anything anymore."
I paused for effect, but no-one said anything.
"Court is now in session," I boomed.
Him, the Captain, and I, along with Jen, Jess, and Lea, all vanished.
Seventeen
In the middle of a desert, there stood a lone building.
Over the door, was a sign saying 'Courthouse'. Inside, was a single room, modeled on descriptions of courtrooms from a number of novels I’d read.
I sat at a raised dais, made of solid elaborate woodwork, towards which almost everyone there faced.
To my left, he was seated in a chair behind a railing, tied to the chair, and gagged. His uniform had been replaced by a bright orange jumpsuit. He didn’t look happy, but at least he could breath, and some of the red had left his face.
Out in front, were two desks. Jess sat behind one of them. Behind her, in a general seating area, sat Jen and Lea. The other desk was empty. Along the wall opposite from the side he was on, sat the captains of the fleet ships. They were within a jury box, and looking very confused.
"Court will come to order, Judge Thorn presiding."
I hadn't bothered with extra people, so announced myself, myself. There was a stir from the jury box.
"Ah, sir?" said the captain I'd just been talking to, now jury foreperson. "Where are we? And what's going on?"
"This is a courtroom. You're all here to decide the guilt for your fellow officer, over there in the accused's box."
"Guilt sir? What if he's innocent?"
"He's not innocent. He doesn’t even get to plead, since he'll only lie. You will be shown proof."
"Proof sir? Of what?"
"The charges will be read shortly. This is a special case. This man must be judged by a group of his peers, because his superiors have refused to take any action at all, and most of his victims were under his command."
Give him credit, he was rock steady, having been thrown a curve ball he could never have seen coming. I turned to Jess.
"Will the prosecutor please read the charges."
Jess rose.
"The guilty is charged with forty six counts of rape, colluding with pirates to commit piracy, colluding with slavers to commit slavery, and treason."
Most of the jury were looking astonished, several with mouths hanging open. The guilty was glaring at everyone, and trying really hard to talk. However, in addition to gagging him, I'd also muted him, so he couldn’t make any sound at all.
"Present your evidence."
Jess walked over to a computer, the big screen of which was directly in front of the jury on the opposite wall. She plugged her pad into it.
"This first recording comes from a pirate station, where the guilty is addressing pirates."
She touched her pad, and the scene in the ballroom played, where he talked about pirates banding together to take over areas of space. The recording ended, and Jess put a message up instead.
"This message was recovered from the guilty's own computer. As you can see, it gives
detailed information of the movement of a ship, and those aboard. It even recommends where the ship be seized, and how. Followed by an insistence the crew are sold as slaves."
The jury were now studying the guilty, and they didn’t look happy.
"Call your first witness."
"I call the captain of the seized ship to the stand."
Jen rose, and walked over to the witness box. She sat.
"Do you swear to tell the complete truth?"
"I do."
"State your name and rank for the court."
She did. I noticed she had a last name, but like all names, I lost it as soon as it was said. She was also a full Commander now.
"Please describe the way your ship was attacked, and the events which followed."
Her description was graphic, and in complete agreement with the message on the screen. She went on to describe being stripped, made to wear rags, paraded around the station, and finally auctioned as a slave.
"Jen, I'm sorry to ask, but what do you remember about your rape?"
She told the jury what she could remember, how she'd determined she had been raped, and the way her superiors had reacted. She held her head up high, looked every single one of the jurists in the eye, and gave them every detail she could remember.
"Thank you Commander, you may step down."
She returned to her seat, looking a little lighter on her feet now, as if getting it all out had released a burden. I looked at her face, and a lot of the darkness was now gone. I looked over to Jess.
"Call your next witness."
"Your honour, the next witness is the guilty, via a recording taken from his own files."
"Proceed."
The rape of a junior officer was seen by all, from the beginning when she arrived in his stateroom, until she left in a state of confusion. The jury saw for themselves, what Jen had already described, but being done to someone else.
"If I may, your honour?" asked the jury foreman.
"You may," I responded.
"How do we know this is a genuine recording, and taken from the Admiral's own files?"
"The court permits you to verify the recording. Off the Admiral's quarters is a small viewing room."
"The Admiral's private sitting room?"
"Must be. I'll put you in the guilty's stateroom aboard your ship. Verify as much as you want, but be quick about it. When you exit the viewing room, you'll be brought back here. Do you wish to proceed?"
He looked surprised, but collected himself rapidly.
"Yes, your honour."
I moved him. At the same time, I started watching him with my sight, showing what I saw on the screen. The rest of the jury saw him find the door, enter, find the exact recording, and play it on the equipment there. He covered his shock and disgust well. He took another one at random, fast forwarded for a bit, and watched another rape in progress. He took two more, with the same results.
A very angry man went over to the coms panel, called security, ordered them to pack the entire contents of the room, strip it down to the framework to make sure nothing was hidden away, and to store it all in sealed boxes, in one of the cells, with access to it by no-one, once the door was locked. He waited until they arrived, gave a brief rundown of the contents for the security chief, and left the room. I brought him back. He took his seat, without looking at the guilty.
I looked at him.
"The evidence presented has been confirmed as authentic, and all evidence is being secured as we speak."
"Thankyou." I looked at Jess. "Call your next witness."
"I am unable to do so."
"Explain."
"The junior lieutenant we saw being raped on the screen, committed suicide when no-one took her seriously."
I looked at the jury, most of whom were now in shock.
"I'm adding murder to the charges."
The guilty was now looking at me with an expression of extreme hatred. I looked dispassionately back at him, just for a moment, before looking back at Jess.
"Any more evidence to present?"
"The prosecution enters the contents of the guilty's staterooms into evidence."
"So ordered."
"The prosecution rests, your honour."
"Does the accused have any defense?"
All eyes turned to him. I removed his gag, and unmuted his voice.
"This fucking court has no jurisdiction over me, and I demand you release me immediately."
I muted him before he could go on, and stuck the gag in his mouth again. He looked furious, and struggled to get free. I tightened his bonds.
"The defense has rested. The jury will now consider their verdicts."
The jury looked at each other in amazement, but a low conversation started. The rest of us waited in silence for a full fifteen minutes. Finally, they stopped talking, and sat back in their chairs. The foreman rose.
"Do you have a verdict on each count?"
"We do, your honour."
"What say you on forty six counts of rape?"
"Guilty."
He went crazy in his chair, trying to talk, and get free. No-one noticed except me. All eyes were on the foreman. His eyes were on me.
"What say you on the count of colluding with pirates?"
"Guilty."
"What say you on the count of colluding with slavers?"
"Guilty."
"What say you on the count of treason?"
"Guilty."
"What say you on the count of murder?"
"Guilty of the lesser charge of secondary murder. It doesn’t matter anyway, since the penalty for treason by a military officer, is death by firing squad."
"Were all verdicts unanimous?"
"Yes, your honour."
"Do you have a recommended sentence?"
"Death by firing squad."
"Thank you for your service."
He sat, looking relieved. I looked at him.
"You have been found guilty by a jury of your peers, and the penalty is death. It is the judgment of this court, that a firing squad is not appropriate. You are sentenced to have a wooden stake inserted into your body to simulate rape, and for it to continue to be inserted until you are dead. Sentence will be carried out immediately."
The room vanished, and we were all standing in the middle of a desert. The guilty was still bound and gagged, but he was standing now, and between his legs, but not touching him, was a sharpened wooden stake, seemingly solidly in the ground.
I could see several of the ship captains debating with themselves if they should watch or not. In the end, they all did. But I could see their distaste clearly on their faces.
He made a huge effort to move, but found he was unable to. His eyes were almost bugging out of his head.
I gave him the finger, and the stake impaled him like a snake striking. He silently screamed, shuddered, blood flowed, and he died. The stake emerged from the top of his head, his body slumping, now held up by the stake. It was quicker than I’d have liked, but this was an execution, not torture. His death was horrific, but not prolonged. A hole opened up beneath him, and he slid in feet first. It sealed up after him. A single headstone appeared to mark the grave. I'd thought about the inscription a lot during the trial.
Here lies a serial rapist, forgotten for all time.
I walked over to the jury foreperson.
"The entire trial was recorded, as is what I'm saying now. Jess will give you a copy to send up the chain of command. The officers who covered up rape in their command, who punished those who made the accusations, and who failed to pursue justice for the victims, are hereby put on notice their behavior is found to be abhorrent, and should they come to my notice, or such actions occur again, they will also face the court."
He nodded.
I looked around at everyone.
"This trial is at an end. Justice has been served. The guilty punished. You will all now be returned to your ships. Thank you for your service."
I gave them
a short head bow, and was surprised when they all returned it.
I put everyone back where they were supposed to be.
Eighteen
Very little had changed when we returned. Not away long enough for the supply ships to arrive, or the enemy to make another attack, all was quiet. Repairs were underway on all ships but ours. Sasha had the bridge, and Tasha was still manning the weapons console.
"Nice interlude?" asked Tasha, as I went past on my way to the kitchen.
"Not really. I don’t want to talk about it now. Ask Lea if you want a rundown."
"You killed him though?"
"Yes."
The finality in my word, shut her up.
I pulled a beer out, and drank the whole thing. Cold, wet, and compared to the beer I’d been making for myself, very bland. When I realized it was empty, I pulled out another one, and sipped at this one. In the lounge room, I sat uncomfortably.
His death had crossed a line. I'd done it deliberately, but the line was there, and it carried consequences to cross it. I sat there brooding. A lot of different emotions took turns in being primary.
Sometime later, Tasha entered, and sat in the chair next to me. She took my hand in hers, and just sat there, holding it. More time later, she broke the silence.
"Jen's locked in her stateroom. Jess is pumping iron. Lea won't say anything. What happened?"
"I held an old style drumhead trial, only a little more elaborate than upending a drum, and sitting on it to dispense justice."
"What do you know about them?"
"We attended one during military training. It ended with the accused put against a tree, and filled full of arrows. Supposed to be a lesson for us, I guess. And I've read about them, both during my second life, and also from books here."
"Why do it?"
"For Jen. She needed to have someone believe her. Just killing him wouldn’t have begun healing her wounds. It needed people she could respect, validating what she went through, and deciding the monster's fate. While I didn’t follow their recommendation, Jen can now get on with healing."
"Where does it leave you, my love?"
"With a lot more enemies than if I’d followed my initial inclination."
"Which was?"
Today's Spacemage (The Spacemage Chronicle Book 2) Page 6
