Chapter 13 - Orion System





A week into my trip aboard a Federation prison transport I finally calmed down enough to be impressed with the speed that the Fifth Fleet used to get me off Van Usted and on my way to what I ultimately learned was the Orion system. Orion is one of the core worlds of the Federation, so described because it was one of the earliest human worlds founded and because it was in the densely packed core of the galaxy. The local authorities hadn't bothered trying to interrogate me or respecting my rights as a Federation citizen, they just marched me on board a few hours after I was detained and we took off. No one aboard the transport seemed interested in talking to me, either. From the impression I got the guards barely knew my name and didn't know what my crime was. It wasn't their job to know or to care, they just needed to make sure I arrived at my destination alive. The way they fingered their weapons it seemed that my health wasn't of particular concern. I did my best to give them no cause to reprimand me which seemed to disappoint them.

I'd never been aboard a prison transport before, so I learned a few things I had not known before. First of all, the guards were always wearing full riot gear which means exosuits of identical dimensions and faceplates that always obscured their features. The suits bore no identifying markings. There were always two guards outside my cell and I was never allowed to see any other prisoners if indeed there were any. My meals were delivered in my cell and all the other necessities of daily living were handled in a corner designed for sanitary functions. I was allowed out of my cell once per day, to a small exercise room where I could use a small array of equipment that receded into the wall. Everything was attached or contained in such a way that there were no loose parts I could turn into makeshift tools or weapons. They took security very seriously.

To alleviate my boredom and distract from the simmering terror bubbling up from my gut I tried reaching out to the guards for conversation of any kind. It did not go well.

"Hey, I just wanted to ask - " I began.

"Shut up," I was told.

Since I'm not the sort of person to give up easily, plus not having anything better to do, I tried again later.

"I was wondering - " I began.

"Shut up," I was told.

This went on for weeks. I'd offer a cheerful comment on the décor or the food or how particularly intimidating one of my guards was looking that day and the response was as immediate as it was repetitive: "shut up."

Traveling aboard the prison ship was torment. There was no sense of motion or change, no windows (not that I really wanted to be staring outside at folded space) and nothing to distract myself. I to practice the breathing techniques my mother had shown me in my childhood but I'd never cared to pursue. I found myself hopelessly inept and gave up before long. I counted my heartbeats. I slept as much as I could, which was easier at first but harder as time went by. At some point I realized I'd lost count of how many times they turned the lights out for sleep periods which meant I'd lost track of the days. I'd been traveling for a long, long time and I started to wonder if maybe something had gone wrong with the jump systems, if we'd become a ghost ship lost in folded space. Of course, when I asked I got the expected answer: "shut up."

I never imagined I'd miss my computer so much. I never imagined I could be so afraid. The isolation became so oppressive that I started hallucinating voices again, seeing things out of the corner of my eye although there was never anything there when I looked closer. As before the voices were never distinct, never clear enough for me to make out any words but I swore I heard my mother's voice. I called out to her to no avail. Another day I heard my father with his distinctively disappointed tone of voice. Once I heard Jimmy Barnes, my old mentor, his high-pitched laugh echoing in my ears. Having experienced this once before aboard the Brisbane didn't make it any easier, but it did hint at just how the stress of enforced isolation affects me.

It wasn't until we arrived on Orion that I was finally given the chance to reach out to people I knew and find someone to represent me. My first call was to John who expressed shock to find out I was still alive. He'd learned about Ron's death and the destruction of the Thanatos through the media but since no mention was made of me he'd assumed we'd probably killed each other. He promised to come immediately, which meant two or three days in the Bounty.

My second call was to Diamond. Diamond also expressed pleasure in learning I had survived but he was less eager to offer help.

"This is a very delicate time for us, you realize."

"Diamond, I don't give a damn about any of that right now. They're accusing me of smuggling slaves! I don't know where my ship is or what's been done to it."

"That's a problem," Diamond agreed. "We don't want the Federation taking a close look at the upgrades that were made to it. I'll make some inquiries and see what I can find."

"What about the charges against me? I've never needed a barrister before. I need help!"

"I understand. The good news is that you're rich and the Federation can't prevent you from hiring the best representation money can buy. The important thing is that you say nothing to anyone and don't let any secrets slip."

"Diamond, the important thing is getting me out of here!"

"I'll do what I can. Hold tight and I'll be in touch." He closed the connection after that, leaving me swearing passionately at a blank screen.

But after a few hours I learned that Diamond was wrong; the Federation could prevent me from hiring the best representation money could buy simply by freezing my accounts. Given the charges no one would talk to me without a hefty retainer that of course I couldn't afford. That same day I was assigned a public defender, a harried young man named Sebastian Arraya who was going bald and prematurely gray at the temples. My initial conversation with Mr. Arraya did nothing to encourage me.

"I've been looking over the details of your case," he said by way of introduction after the wall to my left resolved into a realistic holographic of him sitting at a desk. I couldn't see anything else about the room he was in; he might have been doing this from his home for all I knew. It was a very realistic hologram, though. "Since this is your first offense I think we've got an excellent shot of making a plea deal. You will, of course, lose your trading license since your Guild has a strict policy against both smuggling and slavery. I can try to reach out to one of their representatives but in my experience they're not going to be very cooperative. They're very touchy about their image in these matters."

"I am not agreeing to any pleas," I said firmly. "I didn't smuggle slaves, I was rescuing them. Why is no one listening to me?"

He looked up at me for the first time since he arrived and his expression was frustrated. "Look, Mr. Takenoshita, the penalty for slavery is dire. I don't mean that as hyperbole. If you take this to trial and fail - which is likely - the judge will sentence you to death. But if you plead out and name your associates the prosecutor should agree to lesser charges of smuggling contraband which carries only ten to twenty years in a penal colony."

"That's ridiculous!" I exclaimed. "No! I won't plead to something I didn't do. I didn't buy those slaves from anyone and I certainly wasn't going to try to sell them. I was going to tell the port control officers they needed to have people on hand to help but before I could say anything they arrested me! No one would listen to me, not them or anyone else."

Arraya sighed and set his data pad down on his desk. "Mr. Takenoshita, everyone I have ever represented over the last three years has been absolutely, completely and one-hundred percent innocent. That's what they tell me as soon as they enter the room. They're misunderstood, they've been framed, anything but guilty. The ones that do best are the ones who listen to me and follow my legal advice. The ones that don't...well...they protest their innocence right up to the end. According to Guild records you completed your training with high marks. You're a smart man, Mr. Takenoshita, so do the smart thing and let me enter a plea deal for you. Cooperate with the prosecutor and you'll be released before you're too old to crew a ship again. Do you understand?"

"What about my ship logs? They have to show how I picked up those people from the Tharl raider at Van Usted!"

"Your ship's computer and all its logs are encrypted, as you well know Mr. Takenoshita. Devilishly good encryption too, from what I understand. Our best crackers have failed to break it. The prosecution thinks their case is good enough that they don't need them."

"What?" I exclaimed. "I didn't encrypt anything. Look, let me talk to my computer. I can give you all the access you need. The computer will respond to my voice."

"We've already done that, Mr. Takenoshita. Your voice was replicated and the computer was ordered to decrypt its systems. It reported an error and failed to comply."

"Because it knew the voice wasn't coming from me. Look, my computer is smarter than your average AI. I didn't program it but I know enough to be able to get you in. Put me on the ship or open a comm line to it and I'll order it to cooperate with you."

Arraya dropped his head in a universal gesture of frustration, then lifted it to look at me with hooded eyes. "Mr. Takenoshita, I've seen the government's case against you. Whatever you think your ship's logs can reveal it won't be enough. They've been amassing data on you for a disturbingly long time, ever since you encountered a Commander Jensen at the independent outpost in the Jona system."

Jona system? I had to jog my memory for that one. "The...narcotics smuggling charge. He was trolling for smugglers and boarded me right after I left the station but I'd already flushed the container planted on my ship."

"That's the official record. But Commander Jensen never truly believed your story and flagged your dossier for closer scrutiny by the Fifth Fleet. There are a number of incidents where your name comes up in conjunction with crime in a variety of systems but this put you over the top. Being caught in possession of contraband automatically elevates each of those incidents to an offense against the Federation since it all fits the pattern. You walked a fine line so far and once you crossed it all your past misdeeds came back to haunt you."

I sat back in my chair and stared at him. "You've already judged me guilty."

"I'm only a public defender," he began but I cut him off.

"You're supposed to be defending me, but you won't because you've decided I'm guilty" I sighed and shook my head. "Fine. You're fired. I want counsel who will defend me."

His expression turned to one of smugness. "You can't fire me. I'm the legal counsel assigned to you by the courts and you'll get no other unless you can pay for private representation. As I understand you've already tried that route and failed."

"Because you people stopped me, froze my accounts. I've got friends coming to help. Once they get here they'll fix that."

He sighed and started gathering his belongings. "Very well, Mr. Takenoshita. It is so entered into the record that you are refusing to cooperate with your legal counsel. The court will take that into consideration during your trial tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning!" I exclaimed. "That's too soon! There's no way I can get witnesses to testify in time!"

He shrugged and stood up. "I'll submit a request for a continuance, that should give you more time. But should your friends fail to appear I will be your defence counsel and I strongly suggest you follow my advice. Your life may depend on it, Mr. Takenoshita."

He waved at a wall and a guard immediately opened the door for him. After a few minutes a pair of guards entered the room and escorted me back to my cell where I pounded and kicked at the walls for a while until I could bring my frustration under control. I'd never heard of a case going to trial so fast and I didn't know how I was going to muster a defence of any kind. The problem was that I didn't really know anything about the legal system in the Federation beyond the rules and laws governing my guild. Everything I knew about the criminal justice system and trials came from popular holovids and they were obviously written more for entertainment rather than accuracy. But I was cut off from my ship, my friends and anything that might possibly help me prove my innocence.

To my great surprise Arraya was as good as his word: the trial was delayed. Unfortunately, it was only delayed by two days. I used that time to the best of my ability, spending every possible hour with the prison library studying up on criminal law particularly as it pertained to smuggling and slavery. It was a futile effort; it would take a lifetime for me to sift through all the laws and court cases on the books since the founding of the Federation. Nevertheless I held out hope that I might find some information, some precedent that might help me. Also it wasn't like I didn't have an overabundance of time on my hands. I just wish the reading material had been a little more interesting and less prone to make me doze off in the middle of a sentence. What little I could glean from past court cases was chilling: the law was very clear on the Federation's opinion of slavery and what it did to anyone taking, transporting or owning slaves. Arraya hadn't exaggerated when he said the penalty was death. A quick data search showed that although such cases brought to court were rare it was even more uncommon for the defendant to escape a guilty verdict.

There was another bright side to the delay as well: John arrived before the trial began. I met with him just as soon as he could clear through security, although the meeting was entirely virtual as before with Mr. Arraya. He greeted me with a wave of his hand that I returned desperately. It felt like forever since I'd seen a friendly face. Then he took a small data pad out of his pocket and held it up for my inspection. I didn't understand.

"John, I - " I began but he shushed me quickly and typed something on the data pad. I glanced at it in confusion; it read the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. What was that supposed to mean? He gestured for me to sit down and did the same himself.

"This is a little gift from Diamond," he said quietly, his voice pitched low. "In addition to having some legal books on it there's a special feature his people added to it to fool the people eavesdropping on us. It looks and sounds like we're speaking a language they've never heard and won't be able translate."

"That's...amazing," I said grudgingly. "I feel like I'm in a spy story. Does it have any other features that can get me out of here?"

He shook his head soberly. "I'm afraid not, that's really all it does."

"Okay, then help me get a barrister," I demanded. "A real one, rather than the jackass assigned to me. I've already been judged guilty and he won't actually defend me. Plus, the Federation has frozen all my assets so I can't hire anyone. But now that you're here, you can do that for me. Obviously I'll pay you back."

John looked deeply unhappy and I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach. "Hideo...I can't explain it to you, not now. But I've been instructed not to do that."

"Instructed? Who told you that? And why in all the stars would you agree?"

"Like I said, I can't explain. We've got to let this play out the way the Federation wants it, and the sooner the better. The faster the trial finishes the sooner this will be over and you'll see why."

"John, that's crazy. I can't do that!"

He sat back and stared at the table, unwilling or unable to say anything else.

A thought struck me and the very notion turned me cold. "Ron and Alec are gone," I said slowly. "So any profits from the power cores we looted get split between you and I."

He looked up at me in shock and shook his head vigorously but I didn't let him say anything.

"If I'm convicted and sentenced for this then my half of the profits are forfeit. The Federation will kill me, and you'll be the only survivor. All the profit will go to you."

"Hideo, no! That's not what - "

I interrupted him again. "I thought you were my friend. I thought I could trust you. We were already rich enough that we'll never need money again, but it wasn't enough for you. You played me."

"No, stars man! You're not - "

"Diamond put you up to this, didn't he? He's worried about the Federation finding out about his plans and he's trying to silence me. And this was your price. Stars, I am such a fool."

"Hideo, stop that!" John yelled at me. He was leaning forward now, hands on the table with fists clenched. "That's not what this is about! Jim and I are both on your side!"

I shook my head sadly. "No, no more lies. I won't listen. Tell Diamond that maybe I will cut a deal for leniency from the court. Spill everything I know. Everything, John. Everything he told me he isn't ready to be revealed. It means you won't get your payoff."

"Hideo, listen to me!"

"No. I'm not listening to anything you say. I'll talk to my barrister after we're done and tell him everything. I'm pretty sure I can get the death penalty off the table but even if I can't it'll be enough to get revenge for what you're doing here."

"Hideo, I'll get you a private defence barrister," he hissed. "Whatever you want. Just stop this!"

I smirked at him without any mirth. "I see I have your attention. Good. I want to hear from private counsel. Today, John. Do I make myself clear? If not, well, my trial starts tomorrow and I'll tell the whole story in open court. Do I make myself clear?"

"Stars, Hideo. I thought you knew me."

"So did I but it's clear I was wrong. Now answer my question: do you understand me clearly?"

He nodded in defeat. "I understand you. I'll go find one now."

I felt nothing but anger as I watched him stand up step away, at which point the holographic transmission ended. I felt nothing but rage as I paced around my tiny cell. What else could I feel? I had been betrayed. John was the one I trusted the most, the one who seemed the most reasonable and compassionate. The one who saw my side most often and could translate what I was saying for the others to understand. But he wasn't willing to help unless I blackmailed him into it. I didn't want to tell the authorities anything about the Tharl or how we'd made our ships nearly invincible. But I couldn't tell them what they wanted to hear because it wasn't true and at the same time I didn't want to die. John was the only hope I had left.


Jinyi Marasigan could have been pulled out of any courtroom holodrama. She was gorgeous in an aloof way, sharply professional and extremely curt. She dressed in an expensive outfit that neither emphasized nor concealed her form and her manner didn't invite any gaze that wasn't strictly business. She appeared like all the others like a wraith, seated herself and got to work. For the first time in over a month I felt myself begin to unclench.

"Mr. Takenoshita, I'm going to be honest with you," she said and I felt myself clench up again. "You could have saved your friend an enormous amount of money by simply following Mr. Arraya's advice. My advice to you is the same as his: take the prosecution's plea deal. I've reviewed the prosecution's case and it is my professional opinion that it is quite simply the best option available to you."

I felt a growl beginning deep in my chest and forced it down. Was no one ever going to listen to me? I closed my eyes and put my forehead on the table as I fought for composure, then asked, "How?"

There was a brief pause. I lifted my head and saw Ms. Marasigan struggling to conceal her surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, let's assume I take the plea deal. How do I comply with the prosecutor's demands? How do I give him names, dates and places I don't have? Is it your professional opinion that I should lie to the court and give them fictitious details or even better, the names of real people who are to the best of my knowledge in no way involved in slavery?"

"Of course not, Mr. Takenoshita. The court requires the truth."

"The truth, Ms. Marasigan, is that no one is listening to me." I stared into her eyes as I spoke, willing her to hear me. "The only time I have ever had slaves aboard my ship was when I was trying to rescue them and return them to civilization. My sensors detected slaves aboard a wrecked Tharl raider and if I'm given access to my ship's computer I can make those logs available to the court. I took them aboard my ship to save their lives and get help for them. I was trying to ask for that on Van Ulsted when I was interrupted and arrested. I kept trying to explain that the whole time I was there, during my flight here and to everyone I've talked to since then. I didn't buy them. I don't have the names of slavers to give you, nor locations, nor any information that the courts could use. I do not and have never traded in slaves."

She relaxed a little. "Does the name Christina Siewert mean anything to you?"

I leaned back and stared at the ceiling as I searched my memory. "No, it doesn't."

"She introduced herself as ‘Jula.'" That still didn't jog my memory so she continued. "She met you on the Tharl world of Chort. She was in the company of a Timmorakian named Chirrup."

I remembered now. "Chirrup was the one who said he volunteered to become a slave to the Tharl. I remember now. Jula had established a trade relationship with the Tharl in that sector."

"According to Lt. Commander Siewert's report you wanted to buy one of the Tharl's Timmorakian slaves so you could get information from it. According to her you were willing to give up your entire hold's worth of platinum ore to officially buy a Timmorakian slave and engage her help in switching Chirrup for the Tharl's slave named Trillek. You thought you could trick the Tharl into thinking you were leaving with Chirrup when in fact it would be Trillek on your ship. It apparently failed when Trillek committed suicide before going through with the switch."

I felt tears brimming in my eyes as I remembered that tragedy. "Right. I did. I needed Trillek's help, needed the knowledge he had of Tharl society so I could understand them better, find weaknesses I could exploit. I kept telling him he would be free as soon as we jumped away, that he wouldn't be a slave once we escaped, but he wouldn't believe me. He kept stalling and then finally killed himself."

"Lt. Commander Siewert's report never mentioned you intended to manumit Trillek. Only that you needed him for information."

I scowled. "That can't be right. I must have said that to her. I said it so often…." I thought hard. Had I? I couldn't remember. I felt the pain when I heard the news that Trillek had died and how he'd chosen to kill himself. A horrible death, but presumably quick by comparison. I remembered the frustration I'd felt reflected on Jula's plain features when she delivered the news. I'd gotten clearance to jump as quickly as I could after and did everything I could to put that planet behind me.

"I'll arrange to have Lt. Commander Siewert made available for cross-examination." She turned to her datapad for the first time since the interview began to enter notes. "Now tell me about the work you did for the Naridi Consortium."

Another name from my past. I hadn't thought about them in a long time.

"I was put in touch with the Naridi Consortium through a business contact. Mark? Martin? I don't remember his name. I sold him machined parts for a business venture he and his partners were working on, parts that had to meet certain minimum standards. Because of the cargo limitations of my ship I was trying to test a new business idea, one where I was more courier than trader to exploit the capabilities the Gilmour does have. I bounced around the sector recording market trends and posting them on the public forums at Kandori and acquiring a reputation as a reliable source. It allowed me to always take the lead in whatever goods were trending hot but my profits were always limited by the size of my cargo hold."

Ms. Marasigan nodded gently as I talked, demonstrating that she was paying attention even though she wasn't making any more notes on her datapad. Was this already part of the Federation's record? But she showed no hint of impatience or any emotion at all so I kept going.

"Mark or Martin or whatever his name was put my in touch with a guy named Eldee, who was a woman at the time. Apparently a rising star in the Consortium and paid me very well to do the courier work I was trying to break into. So far as I know everything I transported for them was strictly legal, but I was also paid to deliver messages that sometimes got responses and then I was to follow a set of instructions based on where I was. It wasn't until I was neck deep that I found out the Consortium was running their legitimate operations as a screen for their smuggling. Since I never hauled anything big enough to actually require my cargo hold I assume I wasn't involved in the smuggling part, but I was probably helping their covert communications and aiding their cover as a legitimate organization. At the very end Eldee decided he wanted to expand my role and had me transport contraband literature but that was the very last job we did together. There was a raid and I ran. I don't know what happened to him or his people, I just put as much distance as I could between me and that sector."

"Why didn't you turn to GalPol once you realized what the Naridi Consortium was, Mr. Takenoshita?" she asked.

I smirked and spread my arms to take in our surroundings. She paused, then nodded. "You didn't feel you could trust Federation justice."

"At the moment I'm feeling like that instinct was correct."

"I'm not here to judge you, Mr. Takenoshita. I'm here to serve as your legal defence."

"And I'm grateful, believe me. You wouldn't believe the obstacles I had to overcome to get you here."

"The record shows that there is a local warrant for your arrest on Kandori in connection with the raid you mentioned. Did you have reason to believe any Federation officials might have been compromised by Naridi Consortium elements? That any officials might have been working for or unduly influenced?"

I considered this. "Not directly, no. I got the impression that it's a very sophisticated organization so it stands to reason that they'd make sure to include some Federation authorities. But I didn't see enough of the operation to have any idea who if anyone they'd compromised."

She stopped for a moment and gazed at me intently. I felt like she was trying to crack my skull by sheer force of will and read my brain directly, but then the moment passed. Whatever judgment she was trying to make was decided. She put her datapad away and stood up.

"Very well, Mr. Takenoshita. It's late and we'll continue this conversation in the morning. In the meanwhile I need to file for another continuance so that I can do my due diligence. I know the prosecution is eager for a swift resolution to this trial but it's clear there's more here than meets the eye. Due to my late entry into the proceedings I'm confident I'll get the time."

I unclenched again and my knees buckled. If my seat hadn't been right behind me I would have collapsed to the floor but as it was I nearly did anyway. "Thank you," I whispered. "What about my ship? Mr. Arraya wasn't interested in my offer to get access to the logs. They'll corroborate everything I'm telling you." And my computer would know which parts of the logs to omit, like the bit about being able to kill Tharl ships with a single shot or jump parsecs in mere moments.

"We'll discuss that in the morning," she assured me. "In the meanwhile you have one more visitor. It's late so he won't be able to visit long."

I scowled again. That would be John. "I don't want to see him."

"He's paying my fee Mr. Takenoshita, and it is not insignificant. If he chooses to end his financial support you could well find yourself without representation."

I sighed. "Meaning you work for him. Fine, send him in."

"Very good. Get some rest and I'll see you first thing in the morning." She stepped away and the image disappeared. Shortly after John appeared looking like a skittish colt ready to run away at any wrong move. I glared at him and didn't say anything.

"So..." he said slowly. "Are we square?"

"No," I spat. "We are not square. We will never be square. But she's taking my case so our agreement stands."

He cringed. I'd never seen anyone do that, not outside a holo entertainment. It looked even more pitiful than the actors made it out to be. "Hideo…."

"I don't care, John. Just leave me alone. As long as she does her job and gets me out of here there won't be a problem. After that I never want to see you again."

Anger flashed across his face for the first time. He slapped his fist on the table. "You idiot," he hissed.

I leaned forward and stared him down. He was the one to flinch and turn away. "You really do think we betrayed you, don't you?"

I sat back and folded my arms, still staring at him. I was enjoying how uncomfortable he looked. He opened his mouth to say something, then stopped and looked at the ceiling for reasons I couldn't fathom. Instead he slumped and raised his hands in surrender. "I promise, when this is over you'll get your answers. I know you don't want to hear them from me. You'll know where to find me."

After he left I was returned to my cell and did my best to follow my legal counsel's advice: get some rest. It was hard, in part because it had been a long and busy day with emotional highs and lows with very little in-between. I was still smoldering about the betrayal of men I had thought were my friends but I was also extremely hopeful that Ms. Marasigan would be able to perform a miracle and prove me innocent where everyone seemed determine to find me guilty. Sleep was a long time coming and it was restless. When I was woken up for my morning hygiene and tasteless meal I was still exhausted but hopeful. As promised, Ms. Marasigan met with me soon after.

"Well, Mr. Takenoshita, it seems your case is of extreme interest to some very powerful people," she remarked as she settled in.

I nodded. "Mr. Arraya mentioned that Commander Jensen had me flagged by the Fifth Fleet, so they've been waiting for any excuse to arrest me."

She shook her head. "No, I mean there are orders from high within the administration to conduct your trial with all speed. It's extremely unusual but all being done within the boundaries of the law. I was able to obtain a continuance but only for another week. Since I have all the materials relevant to the case including the original defence documents it was ruled that I should be able to make my case from them."

My eyes widened. Who had enough clout to tamper with my trial like that? And how did they know me? The prospect was terrifying. "I am being railroaded."

"Near enough," she agreed. "Not to the degree that we could accuse anyone of any wrongdoing, but certainly enough to complicate matters. It doesn't give me as much time as I would like to chase down witnesses and follow leads but your friend is paying for the best. We'll get it done."

My hackles rose at the reference of John as my friend but I bit my tongue. She wasn't here to counsel me on my problems with former friends, she was here to conduct my legal defence and as she had just finished telling me we didn't have time to waste.

She finished getting settled and then looked at me briefly. I don't know what she was looking for, perhaps just collecting her thoughts before she continued. "I'd like to go back a little from the Naridi Consortium to the Selaris system. You were involved in a shooting there, as I understand it."

I winced and nodded. "His name was Pitr Mingrelian. I got involved with Jillian Orkin after she negotiated a service contract for Stellar Construction to run maintenance and upgrades on my ship. I hadn't known that Pitr...was obsessed with Jillian. She had broken off a relationship with him but he kept stalking her. So when he saw me with her he got jealous and violent. We fought in a club once, and then he came after me with vehicle and a blaster. Broke my leg, then shot me in the arm before I shot him in the chest. I wasn't aiming, just returning fire. I didn't expect to hit him. He didn't make it. Selaris authorities cleared me of any wrongdoing but I had to sue his estate in order to cover the medical bills. His face...I still see him in my nightmares."

"What else can you tell me about the incident?"

"Jillian was present during the shooting. She corroborated my story to the authorities. They also confiscated my weapon after the incident and returned it once I was cleared. I couldn't stick around after that. I'd never killed a man before that, or since."

Her lips pursed. She thought I was lying? "Tell me about Dick Passer."

I slumped a bit. "Yeah, Dickie. I didn't kill him."

"But you know how he died."

"I can't imagine anyone couldn't figure out how he died. There was a group of pilots I flew with, John was one of them. Called themselves the Horsemen. Dickie was one of them too, until they decided they didn't want him around any more. I ran into Ron Bangel who invited me to meet up with them at a card game. They introduced me to Dickie there and then during the game they told him they wanted him out. He got angry about that. Suddenly everybody has their blasters out but me. I don't know who shot first, I just ducked. When it was all over he was on the ground, dead. I never even touched my weapon."

"But you agreed to fly with them after that?"

"Not at first. We went our separate ways after that. But I came up with a plan to do some runs in alien systems where Federation laws aren't in force."

"Tharl worlds," she said firmly.

I nodded. "Yes. I knew the Tharl would come after us, challenge our presence in their space. I also knew that if we successfully defended against their challenge we'd be welcome to trade on their worlds. I worked out a plan that the four of us could do that working together where any one of us would probably fail. It worked."

"You know that travel to Tharl worlds is forbidden by the Federation Navy?" she reminded me.

"There's no law against it," I reminded her. "There are travel advisories. Traders who do so are on their own and if they get in the way of any Naval operations in Tharl systems they'll be fired on like any other hostile ship. But we never got in the way of any Naval operations."

"And you never lost a ship with these runs?"

"I didn't say that. We did, but it's not relevant."

"Mr. Takenoshita, one of the reasons travel to Tharl worlds is off-limits is because of the potential for smuggling. A great deal of the slave trafficking GalPol tracks comes through Tharl worlds."

"Along with narcotics and other contraband items. But we didn't need to smuggle anything on or off Tharl worlds. If you hit a Tharl raider just right you can cripple its ability to self-destruct. Tow it down to the surface and the Tharl will fill your holds with platinum so you don't claim one of their ships as salvage and take off with it. They're sticklers on that point. It made us rich."

Her eyes widened again. "Which is how Mr. Akers is capable of affording my fees."

"We've made some smart trading moves," I agreed and left it at that.

"This insight into fighting the Tharl is how you came to be in the Chort system aboard the Brisbane?"

"No, I arrived in the Chort system completely by accident. A misjump threw my ship off-course and Chort was the nearest system I could reach. I passed through heavy radiation trying to get there which fried a lot of my ship's systems and nearly killed me. If the Brisbane hadn't happened to be in that system and my sister wasn't aboard I'd probably be dead."

"Commander Mika Takenoshita. She was lost along with the Brisbane, last reported in the Chort system."

I nodded unhappily. "She talked her captain into towing me aboard and getting me medical attention. I wasn't exactly a welcome guest but I wasn't the enemy, either."

"Was she also responsible for giving you access to Naval resources to repair your ship?"

"I don't know the exact process that was used, but I know the captain also signed off on me purchasing parts to replace systems that had been damaged by my speed pass through the pulsar. It's probably fair to say Mika helped drive that approval. The transactions and receipts through the quartermaster were copied to my computer's storage."

"Court records indicate that the executive officer of the Brisbane, Captain Sachs, made inquiries about you over the hypernet. After obtaining the arrest warrant from Kandori indicated his intention to place you under arrest as a suspicious individual and possible traitor."

I swallowed hard and nodded. "Captain Sachs went a little crazy, started accusing multiple members of the crew of being spies. He locked up a bunch of people as mutineers, including me, until the senior captain finally heard about it and let us all out."

"There's nothing in the record about Captain Sachs arresting anyone or Captain Ceaucescu overruling him."

"That doesn't surprise me. The Tharl decided to attack shortly after that. I was allowed to fly off and save myself while they fought. I never heard anything after that, so I assumed the Brisbane was lost with all hands."

"You didn't try to get Commander Takenoshita off the Brisbane before she was destroyed?"

"Of course I tried. I argued with her, pleaded with her, everything I could think of. But she wouldn't leave her shipmates, wouldn't abandon her post." I paused to wipe my face; it was terribly unmanly to be crying so openly but who wouldn't cry when reminded you left your sister behind to die while she covered your retreat? I never felt like a coward so much as when I thought of Mika's sacrifice for me, and how I'd never followed up on my promise to look for Jiran. I'd been too focused on getting my revenge on the Tharl.

Ms. Marasigan sat back and watched me with an expression almost bordering on compassion. "We can take a short break if you need it."

I shook my head. "No. We don't have a lot of time. Let's continue." I went to the sink and filled one of the flimsy cups with water so I could gulp it down.

"Very well. With the loss of the Brisbane there's no way to corroborate your claim that Captain Ceaucescu released you, the only record says Captain Sachs intended to arrest you. Do you have any evidence to contradict that information?"

I shook my head. "Not unless someone recovered the Brisbane's log, no."

"Very well." She paused to sift through some documents on her pad, although I suspected she didn't need to. I was content to let her gather her thoughts, but it didn't take long. "The record indicates you've been largely off the grid since then, operating primarily in alien and unregistered territories."

"That'd be the period where I was working with the others, John, Alec and Ron." I paused briefly at their names. "What I learned about Tharl vulnerabilities isn't easy to translate into action. Hitting just the right spot on a Tharl raider isn't easy, and first you have to take get through its shields. And before that you have to find them. Flying to a Tharl system is an invitation to get swarmed but they do occasionally visit other systems. So we spent a lot of time learning to fly together, learning our roles and coordinating our efforts."

"I have one unconfirmed report that the David Gilmour was spotted by Navy elements conducting a blockade in the Ultiga system. Unfortunately, the report couldn't be corroborated since we lost all ships operating in that system shortly after."

"I was there. So were the others. We went through the travel alerts to see where the Navy might be operating on the assumption that we'd also find Tharl there. We kept away from the Navy and didn't interfere."

"Why would you do that?"

"The idea was to wait for the fighting to start and see if we could lure out one of the fighters. The Tharl would otherwise be too busy with the Navy to devote too many resources to us."

"Did it work?"

"Kind of. They sent one of their big ships at us, a kind I'd never seen before. We lost Ron's Ferla in that encounter but we took down the Tharl as well and Ron survived. The Navy had fought the Tharl to a draw by that point so we were able to land without any more trouble and trade in our salvage. With John's capacity flying a freighter we made a huge haul. The Tharl made us rich."

She looked very thoughtful at that point. "That enabled you to buy Ron a new ship."

I nodded but didn't volunteer anything.

"Another Ferla?" she prompted.

I sighed. "No. A destroyer. The Tharl had captured one and in exchange for not jumping out with their technology they gave it to us in addition to lots and lots of platinum. Ron took command of the destroyer and her crew."

"What did you name this destroyer?"

"The Thanatos."

She touched something on her datapad. "That was the name of the destroyer that appeared at Van Usted and claimed to be its liberator. The captain of that ship demanded all Federation elements surrender and become part of his empire."

"Yeah, that was Ron. He...Alec died on one of our runs. We were trying something that was working really well but the Tharl hit us with something new, something we didn't expect. Once we got back to base we tried holding a wake for him but it turned into more of a fight. Ron decided to strike out on his own, turn pirate."

"The official word is that the Navy was able to stop him."

"Well, Ron wasn't exactly stable by that point."

"Then what were you doing in Van Usted at the same time?"

"I was trying to talk Ron down. I didn't do very well. He chose to die fighting instead of retreat and work things out."

"So you were trying to talk him down while he was fighting an entire Naval division?"

"There...may not have been as many ships there as they'd have you believe."

"And it seems the Tharl were there as well. The official report blames the Thanatos for interfering with the Navy's efforts to repulse a Tharl invasion. They were still successful in spite of him and, apparently, you."

"I tried very hard to just talk and keep out of everyone's way."

"That's not easy to do in the middle of a warzone, Mr. Takenoshita. It takes the kind of piloting skill we only hear about in holodramas."

I shrugged. There wasn't much I could say to that.

"Then according to you, you came on a Tharl ship that was still sufficiently intact that you were able to detect slaves aboard, still in stasis."

"The fight was over by then. I was scanning for survivors; Ron was able to get most of his crew off before he was shot down. My computer alerted me to the slaves on board the Tharl ship and estimated they had maybe hours at most. Since the Navy wasn't in any position to send help I took them aboard the Gilmour."

"And you left them in stasis the whole time."

"They were already in stasis and an Ophid's life support systems aren't capable of supporting a couple hundred adult humans for more than a few minutes. There just isn't enough air. So yes, I made the decision to keep them in stasis and let Federation authorities handle them once I got on the ground."

Now she looked me square in the eye. "Mr. Takenoshita, why didn't you alert Federation authorities to your situation before you landed? You had ample opportunity to do so."

I opened my mouth, realised I had no idea what to say, then closed it again. "Stars, I...I didn't...I had just...lost another friend. I didn't think to say anything until I was on the ground and could show them. It never occurred to me to do anything else."

"That's not a defence I can use."

"Emotional trauma isn't a defence?"

"Mr. Takenoshita, you were observed in proximity to the Tharl three times that GalPol knows about. Two of those times the issue of slavery becomes relevant. Add to that the initial report flagging you as a person of interest by Commander Jensen and the arrest warrant on Kandori in connection to the Naridi Consortium and we have a pattern, a conclusion that fits the evidence. That much of it is circumstantial doesn't matter when we consider that you were ultimately caught in possession of felony contraband."

"I'm not a slaver," I insisted vehemently, but to my ears it sounded like whining. "Look, Ron's crew. The crew we took back from Ultiga. They were initially slaves who came along as part of the deal when we accepted possession of the Thanatos. We freed them as soon as we got back to human territory. They should be willing to testify to that."

"What Federation authorities did you contact to manumit them?"

"Um...none. We were in the Gallant system when we freed them."

"The Gallant System isn't a member of the Federation," she pointed out. "It's independent, with only a station for habitation. There are no Federation authorities there to corroborate your claim."

"Yeah, okay, but what does that matter? The crew that stayed aboard the Thanatos were witnesses to it. They should be able to confirm what I've told you."

"That may be, but since Gallant is independent it's possible that the slaves you unloaded there were sold off to new owners. Gallant has a reputation as a way station for smugglers and other criminal activity. The testimony of the crew who remained aboard is hearsay at best."

"Could you maybe ask them, see if maybe some of them know more than others? They worked together for a long time before we freed them and maybe some of them have kept in touch."

"I'll put my people on it, but frankly the fact that they were slaves themselves does more to hurt your credibility than help it. Especially since you picked them up on a Tharl world."

I threw my hands up. "You're telling me I have no way to win."

"I told you that at the beginning, as did Mr. Arraya. The option for a plea is still open."

"That brings me back to my original problem: how do I give them information I don't have?"

"The plea initially brought to you by Mr. Arraya doesn't have to be the only deal. If you agree, I can negotiate with the prosecution for a lesser sentence in exchange for a guilty plea."

"What would I be pleading to?"

"Possession of felony contraband. It still carries hefty penalties but it doesn't include a death sentence since you wouldn't be pleading guilty of intent to traffic in said contraband."

"So I'd spend time in prison and lose my trading license," I said unhappily.

"That is true," she agreed soberly. "It's your decision, Mr. Takenoshita."

I groaned. "That's not much better. What about my accounts? The reason I didn't come to you right away is because they're frozen."

"I think I can cut a deal there, too." She smiled professionally. "Since your plea would not include a concession of trafficking the Federation would have no cause to seize your assets beyond the...cargo you were arrested for and possibly your vessel."

"I don't want to lose the Gilmour. She means a lot to me."

"I can't guarantee that, but I'll do my best."

I nodded. "Okay. I don't like it but if my chances in court are that bad then I'll take it. Stars, how did it come to this?"

She gathered her things quickly and efficiently. "I'll reach out to the prosecutor's office immediately. I should have an answer for you by this afternoon."

"Wait, what about my ship?"

"What about it?"

"I can get you access to the ship's computer, get all the logs and data that corroborates my story. Prove to the court that the slaves in my cargo hold were rescued."

"That won't be necessary for the plea but it will be a useful negotiation point when I talk to the prosecutor." She smiled again, still purely professional. "Don't worry, Mr. Takenoshita. I'll get you the best deal possible."

In spite of her assurances I worried anyway. I was left alone in my cell and was treated to a midday meal that was just as bland and indistinguishable as the one I'd had earlier in the morning. After a month of them I was sick of them.


I tried not to panic when I didn't hear from Ms. Marasigan the rest of the day, nor again the next day. When the following day slowly crawled into the afternoon I decided that panic was justified. I demanded to speak to my counsel and tried not to chew my fingers off until I got a phone call through to her.

"What's going on?" I demanded. "Why haven't I heard from you?"

"We're still digging, Mr. Takenoshita," she assured me with cool professionalism, but I swore I heard a hint of impatience in her voice. "You didn't give me a lot to go on, and we're following up with the leads we have. Unfortunately that's a lot of ground to cover."

"But you were able to get the prosecutor to agree to a lesser plea, right? He recognises I'm willing to cooperate?"

"No, not yet," she replied.

I practically shrieked. "What?"

"Calm down, Mr. Takenoshita," she ordered. "Prosecutor Katleho is very motivated to get a win out of this and he's expressed his confidence for his case at trial. Given the facts we've already discussed he's probably right, but that's not the whole story. I can make his victory a lot harder than he'd like and he knows that, too. He's likely to lose some ground he doesn't want to give up, and the more information I can confirm from your story the more likely that becomes. It's part of the negotiation process and it takes a while. So please be patient and I will contact you with any news as soon as I have it. All right?"

I deflated a bit. "Okay, but you told me we don't have a lot of time."

"We don't, and the more often I have to explain things to you the less time I'll have to prepare a solid defence for you."

Ouch. "All right. I'm sorry. Just...I'm going crazy in here, you know?"

"I'll have my assistant keep tabs on you, maybe arrange to make you a little more comfortable. That's the best I can do for now. All right?"

"I understand. Thank you."

She disconnected the call immediately and left me back where I was before: anxious and afraid for my life. Unfortunately not much changed after that. The food was a little better and actually had flavor, but as often as not the taste made me miss the bland, indistinguishable fare from before. Her assistant was an older man named Jax who clearly lacked the gene for chatting and that made things doubly awkward since I did as well. The majority of our conversations were Jax contacting me to make sure the food was different and that there was nothing of note to report yet.

I thought I might go mad. Or perhaps I was already there. I couldn't tell.

On the last day before my trial the last of my patience wore out. I demanded to talk to Jinyi.

"She's not available," Jax informed me mildly.

"Yeah, I can see that. But we're down to the wire and there's been no news all week. Am I in that much trouble? Am I going to die?"

"I don't know," he replied bluntly.

"Jax, old man, you're not helping. You're supposed to be in touch with Ms. Marasigan which is more than I've got. What is she doing? Why hasn't she said anything to me? Why aren't you telling me everything is going to be okay?"

"I haven't been issued any new instructions," he explained. "I could lie to you and tell you everything is going to be just fine but it would be just that: a lie. I haven't been told if Ms. Marasigan has found new information or she's made any progress in your case. So far as I'm aware the situation is the same as the first time I was instructed to contact you."

"Is she nearby? Is she on this planet?" I demanded.

"I haven't seen her in several days. I do not know her current location."

"Okay, now I'm really getting worried. Do you at least know if she's safe? Could they have hurt her or abducted her?"

"I'm afraid I don't know who ‘they' are, Mr. Takenoshita. I can assure you that Lars, Nunez, Snyder and Gibbs is a prestigious firm and any impropriety toward any of its staff would result in immediate reprisals to the fullest extent of the law."

"Okay, but that doesn't tell me if she's still alive and unhurt."

"I have no reason to believe otherwise. Be patient a little while longer, Mr. Takenoshita. Ms. Marasigan will be with you shortly."

"Still not helping," I fumed, but he had already disconnected. I went back to pacing my tiny cell and waiting to hear news that would determine if I lived or died. I wasn't very good at being patient. I didn't sleep a wink that night, I was so worried that something had gone horribly wrong and that no plea agreement had been reached. I was going to railroaded into a verdict of guilty and disintegrated.

When morning came I barely touched my meal. I showered, put on fresh garments and waited anxiously for my trial to begin. Fortunately I didn't have long to wait. This time it seemed like everything in my cell disappeared and was replaced by a courtroom. To my shock, Ms. Marasigan was standing to my left in formal court attire waiting for the proceedings to begin.

"Wait, what? What happened? Did you get the plea deal?" I was full of questions but she turned to me with a scowl and shook her head, punctuated by a finger to her lips. I needed to be silent. I unwillingly bit my tongue and prepared to wait.

Someone else in similar courtroom fashion appeared to enter the room and shook what looked like an ancient brass bell. "Hear ye, hear ye! Court is now in session with the Honourable Judge Series SSY-91478 presiding."

Before the last ringing tone of the bell faded away a giant head appeared above the judge's bench, presumably the Honourable Judge Series SSY-91478. It took the time to look back and forth across the virtual room and then spoke in an androgynous voice. "The defendant will rise."

Defendant. That meant me. I hastily came to my feet.

"We will now hear the charges against the defendant."

A tall man also dressed in formal court robes and wig cleared his throat and began reading from a datapad. This could only be Mr. Katleho I had heard about. "The defendant, Hideo Takenoshita of Rekan III, member of the Guild of Galactic Traders serial number 4414-7851-0224, is hereby charged with three counts of interstellar piracy, three counts of interference with Federation Naval operations, twenty-eight counts of interstellar smuggling, two counts of conspiracy to traffic in slavery and one count of possession of slaves with intent to traffic."

My jaw dropped. Ms. Marasigan had clearly not been successful in getting me the plea deal we talked about.

The judge addressed me directly. "How does the defendant plead?"

"I didn't do any of that!" I burst out.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ms. Marasigan heave a sigh before she spoke up. "The defendant pleads ‘not guilty' to all charges, Your Honour."

The judge nodded seriously. "The plea of ‘not guilty' is so entered into the record. Mr. Katleho, your opening arguments."

"Your Honour, the defendant has been a person of interest for some time, skirting the edges of the law like so many others. He was a promising student at the academy for the Guild of Galactic Traders and received high marks from that institution. However, upon receiving his license he struggled to achieve any real success. An early breakthrough in reopening an old trade market with the Ghalag outpost was followed by a series of failures that made Mr. Takenoshita desperate enough to cross the line into criminality and association with criminal organisations. It was there that he found the success he so eagerly sought and made him rich. His clear disregard for the safety and well-being of his fellow sentients in the pursuit of wealth will be established in this courtroom and I am confident that Your Honour will render a verdict of guilty on all counts."

That smarted. The speech opened with the uncomfortable truth and twisted it around to justify calling me a heartless monster. I wanted to retort, to defend myself, but that wasn't allowed. It didn't stop me from squirming uncomfortably.

"Ms. Marasigan, your opening arguments."

"Your Honour, these proceedings have been tainted from the beginning."

I wanted to cheer. Again, I did my best to restrain myself.

"The State has ample justification to be suspicious of Trader Takenoshita's activities but the haste shown is unseemly and violates the spirit of justice we claim to uphold. No one will dispute the State's characterisation of Trader Takenoshita's desperation after being granted his trading license, but let the record show that these troubles have haunted Trader Takenoshita, he did not hunt them. Trader Takenoshita has provided me with ample leads that could corroborate this fact but the court has instead chosen to move to trial with all the time for discovery given to the prosecution, not to the defence. Furthermore, Trader Takenoshita has offered to negotiate a plea deal which my esteemed colleague has elected not to hear. Your Honour, at this time I move for a continuance so that defence counsel can pursue proper discovery."

The judge opened its mouth, paused, and said, "Motion denied. The trial will continue as scheduled."

"Then it please the court I move for a mistrial on the grounds that my client's rights are being heinously violated."

Again, the judge opened its mouth and paused before saying the exact same thing: "Motion denied. The trial will continue as scheduled."

There was a pause as everyone absorbed this. I couldn't see her face but Ms. Marasigan's body language suggested she was extremely frustrated. She froze for a moment, then nodded solemnly.

The judge continued. "Does this conclude your opening remarks?"

"It does, Your Honour."

"Then the prosecution may make its case."

The prosecution's case was almost exactly the way Ms. Marasigan had described it to me, focusing on my career from the perspective of the Fifth Fleet beginning with Commander Jensen and finishing with my arrest on Van Usted. If I hadn't lived it, if I didn't know the other side of it I would have thought myself guilty. It was extremely thorough and thoroughly damning. They even got testimony from Jula - Lt. Commander Siewert - following up on her report via hyperspace comms. She didn't sound enthusiastic about it but answered every question put to her in detail. Oddly, what I found most jarring was the cadence of her voice; she wasn't in character as Jula right now and she spoke plainly without the affectations that had peppered her speech before. It wasn't the first time I heard it but I had come to associate it with her so much that the absence felt wrong.

When Ms. Marasigan began her questions Jula's tone changed.

"Lt. Commander, it is the defendant's testimony that you were working with him to replace a Timmorakian slave on a Tharl world with a Federation operative who volunteered for the role, is that correct?"

"That is correct," Jula replied quickly. "Trader Takenoshita had established a relationship with a local slave and was convinced he could switch that slave with my operative without the Tharl realizing it."

"What was the defendant's intent in doing this? Did he ever express his plans for the slave?"

"He said he needed information that the slave possessed, insights into Tharl society that only an insider would possess."

"What was the plan for the final disposition of that slave had the plan been successful?"

Jula shifted uncomfortably on the screen. "We never discussed that part. I assumed, of course, that the slave would be placed in my care but it never came up. We were too focused on preparing Chillup to be inserted into his role without discovery. After Trillek committed suicide Trader Takenoshita left and there really wasn't reason to discuss it."

"Did the defendant ever give you the impression that he intended to keep this Trillek as a slave, either for himself or to sell to someone else?"

Jula shook her head quickly. "He'd just gotten rich off some scheme scamming the Tharl. He made it clear he didn't need money and wasn't a smuggler or looking to compete with my business. All I know is he had some con that required information the slave possessed to work. After Trillek died it was clear he was deeply affected and left without another word. I know he left Chort without any slaves aboard his ship."

Ms. Marasigan turned to the judge. "Your Honour, I have no further questions for this witness."

The judge turned to Mr. Katleho. "Does the prosecution which to redirect?"

Mr. Katleho stood. "We do, Your Honour."

"Proceed."

"Lt. Commander Siewert, you just testified that you and the defendant never discussed the intended fate of the slave. Do you have any evidence that the defendant did not intend to keep the slave as a slave? Do you have any evidence that the defendant intended to free the slave?"

"As I said before, we never discussed it."

"Have you, in your experience, ever encountered someone who wanted to buy a slave who then freed that slave?"

"I have not," she admitted slowly.

"If the defendant had successfully purchased the slave, how would you have guaranteed the slave's ultimate fate?"

"If he'd taken off without me I would have tracked him down and found out what he'd done with Trillek. But when I observed Trader Takenoshita with the slave I found him remarkably sympathetic."

"One last question, Lt. Commander. Yes or no: is it possible that the defendant lied to you about not intending to compete with your business or engage in smuggling?"

Jula paused and sighed. "Yes, it's possible. But I don't - "

"I have no further questions, Your Honour."

Ms. Marasigan stood. "Objection, Your Honour. The witness clearly has more to add to her answer."

The judge said, "Objection - " It then paused like before. "Overruled," it finished.

"Defense requests to recross the witness."

"Recross - " Again the pause. "Denied."

"Your Honour, that is highly irregular!" Ms. Marasigan complained.

The judge opened its mouth and paused again before continuing. "The trial will continue as scheduled."

I scowled as I considered the repeated hitch in the judge's speech. AIs developed for Federation government use - particularly law enforcement and judicial branches - had extremely powerful firewalls and encryption to safeguard against tampering. It was literally unheard of for them to be hacked. AIs had been in use as judges for centuries because of their ability to call up any relevant piece of knowledge in their databases and ability to objectively rule on any matter. They didn't let emotion or bias sway them so they were always able to make their rulings abide strictly by the law. My early history classes suggested an objection to this was that sometimes we needed the law to be tempered by compassion which AIs weren't capable of doing, but that argument ultimately failed.

And yet, here I was confronted with a judge behaving like someone had cracked the AI.

The entire trial went like that through the morning and into the afternoon. I was permitted a short break for meal and sanitary purposes but otherwise all I could do was sit and watch. Mr. Katleho laid out his arguments neatly for the court and brought his case to a close. All told I estimated it took him just over six hours from start to finish. Then it was my turn, or more accurately Ms. Marasigan's turn.

"If it please the court I again submit that defense has not been given sufficient time to interview witnesses or follow up in leads provided by the defendant. One week is not enough time to travel to meet with and interview the closest witness and return to be present for these proceedings. I still have assistants in transit across the galaxy to obtain witness testimony."

The response was predictable down to hitch in and cadence of the judge's voice. "The trial will continue as scheduled."

"I remind the court that the defendant was in transit for thirty-seven days from the world where he was arrested, and yet it has been only eight days since I was appointed counsel for the defence."

A pause. Then, "The counsel for the defence is hereby warned that we have already ruled on the matter. Further objections will provoke a ruling of contempt. Begin your arguments."

She heaved a visible sigh. "Very well. With the permission of the defendant I will now play for the court selections from my interviews with him."

I blinked. "What?"

"Your Honour, I request a five minute recess to confer with my client."

"This court is in recess for five minutes," the judge agreed.

The rest of the courtroom faded, leaving only myself and Ms. Marasigan. I confess I didn't know her very well but she looked positively rattled.

"Mr. Takenoshita - Hideo," she began. "I'm in a bind here. I literally have nothing with which to defend you except your own testimony."

"Why not have me testify live?"

"Because the answers you gave during our first two meetings were direct and honest. Right now you're very tense and you have good reason to be. While you were talking with me before you were able to relax and give straightforward answers. The judge is programmed to read body language along with verbal statements and right now your earlier testimony is more valuable than anything you could say right now."

"I thought it was illegal to make recordings of meetings without my knowledge."

"Hideo, is that something you really want to quibble about right now?"

I took a second to think about it and had to admit she had a point.

"Okay. Do whatever you think is best."

"Really? You're trusting me?" She looked slightly skeptical.

"Yeah, you're obviously doing your best. But this judge is compromised. Something cracked the AI."

She looked uncomfortable. "I...I don't understand what's going on with this judge. I'm going to demand a review of its systems after trial. I hope to find something we can use to appeal."

"So you think I'm going to lose? Why not demand a review right now?"

"I can't use that to disrupt a trial in progress. The time to do that is before or after, not during. I'm literally not allowed. And yes, we discussed this Hideo. You're going to lose. The only question is by how much."

"All right." I sat back in my seat and cracked my knuckles until my fingers ached.

A moment later the rest of the court reappeared.

"You may proceed, Ms. Marasigan."

"Trader Takenoshita, for the record, do you grant permission for me to use recordings from our interview in your defence?" I nodded. "I do."

"Your Honour, with your indulgence I will be playing this recording slightly out of order so that the testimony provided will match the chronological order of the case presented by the prosecution. I will also be editing out sections that are not part of Trader Takenoshita's testimony and are protected by barrister-client privilege."

"Permission granted."

It was a little odd watching a hologram of a court room playing a hologram of myself talking with Ms. Marasigan. The visual portion of the recordings focused exclusively on me with her voice coming through to ask questions. The hologram of me looked really bad, almost nothing like the face I was used to seeing in the mirror. I was clean-shaven and my hair neatly trimmed, of course, but the circles under my eyes and pallor of my skin made me look terribly unhealthy. My voice sounded wrong, nothing like I normally heard in my head but such recordings have always sounded wrong to me. Still, there was a quaver in my voice that made me feel ashamed. It was one thing to know I was afraid but another to see myself visibly shaken by it.

The way Ms. Marasigan edited my testimony it was finished within an hour. I had to admit she was right; as we talked my holographic image looked much more relaxed than I felt right now, eager to talk and passionate about the topics she brought up. I stammered and paused too much in the recording, a testament to how much of a smooth talker I wish I was but never could be. When it was over I felt a little better myself, like I had unburdened myself even though I hadn't spoken the entire time. At least now my side of the story was on record.

When it was over the judge turned to Mr. Katleho. "Do you wish to cross-examine the witness?"

He stood and nodded slightly. "I do, Your Honour." Then he turned to me. "When you spoke with Mr. Akers you appeared extremely upset, but somehow we've been unable to translate anything that was said. Our linguistics experts describe your speech as ‘like a language but not.' Just what was it that Mr. Akers told you that upset you?"

I blinked in surprise. "What?"

Ms. Marasigan leapt to her feet. "Your Honour, I object! This is outrageous!"

"Objection - " Again the hitch. "Overruled. The witness will answer the question."

"Your Honour, this is illegal! The prosecution's behaviour violates the rules of conduct for officers of the court! I demand a mistrial!"

The pause. "Denied. The trial will continue as scheduled."

Ms. Marasigan turned to me. "Hideo, don't say - " She was cut off as her image disappeared, neatly sliced out of the courtroom as if she never existed.

"Mr. Takenoshita," Mr. Katleho said. "The court is waiting for your answer."

"No," I said. My voice quavered as I said it, but I said it anyway.

"What?"

"I said ‘no.' You can't ask me that question. I'm guessing that Ms. Marasigan had to obtain my permission for the record to use our interview at trial, but you never asked me. And I certainly won't give it to you. So my answer is ‘no.'"

The judge turned to me. "The witness will answer the question."

"The question violates my rights. I refuse."

"If you do not answer the question you will be found in contempt of court and these proceedings will move immediately to judgement."

"I will not answer a question that violates my rights."

There was a brief pause, then: "The defendant will stand."

I remained motionless, thinking there was nothing they could do about my feeble act of rebellion. I was, of course, mistaken. The electric shock delivered through my chair brought me to my feet like I'd been kicked. "Ow!"

"This court finds the defendant guilty on counts. Because of the charge of slavery you are sentenced to summary execution by disintegration. This sentence is to be carried out immediately. May God have mercy on your soul."

Immediately? "Wait! I have the right to appeal!" Unfortunately, before I finished speaking the hologram had shut off and all I accomplished was to yell at the barren walls of my cell.

I was a dead man.


All temptation aside, I went quietly to my execution without any attempt to overpower anyone or engage in a cinematic dash for freedom. The identical looking faceless guards gripped their weapons like they were eager to use them and covered me from opposite sides so we formed a triangle as we walked down the hallway. It was not a long walk and it didn't take long; whenever my steps faltered the guards were there to shove me and make sure I kept my forward momentum. They didn't tolerate any attempt to delay my fate.

I thought about trying to bargain for my life, offering what I knew about the technology we'd discovered and Diamond's plans for secession, but with whom? The guard wouldn't talk to me and didn't seem interested in anything I had to say. Plus, even if had been betrayed by John he had kept his promise to get me the best possible defence. Ms. Marasigan was clearly invested in my case and had done her best to protect me. I couldn't blame her or John for my loss. I couldn't explain what happened but given the haste they were making in rushing me to my death it was obvious that I had made someone very angry with me. But who?

I was brought to the end of a hallway where I was forced to stop because the door didn't open automatically. I looked back quizzically, maybe even a little bit hopefully, and one of the guards lifted an arm to tap at a control. The door opened with a hiss suggesting it had been sealed. The interior was cramped, just large enough for a single person to enter. I saw no exit.

At my hesitation one of the guards shoved me. "Inside." I was reminded of an old joke about people with sufficient firepower not needing verbs, but I was too frightened to remember the details.

I turned and raised my hands defensively. "I don't suppose - " That was as far as I got before they both raised their weapons at me. "No, I don't suppose so," I finished lamely. "But I should be able to appeal!"

"Last warning," I was told. One of them stepped forward, crowding me and I instinctively stepped back which of course put me inside the room. The door promptly closed on me with the same hiss as when it opened. With the door closed the tiny little compartment was completely dark, leaving me blind.

"Wait!" I yelled and pounded at what I hoped was the exit. There was no answer, not that I really expected any, but I kept it up anyway since I didn't have any other options.

I didn't have long to wait before a light came on and I could see again, but it burned. It hurt so much I started screaming as I felt the hair on my head turn to ash, even my eyebrows. I was still screaming when the floor opened up beneath me and I tumbled helplessly down a shaft. Even as I fell I could feel a heavy wind pushing me down as if gravity alone wasn't enough. I continued screaming, as much out of rage and frustration as sheer terror. What was happening to me? Why wasn't I disintegrated? What new torment did my mysterious enemy have planned for me next?

The light from the disintegration chamber cut off sharply as the portal above snapped shut and I was again in darkness. I hadn't had the presence of mind to look and see where I was falling toward so I didn't have any idea how long I would be in free-fall. Once I landed wherever I was headed I was likely to break my neck.

Then I wasn't falling. There was no sensation of change, no memory of landing and I didn't feel any breaks or bruises where I landed. One moment I was in mid-air and the next moment I was on the floor. I blinked a few times to clear the tears from my eyes and my surroundings came into focus. It looked very much like the main hatch of the Gilmour. The woman kneeling over the smallest stasis generator I'd ever seen looked very much like Jamie Holden.

"Wha - ?" Scintillating conversationalist, that's me.

"Welcome aboard, Trader Takenoshita," Jamie said absently as she transferred the equipment on the floor to a carry bag.

"I - you - what?" I was having trouble forming a coherent thought. There were too many questions rushing to get out and they all got jumbled together. Finally, the biggest one managed to push through. "Why am I not dead?"

"Because your computer is far too clever to allow that, and it seems to have an odd affection for you." She finished her packing and held out her hand. I stared at it, dumbfounded, so she reached down to grab my hand and pull me to my feet.

"Uh...what's so odd about it?" Okay, not the biggest question of the hour but it seemed to follow.

"It has any." Without another word she keyed open the inner hatch and stepped through, clearly assuming I would follow.

I paused to look back through the viewport of the outer hatch and saw a brilliant view of the galaxy as viewed from one of the core worlds. On the other side of that portal was nothing but empty vacuum. I shuddered and turned to follow her but had to sprint to catch up. "Wait? What just happened? What's going on here?"

"I should think it was obvious, Trader Takenoshita. You've been rescued."

"Stop with the ‘Trader Takenoshita' business. I'm not with the Guild any more." Oh. I wasn't with the Guild any more. My membership was invalidated the moment the conviction was handed down. That hurt a lot. "Besides," I continued gamely. "People who help rescue me earn the right to call me by my given name."

"As you wish. You may call me Dr. Holden."

"Fine. Great. Thank you for rescuing me, Dr. Holden. Now would you please explain what in stars just happened?"

"No, I won't. It was decided that someone else should explain it to you."

I gave up trying to ask questions and paid more attention to our surroundings. We were definitely aboard the Gilmour and heading toward the cockpit. My mind was still racing with questions demanding answers but for the moment I was willing to just enjoy the fact that I was home. Everything looked right, smelled right and with the exception of the unaccustomed crowding everything felt right.

Once we reached the cockpit the feeling of crowding got even more pronounced as I saw Diamond in the captain's chair - my chair - and Jamie's twin brother David in the navigator's seat. Best of all the computer's artificially generated face was displayed on its customary screen.

"Welcome home, Boss," the computer greeted. "We're ready to jump on your command."

"I have so many questions," I reminded it. Then I gestured to Diamond. "Get out of my chair."

"Of course," Diamond said graciously as he vacated my seat. I took possession of it with a deep sigh and scanned the displays. We were in orbit around the largest gas giant in the system, currently cloaked in the penumbra of its shadow from the star. It was a pretty good hiding spot.

"So...we can jump from here?" I asked curiously. I saw David turn to me with a broad grin as he nodded.

"Affirmative, Boss," the computer agreed. "We've got more than enough interactive fields to create a wormhole anywhere we want to go. Or we can hang around a while longer. It's up to you."

I shook my head vigorously. "Jump," I ordered.