Starfist - Kingdom's Swords Part 14

Compartment Five was a shambles of ruined superstructure, loose cabling, and debris. All the ore and the entire hundred meters of the stern portion of the compartment was gone. "It's all out there." A crewman gestured toward the gaping hole that was now the "stern" of the Cambria Cambria . Tons of ore and other debris, mixed with what was left of the propulsion unit, floated in a long trail behind the s.h.i.+p. . Tons of ore and other debris, mixed with what was left of the propulsion unit, floated in a long trail behind the s.h.i.+p.

"Geez," another said, "that's gonna cost Sewall millions!" They located Conorado in a cargo supervisor's station, pinned under debris. He was unconscious but his suit had withstood the explosions. "Let's get him to the infirmary," Tuit ordered. "Give me a line. I'm going out there to see if I can find Jenny and Bob."

"Captain!" Minerva broke into the net. "I have a message for you from the captain of the CNSS Sergeant CNSS Sergeant Major Richard Banks Major Richard Banks !" !"

"G.o.dd.a.m.n," one of the crew said, "they must've deciphered the pa.s.sword those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds set on her!"

"Good to have you back, Minerva," Tuit said to the computer. He did not feel ridiculous to be talking to a machine as if it were a person. At that particular moment he felt Minerva was human, and he was glad to have her back on line. "What's the message?"

"Captain!" Franks's voice came up on Tuit's comm unit. "Somebody's knocking at the door!"

"That's the message, Captain," Minerva answered.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR.

The last thing Conorado remembered was Jennifer shouting "Fire!" and then the world went dark for him until he awoke in the Cambria's Cambria's infirmary, Hank Tuit standing over him, peering down anxiously into his face. infirmary, Hank Tuit standing over him, peering down anxiously into his face.

150 "Lew? Lew, can you hear me?"

"Yeah. Hank, did we do it?"

"You did it, old jarhead, you sure did it." Tuit's face broke into a broad smile.

"Jennifer? Bob?"

Another face appeared, a middle-aged female. "Hi, I'm Commander Stanton of the fast frigate CNSS CNSS Sergeant Major Richard Banks . How're you doing, Marine?" Conorado smiled back at her. "I've never been so glad to see a squid-excuse me, ma'am, I mean a sailor-in my life. What about Jennifer and Bob, Commander?" She said nothing. He turned to Tuit. . How're you doing, Marine?" Conorado smiled back at her. "I've never been so glad to see a squid-excuse me, ma'am, I mean a sailor-in my life. What about Jennifer and Bob, Commander?" She said nothing. He turned to Tuit.

"Hank?" An anxious note crept into Conorado's voice. He was beginning to have that old, bad feeling again, one he'd had many times before after a firefight.

"Well," Captain Tuitt responded, "we're looking for them, Lew." The sinking feeling in the pit of Conorado's stomach took a turn for the worse: Tuit didn't look at him as he spoke. "Help me up, will you?" he asked. He groaned as Stanton and Tuit lifted him into a sitting position on the examination table.

"Minerva says you're okay, Lew, just bruised and concussed," Tuit said, trying to sound bright and optimistic.

"How long's it been since I went out?"

"Some hours," Commander Stanton answered. "I have several rescue crews searching this entire quadrant for survivors. Those blasts were quite violent."

"'Blasts,' did you say?"

Commander Stanton explained the sequence of events. "The blast you set off is what knocked you into the cargo supervisor's kiosk and probably saved your life. It was our blast, unfortunately, that emptied the ore in Compartment Five that your bomb weakened. Your friends went with it."

"My boy! My boy!" Amba.s.sador Franks bustled into the infirmary, his arms outstretched toward Conorado. "I have never witnessed such bravery! Such ingenuity in a desperate spot! I'll see to it that the commandant-the President herself-knows what you and those two unfortunate souls-" He went silent at the angry glance Tuit gave him. Conorado looked at Tuit. "Hank, they're dead, aren't they?"

"Yeah, most likely. Their emergency transponders are not working. Their suits were punctured. You know what that means. We're looking for what's left of them." Jennifer Lenfen dead? Killed volunteering for something dangerous in order to save others. And that engineer, Bob Storer, he had family. "They went out like Marines," Conorado muttered.

"Captain, I am sorry," Franks said, "very sorry. But you are a hero, my boy. You and your friends, 151 151 heroes. You saved all of us. I promise you," he held a finger up, "that the world is going to know about the sacrifices that were made on this voyage."

"Folks, would you leave me alone for a while?" Conorado asked. "I'm not feeling too chipper just now." They filed out of the infirmary. Franks returned to his suite to prepare for evacuation from the Cambria Cambria to the Banks, leaving Tuit and Stanton alone in the companionway. to the Banks, leaving Tuit and Stanton alone in the companionway.

"Most of your cargo can be recovered," Stanton said. "All in all, you came through this in almost one piece."

"How the devil did you get on to us like that?" Tuit asked. Stanton told him.

"Hmm. Commander, seems you might have exceeded your orders a bit there, huh?" Tuit smiled.

"Maybe. Fleet might try to get my a.s.s, but you know something-that amba.s.sador, Franks? I think he'll stick up for what I did."

"Franks? d.a.m.nit, Commander, he'll have to stand in line, and I'm gonna be first on that one!" They both laughed. Tuit put his arm around Stanton's shoulder. "I know you, don't I? When we get back on the ground and all this is settled, can I buy you dinner?"

"Yes to both questions, Captain! Do you remember, oh, thirty years ago now, an 'incident' on St. Brendan's World? You commanded a transport then, the Oregon, and I was Officer of the Day in port at New Cobh. I was an ensign at the time." Tuit smacked his forehead. "Yes! There was a disturbance in a bar and you left your station to-"

"Yes. And when I got to the place, I found our guys getting beat up by the local police, so the sh.o.r.e party and I-"

"Waded into them! And you all wound up in the local jail! How could I have forgotten that?" He started to laugh.

"Well, Captain, you chewed a big chunk out of my behind but you never made out a report. I really screwed up. Any other commander would've hung me out to dry. You saved my career by handling it yourself. I've never forgotten that."

"Aw, h.e.l.l, only what a good commander does when a good officer screws up. Besides, you were young, trying to prove yourself, and you had that G.o.dd.a.m.ned nasty old chief bosun with you that night, what the h.e.l.l was his name...?"

Commander Stanton leaned over and kissed Tuit on the cheek. "I've wanted to do that for thirty years and say again, thanks."

The old score was now settled.

152 The survivors of the Cambria Cambria had not even disembarked from the Banks before orders arrived from the Ministry of Justice that all of them, pa.s.sengers and crew, were to be confined at Luna Station until Confederation representatives could debrief them on the incident. The crew of the Banks was denied sh.o.r.e liberty and placed under the same restriction. That did not prevent the two old sailors, Tuit and Stanton, from having dinner the first night at Luna Station-and breakfast and lunch too. On the third day two very official-looking men a.s.sembled the had not even disembarked from the Banks before orders arrived from the Ministry of Justice that all of them, pa.s.sengers and crew, were to be confined at Luna Station until Confederation representatives could debrief them on the incident. The crew of the Banks was denied sh.o.r.e liberty and placed under the same restriction. That did not prevent the two old sailors, Tuit and Stanton, from having dinner the first night at Luna Station-and breakfast and lunch too. On the third day two very official-looking men a.s.sembled the Cambria Cambria survivors in a small theater on a sublevel of the station. "We are from the Ministry of Justice," one of them announced. "You do not need to know our names. This same briefing is being given right now to the crew of the Banks. Once we are done here today, your onward transportation will be ready to take you all home. survivors in a small theater on a sublevel of the station. "We are from the Ministry of Justice," one of them announced. "You do not need to know our names. This same briefing is being given right now to the crew of the Banks. Once we are done here today, your onward transportation will be ready to take you all home.

"Now we want you to listen very carefully to what we have to say." The room was deathly silent. "You are to speak to no one about what happened on the Sewall Company's cargo s.h.i.+p, the SS Cambria SS Cambria . If asked, pa.s.sengers, you will say something went wrong with the power plant. You don't know what, it happened so fast. Captain Tuit, you and your crew will say that your reactor malfunctioned. You lost four of your crew trying to save it. Since none of your engineers survived, n.o.body knows precisely what went wrong. Your computer logs have been adjusted. The propulsion unit blew up before the problem was fully diagnosed. If anyone presses you for information, the matter is under investigation by the Ministry of Interstellar Navigation and Commerce. You are unable to comment. Some of you will be asked by the press or even by relatives of the crew who died in the explosion. Refer any inquiries to the ministry." . If asked, pa.s.sengers, you will say something went wrong with the power plant. You don't know what, it happened so fast. Captain Tuit, you and your crew will say that your reactor malfunctioned. You lost four of your crew trying to save it. Since none of your engineers survived, n.o.body knows precisely what went wrong. Your computer logs have been adjusted. The propulsion unit blew up before the problem was fully diagnosed. If anyone presses you for information, the matter is under investigation by the Ministry of Interstellar Navigation and Commerce. You are unable to comment. Some of you will be asked by the press or even by relatives of the crew who died in the explosion. Refer any inquiries to the ministry."

"What the h.e.l.l about the five sonsab.i.t.c.hes-" Tuit shouted. The speaker waved a hand. "They did not exist. I repeat, they did not exist. Your pa.s.senger manifest does not show them on board your vessel, Captain. Am I making myself clear?" A murmur went through the small group. "I am Amba.s.sador Jamison Franks III, Inspector General-"

"We know who you are, sir," the second man said coldly, unimpressed.

"I am going to make a full report on this incident to my superiors, gentlemen. And I am going to single out Captain Lewis Conorado and two members of the crew for their courage and sacrifice-"

"I appreciate what those people did, sir," the first man interrupted, "but there will be no report of any kind. I am sorry, truly, but that is the way it is going to be. This incident is a matter of Confederation security, and any of you who ignore what you have been told this afternoon will be subject to prosecution."

"I will send a message to my superiors in the diplomatic service and we will see-"

"Amba.s.sador Franks, sit down! If you send any such message I will arrest you immediately." Franks sat down.

"Now," the first man continued, "I have statements prepared for all of you to sign. By signing, you acknowledge that you understand what I have just told you and will keep your silence on this matter. Please step forward one at a time and we will be finished. Amba.s.sador Franks, you first, please." Conorado was getting used to this sort of thing. He signed without comment. "There's someone here to see you, Captain," one of the men said. 153 153 Two military policemen stepped into the theater. "Captain Lewis Conorado?" one, a gunnery sergeant, asked.

Conorado knew what was coming next. "Yes, Gunny."

"Captain, you are under arrest. Please come with us."

The quarters they put Conorado up in at Camp Darby, a military installation on the outskirts of Fargo, were comfortable but not luxurious. He was on his own recognizance and free to roam the post but otherwise considered under arrest of quarters until the trial was over. A young navy lieutenant, Aldo Heintges, had been a.s.signed as Conorado's counsel. Heintges had reddish-brown hair and boyish freckles on his face. He reminded Conorado of Lance Corporal Dean. Their first meeting, on the eve of the trial, went well.

"Captain," Heintges explained when they met, "this trial is being conducted by the civil authority. But since its subject remains so highly cla.s.sified, the court's venue has been established here at Camp Darby. Otherwise we'd all be going downtown. And also because the subject is so highly cla.s.sified, it won't be a jury trial. There'll be one judge sitting on the bench and he will hear our arguments."

"Yes, and that's why the trial's taking place in the comm facility: high security, no windows, no crowds. I'm thankful for one thing though: since all this is so hush-hush, I won't have an MP escort everywhere I go. Do you know the judge?"

"By reputation. His name is Stefan Epstein. He's a no-nonsense type of guy, hard but fair. You may remember the war crimes tribunals after the revolution on Munhango? That was a highly emotionally charged trial, and Epstein was the chief judge of the tribunal. He proceeded strictly on the basis of facts and hard evidence, and while the panel's decisions displeased those who wanted hangings, they stood up to judicial review. It'll be just him, and no jury."

"G.o.dd.a.m.n, Lieutenant, no jury? I saw the list of witnesses the other side's calling. Hoxey's whole staff, the entire d.a.m.ned s.h.i.+ft is going to be called as witnesses against me!"

"One thing, Captain. You and I are going to spend a lot of time together in the coming days and we're going to get to know each other very well. Please call me Aldo?"

"Call me Lew." They shook hands across the table in the tiny office Heintges had been given to work out of.

"To answer your question, Lew, you've got to remember that her s.h.i.+ft is now in rotation, so all those people are available. Now, I talked to General Cazombi and Agent Nast. They've been subpoenaed as witnesses for the defense, and they're here. You'll see them tomorrow. Anyway, I think on cross-examination Hoxey's witnesses will turn out to be good ones for you. Also, I have the sworn statements the judge advocate took from your men back at Camp Ellis. I'll introduce those on your behalf and the judge will consider them. Captain, look. You did the right thing. I think I can get this whole mess tossed out."

"d.a.m.n," Conorado muttered, "the b.i.t.c.h tried to get her hands on Owen, our mascot, to-to-vivisect him!" He shook his head. "Who's Hoxey's lawyer?" 154 154 "A pair of prize a.s.sholes, Lew. They're Bureau of Human Habitability Exploration and Investigation lawyers. Hoc Vinces is the lead lawyer and his partner is a woman named Drellia Fortescue. They hate the military, as do a lot of the people who inhabit BHHEI." He smiled. "That's just another reason we refer to them as 'Behind.'"

"Well, some of them aren't that bad, Aldo. Hoxey's husband, for instance. Strange match there." He shook his head.

"I get that impression too, but beware of these shysters. They'll pull every legal trick in the book to make you look bad. They're good at that. I've never gone up against them myself, but I know them by reputation. You're better off without a jury trial because Epstein won't be swayed by any theatrics or legal maneuvers." He paused a moment. "Look, Lew, I've got to tell you this. You are ent.i.tled to your own consul. I was appointed by the navy to defend you, and I want to, but you can pick anyone you'd like to do the job. I'm not a prize trial lawyer. Oh, I've done plenty of court-martials, but I went into the navy as soon as I pa.s.sed my bar exams. This'll be my first time in a civil court on a criminal case. You need to know that."

"I 'preciate that, Aldo. I've sat on general courts-martial boards."

"If you pick a civilian counsel, you'll have to pay-"

"Yes. But I can pick anybody, can't I? I mean, I don't have to pick a lawyer, even."

"Yes, but I strongly advise you, pick a good lawyer."

"Aldo, I've got a lawyer and I think he's a good one-you. But I want someone else on my side when we go into court."

Heintges blushed. "Thanks, Lew. I got myself a d.a.m.ned fine client, if you want to know. So who you got in mind to join us?"

"Name's Hank Tuit."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE.

"What kind of monsters did this?"

"Don't touch anyone, they might be b.o.o.by-trapped," Gunnery Sergeant Ba.s.s warned. Third platoon was at a convent in the middle of a forest. Unlike the other places the Skinks had raided, the buildings here were intact, the livestock alive, nothing was burned. Only the people were dead. Seventy-three nuns and two handymen were in the convent's courtyard. Most of them had been killed by bladed weapons; only a few had their flesh eaten by the acid guns. Drag marks indicated they'd been shot down while trying to run away. There was no evidence of the horrible weapons the Skinks had used during the fight in the Swamp of Perdition. The bodies were all naked. The two male bodies and six female were arranged in an obscene tangle. The rest of them were s.e.xually mutilated, many with b.r.e.a.s.t.s cut off or lower bellies cut open. Many were laid in grotesque positions. The Skinks had taken time to lay out a tableau, one they obviously knew would offend and sicken.

155 Ba.s.s tore his eyes away from the awful sight and snapped into the all-hands circuit, "Secure this area." Staff Sergeant Hyakowa took advantage of the order to leave the courtyard. "First squad, northeast; second squad, southwest," he said into the all-hands circuit as he went. His voice rasped, his throat constricted and raw. "Gun, into the bell tower."

"Get me the Skipper," Ba.s.s said to Lance Corporal Dupont, the platoon communications man. Dupont had trouble finding his voice to make the call. Ba.s.s took the UPUD's handset to report what they'd found and to request that local authorities be dispatched to deal with it. When he handed it back, he felt like he should wash his hands. At least the radio worked so far, even if he didn't trust any other part of the Mark III.

"G.o.d's will, I cannot look on it," said First Acolyte Wanderer, averting his eyes from the carnage in the courtyard. Ba.s.s had his s.h.i.+elds raised so his face was visible, but the rest of him was invisible to the Kingdomite officer. Wanderer's gaze jumped about, everywhere but at the bodies and at Ba.s.s. He found speaking with what appeared to be a disembodied face too unnerving. The deacon who arrived with the company of the Army of the Lord, to make sure they weren't contaminated by the off-world heathens, seemed struck dumb by the sight.

"'G.o.d's will,' you have to," Ba.s.s snapped. "These are your people, your holy women." He paused to take a deep, calming breath. "Listen, we respect your beliefs, even though your beliefs portray us as little better than devils. I have no idea of what your customs are, how you treat the bodies of murdered people, how you handle the bodies of holy women. I don't want to do anything to defile them..."

"Defile? You speak of defilement? Have you looked on them? They have already been defiled-by demons! That mortal clay is beyond redemption." Ba.s.s moved close to the young officer and dropped his voice. "I'm taking my Marines and going out to see if we can find where the Skinks who did this went. The women are yours. You take care of them. If I find out you left them like this, you best hope you never see me again."

"You threaten an officer of the Lord?" demanded the deacon, who had gotten past his shock and was suddenly next to them. He stared sharply at Ba.s.s's hovering face. Ba.s.s looked at the deacon. If he hadn't known he was a minister of some sort, he wouldn't have guessed. The man wore a standard army field uniform. His collar emblem may have been a religious symbol, but it wasn't one Ba.s.s recognized.

"No," he said coldly, "I do not threaten him. I advise him. You're a holy man. You know the rules, the procedures, the ceremonies for the dead. You see to it that those bodies are properly cared for. And do it reverently." He slid his chameleon s.h.i.+eld into place and said into his helmet comm, "Third platoon, saddle up and a.s.semble on the south side." The deacon swallowed when Ba.s.s's face vanished. The officer blanched. Ba.s.s didn't warn him about b.o.o.by traps. He thought the man didn't need anything else to discourage him from dealing with the 156 156 carnage.

"That way." Schultz raised his arm to let his sleeve slide down and pointed a few degrees off due south. That was where the Skinks went when they left the convent.

"Did you send anybody out there?" Ba.s.s asked Hyakowa.

"About half a klick," the platoon sergeant replied. "The trail continued."

"Line 'em up and let's follow. I want a fire team out about seventy-five meters on each flank."

"Aye aye, boss." Hyakowa issued the marching orders on the platoon command circuit. Ba.s.s looked into the forest while the platoon prepared to move out. It was the local equivalent of a temperate zone deciduous forest. Some of the trees strongly resembled Earth oaks he'd seen in nature preserves in a number of worlds. He briefly wondered if the Kingdomites had imported and planted real oaks. More important than thinking about the trees, though, was the Skinks. Until now third platoon, which had more contact with them than anybody else, had only encountered them in or near swamps. He didn't need to bring up a map to know that the nearest swamp or wetlands was more than a hundred kilometers from the convent. All of the strikes the Skinks had made while the Marines were embarking on the Grandar Bay Grandar Bay were some distance from swamps. Maybe they weren't all that dependent on water to function. He wondered why they had held off for a week after the battle in the swamp before they struck again. Was it coincidence that they launched all those raids while the Marines were boarding s.h.i.+p, or was it deliberate? If it was deliberate, what was their motivation? were some distance from swamps. Maybe they weren't all that dependent on water to function. He wondered why they had held off for a week after the battle in the swamp before they struck again. Was it coincidence that they launched all those raids while the Marines were boarding s.h.i.+p, or was it deliberate? If it was deliberate, what was their motivation?

"Ready any time you say, boss," Hyakowa said, interrupting his ruminations. Ba.s.s toggled on the all-hands circuit. "Look alive, people. These Skinks might be smarter and tougher than we ever guessed. Move out."

It was an old growth forest. The trees were large and separated widely enough so their branches didn't meet to form a full canopy. There was a lot of undergrowth, except under the biggest, most thickly leafed trees. The trail was easy to follow; the Skinks hadn't been interested in pa.s.sing unnoticed. Schultz, on the point as usual, was mildly surprised that the Skinks were so careless in their pa.s.sage. It was as though they were encouraging pursuit. He could only think of two reasons: to lead the pursuers into an ambush; to lead the pursuers away from something more important. He was here, not someplace else, so here was his concern. He watched the trail carefully, alert for any sign that it slackened, as though fewer bodies were making it. He also watched ahead as far as he could make out for sign that the creatures they followed had turned aside to double back and set an ambush. He didn't lead the platoon along the same track the Skinks had taken, but parallel to it. An easily followed path was too likely to be b.o.o.by-trapped. He and the Marines behind him left a far less visible trail than the Skinks had. Two or three hundred meters beyond where the patrol had gone, a small river crossed the Skinks' trail. The trail didn't resume on the other side of the river.

"We have to check it out," Ba.s.s said. "First squad, go upstream, second squad go downstream. If you don't see sign of them coming out in two klicks, cross over and come back checking the other side." Through his infra he watched the two squads leave. He didn't feel comfortable about splitting the platoon, 157 157 but it was the fastest way to check out where the Skinks might have left the river.

"What are you thinking?" Hyakowa asked.

"I'm thinking they're trying to screw with our minds."

"I imagine you're right."

"They're messing with us," Schultz rumbled when second squad was halfway back to its starting point.

"What do you mean?" Kerr asked.

"They stayed in the river."

"How do you know?"

"Mind f.u.c.k."

"How can you be sure?"

Schultz grunted. It was obvious to him that the Skinks were playing games with the Marines, working on their psyches.