Twin Stars 1: Ascension

by Robyn Paterson

  Thomas looked at him, then at Clews, and shrugged again. “Well, if that’s the way you want to play it. The offer’s on the table until the trial resumes tomorrow. Take some time and think it over.” Then he leaned forward and locked eyes with Tysen. “Remember, the penalty we’re talking about here is a one-way trip, and that end you mentioned has a real short stop when you reach it.”

  * * *

  The dining room on the Tysen estate was designed to hold a dozen people comfortably, but tonight it held only two very quiet people. Tysen sat across from his mother, lost in thought while he absent-mindedly played with the curried meat in front of him.

  “Albert,” his mother said with a smile, finally breaking the silence. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like my cooking?”

  “Hmmm?” Tysen looked up; he’d almost forgotten she was there. “I’m sorry mother- the food…is fine. I’m just not hungry.” Then he glanced over at the empty place beside his mother. “Is Hariet not coming?”

  That made his mother’s look change to one of concern. “She’s upstairs. She…didn’t feel like joining us tonight.”

  Tysen cursed himself, he should have checked on his sister when he’d come home, but he was too wrapped up in his own problems. Feeling guilty, he asked- “Should I link to a doctor?”

  “I already did. He’ll be by later.” Then the look of concern became directed at him. “Albert, tell me, what’s wrong?”

  Tysen let his eyes drop; he wasn’t sure what to say. Finally he asked- “Mother, have you ever found yourself questioning something you’ve always believed? Something that was very important to you?”

  “Yes, of course.” She readily agreed. “We all face that sometime. In my case, it was your father and when I learned about his gambling. I wondered how I ever could have loved a man so much, but never known what he was really like.”

  “And?” He looked up at her, seeing hope for an answer to his dilemma. “How did you deal with it?”

  “Well,” Elizabeth gave a wistful smile. “I cried- a lot. Of course.” Then she took a deep breath, clearly remembering the events. “And then…When I was done crying I thought about it and decided that the man I loved was still there. Yes, there was another side of him I didn’t know, but he was also still your father and the man I loved. I decided that while I didn’t want to accept the bad, it didn’t mean I had to throw away the good as well.”

  Tysen nodded, vague memories and childhood feelings suddenly coming into clarity. “So that’s why you stayed.”

  “Yes…Why I stayed.” She said thoughtfully. “I decided to stay loyal to the man I loved and do my best to help him beat the darkness that had taken him over.” Then the sadness returned, “Of course, I didn’t win- I didn’t have time. But, I’d like to think that if he’d lived, we’d have made it through just okay.” Then she gave a forced smile, “Sorry, I get sentimental sometimes. Does that help?”

  Tysen considered- this whole incident had been a hard blow to his faith in the service. Having the reality he’d tried to ignore pushed into his face had made him question everything. But now, after listening to his mother’s story, he considered for the first time that there might be other ways to serve his empire without having to give up on it because of the darkness and corruption he’d witnessed.

  “Yes,” he told her. “Yes..I think it does.” He smiled. “Thank you, mother. I know it wasn’t easy for you to talk about it.”

  She shook her head, telling him not to worry about it. Then she asked, “So, are you going to tell me what happened today?”

  “Yes,” he said finally. “The truth is, they’ve offered me a deal. They want a conviction, but they don’t care who they hurt to get it.”

  That brought back the concern in her eyes. “That sounds terrible.”

  “It is,” he continued. “They offered to let me free to continue my career, but in exchange they want a man who was under my command at the time of the incident. Someone…who I might even call a friend.”

  “I see,” his mother said without emotion, staring at him. “And what did you tell them?”

  He looked at her, surprised. “What else could I tell them? No, of course!” Then seeing the look of panic on his mother’s face, he asked- “I thought you’d have agreed?”

  “Albert,” she said, and he could see the tears starting to well up in her eyes. “How could you be so selfish?”

  “Mother,” he told her firmly. “I’m sorry, but I won’t let his mother cry for my decisions.”

  “Then what about your own sister?” She pleaded.

  “What?” He was surprised she’d try something so emotional. “What do you mean? He has a sister too- three of them!”

  But his mother shook her head, clearly feeling that he didn’t understand her. “Albert,” she told him. “If they convict you, you’ll be executed. That means Hariet won’t have her operation.” Then she stood up- “I won’t have it!” She shouted. “I won’t lose both of you!”

  * * *

  The last rays of Kae, New Wellington’s primary sun, were disappearing beneath the horizon as Tysen found himself wandering alone in a nearby park. Yuri, the system’s smaller secondary blue dwarf star, had long since slipped away some hours earlier, and now Kiersgard was entering the period locals called “true night”, when both stars were absent from the sky. Beside him, the river that had given the valley its name flowed quietly along, looking like a shimmering galaxy as lightning bugs danced like little stars on top of it.

  Tysen’s dinner conversation with his mother had left him unsettled, and he had hoped a summer evening’s walk would help him think more clearly. Now, as he walked among the islands of light created by the lamp-posts that paced his path, he found it only made him feel more and more frustrated, and he instinctively kicked a small stone in his way, sending it splashing into the nearby river.

  “Why do you do that?” Asked a voice from the darkness, with a hint of curiosity but little trace of emotion.

  Tysen turned, surprised at hearing a voice he knew, but didn’t expect to see again.

  “Squire Esther?”

  She stepped into the light. Her beauty still made his breath catch, and the shadows on her face and form only made her seem more mysterious and alluring. She was wearing a form-fitting gray-green bodysuit, with a stylish blue vest of the kind that Tysen had noticed were popular this season.

  “Does putting a rock into the water make you feel better?” She continued. “It seems unlikely to have any effect on your situation.”

  He smiled sheepishly. “It relieves tension, I guess. But, why are you here? Did they summon you to testify at the review, or…?” He was surprised; he hadn’t seen Esther’s name on the witness list, nor that of her master.

  “No,” she said softly, stepping close- very close. “I came because I wanted to offer you my support.”

  “Well, Ah…..” Tysen suddenly felt hot under her intense gaze. “That’s nice of you. I…appreciate it.”

  “You are greatly conflicted.” She raised a slender hand and touched his forehead- her fingers were soft, and Tysen, who generally disliked physical contact with others, found to his own surprise he didn’t pull away.

  “Telepathy?”

  She smiled at that, staring right into his eyes. “Your body language and chemical signature tell me this.”

  “Ahh,” he turned his head and stepped away to face the river, suddenly unsure what to do. “You’re right…I am…conflicted.” He glanced at her again, she was still watching him. Had she been this intense on the station? Perhaps he hadn’t noticed during the crisis. “I’ve been given a choice, Esther- the life of my friend, or my own. Sacrifices have to be made.”

  “Why is this necessary?”

  “Because the gods are cruel?” He gave her an ironic smile. She didn’t return it. “The people I work for are scared, Esther. The whole system is breaking down, and they don’t know what to do. They’re trying to maintain discipline through fear and intimidation. Sin
ce I got back, I’ve been going through report after report, and it’s always the same. Someone steps out of line, says the wrong thing, and the service prosecutes them as an example for others. I don’t know, maybe I’d do the same in their position.”

  “Would you?”

  “I have. It’s the military way- sacrifices must be made for the greater good- even if that costs lives. I’ve never had to send anyone to their deaths, but I’ve been trained to do it if the situation required.”

  “Then, why is the choice they are making not justified in this case?”

  He looked at her, checking to see if she was being sarcastic, then he remembered she likely couldn’t be. Whose side was she on, anyways? Did she want him to die?

  “Because it’s unnecessary in this case. This wasn’t a breach of discipline, this was an act to save lives, not endanger anyone. It’s so pointless. Yes, I made an oath to die for the service, but not to die stupidly. They’re doing this, and they don’t even know why!”

  “How do you know?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Perhaps they have greater information you do not possess? They are in a superior position.”

  Tysen shook his head. “I’ve tried to look at it from all angles. Tried to see any way this could have happened differently. It’s always the same result. I had to do what I did to save those people- there was no other way.”

  There was a long pause, and then Esther answered. “It is unfortunate that there are not regulations within your legal framework to cover such instances.”

  Tysen nodded. It would have been nice if there was, he agreed.

  Then something flashed into his head. Lt. Clews was good, but she was tired and overworked- what if she’d missed something. Perhaps he could check? He wasn’t sure what he’d look for, but with hundreds of years of military case law, maybe there’d be something there he could use?

  He summoned up AR windows, and started a smart-search query, then he turned to Esther.

  “Thank you, you’ve given me something to work with.”

  She smiled, “You are most welcome.” Then to his surprise, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “For luck.”

  Tysen was wide-eyed. Speechless.

  She turned to walk away. “Good luck tomorrow, Lieutenant Tysen. Please sleep, you will need rest.”

  “Esther!” He called after her, pushing through his self-doubt. “Esther…Will…I see you again?”

  She paused, and looked back at him- their eyes meeting again in a way that made him shiver.

  “That will be up to you.”

  * * *

  Prosecutor Thomas leaned in, honest concern on his face.

  “Last chance, is your boy going to take it?”

  Lieutenant Clews glanced at Tysen, who shook his head, and then back at the crown prosecutor.

  “Not interested.”

  Thomas nodded sadly. “His loss. I’ll let them know.”

  As the prosecutor returned to his own table, Lt. Clews crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair.

  “You better be sure about this, Lieutenant.”

  “Positive,” Tysen said, reaffirming his position to both her and himself. “Just get me a chance to speak.”

  The call to “all rise” went out, and everyone stood while the judges filed in. Tysen noted none of them looked especially happy, and a few actually looked worried.

  “This board of review is now in session,” Commodore Sorrell announced after he’d rung the traditional chime. “Today we will read the verdict, but before we do, is there anything anyone wishes to say?” The Commodore’s gaze fell upon Tysen, and the young Lieutenant met it levelly. “This board is not without mercy,” he told Tysen. “ And, anything said will be considered under the circumstances.”

  Lt. Clews stood up, “Yes, your honor. Lieutenant Albert Tysen has asked he be able to say a few words to the board before sentencing.”

  The board members exchanged glances, and the Commodore raised a thick eyebrow.

  “The board will hear Lieutenant Tysen.”

  Tysen stood up, walking around the table. As he did, he found himself taking a quick look at the spectators. The stands were only half filled, with the majority being his shipmates, but of course Kip was in the front row. He gave Tysen a thumbs up sign, to which Tysen responded with a cordial nod. But, it wasn’t Kip he was looking for, and he let his gaze do one last sweep before he turned to face the judges.

  She didn’t come, he thought.

  He matched eyes with Commodore Sorrell, “Thank you, sir.” Then he let his gaze sweep the other members- Commodore Thaan, Captain Rodriguez, Colonel Halford, and Captain Ngumbo. He looked at each in turn, trying to gauge their mood, then took a deep breath and began…

  “Members of the board, I know you are expecting me to ask for the mercy of the court, but I am here today to tell you that it isn’t necessary. In fact, this whole review has been unnecessary, and I move that it be stricken from the books, and all charges dismissed.”

  Somewhere behind him, Tysen heard Lt. Clews make a strangled sound, and the spectators start whispering. Before him the assembled panel members looked at each other questioningly, except for Sorrell, who frowned.

  “Lieutenant, this is not a time for humor.”

  “No sir,” Tysen responded calmly. “It is not. Nor am I joking when I say this whole review has been baseless. Your charge against me, which we both know is coming, is piracy. I traded away civilian materials over which I had no jurisdiction to pirates in trade for services rendered- thus committing theft. I believe we can all agree on this point. However, how could I commit theft if in fact I had both the authority and the jurisdiction to do what I did?”

  Sorrell cleared his throat. “I believe,” he said with grave seriousness. “That we would be aware if that were the case, Lieutenant.”

  “No sir,” Tysen said again. “It is quite possible you were not.”

  For the first time Sorrell looked at his fellow board members, who gave a collective shrug as to what Tysen was speaking about.

  “Explain yourself, then.” He finally ordered.

  “Last night,” Tysen began. “While I considered the facts of the case, I realized that the key was the ownership of the cargo containers I traded away. Upon checking, I learned that the containers were in fact items that had been purchased and were waiting to be picked up for transport to their new owners.” Tysen opened a large holodisplay window that everyone in the courtroom could see. “These are the bills of lading in question, also being submitted to the official record. I apologize for submitting it so late, but I had my reasons.”

  Then Tysen had the window expand and focus on a portion of the document showing a data table, “Under item five, section six, you will find that the cargo I sold had in fact been purchased by the Sixth fleet. Therefore, the materials I traded were in fact owned by the military, the same service you and I represent.”

  “This…May be true, Lieutenant.” Said the clearly surprised Sorrell. “But, what gave you the authority to give them away like that?”

  “You did, sir.” Tysen said confidently.

  “I did???”

  “Well,” Tysen corrected himself. “You, in a general manner of speaking. The admiralty as a whole, actually.”

  A new display window appeared next to the first in the air above Tysen, this one already focused on a portion of text.

  “Under emergency regulation 20-34-18, paragraph 5, it states- “Any officer in command during a crisis situation may utilize any military resources under his command to prevent the loss of civilian life in event of a significant crisis event so long as it does not contravene the rules of military law.” Thus,” he declared. “As I was the officer in charge during a significant crisis event, and the materials were in fact owned by the military, I was perfectly within my rights to do what I did. Unless, of course, we want to debate whether the deaths of nearly half a million people is or is not a crisis event.”

  Before th
e judges could answer his challenge, Lieutenant Clews was out of her seat.

  “Sir. Given this new evidence, I would respectfully request that the board of review reconsider any previously decided verdict.”

  Commodore Sorrell, clearly unsure what to make of this sudden change, looked at the crown prosecutor with a concerned look.

  “Prosecutor Thomas, what do you have to say about this?”

  The crown prosecutor shrugged casually. “Well your honor,” he said, matching eyes with Tysen for a moment, and then looking back to the judge. “I’d say in the light of the new evidence, the prosecution withdraws its case.”

  The spectator gallery exploded in cheers.

  Commodore Sorrell rang his chime to regain control, but to no avail. “This board of review,” he finally shouted over the din. “Has no choice but to agree. This case is closed!”

  * * *

  Tysen found Esther waiting for him in a small street cafe just a few blocks away from where the hearings were being held.

  A message with an AR map had appeared while he was still being lauded by his shipmates, it wasn’t signed, but he’d known who it was from easily enough.

  “Good morning, Squire Esther.” He said as he slid into the seat across from her. “Enjoying the coffee?”

  The Squire, who had been sitting alone in the morning light of the twin stars, looked up at him with polite interest.

  “Good morning, Lieutenant Tysen. Did your trial go well?”

  “I won,” he said, knowing full well she already knew this. “Thanks to your advice.”

  “You are welcome, but I was only a messenger. The advice came from someone else.”

  “Who was it from, then?”

  She smiled.

  “He’s not dead, is he? Sir Fawn.”

  She shook her head. “No. He was injured, but he has survived far worse.”

  “Why did he send you to help me?”

  Esther’s eyes took on a wistful look. “Sir Fawn is perhaps the most Noble man I have known; there is none like him in this universe. He thinks deeply about others, including you.”

  “Me?” Tysen was surprised. “But we barely knew each other.”

  “To him, it was long enough. He carries great faith in your abilities.”