by Jay Toney
Doc recognized the names of two of the spacecraft, the One Trick Pony and the Dealer's Choice. They are from the stellar racing ships that he sold to Admiral Mavis. He is sure that his longtime associate is aboard one of the two spaceships.
Doc decided to get closer, a lot closer, to the approaching fleet so that he could use them as a shield to block weapon fire from the rapidly approaching warships. His pursuers wouldn't dare fire their weapons at him with the other vessels surrounding him. The Alliance military firing their guns at innocent civilian spaceships would set off a civil war that might end the Alliance hegemony.
There is little doubt that the approaching fleet meant to intercept the Queen Anne's Revenge, but the spaceships are going to have to decelerate soon, or they would overshoot him. Their closing speed had them catching up to the cruiser within a few hours.
"We are receiving a tight beam comm signal from the Badger," Natasha informed Doc.
Evidently, the captain of the Badger doesn't want what he has to say made public. It couldn't hurt to see what he has to say, and it might buy Doc more time. If nothing else, talking with the captain might reveal his intentions. "Put the Badger's captain on screen," Doc ordered the AI.
The forward view was replaced by the image of an Alliance officer. The rank insignia on the epaulets of his shoulders isn't the polished eagle of a starship captain. Three highly polished platinum stars decorated the shoulders of his black uniform. The man, much older than Doc with gray short cropped hair. He spoke, "Captain Roberts I presume?"
Doc recognized the admiral. He was the commandant in charge of the military academy on Avalon III when Doc was younger. "I am Captain Roberts. I recognize you from your holos. You are Admiral Rickert, formally the Commandant of Avalon Academy," Doc said to the man on his viewscreen.
"You were a student?" The admiral asked.
"No. I scored high enough on the entrance exams that was awarded a sponsorship, but my father forbade me from attending," Doc answered.
"To bad. With a little discipline, you might have made a good officer. Regretfully, I must ask for your surrender. You and your crew are to be tried and sentenced by a military tribunal, and then executed as an example of what we do to traitors," Admiral Rickert informed Doc.
"I intend to surrender, but not to you or any other member of the military. I am a civilian and a citizen in good standing with the Alliance government. I will present my case and all of my evidence to the judiciary. The Alliance military owes me more than it can ever pay, and I intend to make it pay for what it did to my wife and me," Doc told the admiral.
Admiral Rickert laughed and closed the comm channel. "Sensors indicate that the Badger and the Chimera have stopped decelerating and are now accelerating towards us," Jadsia warned Captain Roberts.
Doc couldn't afford to reduce their deceleration any more than they are. If he did, his starship wouldn't be able to enter orbit around Avalon III, even at maximum deceleration. Natasha's calculations have the Alliance warships coming within weapons range one hour after the Queen Anne's Revenge intercepts the fleet of spacecraft coming from the planet. That didn't leave him much leeway.
The spaceships in the approaching fleet stopped accelerating towards Doc's cruiser, flipped, and then began accelerating back towards the planet.
"Natasha?"
"I am calculating their approach with the course change. We will be among the fleet in 30 minutes," Natasha's avatar told Doc.
One of the spacecraft cut its engines. According to its tag on the tactical screen, it is the One Trick Pony.
"I am receiving a request from the One Trick Pony to come aboard," The AI relayed to Doc. "The identity of the pilot is unknown."
It could only be one person. "You heard Admiral Mavis! Make some room in our hangar, open the starboard shuttle bay doors, and turn on the lights." Doc Roberts left the bridge in a hurry to meet with his longtime acquaintance; leaving the AI in charge.
Doc watched the sleek racing ship pass through the shuttle bay's forcefield and land on the deck. The hangar doors closed and the forcefield snapped off. A hatch opened on the belly of the ship, and a boarding ladder lowered. Admiral Mavis climbed down the rungs and out from under the spaceship.
The retired admiral and Doc shook hands. "You picked a bad time to return," Admiral Mavis said to Doc. "There is a military coup underway. They are in the process of taking over the government. I can only give you limited protection. Why have you come back?"
"I have returned home to complete my son's education," Doc answered his friend.
"I see... you finally settled down and married that mechanic of yours. I can't blame you for taking her as your wife after your loss. She is a looker, once you get her out of her coveralls," Tom Mavis said to Doc.
Doc let the admiral think that his son is from Jane. If he found out otherwise, Nathaniel's life would be forfeit and so would his. The Alliance doesn't tolerate mixed species children in their society. That is one of the reasons his wife was assassinated. The other reason was Captain Thornton's hatred of him and his wife; especially after witnessing Admiral Mavis humiliate him for his arrogance. "We aren't married, but we have an arrangement," Doc explained to Tom.
The admiral looked at Doc again and reappraised him. "You are learning. There may be hope for you yet. Is your son here to attend the academy?"
"No, he is only here to take one course on government that is best taught here," Doc answered the Admiral.
"I hope he is a fast learner. I can stop the Military from openly attacking your ship, but there are other ways they can make life difficult for you and they will. Finish your business and get out of Alliance space while you still can," Tom warned Captain Roberts.
"The Alliance military violated my agreement with the government and had my wife assassinated. I plan on making the Alliance pay. I have a Letter of Marque signed by the Lord Admiral and the Vice Admiral themselves. I will petition the High Lord himself if I have to," Doc told his friend.
"Your Letter of Marque isn't worth the paper it is written on. The High Lord was executed a year ago. The Lord Admiral has usurped the mantle of High Lord. He is responsible for breaking the agreement that he signed, and it was the Lord Admiral himself who appointed Captain Thornton as your wife's executioner. I should have spaced that pompous ass long ago, and you should have made sure he was dead after your duel," the admiral told Doc.
"So how is the dickless wonder getting about? The last time I saw him he didn't have any legs, Doc tried making light of the topic of their discussion.
"Don't make underrate his situation. He is insane, but he remains the High Lord's favorite pet. As such, Captain Thornton can do no wrong, and he is an evil son of a bitch, much worse than he ever was. His legs have been replaced with cybernetic devices. Tissue and nerve regeneration did not work on him. The nerve receptors in his brain refused to process the signals from the regenerated limbs," Admiral Mavis answered.
"What about the boreworms?" Doc asked, hoping that they were left inside of him.
"Those are nasty creatures. They were surgically removed before they reached maturity and spawned releasing their eggs. From what I hear, it was an excruciatingly painful process. Each boreworm had to be individually removed without using anesthesia," Tom told his friend.
Doc led the way back to the bridge. He felt a little better knowing that his longtime enemy suffered from the worms infesting him. He had hoped that at least a few of the worms survived to maturity and laid their eggs. It might account for his insanity.
The fleet of spaceships from the planet surrounded the Queen Anne's Revenge acting as a shield, protecting the cruiser from the Badger and the Chimera. The two warships decelerated hard, but there was no way for them to shed enoug
h speed to orbit Avalon III. The battleship and cruiser had no choice but to fly past the planet while still decelerating until they slowed their velocity enough to enter orbit.
The Queen Anne's Revenge didn't have that liability. Natasha piloted the ship into orbit. Admiral Mavis departed the cruiser in the One Trick Pony. The cruiser didn't need the protection from his fleet any longer. It had an entire planet's population watching and waiting to see what its military would do next.
Doc, Nathaniel, and Natasha took a shuttlecraft to the orbiting space station. They were given priority clearance to land in shuttle bay 11 on the blue docking ring. A government representative met them there after they landed and the shuttle bay pressurized.
The representative from the judiciary waited from them at the docking bay's airlock to lead the group through the space stations warrens to the legal offices. The trio was taken to an office and told to wait. They sat for over an hour with nothing to do but stare at the sterile white walls that are only broken by a windowed partition where the receptionist sat, and a metal door painted to look like an antique wood door.
The window slid open. "Mr. Merrick will see you now," the secretaries voice sounded loud after being kept in near silence. The metal door slid open. Doc, Nathaniel, and Natasha stood and walked through the door to another open door where a man sat behind a plastic desk that is molded to look like it is made of wood.
"You have the wrong office for marriage contracts," the man behind the desk said to the group. "Go back down the corridor 50 meters, make the first left and then the next right."
"We are not here to discuss terms for a marriage contract," Doc informed the man.
"Mr. Merrick took another look at Mr. Roberts. Then he compared him to the image on his comp. "Then you must be Doc Roberts. I have been expecting you. I have reviewed your case. Regretfully, there is nothing that can be done about your situation," the man said making a dismissing gesture.
"I haven't even told you what I am here for," Doc told the man.
"There is no need, but if you insist, go ahead."
"First, the Alliance Military has repeatedly broken the agreement outlined in my Letter of Marque, signed by the Lord Admiral and the Vice-Admiral of the fleet. Worse yet, Captain Thornton was sent to Antares IV to assassinate my wife. I demand compensation from the military for those gross violations and the murder of my wife," Doc Roberts told the justice officer.
"The government that made the agreement specified in the Letter of Marque no longer exists, therefore, there is no liability on behalf of the current government. The presidency has been replaced by a military dictatorship. Your agreement is nullified. Unless, of course, you have obtained a new agreement from the current High Lord and Lord Admiral," the official told Doc.
"Taxes have been levied and paid on the Letter of Marque validating the agreement," Doc argued.
"All citizens of the Alliance are expected and required to pay their share of taxes. You have a greater means to pay; therefore, it is your duty to pay more. The collection of taxes from you in no way validates any previous or current agreement."
"What about the assassination of my wife?" Doc asked.
"There are no records of any termination orders authorizing Captain Thornton to eliminate your wife. He did so voluntarily. Therefore, the Alliance military is under no obligation to compensate you for the loss. That responsibility falls directly to Captain Thornton."
There wouldn't be any termination orders. The elimination of undesired citizens is a common practice for the government. Both Doc and the man sitting at the desk in front of him knew that.
He continued, "Under normal circumstances, you would be charged for damage to military property, of said Captain Thornton. However, the High Lord recognizes the conflict that the captain caused by killing your wife without proper authority. He considers the matter between the two of you settled. Your duel left Captain Thornton incapable of taking a woman for pleasure or procreation and walking with his own legs. He is permanently disabled having to rely on prosthetic devices to get about.
Personally, I recognize the resentment that you must feel with the loss of your wife. I am nearing the end of my fifth two-year marriage contract, and I am currently negotiating a contract renewal with my latest wife and looking into purchasing the option for a single childbirth. We are still negotiating which government-run creche to raise our child in.
It is unusual for the judiciary or any the general accounting office (GAO) to approve claims for replacement wives, but I will approve a purchase order for a reasonably priced marriage contract. That is as much as I can do for any citizen. A word of advice, finish your business quickly and leave Alliance territory."
"Thank you, but I am not interested in purchasing a replacement wife. No bondwoman can replace what Captain Thornton, and the Council of Captains that sent him, took from me. The Alliance will pay one way or another." Doc let the representative know that he knew that it wasn't the Captain's decision alone. Every military warship captain and the senior officer took part in that decision.
"A threat?" The judicial representative asked Doc.
"No, a promise." Doc stood and left with Nathaniel and Natasha following close behind him. He didn't expect the Alliance government to agree to pay any compensation for the murder of his wife or their trespasses. His sole purpose in seeing the representative was to show his son the government's callous disregard towards its citizens. The offer of payment for a contract wife surprised him. More importantly, it gave him an idea.
After they were past the space station's legal offices and into the warrens that made up the bulk of the space stations residential area Nathaniel asked his father, "What did that man mean by contracting and purchasing a replacement wife, and what did he mean by purchasing an option for a single childbirth?"
Doc answered his son. "They do things differently in the Alliance. In the Commonwealth of Free Worlds, marriage is an oath sworn between two people who love each other and children come naturally. Here, marriages and every aspect of them is negotiated. Once the terms for the length of the marriage, the frequency of sex, and the proportion of household expenses are agreed to; the woman's family is paid a compensation fee, and the attorneys are paid their legal expenses. Children are an option that requires approval by the GAO and the option, even if not used, is paid in advance. There is no such thing as accidental pregnancy in the Alliance. The penalties for getting pregnant without first paying the government are severe. It is common for the guilty couple to be publicly hanged as examples. At the very least, the child will be forced into public service or into the military to pay for their life."
"I am still not sure that I understand," Nathaniel told his father.
Doc led his son and Natasha to another part of the space station. They are walking through the inner ring in the commercial district. Nathaniel's father stopped and pointed to a sign on a building. The sign is of a sexy looking she-devil wearing some type of collar around her neck embossed with the name, Lucky Devil. "This is one of the more expensive marriage contract centers. Less expensive places use tacky signage or bondwomen to attract potential customers. Negotiating a contract is the only legal way to marry inside of the Alliance," Doc explained to his son. "It can be done privately between couples or through a public outlet such as this one."
Doc led his son and Natasha into the emporium. A sign at the door read, "Reinhold & Simpson, proudly serving our citizens." Doc Roberts spat on the sign before opening the door and entering the building. The front of the store is filled with booths with lawyers processing purchase contracts for the emporium's customers. Two salesmen rushed towards the trio. One of them tripped and fell. "Damn you, Charlie!" The fallen salesman pulled a knife from his belt and began cutting away the tangleweb that is covering his legs.
"Don't worry about my friend. He will be free soon enough. We are constantly playing pranks on each other. I am Charlie Malone. Here at the Lucky Devil, we have the best selection of woman conditioned to serve you. Are you looking for something for yourself, the young man with you, or perhaps the lady?" the salesman asked Doc.
"I am Doc Roberts. I am in the market for something special for my son."
The salesman consulted his comp. "The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has preapproved a purchase order of up to 200,000 credits. There is nothing that specifies that the purchase has to be for your own use. Your signature on the purchase order is all that is needed to satisfy the agreement with the GAO," Charlie said to Doc. "Are you looking for a younger wife that your son can train himself, a woman his own age, or perhaps someone a little older with prior marriage experience?"
"A lady his own age would be best, I think; a young woman that will make an immediate impression on him," Doc answered the salesman.
"I have a selection to choose from that I am sure that he will love." The salesman led Doc, Nathaniel, and Natasha through the store to an area where a small group of women sat behind glass walls waiting for a potential buyer. Nathaniel is immediately attracted to a young lady with red hair, green eyes, and an inviting smile.
This is the first woman with red hair that he has ever seen. Well, a human woman. Red and green haired women are common among alien species, and he had been with plenty of them, but never a human woman. He had to have her as his wife. "She is the one I want," Nathaniel told his father and pointed to the young lady with the red hair. "She is perfect."
Charlie opened the cubicle, and the young lady stepped out. "Come this way. Our contract specialists will negotiate an agreement and options that will satisfy your son's desires."
"There is no need to discuss options or enter a contract. The purchase will be for life," Doc told Charlie.
