c. 2024 Rod Ice
All rights reserved
(8-24)
The justice hall at Camp Clavius on Mars was an austere creation. A place built wholly for functional purposes. Not to inspire loyalty in citizens through the artifice of architectural grandeur. An anonymous trial guard sat at the side of a judicial bench, keeping watch over all proceedings that took place on their busy schedule. Adjudicator Nongsol Ghalen entered the chamber with a stiff gait that testified to his age and long service in the military court. He wore a traditional robe patterned after the garb used at early tribunals held on the Red Planet. A long sheath, halved with hues of black and gray.
“Be seated, everyone! First case on the docket is an issue with Commander Hornell Block, and his stewardship of the Morningstar III. Barrister Lara Polangor will handle the prosecution, on behalf of Space Force authorities. I cede time to her now, for an introduction to the case...”
The statuesque, female attorney stood up slowly, with a wireless tablet under her arm.
“Your Honor, I would like to address the court respectfully. But what transpired around Planet Earth in recent days is difficult to describe, politely. I believe that the commander committed an act of wanton negligence, Or perhaps, sedition!”
Gasps sounded from the officers who were present as witnesses.
Adjudicator Ghalen frowned and stroked his hairy chin.
“Sedition? I would advise you to choose your words carefully, Ms. Polangor...”
The legal expert nodded and folded her arms, defiantly.
“Sir, I have evidence stored on my tablet which indicates that Block willfully allowed Dr. Judson Baines to escape with a Digger shuttle from the flight deck of his vessel. This amounts to theft from the people of our Mars colony. And certainly, from the force!”
More gasping could be heard around the cramped workspace.
The presiding judge tapped his gavel lightly, for order. He turned to the face the accused, directly.
“Commander, how do you plead before this court?”
Block smiled as if the potential for spending years in a brig somewhere did not cause him to feel afraid.
“Your Honor, I’d need a definition for the concept of guilt before I could answer that question, accurately.”
Polangor nearly dropped her device and a ream of paperwork.
“WHAT IN THE WORLD? THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!”
The adjudicator’s gavel made a knocking sound akin to a woodpecker assaulting a tree.
“Order, everyone! Order! Commander, explain yourself! Or be held in contempt!”
Hornell Block took the metallic badge off of his uniform tunic, and held it gingerly in two fingers.
“Judge Ghalen, I earned this at the academy. After years of study and preparation. Being promoted to my rank, and appointed to lead the team on an interplanetary voyager is a privilege few soldiers get to experience. I’ve never taken that for granted. But there are words in the oath I took, that mean more than simply pledging loyalty to our civilization. Our ancestors came here to start over. They had witnessed the decline and downfall of humanity, at its birthplace. I swore to protect and preserve mankind as we know it today. That promise, I believe, means more than following orders. It also stands for thinking ahead of the curve. Being proactive. You know? Going toward danger, into the breach, instead of running away.”
The adjudicator cleared his throat. His mood became impatient, while pondering.
“Get to the point, man! What are you trying to say?”
The ship commander sharpened his tone and leaned forward.
“Dr. Baines uncovered journals at Evergreen Estates, in what used to be known as Ohio. We had already determined that two coastal societies were thriving on the North American continent. Calimex, to the west, and Atlantia, to the east. Though each state is apparently aware of the other, they have little contact. The western district is more sophisticated by our standards. The eastern one has evolved in reverse, with a style of living humans once enjoyed early in the 20th Century. These approaches to surviving both work for their purposes. But neither would serve our needs in this colony, or on other worlds in the solar system. Moreover, the descriptions included in notebooks found by the university professor talk about things that are unknown to our people. We’ve been fed a sanitized version of history for generations. Maybe that has been for the best. But setting Baines free among our citizens could be reckless. Even unpredictable! Still, I wouldn’t want to be someone who stifled his effort to learn. He has a right to dig through the rubble. The mess made on that soil is ours, by proxy. We’ve inherited the DNA of those sins and sinners. They created us, by leaving behind the wreckage and guilt...”
A stunned silence took hold in the chamber. Finally, Ms. Polangor slammed her documents on the stand where she had been assigned to rest.
“WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS NONSENSE? YOUR HONOR, IF IT CONTINUES, I’LL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO FILE FOR A CHANGE OF VENUE!”
Adjudicator Ghalen broke his code of conduct by laughing out loud.
“Lara, this is a military proceeding! You don’t have that option. It’s a bench trial, I run the show. I make all the decisions. So, I’ll ask the subject of this hearing once again, what are you trying to say?”
Commander Block leaned over his knees in the witness box. He was flushed red from stress. Yet clear in his speech.
“I’m supposed to protect everyone under my care. That includes those of you back home, on Mars. That’s a big responsibility. To protect in every way, right? Well, if I allowed Baines to come back here and spout off about his discoveries, that might rattle people like you, sir. And if I crushed his operation, if I confiscated his manuscripts and evidence, that might halt our mission to investigate and understand. Balance is my watchword. I figured on keeping some sort of balance between doing the right thing, and treading carefully. So, I let him go off on a tangent. For now, that seemed like a safer bet. He can get lost in the woods. Satisfy his curiosity, and do no harm in the meantime. That’s a dead zone now, the middle of a great empire that collapsed. He's got plenty of room to wander. I hope he doesn’t get killed by a bear, or his own stupidity. God help him as he sifts through the ashes. And God help us, when he finally comes back to this planet, and proclaims his truth. I hope by then, we’ll be ready...”
Nongsol Ghalen pounded his gavel so forcefully that it left a mark in the composite countertop of their judicial bench. His graying beard dripped sweat.
“You’ve made your point, Mr. Block! I rule that your command will be suspended for 90 days. In the interim, you can spend time with your family in New Cleveland. Otherwise, this case is dismissed!”
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