November 4, 2111
James Stone
When I first joined the ARW military, some called me a freak because of my ace abilities. My name became tied to my unnatural gifts, and most of the time I distanced myself from those ties. But never did I think my name, James Stone, would become the name of a deserter.
Those who say, "To do the right thing, sometimes you have to do the wrong thing," can choke on those words. After returning home with a dead warlord, my commander, Commander Sizar, had me put in handcuffs. I had personally put a bullet in the brain of one of the eight most powerful adversaries our alliance, the ARW, had to face. With that kill, the Wersillian Legion, the threat the ARW fights so hard to defeat, now has only seven warlords left! Unfortunately, my squad and I had to go rogue before we killed the warlord, which is the reason I'm sitting in this chair across from the Director of the Order of Aegis, Kalvin Keefe. After all the torture this man had put me through when I was a child, he was the last person I thought would want to represent me in my upcoming trial. Yes, he's been taking baby steps to make up for what he took away from me in the past. This move, however, was a giant's leap towards his redemption.
Despite my trial being only a few minutes away, my mind was far more situated on something recently brought to light. Minutes earlier, Kalvin had put the final piece of the puzzle in place on why Steion, the warlord I killed, had captured my former and now dead captain, Captain Landis, in the first place. Steion wanted the location of another artifact similar to the one he'd stolen when I first encountered him. We now know that artifact was a key of some sort.
Inside Kalvin's temporary office, with his ebony-wooden desk in-between us, I waited as Kalvin contacted someplace over his cyberwatch. For a temporary space, this office didn't fit the type. Laced with old world antiques, this organized room was lit by candles, the ceiling lights were off, and quaint decorations were on and around the eye-catching furnishings. On the desk sat a holographic monitor and keyboard, a notebook lying open, and a stack of papers sitting under a book-shaped paperweight. A bookshelf, bursting with books, was in a corner. Kalvin fiddled with a gold-laced pen as his call began.
Ring, Ring, Ring.
Kalvin's cyberwatch buzzed as he tried to reach his contact, adding to the ominous tension. No answer! Kalvin looked up. "James, I sense this is the commencement of dreadful news. I just attempted to establish contact with the communications tower at Station 9 - the station where the artifact is located. Nothing! Since nobody responded, I believe evidence points to an attack at that location." As if on a dramatic cue, the candles around Kalvin's room flickered despite there being no breeze.
"Why the hell are you looking at me with that half-open mouth like you expect me to handle it?" I asked. "We still have my trial on the near horizon!"
"I understand. Your trial is the more immediate matter at hand; thus, we shall resolve it foremost."
"So, the trial equals step one… good. What's step two?"
"We personally pay a visit to Station 9 taking into account that we're victorious in your trial beforehand."
It was at that moment I realized I shouldn't have asked. I needed to focus my mind around my trial, and not that madness waiting to happen. "In the last few minutes, every word that's rolled off your tongue has only added weight to my shoulders. These recent enlightenments have drifted my mindset further away from where it should be."
"My sincerest apologies. I--" Kalvin was cut off as a soldier creaked open the door and stepped into the room.
"It's time." The soldier gestured for us to follow him out the door.
"Very well." I got out of my chair, still in power cuffs, and followed the multitude of soldiers who waited for me outside the door. Kalvin was on my six.
Inside the courtroom, we waited for the judges. I gazed around the worn-down room and could've sworn every piece of furniture - from the judge and witness stands at the front to the benches behind me - were marked to their bare frames, as if a trial happened on a biweekly basis. With that in mind, Sizar would be the type of qwayk to fit it in his schedule.
I sat with Kalvin at my side, knees unsteady under the defendant's table at the thought of losing everything I deemed important. Before we entered the court, I was allowed time to suit up. So, I have that going for me at least.
Commander Sizar and his prosecutor fiddled around with papers at the prosecution's table. Sizar sent me a nasty grin through his lemon-tinted, wrinkle-like vantors, as the qwayk species called them. They extended from the bottom of his eyes down to his chin. To me, vantors were a facial feature that seemed to add years to a qwayk's appearance. Shadow-Walker, Valiic Bessile, Narrisa Bessile, and Uslar Kip sat comfortably on the bench behind me; padded cushions over scratched wood. The last time I saw my squad, they were in cuffs and being escorted to a different location than I was. I had told Valiic to lie and inform the prosecutor that I was the single mind behind the idea to go rogue. Since they were no longer in cuffs, I sighed in relief, knowing the plan had worked. Furthermore, Brad Swift, the last remaining member of the hunter squad assigned to capture us, sat at the furthest end of the bench. With Valiic's massive maelkii body in the way, I could see only Brad's leg and arm.
Valiic gazed over at me. Upon seeing my face, a bright smile lit across Valiic's very round, red-skinned face that encouraged me not to worry. His cohinla, Narrisa, shared the same look with shining orange eyes. Her demure personality brought a calm to our entire unit, not only here, but everywhere we went.
Shadow-Walker, the class-clown, sniper, and engineer of our squad, gave me an encouraging thumbs up with his boney, brown-red thumbs. He was sitting beside Narrisa, who dwarfed the small dor'o by double in height and more so in weight. Shadow-Walker tilted his head back towards our rookie and medic, Uslar Kip. The boney stumps on Shadow-Walker's head slipped out of my vision. Those sanded-off looking horns, unique to the dor'o species, reminded me of tree trunks. Uslar gave Shadow-Walker a friendly elbow to the chest and whispered something to him. Those two were usually bickering with each other, somewhat like brothers. It was quite hilarious to watch.
"All rise," the bailiff said. Everyone stood. Three judges walked into the courtroom, each in formal judicial robes; two were human, and one was a qwayk. Once the honorable judges took their seats at the judge stands located to the front of the room, the bailiff said, "You may be seated."
After all the preliminary proceedings were out of the way, the head judge, the one closest to the witness stand, smashed his gavel.
Thump!
"James Stone, you have been charged with desertion, which carries a maximum punishment of dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all wages, and confinement of five years. This case will not be held in front of a jury, as this is a military matter. Thus, the final decision will rest on the panel of us three judges. Now, Prosecutor, call forth your first witness."
"I call Commander Sizar."
The prosecutor waited as Sizar walked to the stand. Sizar placed his hand on an ARW oath plaque which was held by the bailiff.
The bailiff asked, "Under the oath you took as an active member of the ARW military, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I do," he stated, and the bailiff gestured for him to sit down. I chuckled to myself as Sizar sat. He typically looked like he had a stick stuck up his ass, even as he sat here in the courtroom.
The prosecutor began. "Commander Sizar, you are the commanding officer in charge of formulating the operations for each and every squad aboard your ship, the Tempest of Titans, correct?"
"That is correct."
Obviously! In the ARW, all commanders administrate a star cruiser, and all the squads living aboard their ship must follow their commands. That has been the protocol since the military was overhauled almost a decade ago.
"What was the operation tasked to the 1070 Legionnaires before Captain Clover Landis was captured?" The 1070 Legionnaires are my squadron.
"I tasked them, along with a few others, to find the location of a warlord whom we believed to be on Juster and kill him or her on sight."
"Did they succeed in that operation?"
"The mission was a failure," Sizar grumbled.
"And someone got captured during that operation?"
"Yes; Captain Landis, former captain of the 1070 Legionnaires."
"What was your immediate action upon realizing this?"
"Standard protocol dictates that if a captain of an independent squad, such as the 1070 Legionnaires, dies, I must promote the first lieutenant to captain. This is exactly what I did when I promoted James Stone to captain after his former captain, Captain Landis, was captured. James Stone proceeded to name Valiic Bessile as his new first lieutenant."
"But Captain Landis was captured. She wasn't dead. Why did you choose to promote James Stone to captain?"
"According to our intelligence, Captain Landis was being taken to a dytirc military prison known as the Grando Military Prison. Such a prison was deemed unreachable by myself and my advisors. That's when we pronounced Captain Landis missing in action, a status that can be interpreted as temporarily dead. That is why I promoted James Stone."
"An understandable, logical decision. Let me read you a quote spoken by James Stone during this meeting: Then send me and the rest of 1070 Legionnaires on a stealth rescue mission. We'll be in and out with no fuss. Is this what Captain Stone asked of you during this meeting?"
"Yes, it is. Captain Stone wanted to rescue Captain Landis after she was captured."
"Did you approve of this request?"
"I did not."
"Now after this meeting, after you denied Captain Stone his request, what was the next operation assigned to the 1070 Legionnaires?"
"A few days later, they were assigned to take out a shield tower."
"Did Captain Stone succeed in this mission?"
"Yes. The tower was successfully destroyed."
"What happened directly after this tower was destroyed?"
"Captain Stone disregarded orders and ended up going on a search for Captain Landis."
"Hmm. Clearly not a deferential act by James. No further questions. The witness is yours, Defendant."
Kalvin took to the front, strolling up the stairs and in front of the witness stand with swagger and confidence. To this day, I haven't seen a time when Kalvin doesn't present himself in a gentlemen-like manner. "Commander Sizar, the quote - Then send me and the rest of 1070 Legionnaires on a stealth rescue mission…we'll be in and out with no fuss - was submitted as evidence by you, correct?"
"Correct."
"Would you then contemplate that there exists a conflict of interest for the purposes of this trial?"
"No."
"So you mean to communicate to me - that the commander prosecuting my client also submitted a quote that could be seen as evidence against him - is by your definition not a conflict of interest?"
"Alright. It is a conflict of interest, as you say."
Kalvin scoffed and spoke to the head judge, "I move for a motion to suppress this as evidence."
"Sustained." The head judge hammered his gavel. "Defense, would you like to call your witness?"
"I call Brad Swift to the chair." Kalvin smirked.
With those words, I heard shuffling as Brad swaggered his way to the stand, not caring to look anyone in the eye. Walking with a give-no-shivfs attitude, he let his body fall into the chair. He didn't even stop by the bailiff first, forcing the bailiff to come to him.
The bailiff asked, "Under the oath you took as an active member of the ARW military, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"Hell yeah," he stated, and the bailiff gestured for him to sit down. Brad plopped down in the chair with his elbow against the stand and his head against his fist. His expression indicated an I-don't-care attitude. This was the first time I had seen him out of the custom power armor he had always been wearing up to this point. An ethnic mix of Hispanic, Caucasian, and African American, he was a fitting image of the definition of out-of-place. Scars stretched down his arms and marked his face, and a smug frown highlighted his criminal appearance. His left eye was at the center of a cross tattoo engraved in his face. The one thing that was fine groomed about him was his hair, styled with waves.
Kalvin proceeded. "Mr. Swift, I would like to recite what Malcolm Richardson wrote in this Letter of Absolution before his death." Malcolm Richardson was the captain of Brad's hunter squad. "Malcolm wrote: I once hated the idea that aces are the draw in the deck we needed to win this war. For years I stood by my belief in the power of loyal soldiers. When I received the mission to hunt the ARW's first and most famous ace, James Stone, I was hell-bound on the task. I saw it as my chance to prove my beliefs. Then something I never expected happened: I found myself on his side. James Stone is more than an ace. He is a force, a charismatic force, with a sense of battle understanding, will, and fortitude that I've yet to see. More than that, he is a soldier by every definition of the word. James Stone may not know it, but he may be the most important piece the ARW has at their disposal. Having said that, Mr. Swift, you were present when Malcolm wrote this, correct?" Hearing Malcolm's analysis caused me to blush a radiant grin.
Brad clicked his tongue. "Yup."
"This is his signature, correct?" Kalvin showed him the document.
"Yup."
"No further questions. Your witness." Kalvin ambled off.
When the prosecutor got to the front, he asked, "Mr. Swift, could you describe Mr. Richardson's condition when he wrote that Letter of Absolution?"
"Stubborn Bozz waz 'bout tah save our azzez from death."
"How did he do this?"
"By sacrificin' himself tah destroy ah tracta beam which waz keepin' our ship from budgin'."
"So, he was suicidal?"
Brad jumped up out of his seat, launching the chair backwards. "Hell nah! You'd betta take dat back, bitch!"
The head judge slammed down his gavel. "Order! I won't have threats or foul language in this courtroom."
The prosecutor grinned. "No further questions."
"Call your next witness, Prosecutor," the judge ordered.
The prosecutor announced, "I call Valiic Bessile to the chair."
As Valiic made is way over, I heard a lot more shifting of the benches. It took him a solid minute to slide himself through before reaching the bailiff. He was a bit jittery, though he tried holding it in.
The bailiff asked, "Under the oath you took as an active member of the ARW military, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I sure do," Valiic stated, and the bailiff gestured for him to sit down. The over-used wooden chair creaked under Valiic's massive size and weight. You'd think Sizar would invest in better furniture to suit the maelkii needs a bit more.
The prosecutor continued. "Mr. Bessile, you are here to speak for the rest of your squad as the current lieutenant, correct?"
"Absolutely."
"Earlier today, it was decided that you and your squad mates acted on orders by James Stone. Is this true?"
"It is true," Valiic lied.
"Did you find this at all odd, considering this was days after your squad failed the mission to kill a warlord the first time around?"
"Sure," he admitted after a brief hesitation.
"That's a yes, then?"
"Uh… yes." Valiic shrugged, avoiding eye contact with the courtroom.
"Did you or any one of your squad members question this decision?"
"Loyalty is a virtue. We followed orders."
"And those orders were given after a second, completely different mission had been given, correct?"
"I'd say you're correct."
"Therefore, it is safe to come to the conclusion that James Stone acted on his own accord when undertaking this operation, correct?"
"Objection! The prosecutor is openly theorizing!" Kalvin yelled.
"Overruled," the head judge decided.
Valiic sat there, unsure of what to say, looking down, tapping his stubby thumb to the coarse palm of his opposite hand. "Answer the question!" the prosecutor pushed.
"Sure… it could be a possibility," Valiic finally confessed.
"No further questions. Witness is yours."
Kalvin took the front, hogging the judges' attention with his charm. "You and my client have a history, correct?"
"We sure do."
"When did you first meet him?"
"2104. It was our first day of training for the legionnaire program, and we soon became close friends. Nowadays, James and everyone else who's a part of my assigned squad are no less than family to me."
"In all the time you have known my client, has he ever given you cause to question his motivations when issuing a directive?"
"Not at all."
"In your involvement with Captain Stone, what is your opinion of the theory the prosecutor has hypothesized?"
"I believe it is false."
Kalvin pulled out a photo from his file. "This photo was taken after the apprehension of Captain Stone. Mr. Bessile, what is this a picture of?"
"It is a dead dytirc."
"Have you ever seen him before?"
"I sure have," Valiic smiled.
"When?"
"That dytirc interrogated our legionnaire squad after we were captured. We were just outside the Grando Military Prison's control station." Valiic let loose a woeful expression for a split second, eyes lost in the past, before returning to the present.
"Did the dytirc possess any exceptional ace abilities?"
"He could teleport himself."
"Now, according to the ARW database, a warlord by the name of Steion also had such abilities. Does this dytirc fit the description? Is this a photograph of Steion?"
"Absolutely."
"No further questions. I would like to call my client, James Stone, to the stand."
I got up from my seat and walked to the chair. The stares of everyone were glued to me, judging my every step. I dreaded being the center of attention. The bailiff walked up to me with the plaque, and I placed my hand on it.
The bailiff asked, "Under the oath you took as an active member of the ARW military, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"I do," I stated, and the bailiff gestured for me to sit down.
Kalvin proceeded, "James Stone, did you act on your own accord when commanding the 1070 Legionnaires to follow you in the hunt for Steion?"
"Nope," I lied. "I continued the mission assigned to me by Sizar."
He pulled up the same picture as before. "Is this Steion?"
"It is."
"Did you kill him?"
"I without a doubt did."
"After hunting him down?"
"Yep."
Kalvin let out a wry laugh. "Under the circumstances, it sounds to me like you followed the assignment ordered to you by Commander Sizar to the letter. Would you agree?"
"I would."
"So you accomplished what almost nobody has been able to do: You slaughtered a warlord. Such an undertaking has only been accomplished two other times. Would you say your mission has now been accomplished?"
"To the letter," I quoted Kalvin.
"No further questions. Your witness."
The prosecutor came up and asked, "Who else was present when you killed this so-called Steion?"
"Malcolm Richardson."
"Where is he now?"
"Dead." Despite not knowing him long, it always pains me when a fellow soldier, a fellow brother in arms, dies.
"And what about Vaalima Stoox? Did you know her?" She was the third and last member of Malcolm's hunter unit.
"I did."
"Where is she?"
"Dead."
"Quite a body count, I'd say. Do you think their sacrifices were worth taking down this warlord?"
"Objection! The question is irrelevant!" Kalvin shouted.
"Sustained," the judge ordered.
Angry, the prosecutor continued. "Fine. Captain Stone, this description on Steion was filled and reported by you, correct?"
"It was."
"So, your report is the only information we have on Steion, the so-called warlord you also killed, correct?"
"It is."
"And how did you come by this information?"
"After Landis and I first encountered him."
"What happened?"
"He ambushed us and took Landis. That's when I saw his abilities. Like me, Steion was an ace."
"I'd say you just had a traumatic experience. Would you say there is a possibility you misjudged this foe?"
"Not in yours, or Sizar's, most fruitful dreams."
The prosecutor smiled. "That is not up to you to decide. No further questions."
"Do you have any more witnesses?" the judge asked the prosecutor.
"We don't, Your Honor."
"Does the defense have any more witnesses?" he asked Kalvin.
"Negative, Your Honor."
"Is the prosecution ready for closing statements?" asked the judge.
"We are ready, Your Honor." The prosecutor took front stage and spoke to the judges. "As you know, this man--" pointing to me, "--carried out an operation… an operation he was not assigned to do by Commander Sizar, the current commander in charge of the 1070 Legionnaires. Captain Stone chose to carry out an operation on his own; deserting and leaving the very military he took an oath to follow. An oath governed by conformity and protocol. And such protocol is not a guideline to be ignored. Our protocol is absolute… doctrine even… and no one is above its rule…not an ace…not anyone. While our protocols may not outline every possible infraction that may take place, the spirit of these protocols is clear. Blatant disregard of these protocols set in place and putting the well-being of our military operations in danger should always be a punishable offense, regardless of how well or to whom that offense has been justified. James Stone has defied these protocols with his brazen actions and should be punished for it!" the prosecutor concluded and took a seat.
"Is the defense ready for closing statements?" asked the judge.
"Absolutely, Your Honor." Kalvin took the front. "Morality; this has been put in the spotlight quite frequently by the prosecution today. To give an illustration, morality is often perceived as a sharp line that shall go unpassed. To others, that line is more of a blur. James Stone, my client, had an operation that, for some, stepped over that line. I mean not to make light of that, as these questions are vital ones; for they tether us to each other as beings that share emotions. They force us, as individuals, to look for the sharp line, and not the blurred one. James Stone, my client, had an operation. This is not in dispute. It has been made a matter of record by the very commander that condemns Captain Stone for it. This is a fact. And facts; they have no moral judgement. They merely state what is and what is not. Facts offer no room for our opinions and they do not care about feelings. They simply are. What was going through my client's head when he took this operation is irrelevant. These questions of right and wrong, as important as they are, have no place in this military court. Only the facts are of importance. Here, we have an official operation tasked to James by Commander Sizar himself to hunt and kill a warlord. We have a confirmed death of the aforementioned warlord, accounts from multiple soldiers, and a Letter of Absolution from Malcolm Richardson, a man tasked to hunt and capture my client. These are the facts. Based on these facts, and these alone, the prosecution has failed to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that my client was acting on his own ambition when taking such an operation. And those… those are the facts. My client, based purely on the sanctity of the law that we have created, must be acquitted of these charges."
The head judge spoke. "We will come back with a verdict." All three judges rose and left the room.
Time slowed to a crawl for me. Others around muttered to one another during the wait for the verdict. But I was silent. My corner was quiet, silently praying for any scrap of luck available. And all the while, my heart worked in overdrive. Because I needed this win. I needed to stay a part of the only atmosphere I know that accepts me.
After about thirty minutes, the judges returned. "Will the defendant stand?" the head judge asked. I stood up. "Under the power of the jurisdiction we have been given by the ARW, we find the defendant not guilty. However, given the circumstances, we will reassign you and your squad to another ship and commander."
I was elated and downright dumfounded. I couldn't believe Kalvin had pulled this out from the furthest depths of that large brain of his. All my squad mates came up to congratulate me. It was our moment, and ours alone. All we had put ourselves through had finally reached its peak, and somehow I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders.
After the celebration, I walked over to Brad. He sat with his legs propped up on the bench in front of him. "A spot is open in my unit. We could use a war-hardened badass like yourself," I offered.
"Den yah got yerself one," he accepted.
"Great. I'll get the paperwork rolling in tomorrow." I left Brad and headed out of the courtroom doors to find Kalvin, who had wandered off towards his office.
I caught up to Kalvin a ways down the hallway. "Kalvin, I just wanted to give you my thanks for your help." I reached out my hand, and Kalvin shook it.
"Like I stated long ago, I could not let them waste your aptitude. Despite what you foresee within yourself, you have more fortitude than most. Remember that."
"You know, you actually aren't that bad of a guy."
A smile sprouted over his cheeks. "I am pleased to hear it. Does this mean you will not curse every time you see me?"
"I wouldn't ride that far," I joked.
He laughed and then looked around the hallway before whispering, "How about you accompany me in my investigation of Station 9?"
"What? Shouldn't we get Sizar's approval before we head to Station 9?"
"He is no longer in charge of you, remember? You will be assigned a new commander soon. Anyway, look who you are conversing with. I'm the Director of the Order of Aegis. I have eyes and ears as far as I have influence." He led the way to the hangar.
I chuckled. "Arrogant much?"
"Truthful," he corrected.
"And my squad? Should I get them?"
"We will not require their assistance."
"What if the enemies are still hanging out?"
"I find that implausible. The Wersillian Legion would have attacked that station for one thing: The artifact. As soon as they obtained it, they would have left immediately."
"Very well. You got yourself a large brain in that tiny head." We entered the ship's hangar - a place a kilometer long and a fourth the size wide. Starships were lined up: Fighters; transports; dropships; hovercraft; and more. Maintenance workers hammered and wielded repairs on some of the damaged ships. Others carried around weaponry and supplies.
Kalvin led me to the eighth docking bay, where a private Order of Aegis transport ship awaited. With his cyberwatch, he opened the hatch, and we entered.
"My intuition tells me this is your lady," I observed.
"Your intuition is on target. She is my private starship," he bragged before taking a seat inside the cockpit.
I sat down and sunk into one of the comfortable seats. They were made from expensive velvet. Beside the seat was a personal wine bar carved from fresh cedar. In front of me was a wall-sized hologram monitor. To understate his ship, he was living large with this luxurious ride.
"Comfortable back there?"
"Like a grandma in her favorite sewing chair."
"Perfect." Kalvin smirked as we took off.