The Phoenix Conspiracy

by Richard L. Sanders

  "They moved the trial from 0800 to 0600 to decrease media attention. Also it'll be in chamber three instead of one. You're still expected to be there early and in full dress uniform—I hope you packed one."

  "So do I," he said with a smirk.

  "That is all."

  Calvin saluted and the call terminated.

  So... two unwelcome calls already and before six in the morning... I can already tell what kind of day this is shaping up to be.

  He scrambled to find the pieces of his dress uniform which were mostly wrinkled, "where's that damn hat," he mumbled, while hopping on one foot to get his pants on. He dreaded the thought of wearing the whole outfit all day, including the coat and heavy boots. Sure it looked great but it was completely uncomfortable.

  Once he was technically presentable, deciding not to brush his hair because he was pressed on time and had to wear a hat anyway, he dug through a box of rations and grabbed a dehydrated breakfast to eat on the way. Mmmm... everyone's favorite.

  He locked the door and headed for the trial chamber, deciding not to worry about the mysterious call.

  Chapter 4

  Calvin entered the court chamber behind the other commanding officers who'd taken part in the interdiction of the ISS Phoenix, including Vice Admiral Harkov—who'd held the overall command. They took their seats together at a designated table and were sworn in, just in case the court wanted them to testify. It was kind of exciting to sit on one of the raised platforms apart from the general audience.

  Calvin had never had a role in a General Tribunal before, but he'd never wanted one either until now. This time his excitement came from the hope that Raidan's true motives would be uncovered. Why a decorated and distinguished captain would suddenly and deliberately betray the Fleet was a question that should be at the forefront of these proceedings.

  At a table opposite them, on another platform, sat the senior staff of the ISS Phoenix. Most prominent was Summers Presley who radiated beauty even through her tired appearance. Calvin also recognized the officers at her sides from his investigation of the Phoenix’s crew, they were the White Shift bridge officers and the chief physician. Then, on a guarded platform, sat Captain Raidan himself. He was tan and broad, and looked very fit for a man almost fifty. He sported a sharp grey suit instead of his uniform, and at his sides were royal marines with navy emblems on their fatigues.

  As Calvin watched Raidan, he got the impression that the captain seemed a bit too confident. Instead of looking anxious or indignant he seemed amused, almost smug. And then, for seemingly no reason, Raidan looked right at Calvin and made eye contact. Almost like he was studying him. Then he looked away.

  It made Calvin more confused than uncomfortable. He instantly connected Raidan’s behavior to the mysterious call he’d received earlier. Were they related? Impossible. Raidan had neither access to a terminal nor reason to be interested in Calvin.

  The Judicator entered and all rose, not taking their seats again until she'd taken her place at the elevated podium. She wore the burgundy uniform of the Executer of Justice Office, marking her as a local authority and not someone dispatched by Capital World.

  She ordered quiet in the chamber and the doors shut. "This court acknowledges the presence of Vice Admiral Aleksandra Harkov, the senior staff of the Imperial Starship Phoenix, and the respective Commanding Officers: Captains Jaromir Otto, Jason Harris, and Lieutenant Commander Calvin Cross. This court also recognizes Consol Nau T'ahne of the Rotham Republic along with his delegation."

  Three aliens stood up briefly and then sat down again on the only other platform. They were rotham, humanoid in appearance except for their golden eyes, scaly-crimson skin, and generally smaller physiques. They could also grow tails but most had them removed right after birth. All three present were male and wore the lavender uniforms of Rotham Military Command. Their hair was as black as oil, common for rotham, but braided—a style symbolizing status in their culture.

  "And so commences the General Tribunal held aboard Praxis One, an outpost of Praxis System, this on the fifth day of the ninth standard-month of Standard Galaxy Year 1218, by virtue of a warrant bearing the date the 9th instant, from His Excellency Sir William Gregory, Knight of the King, Overseer and Commander-in-Chief of all His Majesty's Forces within Sector One-One-Six." The Judicator then listed the names and ranks of the officers of the court who would decide the outcome. After this, Captain Raidan was ordered to rise.

  "Have you any objection to any of the names just read to you?"

  "No," he said and sat back down.

  "The Presiding Officer, Members and Judge Advocate, being duly sworn, Captain Asari Raidan of His Majesty's Fifth Fleet, came prisoner before the Court, and stands accused of three counts of destruction of civilian property, four counts of unauthorized assault on non-military starships—three of which were destroyed, one count of violating Peaceful Traffic Treaty 13-A with the Rotham Republic, seven counts of misuse of a military starship, eighteen counts of failure to maintain regular contact with Fleet Command, and one count of conspiracy against the government. The senior staff of the accused have signed and presented an affidavit to this court confirming the validity of the charges, complete with a joint testimony that the Commanding Officer was and is solely responsible for the Beotan Incident and all listed charges. Now, Mister Asari," the Judicator said, looking him straight in the eyes. "Do you stand by your request to use clause 173-B of the Citizen's Defense Contract?"

  "I do."

  "Very well. The accused, as a full and complete citizen of the Empire, has formally requested that no defense counsel be appointed to him other than himself. The court is hereby obligated to grant this request."

  Calvin raised an eyebrow at this, guessing that Raidan knew he had almost no chance of dismissing any of the charges in the face of such voluminous evidence. Perhaps he wished to expedite the hearing, though Calvin couldn’t think why.

  "Beginning with the first of the charges, four counts of unauthorized assault on spacecraft belonging to non-military non-combatants. The specification is that, without provocation, you commanded your starship to open fire on four commercial vessels which had entered Imperial Space en-route to Capital System. Specifically the Ortahn, Guinn, Qiun'ha, and Ursa freighters belonging to the Beotan Trade Corporation. Your ship destroyed the first three without provocation and inflicted serious damage to the fourth and only surviving vessel, Ursa, before it managed to evade you. How do you plead?"

  Radian stood up and looked around the room for a few seconds before speaking. "Guilty."

  "And you understand that by such conviction the only possible recourse for such a crime, as a full citizen, is the death sentence as clearly stated under the law?"

  "Yes, I understand that. And while we're at it, I plead guilty to all of the charges. I can see the Commander of the Ursa freighter among the Consul's delegation and I can't defeat a witness like that. And my own staff has come together and condemned me, and in a just and honest way. I cannot in good conscience, or with any hope, try to pretend I did not attack those ships. Because I did attack them. And I fully accept the consequences of my actions. But know one thing, I did it for the good of the Empire. Everything I've ever done has been for the good of the Empire. I want it on the record that these are my feelings and that that is why I surrendered my vessel to the Andromeda without a fight."

  "So noted," the Judicator said, trying not to look surprised. "This court gratefully accepts your forthrightness, adding to the record that the accused surrendered his vessel voluntarily and that he pled guilty to all charges. Without further need for deliberation, this court is adjourned for sentencing." The moment her gavel landed, the room flooded with conversation and military police swarmed in to usher everyone outside the chamber, other than those involved in the sentencing.

  "So that's it? Just like that and it's over?" Calvin asked, following the Vice Admiral out the door.

  "What else did you expect? His guilt was obvious, even Asari
Raidan knew he was convicted before he arrived. Seriously, Lieutenant Commander, did you honestly expect this trial to go any other way?"

  "Well no, I suppose not," said Calvin.

  "Even if the evidence weren't as strong as it is, and it is strong, do you think the Rotham people would accept anything less than death for what happened to their ships? If Raidan were somehow acquitted of all charges it would cause an international outcry." Calvin thought her view, one of politics trumping investigation, was typical of a Fleet officer.

  "What's bothering me," Calvin paused, searching for the right words. "Is that Raidan is in every way the model captain. Perfect service record, great commission, he has three Silver Stars, several merit medallions, and even the Medal of Valor. Why would he throw all of that away to shoot down some civilian starships for absolutely no reason whatsoever?"

  "It might not have been about what they were but who they were, have you thought about that?"

  It took him a second to figure out what she meant. "Yes, I'd considered the possibility that it was some kind of hate crime, that he was attacking the rotham for being rotham, but that's not consistent with his character and record. He's worked alongside rotham before without a single note of contempt. He even helped coordinate a joint action during the Great War. So that superficial explanation doesn't answer why he’d targeted these particular ships, and why now? Why, in his mind, was it okay to open fire on Rotham traffic now when it wasn't before? And what about all that 'good of the empire' talk? There are details being missed here."

  "Maybe he wanted to start a war. Whatever it was, his reasoning was clearly unsound and, like it or not, he is guilty."

  This kind of obstinacy was why Calvin hated discussing investigations with personnel outside of Intel Wing. Regulars didn't think much past what could be seen immediately and they tended to latch onto the first, shallowest explanation that came down the line... but their theory felt wrong to him, Raidan wasn't an alien-hating racist who wanted to start a war. How could he possibly benefit from one? Certainly not enough to die for. Calvin also wondered why Raidan made no effort to explain his actions, except to say they were for the good of the Empire. His failure to elaborate implied, to Calvin, that he wanted the superficial explanations to stand. But why?

  The next two hours were spent in the company of Admiral Harkov and fellow command officers. They went to an elegant restaurant and ordered an expensive meal, which the government paid for. They ate as slowly as possible and discussed everything from the trial to local politics. Calvin didn't know much about Praxis System and let the others dominate the conversation, he took it as a chance to learn about his environment, since he was vacationing here for the next month.

  Not much distinguished it from a typical colony outside of geography. The primary station orbited the only habitable planet, a typical medium blue, and the economy hinged on tech processing and mineral discoveries. It was smaller than most Imperial systems with only five-billion people, but saw a lot of traffic and kept in reserve a disproportionately large defense force due to its proximity to the DMZ—the Rotham border. The system, belonging to the Fifth Fleet's division, had jurisdiction over dozens of sentry ships, a few frigates, and eighteen fighter divisions, but the coup-de-grace was a dreadnought called the Harbinger. The locals bragged about it like it was a legend and a small debate broke out over whether or not it was a match for the flagship Andromeda. Most believed it was not.

  Once the conversation drifted to local elections and political parties, Calvin became bored and allowed his mind to wander. Elections in the Empire were only for local authorities and meant little more than popularity contests between Houses for status and prestige. Much ado about nothing, a matter of who ran the administration more than what the administration did. All local leaders had to conform to the edicts of the King and his Royal Magistrates, so, with a few exceptions like gambling and marriage laws, the Empire was the same everywhere.

  When the trial reconvened, Calvin filed into the chamber between the Vice Admiral and the captain of the ISS Bounty and they took their seats along with the rest of the assembly. Once the chamber doors were sealed, the Judicator called on the Head of Council to read the verdict and sentencing.

  "The Court, having weighed the evidence against the accused, including his own confession, is of the opinion that the accused, Captain Asari Raidan, is guilty of all charges preferred against him." The Head of Court looked up from his document.

  "Captain Asari Raidan is hereby stripped of his rank and officership in the Royal Imperial Navy and is to be transported as a felon to Capital World,” said the Judicator. “Where he will be put to death by Nitrogen Asphyxiation."

  The Consul of the Rotham Republic stood up, raising a hand of objection. "The Republic demands the accused be extradited to Rotham space for the execution of the sentence, which must be performed according to Rotham laws and customs." Their methods of capital punishment were famous for being far more brutal than executions in the Empire. For instance, the condemned might be slowly pressed to death inside a metal vice.

  The Judicator looked at them. "The Extradition Treaty cannot be invoked because the incident occurred within Imperial Space. And the condemned is a full citizen of the Empire and is therefore immune."

  The Consul looked disappointed but bowed showing submission to the standing rule of law. "The Rotham Republic withdraws its demand and instead requests that Rotham representatives be present to certify the sentence is carried out and, if possible, that a rotham agent be allowed to activate the nitrogen machine."

  "This Court is not authorized to grant or deny those requests. I remind the respected Consul that the accused, as a full citizen of the Empire, has the right to appeal this verdict to the Royal Supreme Court on Capital World, though they may not accept the case."

  "I'm not going to appeal it," said Raidan from his seat. The Consul appeared satisfied by this and sat down. Just as the Judicator seemed ready to conclude the trial, Calvin bowed to his impulses and raised a hand of objection.

  "The Court recognizes Lieutenant Commander Calvin Cross of the IWS Nighthawk," she didn't seem happy by his interruption, which was out of place, but let it stand.

  "I request a stay of execution until a full investigation is completed," he almost couldn't believe he was doing this. "As an intelligence officer I have reason to believe Raidan's motives, I mean the accused's motives, are more complex than what this court has found and should be uncovered as a matter of national security. And since the accused is the most valuable witness to such an investigation, losing him before we can investigate would be a terrible mistake."

  His request met with dissonance throughout the room, especially in the form of hissing from the Rotham table. The Judicator had to smack her gavel to silence the chamber. "Further investigation is not necessary because guilt has already been established beyond a reasonable doubt."

  "No, you don't understand," said Calvin, breaking protocol by speaking without permission. "I'm not interested in proving whether or not the accused is guilty. I'm interested in finding out why he did what he did. People don't do things without some kind of motive and we haven't established one... at least, not a convincing one. My instinct is to believe Raidan is involved in something larger, which may present a credible threat to the Empire."

  The Judicator nodded, now understanding. But the expression on her face, and most of the faces in the room, was disapproving. "Lieutenant Commander, as only a half citizen of the Empire and lacking sufficient rank, this Court cannot consider your request. Unless such a motion is seconded by an officer of flag rank."

  Calvin looked immediately to Vice Admiral Harkov, eyes begging her to take up his cause. But she refused to speak on his behalf.

  "If there is no further objection this court is concluded and dismissed."

  Chapter 5

  The day rolled forward in slow motion, even though it was the start of a much anticipated vacation.

  The station had a large
staff apart from the 500 person crew that maintained it, the facility provided most of the conveniences someone might expect. From diverse food options to commercial centers everywhere, everything buzzed with activity on all public-access levels. But few of the diversions piqued Calvin's interest. He avoided the gambling hall, even though he was free to play as much as he liked now—he just didn't feel like it, and instead spent his time exploring the station, enjoying some alone time. He stopped from time to time to stare out the windows at the planet below. He'd been all over the Empire and was still caught off-guard by the raw beauty of a sapphire blue planet almost close enough to touch.

  Eventually he returned to his room to read. But his books couldn't hold his interest and neither did the online nets, so he began sorting through papers relevant to the Phoenix mission, and scribbled notes. He began a list of every possible motive Raidan might've had to go rogue, no matter how unlikely, hoping he could put everything in perspective.

  It was only a few minutes of this, however, before his ideas ran out and became silly to amuse himself, like "his pizza was laced with amphetamines causing him to misbehave for several days" and Calvin tossed his pen aside and crumpled the paper into a ball. What was the point? The case was decided. The sentence would be carried out. Asari Raidan would die, and the truth, whatever it was, would die with him. Calvin knew better than to hope he could figure out what Raidan's motives had been. Not without more information. So it was a waste of time. An unwanted distraction that was already ruining his vacation.

  As a last resort, he turned on some music—a very old piano solo recorded hundreds of years before, and lay in bed. He wasn't tired enough to sleep, but as he followed the gentle rolling notes of the sonata in minor key, he was able to relax and push everything out of mind.