Ah! Now he remembered. Her clever little remark, which seemed to seal the deal for them, and inject a dose of reality.
No one lives forever.
He’d never forget the sound of little Aaron nearby, laughing at what his mother said that day as he read that same book she’d given him.
He had a feeling then too, that little Aaron would never forget either.
Chapter 3 - Inquisition
United Star Systems Fleet (USSF) Headquarters
High Earth Orbit
Sol
Present Day
It had been two hours since Aaron Rayne arrived in the reception lounge outside Fleet Command’s conference room. The soft leather seat now seemed made of rocks. The first hour he willed his restless self to stay still, wishing he had a Fleet personnel device(FPD) to access the latest Fleet briefs on the Baridian Empire—The United Star Systems galactic rival.
More than a hundred years ago, a populous leader named Aelius Baridian led several powerful star systems in their succession from the United Star Systems. Aelius believed humanity could thrive by applying the philosophies of the ancient Roman Empire—one of Earth’s greatest Empires. Over time, the Baridian military and society evolved to mirror many of ancient Rome’s customs. The Empire fielded a well-organized space navy, planet-side military and had a strong economic base. Many citizens even dressed similar to the ancient time-period they chose to emulate.
During the last hour, Aaron shifted from side to side, all while trying to avoid another glance at the hideous brown antique clock on the wall.
Any attempt at discussion with Lieutenant Delaine, Fleet Admiral Shepherd’s adjutant was useless. She never looked at him. It was as if he didn’t even exist. She was pleasant to look at it, her blue eyes radiated bright as a neutron star against the void. Her wavy dirty-blond hair cropped just below her ears. The Fleet uniform couldn’t hide her curves. Her features were smooth and pleasant apart from a persistent scowl.
Aaron traced a long scar underneath his right eye to the corner of his mouth. He’d kept it as a reminder. If he’d struck his head any harder, he would have died in the escape pod. He touched the sensitive spot, feeling for evidence of the injury. They’d awakened him from the coma one week ago. Now it was time for this—inquisition. He gripped the arms of the seat, pushing down the memory of the days spent adrift in the pod. He closed his eyes. Vee always accused him of masking his feelings with cynicism. Maybe the XO was right.
The life of a starship captain. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
If he ever came to have any say in the matter, there would never be admirals in the Fleet without prior extensive experience as captain of a starship. No more armchair admirals.
He pulled down on his dark dress uniform. It wasn’t a fancy design. The jacket didn’t button and fell just below the belt outside his waist with an angular cut. Affixed to his left breast was the United Fleet emblem depicting an old starship accelerating from Earth’s surface into orbit.
“Commander.”
He opened his eyes. The “robot” spoke and she was holding a personnel device in her hand toward him. “This is yours, Commander,” Lieutenant Delaine said. “Significant upgrade to your previous issue. It’s loaded with Fleet’s latest improvements.”
He took the device and perused the latest intelligence reports on the Empire while running his fingers through his scruffy dark blond hair. Before he could read anything about the Empire, the blank screen in the lounge came to life with an animated civilian reporter. She was speaking about the Border Worlds.
“—Sources claimed the separatist’s leader intended to reveal his identity and evidence of a conspiracy within the United Star Systems. Fleet Admiral Shepherd, Supreme Commander of the USSF has stated the Fleet would intervene if the separatists posed a threat to the security of the United Systems. These sources claim the Border Worlds is the intended scapegoat for the actions of the conspirators. In the past month, separatists have secured sixty percent of popular support. Sources within the United Star Systems Fleet tell us the majority of the Border Worlds Navy sympathizes with the separatists. Tensions are rising fast. Ships are disappearing within the sector. The USS blames the separatists who deny any knowledge of the missing ships. The Border Worlds Alliance is one of the strongest former independents to have joined the United Systems within the last—”
“They’re ready for you, Commander Rayne,” Lieutenant Delaine said. He’d have to listen to that report later—sixty percent! At this rate, the Border Worlds might soon hold a referendum. He stood and tussled his hair out of place more. With a snicker, he stepped up to the doors and they parted. He wasn’t going to make it easy for them.
****
During the first half-hour, the inquisitionists rehashed the sequence of events from the receipt of the distress signal, to the moment he entered the escape pod. Forcing him to relive the ordeal in vivid detail. He gnashed his teeth while forcing his jaw to remain closed. His palms were sore from where his nails dug into them. The guilt he felt over the deaths of his crew told him he deserved the scathing remarks.
Then things took a nasty turn during question and answer phase.
“Twenty one.”
The number floated in the air. Repeated again by Senior Captain Jackson. A bitter officer who’d never even left Sol.
“Twenty one, Commander Rayne. That’s how many.”
That was the death toll. The body count from Trident. With many more gravely injured.
“And you tell us it was—and I’m quoting your report—‘undefeatable’. This technologically advanced starship, with ‘gravitic charges’, which can also magically leap within a star system from one point to another.” He under looked Aaron with weasel eyes. “I’m not in the least convinced. Who among us do you really expect to believe this?” he said, motioning to the panel.
“The more intelligent among you . . . sir.”
The Senior Captain’s cheeks flushed. “May I remind you, Mister, for the moment you are still a member of the Fleet and you will conduct yourself accordingly. Insubordination will not be tolerated.”
Aaron raised a single eyebrow. “You asked a question, sir, and I gave you an answer. How you interpret the meaning is entirely up to you.”
The captain parted his lips to respond when Fleet Admiral William Shepherd—the Supreme Commander of the United Star Systems Fleet—held up his hand. Shepherd was an imposing figure. Aaron had only met him once when he took command of Trident. He loomed a full head above Aaron. He had a low haircut and not a single line on his features.
“One moment, Senior Captain Jackson,” he said, “let’s not turn this into some kind of witch-hunt. This is a general inquiry into Trident’s destruction, with the added urgency of establishing the facts of these claims. Commander Rayne’s own file is of use to us here. We’ve been over it before. I see words such as: reckless, rule breaker, silently discreetly rude—that one’s interesting,” he looked up at Aaron. “What in blazes is silently discreetly rude? Although, come to think of it, it might be a clever way of defining a sometimes-indifferent kind of attitude displayed by you Commander Rayne—going by what I’ve seen and heard here today. Then I see words such as: loyal, honorable, dedicated, tactically innovative but overly impulsive. Do you know what this tells me, Commander?”