"I believe, sir, that I would have," Justin finally replied, "though I must confess it would have been far more difficult to reach that decision."
The captain questioning him said nothing for a moment.
"One final question, cadet."
"Sir?"
"Did you want to kill Captain MacKenzie?"
Justin closed his eyes for a moment.
"Yes," he said. "I wasn't sure when I made my way upstairs and prepared to attack. I had considered the chance that people might get shot. I had hoped originally to arm everyone I had released, burst into the room, and by a show of force convince the guards to lay down their weapons. The idea of firing the engines was a lucky break."
"Not for the two cadets who were seriously injured," Singh interrupted.
"I regret that, sir, I honestly do, but I saw no other way."
"I think you realized though that MacKenzie would fight," the captain continued. "I know the man, and you did, too."
"Yes, sir, perhaps I wasn't thinking that far ahead at that moment. But when I came through the door after firing the engine and saw my friend in the airlock, breathing vacuum and dying, yes, sir, I did want to kill him."
"Why didn't you? He fired two shots at you but you did not reply."
"Perhaps I was afraid, sir," Justin whispered.
"I don't think so, Bell," Marcioni replied, and he looked over at Singh. "No further questions."
Justin looked out the window, watching as the shadows of twilight deepened on the side of the mountain. It was such a strange light, the sky directly overhead a dark indigo blue, the horizon showing a faint orange glow of reflected light from the surface. On the south-facing side of a nearby hill he saw a team of farmers wearing light pressure suits checking the protective plastic covers that automatically wrapped around the rows of Yarinba cactus when the temperature dropped below zero. The plant had been created from genetically altered barrel cactus to withstand the thin air and harsh climate extremes of the planet. The Yarinba were part of the first step in terraforming the planet, the plant locking moisture beneath its tough outer hide and ever so slowly pumping the hundreds of billions of cubic meters of oxygen into the atmosphere that would finally make the surface habitable.
"How are you, Justin?"
Justin stood up as his legal advisor, Janet Kowalski, came into the room and sat down beside him.
"How are things?" Justin asked. "I don't know. I feel like I was dragged through a meat grinder over the last week."
"I told you that they were going to be tough. This is not some simulation, although you raised that question. This is for real. Careers, and not just MacKenzie's, are on the line. There are major political considerations as well. A kid like you often gets caught in the grinder for far less, even when they're right."
"Are you telling me it's looking bad?"
" MacKenzie is basing his whole defense on the fact that at the time he acted he had every reason to believe that Matt was planning a mutiny and was about to strike. He then claims a show of mercy for not executing the other eight even though that was within his power. Matt had to be executed, according to MacKenzie, to prevent a general uprising of his comrades. In a perverse way, your mutiny now actually serves as proof of MacKenzie's claim, rather than the justified provocation you claim."
"That Colson is such a damn little weasel."
"He is also the son of a member of the United Nations cabinet, and you can believe that his old man is screaming bloody murder. I'm willing to bet Wendell's father has called every flag officer in the service who in any way whatsoever can bring pressure to bear on Singh. That's a lot of heat to take. Colson can threaten to squeeze appropriations, question promotions and in general make life a pain for the top echelon if they don't back his son up."
"And the hell with the truth," Justin sighed.
"If Colson's story is accepted, then MacKenzie has a peg to hang his defense on; that he had probable cause to at least seek the arrest or temporary detain- ment of Cadet Everett. If that fact is accepted, then it follows that Cadet Everett struck the Captain."
"Even if he did," Justin replied hotly, "is that any reason to space a sixteen-year-old cadet?"
"Hell, no," Janet replied, "that was something straight out of the old navy, as if he were playing Captain Bligh or Billy Budd."
"Melville wrote that too, didn't he?" Justin asked.
"Yes, why?"
"Just that MacKenzie had me reading Moby Dick. It was creepy."
"He is a deeply disturbed man. But unlike the vids, someone can be crazy without walking around frothing. Ninety-nine percent of the time they appear to be perfectly normal. And there are some people who want to see MacKenzie continue to appear normal. Because if he's proven not to be, then there are going to be a whole lot of questions asked as to how such a man rose to the authority of command of a ship. And not just any ship, but a ship that is considered to be a weapon and is, in fact, carrying nuclear weapons on board which could be released on any country on Earth."
"So we're damned in nearly every direction," Justin said, "and truth becomes secondary."
Kowalski laughed and shook her head. "My young Mr. Bell, when did you ever hear that truth had anything to do with politics? Take a look at some of the presidents your country has had, and some of its other leaders as well. Truth is relative to the moment."
"There was the Declaration of Independence I believed in that. My father and grandfather believed in the Charter of Organization of tike USMC. I figured that was something to believe in, at least that's what Thorsson said."
Kowalski reached out and patted Justin on the arm.
"I wish it was, but it's not looking quite like that at the moment."
"And if he wins?"
"Oh, they'll call him back Earthside, and when the fuss dies down he'll be quietly retired. There'll be discreet internal reviews, things will be changed, but he'll walk.
"As for you, Matt, Leonov, Smith, Hemenez and O'Brian, you'll get time. A year, maybe two. After serving six months, you'll all be dishonorably discharged. The other cadets who helped you will simply be discharged. There'll be some in the service who will quietly say you did the right thing; in fact, your actions will be studied and analyzed. Maybe a dozen years from now you might even be recognized for having done the right thing. But execution, I don't think anyone wants that."
"So what you're telling me is that at MacKenzie's court-martial tomorrow we'll get slammed and MacKenzie will go free."
"You have to face that possibility."
"I can't believe that."
"What you want to believe and reality are crashing together here, Bell."
' Thorsson taught us to believe in a higher ideal, and such an ideal is based upon truth."
"We're not in the Academy now, Bell, this is the real system, and out here on the frontier it can be rough and damned unfair at times."
"That man arrested nine cadets. He never formally charged them, they were never given the opportunity to make a statement, defend tihemselves or face their accuser, there was no formal board hearing or trial where Matt could have defended his life. MacKenzie just arbitrarily announces, I'm going to kill this cadet,' and now you're telling me the Service will back him up?"
"They're caught by Article Twenty-three, and it's a dilemma as old as navies, in space and on the sea," Janet replied. "In the old days, when ships were out of contact from the moment they cleared port, the authority of the captain had to be absolute. He had to be given broad powers to maintain control, and if needs be, to enforce his authority with the threat of swift and instant punishment. When our service was formed it was decided to follow the traditions of the surface navies. In modern times a lot of thought went into this power of the captain and it was felt that through careful screening only the best would be given such powers. MacKenzie is being protected by that tradition, because you, Mr. Bell, struck right at the heart of all such power. Remember the ease aboard the Goddard?"