Dan slept fitfully in the security office. They hadn't placed him in the brig but he was nominally in custody. He was glad. He wasn't ready to go back to his own room and have to explain to his bunkmates what had happened, he was still too shook up.
Fox and Nara brought him breakfast in the morning. They ate silently. When they were done they led him to the main conference room.
Klempke and Green were already there. They looked pale, less hostile in the cold light of day. Both captains were there as well, along with most of the security department. Three more people were there, with glowing outlines showing they weren't really there. An elderly woman in a dark robe sat toward the back of the room. A heavy set man in blue civil service attire was talking to the Klempke and Green. The third was a woman in a dark green dress uniform, a representative of the Military Justice Department.
She came over and he snapped a salute. "At ease," she said. "My name is Cheryl Brandford. I am here, if you can call it being here," she smirked, "to represent the military's legal system. Once we've seen the evidence, my counter part among the others," she gestured at the man, "and myself will each give you our legal counsel. You can then decide to be tried by their judge or wait until you are released and be tried in our system."
"And if I were tried by the military?" Dan asked.
She shrugged. "Command recommends you be put on leave without pay pending further investigation. There would be a disciplinary hearing when you get home. Given the extenuating circumstances, likely there will be a note made in your permanent record, but no real punishment."
Dan nodded, a lump in his throat. She might consider a note in his permanent record as no punishment, but Dan wasn't so sure. If Madsen was right, they were likely to lose their security clearance over being bio-idented by the Consortium. That and a disciplinary note? Dan had considered making the navy his career, see how far he could rise in the ranks. Now he was looking at a dead end job until he retired.
"What about them?" he asked, nodding towards the other two.
"I am not at liberty to say," Cheryl told him.
"Is everyone here?" the elderly woman asked. "We will begin in five minutes."
The civil servant from the consortium came over and introduced himself to Dan and Cheryl made for the other two men.
Everyone found seats. The first step in the trial was to view the evidence. Dan paled and his gut churned. He closed his eyes, wishing to be anywhere else.
I don't want to see this, I don't want to see this, he said over and over in his mind. A view of the two men's room appeared in the center of the conference room. Dan watched as they led Kavi in. She was smiling and playful.
"It's a game," Klempke told her, holding up a gag. "Just bite down on this." He had the gagged tied and Green had her arms behind her before she realized this was not a game. She shook her head no, her eyes widening in fear.
The projection stopped. "You," the elderly woman barked. Dan followed her gaze to Green, who had his face down. "You were willing to do these actions last night. Now you are not willing to see them?" Green steeled himself and looked up.
The video played on. They stripped Kavi, heedless of her struggle and laid her out on the bed, Green at her head. Then the door slid open and Klempke was turning to address Dan.
Dan sighed, relief flowing through him. Thank god, I got there before... A tear of relief formed at the corner of his eye as he watched the remaining video.
When the video had stopped, Klempke and Green rose together. "We demand to be tried in our own country, according to the laws of our own land."
The judge glanced at the Captains and at the legal counsel. Before she could speak, Cheryl stood. "Your honor," She said. "My command has been briefed on the situation here. They find that the accused are on medical leave and were not acting in the line of duty. As per the Visiting Forces Agreement, we forfeit any jurisdiction in this matter."
The Consortium legal counselor stood and did his best to defend the two men's action, saying they were under incredible stress onboard this ship and had acted out in an unfortunate way. The judge listened with an eyebrow arched.
"Have you anything to say for yourself?" she demanded of the men. They both looked down and didn't answer. "Fine, ten years, permanent penal colony, planet side, to start as soon as they can safely travel to the nearest one."
"Ten years?" Klempke gasped.
"Planet side," she retorted. "That's getting off light. You create trouble again, I'll see you sent to a terraforming station light years away. Understand?"
Klempke looked chastened and nodded quietly.
Dan stepped up next for his trial.
"Why are we trying this man, again?" the judge asked.
"Ma'am," Dan said. "I did strike Klempke on the jaw. I know that was wrong of me. I only want it to be fair, so no one can later say otherwise."
"Your honor, there are, obviously, strong extenuating circumstances. I think..." the Consortium legal advisor began.
The judge interrupted him and spoke to Dan. "The debt you owe society for your actions, striking this man... it pales against the debt society owes you for stopping the act. But you want fair, we will be fair. Three weeks, TPC." The judge swung around and pointed at Captain Dowlings. "And you will pay him for his labor." Dowlings bowed in acknowledgement.
"TPC?" Dan whispered to the consortium legal advisor.
"Temporary Penal Colony, temporary means you can do your public labor anywhere and you aren't confined to a penal colony. You can do it right here on the ship, and Dowlings got pay you for it."
"Take it," Cheryl hissed at his other side.
Dan nodded.
######
It was midmorning before Dan made it back to his quarters. All of his bunkmates were there and all had heard about the attack.
"You're my hero," Kleppie declared as he entered the room. He stood and saluted Dan.
"I can't believe those assholes," Madsen spat out.
Jensen looked pale. "Being a father," he said and paused. "It changes how you think. A year ago, I don't know..."
"A year ago you didn't have a daughter to worry about," Dan finished. "I know what you mean."
"I heard you punched him," Kleppie said. "Tell us everything."
"I shouldn't have," Dan said. "I should have just waited for security to get there."
"Hell no, they deserved it, and worse," Kleppie insisted.
"I was just so mad. And it wasn't even..." The words started spilling out of Dan's mouth before he could stop himself. "I just kept thinking these redneck assholes, I've always been scared of them, not physically, but if they knew, if they knew I was gay, what would they do? What would they say?
"I have to hide who I am, because it might piss them off. But they can come up here and do this stupid crap, just because? It's not fair. I hate it. I hate them. I..." He froze. He'd just come out to his bunkmates. He blushed.
"Hey, can't say we hadn't wondered," Kleppie said. "I mean shore leave in the Philippines and you volunteer to stay on board and pull watch?" he joked.
"Don't sweat it," Jensen said. "We are all cool, Oleson." Madsen nodded his agreement.
Dan found a seat, relief flooding through him. "I know, I am sorry I didn't say anything before. I wasn't worried that any of you would freak. It's just, you know Captain Lannister is kind of old school and there's plenty of people on board that are..."
"Rednecks, idiots, assholes, take your pick," Kleppie put in, "don't need to tell us."
After some time Kleppie asked, "so what are they going to do with them?"
"It's done," Dan said. "Tried according to Consortium law."
"What? They're being tried in the Consortium?"
"The crime was committed on a Consortium ship, with a Consortium victim. They claimed jurisdiction."
"And the state department agreed?"
"They used the Visiting Forces Agreement to get out of being involved. Forfeited jurisdiction, I think was the wording. I think they were glad to be rid of it, honestly."
"When are they gonna try them?" Madsen asked.
"It's done and over. They were like deer in the headlights."
"Done and over?" Kleppie squawked.
"One thing you can say about Consortium justice is it's fast. Lengthy trials, due procedure, witness testimony, heck even innocent until proven guilty go out the window when you have tiny nanobots everywhere taking video. Roll video, ask computer to verify bio-ident and guess what?"
"Guilty," Kleppie said.
"Guilty as sin," Jensen put in.
"What'd they get?" Madsen asked.
"Ten years, penal colony," Dan said. "It's the only punishment they have. They don't kill people and they don't incarcerate, exactly. They just make you work for the state until you've paid your debt."
"Penal colony?" Kleppie said.
"Africa," Madsen replied, "that's the only one on Earth. Saw it on the news. That's what they are doing with most of the Congo rebels they capture. They ship them to the Sahara, where the big African Administration is. They live in camps and build temporary shelters in refugee camps. Could be worse. I've thought about going, as a volunteer. They've all but taken over the relief effort in Africa. They're building these dome houses, thousands of them, and just giving them to homeless refugees. Building hydroponic farms, you name it."
"Still, ten years," Kleppie said.
"Beats rotting in jail for ten years, like back home," Madsen replied.
"It could be a lot worse," Dan said. "Judge warned them. The African camp is pretty cushy, they have to stay there but they leave during the day, family can visit. You act up there, it's Mars. Terraforming station. Be in some dome on a inhospitable planet, with virtually no contact with the world."
"I'd behave," Madsen said.
"Mars?" Kleppie gushed. "Imagine, going to Mars."
"Wait a few years until there are civilian domes, then go," Dan advised.
"So they just tried them and bam, it's over." Jensen asked.
"Mine wasn't any longer," Dan remarked.
"Your what?"
"Trial. I punched Klempke, knocked three teeth out."
"Good for you," Kleppie said. "They didn't get you in trouble for that?"
"They had no choice. Captain said so. They had to be fair. Klempke was raising a stink about it," Dan explained. "They had to set an example, to be fair."
"No, they didn't. You didn't do anything any of us wouldn't have done," Jensen insisted.
"Look guys, don't worry. It wasn't anything. They just had to make the point."
"They let you off?" Kleppie asked.
"Mostly," Dan said. "I hit him, they couldn't really let me off. But they did the next best thing. Temporary penal colony. Three weeks."
"You're going to Africa too?" Kleppie was indignant.
"Naw, temporary means I can do my work anywhere and I don't have to stay in a colony, its like community service back home. I can do it onboard the ship and go home with the rest of you, my time served. But that's not the sweetest part of the deal. The judge said, 'the debt you owe society isn't a fraction what society owes you, for stopping this act.' Ordered that time be with pay, Consortium credit exchange. Captain Dowlings tried to create some bullshit job, cultural attache or something. But I said no thank you, I just want an honest job."
"What sort of honest jobs are there, for us anyway?" Kleppie asked.
"I am scheduled to start on the hydroponics deck tomorrow. No biggie. Six hour shift. I'm kind of looking forward to it, actually."