“Of course not. Open the hatch, please.” I waited in our airlock, our inner hatch sealed behind me, until Orbit Station’s hatch opened. I strode into the station and turned toward the shuttle bay.
A U.N. A.F. soldier intercepted me. “General Tho requests you to come with me, Captain.” Was I already under arrest? Uneasy but powerless, I followed him to the General’s office.
I returned General Tho’s formal salute. He waited until the aide had left, his fingers nervously twisting his tiny mustache. When the hatch had shut, he leaned close.
“About time someone gave it to Judge Chesley.” His voice was low. “Man’s been too big for his jumpsuit for years.
Good luck!”
Heartened, I shook his hand. The shuttle was the largest one I’d seen yet. Its many rows of seats were empty; only the pilot, a flight attendant, and I were aboard. General Tho was showing his sympathies the only way open to him.
Feeling a regal envoy, I sat in the center of the shuttle amid empty acceleration seats while the solidly built craft whisked me toward the surface. Because of the shuttle’s great size reentry was barely noticeable. The pilot glided us toward the runway, brought us down gently, and touched the ground as light as a feather just as he killed the engines. A fine performance.
The flight attendant opened the hatch and I stepped out.
“Attention!” Lined up on the tarmac were Captain Forbee and a gathering of officers and seamen, uniforms clean and crisp as if for inspection. I halted, surprised, my hand on the hatch. I hadn’t ordered this show. Apparently Forbee had arranged it to demonstrate the Navy’s support, and to underline my status as senior officer.
“Carry on, gentlemen.” I strode to the terminal, my manner more confident than I felt. Forbee hurried to catch up.
“This way to the car, sir.” He gestured to a luxurious latemodel electricar.
I smiled in appreciation of his efforts. “Very good, Mr.
Forbee.”
“With your permission, nine of our officers have asked to be in court with you, sir.”
“How many officers do you have groundside at present, Captain Forbee?”
“Nine.”
“Very well.” Only Forbee climbed into the car with me.
The rest piled into two older cars. Our convoy proceeded into town. The U.N. Building was an old-fashioned glass and steel edifice, intended to suggest power and authority.
The parade came to a halt. Accompanied by all our officers in their Navy blues, I marched into the building.
It was to be a special session. Already seated in the courtroom, the judge impatiently tapped his finger? on the gleaming hardwood bar. Though aged, he was imposing in his flaring red robes and white wig. Behind him was displayed our blue and white U.N. flag. Jared and Irene Treadwell sat with their lawyer at one of the counsel tables.
The Naval officers filed into the spectators’ benches and mixed with the already sizable crowd. Ignoring the bailiff and court officers, I strode past the polished wooden rail to the unoccupied table.
“You are Captain Seafort of Hibernia?”demanded the
judge.
“No, sir, I am not,” I said firmly. He looked up in astonishment. “I am Nicholas Ewing Seafort, senior Naval officer on Hope Nation and commander of Admiralty House.
I am also in command of U.N.S. Hibernia.’”His smile was not friendly. “Let the record show the defendant has identified himself.”
I abandoned thoughts of being conciliatory; my voice rang through the courtroom. “I am no defendant, Judge Chesley.
I have come to warn you, in my official capacity, that you have exceeded your authority.”
There were gasps from the visitors’ benches. The judge slammed his gavel. “How dare you, Captain? Any more such talk and I’ll hold you in contempt of court, which you’re already in anyway by your continued imprisonment of the Treadwell girl!”
I shot back, “Any more such talk, sir, and I will declare a state of insurrection and assume military government of Hope Nation until civil order is restored!”
It had popped out of my mouth, before I had time to think.
Now my bridges were well and truly burned.
Pandemonium broke out in the courtroom. The judge was apoplectic. I let my voice ring out. “You know perfectly well, as does everyone in this room, that I am lawful Captain of U.N.S. Hibernia,that while under weigh I enlisted Paula ‘Treadwell into the United Nations Naval Service, and that her enlistment may not be challenged in civil court. This piece
of paper that purports to be an order”--I pulled out the crumpled paper Alexi had given me--”argues that Paula’s enlistment was not voluntary and that therefore she should return to the Treadwells’ custody. Is that your assertion?” I turned to the Treadwells and their advocate.
The lawyer jumped up. “It certainly is, Your Honor,” she said. “The evidence is clear that the minor child was not in full possession of the facts which--” “Thank you,” I cut in coldly. “This court may take judicial notice of Naval regulations. Involuntary enlistment is permitted when in the Captain’s judgment the safety of the ship so demands. Cadet Treadwell was so enlisted. She will remain in the Service for the full period of her enlistment.
You, sir, have no authority whatsoever over my actions as Captain of Hiberniaor as senior Naval officer in Hope Nation.
I’m surprised you didn’t know that or, worse, that you chose to ignore it. I shall suggest to the Government that they recommend your immediate replacement on those grounds.”
I turned to go. When I was two steps past the bar the judge’s strangled voice broke the silence.
“Arrest that man!”
The court officers moved forward. I pointed to the judge, snapped to Captain Forbee, “Arrest that man!”
It stopped them in their tracks. The livid judge and I exchanged glares. After a moment of ominous silence I said calmly, “Would you care to retire with me to your chambers to resolve this matter?”
He glanced back and forth between my unarmed officers and his court officials. With a sharp nod he lunged off the bench to the doorway at his side. He slammed the door behind him.I paused at the entryway. “Carry on,” I said into the stunned silence. I followed into his chambers.
The judge, trembling with rage, faced me from behind his desk.
“Would you like a way out of this?” I made my tone as reasonable as I could manage. At first he was too furious to respond. After a moment he nodded. Apparently he knew the law as well as I did.
“Very well. One, I apologize publicly to the court for my lack of respect and manners. Two, the hearing never took place. The record of it is destroyed. Or gets lost. Three, you dismiss the case for lack of merit, which you discover immediately upon reading the filings today.”
It was the Naval solution, of course. A confrontation like ours was intolerable, so we wouldn’t allow it to happen. We wouldn’t recognize its existence, just as a Captain would be blind to a midshipman’s black eye. My apology would satisfy his pride, but would have no other effect; I’d be putting it on a record that was to be destroyed.
He glowered. “You goddamn wiseass.”
I ignored the blasphemy. “You tried a fancy move and it didn’t work,” I said. “If I’d handed her over, you’d have kept her past the time I sailed and the issue would be moot.
As it is, I win. Why’d you go out on a limb for the Treadwells? They’re not even locals.”
The Judge pulled out his chair and slumped into it. “Their lawyer,” he muttered. “Miss Kazai. She’s helped me out.”
“Well, she’ll know you tried.” Having won, I could afford to be conciliatory.
He gave me a small, grim smile. “Never come back to Hope Nation as a civilian. Not while I live.”
My triumph vanished. I thought of Amanda. “No,” I said.
“I won’t be back.”
We returned to the courtroom and went through our charade. I apologized humbly for my unmannerly remarks. The judge erased the record. He then looked through the file and dismissed the Treadwells’ petition for lack of jurisdiction.