Lacuna: The Spectre of Oblivion Read online

  “Your Honour, first let me thank you for allowing me to represent Captain Liao in this court. It is a privilege to be here.”

  The judge nodded slightly and Martin continued. “My esteemed colleague, Mister Fang, in many ways articulated my case better than I could, so for that I am grateful. However, he is incorrect on one substantial part: that Commander Liao’s actions, while in some cases rash and impulsive, were made with the best of intentions and with limited information. In plain terms, she did the best she could with the limited means at her disposal. Accordingly, her actions should be seen not with the benefit of hindsight, as we relax in this air conditioned court room so far removed from danger, but seen through the lens of the situation at the time.”

  Martin paused to let his words sink in, then continued. “I am not one for large speeches, Your Honour, so if it pleases the court, I would like to call my first witness.”

  *****

  “Please state your full name for the court records.”

  [“I am Airmaiden Saara of the Telvan. I have no other names.”]

  Saara, the six foot eight Toralii female, glanced to her translator as she spoke. The Toralii were physically incapable of speaking English, and the guttural, rumbling language they had was unpronounceable to humans, but both species could hear and understand the other just fine.

  Over the year Liao had been in space, the Telvan dialect had been well documented and studied. However, the dialect had not been made available to civilians, so Lieutenant Yu from the Beijing was assigned to translate. Apart from Liao, he was their best Toralii speaker.

  Yu repeated her words.

  Fang nodded in understanding. “You are, or were, a member of the Telvan military, correct?”

  [“That is correct, Lawyer-man. My current status is best described as ‘Away Without Leave’.”]

  “I see. And Airmaiden was your rank, yes? Somewhat similar to our Lieutenant?”

  [“The ranks are vaguely similar, yes, regarding the tasks I was assigned and the responsibilities I had.”]

  “That’s quite a remarkable shift, to abandon your own people in favour of aliens who tried to kill you… who successfully killed every single other Toralii on your ship, isn’t it?”

  Saara’s golden eyes narrowed at the question, her thick paws resting comfortably on her thighs. [“This is the truth.”]

  “Can you explain to me why you took this rather dramatic step?”

  Saara seemed nervous and out of place for more reasons than her species. The whole procedure would be entirely foreign and uncomfortable to her, but Liao respected that she was willing to do it for her sake.

  [“Toralii believe that to save a life is to earn a life’s gratitude. I owe Melissa Liao a great deal, and that debt can only be repaid with my service to her species. I give what I can to her cause.”]

  “I see. Please describe for me the circumstances under which Commander Liao earned this debt.”

  [“The Human called Gaulung Sheng, the one appointed as Commander Liao’s Executive Officer, he disobeyed her orders, betrayed his oaths, and took command of the ship named the Tehran. His men believed I had intelligence which could help your people. They proceeded to apply what you euphemistically call ‘enhanced interrogation’. I barely survived, and only because of Liao’s timely intervention. My jaw was shattered, my organs bruised… Liao and Captain Grégoire rescued me, and Doctor Saeed repaired my injuries. In return, I willingly shared what I knew.”]

  “And Liao trusted you?”

  The Toralii’s eyes flicked to her, then back to the prosecutor. Liao’s heart went out to Saara. She had promised the alien that she would see Earth’s many wonders, but her first few hours on their home planet were in a sterile court room.

  [“We… developed a bond during my time as her prisoner, a friendship.”]

  “Granted, but what evidence did Liao have that you were not simply lying?”

  Liao saw the fur on Saara’s neck rise but the Toralii was obviously making an effort to control herself. The question, Liao knew, would be insulting: to suggest duplicity was, for Toralii, a very aggressive act.

  [“I gave her my word. What I told her was true.”]

  “I understand that, and yes, the assault on the Hades system—the place you call Kor’Vakkar, the Gateway of Eternal Ash—was successful. You clearly were speaking the truth, but we know that with the benefit of hindsight. I’m asking you what evidence, at the time, did Liao have that you were not leading the crews of the Tehran and the Beijing into a trap?”

  The tips of Saara’s claws, ever so slowly, became visible at the ends of her paws.

  Keep it together, Liao silently pleaded.

  [“She had no evidence.”]

  “So she trusted you meant what you said?”

  [“Yes.”]

  “She trusted you with her ship, her life, the lives of her crew, and those of the crew of the Tehran, including her lover? She risked all this on your word?”

  [“… Yes.”]

  “Did you think this was reckless?”

  Saara’s hesitation answered the question better than her words could. [“I… believe Liao took a calculated risk that resulted in a very favourable outcome.”]

  Fang nodded, inclining his head. “Thank you, Airmaiden Saara. No further questions.” The man sat and nodded to Martin, who stood and approached the seemingly exasperated, stressed Toralii.

  “Airmaiden, thank you for your time. Can you please describe your relationship with Commander Liao?”

  Saara looked to Liao, and Liao held her gaze, smiling slightly. [“My parents died when I was young, but do not misunderstand; I was at no disadvantage. The Toralii raise their children differently than Humans do; children are the responsibility of the community, a great treasure, the continuation of the species. Such a delicate, important task cannot be left in the hands of a single pair of individuals, so for me to have no living biological parents is not as significant an emotional trauma as it might be for one of your species. Still, I miss them often, even in my adult years.

  [“However, with Captain Liao, I felt as though, in some way, she and I have a mother-daughter relationship. She allows me to assist her crew aboard the Beijing and, in return, she… protects me, keeps my well-being in her heart as I work to repay my debt.”]

  “And once your debt is repaid, you’ll return to your people?”

  Saara gave Liao a long, unreadable look which created an uncomfortable silence in the court room. Liao did not know how she would answer. [“I am uncertain at this time, but currently, I do not believe I shall.”]

  “Would you consider enlisting in the People’s Republican Army Navy?”

  [“Liao’s grace in battle and her ability to make accurate, timely decisions with limited and imperfect information is one of the cornerstones of her success. If I was inclined to serve in the military once again, I would consider a posting under Liao’s command… Although, I am uncertain of the formal requirements for enlistment.”]

  “So you believe Liao to be a competent commander, one who treats her crew well and not only achieves the objectives set out for her by her superiors, but who enjoys great success against targets of opportunity when they appear?”

  [“That would be an accurate assessment of her skills, yes.”]

  Martin’s voice softened slightly. “And you still feel this way after the destruction of the Velsharn research colony, after Liao allowed the construct known as Ben to interface with her ship’s systems? Were they not Telvan, like you?”

  Saara’s features clouded. [“The Toralii are hardened against suffering, Lawyer-man. I weep for the loss of my fellows, but I harbour no resentment towards her for the tragedy, because the events that transpired were not her fault. Liao trusted the construct you know as Ben, and it betrayed that trust. Any commanding officer would have done the same, if they had the courage.”]

  “Can you elaborate on that?”

  [“Your species lives in dark times, Lawyer-man. The
iron fist of the Toralii Alliance fleet hovers over your species, waiting for an opportunity to crush you all. Our most rigid, inflexible law is that no other species can possess the voidwarp technology—the technological marvel you call a jump drive. The destruction of your cities pales in comparison to what the Toralii Alliance has done in the past, and will do again if you continue to defy them. Every single woman and man who dons a uniform to fight the Alliance risks death every single day, but truth be told, the battlefield stretches beyond those brave souls. Your entire species is the price you will forfeit if you fail, if the Toralii Alliance gains the opportunity strike at Earth. There are no civilians, no noncombatants, no parties who will be spared the wrath of the Alliance if and when they come for you. The construct warned you of this, and yet Liao remains ready to stand against the Toralii. Despite her mistakes, despite her pregnancy, despite her losses… she remains ready to fight.”]

  “I see.”

  Saara kept her eyes focused on Martin. [”This, in my mind, shows her courage. Courage will be in short supply for your species in those dark times, so I suggest you take whatever you can get.”]

  Martin inclined his head. “No further questions, and you are excused. Thank you for your time.”

  *****

  Liao had begged Summer Rowe, her eccentric genius engineer, to wear suitable clothes to court. Smart and business-like, she had said, like you were going to a job interview.

  Apparently, in Australia, businesswomen wore jeans and a baggy, over-sized black shirt that read I EAT EVERYTHING I FUCK in white lettering to court. Liao was amazed the fiery redhead was not held in contempt.

  “Please state your name for the court records.”

  “Summer Katelyn Rowe, Your Grace.”

  The judge frowned slightly. “Thank you, but I’m not a king just yet. ‘Your Honour’ will suffice for now, Miss Rowe.”

  “Right-o then, Your Honour.”

  Did she think the court proceedings were a joke? Liao stared daggers across the court room, willing Summer to treat the court seriously.

  Fang stood to address her. “Miss Rowe, you are currently the chief of engineering aboard the Beijing, are you not?”

  “Yep.”

  “Yet you are not a member of the People’s Republican Army Navy, are you?”

  “Nup.”

  “Nor a citizen of the People’s Republic?”

  “Nope.”

  “So, can you explain to me how you came to earn this prestigious position aboard the crew of the Beijing?”

  Rowe stretched her arms upward, her back cracking as she did so. “Sure. Basically, you know the jump drive? I invented a fair chunk of it. Not all of it, but some of it. Nobody knew it better than I did, though, and I wanted to make sure my little baby was taken care of. Liao has her crotch-fruit; I have my devices. We’re pretty much the same like that.”

  Breathe, Liao urged herself, forcing herself to remember that Summer was just being Summer. This was how she was. She was on her side.

  Fang nodded. “And you were offered this post by Liao?”

  Rowe shook her head. “Nah, actually Sheng handpicked me, technically. Liao found out about it when she was on a rocket to the moon. We met just before the attacks, and boy, was Liao surprised to see me… when she wasn’t too busy puking her fucking guts out.”

  Liao felt herself flush at the memory. Despite commanding a spaceship, she became queasy when in zero gravity, such as when the ship had to use its jump drive or in more conventional means of space travel.

  “I see. But Liao had the right to remove you and she did not. Is that correct?”

  “Yep and yep.”

  Liao studied judge Qu. Although the man was clearly very patient with the task set before him, Rowe’s terse answers and flippant attitude were clearly testing his patience.

  Fang, seemingly pleased, continued. “Can you explain to the court why this would be so?”

  “Liao wants her ship to fly straight. I don’t walk around with a stick up my arse. And yeah, I got a bit of an unconventional approach to technology and, well, everything. That’s true.” She paused, glanced at Liao, then back to Fang. “But Melissa could see I knew my stuff. This is highly experimental tech with all kinds of crazy fucking side effects and weird behaviours. It sometimes goes spastic for no reason, or doesn’t work, or needs software patches on the fly. Same goes for the whole fucking ship, actually. It’s a damn miracle that piece of shit could ever even get into space, let alone take on the Toralii. Without me, it’d be a giant piece of flying scrap within two weeks.”

  “So Commander Liao did not care that you were not a member of the military and were not subject to the same oaths and training that the rest of the crew were bound to, and believed your expertise to be invaluable?”

  “Yep.”

  “Would you say that you were irreplaceable?”

  “Sure.”

  “And were there any apprenticeships put into place during your whole year aboard the Beijing? Were any provisions made if you were to be killed?”

  Rowe snorted. “I’m immortal. I’m a vampire and I sparkle in the sun. Besides, I’m either in Engineering or in Operations, both of which are the most protected parts of the ship. The chances of me getting killed are about fucking zero, they’d have to blow up almost all the ship to get to me anyway.”

  “But you are not always in Engineering or Operations, are you? Liao’s report specifically states that you were actually performing an extravehicular activity in the midst of a pitched battle no less than three months ago. You were also part of the team that visited Velsharn, exposing you to risk there, and this excludes other risks such as illness, disease, or misadventure. Despite your insistence, none of us are immortal. If something did happen to you without a suitable replacement on hand, your absence could very well have significantly affected the combat readiness of the Beijing.”

  Rowe shrugged and didn’t seem to have an answer.

  “Would you say it’s irresponsible of Captain Liao to place the working operation of her ship in the hands of one individual, without whom as you so accurately put it, the entire ship would be flying scrap within two weeks?”

  Rowe’s cockiness evaporated and she threw up her hands. “Look, I didn’t literally mean the ship would fall to pieces!”

  “Well then what did you mean?”

  “I just meant that… ugh. The engineers are smart, a’right? And other people can do the job I do—the Sydney and the Tehran are doing just fine after all—but the point is that I do it best!”

  “I’m not contesting that; I’m simply asking you if Liao recognised your value to the fleet and sought to protect that value by passing along your skills to others.”

  Rowe apparently gave up, folding her arms and looking away. “Whatever.”

  Fang turned to the judge. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’. No further questions for this witness, Your Honour.”

  Martin pushed back his chair and approached the witness stand. He didn’t ask anything right away, giving Rowe a chance to compose herself.

  “Miss Rowe, my esteemed colleague Mister Fang drew specific mention to an ‘extravehicular activity’ you performed during a combat involving the Beijing. Can you elaborate further on the circumstances behind this?”

  Rowe, seeming to recover quickly, gave an eager nod. “Oh, sure. Basically, we blew the shit out of this prison station called Cenar, right? But on the way back, Ben, the psychotic robot, ripped out our jump drive and activated it, teleporting him away, which left us without one. Fortunately, the Kel-Voran we’d allied ourselves with—insane bastards that they are—had a spare jump drive. You see, the jump drive can only carry 200,000 tonnes no matter what. It’s because gravity messes with the drive. So normally, they can only work in Lagrange points, which are naturally occurring points of extreme microgravity found near celestial bodies. Once you hit 200,000 tonnes, your own mass is generating enough of a gravity field to throw it off. Anyway, the Kel-Voran ships break in half,
so they’re really two parts which jump separately, a really cool—”

  “Thank you,” said Martin, “for this enlightening segue, but please, the battle.”

  “Uh, right. Yeah. Anyway, so Ben took the Beijing’s jump drive. Fortunately the Kel-Voran had a spare. They gave one half’s jump drive to us while the other half bought us some time. We didn’t have time to carry the jump drive inside, so we just attached it to the hull and jumped away. And by we, I mean I.”

  Martin nodded understandingly. “And nobody else on board had the potential skills to complete this operation, right?”

  Rowe gave a nasally, heaving laugh. “Nup.”

  “Do you think anyone does?”

  “Nah. Maybe the combined teams of the Sydney and the Tehran, but probably not as fast as I could.”

  “So you would say Liao’s decision to keep you on board, to add you to her crew despite your lack of military rank and service, was a wise one? That despite the risk of the loss of your knowledge, your presence provided a unique boon to the crew that could not be replicated through any other means?”

  “Damn straight.”

  “And without you, the Beijing would not have returned from the assault on Cenar?”

  Rowe leaned back in her chair, grinning widely. “Sounds about right.”

  Martin pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Can you describe for me a standard work day?”

  “Well, I tend to not sleep much, so I usually crawl out of bed at 0700-ish to fix whatever broke while I was asleep. I usually check on the reactors first, unless something’s on fire or the problem’s with the jump drive. See, when we have active missiles in the launch tubes, sometimes that causes fluctuations in the jump drive’s power levels. I think it’s because they had idiots doing the wiring. I have no idea. Anyway, it requires manual balancing or the ship can’t jump.” Rowe took a deep breath, then began counting issues on her fingers. “Then there are problems with water supply and air filtration units, CO2 scrubbers going down all the time, the reactionless generators we use as artificial gravity shorting out, even squeaking deck plates. I somehow get everything done and crash into bed by about midnight, or 0100 hours if I’m feeling like I like pain.”