Original Work Terra Novae Spes - Epic 3

CHAPTER 15


Ben was speechless for almost a half minute as his mouth hung open.

“I… we have to investigate it, Ben,” said Allen finally breaking the silence.

“Who?” asked Ben.

“Ben, you know we have to keep the victim’s privacy,” said Allen.

“There is no victim here, Allen!” protested Ben. “Everything we did was consensual!”

“So, something did happen?” asked Allen.

“It did,” said Ben. “But it was not forced., I swear.”

“The victim claimed you sexually assaulted her after the party broke up,” said Allen.

“Allen, I didn’t do this!” exclaimed Ben. “It’s a bald faced lie!”

“Ben, you had Retivive-3 in your system, are you positive nothing happened that wasn’t forced?” asked Allen. “She didn’t tell you to stop or anything like that?”

“100% positive, Allen!” exclaimed Ben. “Everything I did that night was consensual!”

“Ben, as soon as we got the report, I dispatched the investigation team down to the island,” said Allen with a sigh. “There is DNA and fingerprint evidence backing up her claim.”

“What evidence, Allen?!” demanded Ben as his voice broke. “I didn’t sexually assault anyone! I swear on my mother’s grave!”

“It was right where she said it would be,” said Allen softly.

“You think I’m guilty!” exclaimed Ben.

“I think you had a large amount of a powerful drug in your system, Ben,” said Allen reasonably.

“I did not do this!” protested Ben as he enunciated each word. “I didn’t sign a permission slip and neither did she! But trust me, what happened couldn’t have been anything but consensual!”

“Ben, I…” said Allen. “Look, I’m going to send Cyrus to talk to you. He’s the best advocate I’ve ever seen in the fleet.”

“I can’t believe this,” said Ben softly.

“As Acting Commander, it’s my duty to instruct you not to have any contact with the victim and for you to not to speak to anyone outside of your advocate or me about this. You understand there will be an investigation and probably will be a tribunal to determine the facts of the matter,” said Allen.

“I don’t even know who the victim is!” exclaimed Ben.

“I mean going out of your way to contact the members you had… sexual contact with over the course of your trip,” said Allen.

“Am I going to be on house arrest?” asked Ben.

“Frankly, we haven’t thought that far into it,” said Allen with a sigh. “It may be best for you to avoid the public for the most part.”

“I can’t sit around and do nothing, Allen!” protested Ben.

“That’s exactly what you need to do right now,” said Allen. “Ben, I wish there was another way, but this has to be done this way.”

“I know there isn’t any other way,” said Ben as he hung his head. “I’ll stick close to home.”

“Obviously for emergencies and whatnot, well, I don’t even know about that,” said Allen.

“If you think I’m going to give you advice on what to do in this instance, it’s not going to happen,” said Ben with a tone in his voice Allen immediately recognized.

“Ben, this is not what I wanted to happen,” said Allen. “I understand you are angry right now, but you know this is what has to happen.”

“I know,” said Ben with a sigh.

“Tomorrow morning, we will need to get some administrative items worked out, so, I’ll collect you in the morning when we’re ready and sign the appropriate forms,” said Allen.

“I get an escort,” scoffed Ben.

“No, I’m taking you there as a friend,” said Allen as he rose. “Is there anything else I can do?”

“Yeah, dismiss this whole thing because it’s baseless!” objected Ben.

“You and I both know we have to go through with this,” said Allen. “Do you need to talk to one of the counselors or someone like that?”

“No,” said Ben with a sigh. “Tomorrow morning?”

“Yes,” said Allen. “I can see myself out.”

Ben didn’t say anything else as Allen departed feeling lower than he had ever in his life. He held Ben in the highest regard and hated having to do what he just did, but there was no other option at the moment. He met with Tasha and her team of six who had been waiting outside in case Allen hit the panic button she had given him prior to the meeting. Handing it over, he shook his head slowly at the situation.

“Is he okay?” she asked.

“He’s processing it,” said Allen. “He’s smart enough to know this is what has to happen.”

“I’m not real fond of the answer in this situation,” said Tasha. “But I know it was right even though I don’t agree with it.”

“I’m worried about Rachelle,” said Allen as Tasha dismissed her team and they headed towards his house.

“You should have let her vote the way she wanted,” said Tasha.

“We needed a unanimous vote,” said Allen.

“No, you wanted a unanimous vote to clear your conscience,” said Tasha. “It would have been fine with a 6-1 or even a 5-2 or a 4-3.”

“We needed to show solidarity,” said Allen as a dodge.

“No, you know people are going to question the decision,” said Tasha. “I honestly think I may be one of them before this is over.”

“You voted for it,” said Allen.

“Because I’m smart enough to know an investigation needs to be performed,” said Tasha. “But make no mistake, Ben Nash is a well respected and admired leader in this place. If he was to challenge the decision we made tonight, I’m not sure he won’t have a lot of people supporting that decision. Can’t say I might not be one of them either.”

“Tasha, you run the Security Forces,” said Allen guardedly as he knew such actions would tear apart the colony and she was warning him right then.

“Two reasons why that won’t happen,” said Tasha. “First off, he’s not going to challenge the decision even though he has the right to. Second is because he will eventually realize an investigation needs to be conducted to clear him.”

“You think he’s innocent,” said Allen.

“I do and I think you do as well,” said Tasha. “I’ve known the man a long time and only two people in this colony have known him longer. He would never do what he was accused of.”

“The drug causes problems, Tasha,” said Allen.

“I know better than most,” said Tasha. “I had it given to me once and I know the kind of urges you get. But he would never sexually assault anyone.”

“You know this for a fact?” he asked.

“Yes,” she answered simply. “You work, live, sleep, eat and go through combat with someone long enough and you know how their brain operates. Ben is incapable of doing that.”

“I was shocked when they told me,” said Allen. “I didn’t see it either.”

“You still won’t tell me who made the allegations,” said Tasha as she folded her arms and looked at him directly.

“The victim’s privacy must be maintained,” said Allen as a dodge. “I’m reassigning Captain Irwin and his team to report directly to me on the matter.”

“You’re taking my troops away from me?” she asked.

“Tasha, I’m going to be very direct,” said Allen. “There’s a reason I didn’t notify you to begin with when these allegations were made. She made the claim directly to me and I had to take action. Honestly, I had no idea if your previous loyalty to Ben would cause problems.”

“My loyalty only goes so far,” said Tasha angrily. “I’ve been objective about this.”

“I couldn’t take that chance,” said Allen. “I’m sorry, but you owe the man everything in your life and I didn’t know if your judgment would have been clouded until we presented the information at the meeting tonight.”

“But you still won’t tell me who made the allegations,” said Tasha.

“I can’t,” said Allen. “Her privacy must be maintained.”

“His won’t be,” said Tasha. “Word of this will leak tomorrow morning as soon as you start giving your first orders.”

“It is what it is,” said Allen.

“I’m going to find out,” said Tasha as she crossed her arms again.

“I had a feeling it would come to this,” said Allen with a sigh. “I’m giving you an order right now that you are not to talk to Captain Irwin or anyone on the investigation team about the matter. I know you’re professional enough to follow orders even if you do have blind loyalty to a lifelong friend. But I cannot and will not have you interfering in this investigation.”

“How do you know I won’t disobey them?” she asked.

“I don’t,” he said. “I am placing a lot of faith in you to do the right thing.”

“Or what?” she asked.

“Don’t go there,” said Allen. “Tasha, I respect you, but do not go down this path.”

“We’re already on a dark path, Allen,” said Tasha as her voice lowered. “When, not if, word of this leaks about these allegations as well as the person who made them, people who think like I do will not be easily controlled. They will side with Ben. They may even take matters into their own hands. You can’t control people who respect him and would kill if he asked them to.”

“Then it will be our job as leaders to make sure that doesn’t happen,” said Allen. “Don’t make me do something I don’t want to do, Major Hayden.”

“Relieve me?” she asked directly.

“If I have to,” said Allen. “I do not want that, but I will do it if you force my hand.”

“I hope you know what you’re getting into,” said Tasha.

“I could say the same to you,” said Allen. “Again, you are not to contact Captain Irwin or his team and I’m reassigning them to the Leadership element for the duration of the investigation. They can and will be released if we have an emergency situation requiring them to perform their primary duties in relation to the safety of this colony. But you are not to discuss the matter with them at all or involve yourself in this investigation in any way, shape or form. Clear?”

“Oh, crystal,” said Tasha with spite.

“Don’t cause more problems that we don’t need at the moment,” he sighed. “We’ve come too far to allow something like this to destroy everything we’ve built.”

“When he is found innocent, you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do,” she said.

“I’ll be more than glad to justify everything I’ve done,” said Allen.

“I hope so,” said Tasha. “Because this will cause a rupture in the teamwork he worked so hard to promote and build around here. Not just after, but during as well.”

“I’m keenly aware of the problems this will cause,” said Allen. “Is there anything else?”

“I’ve apprised you of what you need to know,” said Tasha as an ambiguous answer to a complicated question. She turned and departed without another word as Allen shook his head at thinking of how the cracks were already forming over the hardest decision he’d ever made in his life. He knew if Ben was found guilty, and there was a possibility of that, the colony might likely split, revolt or be a smoking ruin by the time Expedition 2 arrived. He would have to tread carefully over the next few days to avoid aggravating an already volatile situation.

As he went into his house, he played through every scenario in his mind, but in each instance, irreparable damage had already been done when he brought the matter to a vote in the emergency meeting that night. Sighing deeply, Claire looked at him and he held up his hand and shook his head at her. Looking at the plaques Ben had crafted for them, he felt lower than he ever had in his entire adult life.

Allen wasn’t the only one that was feeling low right then as Ben had time to process the conversation he had from earlier. He knew it wasn’t right. Everything he had done that night had been with the consent of both parties. He had no idea why she would change the story after returning and make the accusations she had. Ben was wise enough to know he shouldn’t do what he was planning on doing when he picked up his communicator, but emotion got the better of him as the overwhelming question of “why” kept bouncing around his brain.

“Hello?” asked the voice from the other end.

“Hi,” he said. “It’s Ben. Can we talk, please?”

“I, uh, I can’t,” the voice stated.

“I have to know why,” he said as his voice changed. “I need to know why.”

“Commander, it’s my duty to inform you I’ve been ordered not to have any contact with anyone outside the investigation team over what happened on the island,” she said.

“I… I understand,” he said as he bit his lower lip.

“I’m not going to report this like I was instructed to,” she stated.

“Thank you,” he said as his voice cracked.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she ended the call. Ben just sat there looking at the communicator before placing it on the table in front of him hoping she might change her mind and call him back. He had always been fair and good to her before the night they shared and he had no idea why she would betray him like that.

Ben started feeling extremely low the more he thought about everything that had happened. He knew there was a way through the sexual assault allegations, but it would not be an easy time for him. The more he thought about it, the lonelier and more trapped he felt until eventually he got up and walked out of his house. He had no idea what he was doing until he ended up at one of the adjacent doorways and knocked politely on the door.

“Ben?” asked Mary with confusion as she opened the door after seeing who it was.

“Hey,” he said softly. “I, uh, can we talk?”

“Ben, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she said as her eyes turned to sadness.

“Mary, I just…” he started.

“I shouldn’t,” she said. “It’s not a good time.”

“You have company,” he said as he started to leave. “Mary, I’m sorry.”

“No, I don’t have company,” she stated and stopped him. “It’s only me.”

“You once told me you were willing to be the shoulder to cry on,” he said with a sigh.

“It’s just not a good time, Ben,” she said softly.

“I know about the vote tonight,” he sighed. “You did what you had to do.”

“Allen came and talked to you?” asked Mary.

“Well, it was either that or I find him occupying my desk tomorrow morning,” said Ben as a look of sadness came over his face. “I don’t know how this fell apart so quickly.”

“Ben…” she started to say.

“Mary, I just need someone to talk to tonight, okay?” he asked as he hung his head.

“Ashley isn’t available?” she asked.

“I don’t think we’re really on speaking terms right now,” he said. “For other reasons than what happened today.”

“The pictures,” said Mary.

“The phrase ‘never talk to you again’ was used,” said Ben as he hung his head. “That’s pretty absolute. I just need someone to talk to, okay?”

“I’ll call Doctor Chambless,” she said as she recognized the signs he needed help.

“I don’t know him that well,” he said as he looked at her from the top of his eyes. “I know you.”

“Come in,” she said without hesitation. She had her own theory as to the allegations and felt like she was safe with Ben. “I can’t talk about anything we discussed tonight, okay?”

“I understand,” he said as he stood in the foyer area.

“You want something to drink?” she asked as she headed towards the kitchen.

“Uh, sure,” he said.

“Water, java, tea?” she asked.

“Tea would be fine,” he nodded.

“Have a seat, please,” she nodded at the couch with a brief smile. “You make me nervous standing in the foyer like that.”

“Thank you,” he said sincerely as he gave her a nod. She had never seen him like this before as a look of pure despair held a vice grip on his face. She quickly made two large cups of the hot tea and brought them over along with coasters. She took a seat on the loveseat angled from the couch and curled her legs up underneath her.

“Ben, sit back and relax,” she instructed him softly as she saw he was sitting right on the edge of the couch. “You’re safe here and I’m here to talk to like you need.”

“Yeah, sorry,” he said as he pushed himself back into the couch.

“I want to get something out up front,” she said with a sigh. “I should have come to you earlier about the theft of the drug. Specifically, when we knew Chuck had been dosed with it.”

“You probably should have, but I understand why you didn’t,” he said. “You wanted to catch the thief before reporting it to me.”

“Yes,” she said as she shook her head. “Really bad decision on my part.”

“I probably would have told you to keep doing what you did,” said Ben.

“Again, I’m sorry,” she stated.

“Not like we can change it now,” he said.

“I just felt guilty after I found out you’d been hit with it,” she admitted. “Maybe we could have headed this off sooner.”

“Again, without a suspect, we might not have,” said Ben.

“Okay, enough of my problems,” said Mary. “How are you holding up?”

“It’s like I got a whole barge full of iron dropped on me tonight,” he sighed.

“It’s not easy hearing someone blamed you for something like that,” she said softly.

“Mary, I didn’t do what this person accused me of,” he said as he shook his head.

“Ben, I can’t discuss what or who it is,” she said.

“No, I wouldn’t ever want to put you in a position to do that,” he said with a sigh.

“I’m here to talk to, okay?” she suggested. “Call it doctor-patient privilege if you want, but whatever is said here tonight will stay here tonight. No names, though, okay?”

“Sure,” he said as he started talking about a multitude of things while she just listened. It took him a while to get through everything as he hadn’t organized his thoughts, but eventually he finished up shaking his head and staring at the floor.

“I mean, I thought everything was going great on the island and I spent a very pleasant evening with someone I thought was a nice lady,” he said. “Nothing bad the next morning either, all smiles and, well, normal conversation.”

“Sometimes women might not show their true feelings in those situations,” said Mary.

“Again, everything we did was consensual,” he said. “I never forced anything; I swear.”

“Ben, did she ever say no?” asked Mary.

“No! Not even once!” he said. “I mean, honestly she asked for… well, she made requests for different things for me to do. I don’t want to be graphic.”

“No, I get the idea,” said Mary.

“And then when we get back, I find out I was dosed with Truedream and that’s probably the cause of it. I end up being in that ten percent of the population with anger issues as a byproduct and threaten to beat up one of my Directors,” he said.

“Not only that, but the same woman we had a fight over that I did not sleep with on the island decided to pay me a visit earlier this afternoon,” said Ben with a sigh. “And I ended up doing something with her that I probably shouldn’t have. Truedream got one last kick in I suppose.”

“Emilia?” asked Mary.

“I thought we weren’t going to mention names?” asked Ben.

“Sorry,” said Mary.

“She came over and said exactly the words I lived by before,” said Ben with a sigh. “You know what the Special Forces motto is?”

“To free the oppressed, right?” said Mary. “Or the Latin version.”

“De oppresso liber,” said Ben confirming it. “I spent my whole career living by those words and when she said she felt safe around me, it just tugged at everything I believed in all those years.”

“You can’t blame yourself for all that,” said Mary.

“I should have known better,” said Ben with a sigh. “But on that same token, women who suffer from sexual assault are often oppressed for a lifetime of guilt and pain and anguish. I would never subject anyone to that!”

“Ben, I…” she started to say.

“Mary, I didn’t do it,” he said.

“I believe you,” she said with a soft voice. “I don’t know how or why, but I know that’s not the man I’ve come to know and respect. Honestly, justice will have its day and when everything comes out, people will get to make the decision to trust you as they have since being here.”

“There will always be doubt in some minds though,” said Ben with a sigh. “It’ll undermine everything I’ve tried to get done.”

“No, it won’t,” she smiled.

“Of course, now that I’m out of a job for the moment, I have no idea what I’m going to do with myself,” he sighed.

“No plans with all that extra time?” she asked.

“I hadn’t thought that far into it,” he said with another shake of his head.

“Well, if you get bored, you could always open up a dance studio,” she said. He looked at her as he had the beginnings of a smile on her face as her eyes sparkled.

He chuckled as a smile broke out on his face for the first time. “That’s horrible.”

“It’s good to see you laugh and smile,” she said with a warm smile of her own. “Ben… I know I didn’t… I said we weren’t going to talk about what happened in the meeting. But I don’t think you did what you are accused of.”

“Don’t think?” he asked.

“No, I know you didn’t,” she said. “Like I said, I just don’t think you are capable of what she claimed to Allen.”

“Obviously, the Directors thought there was enough evidence to remove me,” said Ben with a sigh. “I don’t even know what the evidence is or who provided it though I have a pretty good idea of who it was. It could only be one person.”

“If it was one of the Directors, would you have voted against it based on the allegations alone?” she asked. “You know what the perception will be when word gets out and it will get out.”

“I probably would,” he sighed.

“We did it to protect you,” she said softly. “Everything you do will be scrutinized in the coming days and the less chance you have of making a mistake in your current state, the better chances you have of this blowing over.”

“I am going to be pretty distracted,” he admitted.

“Which is why we felt it necessary to make sure you didn’t have the additional burden of command on top of everything else,” she said reasonably.

“What am I doing here, Mary?” he asked. “I was having a nice retirement on Mars. I was financially stable, had a nice apartment, I was thinking of getting a dog, everything was going great until Novus showed up on my doorstep and told me about this.”

“Do you think we would have made it this far without you?” she asked softly.

“There are plenty of folks that might have made a good commander,” he said.

“But none have done the job you have,” she said with a reasonable voice. “You’ve made mistakes, sure. Who doesn’t? But we learned quickly from them and we’re going to be going strong when Expedition 2 arrives.”

“It’s the future that’s bothering me,” he sighed.

“Focus on the things you can control and the courage to change what you can,” she stated.

“The Serenity Prayer,” he said with a nod and a brief smile came over his face. “A lesson I used to hammer into my leaders’ heads.”

“Something the teacher has forgotten?” she asked.

“Maybe a little,” he smiled.

“There’s that smile again,” she smiled.

“You make it easy,” he said and realized that might have been inappropriate. “Mary, I mean, you being able to open up to makes it easier to smile.”

“I didn’t take it in any other way than two friends talking,” she said and saw him about to say something. “No, we’re not having that conversation tonight. It’s not the right time.”

“Not at all,” he sighed.

“But we need to have that conversation in the coming days,” she admitted.

“I’d rather this thing clear up before that,” he stated.

“I think that’s wise,” she said. “Are we being open with each other right now?”

“I’ve opened up to you more than anyone else here except maybe Kendrick and Tasha,” he stated. “I could only imagine how she reacted.”

“She defended you and your honor,” said Mary. “Unfortunately, she knew this had to go forward just like I did.”

“I hope she doesn’t do something rash,” he sighed.

“Can I get something off my mind with you with the same conditions of ‘just between us’ we’re having tonight?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure,” he said. “Something wrong?”

“I made a mistake,” she said with a sigh. “A stupid, childish mistake.”

“I’m not going to judge,” he stated. “Not that I’m in any position to judge anything.”

“It could change the way you feel about me,” she stated.

“Mary, you’ve always been there when I needed you,” he stated. “And even when I didn’t know I needed you, you were there. I’m not going to change how I feel about you.”

“It’s just… personal,” she stated.

“As if we aren’t personal tonight,” he said with a chuckle.

“Ben, I did something I shouldn’t have done last night,” she admitted. “Since we’re in kind of a truth or dare mode right now.”

“I heard,” he sighed.

“You heard?” she asked. “Heard what?”

“Joe Buck,” said Ben.

“How…?” she asked as her voice got softer.

“Because he started bragging about it almost immediately this morning,” said Ben. “Mary, I have to warn you, there were pictures he took of you while sleeping according to Rachelle. You were covered, but it was obvious you were at least topless even being covered by the sheet.”

“Oh, no,” she whispered.

“Rachelle took care of it,” said Ben. “She managed to smash it out of the system and off his communicator with her computer magic.”

“I can’t believe it,” she said with a sigh. “I knew what would happen; just knew it.”

“Want to run it down?” he asked.

“I went to the tavern last night,” she started to say. “No, let’s back up, okay?”

“I went to your house after you got back and after Charlotte informed me about the drug as you know. I knew I should at least check on you and, well, I had it in my mind that maybe I had one last shot at…” she started to say.

“At what?” he asked.

“At making you mine,” she sighed and bit her lower lip and shook her head. “That’s the real reason I was there, Ben. Not even thinking far enough into it that Ashley might have been there. I went there to stake my claim on you and come true with my feelings I’ve hidden for so long. Of course, that would have been totally awkward had you brought me inside with her there, so, thanks for not doing that.”

“Afterwards, I headed home and reflected a lot on what happened, why my timing sucks, why your timing sucks, why I avoided the trip to the island out of a sense of duty when I had perfectly capable doctors that could have taken the case… just a lot of things I was thinking about and I felt really alone right then.”

“So, I decided to go out to the tavern just to socialize. Just be around people, you know? Of course, once I got there, I ended up sitting by myself until Joe came over and thanked me for the work I’d done with Pete Horne. Nothing more than a thanks, but we struck up a brief conversation. I knew his reputation, but he tried to leave and I invited him to sit down. Don’t know why, but I felt like it was the proper thing to do right then. Just talk, nothing more.”

“Well, we did talk and he set me at ease, but dropped comments here and there about our relationship, or lack thereof and, after drinking, his words made sense,” she stated as her voice cracked. “I mean, I was beating myself up and angry over not taking that chance like I should have when I should have.”

“This is going to end up being my fault,” he stated with a scoff.

“No, the decisions I made that night were my own and you had nothing to do with them,” she stated. “It’s not your fault, trust me.”

“I mean, I’m getting blamed for a lot of things right now,” he said as another brief smile came across his face. “You might as well lump that one in while you’re at it.”

She shook her head and scoffed with a brief smile. “I don’t think this one you had any control over. Not really.”

“There’s more to it, but I’ll let you finish,” he said. “Please.”

“Anyway, I was about three drinks in and my initial reservations had dropped about talking to him. Again, he had dropped enough comments that I was getting very emotional over the situation and started showing those signs. He suggested maybe I didn’t need to do that in public and he was right. I shouldn’t show the bar what a big baby I was being right then. So, I told him I was going home and finish the tantrum I wanted to throw. He walked me home, I don’t remember asking him to, but I continued to rant and rave until we got to my door.”

“I headed inside and he just stood here at my doorway. Again, I don’t know why I invited him in as even then the alarm bells should have been going off, but he was doing little more than listening and making a comment here and there. Basically, justifying my anger to me. But when I was finished, he knew exactly what to say to calm me down and comfort me and, well, I appreciated that at the time.”

“When I was finished, I felt drained and I remember thinking how nice it was he helped me so much,” she said with a sigh. “I ended up giving him a hug and we ended up looking at each other afterwards and… it was pretty much all she wrote at that point,” said Mary. “I kissed him, he kissed me, one thing led to another and we ended up in bed. Woke up the next morning to him being gone, no note, no nothing, just me in the bed with the memories of what I had done.”

“You weren’t forced?” he asked.

“Not at all,” she said. “I regret it happened, yes. But the choice I made was mine and I made it without him even asking. Like you said, the acts we performed weren’t ones that are easily forced on a woman.”

“Mary, I’m sorry,” said Ben as he hung his head and shook it slowly.

“Why are you sorry?” she asked. “You weren’t responsible!”

“In a roundabout way, I was,” he sighed. “It wasn’t you he was after. It was me.”

“Well, that’s certainly not helping my ego,” she stated. “But why?”

“Because I threatened him on the island,” said Ben as he hung his head.

“Another story?” she asked.

“Basically, he was the man that convinced Emilia to cheat on Javier,” said Ben. “I don’t want to get into complete details, but I pretty much caught the two of them in the act.”

“Not to be outdone, he was trying the same thing with Larissa Moody the very same night,” said Ben. “When I saw the pattern of trying to break up relationships, I confronted him to knock it off or else.”

“Your ‘or else’ was what?” she asked.

“I left it open ended,” said Ben. “But the implication there was threatening.”

“Not any more than Ryan Kingston would be over Larissa,” said Mary. “He’s in love with that girl but he doesn’t know it yet.”

“No matter what, he made the threat he would go after Ashley,” said Ben. “I told him to go for it since I felt like she was firmly in my pocket. It wouldn’t be surprising if he went after other women I cared about along the way including you.”

“Ben, he… he brought up our relationship several times,” said Mary. “I think you are correct.”

“So, it is my fault,” he said as he dropped his head again. “I just can’t stop hurting those I care about, can I?”

“I made the decision to do it, Ben,” she said as he needed support right then and if she could take a little of the blame away from him, she would.

“Because of my childishness, I drove you away,” he said as his voice cracked. “Had I just kept my big mouth shut or at least talked to you reasonably or not been jealous of Chuck spending time with you, none of this might have happened and you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

“Something else might have happened,” she said softly.

“I caused all this!” he exclaimed as his voice broke. “Everything that has happened, everything that has gone wrong between us, you getting repeatedly hurt, I’m to blame for all of it!”

“Ben, everything happens for a reason,” she stated as she went over to him as she saw he was close to the breaking point. “You aren’t to blame for any of it.”

“Mary, nothing happens like this for a reason,” he said as his voice cracked again. “Everything is falling apart around me right now and I don’t know why I can’t stop hurting those I care about!”

“Ever been down before?” she asked.

“Not like this,” he said with a deep sigh. “Nothing ever like this.”

“Are you innocent of the allegations?” she asked.

“Yes!” he protested as she saw a tear escape from his eye. “I have not nor would I ever do that to a woman! I can’t stand the ones that do! I fought against those kinds of people!”

“Was it right for you to put a stop to him destroying another relationship?” she asked.

“It felt like it at the time,” he said with a sniff.

“Then everything will work out in the end,” she said as she rubbed on his shoulder. “Trust me on this, everything will be right in the end.”

“I don’t know if I can last that long,” he said as he sniffed.

“Come here,” she said as she pulled him in and put his head on her chest. She consoled him while stroking his hair as he breathed deeply and almost came to full on crying. A tear escaped his eye every once in a while as he thought about everything that had happened so far. She made a decision right then and there he wasn’t going anywhere without her that night as he was in no condition to be alone. She sat with him for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality, only five minutes had passed before he somewhat composed himself.

“Ben, you’re not going anywhere tonight,” she said. “You are going to stay right here where we can talk or you can sleep or whatever. But I’m not letting you out by yourself tonight.”

“Mary, I’m not going to do anything stupid,” he said with a sniff.

“I don’t believe you would,” she said. “But I’m still not letting you leave this house.”

“Even with everything I’m accused of and have done over the past weeks?” he asked.

“I trust you,” she said as she reached over and squeezed his hand. “There is no way you sexually assaulted anyone. You had absolutely no reason to with or without the Truedream in your system. I’m to understand there were other options, far better options for you on that island and you had no reason to go after anyone.”

“Mary, I’m not quite comfortable talking about that,” he stated.

“Point being, you’re in no state to be by yourself tonight,” she said. “Now, I’ll sit here and talk with you all night if you want. You can sleep here on the couch when you’ve finally gotten everything out of your system or you can stay in the guest bedroom.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t tell you that’s what’s going to happen unless I felt safe myself,” she said as she stood. “I think the guest bedroom would be fine.”

“I am completely drained,” he admitted.

“No, you are most certainly not,” she stated. “You’ve bottled up everything emotionally since we’ve been here and tonight, I saw the cracks in the dam starting to form. Everything will come rushing out if you aren’t careful and I need to be around to help. We can let it slowly release like opening up an old pop bottle.”

“Mary, why are you so good to me?” he asked.

“Because you have been good to me even with a minor slip,” she said. “I forgave you for that a long time ago.”

“Didn’t happen that long ago,” he chuckled.

“Another laugh and a smile,” she smiled in return. “Pretty soon, the man I know as Ben Nash will come back out.”

“I hope so,” he said.

“Come on,” she said as she took him by the hand and gently tugged him towards the guest bedroom. It had a full sized bed instead of the normal king sized she had upstairs in her bedroom, but it would be fine for him that night. He sat on the edge of the bed thinking about the situation and the perception of him staying there.

“Don’t think,” she said as if she knew what was going on. “Shoes and socks off and into bed.”

He removed his shoes and socks without comment as well as his belt before climbing in.

“Polo too,” she stated. “I wouldn’t want to mess it up.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said as he removed the polo and she put it on a convenient hanger as he slipped into the bed under the comforter and sheets. He was surprised when she joined him after hanging the shirt in the guest closet.

“Mary, I-” he started to say.

“Shh,” she said as she put a finger to his mouth. “Ever since being here, you’ve been the one we’ve clung to during times of uncertainty and strife. Your arms have always been open and you’ve held us with reassurance. Well, tonight, I’m going to hold you for a change.”

“Doctor’s orders?” he asked.

“Mary’s orders,” she said softly as she pulled him in and felt him slightly relax. Between the events of the day and the emotional draining he underwent earlier, he was asleep in minutes as she gently stroked the hair on the side of his head. She adjusted slightly before seeing he was finally asleep and getting more comfortable herself. She backed into him and he involuntarily reached over and held her in his sleep. There was nothing sexual about the act that evening as she knew he needed something solid in his life right then. She fell asleep herself after thinking through everything that happened and what the future held for the man she deeply cared about.

 

CHAPTER 16


“Good morning,” Ben heard as the sunlight was starting to peek through the windows in Mary’s guest bedroom. He had a brief moment of disorientation before remembering he had been instructed to stay there the night. He saw Mary smiling at him as she reached out and gently pushed his hair over his ear.

“You need a haircut,” she said as she looked at both sides of his head.

“Actually, I do,” he said with a groan in waking up. The java maker in the kitchen was heard sputtering as the smell wafted into the bedroom. He noticed she was wearing a longer robe that morning and had pulled back her hair into a ponytail.

“Breakfast?” she asked with another smile. “Java to start of course.”

“Yeah, sounds about right,” he said as he stretched and got out of the bed. She went to the closet and handed the polo shirt to him as he followed her out of the bedroom and into her dining room area and saw a cup of java just the way he liked it ready to go.

“You have a good memory,” he said as she handed over the cup with a smile.

“I’ve seen you drink enough of it,” she said as she sipped at her own cup. “Of course, the doctor in me does tend to think you should cut back a tad on the caffeine.”

“Isn’t that a bit hypocritical considering you’re drinking a cup as well?” he asked as a slight grin formed on his face.

“Keep going,” she said.

“Going?” he asked.

“With that grin,” she stated with a smile.

“Maybe in a minute,” he said as he sipped the java and gave an appreciative smile for it.

“Close enough,” she said. “Eggs, toast and sausage okay?”

“Yeah, sounds great,” he said.

“How are you feeling this morning?” she asked.

“You want the honest truth?” he asked.

“Well, I’m not sure I can handle it after last night,” she smirked at him.

“Everything’s still there in the back of my mind,” he said.

“But?” she asked.

“But I know there is the path through,” he stated.

“I think you’ll find people will believe your side of this,” she stated. “I want you to clarify something you said last night I got to thinking about.”

“Sure,” he said.

“When you mentioned you had a pleasant evening and the morning after, it sounded like something that was ongoing through the night,” she stated.

“It was,” he said. “I thought that was clear.”

“Well, no, not really,” said Mary as her faced showed she was thinking. “Be honest, did you have sex the last night.”

“Mary, I…” he started to say.

“I’m not Ashley and I know you had a good dose of Retivive in your system,” she stated. “Be honest with me.”

“I did… twice that evening,” he stated. “And another time the next morning as well.”

“So, someone stayed with you all night?” she asked.

“She did,” said Ben.

“And this person wasn’t Marci Dubose?” asked Mary pointedly.

“No,” said Ben as he made a face. “I mean, nothing against Marci, but certainly not her. I never even laid a finger on her the whole night.”

“Oh,” said Mary as she went into deep thinking mode again.

“Is there something you’re not saying?” he asked.

“Ben, I’m not supposed to say, but Marci Dubose was the one that made the allegation against you,” said Mary.

“Do what?!” he demanded.

“They had her in for an interview yesterday and she had prepared a typed statement admitting to the theft and to spiking your drink. At the end, she detailed out the assault as well as points of evidence you left behind,” said Mary. “Understand, you are not supposed to know any of this.”

“No way!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t even see her after I went to the beach!”

“Went to the beach?” asked Mary.

“The woman I spent the evening with and I went to the beach,” said Ben with a sigh. “That’s where everything was started and we finished up in my quarters. Well, finished what we started that night the next morning actually.”

“Ben, I’m not going to ask the pointed question of who,” said Mary. “But you realize if someone can corroborate your story, this clears you.”

“Absolutely,” said Ben. “I tried calling the person last night though and she said she’d been instructed not to talk to me about what happened.”

“Instructed by whom?” asked Mary.

“I don’t know,” said Ben. “But you’re absolutely correct. Allen and I will discuss this.”

“Not being graphic, but we ran the rape tests on Marci,” said Mary. “Long story short, she showed signs of bruising on her arms and where someone forcibly groped her breasts and buttocks, but there was no rape and even she didn’t claim that.”

“I wonder how that happened?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” she stated. “Just worry about the things you have control over like clearing your name.”

“Yes, absolutely,” he said.

“After breakfast, of course,” said Mary as she portioned out the plates and headed to the dining room table and motioned him over with her head.

“Having had the most important meal of the day for certain,” he said. “Mary, thank you so much for everything.”

“You haven’t even tried the eggs yet,” she said as her eyes turned playful again as she saw just a glimmer of hope on his face.

“No, I meant for letting me open up last night and for staying with me and letting me know the information you really shouldn’t have,” said Ben.

“Ben, I couldn’t sleep in my own bed last night,” she sighed. “I think you know why.”

“I would have stayed on the couch,” he stated.

“And denied me your warmth?” she asked.

“No, I guess I was somewhat useful last night,” he chuckled.

“Well, that and I was testing you without using a needle,” she stated.

“Testing me?” he asked.

“To see if there was any Retivive left in your system,” she grinned. “Trust me, had there been any left, you might have ravaged me.”

“I’m glad it was all gone then,” he chuckled.

“Plus, I’ve been throwing comments at you this morning to see if you would be more direct with your comments in return,” she said. “You’ve been a perfect gentleman so far.”

“So far?” he asked.

“We have a long day ahead of us,” she grinned.

“But with a light at the end of the tunnel,” he smiled. Eventually, they finished breakfast and she politely excused herself to start getting ready for work.

“I’m probably going to head to my house and do the same,” he said. “I mean, I feel like you could probably use some privacy while doing so.”

“Sleeping in the same bed with you with clothing on is one thing,” she grinned. “Showering with you is altogether a different matter.”

“I’d say so,” he chuckled. “Again, I want to thank you for everything last night. I don’t think I’ve ever been in that bad of a way before.”

“Anytime,” she said as she hugged him warmly as he hugged her back. “Okay, you take care of this today.”

“Absolutely,” said Ben as he headed out and gave her a smile and a “goodbye” before walking out the door. She sighed at the situation, seeing once again why she had become taken with him so many months before and wondered what she could do to help.

Ben laid out his uniform and took another shower before shaving and looking himself over the in the mirror. He saw Mary was right and he did need a haircut soon and decided to set up the appointment that day since he obviously had some free time on his hands. Eventually, he got dressed and made up a cup of java while he waited on Allen to come over. Ben was typically a patient man, but with what happened, he wanted to get ahead of the situation and went over to Allen’s house where he found Allen sending Claire and his boys off to school.

“I was going to be on my way over in just a few,” said Allen as he approached.

“Allen, we need to talk, okay?” asked Ben.

“Obviously, there’s a few things we need to talk about,” said Allen. “Come in.”

Ben entered the house as Allen made up two cups of java for them and headed for his study he had created. Allen motioned to one of two seats in the room as he and Ben sat down.

“You want the bad news first?” asked Allen.

“You have more bad news?” asked Ben.

“We received another complaint against you,” said Allen with a sigh. “Unconnected with the sexual assault, but still something we have to look into.”

Ben merely sighed and waved his hand at Allen.

“Someone made the claim you threatened physical violence on them,” said Allen.

“Joe Buck,” said Ben with a shake of his head.

“Obviously, you’re familiar with the incident?” asked Allen.

“That thing Javier accused me of yesterday? That was actually Joe,” said Ben.

“And?” asked Allen. “Look, this is just Ben and Allen talking here right now.”

“Long story short, Rachelle brough it to my attention that morning,” said Ben with a sigh. “I honestly didn’t put much thought into it until I happened on them later that day when I took a walk to clear my head.”

Ben explained the story behind finding the two of them on the beach together and was interrupted by Allen.

“Two people swimming on a beach isn’t particularly conclusive, Ben,” said Allen.

“Two people skinny dipping while kissing and hugged up certainly would raise a few eyebrows,” said Ben. “That’s fairly conclusive in my world.”

“That certainly changes the paradigm,” admitted Allen. “I suppose I’ll have to warn Javier not to talk to him. I mean, he came after you hard, I doubt he’d hesitate to go after someone he doesn’t even know.”

“Anyway, I more or less followed them back and met up with Joe,” said Ben. “He was all smiles and never even mentioned her at all. They came back separately and I confronted her about it when she arrived and he wasn’t around.”

“I might assume that’s when the pictures were taken?” asked Allen.

“Yes,” said Ben. “We talked for several minutes and went our separate ways. Anyway, that evening I saw him trying to pull the same stunt on Larissa Moody. I talked to her and thought she blew me off, but apparently, I got the wheels turning in her head. She headed out, presumably to talk to Ryan and work things out, when I stopped him from following her.”

“And threatened him?” asked Allen.

“Not specifically,” said Ben. “Heavily implied though. I just didn’t want someone going out of their way to break up relationships in the colony. He did it once and was trying too again. I had no idea who would be his next target, so I put my foot down.”

“I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing,” said Allen. “I highly doubt that’ll be lumped in with everything else since that kind of behavior has happened here before.”

“I didn’t want to elevate it to that level, but he really wasn’t listening,” said Ben.

“We’ll chalk that one up as a simple verbal counseling,” said Allen. “I think you know better than doing such things given your position.”

“I do,” said Ben with a sigh. “I just think highly of Javier and didn’t think it was proper someone was breaking up his relationship like that.”

“Okay, that’s out of the way,” said Allen. “You came to talk to me though?”

“I’m not sure how far along the investigation has progressed, but I can conclusively say I did not spend the night with Marci Dubose,” said Ben.

“Dammit, how did you find out?!” asked Allen with anger in his voice.

“I have friends, Allen,” said Ben crossly. “Look, I did spend the night with someone and for certain, it wasn’t her. Marci and I talked earlier that evening and nothing else.”

“I told Tasha not to blab about it,” said Allen irately.

“It wasn’t Tasha,” said Ben and saw Allen about to interrupt him. “And I’m not going to play twenty questions with you over who it is or isn’t that let me know.”

“It’s something I’m going to have to look into,” said Allen. “Privacy of a victim is paramount in cases like this.”

“Except there is no victim here,” said Ben.

“She has markings indicating a physical and sexual assault,” said Allen.

“I don’t know what else to tell you except I didn’t put them there,” said Ben.

“I think Cyrus might need to be here for whatever else you are going to say,” said Allen.

“Allen, you can put a stop to it right now,” said Ben.

“So, something did happen with someone?” asked Allen.

“Yes,” said Ben with a sigh. “We agreed not to keep it going when we returned given our respective positions.”

“Ben, if someone can clear you, I need to know,” said Allen.

“I… it was Zoe Kent with Security,” said Ben. “Given she’s a relatively younger member of the Security Forces and I’m the Commander of everyone, we agreed the morning we left we weren’t going to continue when we returned.”

“Ben, that’s…” started Allen. “Medical privacy aside, Sergeant Kent had some of the Truedream in her system as well.”

Ben replayed the evening and remembered that one detail that might help. “Of course, she did. She had some of my drink giving it a try.”

“It was a low level dose,” admitted Allen. “Just enough to get someone in the mood, but she never mentioned being with you… sexually.”

“Again, given our respective positions we didn’t think it was wise to mention it or carry it on when we returned,” said Ben. “Allen, it was a one night thing and I blame the Truedream as much as anything. I wouldn’t have gone after her if I was clear headed.”

“She was interviewed because she was not only a witness to you that night, but also because she had the Retivive in her system,” said Allen softly. “Ben, she never mentioned anything about you two being together that night. Just that you sat together for a while and nothing more.”

“Because again, we decided it would be best for us to leave what happened on the island!” objected Ben. “She’s a promising young troop that I didn’t want her having to deal with the perception there was command influence over her promotions or anything in the future.”

“She never said anything in an official sworn statement about being with you that night,” repeated Allen quietly. “She signed her statement.”

“Can I talk to her?” asked Ben. “Or you can talk to her and tell her what’s happening. Allen, this is not who I am!”

“Ben, I…” started Allen and cleared his throat. “Ben, there’s evidence pointing toward confirmation of the victim’s story other than the physical marks.”

“What evidence Allen?” begged Ben.

“The vic… obviously, I don’t need to keep her name from you at this point,” said Allen with a sigh and still slightly angered over the situation. “Marci claims she was outside her quarters when you came up and started making extremely direct statements about her sleeping with you. She said you forced yourself on her and tried shoving her into her quarters.”

“It’s a lie, Allen!” protested Ben.

“Obviously she has bruising concurrent with the kind of assault she claims,” said Allen with a sigh. “I sent down a gunship with the team as soon as the story came out and there was evidence like she claimed. Ben, they found your fingerprints and DNA on her door.”

“Obviously, nothing inside!” protested Ben. “I don’t even know where she was staying!”

“No,” said Allen. “She said she managed to get inside and hold the door to keep you from coming in. She said eventually you left.”

“Allen, it’s not true!” said Ben in a soft voice but with a growl.

“How do you explain the DNA and fingerprints?” asked Allen.

“I… I don’t know,” said Ben.

“Were you in anyone else’s quarters that night?” asked Allen.

“No! Just mine,” said Ben. “Look, talk to Zoe Kent. Have her revise her statement. Give her a pass for lying on an official statement or whatever!”

“You realize that could be construed as command influence as well,” said Allen. “I can’t ask her to revise her statement! It would look like a cheap trick to get you cleared!”

“At least talk to her and let her know what’s happening!” said Ben.

“We did talk to her at length,” said Allen softly. “Obviously since she had the Truedream in her system we felt… Ben, don’t take this the wrong way, but we needed to make sure every angle was covered in this investigation.”

“You think I gave it to her?!” demanded Ben.

“We had to make sure you didn’t,” said Allen. “Problem is, it was such a low dose that Medical couldn’t figure out if it was residual from something or what.”

“She had a pretty large sip of my drink,” Ben stated.

“You asked her to take a drink out of a cup you knew to be spiked with Retivive-3?” asked Allen. “Be careful here.”

“No! I didn’t know it was spiked at the time!” exclaimed Ben. “I didn’t start getting the urges until a bit later.”

“Look, I can talk to her and see if there’s anything she wants to add to her statement,” said Allen with a sigh. “But I cannot and will not tell her about the allegations against you.”

“She’ll find out anyway,” said Ben. “Word travels fast in a small colony.”

“Maybe she hears a name, but the times and dates obviously we can keep quiet,” said Allen.

“She can clear me, Allen,” said Ben in a soft plea.

“Look, I want to clear you as much as anyone,” said Allen. “But any more than asking her if she wants to add anything to her statement would be wrong of me.”

“As wrong as someone falsely accusing me of sexual assault?” asked Ben.

“Here’s the problem,” said Allen as he folded his hands in front of him. “If I mention that and ask Zoe if she wants to amend her statement, what’s going to happen?”

“She tells the truth,” said Ben. “And in turn, clears me.”

“Yeah, and here’s the problem with that,” said Allen with a sigh. “Even if she doesn’t change a thing, she talks about it with friends and suddenly I have a dozen other people at my door claiming they were with Ben Nash on the night in question. You’re like a rock star to those guys over in Security and they’d do anything including perjury to clear you. I’d hope they wouldn’t take any further actions, but you’re big enough with them that I wouldn’t put it past someone to arrange a fatal accident for Marci.”

“They have honor,” said Ben.

“They also have loyalty which I think probably transcends that honor,” said Allen. “Simply put, I already had to warn Tasha about this situation and I feel like I’m going to have to have another talk with her.”

“I can talk to Tasha,” said Ben.

“No,” said Allen. “I’ll handle it. I can’t let you do that.”

“Why?” asked Ben.

“Because of the personal dynamic between Marci and Tasha,” said Allen. “Again, retribution could take place and Tasha would have a very good alibi.”

“I don’t think so,” said Ben. “She’s not that kind, Allen.”

“I can’t afford to take that chance,” said Allen with a sigh.

“Just talk to Zoe, please,” pleaded Ben.

“If a Security Forces member suddenly revises her statement to help clear Commander Ben Nash of wrongdoing?” asked Allen. “How is that going to look?”

“Shady,” admitted Ben. “But it could clear me! There is probably DNA evidence on my bed as well from her.”

“Which in turn destroys her credibility as a witness to being drugged on the island,” said Allen. “Provided, the evidence is outstanding she had the Truedream in her system, but how it got there could be undermined by her changing her story on what happened that night.”

“You realize how absurd that sounds?” asked Ben.

“More absurd than you admitting you spent the night with a young trooper after the allegations were made against you? Furthermore, you allegedly spent the night with a woman that hasn’t gone after any males since being here?” asked Allen. “Not only that, but the investigation team comes from the Security Directorate for the most part. I’m trying to keep them above reproach here and if the seed of doubt of their impartiality is planted in a jury’s mind, Marci walks on every charge we have.”

“This is my life we’re talking about here, Allen,” pleaded Ben.

“Do you trust me?” asked Allen.

“I’m not really sure right now,” said Ben truthfully.

“I’ve never been anything but loyal to you,” said Allen sourly. “Even when I disagreed, I bit my tongue and went with your orders.”

“Except right now you’re in a position to not have to do what I ask,” said Ben.

“Trust I will see this through correctly and by the book,” said Allen. “Okay?”

“I don’t know if I can,” said Ben. “I have to clear my name, Allen! Okay?!”

“You don’t need to talk to anyone about this,” said Allen sternly. “We cannot afford to have you running around trying to convince people you’re right. It will destroy everything we have in our case against Marci for the theft.”

“And destroy my credibility in the process,” said Ben.

“Nobody knows about this right now,” said Allen. “I intend to keep it that way.”

“Except word always gets out,” said Ben. “You know it will.”

“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” said Allen.

“I’m sorry, Allen, I can’t just sit back while this is going on,” said Ben as he rose to leave.

“You can and you will,” said Allen. “Ben, don’t make me do what you are forcing me to do.”

“I can’t let this continue,” said Ben.

“Ben, I didn’t want to have to do this, but I’m placing you on house arrest,” said Allen with a sigh. “You are to have no contact with anyone outside of your advocate, myself or the investigation team. You will surrender all communications devices, networked computers and tablets capable of communicating outside your quarters.”

“Furthermore, I’m placing a 30 hour a day guard on your front and back door along with one person inside your house to monitor your whereabouts and who you come in contact with. Obviously, Security I just can’t trust right now and the Engineers will be taking on that duty. I spoke with Grady about the possibility last night and he has personnel ready to move.”

“Allen, it doesn’t need to come to this!” objected Ben.

“Unfortunately, I don’t trust you to leave well enough alone,” said Allen. “You forced me into this by not trusting I’d do the right thing. You leave me little choice but to place you under house arrest awaiting the completion of the investigation and eventual tribunal.”

“I can’t believe this,” said Ben under his breath as he saw Allen on his communicator sending Grady the instructions.

“The guards will be at your house in ten minutes,” said Allen. “I please ask that you wait here until they are in place.”

“Allen…” said Ben.

“Cyrus will be over sometime this morning,” said Allen. “We’re going to keep your house arrest a secret as well. Ben, please don’t do anything stupid.”

“Like clear myself of false charges?!” demanded Ben.

“Let the system work for you,” said Allen.

“The system is railroading me right now!” thundered Ben.

“Ben, please don’t get violent,” said Allen as he backed away from Ben.

“Allen, this is total and complete bullshit!” exclaimed Ben.

“Ben, don’t,” said Allen as he retrieved the bio-lock pistol from his desk. He saw Ben breathing heavily in and out through his nose as a look of pure rage was on his face. The standoff ensued for what seemed like an eternity, but only a minute passed by as they stared each other down.

“Allen, please,” said Ben.

“Let’s just head over to your place, okay?” asked Allen. “I’m asking you as your former deputy to be calm and reasonable about this.”

“All while you’re holding me hostage?” asked Ben.

“This is not what I want,” said Allen. “But you have to let me do my job in seeing this through to the end.”

“I hope you know what you’re getting into,” said Ben with a sigh. He walked slowly out of the Smith residence and headed back to his house where he saw the three Engineers waiting along with Grady. Ben did happen to notice they only had sidearms and less than lethal weapons.

“Allen?” asked Grady.

“One in the front, one in the back and which one goes inside?” asked Allen.

“You two, front and back doors,” said Grady as he pointed the two out. “Logan, you’ll be inside with the Comm… with Mister Nash.”

“Allen, it doesn’t have to come to this,” said Ben.

“You are forcing my hand, Ben,” said Allen as he walked inside with Ben and was followed by Grady and Logan Jefferson. “Mister Jefferson?”

“Yes?” asked Logan.

“You are to monitor Mister Nash and he is to have no contact with anyone outside of myself, a list of investigators I provide or his legal counsel when they are appointed. If a medical situation arises, you can contact the control center, but all other communications goes through either Mister Stafford or myself. Clear?”

“Understood, sir,” said Logan.

“Ben, your communicator and any device capable of reaching outside this house, please,” said Allen. He saw Ben hesitate as he sighed briefly. “Don’t make us do it the hard way.”

Ben departed with the three and collected all the devices and placed them in a box before Grady picked it up to carry it out.

“We’ll be back in a while with the paperwork you need to sign,” said Allen. “I’ll have Cyrus report over as soon as I can.”

“Am I supposed to say thank you?” asked Ben.

“If you were thinking straight, you certainly would,” said Allen. “Mister Jefferson, you have a panic button, right?”

“Yes, sir,” said Logan as he wasn’t sure exactly what was happening.

“If Mister Nash tries to disarm you or escape, you use it,” said Allen. “I’m serious, Ben. Do not try me on this.”

********************​

“Rachelle, can you meet me at my office please?” asked Allen.

“Perfect timing,” she said in the communicator. “I was just here looking for Ben.”

“Okay, won’t take but a few minutes,” said Allen. Rachelle came into his office a few moments later minus the normal grin or smile she would be wearing.

“What can I help you with?” she asked as she saw Grady there as well.

“We need you as a witness,” said Allen as he motioned towards the door. Rachelle was puzzled, but followed them into the MPMV and went to Ben’s house. She became even more alarmed when she saw the armed guard outside his door.

“Hold on!” she exclaimed. “Just what the hell is going on here?!”

“The forms for transferring authority of command from Ben to me have to have at least two Directors as witness,” said Allen as he stopped outside.

“No, I mean what is going on with the guards?” she demanded.

“I had to place Ben under house arrest,” said Allen reasonably.

“You what?!” exclaimed Rachelle.

“It’s for his own good, Rachelle,” said Allen. “I don’t want to get into the details as of why.”

“You want me to witness you… your… usurping of his command?” she exclaimed as she searched for the words she wanted to use.

“We all agreed to it,” said Allen.

“I sure as hell didn’t agree to putting armed guards outside his house!” she yelled.

“Rachelle, please don’t make a scene,” said Allen. “I only need you to witness.”

“Well, you can just shove that form right up your backside!” she exclaimed. “I am not going to be a witness to that and I’m withdrawing my consent for his removal!”

“Rachelle, let’s be reasonable here,” said Allen softly.

“I’m not doing it, Allen,” she said and crossed her arms.

“Fine,” said Allen with a sigh. “We’ll find someone else who can be objective.”

“Objectivity is one thing,” she growled at him. “It’s a whole other thing to post armed guards on the Commander’s house because of what you are doing!”

“And what am I doing other than what we agreed on last night?” growled Allen in return.

“I know exactly what you are doing,” she said as she looked mad enough to spit. “Find someone else. I’m not doing in.”

She spun and departed on foot back towards her headquarters.

“Maybe this isn’t the best time, Allen,” suggested Grady.

“We have to have this in place in case something happens,” said Allen. “If they can’t reach Ben, you know they will come looking for him.”

“And you’re trying to keep this house arrest under wraps?” asked Grady. “It’s fairly obvious with the guards outside.”

“Let’s get Javier,” said Allen as he fumbled with his communicator. “I know it’s not the best choice, but it is a choice.”

After speaking with Javier for several seconds, Allen saw him pop out of his front door and look at the guards with a confused look on his face.

“Why are there guards on Ben’s house?” asked Javier.

“I had to place him under house arrest,” said Allen. “I need you to witness the transfer of command from Ben to me. It’s just a formality.”

“Is this why Rachelle was out here yelling a minute ago?” asked Javier.

“It is,” said Allen. “Look, you don’t have to agree with it, just witness Ben is signing it without any coercion or anything.”

“He’s under house arrest, Allen,” said Javier. “That seems pretty coercive to me.”

“Dammit, would one of you Directors just witness the damn thing?!” exclaimed Allen.

“Find someone else,” said Javier with a slow shake of his head as he turned and walked away.

“We can talk to Mary,” said Allen with a sigh.

“You want to ask the woman he spent the night with last night?” asked Grady.

“What?” asked Allen.

“Dani saw him leaving her house this morning,” said Grady. “Early enough that he probably spent the night there last night.”

“And that’s who told him about Marci,” said Allen with a sigh. “Kurt?”

“Look, Allen, it can wait, okay?” said Grady. “This doesn’t need to be done today and our temporary removal orders are posted in the appropriate places.”

“It’s part of the process,” said Allen.

“It’s a part that can wait,” said Grady. “You know I’m right.”

“Okay, we can wait a day or so,” said Allen with a sigh. “But the tribunal is in two or three days.”

“That fast?” asked Grady.

“We wanted a quick justice system,” said Allen. “I don’t think Ben ever imagined himself as the test subject for that.”

“Probably not,” said Grady as they departed.

********************
​

“Tasha? I need to talk to you,” said Rachelle over the communicator after she had thought about what was going on and getting extremely frightened of the things that were unfolding. “Like right now.”

“I’m out on the perimeter,” said Tasha. “I can’t break loose for at least an hour.”

“Remember that conversation we had with Mary a couple of weeks ago at your house?” asked Rachelle. “The Ben thing?”

“Yeah, of course,” said Tasha. “What are you saying?”

“It’s starting,” said Rachelle. “Ben is under house arrest.”

 

CHAPTER 17


“I’m the advocate for Commander Nash,” said Cyrus as he walked up to the guard outside Ben’s house in the late morning. “I should be expected?”

“You’re on the list,” said the guard as he knocked on the door. Logan Jefferson answered it and saw the guard outside nod. Cyrus headed in and saw Ben quietly reading an older book.

“Is it visitation day already? Did you bring me a shiv and a spoon to dig my way out?” asked Ben with a sigh.

“I see your sense of humor isn’t affected,” said Cyrus. “Mister Jefferson, you can wait outside.”

“I was told to keep an eye on him,” said Logan.

“And what we are about to talk about is advocate-client sensitive to which your ears cannot listen,” said Cyrus. “Call Grady or Allen Smith if you have questions.”

Logan removed the communicator from his belt and called Allen directly and was told “yes, Cyrus Hendrix is allowed to be in the house with Mister Nash by himself and you can wait outside.” Logan went out the door, closing it softly behind him.

“Formality first, you accept me as your advocate?” asked Cyrus.

“I get a choice in the matter?” asked Ben.

“You do,” said Cyrus. “If course, that would be fairly insulting knowing I’ve never lost a case for any of my clients.”

“None?” asked Ben.

“Well, two were dismissed on technicalities,” said Cyrus. “One decided to change his statement and the other did the deed he was accused of after he had already been charged.”

“Two out of?” asked Ben.

“37,” said Cyrus. “So, you pick whomever you want, but I think you stand a good chance of beating this thing if you stick with me, kid.”

“Cyrus, I’m not guilty of what they claim,” said Ben.

“I don’t think you are,” said Cyrus. “Regardless, we have the allegation and we have to proceed as if you are going to trial. Which you are.”

“Excuse me?” asked Ben.

“Three days from now,” said Cyrus. “We wanted a quick path to justice as we all agreed on.”

“That seems a little faster than most,” said Ben.

“Interviews are being conducted at the moment,” said Cyrus. “But the baseline allegation has supporting evidence to it.”

“Except I didn’t do it!” exclaimed Ben.

“Don’t have to convince me, I already know you aren’t guilty,” said Cyrus.

“At least someone does,” said Ben with a sigh.

“Okay, walk me through what happened that night,” said Cyrus. Ben spent the better part of ten minutes detailing exactly what happened that evening and into the next morning. Cyrus didn’t take notes and just nodded at everything that was said before Ben finished it up.

“So, you didn’t run into Marci Dubose at midnight?” asked Cyrus.

“Couldn’t even tell you where she was,” said Ben.

“And you were with Sergeant Zoe Kent?” asked Cyrus as he looked up her status on the newly created tracker system.

“Yes, sir, I was,” said Ben.

“Apparently, it’s going to be hard to talk to her,” said Cyrus. “She’s with the mission to the other continent. Left early this morning.”

“Oh, great,” said Ben with a sigh.

“She also provided a statement,” said Cyrus as he brought it up on a tablet. “Nothing in here about seeing you after she got done.”

“For the reasons I stated,” said Ben.

“You understand she has a sworn statement?” asked Cyrus.

“She can confirm where I was all night,” said Ben.

“Which will contradict her statement to the matter already,” said Cyrus.

“It clears me, Cy,” said Ben.

“Maybe,” said Cyrus as he thought over the matter. “Still though, that’ll be like a tiger going after raw meat for the prosecution.”

“Explain,” said Ben.

“Basically, it’s going to look like she changed her story to get you out of this,” said Cyrus. “Any prosecution worth their salt would eat that up.”

“So?” asked Ben.

“So… let me think on it,” said Cyrus.

“You understand she could clear me almost immediately,” said Ben.

“Possibly,” said Cyrus. “Look, if we pull her back from this trip and have her give a deposition, it could turn into a mess. Let’s see what we can do without it for the moment, okay?”

“I’m not thinking you have my best interests at heart here,” said Ben with a look.

“I only have your interests at heart here,” said Cyrus. “I chose to represent you without prejudice and to the utmost of my abilities. That’s what I’m going to do.”

“Without calling in a witness who could clear me?” asked Ben.

“Well, maybe,” said Cyrus. “Point being, she’s in Security and those guys love you. This could very easily look like a convenient story baked up to get you in the clear.”

“That’s what Allen said,” said Ben crossly.

“Well, he’s not wrong,” said Cyrus. “Again, let’s focus on something else.”

“Like?” asked Ben.

“Well, sometimes a good case isn’t as much about proving you right, but proving the so called witness or complainant wrong,” said Cyrus.

“So, we prove Marci is lying?” asked Ben.

“Exactly,” said Cyrus with a wry smile.

“Easy, just tell her that,” said Ben.

“Doesn’t work that way,” said Cyrus. “Okay, first thing we’re not going to do is have you fill out a written statement.”

“Don’t I need to do one to get my story on record?” asked Ben.

“Not necessarily,” said Cyrus. “Basically, I can just toss you on the stand for a cross examination and leave the prosecution in the dark as to what you’re going to say. So, he’ll have to prepare for a far wider range of questions than what he could find in your statement.”

“So, my story doesn’t get told?” asked Ben.

“No, we tell your story on the witness stand,” said Cyrus. “Less to take apart that way.”

“I see,” said Ben. “Who is the prosecution anyway?”

“Doctor Cameron Meeker from Science,” said Cyrus. “I wouldn’t worry.”

“I don’t know him that well,” said Ben. “Javier thinks highly of him.”

“Well, he’s sharp, sure,” said Cyrus. “But not quite up to my level.”

“What makes him so sharp?” asked Ben.

“Because he has a law degree?” asked Cyrus with a grin.

********************
​

“You understand the situation here and are comfortable with prosecuting someone who might end up being your boss again?” asked Allen.

“Of course,” said Doctor Cameron Meeker with a shrug of his shoulders. “It’s nothing personal, obviously, but the law is the law no matter how new it is.”

“You got your law degree, but became a scientist?” asked Allen. “How does that work?”

“I originally thought I wanted to be one of the corporate lawyers, like contract stuff, patent protection, things like that,” said Cameron. “But right before my final semester in law school, I did an internship with a private company and saw how exciting the science field could be especially with all the exploration we were doing. I still had some scholarship money, so I plowed on ahead with my doctorate in exo-botany and went to work for Stanford.”

“Really?” asked Allen. “Never finished law school even though you were a semester away?”

“No, I completed it after I got my job,” said Cameron. “Just never took the bar. However, it’s kind of there as a backup if I never needed it. Not that we need it here.”

“Kind of need it now,” said Allen. “You’ve read through the charges?”

“I honestly did not think he was capable of such a thing,” said Cameron.

“I thought that’s what a prosecutor was supposed to prove,” said Allen.

“Well, yes,” said Cameron. “I mean, I just…”

“Just?” asked Allen.

“Let’s face it, Marci just isn’t the most desirable woman in the world and there were plenty of others around that might have caught his attention instead,” said Cameron.

“Well, there’s no accounting for taste,” said Allen.

“The evidence is pretty damning though,” said Cameron as he looked through the information. “No statement from Commander Nash yet?”

“His advocate is speaking to him right now,” said Allen. “Truth is, I’ve been lucky in my career to have never had to investigate or try such a thing.”

“I hope he doesn’t pull that cheap lawyer trick of convincing Commander Nash not to provide a written statement and makes me go after him on the stand,” said Cameron.

“Why is that a bad thing?” asked Allen.

“Because it takes longer and the whole trial gets messy,” said Cameron.

“For the record, we’re calling them tribunals,” said Allen.

“Seems very banana republic sounding to me,” said Cameron.

“Well, new planet with new way of doing things including a justice system,” said Allen.

“True,” said Cameron. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

“Very well,” said Allen. “Tribunal is in two or three days depending on how quick we can get a judge picked.”

“How will that be done?” asked Cameron.

“It’ll be one of the Directors,” said Allen. “I have to recuse myself since I have the most to gain from a guilty verdict. Other Directors will obviously need to recuse themselves or withdraw upon request.”

“Leaving?” asked Cameron.

“A Director that both you and the defense agree on,” said Allen. “All section heads will be on the table, but we’ll let you two work that out.”

“And I get somewhat free reign to question Commander Nash prior to the trial?” asked Cameron. “I mean, the tribunal?”

“Only if his defense counsel allows it,” said Allen. “We’re putting the freedom from self-incrimination thing up front in our legal proceedings.”

“So, he doesn’t have to provide a statement if he doesn’t want,” said Cameron with a sigh.

“I think that’s best for our new judicial system, right?” asked Allen. “Just take a case we just finished up. The suspect there came clean with a full statement and confession.”

“I didn’t hear about that,” said Cameron.

“Well, it just happened yesterday,” said Allen.

“May I ask who and what?” asked Cameron.

“The what was a theft and use of a controlled medical substance on Commander Nash,” said Allen with a wry grin. “The who is the complainant and who ends up being your lead witness.”

“Oh, can’t make this any more complicated, can you?” asked Cameron with a sigh.

********************
​

Ben was busy fixing himself and his guard lunch. Since the guards had been put in place quickly, no plans had been made to relieve them to eat. Ben decided to feed them himself since he had the ability to do so and fixed something simple for the guards outside while he fixed his own and Logan’s. His kitchen was relatively stocked and Logan sat at the kitchen table watching him prepare the food.

“I’ve forgotten which area specifically you work in,” said Ben as he portioned out the sandwich meats onto a hoagie bun.

“Structures and electrical,” said Logan. “But I’m also kind of a back up for heavy equipment.”

“Oh?” asked Ben.

“I met you once, you know?” asked Logan.

“Did you?” asked Ben as he brought over the sandwiches and chips.

“Construction project on Fort Reese,” said Logan.

“There always seemed to be construction going on,” said Ben.

“During the Battle of Reese,” said Logan as he started eating.

“When the rebels attacked,” said Ben with a knowing smile.

“Long story short, my company got pinned down and our escort got taken out,” said Logan. “Your unit came in and hit them from behind and saved us.”

“That wasn’t a pretty fight,” said Ben. “The rebels tended to fight pretty dirty.”

“I think you fought dirtier,” said Logan and caught himself. “I mean, just that your tactics and lack of rules helped you in the end.”

“We play by rules,” said Ben. “Just our own rules and not anyone else’s.”

“I never thought of it that way,” said Logan. “That was the first and last time I got into a fight like that until the Raptors attacked.”

“Well, let’s hope it won’t come to that again,” said Ben.

“No, sir, hopefully not,” said Logan.

“So, former military?” asked Ben.

“Civilian contractor,” said Logan between bites. “That was the only time I worked on a military base before coming here.”

“This isn’t really a military base,” said Ben.

“Built a lot better than most military bases,” said Logan. “I’m glad I got the chance to come.”

“How did that happen anyway?” asked Ben as they continued talking and finished up lunch. Ben put the plates in the dishwasher as Logan finished his drink and a knock at the door was heard once again. Ben saw it was the guard outside and had Mary and Charlotte Griggs with him.

“Medical for Commander Nash?” asked the guard outside.

“They aren’t on the list,” said Logan.

“I have to perform a complete workup on Commander Nash prior to the trial and technically prior to him going into custody,” said Mary as she and Charlotte swept in. “Technically, you’re already in violation of Novae Spes Code by not having it performed on him.”

“Ma’am, I didn’t know anything about it,” said Logan.

“It’ll only take a minute,” said Charlotte sweetly as she smiled at him. “I mean, my boss got really mad at me earlier for not doing it.”

“I’m sorry about that,” said Logan. “Go ahead.”

“We’ll need some privacy for that,” said Charlotte again as her blue eyes turned soft. “Maybe you could wait outside?”

“I’m not supposed to leave him by himself,” said Logan.

“Please?” asked Charlotte sweetly. “We won’t be more than a jiff.”

“I could get into trouble,” said Logan. “How long?”

“Maybe like fifteen minutes or so?” said Charlotte as she batted her eyes. “We won’t be any trouble at all, I promise. I mean, you wouldn’t want me getting into trouble again, right?”

“No, of course not,” said Logan. “It’s procedure?”

“Yeah,” said Charlotte with a sweet smile. “Please, just a few minutes and we’ll be gone.”

Ben had to turn away as Mary noticed he was biting his lower lip trying not to laugh as Charlotte had the younger man eating out of her hand right then. Mary just shook her head slightly and a slight smile crossed her face.

“I shouldn’t,” said Logan and saw Charlotte looking pitiful then. “But… okay.”

“Aw, you’re a sweetie,” said Charlotte as she took him by the hand and guided him to the door. “Now, I promise I’ll make it up to you somehow, okay?”

“Okay,” said Logan with a grin as he went outside the door and Charlotte closed it behind him with another smile at him. Once the door was closed, she shook her head slightly and gave Mary a grin. “You know, there’s an old Earth saying about honey and bears?”

“I can see why Nick does anything you ask,” chuckled Ben.

“I don’t ask Nick,” said Charlotte. “He does what I tell him because I’m his wife.”

“Of course,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“You soldiers are all the same,” said Charlotte. “You may think you’re the baddest in the galaxy, but you know better than to tangle with CINC-House.”

“Absolutely not,” sighed Ben with a shake of his head.

“He’s already trained up, Mary,” said Charlotte with a grin.

“Anyway, I don’t ever recall signing off on prisoner procedures especially given the fact we’ve never had prisoners before,” said Ben.

“Oh, I might have written such things up and accidentally left them on your desk,” said Mary as she actually did start a quick evaluation.

“And such things would be policy until I denied them,” chuckled Ben as Mary took his hands and looked them over.

“Didn’t think so,” said Charlotte.

“Lift your shirt,” said Mary.

“Really?” asked Ben.

“I’m not going to be nice like Charlotte and bat my eyes at you,” said Mary with an annoyed look. “Now lift up your shirt and show her your trim stomach.”

Ben lifted his shirt without question as Charlotte took several pictures of his hands, his chest as well as having him lift his pants legs and taking pictures of his shins.

“Clean as a whistle,” said Mary. “How are you holding up?”

“Well, I’m being held prisoner in my house,” said Ben crossly.

“Everyone is aware at this point,” said Mary.

“I heard Rachelle outside yelling about something earlier,” said Ben.

“She made sure those that needed to know now know,” said Mary. “Charlotte, give us the room for a minute, please.”

Charlotte headed into the spare bedroom as Mary looked at Ben. “Talk me through what happened and why you are here.”

Ben spent a minute detailing exactly what happened that morning as well as his visit from Cyrus.

“Cyrus is your advocate?” asked Mary.

“Yeah,” said Ben.

“Even though he owes a lot to Allen?” asked Mary. “They were together for seven years.”

“That thought crossed my mind,” said Ben.

“Fine, I’m getting someone else assigned to your case to keep an eye on him,” said Mary.

“Who?” asked Ben.

“Charity,” said Mary.

“Speaking of people who owe Allen practically everything,” said Ben.

“She was appalled when she heard about this,” said Mary. “Trust me, she’s on your side.”

“I’m not sure sides need to be drawn up,” said Ben.

“Ben, we think this goes back to when Tasha got those pictures of Chuck and I,” said Mary. “We think someone is setting the both of you up.”

“Allen did mention he had to threaten Tasha,” said Ben thoughtfully. “But why?”

“We think Allen has plans to depose you and install himself as the leader,” said Mary.

“Which he easily could have done by shooting me in the head this morning,” said Ben.

“Too many questions with that,” said Mary. “If he discredits you and maybe Tasha, he installs himself as leader far easier.”

“He really didn’t want to talk to that person I spent the night with,” said Ben thoughtfully.

“What about Cyrus?” asked Mary.

“He said he’d look into it,” said Ben. “I’m not sure I feel comfortable with Charity at this point.”

“Fine, Kate Barnes will do nicely,” said Mary. “I want someone I trust helping you.”

“That’s fine,” said Ben. “Whatever you feel is best.”

“Charlotte is right,” said Mary with a brief smile. “You are well trained.”

“I try to be,” chuckled Ben as Mary collected Charlotte.

“I brought you some goodies,” said Charlotte as she brought out a batch of her peanut butter fudge and handed it over.

“Oh?” asked Ben as he looked in the container. “Peanut butter fudge?”

“I made a double batch,” said Charlotte. “Jerome Irwin got half because he’s a swindler.”

“I probably don’t want to know,” said Ben.

“He helped us more than you know,” said Mary. “Anyway, I think that young man is going to be getting suspicious if we take much longer. Do you need anything else?”

“To wake up and find this is all a bad dream?” asked Ben.

“Don’t worry,” said Mary. “We are going to take care of you.”

“Thank you,” said Ben as he shook Charlotte’s hand and turned to Mary. She didn’t hesitate before taking him into a hug and squeezing his neck gently.

“We’ll be in touch,” said Mary as she and Charlotte headed for the door. Logan smiled at Charlotte as they exited and received a grin in return as he headed back inside.

“Everything go okay, sir?” asked Logan.

“Oh, it just went great,” said Ben with a chuckle. “Want a piece of fudge?”

“Where did you get peanut butter fudge?” he asked as he looked in the container and took a piece before biting off a small piece of the corner.

“Doctor Griggs brought it for me,” said Ben. “Aren’t prisoners allowed treats?”

“Nothing that says you can’t,” said Logan. “Doctor Griggs is nice.”

“Her husband thinks so,” said Ben. Logan looked at him with his mouth full of the fudge as he chewed and swallowed it. Ben retrieved a glass of water for him as he cleared his mouth.

“She just flirted me up to get them in here alone with you, didn’t she?” asked Logan.

“She did,” said Ben. “Of course, you didn’t have to allow her in which could cause you trouble in the long run if anyone found out. Plus, you’re eating the contraband she brought.”

“Yeah,” said Logan with a sigh. “Let’s keep that between us, okay?”

“Of course,” said Ben with a knowing smile. He passed the afternoon reading a book as the guard changed and Antonio Romero came in to relieve Logan Jefferson and offered to feed him as well as the piece of fudge.

“You want a piece of peanut butter fudge Charlotte Griggs made up?” asked Ben.

“I love peanut butter fudge,” said Antonio. “I probably shouldn’t.”

“I’ve got way more here than I’ll ever eat,” said Ben as he opened the container and put it in front of Antonio.

“One piece won’t hurt,” said Antonio and bit into it. “Wow, that’s good.”

“I hope you like it,” said Ben as he settled in for the evening. Eventually, another knock at the door was heard as Antonio answered the door and found Doctor Kate Barnes standing outside with the relief guard.

“Another advocate to see the Commander?” asked the exterior guard.

“I didn’t hear anything about that,” said Antonio.

“I was expecting her,” said Ben.

“Oh, okay,” said Antonio as he allowed her in and she had nothing more than a simple folder with her and went to the dining room table.

“Commander, I have a form that authorizes you to put me on your defense team,” said Kate.

“And what qualifications do you have?” asked Ben.

“Lead member of the Georgetown Parliamentary Debate Team?” asked Kate.

“I think that’ll do,” said Ben as he signed the form. “You going to get with Cyrus?”

“He’s my next stop,” said Kate. “I want you to prepare a written statement, okay?”

“Cyrus advised against that,” said Ben.

“For my own records,” said Kate.

“I’d prefer not to,” said Ben. “Anything written can be taken into evidence, right?”

“I’m not sure,” said Kate. “We’ll hold off for the moment until I talk to Cyrus.”

“I’ll be anxiously awaiting,” said Ben.

“Do you need anything?” asked Kate as she finished what she came there for and needed to get briefed by Cyrus.

“Shovel to dig my way out,” said Ben. “Oh, and chloroform to disable the guard before digging my way out.”

He could see Antonio open his eyes a bit wider from the corner of his eye.

“That’s quite an old drug,” said Kate as she played along. “We have better ones you could put into his food or water.”

“Oh, I’m aware of them,” said Ben. “Charlotte Griggs might have given me some peanut butter fudge already laced with a knock out agent. I just was thinking something a little quicker.”

Ben noticed Antonio was thinking of the fact he had been given a piece of the fudge earlier by Ben as he stared at the container suspiciously. Kate had to bite her lip as he suspected Ben had fed a piece of it to Antonio.

“Well, then, I guess I’ll see you later?” she managed to say as she was leaving.

“Hopefully sooner rather than later,” said Ben with a wink as he saw her bite her lower lip again and left before she broke down. As he closed the door, Antonio was looking at him with his eyes wide open.

“Uh, sir?” asked Antonio.

“Yes, Mister Romano?” asked Ben.

“Did you say Doctor Griggs made the fudge?” he asked nervously.

“She sure did,” said Ben.

“I see,” said Antonio as he thought about the piece he consumed.

“I mean, you didn’t see me eating it, right?” asked Ben. Antonio’s eyes got a little wider open at the realization he hadn’t seen Ben eating any of it. Ben headed back to the couch where he continued reading as he let about two minutes pass in dead silence before breaking the news.

“Antonio?” asked Ben.

“Um, yes, sir?” asked Antonio softly.

“Little tasteless joke at your expense,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“You mean the fudge isn’t spiked?” asked Antonio.

“No,” chuckled Ben. “We need you healthy to take care of that wife of yours. And honestly, I don’t like peanut butter fudge, so I’ll probably feed you more of it.”

“You aren’t lying?” asked Antonio.

“No,” said Ben with a grin. “I mean, I don’t think she would do such a thing.”

“I really hope not,” said Antonio as he looked suspiciously at the container.

“Well, at least you’ll have a good alibi if you happen to pass out during the night,” said Ben. “Speaking of, I think I’m going to call it an evening and grab a shower.”

“Uh, right, sir,” said Antonio.

********************
​

“Sorry for the lateness of the meeting,” said Allen as he gathered the Directors in the conference room of the headquarters building. Also in attendance were Cameron Meeker, Kate Barnes, Mark Bennett and Cyrus.

“I think we have some other things to discuss as leadership before we do whatever you have planned,” said Tasha as she looked at Meeker.

“Afterwards, I’ll allow you time to discuss it with me personally,” said Allen. “But we have to pick a judge for the tribunal and it will be a Director unless we can’t find a suitable one both the prosecution and defense agree on.”

“Seeing as I will be the final authority on the judicial matter, I have to recuse myself,” said Allen. “Are there any other Directors that would like to recuse themselves up front?”

“I would,” said Grady. “The lead defense advocate is technically my subordinate even though we tend to work side by side.”

“No objections,” said Cameron.

“None here,” said Cyrus.

“Anyone else?” asked Allen as he looked at Tasha. Seeing she wasn’t going to budge, he decided to make the decision for her.

“Major Hayden, due to your close personal relationship and years of service with the accused, I’m withdrawing your name from consideration,” said Allen.

Tasha did little more than nod her head at Allen acknowledging the dismissal.

“On the same token, I would object to Doctor Blevins,” said Cameron. “She may have had a personal relationship with the accused as well as her potential bias against our lead witness with the theft of the drug from her pharmacy.”

“Defense?” asked Allen.

“Defense will not object to that,” said Cyrus.

“I will recuse myself,” said Javier. “Due to the timing of the personal conflict with the accused a couple of days ago, I feel like my objectivity could be questioned and the lead prosecutor is my subordinate. I withdraw from consideration.”

“Noted,” said Allen. “Leaving Director Rachelle Marchand and Doctor Kurt Sweeney.”

“I would object to Director Marchand,” said Cameron. “Like Major Hayden, she’s formed a close personal relationship with the accused and I would question her objectivity as well as being partial to the accused.”

“I would be objective!” protested Rachelle.

“Can you set aside your personal feelings of friendship with the accused in order to judge fairly even if the evidence is overwhelmingly against Commander Nash?” asked Allen.

“I…” started Rachelle and stopped with a sigh. “I will recuse myself.”

“So, by default we have Doctor Sweeney unless the defense and prosecution have objections and we can move on to Assistant Directors,” said Allen.

“No objections to Doctor Sweeney,” said Cyrus.

“None from me either,” said Cameron.

“Doctor Sweeney, do you feel you can objectively hear the tribunal as well as being fair and impartial in your application of justice?” asked Allen.

“I can,” said Kurt.

“I’ll have Mark Bennet discuss the finer points of what will be required of you,” said Allen. “Additionally, I’m assigning him as your chief advisor for lack of a better term during the tribunal so he can assist with the procedures and whatnot.”

“I understand,” said Kurt with a nod and nodded at Mark.

“If there’s nothing else, everyone is released,” said Allen.

“I thought we were going to discuss the house arrest and other items pertaining to everyone in this room,” said Tasha.

“I told you we can speak privately on that matter,” said Allen. “You will have my undivided attention outside of this meeting.”

“Yes, Acting Commander,” said Tasha as a dark look came over her face.

“Otherwise, no sense in holding everyone else up tonight,” said Allen. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.”

The Directors shuffled out as a neutral expression came over Tasha’s face as she departed.

“Major? You don’t want to speak?” asked Allen.

“I’d rather get my thoughts in order first,” said Tasha without emotion.

“I’ll be available when you need me,” said Allen. Tasha headed out of the room and found Rachelle and Mary waiting for her in the hallway. Tasha motioned outside of the facility as she walked with a purpose outside.

“Did he say anything?” asked Rachelle.

“Only that he would be available if I needed him,” said Tasha.

“Kurt is a good man,” said Mary.

“Kurt is a good man, but it doesn’t matter,” said Tasha.

“Why not?” asked Rachelle.

“Because there isn’t going to be any tribunal,” said Tasha. “Ben is being set up by Allen and I’m getting him out of here.”

 

CHAPTER 18


“So, what’s in store for today?” asked Ben as Cyrus came over first thing in the morning. The guards were a bit more wary of visitors at this point except Cyrus had already been over once.

“Field trip,” said Cyrus. “I’ve got Kate running down some information.”

“Field trip where?” asked Ben.

“Hospital first to get your body photographed,” said Cyrus.

“Mary did something similar yesterday,” said Ben.

“Ah, I didn’t know that,” said Cyrus. “Easy enough to get her report. Next will be to security.”

“And why are we stopping there?” asked Ben.

“Fitness and Strength test,” said Cyrus.

“Cyrus, you need to start being a little more forthcoming about why I’m doing these things,” said Ben. “Including the pictures.”

Cyrus explained for several minutes what his game plan was as Ben nodded as each point was discussed. Ben saw the logic in his argument as he nodded approval.

“So, you see, it’s not as much as proving you right, it’s about proving her wrong as I said before,” said Cyrus. “I saw her statement and trust me, her story will be easy to poke holes in.”

“Anything back on the other party?” asked Ben.

“Out of communication at the moment,” said Cyrus. “It’s still on my mind, Ben.”

“Just that it isn’t far,” said Ben.

“Have a little faith,” said Cyrus. “You want to change out of your uniform?”

“I get to wear PT clothing for this?” asked Ben.

“You aren’t in the Army any longer,” said Cyrus with a grin. “Trust me, the better you score, the better my case will be.”

“I’ll try my best,” said Ben as he headed upstairs to change.

“I’m escorting the Commander out,” said Cyrus to Logan as he showed him the letter printed by Allen approving Cyrus to escort him around.

“I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on him,” said Logan.

“You are more than welcome to come with us,” said Cyrus. “Regardless, you’ll need to be out of the man’s house while he’s gone.”

“Of course,” said Logan as Ben returned having changed into PT gear. Cyrus got a good look at his arms and legs and saw what he needed to see, but would also need the pictures from Mary. He sent a text explaining why he needed them and was assured he would get copies via Kate. Anton Sokolov met up with them at the outdoor running track where he went through the procedures for the tests he would be conducting that day. Ben was highly familiar with the criteria as Tasha had adopted the North American Army testing criteria for the units on Novae Spes. Ben easily maxed out the pushup, pullup and sit-up portion of the tests and ran the three kilometer test in just a shade under 15 minutes.

“Not bad, former Colonel,” said Anton as he recorded the stats and pulled a measuring tape and Ben lifted his t-shirt. “This is the extra credit as you Americans like to say… 89 centimeters.”

“So?” asked Ben.

“Score of 350,” said Anton. “Perfect score on the fitness.”

“Nice to know my streak isn’t broken,” said Ben.

“On to the strength testing,” said Anton as they headed into the gym. Several people saw Ben and looked at him curiously as word had spread rapidly about the charges, but most maintained a neutral expression save Randy Whitaker who gave him a polite nod. Ben set up on a machine that would determine the minimum and maximum amount of weight his legs and arms could handle before moving to the proper machines as Anton adjusted the weight. There were five different stations for the strength portion as Ben scored exceptionally well in each of the tests.

“I’m glad I’ve kept myself working since being here,” said Ben as he finished and was handed a towel by Cyrus.

“Well, 30 points per exercise and you scored top in each,” said Anton. “Final score of 500.”

“I’ll take that,” said Ben as he looked over the weight limits he had lifted, pushed, pulled, curled and squatted. “Upper 90%?”

“Yes, sir,” said Anton. “Not bad for an older gentleman like yourself.”

“Apparently not,” chuckled Ben.

“Can you send me those results when you get them recorded?” asked Cyrus.

“Of course,” said Anton.

“Okay, ready to head home?” asked Cyrus.

“Don’t I get like conjugal visits or something?” asked Ben.

“If you’re asking me, you certainly are barking up the wrong tree,” said Cyrus with a laugh and was glad to see Ben was in a better frame of mind. A fact he mentioned.

“I’ve accepted the fact this is going through,” said Ben with a sigh. “Difference is, I’m not happy about it and want to know some things.”

“Such as?” asked Cyrus.

“When she made the claim?” asked Ben.

“I believe it was connected to her theft case,” said Cyrus. “Doesn’t matter though.”

“I mean, it would matter if we were still on the island,” said Ben.

“Maybe it would, maybe not,” said Cyrus as Kate Barnes came up to them. “Let’s focus on your side of things, okay? Let me worry about one Marci Dubose.”

“Medical evaluation report, last physical and the data you requested is still running,” said Kate.

“How many cases?” asked Cyrus.

“I managed to get about 200 or so,” said Kate.

“Cases?” asked Ben.

“Case files on similar reports of assault,” said Cyrus. “Just doing my advocate thing. Cap that at 300, Kate. If the prosecution wants a better sample, make them do the work.”

“Yes, sir,” said Kate. “I’ll see if the list is complete.”

“Let’s head on home,” said Cyrus. “Did you request her?”

“You want the honest truth?” asked Ben.

“I don’t have feelings to hurt,” said Cyrus.

“Mary doesn’t trust you and wanted me to have someone she was comfortable with on the case,” said Ben. “Kate volunteered and I figured you could use the help.”

“You don’t trust me either,” said Cyrus.

“You worked for Allen for over seven years,” said Ben. “Don’t act like that’s a surprise.”

“I did work for Allen, but right now I work for you,” said Cyrus.

“So does Kate right now,” said Ben.

“Well, I can use the help,” said Cyrus. “Okay, tribunal is day after tomorrow.”

“That quick?” asked Ben.

“It’s a fairly clear cut case,” said Cyrus. “Trust me, you would prefer fast to slow on this one.”

“I guess,” said Ben as they arrived home and Ben headed back inside. “What now?”

“Relax, take a nap, you probably need a shower too,” said Cyrus with shrugged shoulders. “Do whatever it is you do when you aren’t at work.”

“Dance?” asked Ben with a slight smile.

“Logan, you get the best dancer in the colony,” said Cyrus.

“Yeah, about that, Chief,” said Logan with a look. Ben headed inside and showered before changing into jeans and a t-shirt. He didn’t feel like wearing shorts that evening as the guard changes and Antonio Romero came back over for the evening duty again. Ben was pleasant to him and even fed him dinner along with the other two guards outside. He dropped back into his mode of reading before he checked the time and gave a quick sigh.

“Well, Antonio, I’m heading for a shower and bed,” said Ben as he informed his “shadow” as he had taken to calling them.

“Okay, sir, good night,” said Antonio Romano.

“If you get hungry, there’s some stuff in the fridge,” said Ben.

“Thank you, sir,” said Antonio.

“And you can take some of that peanut butter fudge home to Sue,” said Ben. “I figure she could use something sweet.”

“She’s vacuuming up anything put in front of her right now,” chuckled Antonio.

“Pregnant women will do that,” chuckled Ben. “Night.”

“Night, sir,” said Antonio as Ben headed upstairs. He went into the bathroom and started the shower without looking inside and saw Kendrick Whitaker pop out after getting wet from the stream and looking angry.

“I wondered when you were going to pay me a visit,” said Ben with a half a smile and a complete lack of surprise.

“You knew I was in there, didn’t you, you bastard?” asked Kendrick in a soft voice as he looked for a towel.

“You made enough noise coming in that even that kid could hear you,” said Ben.

“Oh, that was not me; I’m stealthy like a cat,” said Kendrick. “The noise was the stampeding elephant herd imitation that Lieutenant Griggs was performing on the way in.”

“I hope he isn’t in the shower still,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“In your bedroom in the closet where I should have been,” said Kendrick with a frown as he wiped at his pants. “I hate you; you bastard.”

“Is that why you came to visit? Just because you missed my bad practical jokes?” asked Ben. “Speaking of, why did you bring young Nick Griggs with you?”

“You need to talk to Tasha,” said Kendrick. “I’m afraid she’s about to go do something fairly rash and not entirely well thought out over you.”

“Oh?” asked Ben as he put in his teeth cleaner.

“I’m pretty sure she’s planning a jailbreak,” said Kendrick. “Or worse.”

“She hasn’t included you in those plans?” asked Ben around the device and spit some of the toothpaste out.

“No, and it’s kind of depressing,” said Kendrick with a grin. “I haven’t busted anyone out of jail in a long time.”

“And you think I can stop her?” asked Ben.

“You’re the only one that can stop her,” said Kendrick.

“So, why is Nick hiding in my closet?” asked Ben.

“Close enough in size to you in case that young engineer down there gets wise and actually checks to see if you’re in bed like you’re supposed to be,” said Kendrick. “Look, I’m perfectly happy seeing her break you out and I certainly will jump in and help with the planning.”

“Why didn’t you?” asked Ben.

“Because I know you are staying here for a reason,” said Kendrick. “Those three so called guards are not going to deter you from leaving if you took a mind to.”

“They would not,” confirmed Ben.

“So, the only other explanation is you want this to go down,” said Kendrick.

“I have this feeling something is up,” said Ben. “Can’t tell you what or how, but Cyrus has something up his sleeve he isn’t telling me.”

“Ever think he’s part of the crew that’s out to get you?” asked Kendrick.

“Well, Sergeant Major, that would imply both paranoia and a conspiracy,” said Ben as he finished cleaning his teeth and removed the device. “Both of which are bad things and I am leaning towards the former.”

“I don’t ever recall you being paranoid,” said Kendrick as Ben washed his mouth out and used some of the new mouthwash they had produced from the alcohol still.

“Cyrus owes a whole lot to Allen,” said Ben as he spit out the mouthwash and rinsed his mouth with water. “It was suspicious he joined up as quick as he did and the fact Allen picked him.”

“You’re thinking he doesn’t have your best interests at heart here?” asked Kendrick.

“Not sure,” said Ben as they headed towards the bedroom. “Again, he’s playing his cards close to the vest.”

“Um, sir? Everything okay up there?” asked Antonio from the base of the stairs.

“Just talking to myself,” said Ben down the stairs. “I do that when I’m organizing my thoughts.”

“Uh, okay, sir,” said Antonio in a confused tone. He was suspicious and headed upstairs where he found Ben still chatting to himself while looking over a page of notes.

“Can I help you?” asked Ben.

“Uh, just checking, sir,” said Antonio. “Good night.”

“Good night,” said Ben as he heard Antonio head back down the stairs as Nick Griggs and Kendrick came out of the closet. Kendrick pointed at the bed and nodded his head at Nick who immediately doffed his boots and uniform top before hopping in. Kendrick showed Ben the window they came in as Ben slipped on a long sleeve shirt and boots before following Kendrick out. It wasn’t a far drop as Ben saw Kendrick had brought a rope which they both shimmied down and headed out of the neighborhood between the houses.

“Okay, where are they?” asked Ben after they were clear of the guard at the rear of the house.

“I’m not sure,” said Kendrick as he called the Command Center.

“Good evening, Sergeant Major,” said Staff Sergeant Jodi Walker.

“Good evening, Sergeant,” said Kendrick. “Location on Major Hayden please?”

“I’m sorry, Sergeant Major, she’s got her locator turned off,” said Jodi as she could have swore she saw a glimpse of Ben in the camera momentarily.

“Location on Rachelle Marchand,” said Kendrick as he felt like she was the most obvious partner in crime Tasha would pick.

“SIT Building 7,” said Jodi as she brought it up.

“Thank you and have a good evening,” said Kendrick.

“You too, Sergeant Major,” said Jodi as Kendrick ended the call and wondered if she was seeing things. She made a note to ask the Sergeant Major the next time she saw him about it.

********************
​

“Okay, secured up to here, right?” asked Charity as she looked over the 3D sand table Tasha had playing. “Nothing past?”

“No need to,” said Tasha as she pointed. “It’s a clean run all the way to the gunship from there.”

“I’d feel more comfortable with a little extra security by the landing area,” said Rachelle.

“I agree,” said Charity.

“I’m trying to keep this close knit and use those guys to secure the possible chokepoints on the way to the landing area,” said Tasha.

“I’ve got four extra people I can get to help,” said Janet Carr with Agriculture. “We’ll take care of the landing zone.”

“Tasha, we need to know if your guys are in or out,” said Mary. “No waiting in the middle here to pick a winner.”

“Trying to straddle the fence doesn’t work out, Tasha,” said Charity.

“Trust me, they’ll be in,” said Tasha. “Regardless, we wait until he’s safe to pick up any additional forces and make the announcements.”

“Safe here or safe on the island?” asked Rachelle.

“The island would be better,” said Captain Anton Sokolov. “You’re good on the pilots, right?”

“They’ll all play ball,” said Charity. “The only three not in colony right now are Dylan Roy, Sammy Sutton and Sonya Griffith. They’ll jump on board when we ask.”

“I mentioned it to Dylan today,” said Ryan Kingston. “Not the thing we’re doing here, but rather the house arrest. He wasn’t too happy about it.”

“I doubt Pyro is either,” said Larissa Moody.

“Everything’s covered shuttle and gunship wise?” asked Tasha. “Supplies?”

“Loading up tomorrow morning for a run down under the guise of an expansion project,” said Rachelle. “They’ll come back and get reloaded minus the space for passengers and be ready when we kick this thing off.”

“We might be gone a long time,” said Tasha. “I hope you’re bringing the good stuff.”

“Something odd did happen today,” said Charity. “I’ll let Larissa explain.”

“Allen came and requested a gunship,” said Larissa. “Checked it out, took off and headed south. As soon as he went out of the atmosphere, he turned his beacon off.”

“That could mean a lot of things,” said Tasha. “He went south?”

“Eventually ended up at the island,” said Charity. “But he wiped the nav out when he returned.”

“How do you know he was at the island?” asked Mary.

“Because the fueling station we put up there sent a notification back it was in use and the gunship had only used enough fuel to fly from there to here,” said Larissa.

“Allen is a pilot?” asked Tasha.

“He’s rated as a pilot, but he never flies,” said Charity. “Honestly, he hates it.”

“He’s a strange cat then,” said Ryan with pursed lips.

“What was he doing on the island?” asked Tasha.

“I don’t know,” said Rachelle. “But the fact he flew there covertly and tried to hide it means something. I just don’t know what.”

“Then you might want to consider sending an extra team to the final landing zone,” suggested Ben from the shadows and startling nearly everyone. “You always want to secure both ends of your escape route when you can.”

“How in the hell did you get here?!” demanded Tasha.

“Major, you think he could break out without my help?” asked Kendrick as he walked out as well and joined Ben in looking over the plan. “Yeah, extra team there and I’m thinking here at the housing as well. Too exposed on the ex-fil.”

“Wait, he broke out on his own?” asked Rachelle. “We spent hours planning this for nothing?”

“You did spend a lot of time on this,” said Ben. “But really not as much as you should have.”

“Hell, he’s here, let’s strap his ass in Larissa’s gunship and go now,” said Charity.

“Or not,” said Ben.

“We’re not letting them put you on trial,” said Tasha. “Each and every one of us agreed we will not tolerate that and you’re coming with us.”

“I’m assuming Rachelle Island?” asked Ben. “Last time I was there caused me a bit of trouble.”

“Well, this time it’ll be different,” said Tasha.

“What are your numbers looking like?” asked Ben.

“I think we’ll get all of Security, at least three-quarters of SIT, half of Medical and at least a quarter or more from the other sections when it all goes down,” said Tasha.

“Obviously not everyone in Security,” said Ben as he motioned at Kendrick with his head.

“I’m almost offended you didn’t talk to me about this, Major,” said Kendrick.

“I was going to brief you tomorrow,” said Tasha. “I have plans for you here.”

“So, over half the colony goes rogue?” asked Ben before Kendrick could answer. “I’d assume Rachelle Island can handle the influx of so many people?”

“We’d have to make modifications,” said Rachelle guardedly.

“Modifications meaning it can’t handle the influx of so many people,” said Ben. “And what about those left behind here?”

“What do you mean?” asked Mary.

“I mean, people are going to need medical and doctors,” said Ben. “Someone’s going to have to keep the lights and water running. And for sure, they need to be able to sleep soundly in their beds knowing the best warriors in the galaxy are watching over them. Oh, and I’d assume we have aerial capacity for everyone that wants to go?”

“The others that want to go will meet us by the west end of the lake so we can get them in the next waves,” said Charity as she pointed to the spot on the table. “That’s what Tasha had planned for the Sergeant Major.”

“So, they get to trek across how many kilometers of open ground and wait for shuttles that may get shot at when they come back?” asked Ben. “Or they get shot at while trekking across said open ground?”

Ben saw them all looking downward at the situation and knew they hadn’t really planned it all that well, a fact Tasha had pointed out earlier, but was in a hurry to get Ben out she was willing to take less than ideal chances on the aftermath.

“And how does Mark feel about this?” asked Ben pointedly at Charity.

“I haven’t told him yet,” said Charity evasively.

“Or how does Antonio Romero with the Engineers feel about it since he has a wife in Security that’s going to pop out a kid in the near future?” asked Ben as he looked at Mary. “I’d assume we have the facilities ready to go for her if she goes into labor?”

Mary didn’t do anything but look at the map with a dejected look on her face.

“And speaking of children, I’d assume we have facilities strong enough to withstand storms in that location so we aren’t putting our kids at risk?” asked Ben as he looked at Todd Poe. Todd also averted his eyes as they hadn’t thought that one through either.

“Speaking of storms, nobody from Science was invited to this clubhouse?” asked Ben. Nobody answered as the main personnel they would have included were out of the colony at the moment.

“Didn’t really think this one all the way through, did we?” he asked the group collectively.

“We don’t want to see you on trial, okay?” asked Rachelle as her voice broke.

“I might have some say in all this, right?” he asked. “Unless you are forcing me to leave against my will.”

“No,” said Tasha with a sigh. “Then help us plan this!”

“Or you let things move forward,” said Ben.

“I’m not letting them go after you like this!” exclaimed Tasha.

“I’m not going to have you throw away everything like this,” he said with a shake of his head.

“I’m past the point of caring,” she said. “I’m way past the point of giving a damn what someone else thinks. I know you’re innocent, they all believe you are innocent and we’re finally taking action to end this mess that should have never been started.”

“I can’t have this, Tasha,” he said. “Not because of me."

“No,” she said adamantly as her voice broke.

“You asked for my advice on the plans, there it is,” he said with a shake of his head.

“My orders at the moment are to take you to a secure location and end this nonsense,” she stated. “Each and every person here is in agreeance.”

“I can’t have this,” said Ben. “I will not be the reason for the first Novae Spes civil war.”

“We believe in you,” said Tasha. “We fight for the justice you are being robbed of!”

“Tasha, I can’t,” he said. “I have to allow the system to work.”

“No, I’m not going to let you be a martyr and Novae Spes’ first legal guinea pig,” she stated.

“So, you feel kidnapping me, running off with half the colonists and resettling on an island that won’t support us as the best option?” he asked.

“I can’t let them do this to you,” said Tasha as he saw her eyes glaze over. “We won’t let them do this to you!”

“I really appreciate what each and every one of you are doing here tonight and I can’t tell you how much it means to me to have such support,” said Ben as he talked to the group. “But I am going to ask you to hold off on this.”

Soft murmurs and various people voiced “no” under their breath in the group.

“I see a group standing before me right now united in something they truly believe in. I see each one of you standing together for what you perceive as a wrong. I applaud that, I salute you for taking a stand, but this is not why we came to this planet.”

“When we stepped off those shuttles so long ago, we united to build a new society and continue our species. We didn’t do it as separate groups, we did it together. But in order to have a new society, we have to have laws. To have laws, we must hold each other accountable to those laws. Not only that, but sometimes we must try people against the law. That’s the society I desired to build when we got here.”

“When we arrived, we washed away the sins of our past and forged a new pact with ourselves. We remember our history as a guide to avoid the same mistakes we’ve made in the past. And we promised ourselves we would never fall back into the same actions that drove us here. That’s the pact we made with ourselves and with each other.”

“History is our guide, but tonight we are repeating the history our species has known for over 5,000 years. When you look back on this day, when our children and grandchildren look back on this day, what will they think? That our society was so weak we couldn’t stand united long enough to see something through to the end? That we avoided the law because we didn’t like what was happening? That we unified to force a resolution before everything played out?”

“If we do this, how long before we fracture again?” he asked. “How long before we divide up like the worlds we came from? How long before we start fighting the same wars we’ve fought for millennia and are still being fought on Earth and Mars and around the galaxy to this day? Is Novae Spes to become just the latest battleground and a brief footnote in history? Or will we allow the justice system in our new society the chance to work?”

“It has truly been my honor to serve with each and every one of you. I can’t tell you how proud I am of what we’ve accomplished since being here. But the actions you are taking tonight are not why I came here. They are not why you came here. And they will only allow us to slip back into our old ways instead of forging our new path together.”

“So, please, allow the justice system I believe in to work,” he concluded. “This is what I want to happen. I cannot ever expect any of you or anyone else to follow the law if I am not held accountable myself. I appreciate the gesture, but please grant me this wish.”

“And if you are found guilty?” asked Tasha softly as she saw once again Ben could move people by words alone.

“You do what you feel is necessary at that point,” said Ben. “Obviously, I’ll be out of position to have a say in the matter.”

“We’d like to discuss the matter in private,” said Mary softly. “Kendrick? Can you keep the Commander handy just outside?”

“Will do, ma’am,” said Kendrick as he and Ben walked out. “Man, you still do a hell of a speech when you put your mind to it.”

“The same thing happened how many times on Earth and everywhere else we’ve colonized?” asked Ben. “We came here to avoid exactly what they are planning. What were they thinking trying to pull off a rescue mission on me?”

“They did it because they give a damn about you, Ben,” snapped Kendrick. “As do I. You damn well know you’re being set up and railroaded. Why won’t you let them take action?”

“Because I want the whole damn colony to see that in public!” snapped Ben. “You think I want to go to trial? I know a setup when I see it, dammit! I’m not an idiot. But I have to be the sacrificial lamb to show everyone the truth of what’s going on!”

“You realize how dangerous that is?” asked Kendrick.

“More dangerous than planning something like this with a lot of unknown people?” asked Ben. “You and I both worked in the world of keeping secrets and you know the more people that know, the more exponential the chances of someone talking out of class.”

“I think it’s a risk worth taking and shows solidarity,” said Kendrick. “Sometimes the risks are worth the danger.”

“Even though it’s less dangerous than allowing this revolt to go on and put Gale is at risk?” asked Ben softly. He knew he hit a chord with that comment as no matter what, they had always wanted to keep the fighting well away from their families. In Ben’s case, keeping conflict away from the families he had adopted as his own.

“And if you’re found guilty?” asked Kendrick.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” said Ben. “But if it does, I’d expect you all to come rescue my ass and we’ll go from there.”

“You never said that,” said Kendrick.

“I didn’t have to,” said Ben. “I know that’s what will happen.”

“Tasha is determined,” said Kendrick.

“I want you guiding her if something happens to me, okay?” asked Ben.

“She does a pretty slam up job on her own,” said Kendrick.

“She still needs guidance from the old farts from time to time,” said Ben.

“You’re implying you won’t be around?” asked Kendrick.

“I’m implying if we pull something like this off, we need to make sure we give each other the best advice possible,” said Ben. “Regardless, you’ve got more knowledge planning hostage rescue scenarios than anyone I know.”

“Well, you didn’t say that,” said Kendrick as Mary appeared.

“We’re ready for you,” said Mary and gave Ben a look. They headed back inside Mary held onto Ben’s arm for a moment as Kendrick went on ahead.

“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” she asked.

“I think we have to,” said Ben.

“What if I don’t want you to go through with this?” she asked softly.

“Mary, I’d love it more than anyone if we could just call her a liar to her face and make this all go away,” said Ben. “But this is a truly pivotal moment which we have to face or else we’re dead as a colony.”

“Can you stop being brave for one moment and listen to what I’m saying?” she asked.

“I heard exactly what you said,” he said with a sad smile. “And I think this is a conversation we need to have after I get exonerated day after tomorrow.”

“And if you don’t?” she asked.

“Then I want you on the first shuttle heading out to safety,” said Ben.

“Ben, I…” she started to say and she got flustered.

“Mary, I promise everything will be okay,” he smiled and reached in without thinking and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She stood there almost in tears as Ben went back to the table.

“We’ve considered your offer,” said Tasha. “If your wish is to go to trial, we can’t argue that. But if it looks like a pure setup and the verdict might be swinging towards guilty, I can’t promise you we won’t take action.”

“I understand,” said Ben. “I won’t object to you doing what you feel is right if that happens.”

“You probably should get back before they figure out you’re missing,” said Tasha. “We still have a lot of work to do.”

“Again, I thank each and every one of you for the support you’ve shown,” said Ben as he and Kendrick started to leave. Out of instinct, he went over and hugged Mary once last time, getting nearly strangled in the process of her return hug. Kendrick waited patiently for him to finish before she finally let go and they headed back to the house. As they approached, Ben saw Allen sitting on his front porch and stopped short with Kendrick.

“I think you need to make yourself scarce,” said Ben. “I’ll send Nick on his way.”

“Allen will be mightily pissed at that young trooper when he finds him,” warned Kendrick.

“Nah, I’ll cover for him,” said Ben. “See you around.”

“Hopefully sooner rather than later,” said Kendrick. “I’m going to go back and see what else they messed up in their plans.”

“That’s the spirit,” said Ben. “Oh, and tell Rachelle to shut off her locator when performing secret meetings.”

“Will do,” said Kendrick with a grin. Ben casually strolled up Leadership Lane as he made sure he passed close to Allen’s house. Allen was watching the stars as noticed him do a double take to make sure he was seeing what he saw.

“Evening, Allen,” said Ben as he strolled closer Allen’s house. Ben saw his mouth drop open as he jogged to catch up with Ben.

“The guards let you out?” asked Allen.

“Nope,” said Ben. “But let’s face it, those guys aren’t going to stop me from leaving when I take a notion to.”

“Exactly what were you doing?” asked Allen as he brought up the roster on his communicator and called Antonio Romero. “Mister Romero, exactly why is Commander Nash not in his house?”

“He’s in the bed, sir,” said Antonio in confusion. “I checked like twenty minutes ago.”

“Most assuredly, he is not,” said Allen as he pointed the communicator at Ben walking with him.

Ben could see Antonio scramble upstairs and saw him yank back the covers on Nick Griggs. “What the hell are you doing here?!”

“Aww, man, I must have passed out in the wrong bed,” said Nick sleepily. “I’ll be going.”

“Hold him there,” said Allen. “You had help; I see.”

“There are some folks that do care about seeing their former Commander put under house arrest for extremely questionable reasons,” said Ben. “Just like there are some out there that are starting to question your motives behind everything.”

“Excuse me?” asked Allen as they arrived at Ben’s house and the guard’s eyes popped wide open at seeing who wasn’t in his house like he was supposed to be.

“Evening, Mason,” said Ben as the guard’s mouth was hanging open by that point.

“Don’t worry about calling,” said Allen dryly. “I know.”

Ben headed inside where he saw Nick Griggs grinning like the cat who ate the canary as Antonio Romero had the bio-lock pistol pointed at him.

“You can send Nick home,” said Ben. “No retribution either.”

“How did Commander Nash notify you to help?” asked Allen.

“Smoke signals,” said Nick with shrugged shoulders. “Or cans and a string, can’t recall which.”

“We’ll discuss this later,” said Allen.

“No, you won’t,” said Ben crossly. “You want information, you leave that young trooper alone.”

“Agreed,” said Allen after thinking about it for a moment.

“Give me your word,” said Ben. “Not that it means much to me, but give him your word.”

“No retribution,” said Allen as he looked at Nick Griggs. “Now get out.”

“Roger that, sir,” said Nick as he departed.

“Antonio, give us the house for a few,” said Ben. Antonio didn’t hesitate before walking out the front door behind Nick and closing it behind them. “Oh, don’t look surprised, Allen. I might have built up a bit of rapport with my guards both before all this went down and since then.”

“I can see that,” said Allen with a sigh. “What were you doing outside tonight?”

“Stopping a full blown revolt in the colony you currently are administering,” said Ben. “You see, people are starting to whisper things like ‘coup’ and ‘hostile takeover’ behind your back.”

“That’s not what I did!” exclaimed Allen. “Each and every Director voted to temporarily remove you from your position!”

“I’d bet none of them agreed to a house arrest on my part,” said Ben with a frown.

“You can’t be trusted not to go out causing problems before your tribunal!” said Allen in a softer voice. “Ben, you don’t know what’s going on.”

“I probably know more than you do at this point,” said Ben. “Like the fact you are faced with a crisis that’s going to blow up in your face before long. Now, I managed to hold them off for a time, but you are facing a significant problem if this continues.”

“I’m going to have to double the guards and put one on you full time,” said Allen.

“Trust me, that will not stop me from getting out if I wanted to,” said Ben. “I spent my entire career breaking in to and out of places with heavy security. The engineers you believe are loyal to you just may not be as loyal as you think.”

“As well as Security,” said Allen. “I’m probably going to have to temporarily relieve Tasha.”

“You do that and the next time you see Security and it’ll be outside your door with torches and automatic weapons,” warned Ben. “You don’t want to go down that path.”

“Ben, I can’t have you running around trying to clear your name, okay?” asked Allen. “And I can’t have insubordinate troops helping you escape when you want.”

“There is one person who can clear me and you won’t allow her to testify,” said Ben. “Have you even spoken with her?”

“Don’t worry about that,” said Allen.

“Then there it is,” said Ben. “Look, I’m going to trial to face the music and I’m hoping Cyrus can convince them I didn’t do what I’m accused of. I know I didn’t do it; I think you know I didn’t do it; but more importantly, the people in this colony are starting to believe a coup has happened and you are right in the middle of it.”

“I can’t forestall them forever as they will eventually have enough and start taking more direct action,” warned Ben. “So, I hope for your sake you know what you’re doing because if that jury finds me guilty, even I won’t be able to stop what’s coming.”

“Is that a threat?” asked Allen.

“Not from me,” said Ben. “The discord runs deep in this one and you need to be prepared for the aftermath of things they may not like at all.”

“And we’re back to possibly removing Tasha from her position,” said Allen.

“Tasha will be the only person capable of stopping her forces from doing what they do best,” said Ben. “You put her under house arrest and I can flat guarantee you she will not be there long because they will break her out.”

“She’s in a walled colony,” said Allen.

“You really don’t want to know how many people in leadership positions won’t support such a move,” warned Ben. “Things are not as peachy as you believe, Allen. You will be facing the wrong side of a manpower equation on a battle we do not need to have.”

“I…” said Allen as he started thinking of all the possible scenarios in his mind and not liking the outcome to any of them.

“The guards from outside my house get removed,” said Ben. “There’s a good start.”

“I’ll remove the guards from the outside of your house,” said Allen. “But you’ll still have one inside escorting you wherever you go, but your privacy will be maintained as long as you give me your word you won’t try to leave again without authorization.”

“No deal,” said Ben. “I will voluntarily limit myself to staying at home until the trial, but I will not be confined to quarters like some Private who messed up on his watch.”

“You can leave on your own free will, but you will have an escort,” said Allen.

“Agreed,” said Ben.

“You give me your word?” asked Allen.

“You have my word,” said Ben with a nod. “And you leave Major Hayden in position without a single repercussion or mark on her record.”

“I’ll leave Tasha alone,” said Allen with a sigh.

“Nothing against Nick Griggs either,” said Ben. “Sometimes youth has a quality of blindly agreeing to something you realize much later on was stupid as hell.”

“I won’t mention anything to Lieutenant Griggs,” said Allen.

“Nothing to any of the sections either,” said Ben.

“If I knew who were involved, I would agree to it” said Allen.

“I’m not telling you who is involved, but you can safely assume a colony wide message would cover all the bases,” said Ben. “But it’s not necessary because I’m going to allow the system to work. That’s exactly what I told the people I met tonight. They are going to allow the system to work because they realize taking me against my will is just as bad as what you’re doing.”

“And if you’re found guilty?” asked Allen.

“You’ll have to cross that bridge when you get to it,” said Ben. “That happens to be your problem at the moment.”

“That seems like a threat, Ben,” said Allen.

“It’s not a threat at all,” said Ben. “People are going to believe what they want and if they pick my story over a person who already plead guilty to theft and using a controlled substance on an unsuspecting party, I can’t stop them.”

“You would go along with a revolt to reinstate your position?” asked Allen.

“This isn’t about my position, Allen,” said Ben. “This happens to be all on you at the moment.” You see, your name is the one that goes on the records if this all falls apart.”

“I’m keenly aware,” said Allen. “The fact still remains; you would be willing to risk a full scale revolt if you don’t get your way.”

“It’s the sheer principle of the thing, Allen,” said Ben. “I’m innocent and I hope our justice system sees it that way. Now, I know plenty of guilty people have plead innocent during times like this, but you know this is just not me.”

“I certainly hope not,” said Allen.

“But make no mistake, everyone fails if this colony goes into revolt,” said Ben.

“And what happens then?” asked Allen. “Another deposed leader sitting on the bench waiting for his day in court?”

“Who’s to say we don’t go somewhere else and start over?” asked Ben. “Like those settlers in North America so long ago. Just keep moving away from what they consider bad governments until they get what they want.”

“We’d be two warring tribes,” said Allen.

“I’d do my best to prevent a war,” said Ben. “I’d hope you have enough of a cooler head to do the same because it benefits nobody.”

“Ben, I asked if you trusted me before,” said Allen. “I’m asking for your trust that I will do the right thing before everything is done.”

“Your trust means absolute shit to me right now, Allen,” said Ben.

“I’ll do what I have to do then,” said Allen.

 

CHAPTER 19


“I hereby call this tribunal to order,” said Kurt Sweeney as he noticed Mark had created a gavel and sound block for him to use. He felt it was probably theatrical as the gallery was filled with more waiting outside as people were curious to the proceedings. They calmly went to their seats as the conversations died down. Mark had also done his best to have two bailiffs present in the court as well as a jury box for the seven randomly selected individuals.

The tribunal was being held in the brand new recreation area and theater style building in the SIT area. Originally planned as a venue for large briefings, training and general recreation, it had been decided to turn the large room into the courtroom since it also had side rooms for the judge, jury, defense and prosecution. As Kurt looked out and saw everyone was seated, he began.

“We’re here today to hear the case of Marcella E. Dubose versus Benjamin M. Nash on the alleged crime of sexual assault,” said Kurt turning rumors into truth in that instance. “The alleged incident took place on Rachelle Island on the night of Alvarado 14th into the 15th at her quarters. Ms. Dubose claims the accused, Benjamin Mark Nash, approached her and made sexually suggestive comments before assaulting her sexually that evening.”

“Is the prosecution present?” asked Kurt as he went through the script.

“Doctor Cameron Meeker, your honor,” said Cameron as he stood. “I represent Doctor Dubose and the colony in this matter.”

“Is the defense present?” asked Kurt.

“Cyrus Hendrix, your honor,” said Cyrus as he, Kate and Ben stood. “Assisted by Kate Barnes. I represent Benjamin Nash in this matter.”

“Does the defense have a plea?” asked Kurt.

“Not guilty, your honor,” said Cyrus.

“The plea of not guilty is entered into the record,” said Kurt as one of the SIT Team served as the “court reporter” though they were only checking the transcription device recording every word. “Does the prosecution wish to offer an opening statement?”

“We do, your honor,” said Cameron.

“Please proceed,” said Kurt as he adjusted slightly in his chair. Cameron approached the jury box as he looked each of them in the eyes.

“It’s a tragedy thought brought us here today,” said Cameron. “Truly a sad day in our brief history on this planet. But we are brought here to ensure justice is served for a wrongdoing. On the night of Alvadaro 14th, Year 1, the accused, Benjamin Mark Nash approached Doctor Marcella ‘Marci’ Dubose outside her quarters on Rachelle Island. It seemed a friendly enough encounter, but far more sinister motives were lurking in his brain. He made sexually suggestive comments on her professional future to which she refused. And upon refusal, decided to elevate things to a physical level.”

“Why you may ask?” asked Cameron. “It’s very simple. Commander Benjamin Mark Nash had a significant amount of the drug Retivive-3 coursing through his system right then. You may know this drug as Truedream as it’s called on Earth. Obviously, we’ll talk about the effects of that drug later, but it is not good. But that did not give him a reason to sexually assault Marci because she turned him down. Not in the least. But far more disturbing reasons were at the base of this crime. Simply put, Commander Nash wanted to use his position of authority to have sexual relations with her since he thought he had such power.”

“During the course of this trial, I will prove beyond a reasonable doubt Commander Nash assaulted Marci, intended to force himself on her more so than he did and did so with the express intent of abusing his authority as Commander of this colony. The facts will not be disputed and at the end of this tribunal, the facts will be clear leaving you no other choice but to declare Commander Nash guilty,” concluded Cameron.

“Has the defense prepared an opening statement?” asked Kurt.

“Yes, your honor,” said Cyrus as he rose and went to the jury as well.

“You just heard quite a tale,” said Cyrus. “Sadly, it was quite fictional as well. Commander Nash is innocent of the charges against him and I will prove that beyond a reasonable doubt. Ben never approached the victim outside her quarters on the night of the alleged incident. Ben never made sexually suggestive comments to her. Ben never assaulted her. Ben did not use his position of authority to demand sexual favors from her.”

“Sadly, Doctor Meeker has painted Ben into a tyrant like the old lords of the manner demanding anything they wish from the servants. But far worse, he had portrayed Ben as a sexual predator that will take what he wants by force. None of these things are true. We’ve worked with him side by side since arriving here and not one indication of this behavior has ever reared its head. He had led us in times of happiness and in times of strife and never once has he ever had a single instance of allegations of this type brought forward against him.”

“At the end of the trial, you will see the facts Doctor Meeker brought up aren’t quite as clear as he would like. His so called facts won’t stand on their own merits. The facts will be disputed and you will have no recourse but to vote not guilty for Ben because you will see for yourself the allegations are baseless and he is innocent,” concluded Cyrus.

“Does the prosecution want to call its first witness?” asked Kurt.

“Your honor, the prosecution calls Doctor Charlotte Griggs from the Medical Directorate as our first witness,” said Cameron. Charlotte approached the stand and was administered the oath by the bailiff before seating herself.

“Doctor Griggs,” said Cameron charmingly. “Are you familiar with the drug Retivive-3?”

“I am,” said Charlotte.

“What is the normal use for such a drug?” asked Cameron.

“It’s used as a stimulant in several medical procedures,” said Charlotte.

“Such as?” asked Cameron.

“We’ve primarily used it for stasis blindness since arriving,” said Charlotte. “It was also tested to see if it could help victims during the viral outbreak we encountered.”

“What are the effects of this drug when properly administered?” asked Cameron.

“Heightened awareness, elevated metabolism and enhanced stamina are the primary medical effects we need it for,” said Charlotte.

“And does this drug have side effects?” asked Cameron.

“It does,” said Charlotte.

“Would you please detail those?” asked Cameron.

“Greatly increased sexual drive, urges and sexual stamina as well as heightened sexual arousal,” said Charlotte. “Not being graphic, but it provides a significant enhancement to sexual activity.”

“Is it true this was illegally sold as a sexual aphrodisiac on Earth?” asked Cameron.

“Yes, it was a black market drug used for that purpose,” said Charlotte. “The street name was Truedream.”

“Any other known side effects?” asked Cameron.

“Medical reports indicated it introduced paranoia, anxiety and violent outbursts in some patients,” said Charlotte.

“Would sexual assault be considered a violent outburst or increased sexual urge with using this drug?” asked Cameron.

“Objection,” said Cyrus. “Any answer to that question would be speculative in nature.”

“Sustained,” said Kurt.

“Doctor Griggs, did the defendant request to see you upon his return from Rachelle Island?” asked Cameron.

“He did,” said Charlotte.

“And the reason why?” asked Cameron. “As a reminder, the medical notes from that meeting were introduced as evidence already.”

“Commander Nash suspected he had been dosed with Retivive-3,” said Charlotte.

“How did he know that?” asked Cameron.

“Such matters are subject to the doctor-patient confidentiality,” said Charlotte.

“A man’s life may at stake here,” said Cameron as he saw Cyrus whispering with Ben.

“Mister Hendrix? You have something to add?” asked Kurt.

“Defense won’t object to the witness stating the reason the accused would be familiar with such a drug,” said Cyrus.

“Well?” asked Cameron as he turned back to Charlotte.

“He suffered from stasis blindness on our last drop from ASD,” said Charlotte. “It’s fully annotated in his medical records he received the drug as part of the emergency treatment.”

“So, he was familiar with the effects?” asked Cameron.

“He stated as much,” said Charlotte.

“And?” asked Cameron. “He told you he thought he’d been drugged?”

“I ordered a blood and urine test. Upon completion, I determined he had approximately 2.6 times the recommended dose in his bloodstream,” said Charlotte.

“Did he offer any indication as to how it got there?” asked Cameron.

“He believed a drink of his was spiked,” said Charlotte.

“But you didn’t follow up on this?” asked Cameron.

“I did not since we already knew Marci Dubose had stolen a bottle of Retivive-3 from the clinic,” said Charlotte as the crowd looked shocked at that announcement.

“Doctor Dubose isn’t on trial here,” said Cameron. “Tell me, Doctor, why did Commander Nash request you upon his return?”

“I don’t know,” she stated. “I was informed by the orderly he requested to see me.”

“Who was the on call doctor that day?” asked Cameron.

“Doctor Chambless, I believe,” said Charlotte. “I don’t remember exactly.”

“And yet, Commander Nash skipped over the on call male doctor and went straight for the pretty young female doctor while a significant amount of an aphrodisiac was in his system,” said Cameron. “You didn’t think to ask why?”

“He asked for help and I gave it to him,” said Charlotte. “I don’t question my patient’s motives.”

“Was Doctor Mary Blevins working that day?” asked Charlotte.

“She had been in earlier, but I don’t think she was still around when Commander Nash came in to see me,” said Charlotte.

“Had he requested her; would the medical staff have contacted her to respond?” asked Cameron.

“Objection,” said Cyrus. “Is the prosecution really asking the witness to testify on the actions of the entire medical corps?”

“Sustained,” said Kurt.

“I’ll rephrase,” said Cameron. “When a patient requests a specific doctor or medical staff, is that request typically granted?”

“I renew the objection,” said Cyrus.

“Mister Meeker, the witness can’t testify to the entire medical section,” said Kurt.

“I don’t know if maybe it’s written in their policies,” said Cameron.

“Next time phrase it like that,” suggested Kurt and turned to Charlotte. “You may answer.”

“I believe they do try to accommodate such requests,” said Charlotte. “There are no formal policies dictating they have to get a particular staff member if requested.”

“But they accommodated it this time?” asked Cameron.

“They did,” said Charlotte.

“And so, he requested you out of eleven doctors including the Chief Medical Officer which he had a close personal relationship with,” said Cameron. “Skipped over everyone else and went straight for the youngest doctor we have on staff and, objectively speaking, one of the most attractive in the hospital. No offense to the other doctors.”

“Objection,” said Cyrus. “That’s really a subjective matter.”

“Sustained,” said Kurt. “Mister Meeker, please move on with your questions.”

“Did Commander Nash make any sexually suggestive comments towards you?” asked Cameron as he started to get to the gist of why he was asking such questions.

“No, nothing I remember,” said Charlotte.

“The conversation didn’t steer towards inuendo or suggestions for you to get a promotion via some additional actions on your part?” asked Cameron.

“Objection, your honor,” said Cyrus. “The prosecution still hasn’t even proven this is the modus operandi of Commander Nash.”

“That’s what the prosecution is trying to prove, your honor,” said Cameron.

“Overruled,” said Kurt after thinking about it for a moment. “You may answer.”

“He did not,” said Charlotte. “In fact, I’m more guilty than he was of saying things I might not have to a man in his condition.”

“His condition?” asked Cameron.

“His current state with Retivive-3,” said Charlotte.

“You knew how much was in his system?” he asked. “And still said things that might be, shall we say, provocative to him?”

“I didn’t know exactly how much as the tests were still running,” said Charlotte. “But it was apparent he was being affected by something.”

“And how did you know that?” asked Cameron.

“He was… in an aroused state,” said Charlotte softly while looking down.

“Can you be more descriptive?” asked Cameron.

“I’d like to remind the advocates and the witness this is an open hearing and there are some younger members of the colony that likely are watching,” said Kurt. “Let’s watch the detailed descriptions of such things.”

“I could tell he was being affected when I happened to notice his crotch area,” said Charlotte.

“Any reason for the sudden arousal?” asked Cameron.

“We were discussing his feelings from the night before,” said Charlotte.

“Did he specify any feelings or actions from the night before?” asked Cameron.

“He did not and he asked me not to speak of it due to his condition,” said Charlotte.

“I see,” said Cameron. “Doctor, one final question. Could this drug increase the chances of a violent sexual assault against an unwilling participant?”

“It’s possible, I suppose,” said Charlotte as the crowd started murmuring.

“I’m not banging the gavel, but I will have order in this proceeding,” said Kurt as a warning.

“No further questions,” said Cameron.

“Defense?” asked Kurt.

“Doctor Griggs,” said Cyrus as he stood. “You mentioned Doctor Marci Dubose in one of your answers. Why did you mention her?”

“Objection,” said Cameron. “Irrelevant and she is not on trial here.”

“I’ll come back to it with clarification later on, your honor,” said Cyrus.

“Objection overruled,” said Kurt and saw Cameron about to interject. “You can renew your objection if and when the subject comes up again.”

“Doctor, did you prescribe any medication to help relieve Commander Nash of the symptoms of this dose of Retivive-3?” asked Cyrus.

“No, no medications,” said Charlotte. “Just plenty of water, rest and what I might consider the most effective counter.”

“Which was?” asked Cyrus.

“Cold showers,” she said with a partial smile.

The gallery chuckled as Cyrus gave her a smile and moved on.

“So, no counter drug that would dampen the effects?” asked Cyrus.

“There are no known medications that could counter it,” said Charlotte.

“None?” asked Cyrus.

“It’s a relatively new quantum drug,” said Charlotte. “Not to get too technical, but the drug itself is incomplete when it enters the human body and requires two hydrogen atoms to complete itself and start working. Basically, it breaks down water or other available molecules in the bloodstream before going to work.”

“Molecules such as?” asked Cyrus.

“Alcohol can increase the effectiveness of it exponentially,” said Charlotte. “Being that ethyl alcohol has six hydrogen atoms, it’s like giving it a turbocharger.”

“So, spiking an alcoholic drink with it would be a bad thing?” asked Cyrus.

“Extremely bad,” said Charlotte wondering why Cyrus seemed to be going in a direction that could harm Ben.

“Doctor Griggs, was a bottle of Retivive-3 stolen from the pharmacy?” asked Cyrus.

“Objection,” said Cameron.

“Reason?” asked Kurt.

“That matter is not on trial here,” said Cameron. “The question is irrelevant to the current proceedings and is going down a tangent away from that core matter.”

“Your honor, the matter is linked to the trial here which will become apparent with my next question,” said Cyrus.

“Overruled,” said Kurt and looked at Charlotte. “Doctor?”

“A bottle of Retivive-3 was stolen during the outbreak,” said Charlotte.

“And the drug in this stolen bottle was what was used on Commander Nash?” asked Cyrus.

“The chemical markers were identical,” said Charlotte. “Positive match of the drug.”

“I’d like to enter the chemical analysis of the drug in Commander Nash’s bloodstream in comparison to the retrieved stolen bottle of Retivive-3 as evidence,” said Cyrus.

“Prosecution? Do you object to the evidence?” asked Kurt.

“No objection,” said Cameron as he looked over the analysis completed by the Medical staff.

“Doctor Griggs, who stole this bottle of Truedream?” asked Cyrus.

“Objection!” exclaimed Cameron.

“Overruled,” said Kurt sternly. “That matter is now connected to the current case with the introduction of the evidence by Mister Hendrix.”

“The bottle was stolen by Doctor Marci Dubose,” said Charlotte as whispers were heard in the gallery once again and Kurt shot them a nasty look.

“And this same bottle, the same lot of the drug, was used on Commander Nash?” asked Cyrus.

“The same lot of drug was given to Commander Nash as indicated on the chemical analysis report,” said Charlotte.

“No further questions,” said Cyrus. Upon going back, Kate shot him a dirty look as he sat down.

“You didn’t ask the obvious question,” she growled in a whisper.

“Which one would that be?” asked Cyrus.

“Whether Marci gave it to the Commander,” whispered Kate.

“Because I don’t have to,” said Cyrus and saw her about to object again. “We stick to what we can prove and the jury sure has the perception in their head she was the one that gave him to that. Perceptions are reality here.”

“We have to prove she gave it to him,” whispered Kate.

“She already admitted to it,” said Cyrus.

“Get the doctor to confirm,” said Kate in an irate whisper.

“We’ll get to that,” said Cyrus as Cameron stepped back up after being given permission by Kurt. He stepped towards the witness stand wondering why Cyrus hadn’t asked same thing but knew it was an argument he could easily object to.

“Doctor Griggs, did Commander Nash mentioned anything about a sexual encounter the night before you evaluated him?” asked Cameron.

“I asked if the effects he had the previous evening were just feelings or physical actions,” said Charlotte.

“The feelings?” asked Cameron.

“He called the effects of the drug ‘feeling frisky.’ I didn’t ask that he elaborate since I knew what the effects would be,” said Charlotte and the gallery chuckled softly at the description.

“And his answer to whether or not things were taken to a physical level?” asked Cameron.

“He said both feelings and physical action,” said Charlotte.

“But didn’t mention anyone or any act in particular?” asked Cameron.

“He did not and I did not ask,” said Charlotte.

“Even though you stated for the record this drug could cause Commander Nash to have a violent sexual encounter?” asked Cameron.

“Objection,” said Cyrus. “It would be speculatory for the witness to make that deduction of Commander Nash and the allegations of sexual assault were not known at the time of the medical evaluation.”

“Sustained,” said Kurt.

“I’ll rephrase,” said Cameron. “Could a dose of 2.6 times the recommended amount cause a normal person to potentially sexually assault someone?”

“The potential is there for that,” admitted Charlotte.

“No further questions,” said Cameron.

“You need to ask it,” said Kate.

“No, we do not,” said Cyrus.

“Does the defense wish to ask any additional questions?” asked Kurt.

“Doctor Griggs, you stated Doctor Dubose stole the drug from the pharmacy?” asked Kate as she stood up to the surprise of Cyrus.

“We had evidence she did,” said Charlotte.

“And would it be reasonable to think she spiked Commander Nash’s drink with it?” asked Kate.

“Objection, speculative hearsay,” said Cameron immediately. “The evidence of who spiked Commander Nash’s drink not at the heart of the crime here. Any questions along these lines is attempting to mar the testimony of another witness by alleging she is responsible for provoking the crime committed against her.”

“Objection is sustained,” said Kurt. “Might I remind the defense the crime of the theft and usage is not on trial here. We are focusing only on the allegations of sexual assault.”

“Defense has no further questions, your honor,” said Cyrus as he stood up and gave Kate a dirty look. “We reserve the right to recall Doctor Griggs for further questioning.”

“So noted,” said Kurt as he made that annotation on his log. “We’ll take a ten minute recess and the prosecution can call it’s next witness.”

Kurt departed the podium as Cyrus turned angrily to Kate and pointed at a side room where the defense could speak in private. Once they were inside and door was closed, he growled at her.

“Just what the hell was that?!” he demanded.

“Doing the job you didn’t want to do,” she growled back.

“Oh, really?” he asked with a hiss. “I already had planted the idea in the jury’s mind she gave him the drug. I didn’t have to say a thing because they were already leaning that way. I left the question open because any testimony Charlotte gave would be hearsay and I knew the prosecution would object just like they did!”

“Furthermore, continuing to go after that question of ‘who did it’ makes us look like we’re trying to place the blame for a sexual assault on the victim! You remember the old saying from Earth a long time ago of ‘I assaulted her because she was asking for it?’ Yeah, that’s exactly the thought you just put in the jury’s mind!” said Cyrus. “I had them convinced she did it without any ulterior motive! You just threw that all out the window by asking the question you did!”

“Now, I am lead advocate for this trial. If you can’t handle that, you need to dismiss yourself or I’ll have Ben dismiss you,” growled Cyrus. “This isn’t the Georgetown debate halls here. A man’s life hangs in the balance and I intend to prove him not guilty my way! Because my way works! I’ve got way more trial experience than you ever wished for and you will keep quiet. You don’t get to ask questions to witnesses unless I specifically permit them, got it?”

Kate looked at him with anger on her face and refused to answer the question. “Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” she spat at him.

“Now, we have a chance to recover and no outbursts from you will be tolerated,” said Cyrus as he spun out of the room.

Kate stood there extremely angry over the situation until she departed the room after composing herself. Mary came up almost immediately and cornered her.

“What did he say?” asked Mary.

“He got into me for asking the questions I did,” said Kate.

“They needed to be asked,” said Mary.

“He didn’t want to ask it,” said Kate. Mary went over to Cyrus and nodded him away. He hadn’t completely recovered from the outburst earlier as he crossed his arms and looked at Mary.

“You aren’t asking the tough questions,” remarked Mary in a low growl.

“As I just told your younger doctor, the questions she asked put the defense and ultimately Ben in a bad light,” growled Cyrus. “The jury was convinced she did it after I got done and I didn’t need to ask that question because it was already planted in their minds as well as Kurt’s. Keeping at it makes it look like cheap lawyer tricks and an attempt to shift the blame onto the victim in the crime.”

“She is guilty,” said Mary.

“Which has already been proven,” said Cyrus. “And I get the chance to ask her all sorts of pointed questions when I get her on the stand. So, if you and Doctor Barnes would just sit the hell down, shut the hell up and let me do what I know how to do, I’ll not only prove she gave him the drug as she already admitted, but that the whole encounter never happened.”

“Excuse me?!” demanded Mary.

“You heard me,” growled Cyrus. “I’ve been an advocate for over 20 years and I’m sure I know a thing or two about how to prove a witness is lying.”

“I don’t think you’re taking this serious,” said Mary.

“I’m taking it way more serious than you,” said Cyrus. “You see, I know how to get Ben exonerated the right way, not by busting him out of the trial and whisking him away from here.”

Mary averted her eyes as she wondered if Ben had said something about their plans.

“Don’t act surprised, Mary,” said Cyrus. “And no, Ben didn’t say anything. There are plenty of others whispering about hostage rescues and flying away to a remote island.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Mary.

“Oh yes, you do,” said Cyrus. “But if you two would just give me a damn chance to prove her wrong and get him cleared not only in the jury’s eyes, but of the whole damn colony, I can not only maintain his innocence I can save his reputation at the same time.”

“So, you two need to back off and let me do my job,” growled Cyrus as he went back to the table where Ben was sitting.

“I detect some friction between you and the co-advocate?” asked Ben and not even mentioning Mary who stormed out.

“If they would leave well enough alone, I can get to those tough questions when Marci hits the stand,” said Cyrus. “The rest of this is just fluff and background. The real trial starts when she gets in that chair.”

“I’m trusting you,” said Ben.

“As well you should,” said Cyrus. “Look, Kate meant well, but the jury knows Marci slipped it in your drink as it was heavily implied in my questioning. Hell, that case is closed and she’s awaiting punishment for it. The real question Kate is missing is why she slipped it in your drink. And that’s a question I can’t ask Marci until I get her on the stand.”

“I see,” said Ben as he thought about it.

“If Kate has another outburst, I’m recommending to you to dismiss her and allow me to continue solo,” said Cyrus. “Ben, this tribunal is more or less a circus of the law and I’m the ringmaster. I can’t have the co-advocate busting out and asking questions that don’t need to be asked.”

“I’d prefer you two stick together as she did a lot of background work,” said Ben. “But I’ll remind her you are lead advocate and take the matter under consideration if she starts asking questions without your approval.”

“Thank you,” said Cyrus as Kate returned to the table.

“Kate, Cyrus is lead advocate here,” said Ben. “I want you two working together, but he takes lead on the questions being asked.”

“You don’t want me asking questions?” she asked angrily.

“I want you two working together,” said Ben. “But you need to follow his lead.”

“Fine,” said Kate in a deep sigh as she was still angry over the rebuke from earlier. Kurt was seen coming back in and banged the gavel for the first time as he brought the tribunal back into session.

“Mister Meeker, you can call your next witness,” said Kurt.

“The prosecution calls Captain Jerome Irwin of the Security Forces,” said Cameron who was happy with the outcome of the previous questions. He positively wanted that question to be asked since it made the defense look guilty of the assault and was already trying to form a narrative against Marci Dubose. He saw Cyrus wasn’t playing ball with the question and was perfectly content for the co-advocate to ask it. He also saw there was a division between Cyrus and Kate forming up and wondered how he might exploit that.

Jerome took the stand and was sworn in before taking a seat.

“Prosecution? Did you have questions?” asked Kurt after Cameron had a seat as well.

“The prosecution will defer questioning until the defense has finished,” said Cameron.

“Procedural,” said Mark as he went to Kurt. Kurt leaned over and listened to Mark’s advice on the matter.

“Normally, any witness for the prosecution needs to be questioned by the prosecution first,” said Mark. “They can’t really call a witness and not ask questions.”

“They can’t defer them until later?” asked Kurt.

“Not normally, no,” said Mark.

“New court, new rules,” said Kurt. “We haven’t made up that rule yet.”

“Something to think about,” said Mark as Kurt wrote up the note.

“The prosecution defers,” said Kurt and wondered what Cameron was up to as he turned to Cyrus. “Defense?”

“Captain Irwin,” said Cyrus. “You were the lead investigator on both the theft as well as the allegations of sexual assault?”

“I was,” said Jerome.

“What qualifications did you have for such a role?” asked Cyrus.

“Objection,” said Cameron. “His qualifications aren’t in question here.”

“Sustained,” said Kurt.

“Your honor, I’d merely like for him to outline his qualifications so I have a better understanding of his background,” said Cyrus. “For me and the jury really.”

“And you couldn’t have asked this in the deposition?” asked Kurt.

“His experience in the matter will become relevant later on,” said Cyrus. “I’d like the jury to hear it from the horse’s mouth so to speak.”

“Captain Irwin, you may state your qualifications for conducting investigations to the defense and the jury,” said Kurt.

“I was assigned to the Military Police Corps after I was commissioned and worked with them before being assigned my spot for MIR,” said Jerome.

“I’m sorry, MIR?” asked Cyrus.

“Marine Intelligence Recon,” said Jerome. “The Special Operations branch of the North American Marine Corps.”

“And how long were you with the Military Police Corps?” asked Cyrus.

“About six months or so,” said Jerome.

“And were you trained in the techniques for conducting interviews?” asked Cyrus.

“Objection,” said Cameron. “Are we really going to go through the career of Captain Irwin?”

“Overruled,” said Kurt. “Defense didn’t ask these questions in deposition.”

“They easily could have read his file like I did,” objected Cameron.

“Well, they didn’t,” said Kurt. “Captain Irwin?”

“I completed the advanced training for Military Police Officer the summer between my junior and senior year in college,” said Jerome.

“And you conducted interviews while assigned to the Military Police Corps?” asked Cyrus.

“I did,” said Jerome.

“How many would you say?” asked Cyrus.

“I honestly don’t recall exactly,” said Jerome. “A couple of dozen at least.”

“And did you conduct interviews on witnesses, victims and suspects alike?” asked Cyrus.

“I did,” said Jerome.

“And did you conduct interviews after going into MIR?” asked Cyrus.

“Objection,” said Cameron. “I’d like to know where the defense is going with this.”

“Mister Hendrix?” asked Kurt.

“Establishing his qualifications for the next round of questions,” said Cyrus. “I’m asking for a little leeway in the matter since it will become clear later on.”

“I’d hope not much later, Mister Hendrix,” said Kurt. “Objection is overruled for the moment, but you have a limited window to get to your point.”

“Captain?” asked Cyrus as he turned back to Jerome.

“They weren’t interviews in the traditional sense,” said Jerome. “MIR Operatives went in undercover and had to get information through non-traditional methods. Sometimes it could take days or even weeks to get a single fact out of a… suspect for lack of a better term.”

“Why do you say for lack of a better term?” asked Cyrus.

“Well, terrorists, rebels and foreign enemies aren’t traditional criminals in the sense one normally would think,” said Jerome.

“But the actions they performed are, as a baseline, criminal acts?” asked Cyrus.

“Objection,” said Cameron once again. “Are we really asking the witness to talk through semantics of terrorism versus criminal acts?”

“Sustained,” said Kurt. “Mister Hendrix, please get to your point.”

“I’m trying to establish that Captain Irwin is a subject matter expert in conducting interviews and crime scene investigations,” said Cyrus. “Establishing his qualifications is key to that.”

“The prosecution wasn’t going to challenge his status as a subject matter expert in those areas, your honor,” said Cameron. “If the defense agrees, the prosecution will afford such a label for the witness as well as expanded testimony without objection.”

“Defense agrees,” said Cyrus.

“Then I will so list Captain Irwin as a subject matter expert in the field of interviews and crime scene investigations,” said Kurt as he made a note.

“Captain Irwin, did you conduct the interview on Doctor Marci Dubose for the theft of the Retivive-3?” asked Cyrus.

“Objection,” said Cameron.

“Grounds?” asked Kurt.

“Again, where is the defense going with this?” asked Cameron.

“The defense is merely trying to ascertain how Captain Irwin went from conducting a criminal investigation in a theft to being the lead investigator on a sexual assault case,” said Cyrus.

“Objection overruled,” said Kurt.

“I started the interview with Doctor Dubose when she admitted to the criminal theft of the drug from the hospital pharmacy,” said Jerome.

“And?” asked Cyrus.

“Upon discovering she claimed to be a victim of sexual assault, we stopped any further questions after we were contacted by Vice Commander Allen Smith,” said Jerome.

“He knew that quickly?” asked Cyrus.

“He was observing the interview and read her statement,” said Jerome.

“So, no follow up interviews were done?” asked Cyrus.

“No,” said Jerome. “Vice Commander Smith told us to hold off on additional questions until we had the chance to investigate the validity of the accusations she made.”

“Did you ever ask any follow up questions?” asked Cyrus.

“Her statement on the matter answered everything we might have asked,” said Jerome.

“No further questions,” said Cyrus. “We reserve the right to redirect after the prosecution is finished with their questioning.”

“The right is reserved,” said Kurt as he annotated it. “Mister Meeker?”

“Captain Irwin, how did Doctor Marci Dubose let you know she had been sexually assaulted?” asked Cameron. “Was it during the interview?”

“It was in her written statement on the matter,” said Jerome.

“She outlined the sexual assault in her statement?” asked Cameron.

“Clearly outlined the circumstances and details,” said Jerome.

“Did you travel to Rachelle Island to collect evidence?” asked Cameron.

“We did,” said Jerome. “We were dispatched by Vice Commander Smith that very same day.”

“And did you find evidence supporting the claim of sexual assault?” asked Cameron.

“We found evidence supporting the facts she listed in her written statement,” said Jerome.

“Specifically?” asked Cameron.

“DNA and fingerprint evidence on the door handle to her quarters,” said Jerome.

“Can you please explain to the court why this is important?” asked Cameron.

“Because Doctor Dubose claimed Commander Nash tried to force his way into her quarters,” said Jerome.

“And the fingerprints and DNA evidence confirmed that allegation,” said Cameron.

“It appeared to corroborate what she claimed,” admitted Jerome.

“Captain, did you interview Commander Nash?” asked Cameron.

“No,” said Jerome. “The defense wouldn’t allow it.”

“The defense wouldn’t allow you to interview a suspect in the allegations?” asked Cameron as if this was the first time he’d heard of it.

“Objection,” said Cyrus. “The defense reserved the right to deny the prosecution an interview in lieu of cross examination during this tribunal.”

“Objection sustained,” said Kurt. “The defense had the right.”

“Of course, they had the right to hide testimony,” said Cameron for the benefit of the jury.

“Objection,” said Cyrus disgustedly.

“Sustained,” said Kurt. “Mister Meeker, it’s within their rights.”

“No further questions,” said Cameron.

“Captain Irwin,” said Cyrus as he came forward with a photo. “Is this the doors to the victim’s quarters on the island?”

“Yes, unit E8,” said Jerome as he looked at the photo.

“Did you or a member of your team take this picture?” asked Cyrus.

“Yes, it was a member of my team and those are my initials at the bottom with the time and date stamp,” said Jerome as he looked at the bottom the photo.

“Did you only test the door for the fingerprints and DNA evidence?” asked Cyrus.

“No, we checked the handle, latches and hinges for signs of forced entry,” said Jerome.

“And were there signs of forced entry?” asked Cyrus.

“Objection,” said Cameron. “Is the witness actually capable of determining such things?”

“The prosecution agreed he was a subject matter expert in crime scene investigations based on his training,” said Cyrus with shrugged shoulders.

“You did agree to that, Mister Meeker,” said Kurt as he saw Cyrus had very effectively trapped Cameron earlier without him even realizing it.

“I’ll withdraw the objection,” said Cameron as he sat down and sighed softly and shook his head with a hint of a wry smile.

“Captain Irwin?” asked Cyrus. “An answer please?”

“No other signs of forced entry were noted,” said Jerome.

“No broken hinges? No distortions on the latch? Pound marks on the door?” asked Cyrus.

“No, sir,” said Jerome.

“You are absolutely certain you checked for such things?” asked Cyrus.

“Those were some of the first things we checked for after taking the evidence off the door handle,” said Jerome. “Both front and back doors.”

“Was there any evidence on the back door?” asked Cyrus.

“None, sir,” said Jerome.

“No evidence whatsoever?” asked Cyrus.

“No DNA or fingerprints that matched Commander Nash,” said Jerome. “Doctor Dubose wrote in her statement the front entrance was the only door he tried to access.”

“Now, about the complaint Doctor Dubose filed,” said Cyrus as he was handed a copy by Kate. “How did that come about?”

“When we started questioning her about the theft, she admitted to taking the drug during the outbreak after we showed her the video evidence of her doing so,” said Jerome.

“She made the claim of sexual assault in exchange for leniency for the theft?” asked Cyrus.

“No,” said Jerome. “The allegations were listed in her personal statement on the theft.”

“Four pages of number 12 Times New Roman font?” asked Cyrus.

“Yes,” said Jerome.

“And she claimed to have been sexually assaulted in this statement?” asked Cyrus.

“The last three and a half pages were details of the assault,” said Jerome.

“So, she admitted to the theft and turned around and claimed she was a victim?” asked Cyrus.

“Yes,” said Jerome.

“Have you ever seen a suspect turn into a victim during the time you were an investigator?” asked Cyrus.

“Not like this,” said Jerome. “Witnesses that turned into suspects and victims that were later refuted, but never a suspect turned victim.”

“And over three pages were dedicated to the assault itself?” asked Cyrus.

“Yes,” said Jerome.

“That must have taken a while to type while you were there,” said Cyrus.

“She had it prepared in advance,” said Jerome.

“Was her advocate aware?” asked Cyrus.

“Objection,” said Cameron. “The witness can’t possible testify to the whether or not the other advocate knew in advance.”

“Objection sustained,” said Kurt.

“Your honor, without violating the advocate-client privilege, Doctor James Kirk prepared a statement claiming he was unaware Doctor Dubose had typed a statement and confession on the matter,” said Cyrus as he retrieved two copies of the statement made by Kirk and handed one to Kurt and one to Cameron. “She caught him completely off guard with it.”

“What evidentiary value does this hold?” asked Cameron.

“That will become clear later,” said Cyrus.

“The statement is introduced into evidence,” said Kurt as he handed the item to the bailiff. “Was there anything else for Captain Irwin?”

“Just one more question,” said Cyrus. “Did Doctor Dubose admit to giving the Truedream to Commander Nash on the night of the alleged assault?”

“Both verbally and in her statement on page 1,” said Jerome.

“No further questions,” said Cyrus as he went back to the table.

“Does the prosecution have any further questions?” asked Kurt.

“No, your honor,” said Cameron. “Our next witness is also the complainant. I might suggest a short recess prior to calling Doctor Dubose to the stand.”

“Suggestion noted,” said Kurt.

“Defense agrees,” said Cyrus.

“Then we’ll have a twenty minute recess prior to calling the next witness,” said Kurt as he banged the gavel and departed to the makeshift “chambers” they had created for him.

“That’s why I didn’t want Charlotte getting asked that question,” said Cyrus as he turned to Kate and glared at her. “You don’t ask someone unrelated and unaware to speculate on whether they thought Marci gave Ben the drug; you prove it beyond a reasonable doubt with their own written statement and words to a first hand witness.”

“Cyrus, I’m sorry,” said Kate dejectedly as she saw he hammered the fact home very effectively and it was fresh in the jury’s mind right before Marci’s testimony. She had spoiled the shock effect by speaking out of turn and letting slip Marci had given Ben the drug.

“As I told Ben, this is all pomp and fluff,” said Cyrus. “The real trial starts when we get her on the stand in a few minutes.”

 

CHAPTER 20


“The prosecution may call it’s next witness,” said Kurt after he called the tribunal back into order and settled into his chair.

“The prosecution calls Doctor Marcella Dubose,” said Cameron as Marci was brought forward to the stand and administered the oath.

“Doctor Dubose, just so the jury is clear, you go by Marci, correct?” asked Cameron.

“Yes,” said Marci.

“May I call you Marci?” he asked.

“Yes, that’s fine,” she stated.

“Please describe the events of the night of Alvarado 14th to the jury,” said Cameron. Marci started discussing the details of that evening with an extremely detailed precision not usually seen in most witnesses. Some of the jury thought it might have been her scientific background at work since the work they did relied heavily on details as she got to the moment she and Ben met.

“I mean, it started off friendly enough,” she said as her voice got softer. “How I was doing and whether or not I was happy in my current job. He didn’t really mention anything until he said he was looking for applicants to serve on his personal staff.”

“Objection,” said Cyrus. “No such evidence of a personal staff exists nor did the witness make any such claims in her statement.”

“Overruled,” said Kurt after he thought about it and saw Cyrus about to object again. “Mister Hendrix, I would assume you will make your argument under cross examination?”

“I can,” said Cyrus.

“The witness may continue,” said Kurt.

“I obviously was intrigued by such a thing,” said Marci. “I mean, being able to work for the main commander of the colony as his science advisor? I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t jump at a chance like that.”

“But then he said the qualifications would require… additional duties of me from time to time,” she said as her voice wavered. “Of course, I asked what duties those might be and he said one would be keeping him… happy. I thought he might have been making a veiled comment, but I wasn’t sure since he had never said such things before. He told me…”

She stopped talking for a moment as if to compose herself as the room was eerily quiet.

“What did he tell you?” asked Cameron softly.

“That in order to serve I would have to perform… sex on demand,” she said as a tear escaped her eye. “He stated it was a condition behind the job and if I couldn’t fulfill such a demand, I should just stay where I’m at.”

“I mean, I was shocked to hear such a thing since he’d never been that way before! And my first instinct was to say no,” she said as another tear dropped down her face. “I told him I didn’t think I could bring myself to do such a thing even with the promise of a better position as well as an increase in responsibility.”

“And what happened next?” asked Cameron softly.

“Commander Nash got… he got very irate that I’d turned him down,” said Marci as more tears dropped down her face. “He grabbed me by the arms and demanded to know who I thought I was by denying him what he felt was rightfully his. I tried to pull away, but I backed into the quarters where he trapped me.”

“He held my arms while he said he was going to take what he wanted from me anyway since nobody would believe me,” she cried. “He tried kissing at my neck and the fondled my breasts squeezing extremely hard and grabbed my buttocks very roughly. I tried to get away, but his grip on my arms was just too strong. I don’t know how, but I managed to get away and inside my quarters and held the door shut. I was afraid I was going to die!”

“He tried getting in, he was twisting and yanking on the door handle and I was afraid it was going to slip. But I held the handle as hard as I could as he was outside growling and yelling and pounding at the door and yanking at the handle really hard. He said he was going to get in and… he used some graphic terms to describe what he was going to do to me. I’d rather not repeat them in this court since it’s just not proper language nor sexual acts. I don’t know how long it was, but it seemed like forever before he finally left me alone,” she said through tears.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” said Cameron as he handed over a box of tissues. “No further questions, your honor.”

“I’ll allow the witness a few minutes to compose herself before having the defense start its round of questioning,” said Kurt. “Five minute recess.”

Kurt banged the gavel even though it hadn’t been that long since they started the session. Cyrus just sat in his seat without moving as Marci was led into the witness waiting room where she could compose herself.

“Cy?” asked Ben.

“I’ve got this, Ben,” said Cyrus. “Don’t worry about a thing.”

“I’m probably up next,” said Ben.

“Maybe not,” said Cyrus as the clock ticked away and Kurt called the tribunal back into order as Marci was led to the stand.

“Mister Hendrix, you may begin,” said Kurt as he settled in.

“Doctor Dubose,” said Cyrus. “In your statement, you indicated the alleged assault took place just after midnight on Alvarado 14th going into the 15th. How sure are you about that time?”

“Pretty positive,” said Marci. “I remember looking at my watching realizing it was the last day of my vacation.”

“It isn’t an easy place to leave, is it?” asked Cyrus with a smile.

“No, it really isn’t,” said Marci.

“Was the party still going on when the alleged assault took place?” asked Cyrus.

“I don’t believe so,” said Marci. “I mean, I didn’t have a direct view of the bar area, but the music had been turned down by then.”

“Was that standard while you were there?” asked Cyrus. “Turning down the music after midnight, I mean?”

“Objection, why is that important to the defense?” asked Cameron as he knew exactly where Cyrus was heading.

“I’d like to set the environmental conditions around the alleged assault,” said Cyrus.

“Objection overruled,” said Kurt. “Ms. Dubose, you may answer the question.”

“I… I don’t really know,” said Marci. “Normally I was in bed by then.”

“But that night the music had been turned back?” asked Cyrus.

“I couldn’t hear it, so I would assume so,” said Marci.

“In deference of people sleeping, I’d suppose,” said Cyrus. “In your statement as well as your testimony just a few minutes ago, you said Commander Nash was ‘yelling’ outside your door and pounding trying to get in. Is that correct?”

“Yes, he was,” said Marci.

“And you’re positive about that?” asked Cyrus.

“Objection, argumentative,” said Cameron.

“Sustained,” said Kurt. “It’s on the record, Mister Hendrix.”

“I’m just wondering why nobody came outside to investigate someone yelling, growling and pounding on a door?” asked Cyrus. “I mean, every available bunk was full this trip and we even had several members in tents, so it would stand to reason someone was nearby or would have woken up at someone yelling they were prepared to rape one of their fellow colonists.”

“But we can come back to that,” said Cyrus as he saw eyebrows raise on the jury as well as Cameron about to object. “Doctor Dubose, was your door open when Commander Nash allegedly appeared?”

“Uh, I don’t think so,” said Marci. “I don’t remember if I had left it open since it cooled off that evening or not.”

“Your statement was fairly detailed about everything else,” said Cyrus. “It would stand to reason you might remember a detail like that.”

“I don’t recall,” said Marci. “I mean, I don’t think it was open.”

“So, can we say for the record it was closed?” asked Cyrus.

“I wouldn’t want to say for certain,” said Marci.

“You said Commander Nash pushed you against your quarters violently and attempted to force himself on you, correct?” asked Cyrus.

“He did,” said Marci.

“It would stand to reason your door was closed,” said Cyrus. “I mean, such an immediate area of escape for you would be convenient, correct?”

“I guess it was closed then,” said Marci.

“Okay,” said Cyrus. “I’d like to ask some questions on a related subject. Would you consider Commander Nash to be in shape?”

“Objection,” said Cameron as he had no idea why Cyrus was all over the place, but he didn’t like it since it very well could confuse his witness.

“Reason?” asked Kurt.

“Is the witnesses’ opinion on Commander Nash’s fitness relevant here?” asked Cameron.

“Mister Hendrix?” asked Kurt.

“It will be momentarily,” said Cyrus.

“Overruled for the moment,” said Kurt. “Mister Hendrix, please be careful not to stray too far off course here.”

“Doctor?” asked Cyrus.

“I’d guess he’s in decent shape,” said Marci confused at the question.

“Your honor, I’d like to introduce Commander Nash’s military fitness and strength test results given two days ago by Captain Anton Sokolov of the Security Forces,” said Cyrus as he was handed the documents from Kate. “Commander Nash scored a perfect 500 on the fitness portion as well as in the upper 90% of men his age in the strength category.”

“I’ll allow the introduction,” said Kurt as he had no idea where Cyrus was going. But Cameron did and he knew it could blow his case out of the water.

“I’d also like to introduce the last medical physical from just after the outbreak when we all had a checkup,” said Cyrus as he retrieved the document. “In this report, Doctor Chambless reported Commander Nash to be ‘in perfect health’ as a direct quote.”

“Doctor Dubose, would you consider yourself in shape?” asked Cyrus after handing over the documents to the prosecution and Kurt. “Go to the gym often?”

“Your honor, I’d like to renew my objection,” said Cameron.

“Mister Hendrix, you need to reach a valid point quickly,” said Kurt.

“I need an answer to the question in order to do so,” said Cyrus.

“Doctor Dubose?” asked Kurt with a sigh.

“I mean, I go maybe once a week or so,” said Marci. “Not as much as I should probably.”

“You were quoted as thanking Commander Nash on another evening for putting in the gym and making the claim ‘my ass needs to get into shape’ or words to that effect,” said Cyrus as he received yet another two documents from Kate and handed them to Kurt and Cameron. “So, it stands to reason you were aware of being unfit.”

“This isn’t a crime nor related to the case, your honor,” said Cameron testily.

“Cyrus, I’ve given you all the latitude I can,” said Kurt. “Ask a question or move on.”

“Your honor, Doctor Dubose claimed during her testimony as well as on her written statement she managed to get inside her quarters and hold the door keeping him from getting in,” said Cyrus. “By her own admission she is perhaps not as fit as she should be. On the contrary, Commander Nash is extremely fit and his strength tests indicate turning that handle and pulling the door open wouldn’t be that hard for him.”

“So, my question for Doctor Dubose would be how she managed to keep him from getting inside?” asked Cyrus. “Doctor?”

Marci sat stone faced and didn’t respond to Cyrus’ question on the matter. He did nothing more than stare at her and saw he had her right where he wanted her.

“Didn’t you claim you were holding the door handle and he was twisting it as hard as he could trying to get in?” asked Cyrus.

He received another blank stare from her as he knew he had her right where he wanted her.

“We’ll come back to that,” said Cyrus. “Doctor Dubose, when Commander Nash allegedly forced you against the wall, did you attempt to fight back?”

“He had my arms pinned,” she stated.

“Did he pin your legs?” asked Cyrus. “Perhaps use his legs to wrap around yours?”

“Not that I remember,” she stated after a brief pause.

“So, no defensive attacks?” asked Cyrus. “No scratching, biting, kicking, punching? Nothing?”

“I mean, he had my arms pinned,” she said as tears started forming in her eyes.

“But you claim he groped you forcibly on both your chest and buttocks areas,” said Cyrus. “He had to release you at some point to do that. The man doesn’t have three arms. How do you explain your physical markings if he had your arms pinned?”

“Objection, your honor!” exclaimed Cameron. “The witness is also a victim of sexual assault and the defense should show her some sympathy!”

“Overruled,” said Kurt immediately as he saw where Cyrus was heading and knew the question had to be answered.

“At least give her a chance to compose herself,” said Cameron. “She has rights!”

“The same rights as my client,” said Cyrus. “I need an answer, your honor.”

“Doctor Dubose, you will answer the question,” said Kurt.

“I don’t know how, okay?” she stated.

“He had to release you on at least one arm in order to inflict the wounds you received,” said Cyrus. “Had to release both arms eventually since your medical file indicates you had markings on both sides of your body. How do you explain this?”

“I guess he released me!” she exclaimed through tears.

“Your honor!” protested Cameron.

“The defense has the floor, Mister Meeker,” said Kurt angrily.

“Your honor, co-advocate Kate Barnes did some research from the Earth database in which she examined 300 nearly identical cases within the last five years of our departure of sexual assault where the victim was conscience and cognitive as Doctor Dubose was,” said Cyrus as he pulled up the large report and handed over the appropriate copies. “In each one of them, 300 out of 300, the assailant was recorded to have physical injuries of some type. Scratches, bruises, cuts, puncture wounds from fingernails and bite marks only to name a few.”

“I’d also like to introduce the medical report from Doctor Mary Blevins performed on Commander Nash the first day after his house arrest,” said Cyrus as he received two more reports and handed them over. “This was also observed by Doctor Charlotte Griggs and pictures were taken of Commander Nash’s arms, legs and chest area. Their report showed zero signs of defensive wounds most would associate with a woman attempting to defend herself from a sexual assault.”

“Commander Nash has zero scratches, no bites, no bruises on his arms or shins. No bite marks on his face even though she claims he kissed her on her neck and his face would have been immediately accessible to her. No wounds whatsoever,” said Cyrus.

“Yet, in 100% of the cases we investigated, the assailant showed signs of defensive struggles sometimes up to a week afterwards. Now, I’m also going to recall Doctor Griggs to the witness stand after we get done here to see if she noticed any wounds when they would have been fresh,” said Cyrus. “I reserved the right to recall her earlier today.”

“Regardless, Commander Nash didn’t have any wounds since there was no attack,” said Cyrus as he looked right at the jury and the gallery started whispering and murmuring.

“Order in the court,” said Kurt as he banged the gavel to get their attention.

“Doctor Dubose,” said Cyrus as he continued his attack. “You claim you were able to get out of his grasp and into your quarters where you held the door, correct?”

“I did,” said Marci quietly.

“How?” asked Cyrus. “He’s a man in perfect shape, right?”

“I… don’t know how, okay?!” she exclaimed.

“You were able to get him to release long enough to turn, open your door, get inside, close your door and hold the handle from him coming in?” asked Cyrus.

“I suppose!” she exclaimed.

“Just a few moments ago, you couldn’t remember if the door was open or closed,” said Cyrus. “Basically, a closed door adds time to that move. Furthermore, you claimed you were able to hold the door to keep him from coming in?” asked Cyrus.

“Yes,” she said softly.

“As hard as you could?” he asked. “Even as he was violently yanking and twisting at it?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed through tears.

“Was your roommate inside?” asked Cyrus.

“No, she wasn’t,” said Marci.

“Who was your roommate?” asked Cyrus.

“Emilia Tómasdóttir,” said Marci.

“And was she in the front or back bed in your quarters?” asked Cyrus.

“Front bed,” said Marci as she calmed somewhat.

“Do you remember when she got home?” asked Cyrus.

“No, I don’t,” said Marci.

“What happened after Commander Nash supposedly left?” asked Cyrus.

“I… I went to my bed and cried,” she stated.

“Didn’t think to go for help?” asked Cyrus. “You didn’t go to any of the leadership elements that were staying there or any stragglers in the bar area or call anyone and report the crime?”

“No,” said Marci.

“None of them?” asked Cyrus. “Not Director Rachelle Marchand?”

“I don’t trust her!” exclaimed Marci.

“Captain Larissa Moody perhaps?” asked Cyrus.

“No!” stated Marci forcefully. “I don’t trust her either!”

“Drew Collins with the Engineers then?” asked Cyrus.

“Objection,” said Cameron. “Is the defense really planning to go through everyone that was on Rachelle Island the night of the incident?”

“Sustained,” said Kurt. “She didn’t notify anyone that night, Mister Hendrix.”

“Not even anyone in the colony like Vice Commander Smith?” asked Cyrus anyway. “Our numbers are easy to reach and she could have called.”

“She didn’t notify anyone on the night in question,” said Kurt. “We’ve established that.”

“Did you sleep that night?” asked Cyrus as he moved on.

“I did,” said Marci.

“You went to sleep immediately after allegedly being sexually assaulted instead of immediately reporting it to someone who could get you help?” asked Cyrus.

“Objection, argumentative,” said Cameron.

“Overruled,” said Kurt. “Ms. Dubose, you will answer that question.”

“I was scared, okay!” exclaimed Marci. “I didn’t know who to trust!”

“You were scared,” said Cyrus with a scoff as he walked to the table and retrieved two more sheets of paper. “Your honor, the next piece of evidence I’d like to introduce is a statement from Emilia Tómasdóttir who was Doctor Dubose’s roommate. In her statement she claims to have gotten home about 30 minutes after midnight when the alleged assault took place.”

“In her statement, she said she checked to see if Doctor Dubose was home since she made, quote, ‘a considerable amount of noise’ coming in and wanted to apologize,” said Cyrus. “She claims she saw Doctor Dubose asleep under her covers as if nothing happened.”

“So entered,” said Kurt as he handed the extra copy to the bailiff to give to Cameron.

“So, we have an interesting situation,” said Cyrus as he turned to the jury. “In the research I provided earlier, all 300 victims claimed they were unable to sleep in the days and weeks after their assault. Yet, Doctor Dubose was sound asleep as reported in an official statement less than a half hour after the alleged assault.”

“Doctor Dubose?” asked Cyrus as he turned back to Marci. “Your answer to that?”

“What was the question?” asked Marci.

“Why did you fall asleep so quickly afterwards?” asked Cyrus.

“I… I don’t know, okay?” she asked irately.

“You said earlier you felt like you were ‘going to die’ during his alleged attack,” said Cyrus. “The adrenaline rush alone should have been sufficient enough to keep you up several hours. But you were fast asleep within a half hour of the assault?”

“Maybe I passed out from fear!” she exclaimed.

“You passed out under the covers as indicated by the witness statement?” asked Cyrus. “I tell you what, we’ll come back to that.”

Cyrus went over and picked up yet another report prepared from the Engineering section. “Yet another piece of evidence I’d like to admit. This report prepared by Engineer Natalie Campbell is on the door handles used on the quarters units we installed on Rachelle Island. We had to create special ones for use in the fire code in order to gain access quickly into the quarters in case of emergency.”

“The door handles themselves will break off at roughly 54 Newton-meters of torque applied to them. We completed testing on 20 units of the same make, model and materials as the ones used on Rachelle Island and the deviation of that torque is less than a percent each time.”

“We’ve actually had problems with people breaking the door handles because of this, but we felt being able to access the quarters in an emergency situation,” said Cyrus.

“Interesting fact, Mister Hendrix, but what bearing does this have on the case?” asked Kurt as he glanced over the report.

“If someone was in a violent rage due to 2.6 times the normal dose of Retivive-3, threatening the life of one of the colony members and attempting to get in while yelling and growling, they very easily would have snapped that door handle clean off,” said Cyrus. “In fact, there was no attempted forced entry on the night of Alvarado 14th.”

“Objection!” exclaimed Cameron. “We have evidence of the accused’s DNA and fingerprints on that door!”

“My client will testify he was there two days prior and closed the door after walking Emilia Tómasdóttir home after talking with her,” said Cyrus. “That detail is also included in Ms. Tómasdóttir’s statement on the matter.”

“So, we have too many facts in this case that go against the official statement of Doctor Dubose,” said Cyrus. “In fact, each and every one of the points she brought up is entirely false. She did not meet Commander Nash that evening outside her quarters, he did not forcibly grope her or attempt to hold her down, he did not attempt to force his way in and the witness clearly did not fear for her life as she claimed.”

“In fact, you lied about nearly everything in your statement,” said Cyrus with a frown.

“I did not!” exclaimed Marci in nearly a scream.

“Objection your honor!” stated Cameron. “The defense is clearly badgering the witness in order to try get her to trip up!”

“Overruled,” said Kurt and saw Cameron about to start speaking. “You better come up with a better argument than badgering a witness.”

Cameron sat down and saw the whole case flying away as Cyrus continued.

“There was no assault and there was no forcible groping nor was there any attempt for him to get in. You claimed this in your statement, but there is no evidence of that, period,” said Cyrus.

“Objection, the victim did have markings as indicated by her hospital report,” said Cameron.

“Objection sustained,” said Kurt.

“The defense will allow that, but the marks were not made by Commander Nash,” said Cyrus.

“The facts of her statement lead a person to believe it was, your honor!” protested Cameron.

“Then why weren’t these other facts listed in the three and a half pages she wrote on the subject?!” demanded Cyrus as he turned back to Marci. “Your details in the written statement were too precise to be anything but a figment of your imagination! Yet, you leave out important facts like whether your door was open or how Commander Nash was able to release you in order to force himself on you! And you fell asleep within a half hour of an alleged attack?”

“I did, okay!” exclaimed Marci.

“You did because this entire episode was made up,” said Cyrus disgustedly and turned to the jury. “The whole thing was created as a figment of her imagination. There was no assault, there was no attempted entry and there was no threat to anyone’s life.”

“He assaulted me, damn it!” exclaimed Marci from the stand.

“Your honor, I think we need a recess,” said Cameron seeing his case fall apart in front of his eyes. There was no way he knew he could win at this point.

“I have no further questions, your honor,” said Cyrus as he walked to the table and looked at Kate whose eyes were wide open in shock at seeing Cyrus tear apart the star witness against their client.

“You want to ask anything?” asked Cyrus.

“No, I’m good,” said Kate who was in awe of what she just saw.

“Doctor Meeker, did you have any follow up questions?” asked Kurt quietly as he knew there was no way the jury would vote to convict Ben at this point.

“Doctor Dubose, how did you get the marks on your arms and body if there wasn’t an assault?” asked Cameron from his table.

“Because Ben Nash sexually assaulted me!” exclaimed Marci through gritted teeth as she glared at Cyrus as he returned to his seat.

“No further questions,” said Cameron quietly as he sat back down and tried to think of a way out of the disaster he saw unfold in front of his very eyes. At best, he could only create a benefit of doubt in the mind of the jury since there was no corroborating evidence on either side.

“Were there any other witnesses you planned to call?” asked Kurt.

“Is the defense planning to call Commander Nash?” asked Cameron.

“Mister Hendrix?” asked Kurt.

“We plan to recall Doctor Griggs before considering that,” said Cyrus.

“I’ll reserve the right to call Commander Nash if the defense does not,” said Cameron.

“Your right is noted,” said Kurt. “We’re going to take a twenty minute recess and allow Doctor Griggs to be notified of her additional testimony. Advocates, it may take a bit longer depending on the situation, so please be a little understanding if twenty minutes isn’t accurate.”

Kurt banged the gavel and walked out followed by Mark Bennett into his chambers.

“You do realize the prosecution can’t call Commander Nash to the stand?” asked Mark.

“They can, but he doesn’t have to say anything,” said Kurt. “In fact, I’d just sit up there and do nothing more than put on that silly grin he has and watch Meeker go out of his mind.”

“What Cyrus just did should be shown to every law school student as a textbook example of how to aggressively examine a witness,” said Mark with a chuckle. “I’ve seen some good lawyers tear up witnesses before, but I’ve never seen anyone with zero legal training dismantle a witness like that. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything like that.”

“Damned if that wasn’t entertaining,” chuckled Kurt. “There is no way the jury votes guilty on this, is there?”

“Honestly, some of the arguments Cyrus brought up could be worked around as circumstantial,” said Mark. “But by and large, the prosecution lost its case today.”

“So, now what?” asked Kurt.

“We see what Doctor Griggs has to say and whether or not Cameron has the balls to put Ben on the stand,” said Mark. “I wouldn’t.”

“Maybe you should be advising him,” said Kurt with a chuckle.

“My advice to him would be to call for a recess, interview Marci again and compare it with her written statement, look for additional facts or evidence and see if I could interview Nash,” said Mark. “Maybe two or three days extra wouldn’t hurt.”

“You think he will?” asked Kurt.

“Nope,” said Mark. “He’s young and brash like a lot of law school students with their first capital case. He’s not thinking that far ahead and seeing this is a chess game. He wanted to make his mark on the courtroom.”

“Oh, he made a mark all right,” said Kurt with a chuckle.

“That he did,” chuckled Mark. “The other option he has is to drop the case entirely.”

“Can that be done?” asked Kurt.

“He has that option,” said Mark. “Let’s face it, his star witness just imploded and was shown to lie about everything on her statement. It’s a way out.”

“Will he do it?” asked Kurt.

“Nope,” said Mark. “There is one thing they teach in law school that shouldn’t be taught. That’s there is always a technicality, always another witness, always a way through to a conviction even if it’s something unrelated. It’s the difference in learning paper law and performing actual trial law. That theory doesn’t hold water in the real world and sometimes you have to accept defeat. Plus, we aren’t playing by the old rules and I’m not sure he’s aware of that.”

“I think he’s getting an advanced education today,” said Kurt. “When should I call for a lunch break recess?”

“Probably after Doctor Griggs and before Commander Nash,” said Mark.

“Okay,” said Kurt. “Mark, thanks for all the help.”

“This will set precedent for future generations,” said Mark. “It’s important.”

“That it is,” said Kurt. “Which is why we have to get this right.”

“Yes, your honor,” said Mark.

“After seeing what’s going on, do you miss it?” asked Kurt.

“I think sparring with Cyrus in that room would have been fun,” said Mark. “I mean, I miss the little details that end up being huge in the long run and the investigative side of it. I miss cross examinations and doing exactly what Cyrus did. But no, I do not miss being a lawyer.”

“I probably don’t miss lawyers much either,” chuckled Kurt. “One thing I’m glad you didn’t do is have me wear a robe.”

“Did you look inside that box?” asked Mark as he nodded towards a cardboard box.

“No way,” muttered Kurt as he opened it up and saw a judge’s robe.

“I had Rachelle make it up when we thought Marci was going to trial,” said Mark. “I’d imagine she might use some colorful language if I asked her now.”

“Perhaps a bit beyond colorful?” asked Kurt.

“Likely so,” laughed Mark. “I’m going to hit the bathroom and I’ll meet you back in the courtroom unless you have anything else.”

“No,” said Kurt. “Again, thanks.”

********************
​

Kurt had called the court back into session and Charlotte had been recalled to the stand where she testified that “yes, I looked Commander Nash over” and “no, I didn’t see any obvious signs of defensive wounds on his body as they would have caught my eye” and a sarcastic “yes, I looked closely because I took blood from his arm because I’m not good enough just yet to hit a vein without looking” before she was dismissed from the stand.

“I’d like the advocates to approach the bench with their witness lists,” said Kurt as Charlotte departed the courtroom. Ben looked around the courtroom while Cyrus and Kate grabbed their items and immediately noticed an influx of new faces, most of which were assigned to the Security Forces. He also noticed they were strategically positioned throughout the room exactly where he would have put them if was planning a snatch and grab of a target within the room. Looking around a bit more, he saw Tasha sitting with a clear line between her and him. Looking at her, she just gave a brief shrug of her shoulders and positioned her mouth just so.

“No Kendrick?” he asked.

“Oh, he’s busy elsewhere,” said Tasha with a cheesy smile.

“I’d bet,” said Ben as he turned back around and saw the advocates talking to Kurt.

“Cam? Do you have anyone else you’re going to call?” asked Kurt.

“I have nobody on my list,” said Cameron. “But if the defense doesn’t call Commander Nash, I’m probably going to.”

“He doesn’t have to say anything,” said Cyrus.

“So, you are or are not going to call him to testify?” asked Cameron.

“It’s a valid question, Cy,” said Kurt. “If you do plan on doing that, I think we need to break for lunch first as I suspect the prosecution has a lot of questions.”

“Indeed we do,” said Cameron.

“Then I don’t plan on it,” said Cyrus.

“I’m adding him to my witness list,” said Cameron.

“I’d like an extended lunch hour to properly prepare him,” said Cyrus.

“I think we can add an hour on,” said Kurt. “Cameron?”

“No objection for that,” said Cameron as he penciled in Ben’s name and handed over the new document to the court reporter.

“Go ahead and return to your tables,” said Kurt as he prepared to put the tribunal into an extended recess. He was preparing to make the announcement when a voice was heard from the back of the room.

“Your honor, I object!” announced a voice from the gallery. The crowd turned to see Sergeant Zoe Kent standing in the rear of the courtroom looking annoyed at the surroundings. It was apparent she had just returned from one of the out of colony missions as she still had her field gear sitting next to her on the floor.

“You honor, the gallery can’t object,” said Cameron in a puzzled tone.

Kurt looked at Mark who nodded his head. However, Kurt knew there was a reason why she decided to disrupt the court proceedings. He didn’t know exactly, but he knew she would have a good reason for it.”

“This is slightly irregular,” said Kurt. “Your name?”

“Sergeant Zoe Kent of the Security Forces,” she announced as she walked towards the front of the room. The prosecution was quickly scanning his documents looking over everyone involved in the trial so far.

“Your honor, she’s not on any of the witness lists,” said Cameron as Cyrus didn’t even bat an eye over the disruption. A fact Kurt noticed.

“Concur,” said Kate as she looked over the list and saw Cyrus had a neutral expression like he was expecting it. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re right,” said Cyrus. “She isn’t on our list.”

“I have direct testimony that I believe this court needs to hear,” said Zoe.

“Advocates, approach the bench,” said Kurt. “Well?”

“You are considering allowing her to disrupt the court and testify?” asked Cameron.

“If she has testimony that’s relevant to the tribunal, yes,” said Kurt.

“That’s not exactly the way it’s done, your honor,” said Cameron.

“We aren’t exactly doing it the old way, Doctor Meeker,” said Kurt. “But relevant testimony cannot be ignored especially with the next witness to be called is Commander Nash.”

“We have no idea what she will say. In fact, the defense doesn’t have any idea what she will say,” said Cameron as he looked at Cyrus. “Or do you?”

“Perhaps she has something to add,” said Cyrus with shrugged shoulders.

“We’d at least like the chance to depose her before she pops… whatever information she has on the court and jury,” said Cameron.

“I would presume you would get that chance under cross examination?” asked Kurt.

“That’s not normally the way it’s done,” said Cameron. “At least allow us to get a statement or some indication of what she’s going to say.”

“Again, you could ask questions when it’s your turn?” asked Kurt.

“You’re going to allow this?” asked Cameron.

“What if she has something that helps your case?” asked Kurt.

“I mean, I’d like to prepare for it,” said Cameron. “You’re seriously thinking about it?”

“Well, we don’t exactly have a precedent for this,” said Kurt as he thought about the situation for several moments before reaching a decision. “I’ll allow the testimony.”

“Your honor, I object!” stated Cameron.

“On what grounds?” asked Kurt.

“On the grounds of… not knowing what she’s going to say!” he objected.

“Doesn’t the defense get some latitude to have witnesses?” asked Cyrus.

“Of course,” said Cameron. “But your co-advocate already stated, she’s not on your list.”

“Easy fix,” said Cyrus as he wrote her name in and handed it to the court reporter.

“Your honor, why don’t we use the lunch break to get a deposition and see what she has to add?” suggested Cameron who also felt like Cyrus was up to something.

Kurt looked at both the advocates and saw Cyrus had a look he just couldn’t identify. Cameron had a duty to push the prosecution, but Kurt knew his case was falling apart right then and this could be the death blow which was why he was fighting it. Kurt turned back to see Zoe standing at the edge of the chairs. He also happened to notice Ben had the beginnings of a smile on his face though he was trying hard to hide it.

“Sergeant Kent, do you understand everything you say will be on record and both these advocates will have the opportunity to question you?” asked Kurt.

“I do, your honor,” said Zoe.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to present a formal written statement on the matter to us prior to undergoing cross examination?” asked Kurt.

“This is too important a matter to wait, your honor,” said Zoe. “I believe my testimony would be critical to the case here.”

“I’m going to allow her to make her statement,” said Kurt as he looked at the advocates.

“I overwhelmingly object, your honor,” said Cameron.

“Your objection is noted and recorded,” said Kurt.

“But you’re going to overrule it?” asked Cameron.

“I thought that was evident,” said Kurt. “Look, allegations have been raised that can undermine the leadership of the single man who’s kept us together so far. And if I call for a recess to discuss the matter, things can and will get out of hand. We’ve all seen it on Earth where a trial gets drug out and the leadership of those in position of authority becomes eroded over time.”

“What about rebuttal testimony?” asked Cameron.

“From whom?” asked Kurt.

“Other… witnesses she may identify,” said Cameron. “Obviously, we’re going to need Commander Nash to testify as a suspect in the allegations as well.”

“And if this Sergeant Kent’s allegations help the prosecution?” asked Kurt.

“I…” started Cameron as he saw an opening. “I’ll cross examine her.”

“Thank you,” said Kurt. “We’re going to take a brief five minute recess to get Sergeant Kent properly identified and let the prosecution and defense prepare for her statement. Bailiff? Please see me before I go to my chambers.”

He banged the gavel as Mark approached along with the bailiff.

“Bailiff, please escort Doctor Dubose out,” said Kurt as he noticed Marci had snuck into the room during the conversation. “She’s potentially a rebuttal witness and I don’t want any additional testimony marring up anything in her mind.”

“Yes, your honor,” said the bailiff as he went to collect Marci.

“Disrupting a court from the gallery is highly irregular,” said Mark. “That’s not a precedent you should be setting.”

“If the woman has testimony, why should we care how she notifies us?” asked Kurt.

“It’s still a disruption of the proceedings,” said Mark.

“The we’ll write a rule about it later,” said Kurt. “Until then, we let her testify.”

“Yes, your honor,” said Mark as he headed over to Zoe and swore her in as well as giving her a rundown of how things worked. After providing the proper data, she agreed to the cross examination and stood off to the side while everything was entered in the record. At exactly five minutes, Kurt called the court back to order.

“Will Sergeant Zoe Kent please come to the witness chair?” he asked after banging the gavel he was beginning to grow attached to.

She approached and stood at attention by the chair as Kurt nodded to Cameron to swear her in officially. He slightly hesitated before going through the words again.

“Please raise your right hand,” he stated. “Do you swear you will give testimony that will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing more?”

“I swear,” she stated.

“Please be seated,” he instructed. “Your full name and current assignment for the record?”

“Sergeant Zoe Rose Kent, Security Forces, 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company,” said Zoe.

Cameron nodded at Kurt who turned to Zoe. “Since we aren’t exactly in a position to ask the defense or the prosecution for opening questions, you have a statement you’d like to make?”

“Yes,” she answered politely and glanced at Marci being led from the gallery.

“I’ll allow you the opportunity to give your statement,” he instructed. “Upon completion, both the prosecution and the defense will be allowed a cross examination period as well as follow up questions. Additionally, they will be allowed to object to your testimony at any time and I will take such objections based on their merit. Do you agree to these stipulations?”

“I agree, your honor,” stated Zoe.

“Feel free to give your statement to the court,” said Kurt as he sat back wondering exactly what was about to happen.

Zoe took in a deep breath before glancing over the court, making eye contact with Ben for a brief moment. She turned slightly in her chair towards the jury in order for them to clearly hear what she had to say. She took in a deep breath before starting her statement from memory.

“I learned earlier that Commander Benjamin Nash was accused of sexual assault on 14 Alvarado, Year 1 by Doctor Marci Dubose. This is categorically and completely inaccurate as there was no way this could have happened. I have proof these claims are false as are her allegations of assault on his part and she has perjured herself to this court.”

“Objection, your honor,” said Cameron. “The witness is slandering a witness and has presented no proof of such a claim.”

“Sustained,” said Kurt. “Ms. Kent, please get to the facts of your statement.”

“We’ll need to go back to that night in question,” said Zoe as she took in another deep breath and started her story.

 

CHAPTER 21


The night of Alvarado 14th, Rachelle Island


“Marci, I’m not planning on having any expansions to the headquarters team at the moment,” said Ben as he politely shook his head. The evening was still going as this was the last night of their vacation and Ben hated discussing business. But Marci Dubose had cornered him about some concerns she had in her workplace and he didn’t want to be impolite and tell her to wait. “I mean, if there was something I could do, I’d help you, but I can’t assign you to my staff because you don’t like the people you work with.”

“Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?” she asked. “Anything?”

“Have you talked to Javier about it?” asked Ben.

“He’s part of the problem!” she exclaimed.

“Angeline then?” asked Ben.

“Maybe I’ll talk to her,” said Marci with a sigh.

“Look, talk to Angeline and if she can’t help, come to me and we can talk,” said Ben.

“I will,” said Marci with another sigh.

“I’m going to grab another drink,” he stated. “Want anything?”

“No, I’m going to run to the bathroom,” said Marci with a sad smile.

“I’ll see you in a minute,” said Ben as he headed for the bar. Along the way, he moved to the side to let a couple pass and inadvertently bumped into someone else passing. He saw it was Zoe Kent and he jostled her arm enough to spill her drink.

“I’m sorry!” he stated as he grabbed a couple of napkins off the table as she initially looked irate.

“It’s okay, sir,” she said and knew it wasn’t his fault. She sat down the glass before wiping her arm and hands.

“Let me get you a refill,” he said, slightly blushing about the situation.

“It’s okay, Commander,” she said with a smile. “Mistakes happen and I shoulda zigged when you zagged.”

“You can call me Ben,” he said with a smile. “We’re on vacation.”

“I’m not sure if that’s proper,” she said with a chuckle.

“I can make it an order,” he said with a grin.

“Okay… Ben,” she said with a smile. “I’ll accept your replacement drink.”

Heading to the bar, he actually had no idea what she was drinking and would have to rely on the bartender to help in that regard. Rachelle knew what she was having and whipped up another in short order along with a replacement for Ben. He headed back to the table with both in hand before setting his on the table and holding hers.

“Now, this comes with a condition,” said Ben.

“And what condition is that?” asked Zoe.

“You have to sit down and share it with me,” he replied with a smile.

“Is that proper?” she asked.

“We’re on vacation and I really don’t know you that well,” said Ben. “I should know as many of the members of the colony as I should. So, now’s the best time to get to know you.”

“Any other reason?” she asked.

“I could use some company?” he asked.

“If that’s the case, I accept your invitation,” said Zoe as she took the available seat at the table and noticed there was another drink. And that it belongs to a female if the lipstick on the rim was any indication of the owner. However, she had been invited and got comfortable as Ben sat the drink on the table by her.

“I will say I already learned one thing about you,” said Ben as he took a drink of the new one and poured the ice and what was left of the old one into his new glass.

“You know that’s socially unacceptable, right?” asked Zoe.

“What’s that?” asked Ben as he took a drink out of his new glass.

“Pouring the old watered down drink into the new one,” she laughed.

“It’s just something I’ve done for a long time,” he chuckled. “Call it a force of habit.”

“Anyway, the thing you learned?” she asked.

“Well, two things,” she asked.

“What’s that?” asked Zoe as she took a sip of the drink.

“First off, you can’t dance worth a hoot,” he grinned.

“That’s exactly what you said the other night!” she laughed. “And the other?”

“You’re really in shape,” said Ben. “When I ran into you, it was like hitting a plate of armor.”

“I’m not quite that buff,” laughed Zoe.

“Enough I’ll probably be bruised tomorrow,” he laughed. “Plus, I saw you out in your bikini top the other day and yes, you are in shape.”

“Stop,” she laughed. “You’re a tough old soldier and I doubt a little girl put a hurting on you.”

“So, I know your name is Zoe Kent and you’re drinking strawberry and shine and you can’t dance the two-step worth a darn,” said Ben. “Beyond that, I’m at a loss.”

“I’m pretty much an open book,” she said and politely shook his hand.

“Well, Open Book, I’m Ben,” he said with a grin. He saw her roll her eyes with an amused look on her face as she shook her head at him.

“I already figured out your puns are terrible,” she scoffed with a smile.

“Yeah, they’ll get worse,” he chuckled. “Anyway, where are you from originally?”

“Oklahoma originally,” she stated.

“Cowgirl or Sooner?” he asked.

“Cowgirl!” she exclaimed. “I was born and raised on one of the last farms. I’m a country girl at heart and being a cowgirl is in my nature.”

“Tough, huh?” he asked.

“Nah, just practical,” she said with a smile.

“But no cowgirl boots to go with your denim outfit?” he asked as he looked at her feet.

“I have a set,” she stated. “But sandals are far more appropriate here with the weather.”

“I’d tend to agree,” he stated.

“And what about you?” she asked. “Where are you from?”

“Can’t really call a place home as we moved around a lot when I was a kid,” he stated. “Most time I ever spent in one place was in Wyoming. That’s where I was before I got conscripted into the North American Forces during the last Rebellion.”

Before she could respond, Zoe felt a presence and turned around to see Marci standing behind her glaring at her for taking her spot at the table.

“Am I sitting in your seat?” asked Zoe. “Sorry.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” said Marci as Ben swore the temperature dropped twenty degrees in the past couple of seconds.

“Well, Commander, maybe another time?” asked Zoe as she prepared to leave.

“Nonsense,” said Ben as he stood and grabbed another chair and sat it a little further away from him than the one Zoe was sitting in. “Marci doesn’t have exclusive rights to my time. Please stay so I can get to know the both of you.”

Zoe stared at the look she was getting from Marci, but also sensed there was more to the situation than it appeared. She also knew Marci had been a consistent pain towards her Tasha which she thought the world of. Minor victories will be appreciated, she thought as she decided to accept the invitation. And now I see why he was asking for company.

“If my Commander insists,” said Zoe with a smile as she looked to see Marci’s reaction. The brief glare she received in return was evidence of her disdain, but she changed immediately to a fake smile before Zoe took the offered seat from Ben. The conversation continued; however, Marci was completely aloof in her behavior as it seemed Zoe had captured Ben’s attention for the moment. The pair continued swapping stories and “get to know you” info as Marci only interjected when directly engaged.

“What are you drinking?” asked Zoe.

“Cola and Shine,” said Ben. “It’s not half bad.”

“I haven’t really experimented that much,” said Zoe.

“You want to try?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t want to waste a whole drink,” said Zoe. “Maybe just a sip of yours?”

“You’ve had the proper shots, right?” he grinned.

“Even the improper ones,” said Zoe with a grin of her own. She took a decent sized drink out of Ben’s glass though her face showed she didn’t think much of it.

“Not your thing?” he asked.

“I prefer mine to be somewhat fruity,” said Zoe as she tapped her glass. “In keeping with the tropical nature of the location.”

“Absolutely,” said Ben. “Wouldn’t you agree, Marci?”

“Oh, sure,” said Marci.

The conversation kept going for several more minutes before Ben started feeling the need for a bathroom break as well as just a break from Marci’s aloof behavior. As he stood up, he got a good view of Zoe’s legs and was quite impressed at the way she looked in the sandals.

“If you two will excuse me, I need to run to the bathroom,” said Ben as he nodded at Marci and gave Zoe a smile.

“I’ll be right here,” said Marci. There was an uncomfortable silence as the two sat at the table, neither one looking at the other. Eventually, Zoe stood and departed the table.

“Seems like as good a time as any for a bathroom break,” said Zoe.

“Sure, you go do that and find someplace else to sit when you’re done,” said Marci without looking at her. However, instead of going to the women’s restroom, Zoe headed for the men’s and waited outside for Ben to appear. He came out and finished wiping the water he had missed from drying his hands by rubbing up his arms.

“Are you stalking me?” he asked with a playful grin.

“Nah,” she said with a return grin.

“Too bad,” he said. “That woulda been awesome.”

“You are quite forward tonight,” she laughed. “That’s a statement, not a question.”

“I’m a career military man,” he said with a grin. “I’m objective focused.”

“And what objective is that?” she asked with a coy smile.

“To make it through tonight without bumping into you and getting knocked flat on my face,” he said with a charming grin.

“Well, I’m right in front of you, so you can’t claim you didn’t see me,” she stated with a laugh.

“I certainly see you,” said Ben.

“Actually, I have a request,” she said and didn’t respond to his heavy flirting for the moment. She wasn’t exactly ignoring it, but still held reservations over who he was even though he appeared to be seriously into her. However, the more she talked with him, the more those reservations disappeared.

“Which is?” he asked.

“I’ve been here almost five days and haven’t seen the beach in the moonlight,” she stated. “Be a gentleman and walk with me so I can see it?”

“I think that’s fair,” he stated as he theatrically put out his arm. “I promise to escort you safely to the beach.”

“Okay,” she chuckled and took his arm.

“Oh, wait, hang on,” said Ben. “Don’t move!”

“Is that an order?” she asked playfully.

“Maybe,” he grinned. “Be right back, okay?”

“I’m holding for?” she asked.

“Just wait,” he said.

“Should I be worried that you aren’t coming back?” she laughed.

“I promise, I’ll be right back,” he said with a grin. “Don’t move.”

“I’ll be right here,” she stated as she saw him go towards his quarters and run into Marci along the way.

“Calling it a night?” she asked.

“Uh, yeah,” said Ben. “Just worn out, you know?”

“Okay, well, see you tomorrow morning?” she asked.

“Probably so,” said Ben. “Night.”

Marci departed the area towards her quarters as Ben headed inside and practically tore through everything before finding the beach blanket he was searching for. Heading back out, he saw Zoe still waiting patiently for him at the head of the trail.

“What did you pick up?” she asked.

“Beach blanket,” he said as he held it up. “Which technically is a beach sheet.”

“Good call,” she stated.

“I can be thoughtful from time to time,” said Ben as he stuck out his arm again with a smile. “An escort for the lady?”

“Actually, I’m the active Security Force member,” she stated with a grin as she took his arm and noticed he was far stronger than he appeared. “I do believe I’m the one escorting you against the danger of the rabid horde of Rachelle Rats.”

“So, I should hold your arm instead?” he asked with a grin.

“No, that’d look ridiculous,” she laughed as they headed down the path to the beach.

“Awfully nice of you escorting the old man to the beach,” he chuckled.

“You’re not old,” she laughed.

“Old enough to be your father at least,” he said.

“I seriously doubt that,” she laughed. “How old are you?”

“42,” he replied. “All old and stuff.”

“How old do you think I am?” she asked.

“I was thinking about 23 or 24,” he replied.

“Well, I thank you for the compliment, but I just turned 28 a month ago,” she stated.

“You certainly don’t look it,” he said.

“Yep, getting into my prime,” she said with a smile. “I suspect you’re still in yours.”

“Yeah, still spry for my advanced years,” he chuckled.

“Oh, stop,” she laughed and rolled her eyes as her hand held onto his arm a little tighter and scratched just enough for him to feel it. It wasn’t a long trip before they reached the beach where the surf was still coming in. They headed about halfway down on the east side of the lagoon as she looked around the beach and didn’t see anyone else. Most of the couples tended to stick to the west side of the spit where they had some privacy.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to three moons,” said Zoe as she started to unfold the blanket. However, Ben took it from her and snapped it several times before spreading it out.

“I could have gotten that,” she stated.

“I’m trying to do the gentleman thing tonight, okay?” he asked.

“It is appreciated,” said Zoe as she took his outstretched hand and sat down on the blanket before straightening out her legs since the one-piece denim dress she had on was riding up a bit. She caught Ben observing her legs out of the corner of her eye, however, didn’t make an attempt to stop him as she ran her fingers up before using her hands to prop herself up.

“Interesting how they are in different phases as well,” he stated as he sat down next to her.

“Whole lot of interesting things about this planet,” she remarked.

“Extremely so,” said Ben as silence enveloped the two of them, though the sounds of the surf created a nice background noise for just observing the moons and the stars. Nothing was said between the two until she asked a soft question.

“What’s that?” she asked softly as if her voice would disturb the peacefulness they had.

“What’s what?” he asked.

“Right there,” she said as she leaned over and pointed at the sky. Her body teased him slightly as she brushed up against him and he saw where she was pointing. A dot of light was seen moving across the sky going east to west moving at a fairly rapid clip.

“That’s one of the comm and weather satellites I think,” he said. “We’ve got a couple of dozen in orbit and it’s a bit easier to see them here.”

“I never knew you could see them from the ground,” said Zoe.

“Because on Earth, the atmosphere was so polluted it blocked them out,” said Ben. “Of course, you could see the large space stations and whatnot, but the smaller satellites, no.”

“Interesting,” said Zoe as she leaned back once again and felt her dress riding up slightly from shifting. But she didn’t make a move to straighten it out this time as she caught Ben out of the corner of her eye glancing at her legs. “Getting a good look?”

“I was trying not to make it obvious,” said Ben.

“I’m not objecting,” she stated with a naughty smile. “Though I’d prefer if you were just up front about checking them out.”

“Okay,” he replied with a soft chuckle.

“The sandals have to go for a few though,” she stated as she leaned forward and undid the straps before sliding them off, giving him a good look at her shapely legs in the process.

“That time I got a good look,” he said with a pleasurable sigh.

“That might have been intentional,” she said with another grin as she looked up.

“Might have been?” he asked.

“I’ll let you decide which one,” she stated as she looked at him.

“I’ll go with intentional,” he said as he looked at her.

“Correct guess,” she stated with a smile as he noticed her eyes were playful and inviting right then. Out of instinct, he reached out and pulled her in for a kiss to which she gladly joined in with. It was a good ten seconds before they parted and she looked at him.

“That was nice,” she said. “But…”

“You’d prefer to take it slow,” he stated.

“Look, you’re a damn fine guy,” she stated with a smile. “And I don’t care who you are in the colony. But I just want to make sure you’re okay with it before anything else.”

“I have no problems with it,” he said with a smile and caressed her face. “Do you have a problem with it?”

“Not in the least,” she said as she put her hand on his. “Aren’t you involved though?”

“I don’t have a lady friend here if that’s what you’re asking,” he stated.

“I’m going to commit the mood killing sin and ask about another woman,” she said.

“Mary and I are friends and that’s it,” said Ben with a sigh. “She and I kind of got into it about a week ago or so and we decided it would be best to remain professional for the moment.”

“I wasn’t meaning Mary,” said Zoe.

“I’m not dating anyone,” said Ben.

“Ashley?” asked Zoe pointedly.

“Friends for now,” said Ben even though he knew differently. He had a very strong attraction to Zoe right then and it wasn’t because she was gorgeous. He knew the feelings weren’t exactly right, but with the way she looked right then, he just didn’t care.

“Her loss,” said Zoe as she settled the matter and reached in for another kiss while grabbing Ben by the back of the head.

“Aggressive,” said Ben as they finished.

“My boss taught me that,” she grinned. “Now lie back and enjoy the view.”

“I like this view a lot more,” said Ben as he ran the back of his fingers up her arm.

“It’s not a bad view from where I’m at either,” she said with a naughty smile and caressed his face as he kissed at her hand. Her hand ran down his chest using her fingernails to scratch.

“You keep that up and you might learn some new aggressive tactics,” he grinned.

“You in a training mood?” she asked as she pulled him back down and they shared in another round of kissing. Eventually they parted long enough to resume their stargazing and watched as additional couples made their way to the other side of the beach.

“I guess this is the best spot,” he remarked. “All kinds of privacy.”

“Speaking of privacy,” she stated. “Is it true the leadership gets their own quarters here?”

“Call it a perk of command,” he stated. “No roommate.”

“That must be nice,” said Zoe. “I have this feeling my roommate is going to be very unhappy with me when I get back.”

“Who’s your roommate and why would they be unhappy?” asked Ben.

“Taylor Green,” said Zoe with a naughty grin. “And I suspect she would rather have been here in my place at the moment.”

“Well, she could have joined the table like you did,” said Ben.

“She’s certainly not an easy roommate to have,” said Zoe. “She still hasn’t figured out she can use the back end of the quarters to access her part of the trailer.”

“Oh?” he asked.

“Yeah, she busts right in through my portion without any hesitation,” said Zoe. “Which would certainly put a huge downer on any… nocturnal physical activity I was having.”

“I would assume that physical activity has multiple participants?” he asked with a grin.

“Well, at least one other,” she grinned in return. “I’m not brave enough for more than that.”

“That’s nice to know,” he smiled. “You’re enough woman for one man anyway.”

“Well, not here I haven’t been,” she stated.

“No boyfriends?” he asked.

“I’m kinda picky like that,” she stated.

“I’d tend to think you’d need a hell of a man to keep up with you,” he said.

“Do you now?” she grinned. “Have anyone in mind?”

“I think there’s a long line forming to court you,” he laughed.

“Well, only one that’s made his motives known,” she smiled at him as her eyes sparkled.

“I’m objective focused,” he stated.

“And what objective might that be at this moment?” she asked with a grin and bit the side of her lower lip as she gave him a look he didn’t need any explanation for.

“Keeping you company for as long as you’ll have me,” he grinned and they got another round of kisses before lying back down.

“Anyway, it is nice having my own quarters,” he said to continue the thoughts from earlier.

“The privacy would be ideal,” said Zoe. “Especially for such nocturnal activities.”

“It is,” said Ben. “I mean, I get to drop my dirty underwear on the floor and leave it if I want to. Got my own shower and toilet. It’s nice.”

“I’d bet,” she stated.

“I’ll give you the nickel tour when we get back if you want,” he suggested.

“I think I’ll take you up on that,” she said as her eyes turned playful again. “Which it is getting a little late.”

“Not leaving until 1500 hours tomorrow,” said Ben.

“Yeah, but I’m a bit tired,” said Zoe. “Worn myself out on the so called vacation.”

“I suppose an escort back is in order,” said Ben as he stood and helped her up after she got done slipping her sandals back on. He held out his arm again as she took it and they walked back towards the main area at a slow pace talking the whole way. The party at the bar was pretty much over with a few stragglers still hanging out at the bar itself, laughing and talking. But the music had been turned down in deference to the individuals sleeping at the moment.

“This one is me,” he stated as they arrived at the first of the quarters.

“You still promised that nickel tour,” said Zoe.

“Where’s your nickel?” asked Ben with a smile.

“Would you accept an IOU?” she asked with a grin.

“I don’t know,” he stated. “Those tend to get lost in the shuffle and never repaid.”

“I think you’ll say yes,” she stated as she rubbed at his arm. “Or I come up with an alternate form of payment.”

“I think you see right through me,” he chuckled as he opened the door and led her inside. He turned on the small lamp next to the bed which provided enough light to see most of the interior. She peeked around and immediately noticed the bed.

“This is really nice,” she stated as she looked through the area and peeked into the bathroom area at the back. “It’s not got underwear all over the floor though.”

“Want me to toss some out?” he asked.

“Let’s hold off on that for a moment,” she stated as she went over and ran her fingers in the comforter on top of the bed. “Larger bed in here too.”

“It’s only a double,” said Ben.

“We have the twin sized bed in ours,” she stated evasively with a grin and sat down on the edge and ran her hands on the comforter again. “Seems softer than ours as well.”

“I have no idea about that,” said Ben. “I haven’t really looked at the others.”

“I guess they use them for the married folks as well,” said Zoe as she looked at him. “Sleeping two requires a little more room than a twin.”

“That’s an interesting theory,” he said with a playful smile. “Might need some experimenting.”

“You going to go find a lab rat at this hour?” she asked.

“I’d suppose that might be an interesting search,” he said and closed the distance to her.

“Or you could look for a volunteer close by,” she said with a mischievous smile as she reached up and put her arms around his neck.

“Are you a good lab rat?” he asked.

“You are in luck,” she said as she gently scratched her fingernails on the back of his neck. “That’s one of my secondary skills, though I’m a bit out of practice.”

“Lucky me,” he said as he ran his arms down hers and pulled her by the waist in closer. Their lips met in passion as she scratched at the back of his head. His hands wandered further down and pulled her in close by her buttocks. She groaned slightly as the separated and she started unbuttoning his shirt.

“You certainly keep in shape,” she commented as she ran her hands over his chest. “I noticed that the other day when we were working.”

“I happened to notice that as well,” he stated as he slowly pulled the front zipper on her dress down, undoing the entire item. “No bra?”

“Built in to the dress itself,” she stated with a playful grin as she let it slip to the floor.

“Convenient,” he said. “Bordering on naughty.”

“Lucky you,” she stated as she ran her hands over his chest once again and started exploring his body. “Or it appears lucky me.”

He pulled her back in as they embraced once again as his hands roamed her body and hers did his. She managed to slip his shirt off, tossing it off to the side before continuing their embrace. She managed to get his belt on his shorts undone before unbuttoning them and pushing them down. Lying her down on the bed, he ran his hands down her body to the top of her thighs and removed the last of her clothing.

“Now there’s underwear randomly dropped on the floor,” she stated with a grin as he tossed it to the side.

“Well, I’m not in the mood for folding clothes,” he stated as she started trying to unstrap her sandals without moving as much. He pulled her hands away and started doing it for her.

“I can get those,” she stated as she tried to sit up.

“What’s the fun in that?” he asked as he kissed her at the top of her right calf while undoing the strap and slipping off the sandal. He kissed down her leg as she fell backwards.

“That was a bit quicker than I expected,” she said as she took in a breath.

“I hope I’m not that quick overall,” he stated as he repeated the process on her left foot.

“You’re right,” she groaned. “This is way nicer.”

“It’s just the start,” he said as he started kissing back up as he went as she involuntarily arched her back.

“Lucky me,” she groaned as they continued to let passion envelope them both.

********************
​

Ben heard Zoe slide out of bed and headed into the bathroom at the rear of his quarters. He thought she was asleep but didn’t realize she was waiting on him to nod off. It wasn’t long before he heard the toilet and sink running before she stepped quietly back into the sleeping area, picking up the dress on the floor and collecting the sandals. She was attempting to locate her panties when his voice startled her slightly.

“Running away?” he asked as he turned on the lamp.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said with a smile and came over to sit on the edge of the bed. She brushed the hair away from his face before caressing it with another smile.

“You are anything but a bother,” he said as he kissed at her hand and held onto it.

“I wasn’t sure you wanted me staying,” she said as his other hand rubbed at the base of her back.

“And why wouldn’t I?” he asked and sat up slightly.

“You’re the Commander,” she said in a serious tone.

“And this means you can’t stay?” he asked. “I thought you said on the beach it was just Ben and Zoe tonight.”

“I did,” she stated as she allowed herself to be pulled back over and collected another kiss.

“So, does it matter if you’re here?” he asked.

“Guess not,” she replied with another smile. “Another perk is a private bathroom.”

“And a larger bed,” he said. “And we haven’t decided if it sleeps two comfortably yet.”

“Certainly big enough for most activities,” she said with a naughty smile.

“We haven’t tried them all,” he said as he sat up and pulled her back into him, kissing down her neck as she giggled.

“Which ones haven’t we tried?” she asked as she arched out her neck and her hands reached behind her and scratched at the back of his neck.

“I’m sure there’s quite a few,” he said as she turned around and pushed him down before straddling him with the comforter separating them.

“Practice makes perfect and all that?” she asked as she rubbed at his chest.

“You said your lab rat skills were out of practice,” he grinned and rubbed at her thighs. “Though I dare say you’re not as out of practice as you thought.”

“Like riding a bike, I guess,” she grinned and lowered herself on him as they embraced passionately again. “You sure you’re up for this? A man of your alleged advanced years?”

“Were you disappointed the first time?” he asked.

“Surprised actually,” she giggled. “There is a saying about older guys having techniques down pat.”

“Which part were you surprised about?” he asked as he flipped her over on the bed.

“The aggressiveness and the stamina,” she grinned. “Kinda like now.”

“Objecting?” he asked.

“Nope,” she grinned at him and bit at his nose.

“Told you I could teach you a thing or two,” he grinned as her hands roamed.

“Maybe I get to teach you a thing or two this time,” she said as she managed to get back on top of him and straddled his hips. “You aren’t the only aggressive one here.”

“I’m always open to learning new techniques,” he said as they allowed the second round of passion to envelope them again.

********************
​

Ben woke early as he typically did and saw the mass of curly hair in the bed next to him. He was holding her by the midsection and she had snugged herself back into him at some point in the night since he set the air conditioner set a little lower than normal after she requested it though she had gotten cold. He needed to use the bathroom and attempted as best as he could to slip out of bed without disturbing her. Zoe stirred slightly in the bed before grabbing at the pillow and pulling it in closer. He made sure she was covered up before heading into the bathroom and relieving himself and thinking back to the previous night and how nice it had been. Going back into the room, he looked at the small Java maker and wondered if starting it would wake her.

“Make sure there’s enough for two cups,” he heard her say from behind him. Turning around, she had propped herself up on the bed, though still covered by the comforter.

“I think that can be arranged,” he said as he looked for the fixings.

“Come here a second,” she stated. He stopped and walked the short distance to the bed and sat down on the edge. Brushing back her curly hair, he caressed her neck with a smile.

“Yes, ma’am?” he asked.

“Just wanted to say good morning,” she said with a smile as she took his hand and kissed it.

“Well, good morning to you as well,” he said as he leaned over and gathered a good morning smooch. “I trust you slept well?”

“Like a baby,” she said with a smile. “These beds are more comfortable.”

“Even more so when they are shared,” he said.

“Yes, that makes it more tolerable,” she stated. “Plans for today?”

“Can’t think of a thing except packing and maybe one more trip to the beach,” he stated.

“We’ve got a few hours to pack,” she stated with the “look.”

“Are you saying java can wait?” he asked.

“I haven’t had a cup in the buff with a guy yet,” said Zoe with a grin.

“That makes two of us,” he said with a chuckle as her hands wandered on his body.

“You haven’t had a cup in the buff with a guy either?” she asked with a giggle.

“Nope,” he said as she scratched at his lower back.

“I’d dare say there’s a few girls who wouldn’t mind being in that predicament,” she said with a laugh. “More than a few think you’re all kinds of hot.”

“Only one here at the moment,” he said as he leaned over and they kissed deeply again.

“Three times in eight hours?” she asked as she moaned at his hands went to work.

“You aren’t up to it?” he asked.

“With the performances you’ve put on?” she asked as she gasped when he found a spot she really liked. “Trust me, that’s what legends are made of.”

“I suppose it’ll be a fact omitted from the history books,” he said as he kissed down her neck and continued down her body.

“Not my history book,” she groaned as he continued working his magic on her.

********************
​

“You want yours black?” asked Ben as he finished making up the pot of java.

“Is there any other way to drink it?” she asked as she slipped on his button up shirt since the air was a little cooler in the quarters.

“Nope,” he said as he passed over the cup. “Not drinking your java in the buff?”

“It’s a bit cool in here,” she said. “Plus, you put on shorts already.”

“And I thought I was going to get my money’s worth,” he chuckled.

“Later perhaps,” she said with a shy smile as she sipped at the cup.

“I do want to thank you,” he said as he sat next to her on the bed.

“For what?” she asked as she leaned into him and he put his arm around her shoulders and she rested her head between his shoulder and neck.

“For being there mainly,” said Ben.

“That’s all?” she asked.

“For the pleasant evening as well,” he said. “Saving me from Marci was another reason.”

“I was happy to do that,” said Zoe with a chuckle.

“It’s lonely at the top, you know?” he said. “And all she wanted to do was talk about work.”

“You should break loose a little more,” she stated with a sigh. “I know it’s hard to do in your position, but eventually the job will eat you up.”

“I’ll admit, this trip was exactly what I needed,” said Ben.

“My first official vacation here as well,” she stated. “Not long enough as it is.”

“Weren’t you here before?” he asked.

“I was, but I volunteered to help Kurt at the other islands with the orchards,” she stated. “I was their security and medic.”

“But this trip was all vacation?” he asked.

“Yep,” she said as she scratched gently on his arm.

“Eventually, we’d like to have people permanently here,” said Ben.

“Can I put in for the reassignment now?” she chuckled.

“Even having to live with a twin bed?” he asked.

“I’d dare say while the cats are away, the mice will play and I’d steal one of the nice beds,” she chuckled as she took another sip of the java.

“Theft,” he observed.

“What’s the punishment for that?” she asked.

“I’d come up with something,” he chuckled.

“I guess I’d have to accept your punishment,” she giggled. “Especially if it happens to be anything like last night or this morning.”

“I will say I even surprised myself,” said Ben.

“For your advanced years?” she chuckled.

“I’d chalk it up to you, personally,” he said and kissed at the top of her head.

“That’s sweet,” she sighed. “I do think I should be gone before others are up and about.”

“Still worried?” he asked.

“More for you than me,” she stated. “I could cause some pointed questions.”

“You’re worth it, I think,” he said.

“You think?” she protested.

“Maybe,” he chuckled as she slapped at his chest with a smile. She got up and started locating her clothing and set it on the bed.

“Regardless, I wouldn’t want to put you in that position,” she said as she undid the buttons on his shirt and set it on the bed. She quickly put on her clothing and zipped the dress up.

“Again, thank you,” he said with a smile as he took her hand before she was able to slip on the sandals.

“You’re welcome,” she said with a smile and collected another kiss. She managed to slip on the sandals as he admired them once again.

“You aren’t one of those guys with a foot fetish are you?” she asked.

“Absolutely not,” he stated. “But damned if there isn’t anything sexier than a woman with shapely legs wearing a set of those.”

“Oh, really?” she asked.

“And yes, you have all the necessary qualities to pull that off,” he replied.

“I’ll make a note of that,” she said with a smile and stood. He followed her to the door and opened it while she stepped out. She paused momentarily before turning and standing on her tiptoes to collect one more kiss before leaving.

“It’s worth the problems it could cause,” she said after they parted from the embrace.

“The problems come to me anyway,” he said with a smile.

“Am I a problem?” she asked with a grin.

“Not in the least,” he smiled and saw someone out already. “See you in a bit at breakfast?”

“Absolutely,” she smiled. “Bye.”

“Bye,” she said with a warm smile and a wink before leaving.

 

CHAPTER 22


“Well, that’s some story,” said Cameron as he decided to take lead in the questioning without being prompted. Kurt looked at Cyrus who just waved his hand and allowed Cameron to continue. Kurt himself wasn’t happy with the situation, but at the same time, tried not to show his happiness over a way out for Ben.

“When we returned from the island, I went to the clinic and found I had been dosed with Truedream at some point, but it was a mild dose,” said Zoe.

“How mild?” asked Cameron.

“A percentage is that they said,” said Zoe. “Obviously enough to get me going though.”

“Are you implying you wouldn’t have done what you did without it in your system?” asked Cameron. “That Commander Nash took advantage of the situation and used you in a sexual manner because your mental faculties were impaired?”

“Absolutely not,” said Zoe.

“Did you take advantage of him in his impaired state?” asked Cameron.

“No, everything we did was consensual,” said Zoe.

“But without the Truedream, the Retivive-3, in your system, you wouldn’t have gone through with it?” asked Cameron.

“I absolutely would have,” said Zoe with a nod of her head. “He’s a handsome man that I was intrigued by even without the Truedream in my system. Good conversationalist.”

“It seems like there wasn’t much conversation going on according to you,” said Cameron.

“Objection,” said Cyrus. “Argumentative and I believe this tribunal should be above such petty comments.”

“Objection sustained,” said Kurt. “Mister Meeker, do focus on questions, please.”

“Do you believe Commander Nash would have gone through with such a thing had he known what was happening?” asked Cameron.

“Objection,” said Cyrus. “The witness has no way of knowing that.”

“Sustained,” said Kurt. “Be careful, Mister Meeker.”

“No other contact with Commander Nash since then?” asked Cameron as he moved on.

“We spoke to each other briefly in the colony when we returned,” she stated and didn’t elaborate. “Since I was assigned to the trip to the other continent, I haven’t seen him.”

“I see,” said Cameron. “Your story is very convenient though considering the allegations against Commander Nash.”

“Well, he certainly has an alibi,” said Zoe.

“I mean, you claim you were in Commander Nash’s quarters all night?” asked Cameron. “This couldn’t have been another time and you’re covering for him?”

“Objection!” stated Cyrus. “Is the defense really implying there is a conspiracy here to get Commander Nash cleared of the allegations?”

“Sustained,” said Kurt. “Be careful, Mister Meeker.”

“I’d bet there is DNA evidence I left in there,” said Zoe.

“Your honor, I’m merely pointing out that DNA could have gotten in there at any point during the trip,” said Cameron and ignored her. “It’s well known Commander Nash was quite… social one night as I think many of us have seen his dancing videos. So, who’s to say this DNA evidence, if it even exists, was there from the night of Alvarado 14th?”

“Objection,” said Cyrus. “We can call a witness to testify she wasn’t there another night.”

“Another day perhaps? Unless this mystery witness claims to have been with Commander Nash the whole time until she departed for the colony the night of Alvarado 14th,” said Cameron as he knew exactly who Cyrus would call as a witness.

“I withdraw the objection,” said Cyrus.

“I mean, she obviously wouldn’t be the first blonde woman Commander Nash wooed that trip into his bed. So, there’s very likely multiple sets of DNA on that bed along with multiple strands of blonde hair. The witness simply has no proof that her alleged interaction with Benjamin Nash happened that evening. But even so, it just proves Commander Nash had multiple females in his bed throughout the trip,” said Cameron.

“Watch the comments, Advocate,” warned Kurt.

“We go back to the allegations raised that Commander Nash may have been using such tactics to lure women into his bed. Promising them a ‘position on his personal staff’ in exchange for sexual favors just like Doctor Dubose claimed,” said Cameron.

“You’re very close to being out of order, Mister Meeker,” said Kurt. “This is your final warning and don’t test my resolve.”

“I think we obviously have to take that testimony into account, your honor,” said Cameron. “We might want to take a recess to determine how many women fell victim to such charms and decided to take their turn with the Commander for potentially a career enhancing move.”

Kurt saw a figure pop up in the courtroom and expected yet another outburst as he grabbed his gavel. Several murmurs were heard though he saw fire coming from the eyes of Ashley Boyd as she stormed out of the courtroom. She stopped briefly enough to look at Rachelle before nodding her head to leave. Rachelle followed her out feeling she would have to calm her down over the comments made by Cameron.

“We’re going to take a twenty minute recess,” said Kurt as he banged the gavel with a dark expression on his face.

“Your honor, I’m not done questioning the witness,” said Cameron.

“We’re taking a twenty minute recess,” said Kurt as he pointed his finger at Cameron. “And you’re going to join me in my chambers.”

Kurt banged the gavel again as the courtroom started talking about what had just been said. Cameron headed to the bathroom as he saw Kurt going there first. He diverted away from the one Kurt was using and went to a different one before he got the chewing out he felt was coming. Outside, Rachelle caught up with Ashley as she headed towards the mainframe building.

“Ashley! Hold up!” said Rachelle. Ashley paused for a moment as Rachelle came jogging up and walked with her at a quick pace. “What’s going on?”

“I need your help,” said Ashley with an intense look on her face.

“Help with what?” asked Rachelle.

“I need your help proving my brand new ex-boyfriend cheated on me,” said Ashley.

“Ashley… he’s already going through a lot,” said Rachelle. “Please, don’t add to that.”

“Rachelle, I think I know a way of ending this nonsense,” said Ashley. “I need help tracking down something that will help Ben and blow that asshole Meeker and that lying bitch Dubose right out of the courtroom.”

“Okay, what do we need to do?” asked Rachelle as they arrived at the SIT mainframe building.

“Help me prove Ben cheated on me,” said Ashley as she headed inside.

********************
​

“Mister Meeker,” said Kurt as he slumped into the chair provided in the “chambers” for the duration of the trial. “You are treading a line of propriety here that is not going to be tolerated in my courtroom with the comments you are making.”

“Oh?” he asked.

“Don’t act surprised,” warned Kurt. “Look, it doesn’t matter if Ben Nash slept with two women in that bed or fifty. All I’m worried about is if he slept with one in her bed. Or assaulted her outside her quarters more specifically.”

“I have to show a pattern here,” said Cameron. “I warned you we had no idea what Kent was going to say when we put her on the stand.”

“A pattern of what exactly?” asked Kurt.

“That he uses his power and influence to bed down anyone he sees fit,” said Cameron.

“Whether or not Ben Nash made those kinds of promises is not a charge on the docket for this court,” said Kurt. “You need to be careful accusing him of such a thing without evidence.”

“I have the statement of Marci Dubose,” said Cameron.

“And I have her testimony that got ripped to pieces,” said Kurt. “Even if Ben did promise such a thing, that specific action isn’t illegal at this point.”

“So, I’m not allowed to chase down that lead?” asked Cameron. “You do realize he’s not in the clear yet?”

“I think you need to be very careful about that,” said Kurt. “Your questions directed at Sergeant Kent are out of line.”

“This is what happens when you can’t depose a witness,” said Cameron.

“Doesn’t excuse the fact you are implying she’s lying about that time spent between the two of them,” said Kurt. “As well as the fact you just smeared two women including one who’s not even involved in this trial and basically accused them of sleeping their way to the top.”

“I was leading up to the idea she had been in there another time,” said Cameron. “Before you decided to take a recess and I could ask those questions.”

“No, you are attacking his character as well as the character of two other women,” warned Kurt. “I won’t have that in my courtroom.”

“You won’t allow me to do my job?” asked Cameron.

“I’m more than happy to let you do your job,” said Kurt irately. “But I won’t allow you to go after those women like that. It ends, right now.”

“I still have questions that might lead to Sergeant Kent lying,” said Cameron. “Or at the very least was in there a different time.”

“I’m sure you can ask those questions when we resume,” said Kurt. “As well as whatever else pops into your head. But if you are trying to build Commander Nash into some form of sexual predator who was bedding down every woman he could, be careful. And I will not have you accusing women of using him to enhance their position in the colony.”

“Don’t you find it the least bit suspicious one of Major Hayden’s troops came forward with contradictory testimony to everything we’ve discovered so far?” asked Cameron.

“Giving Sergeant Kent the benefit of the doubt, she just returned from an out of colony science mission and didn’t know about these proceedings until today,” said Kurt as the thought hit him that trip wasn’t due in for another week.

“Not suspicious in the least?” asked Cameron as he misidentified the wheels turning in Kurt’s head as him thinking about the conspiracy.

“If you’re going to try to build a conspiracy case involving Major Hayden, Commander Nash, Sergeant Kent and others, I’ll allow for a day or two recess to let you conduct interviews and build such a case,” said Kurt. “But I’m not sure you want to go down that path.”

“Look, we have no evidence whatsoever she was in there when she stated she was,” said Cameron. “I’m trying to prosecute a case here.”

“No, you’re trying to destroy someone else after we already know Marci Dubose is guilty because she pled that way and she got torn apart on the stand earlier,” said Kurt with annoyance. “You do realize she’s probably going to be investigated for perjury when this is done?”

“I have this feeling you might order that,” said Cameron.

“Then we need to stick to the known facts,” said Kurt. “And the fact is, Cyrus Hendrix provided some pretty damning evidence she made her whole allegation up.”

“Do you understand what is happening right now in this colony? We are fractured like we’ve never been before. Half the colony thinks Ben is innocent and we should have never gone this far. The other half thinks he’s innocent and wanted justice to have its day. There are grumblings within the ranks of a full up revolt to bust him out of this mess and start over somewhere else.”

“Do you honestly want such a thing? Do you want the Security Forces busting down that door and ‘rescuing’ Ben from that table? Or the ones inside the courtroom already that have been steadily slipping in since this started? Do you really want them taking issue with you attacking one of their own and accusing her of sleeping with him to enhance her career?”

“Make no mistake, the entire future of the colony as well as that man’s life hangs on what you are asking in that courtroom. Not only that, but you are attacking a brave woman for coming forward to dispute the allegations that have been put forward. So, if I’m not being clear enough, you need to focus on what you can prove and stop this nonsense,” said Kurt with a frown.

“I’m not going to be allowed to question Nash’s character?” asked Cameron.

“I’m warning you to be careful questioning his character,” said Kurt. “Because his character has been above reproach since we’ve been here.”

“I understand,” said Cameron.

“Look, we’re going to head back in there, but you need to be very careful about the allegations you are making without any shred of proof,” said Kurt.

“I’ve been so advised,” said Cameron.

“Let’s get back to it,” said Kurt as he nodded at the door while thinking over the situation and Cameron departed. He knew Zoe was telling the truth right then and he should have recused himself the moment she took the stand. But to do so would have caused a mistrial and they would have had to go through the whole thing again. It was quite a mess that had been created as he headed back in and the bailiff called the room to order before Kurt banged his gavel to start the questioning again.

“Mister Meeker, you may proceed,” said Kurt.

“Sergeant Kent or do you prefer Ms. Kent?” he asked like a snake looking over a mouse.

“Sergeant Kent will be fine,” said Zoe.

“Prior to the evening you claim you and Commander Nash spent together, did he ever make any advances towards you?” asked Cameron.

“Advances?” asked Zoe.

“Of a sexual or even a personal nature?” asked Cameron.

“Objection,” stated Cyrus.

“Overruled,” said Kurt and saw Cyrus about to object again. “It’s a valid question.”

“Not really, no,” said Zoe.

“Not really meaning?” he asked.

“Meaning that,” said Zoe. “I mean, the most contact we had was dancing one night and that’s somewhat of a personal act though I thought it was just friendly.”

“Of which we’ve all seen the videos of Commander Nash dancing,” said Cameron. “But he made an advance at you that night?”

“No, I mean, the advance was purely platonic,” said Zoe. “I asked him to dance and he was wearing a silly grin that I thought was cute.”

“But there was no unwanted physical contact that night? No comments about your appearance? Flirtatious remarks? Invitations to his quarters for a nightcap?” asked Cameron. “Wandering hands during the dance?”

“No, we danced and laughed about me needing to up my game in that department to keep up with him,” said Zoe. “It was nothing more than a dance.”

“Dancing can be sensual,” said Cameron.

“Well, we didn’t have a ruler out, but he kept a proper distance,” said Zoe. “It was the Texas two-step and there were plenty of witnesses.”

“No unwanted physical contact while doing that two-step?” asked Cameron.

“Not in the least,” said Zoe.

“And at no other point did he have contact with you on the island?” asked Cameron.

“I was on his work crew the second day,” said Zoe after thinking about it. “But we worked away from his party for most of the day.”

“And did he make any suggestive comments that day?” asked Cameron.

“He… he did make a comment about our physical appearance before lunch,” said Zoe.

“Our?” asked Cameron.

“Myself, Taylor Green and Shelby Benton with Ag,” said Zoe.

“He specifically said?” asked Cameron.

“Objection,” said Cyrus.

“Reason?” asked Kurt.

“What point is the prosecution trying to prove?” asked Cyrus.

“Mister Meeker?” asked Kurt.

“Again, trying to prove the actions of her and Commander Nash might not have been on the night she stated,” said Cameron.

“It’s not that bad, really,” blurted out Zoe. “He just said he’d have to chase the boys off since we were all three wearing bikini tops and short shorts.”

“So, an offhand compliment to your appearance?” asked Cameron.

“Your honor!” objected Cyrus.

“Watch yourself, Mister Meeker,” said Kurt as he saw Rachelle and Ashley Boyd come back into the courtroom and make a beeline for the defense. Kurt saw the four having a whispered conversation as Cameron was about to ask another question, but Kurt put up his finger to stop it in its tracks before he asked.

“Your honor, I’d like to approach the bench along with the prosecution,” said Cyrus.

“Granted,” said Kurt as Cyrus and Cameron approached. “What do you have?”

“Two questions for the witness, two for the defendant and I think we need to take a recess to examine possible evidence that completely clears Commander Nash,” said Cyrus. “We can examine it together if you approve.”

“What evidence?” asked Cameron.

“Evidence that was just found,” said Cyrus. “I’ll explain during the recess.”

“And what questions do you want to ask?” asked Cameron.

“Ask them what they were wearing that night and what kind of shoes,” said Cyrus.

“I can ask those questions from the bench,” said Kurt. “Objections?”

“No objections,” said Cameron who wondered where this was going.

“Okay, I’ll ask the questions then call for a recess,” said Kurt. The advocates went back to their seats as Kurt wondered as well where this was going. But he decided Cyrus and Kate had a good reason for bringing it up.

“Bailiff, please escort Doctor Marci Dubose back into the room,” said Kurt as he wondered exactly what was happening right then. Marci was led from the waiting room back to the rear of the prosecution table as Kurt asked the questions.

“Ms. Kent, what clothing were you wearing that night?” he asked.

“I had on a one-piece denim dress,” she stated.

“And what kind of shoes?” he asked.

“Thong sandals that wrapped up my calf,” she stated. “Like a cream color.”

“Doctor Dubose, what were you wearing that night?” asked Kurt.

“What does that matter?” asked Marci from the prosecution table.

“It’s a simple question,” said Kurt. “You can choose not to answer.”

“I was wearing blue jeans and a black shirt,” said Marci.

“And shoes?” asked Kurt.

“I had on high heels, black ones,” said Marci, confused at the question.

“Thank you, Doctor Dubose,” said Kurt. “I’m going to call for a brief recess in order to confer with the counselors from the defense and the prosecution. I ask that the jury be provided lunch but remain available in case we come back from recess early.”

Banging the gavel, he departed with the prosecution and defense in tow along with Rachelle and Ashley. They headed into the chambers where Kurt took a seat.

“I should ask why you brought in these two?” asked Kurt.

“They can testify to the legitimacy of what I’m introducing as evidence,” said Cyrus.

“Okay, what’s going on?” asked Kurt.

“We have evidence Sergeant Kent is telling the truth,” said Cyrus as nodded to Rachelle to load the memory crystal into a nearby computer. “Basically, it’s the same video footage shot from the bar, but later.”

“There was no video footage,” said Cameron. “Miss Marchand confirmed that herself.”

“I didn’t know until just a little while ago,” said Rachelle. “I’ll let Ashley explain.”

“Long story short, when I got back to the colony that night and started installing the software patches, I found the security cameras were an easy fix,” said Ashley. “I managed to turn on the ones at Rachelle Island remotely, but with the way the system was still out of whack, the recordings were sent directly to the archive instead of being stored for 30 days like normal.”

“So, we did a targeted search and found them in the archives,” said Rachelle who hadn’t seen the videos yet, but knew in her heart they would absolve Ben.

“You just found them?” asked Cameron.

“Well, if you hadn’t been an asshole in the courtroom, I wouldn’t have remembered it,” said Ashley as her eyes turned to fire. “I was thinking of ways of kicking your ass and recording it for everyone to see when I remembered turning on the cameras on the island.”

“Ms. Boyd, that will be enough of that,” warned Kurt. “Where is the video?”

“Right here,” said Rachelle as she pulled out her laptop and plugged in the memory crystal. The time stamp began later in the evening and showed Ben and Marci at the table. Eventually, Ben was seen heading for the bar for his next drink as they noticed Marci dropping something into his glass still on the table.

“Well, that’s the proof we needed for her drugging Commander Nash,” said Kate.

“She already admitted to it,” said Cameron. “Doesn’t clear him yet.”

They saw her depart for the bathroom as Ben and Zoe bumped into each other and struck up a conversation before retrieving new drinks as she had testified and returning to the table where it appeared they were talking. They could clearly see Ben dump the remains of the old drink into his new cup as well as Marci returning from the bathroom. Eventually, they saw Zoe take a drink from Ben’s glass and saw Marci take note of it by looking at the glass quickly as well as at Zoe before looking away.

“And that’s where Sergeant Kent got the Truedream,” said Cameron quietly. The evening continued just like Zoe had stated to the point where Ben departed and Zoe not long after him. They saw both Zoe and Marci were telling the truth about what they were wearing as the outfits and footwear were seen in the video. The brief interaction between Ben and Marci was seen as he went into his quarters and Marci was seen departing.

“I would presume she’s heading towards the quarters area,” said Kate.

“Presumably,” said Cameron as he eventually saw Ben come out carrying the blanket and walking off the screen. “However, still doesn’t exonerate Nash.”

“Keep watching,” said Rachelle and fast forwarded the video to around an hour and fifteen minutes after Ben and Zoe had departed. They saw someone returning at the quarters and Rachelle stopped the video before rewinding it and paused once again before zooming in past the bar area towards Ben’s quarters.

“The quarters there in the back are the married couples and executive quarters,” said Rachelle as she pointed on the screen. “This was Commander Nash’s quarters for the visit.”

“And how can you prove that?” asked Cameron.

“Because he was in unit N1 right next to mine,” said Rachelle. “That’s easy to prove.”

She hit play and zoomed in as two individuals from the waist down were seen heading towards Ben’s quarters. The overhang blocked positive identification of the pair, but clearly it appeared to be a female with what Zoe was wearing returning with a male to the quarters. While they had no idea what he was wearing, they saw a set of distinctly female legs wearing a denim skirt and the exact shoes she claimed to be wearing that night.

They entered the quarters and the door closed behind them. Rachelle fast forwarded the video through the next nine hours until female legs were seen coming out, briefly stopping and turning as a male set of legs appeared in the door, standing on her tiptoes briefly and departing through the bar area where they saw for a fact it was her.

“Yeah, that curly blond hair is a dead giveaway,” said Kate. “That’s Zoe Kent.”

“I wonder what that pause was about outside his quarters,” said Cameron.

“Good bye kiss,” said Rachelle. “What? You don’t kiss the girl bye when she leaves?”

“I think his social habits aren’t up for discussion,” said Kurt. “However, this video proves Sergeant Kent isn’t lying about the timeline.”

“He could have gone out a back door,” said Cameron.

“They are sealed on the executive quarters,” said Cyrus. “There is a bathroom blocking the exit from the rear.”

“Obviously, we’ll need to review this at regular speed,” said Cameron quietly as he saw Marci had lied about everything and his case was destroyed.

“But right now, we have enough to charge Marci Dubose with filing a false report on the allegations against Commander Nash,” said Kurt.

“Yeah, apparently so,” said Cameron quietly.

“And she committed perjury by testifying to that under oath,” said Kurt.

“She did,” said Cameron in a dejected voice.

“We’ll have to play this for the jury,” said Kurt. “It absolves Commander Nash of any wrongdoing and you don’t have a case any longer.”

“I understand,” said Cameron.

“You need to convince Marci to shut up at this point,” said Kurt, not talking like a judge, but rather as a person giving friendly advice to another. “She needs to be removed from the courtroom until I dismiss this case so she doesn’t say anything else to prolong this.”

“I’d assume there are time stamps on the recordings?” asked Cameron.

“Yes, there are,” said Rachelle. “I can help the defense introduce them into evidence.”

“I’d talk to Marci about getting back with her advocate for the perjury and false allegations before she can make an ass of herself again. We need to wrap this up quickly,” said Kurt.

“I’ll speak to her about it, but frankly, I don’t know if she will listen,” said Cameron.

“All told, I have no idea what punishment we will impose on her or even when we’d do another tribunal,” said Kurt. “But I have this funny feeling the jury will come back with a guilty verdict on all counts.”

“We haven’t gotten around to having set punishments, have we?” asked Cyrus.

“No,” said Kurt with a sigh. “I guess I get to set that precedent.”

“Regardless, I ask for an extended recess in order to talk to her and her advocate,” said Cameron.

“Approved,” said Kurt. “Cyrus, did you want to question Doctor Dubose again?”

“No, I think with the recording, we’re pretty much set,” said Cyrus.

“Anything else for Sergeant Kent?” asked Kurt.

“Can’t think of a thing,” said Cameron with a sigh.

“The video proves everything,” said Cyrus. “Pictures don’t lie.”

“I’ll recall the jury and I’ll need you to swear in both Ms. Marchand and Ms. Boyd as court appointed technical experts so they can go through it with them,” said Kurt.

“Yes, your honor,” said Cameron with a nod.

“Let’s get this over with,” said Kurt as they returned to the courtroom and he saw Cameron instruct the bailiff to remove Marci.

“What is going on?” asked Marci as the bailiff politely asked her to leave.

“We need you out of the room for the next portion,” said the bailiff.

“Why?” asked Marci.

“Bailiff, if she doesn’t remove herself voluntarily, you may use physical force to remove her,” said Cameron as he glared at Marci.

“I’m going!” exclaimed Marci.

“Bailiff? Is the jury still having lunch?” asked Kurt as he brought it back into session.

“I can get them,” said the second bailiff.

“No need,” said Kurt. “Are they in the room where they are supposed to be?”

“Yes,” said the second bailiff.

“Okay, Mister Meeker is going to swear in two technical experts as well as the defense introducing video evidence corroborating Sergeant Kent’s story,” said Kurt. “Court will be in recess for the next 30 minutes. Mister Bennett, if I could have a word when we recess?”

“Of course, your honor,” said Mark as Kurt banged the gavel. He headed over to the bench where he and Kurt went into the hallway outside the room.

“What are the rules on the jury asking questions?” asked Kurt.

“We don’t have rules on that,” said Mark. “In other words, make them up as we go.”

“So, no legal precedent for them asking questions to a technical expert?” asked Kurt.

“I’d probably have the prosecution and defense handy for that,” said Mark.

“Okay, that works,” said Kurt.

“What happened?” asked Mark.

“Zoe’s story checks out and there is video evidence to confirm it,” said Kurt. “As soon as the jury sees the video, I will make a motion to dismiss all charges against Ben with them voting on the measure. That’s what we agreed to, right?”

“Technically, a jury doesn’t have to do that,” said Mark.

“I would prefer the jury have a say,” said Kurt. “Mark, Marci Dubose perjured herself and made up the allegations. We have video evidence he never left his quarters that night as Zoe claimed.”

“And again, you can dismiss the case on that basis alone,” said Mark.

“I think the jury needs to see the evidence as well,” said Kurt.

“No, the jury doesn’t need to see the evidence,” said Mark. “The whole damn colony needs to see the evidence that clears him.”

“Good point,” said Kurt. “Okay, the jury gets the soft opening and we’ll play the video for the court after we return from recess. I’ll render the verdict at that point.”

“He’s cleared?” asked Mark.

“Yeah,” said Kurt and allowed himself a smile. “I didn’t think it would happen. I mean, I thought there would always be some doubt in people’s minds even with Cyrus tearing apart the allegations, but somehow, Ben Nash keeps pulling off miracles.”

“That he does,” said Mark. “You know what this means, right?”

“No?” asked Kurt.

“I can start staying with Charity again,” grinned Mark.

“You weren’t staying with her?” asked Kurt.

“I felt it necessary to isolate myself from anyone who could be a liability during the trial,” said Mark. “I felt like I needed to be as clear as possible from any perception of influencing you.”

“Well, you didn’t influence me at all,” said Kurt. “Gave me good advice even.”

“I’ll accept that,” said Mark with a nod as Kurt called the session back in and had Rachelle and Ashley sworn in. Cyrus was busy talking with Ben as he shook his head and let out a deep sigh before turning to Tasha.

“Call it off,” said Ben.

“Not until it’s officially over,” said Tasha.

“It’s over,” said Ben.

“I seem to recall you aren’t Commander right now,” said Tasha. “It gets called off when I call it off, okay?”

“Now she gets insubordinate,” muttered Ben as Rachelle and Ashley disappeared.

“I’m going to ask the prosecution and defense accompany the technical experts into the jury room in case of questions,” said Kurt. “Cyrus, doesn’t have to be both of you.”

“I’d like for Doctor Barnes to accompany me,” said Cyrus.

“As you wish,” said Kurt. “We stand in recess for another half hour.”

As Kurt banged the gavel once again, Ben let out a sigh as Tasha moved into the room and spoke with some of her troops. He sat wondering exactly what was going on as he stared at the table and felt like the end was near. Eventually, Kate returned and sat at the table with him.

“It’s over,” said Kate. “There is video evidence of you taking Zoe Kent into your quarters and not coming out until the next morning.”

“I thought the cameras weren’t working?” asked Ben.

“Apparently, Ashley turned them on when she came back,” said Kate. “The prosecution has nothing else they can throw at you.”

“Oh, there’s plenty they can throw at me,” said Ben with a frown. “You know, me trying to create my own harem of women servants to ease my sexual desires whenever I ask?”

“I think you’ll see that go away rather quickly,” said Kate and added with a grin. “Besides, you wouldn’t have a problem creating a harem with or without your position.”

“I think I’ll skip that idea,” said Ben as he saw Rachelle and Ashley come back in and Rachelle shot him a thumbs up with her customary grin. Cameron, Cyrus and Kate came back in and got into position before the bailiff called the courtroom to order.

“All rise,” said the bailiff as Kurt and the jury came in.

“Be seated, please,” said Kurt as he banged his gavel and officially brought the trial back into order. “Does the jury have a recommendation?”

“We do, your honor,” said Bao Nguyen, a late 40s Vietnamese man assigned to the Engineers that had been assigned as the jury foreman. He spoke English well enough, but his thick accent and poor grammar still showed he had a way to go before fully mastering the English language. However, he was exceptional in creating the design of the buildings they all used on the planet.

“Jury recommend all charges be drop and case dismissed. No further testimony and no further argument from advocate needed. We unanimously vote Commander Benjamin Mark Nash innocent on all charge,” said Nguyen as he read from the simple handwritten sheet.

“Before I render my verdict, I will play the evidence for the public so they can see why these charges are being dropped. The bench calls Director Rachelle Marchand and Ms. Ashley Boyd from the Services, Infrastructure and Technology Team as technical witnesses,” said Kurt as he nodded at the pair as well as Cameron who swore them in for a second time. The large screen was brought down from the ceiling necessitating Kurt having to move as it blocked the bench as the video was brought up from Rachelle Island.

Rachelle narrated the scene as she repeated the process for the third time that day, feeling joy again as she knew Ben had been found innocent. As the video finished up, the screen retracted back into the ceiling and Kurt resumed his place on the bench.

“Your honor, the prosecution has determined the evidence introduced here today completely exonerates Commander Nash of the charge and we have no ability to continue this tribunal,” said Cameron. “The prosecution cannot in good faith challenge the facts.”

“Defense, any additional arguments?” asked Kurt for the record.

“No, your honor,” said Cyrus without standing. “The defense rests.”

“In light of this revelation and under the recommendation of the jury, this court has decided to dismiss all proceedings against Commander Benjamin Mark Nash for the alleged crime of sexual assault. The video evidence brought forth by the defense and well as the direct testimony of Sergeant Zoe Kent is overwhelming and cannot be challenged,” said Kurt.

“Benjamin Mark Nash, please stand,” said Kurt as Ben stood along with his advocates. “This court absolves you of any wrongdoing in the matters introduced here today. Furthermore, these proceedings will not be introduced into your permanent record as I believe the allegations brought forth against you were proven to be false and equivocal in nature.”

“The case of Marcella Dubose versus Benjamin Nash is dismissed with prejudice and this court is adjourned,” said Kurt as he banged his gavel.

“Not bad at all,” said Ben with a smile as he shook hands with Cyrus.

“Told you I’d take care of you kid,” grinned Cyrus as Kate collected a hug and people started making their way to Ben to shake his hand. Cameron Meeker made his way over and stared at the floor as he approached Ben.

“Commander, I was out of line during the last period of questioning. I went after you and your friends wrongly and I would like to apologize for my actions,” said Cameron. “Congratulations to you and your team on a well fought case.”

“You had a case to chase down,” said Ben. “Since it’s been dismissed, we’ll say it’s water under the bridge and move forward.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Cameron as he shook Ben’s hand and turned to Cyrus. “You should be a professor in law school and have a class on how to destroy a prosecution.”

“You have a lot to learn, young man,” said Cyrus.

“I got the education today I missed on Earth,” said Cameron. “Again, congratulations.”

Ben started making his way outside as there was one person he needed to talk to even though he knew she had forbidden it. Along the way, he shook hands with others as they congratulated him on the outcome of the case. Eventually, he came up on Ashley immediately outside the building as she was being thanked by another member of the colony.

“Ashley?” asked Ben softly as he approached.

“Ben,” she said softly as well and turned to him.

“I want to thank you,” he said. “I know you said you didn’t want to speak ever again, but I felt like I needed to say something for what you did.”

“I said I didn’t want to talk to you for the rest of my life,” she said with a sad smile. “That sure seems like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it sure does,” said Ben with a sad smile of his own.

“Ben, what you did the night I left was unforgivable, it was stupid and no matter which way you slice it, it’s cheating,” she said softly and saw him about to interrupt. “But I also recognize the fact you had a powerful drug in your system, well, you both did, and she’s the kind of girl most men would cheat with without any drugs at all.”

“I still didn’t mean for you to get hurt,” said Ben softly.

“I didn’t get hurt,” said Ashley. “I possibly overreacted to the situation because I didn’t know all the facts at the time, but we weren’t together long enough for me to get hurt.”

“I still… I feel bad about what happened to you,” said Ben. “And I felt like kicking the hell out of Meeker when he made that comment about you.”

“Ben, that’s why I did what I did in finding that video,” she said softly. “I saw them in there trying to destroy a good man. He was going out of his way to tear you down and destroy you. Or as a minimum try to present you as some sex crazed maniac jumping from bed to bed.”

“I learned a lot about you in the brief time we were together,” she continued. “And I saw a good, caring and honest man that closed himself off emotionally a long time ago. But I got a glimpse into that heart of yours and I saw something really special inside when you opened it up just a bit to me. Now, hopefully I’ve forced you to see you don’t have to be closed and you can open up that heart to others. You are a special man that will give your love unconditionally to whatever woman is lucky enough to have you.”

“But there can’t ever be anything between us,” she said sadly. “We had a great time over those few days we were together and I’ll cherish those memories. But you and I were just ships passing in the night and we both know this. I mean, maybe if we had met years ago before my ex-husband and your ex-wife, we could have stood the test of time. But it just isn’t meant to be at this point.”

“Still friends though?” he asked.

“I think we can be friends in the long run,” said Ashley with a brief smile. “It will take a while, but the foundation is there. Of course, I’m kind of hard to explain to your new girlfriend.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he said in a confused tone.

“Yes, you do,” she said with a smile. “You just don’t know it yet.”

“I’m not dating Zoe,” said Ben.

“Certainly not her,” said Ashley. “She’s way too young for you.”

“You’re probably not going to be the last person to say that,” he chuckled.

“Eventually, you’ll figure it out,” she smiled at the duality of her words. “Anyway, I wasn’t going to let them hurt you any more in that courtroom. I was going to make sure there was a sudden stop to it.”

“Thank you,” he said.

“I’ll see you around, I’m sure,” she said as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before walking away and not turning around.

“I’m sure Shakespeare said something about a woman walking away and not looking back,” said Cyrus as he came up to Ben.

“I think that was probably a country music song,” said Ben with a sigh.

“Well, at least you didn’t lose your truck, your farm, your dog and your grandma getting run over at a train station,” chuckled Cyrus.

“I thought the team was going to be out another week on the other continent?” asked Ben.

“I think they are,” said Cyrus.

“Interesting that Zoe Kent just happened to drop into the courtroom,” said Ben.

“That it is,” said Cyrus. “I mean, she might have gotten a lift on a gunship or something.”

“So, a low level Security Forces NCO just asks for and receives permission to come back to the colony on a gunship dedicated to the security over there?” asked Ben.

“The gunship might be on from here,” said Cyrus. “Don’t know.”

“I thought you said we didn’t need her to testify,” said Ben.

“Funny thing,” said Cyrus. “Apparently, she had something to add.”

“And I thought Allen was skeptical about her involvement since she made an official statement that she went home alone that night,” said Ben.

“Who do you think dispatched the gunship to get her here this afternoon?” asked Cyrus. “And furthermore, I don’t know what statement you’re talking about.”

“Apparently she wrote an official statement that claimed she went home alone,” said Ben.

“I don’t think you’re catching my drift,” said Cyrus. “No such statement exists.”

“Oh,” said Ben. “I must have been mistaken.”

“Funny things like that happen from time to time,” said Cyrus.

“They sure do,” said Ben.

“You know, Ben, some don’t need military training to know how to properly execute an ambush,” said Cyrus.

“No, I certainly learned that today,” said Ben.

“Truth is, Allen and I started setting this up the day he talked to you,” said Cyrus.

“I’m sorry?” asked Ben.

“Allen has always been on your side,” said Cyrus. “Oh, I think he overreacted a bit on the house arrest thing, but you just weren’t going to allow us to work for you behind the scenes because damned if Ben Nash was going to have his honor besmirched. You couldn’t leave well enough alone and forced him into a bad position.”

“Allen has been working with you?” asked Ben.

“He knew, like I knew, there was no way we were going to have her revise her statement and be interviewed before a trial. Mainly because this would have been prolonged for another week at least and we didn’t need that,” said Cyrus. “We needed the pure shock value of her surprise testimony on the stand to blow everything away. So, Allen took a gunship and headed over there to talk to her in person. You didn’t notice he was missing for about eight hours?”

“I was on house arrest, Cyrus,” said Ben. “Though it was mentioned at one point.”

“We knew that if Meeker was allowed to talk her in advance, he would rip her testimony to shreds in advance and tear her apart on the stand,” said Cyrus. “So, we agreed she would pop into the court and we would put him on the defensive.”

“Kurt might not have allowed that,” said Cyrus.

“He would have,” said Cyrus with a smile.

“You think you might have let me in on all this?” asked Ben.

“You would have said no,” said Cyrus. “Damnation, Ben, you’ve got an integrity streak ten kilometers wide. You would never have allowed such back alley tactics and you were hell bent on getting your name cleared. This was the only way this could have gone down.”

“And the video?” asked Ben.

“Well, now that was something even I didn’t know about,” said Cyrus. “I mean, with the way I ripped up Marci on the stand and the testimony of Zoe, you were going to be exonerated. But that video? Man, that was just the double layer icing on the cake.”

“You really didn’t know about that?” asked Ben.

“I’d say you owe a lot more to Ashley and Rachelle than you realize,” said Cyrus. “The testimony and cross examination would have been enough to clear you with most. That video? Well, that removed any shred of doubt that Marci was lying and you were innocent.”

“It certainly did,” said Ben. “How do you know I would have objected to your plans?”

“Again, you would have preferred to go by the rules even though the rules aren’t clear for us on such things yet,” said Cyrus. “You were still operating under the old rules.”

“I might have agreed,” said Ben. “I suspected you were up to something.”

“No, you wouldn’t have,” said Cyrus. “Look, Ben, I haven’t known you that long but I damn well know you would have preferred to nip this in the bud before it started. You would never have agreed to a tribunal regardless of what we said. You would have wanted her testimony on hand prior to the tribunal because you wanted your name cleared.”

“Again, we had to ambush Marci in that courtroom and get her in the public eye where everyone would see me tear her apart,” said Cyrus. “That was the only way we had of proving to the whole colony you were innocent.”

“I saw the look on Marci’s face when Zoe showed up,” chuckled Ben. “I’m sure there’s a word beyond shocked, but I can’t think of it right now.”

“Ben, everyone here knew you were innocent including her,” said Cyrus. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t introduce the evidence to prove it until now. But you know what? I think this thing showed you have a lot more friends than you thought.”

“I appreciate everything you did,” said Ben.

“Now, I think you and Allen need to talk,” said Cyrus. “Just remember, he was on your side the whole time.”

“There’s probably some trust issues at the moment,” admitted Ben.

“I think you’ll work them out like you always do,” said Cyrus. “Allen’s pretty good at that too if you haven’t noticed.”

“I think we can reach an accord,” said Ben as others came filing out and Rachelle bounced up to him and jumped into his arms in a hug.

“I’m so happy right now I don’t know whether to cry or smile!” she exclaimed as she practically choked him with her hug.

“You can cry and smile at the same time,” he laughed. “Little tight, girlfriend.”

“Sorry,” she laughed as she released the hold she had. “I’m glad things worked out the way they did. I hated seeing what they were doing to you.”

“Well, you and Ashley have the biggest part in that,” said Ben.

“So, you’re going to let me be, well, me for a bit with a lot of understanding, patience and not giving me the upset dad looks like you do?” she grinned.

“I think you’ve certainly earned a reprieve,” he grinned in return. “I won’t ever be able to say it enough, but thank you.”

“I would have done anything to make this go away,” said Rachelle.

“Anything covers a lot of ground with you,” he laughed.

“I’m not saying anything was off the table,” she grinned. “Luckily, we had some talented people helping you and everything worked out in the end.”

“It surely did,” he said with a sigh and a smile. “Well, not everything.”

“You and I both know it never would have lasted with her anyway,” said Rachelle. “I love Ashley to death and she’s officially my favorite person in the galaxy, well, next to you of course, but you and her were just a vacation thing.”

“As she already told me,” said Ben.

“There’s someone else that needs you far more,” said Rachelle as she nodded at Mary who was patiently waiting for her turn with Ben.

“Playing matchmaker already?” asked Ben.

“Nope, even as dumb as you can be, you’ll figure it out,” grinned Rachelle as she gave him another hug. “See you tonight for a victory drink?”

“Non-alcoholic,” said Ben as Rachelle departed and Mary came up.

“I’m sure you’ve been congratulated enough already,” said Mary with a smile.

“Once or twice,” said Ben. “Cyrus, Kate, Rachelle and Ashley deserve all the credit though.”

“Well, they had an easy client to defend,” said Mary with a smile. “Ben, I saw people trying to destroy you and it hurt.”

“It hurt me as well,” said Ben. “And I’m sorry for hurting you all those times including this latest time.”

“I may have hurt you as well,” said Mary with a sigh and a shake of her head.

“You’ve done nothing of the sort,” said Ben.

“Had I gone on that trip I might have been in a position to see what was happening to you and stopped it before it got out of control,” said Mary. “By being so silly about everything, I put you into this position.”

“Don’t you ever apologize for being a great doctor and putting your patients before anything else,” he said. “Truth is, everything happens for a reason and we got damn lucky this time. Who knows if Marci would have come at me again with even more evidence against me? Evidence I didn’t have a good alibi for and wouldn’t have gotten this outcome.”

“You’re really reaching for that silver lining, you know that?” asked Mary with a sigh and a smile. “But that’s why we all like you. Ben… I think we need to talk, please?”

“I think we definitely need to have that conversation we’ve put off for far too long,” said Ben. “But not today, okay? Too much going on today. But it will be soon though, I promise.”

“Don’t make it too long,” she said as she reached up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek along with a hug. “I’ll be waiting for you when you feel the time is right.”

 

CHAPTER 23


Ben and Mary parted as another couple of the colonists came up and congratulated Ben along with “we knew you were innocent” as he smiled and thanked them for supporting him. He saw the next person waiting for him with folded arms and a sour look on her face.

“Saving the best for last,” he smiled at Tasha.

“Zoe Kent?” she asked without hesitation. “My Zoe Kent?”

“I had Truedream in my system, Tasha,” said Ben with a sigh as he saw things were already getting back to normal as Tasha was being herself in looking out for her troops and him.

“I never would have imagined Zoe doing that,” said Tasha after a moment of thinking. “She’s fairly reserved and I doubt she’d need to spike someone’s drink. Trust me, the boys pay her plenty of attention and she’d have the pick of the litter if she wanted.”

“I guess I was the pick of the litter that night,” said Ben. “Except she had Truedream as well.”

“I should be angry you put yourself in a position to be compromised, especially with one of my troopers, but that Retivive can cause serious… physical issues not easily overcome,” said Tasha.

“Oh, it’s certainly earned its reputation as a sexual stimulant,” said Ben.

“Again, I should be mad at you,” said Tasha. “It’s one thing to go after Mary or Ashley or one of the senior members of another team. But a young enlisted girl? You know better than most the dangers of fraternization.”

“Look, I’ll freely admit I wasn’t thinking straight,” he stated. “As a reminder, remember who the alternative was that I was sitting with when I got drugged.”

“I would have killed you,” said Tasha. “Wouldn’t have been a need for a trial or anything else. I would have straight murdered you and took my chances with a jury.”

“Well, I’m glad it didn’t come to that,” said Ben.

“I’ve got half a mind to drag that twit out in the streets and beat another confession out of her,” said Tasha as she saw Marci being led away in old style restraints protesting the entire way about how innocent she was. “But self-control is getting the better of me at the moment.”

“Now, Tasha, no need to resort to violence,” said Ben as he moved between her and Marci even though Marci’s back was to them.

“If you haven’t realized, I tend to think very highly of you. I mean, you’ve become a father figure to me. Certainly, old enough to be a father figure to Zoe-” said Tasha before being interrupted by Ben.

“She’s not that young!” he protested.

“Oh, I’m sure that’s a point you two discussed,” said Tasha sarcastically. “Plenty of women in this colony would tear off their clothes and hurl themselves into your bed if you whispered a single naughty comment in their ear. But one of mine?”

“I’m sorry, okay?!” protested Ben. “It’s not like it was planned!”

“No, and I’ll give you a bit of a pass,” said Tasha with a sigh. “And trust me, you could have done far worse. She’s got a good head on her shoulders and she is very attractive.”

“She is,” said Ben.

“Regardless, you know better,” said Tasha. “But that drug can cause serious issues.”

“You realize you have a story to tell me about that eventually?” asked Ben.

“I don’t want you getting upset,” said Tasha. “You didn’t need to know or else you would have gone off chopping someone’s head off with a battle axe or something. It was about five years before we left. Luckily, we were out with my… second husband if memory serves. Or a boyfriend in between, anyway… he got a serious workout the next two days.”

“You didn’t trust me?” he asked.

“I trusted you, but you still would have been protective,” she stated.

“You’re probably right,” said Ben.

“So, are you and Zoe going to hook up now?” asked Tasha.

“Doubtful given our respective positions,” said Ben. “We talked about it on the island and felt like it wasn’t going to work when we got back.”

“Breaking her heart already?” asked Tasha.

“I’ve got a track record of that lately,” said Ben with a sigh.

“Well, you made up with one already,” said Tasha.

“We’ll see,” said Ben.

“So, victory party later?” she asked with a grin.

“Doubtful,” said Ben. “Though a drink at the tavern might be nice since I’m off house arrest.”

“Or will be as soon as we vote you back in,” said Tasha.

“It officially ended yesterday,” said Ben. “I worked out a deal with Allen when he found out I was out of the house at your little meeting. He ended my house arrest and I promised not to go anywhere without an escort.”

“I wondered why I didn’t see them this morning,” said Tasha.

“It’s been a crazy day,” said Ben as he saw Allen walk in. “Speaking of the devil.”

Ben saw Allen come over to Tasha and nodded at Ben before turning to her.

“Major Hayden? Since the tribunal is now over, could you talk to Rachelle and Charity about heading to Rachelle Island and picking up the supplies you sent there yesterday?” asked Allen.

“I will take the request under consideration,” said Tasha with a nod.

“I’m sure Commander Nash would probably want them back where they are useful when he resumes his position very soon,” said Allen.

“I understand,” said Tasha.

“Thank you,” said Allen as he departed.

“Not so secret as you’d liked?” asked Ben as he saw the look on Tasha’s face.

“We introduced a lot more people than we should have,” said Tasha. “Unfortunately, that was the only way we could have pulled that off in the time we had.”

“Well, you didn’t need to pull anything off,” said Ben. “Everything worked out in the end.”

“I’m really happy with that,” said Tasha as she took him into a hug.

“Even though you aren’t happy with me at the moment?” he asked with a chuckle.

“I’ll get over it,” she grinned. “Let me go track down Rachelle, okay?”

“Tasha, thank you,” said Ben. “It’s nice to know I have friends.”

“Guilty or not, I owe you my entire life,” said Tasha. “That ledger isn’t even close to being balanced in regards to you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Ben. “See you tonight?”

“See you then,” said Tasha as she departed. Ben headed home where he found a note on his table thanking him for his hospitality and signed by each one of the guards assigned to him during his brief period of house arrest. His communicator, computers and tablets were seen waiting for him on the table as well. As he smiled and went to his study to put the note in a file of his personal letters, his communicator beeped at him notifying him of a colony wide matter. Opening the link, he saw the colony wide vote agreed on for his reinstatement and suspected Rachelle had the program ready to go as soon as the trial was over.

Ben voted to abstain since he didn’t feel it was right to vote on such a matter and started hooking everything back up in his house. Contemplating the events of the previous week, he wondered what next week would hold as he continued to think over everything and put it into perspective.

“Well, the vote tallies are still coming in,” said Rachelle as she checked the results on a tablet and waited with Allen. “But Ben already has way more than the three-quarters needed.”

“Not even close, is it?” asked Allen.

“Four abstentions, two no votes and the remainder want him back” said Rachelle as she showed him the tally. “92% voting as of the results I just pulled.”

“Who abstained?” asked Allen.

“Ben for one,” said Rachelle. “Looks like Ashley Boyd… she’s still getting over what happened and I think in another few days she’d be a yes. Javier abstained. I talked with him about it and he didn’t feel comfortable voting with what happened earlier, but will support the decision the Directors come to and is encouraging Angeline to vote for reinstatement.”

“And the final one?” asked Allen.

“Zoe Kent,” said Rachelle.

“Probably because of her involvement in the case,” said Allen.

“It very well could be,” said Rachelle.

“And the no votes?” asked Allen. “Not that I need you to tell me.”

“Marci Dubose and Joe Buck,” said Rachelle. “Speaking of…”

“Speaking of?” asked Allen.

“Remember those photos sent to Javier and Ashley?” asked Rachelle. “Interestingly enough, the fingerprints and DNA traces had a single match in the colony.”

“I’m to assume it was Joe Buck?” asked Allen.

“I suddenly have an opening on my staff at SIT speaking of,” said Rachelle.

“You do?” asked Allen.

“Waste water treatment facility monitor,” said Rachelle. “My poor guys just can’t keep up and I dare say a talented engineer would fit in nicely.”

“Isn’t that a robotic facility?” asked Allen.

“Well, it’d be helpful to have someone full time monitoring it,” said Rachelle.

“I see your point,” said Allen. “I’ll give it some thought.”

“Thank you, Acting Commander,” said Rachelle as she knew Allen would do it.

“Let me know when the vote is officially ended and I’ll call an emergency meeting of the Directors right after,” said Allen.

“We’ve got another twenty minutes on the vote,” said Rachelle as she saw her fears were unfounded and Allen seemed to be playing ball with them. “95% in now.”

“Did Tasha speak to you?” asked Allen as he figured he might as well wait.

“She did,” said Rachelle guardedly.

“Rachelle, something that big can’t stay a secret,” said Allen.

“I’m not sure what to say,” she said.

“Unusual for you,” he said with a chuckle.

“Allen…” she said.

“Rachelle, Ben is far too important for this to have gone through to a guilty verdict,” said Allen. “I would have put a stop to that tribunal if I thought it would have ended any differently.”

“You put him on house arrest!” she exclaimed. “It seemed like you were trying to remove him so you could take his position! We couldn’t stand around and do nothing!”

“I never expected you to,” said Allen as he briefly explained his position.

“Things we should have known up front,” said Rachelle after he finished.

“If two people know, it’s not a secret,” said Allen.

“No, certainly not,” said Rachelle with a sigh. “100% in. No more no’s, one more abstention of Jim Kirk and the rest voting to reinstate him.”

“Even the research team?” asked Allen.

“All accounted for,” said Rachelle as she showed him the tally.

“Might as well make everything official,” said Allen as he called a conference of the Directors. It didn’t take long for everyone to conference in and the official tally was full reinstatement of Ben into the Commander position as Rachelle took the votes for the record from the meeting.

“Effective at midnight tonight, Ben Nash will resume his duties as Commander, Novus Group Colonization Effort, Expedition 1,” said Allen officially. “Anything else?”

None of the Directors said anything and he saw heads shake. “The regularly scheduled staff meeting will be tomorrow at 1000 as planned. See you all then.”

As Allen ended the conference, Tasha set the tablet on her desk and considered her next actions. She knew Ben would object, but Allen had given her a brief window to do what she felt she had to do as there was a question circling in her mind.

“Is the prisoner in our facility?” asked Tasha as Anton sat quietly watching her think.

“She is,” said Anton.

“I’d like to speak to her,” said Tasha. “Alone.”

“I do not believe that is a good idea, Major,” said Anton.

“I have to know,” said Tasha quietly.

“Some things are hidden for good reasons,” said Anton. “The discovery of which can hurt more than not knowing.”

“I have to put my mind at ease over this,” said Tasha. “I don’t care how hurtful the end result will be, I have to know for my own peace of mind.”

“At least have her advocate present,” suggested Anton.

“She doesn’t have an advocate yet,” said Tasha. “Jim Kirk refuses to represent her since she lied about everything and tried to destroy a man in the process.”

“I would wait until she has one,” suggested Anton.

“No, this is a one on one conversation,” said Tasha as she headed out of her office. “Have her moved to an interview room.”

“Major, I do not think this is wise,” said Anton.

“If she tried to hurt your family?” asked Tasha softly.

“I will have her moved,” said Anton as her words hit home. He made the appropriate moves and have Marci moved into an interview room and her restraints removed. Tasha waited outside the door and thought about her actions before finally determining she was going to find out why. As she stepped into the interview room, she flipped off the cameras inside. Anton sighed deeply from the observation room as he knew nothing good was going to come of this conversation, but he also knew how he might feel if someone tried their best to hurt the ones he loved.

Tasha entered the interview room and locked the door behind her before taking a seat across the table from Marci, earning a scoff and a hateful look in the process. They sat looking at each other for a full minute before Tasha leaned forward and put her folded hands on the table in front of her calmly.

“I have to know,” said Tasha.

“Know what?” asked Marci with a scoff. “There are entire books that could be written about what you don’t know.”

“Why?” asked Tasha simply.

“Why what?” asked Marci.

“Why did you do this?” asked Tasha. “You have a problem with me, you come after me. You don’t hurt others I care about.”

“You’re really stupid, you know that?” asked Marci in a sneer and looked off to the side. “You see, you thought I was thing total dingbat that giggled and was totally clueless. Well, I guess you learned the hard way sometimes I acted the opposite of my intelligence.”

“Yet, you got caught,” said Tasha.

“True, I didn’t plan on that little protégé hussy of yours taking him down to the beach and making him her own that night,” said Marci. “I mean, I’m pretty sure she’s in for a rough time with you since she stole your sugar daddy like that.”

“Why did you do this to me?” asked Tasha again.

“You ever consider this isn’t about you?” asked Marci with spite dripping from every word.

“So, explain why,” said Tasha.

“Did you know my parents died when I was eight?” asked Marci. “Killed in a transport accident while they were heading into work.”

“What does this have to do with why?” asked Tasha.

“If you’d shut your stupid mouth long enough, it will become clear even to a woman of your limited intelligence,” said Marci in a condescending tone. “So, not having grandparents because they were killed by Mongolian Diabetes, my uncle took me in as my sole surviving family. He was single, never had any kids, but did his best to raise a niece suddenly thrust upon him.”

“He took over the responsibilities of raising me without question,” said Marci. “He raised me, helped me get into college, helped me get my Masters and my Doctorate and helped me get a job when I graduated. And yes, he even helped me get on this Expedition because his niece meant more than anything in the world to him.”

“And you know? He was supposed to be on this Expedition too. He would have been the Security Director instead of you,” said Marci as she looked at Tasha with hatred in her eyes. “But no, that just wouldn’t do. Ben Nash comes along and decides to bring in his little slut to take over the position that my Uncle rightfully earned.”

Tasha started to sympathize with Marci to an extent as she knew what it was not to grow up with parents. The main difference was she never had anyone to take her in during those years and never had a father figure until Ben discovered her that one day in Basic Training. But even as the sympathies were evident, Tasha knew she could never have enough hatred in her heart to hurt others just to hurt the one they felt wronged them. Marci saw the look of understanding on Tasha’s face and continued.

“I see it’s starting to dawn on you we aren’t so different,” said Marci as her face still showed the hatred she felt deep into her soul. “So, Ben Nash ripped away the only father I’d known since I was eight years old. You got added in there by proxy. Nash pulled you in here and knocked my Uncle out of the running for the position he worked hard for. I wasn’t going to take that. I owed that to my family to make sure things were made right in the end. Because I knew my Uncle couldn’t have the vengeance he rightfully deserved, I had to do it for him.”

“Now, while you think this was all about you; well, it’s not,” said Marci as her eyes narrowed. “This has always been about him and what he did to my Uncle. You? You were just the icing on the cake when it all went down. And you deserved it because of the way you treated me since we’ve been here. Nash broke up my family without hesitation to bring you along and now my Uncle is on the run. Or was, who knows. But the point is, he stepped in and broke up my family when he had no reason to at all.”

“He easily could have added you in to this Expedition and left my Uncle alone,” said Marci as her eyes turned to ice. “You could have been here as well as him and none of this would have been necessary. None. Of. It. But he just couldn’t leave well enough alone and had my Uncle, in reality my father, turned away because he had to have you.”

“So, you want to know why? Now you have your answer,” said Marci in a low growl. “I did those things because Ben Nash decided his little immature piece of ass needed to be here instead of my Uncle who should have been here with his only family. But I guess you’re just too old for him now as I know he moved on to a younger, prettier piece of ass to take care of his needs.”

“Now, you know why and don’t you just feel better for it?” asked Marci in the same growl. “Come to find out, we just aren’t that much different except I act where the safety of my family is concerned. You just screw your way into the positions Nash gives you.”

Before Marci knew what was happening, Tasha had flown out of her chair and picked her up by the uniform collar and slammed her against the wall, squeezing the collar around her neck.

“We are not anything alike,” growled Tasha. “Don’t you dare ever try to compare what you did to anything I would do. If I have a problem, I go directly to the source. I don’t try to hurt others out of pure spite and hatred.”

“Quite defensive of your sugar daddy,” said Marci between gasps as Tasha tightened her grip and Marci struggled to pull her hands away.

“Let’s go ahead and get one thing straight,” growled Tasha as she moved her face closer to Marci and spoke in low tones. “I never had a father growing up or even an uncle to take care of me. The only person in my life that ever was a father to me was Ben Nash. That man adopted me as his own daughter the moment we met and he’s never been anything but a good man.”

“So, you can sit there and try to act like you’re the only one with a sad story to tell, but you tried to hurt one of the men I think the most of in the whole universe. So, yeah, we are just alike in the fact we’d defend our families,” growled Tasha as her eyes were on fire. She heard her troops trying to get in the door to the interview room and banging on it telling her to open it up, but she had locked it on her way in. “But you tried to ruin the life of a man that I would kill for without hesitation and you made the mistake of getting caught.”

“Not stopping there, your actions ended up hurting me by hurting the man I cared deeply about,” said Tasha with the same growl. “You stealing that drug hurt the man I was starting to love and was destined to be with. You didn’t have the guts to face me on this and tried to hurt me by hurting the ones I loved instead. As well as trying to break up friendships I’ve made since being here by your actions.”

Tasha saw her face getting red as the blood flow was starting to get cut off as she pulled the collar closer in. Marci’s hands tried prying hers away, but Tasha had too much of a hold.

“There’s only one reason you’re still alive right now, Marci,” said Tasha as her eyes flashed with increased rage. “They wouldn’t let me kill you before Ben’s tribunal and he wanted to show we had a justice system in place. But it’s just us here now and nobody can save you before I snap that neck of yours as my own form of justice. Now, you give me one good reason why I should allow you one more minute on this planet.”

Marci was choking and her attempts at pulling Tasha’s hands away were growing weaker by the second. The door to the office flew open as Anton had used a nearby fire extinguisher to bash his way in.

“Major!” he exclaimed, but didn’t move forward to Tasha. Tasha never moved her eyes away from Marci’s either as she continued her hold.

“Major Hayden!” he exclaimed and saw he wasn’t getting through to her. “Tasha!”

Tasha dropped Marci to the floor where she coughed and took in large gulps of air. Tasha had taken her to the last possible moment before she went unconscious before allowing her to live one more day. Olivia Taylor rushed to Marci’s side and quickly checked her over.

“We should get her to the hospital,” said Olivia.

“I’m fine!” said Marci as she pushed away Olivia’s hand and continued to pant. “I don’t need to go to the hospital!”

“You could have injuries,” said Olivia reasonably.

“I’m fine!” exclaimed Marci.

“The prisoner declines medical attention,” said Olivia for the record. Tasha walked out as the security members gave her a wide berth. Anton followed until she reached the outside and closed her eyes before looking up at the sky.

“See that one of the doctors checks her over,” said Tasha softly as the anger left her mind.

“Major, you went too far,” said Anton.

“She tried to destroy everything we’ve worked so hard to build,” said Tasha quietly. “We were ready to revolt which would have ended in bloodshed. That’s not even a taste of what she deserved for trying to tear us apart.”

“I suppose she had an accident coming out of the shower?” asked Anton as he knew Tasha was correct and the rescue of Ben as well as the aftermath would have ended in conflict.

“Something like that,” said Tasha. “Or tell them the truth. I’ll accept the punishment.”

“Sometimes one does things for their families they would not normally do,” said Anton softly. “There is nothing in this galaxy that would stop me from killing someone if they hurt my Tanya or Tatyana.”

“Please see she’s given medical attention,” said Tasha.

“Yes, Major,” said Anton as he went back inside to ensure everyone was on the same page of music when it came to Marci’s “accident.” While a couple of members were wary of being dishonest, they quickly realized what would have happened after Anton explained the situation to them in honest terms. Everyone began to realize the magnitude of what could have been had Marci succeeded and had no wish to combat each other in a land so far from home.

********************​

Ben was sitting in his backyard with the fireplace going after returning from the tavern. He felt he had spent a socially acceptable amount of time before needed to collect his own thoughts over the ordeal. Tossing in another piece of wood, he contemplated the events of the previous week and how life changing such an experience could be for anyone. As he continued in his thoughts, a figure walked up and set down a small cooler between them while standing next to Ben.

“Peace offering?” asked Allen as he opened the cooler and Ben saw a six pack of the newly brewed beer packed in ice.

“Obviously, there needs to be peace between us,” said Ben as he waved at the other chair. Allen retrieved two of the bottles and handed one over to Ben before having a seat.

“Ben, I want to apologize for everything that’s happened over the past few days,” said Allen.

“I spoke with Cyrus earlier,” said Ben. “He said you were on my side.”

“I was on your side,” said Allen. “Do you honestly think I would have kept a witness from testifying to clear you?”

“It sure seemed like it,” said Ben as he sipped at the beer.

“When you brought it up to me that morning, I was fairly dismayed to find she had gone to the other continent on that research trip,” said Allen. “Now, I couldn’t very well recall them since that would have been six weeks of planning down the drain, so I started looking for corroboration of your story before making the trip to see her.”

“Sure enough, plenty of people saw you two together including a very detailed description of the two of you on the beach,” said Allen. “The more people I talked to, the less I believed Marci’s story about the whole thing.”

“I didn’t know anyone saw us on the beach,” said Ben.

“Apparently, you were fairly indisposed at the moment,” said Allen. “You were curling her toes. Or she was curling your toes. Probably a mutual thing if I was to believe the story from the very jealous individuals who saw it.”

“Did you actually believe Marci?” asked Ben in the question that had been on his mind the whole time. “Did you think I actually did it.”

“I had to take the accusation as valid until I could come up with contradictory information,” said Allen. “I’ve seen that drug do strange things to people, Ben. And while I have this feeling you had far better options, I had to at least investigate the possibility it was valid.”

“Even though I said it wasn’t true and I’ve never lied to you?” asked Ben.

“I’m not sure anyone wouldn’t deny it up front,” said Allen.

“That’s not answering the question,” said Ben. “I have to know, Allen.”

“When she mentioned it in her statement, my first reaction was you did not,” said Allen. “But being that she put it in an official statement that went on record, I had to treat it as a valid complaint. An investigation had to be performed just like you would if it was me.”

“Why did you even let it go to trial?” asked Ben.

“Because it’s like you said, word got out quickly,” said Allen. “I have this feeling it was spread rather rapidly by a few parties, but at that point, me stopping a trial would have destroyed the trust in you and the rest of the leaders here. It would have looked like you were above the law had I cleared you and not permitted it to go forward.”

“I mean not allowing Zoe to come back and testify early,” said Ben as he knew the answer Cyrus gave, but wanted to compare the two.

“Because with the way things spread so quickly, there had to be a complete and utter public spectacle everyone was watching with you as the centerpiece. I had to allow Marci to testify under oath and in turn, watch Cyrus tear her up on the stand. I wanted Zoe to testify, which in turn showed what a complete liar Marci was and fully cleared you in everyone’s mind.”

“Had we not gone that route, there still might have been some doubt in people’s minds over your innocence,” said Allen. “I did what I did in order to save your reputation as well as the trust people have in you. Everyone was watching that tribunal and everyone got the news at the same time. I couldn’t have planned it any better when they saw the video completely clearing you.”

“I didn’t think of it like that,” said Ben quietly. “Why the house arrest though? That was just too extreme for my tastes and destroyed a lot of trust you had with some of the Directors.”

“Because you weren’t going to be deterred in trying to clear yourself,” said Allen. “Now, I freely admit I overreacted to the situation and ordered it without much thought, but you were not going to let me help you and felt like you needed to do everything on your own. I tried telling you in a fairly ambiguous way, but you were bound and determined to charge into the machine gun nest without thinking through it.”

“Cyrus told me you thought I wouldn’t have allowed it to go down like it did,” said Ben.

“Would you have?” asked Allen.

“Maybe had you explained it,” said Ben.

“No, you wouldn’t have” said Allen. “You are an honorable man and do not like people questioning your integrity. Plus, you are so hell bent on following the rules we are making up as we go along you would have wanted the ‘proper procedures’ in interviewing her before the tribunal so it cleared you faster. You and I both know that’s what you would have demanded.”

“Again, there always would have been a smidgeon of a doubt in people’s minds. And I was being serious about the chances of people thinking it was convenient that a Security Forces member suddenly came up with a contradictory story. Even Meeker mentioned that to Kurt in his chambers,” said Allen.

“Until the video came up,” said Ben.

“I was just as surprised at that as you were,” said Allen. “Zoe’s testimony along with Marci getting hammered on the stand would have cleared you. But that video removed every single piece of doubt as to your innocence and caught a known criminal in a lie.”

“I probably owe flowers, chocolates and at least two weeks off at Rachelle Island for those two,” said Ben. “Cabana boys for Rachelle as well.”

“Are you and Ashley going to be able to patch things up?” asked Allen.

“No,” said Ben with a sigh. “We can eventually be friends, but we won’t ever date again.”

“Sorry about that,” said Allen.

“Not your fault,” said Ben. “One person is to blame.”

“Well, two actually,” said Allen as he explained the Joe Buck situation.

“Oh, really,” said Ben disgustedly.

“As my last official act as Acting Commander, I reassigned Mister Buck to the waste water treatment facility,” said Allen. “I have this feeling things will work their way out naturally.”

“I would have preferred the physical force side of things,” said Ben.

“Nah, this is far more lasting,” said Allen with a brief smile.

“The one thing I still can’t understand,” said Ben. “Why did Kurt allow Zoe to testify without even knowing what she was going to say?”

“Well, he probably felt like his niece had something important to say,” said Allen.

“Excuse me?” asked Ben.

“Grady, Cyrus and I aren’t the only leadership that brought family with us,” chuckled Allen. “Well, it was happenstance she was picked and even Kurt didn’t know it until we got here, but they are related.”

“Zoe is really his niece?” asked Ben.

“Came across that little fact when I started checking her files in anticipation of her testifying,” said Allen. “It’s buried deep, but it’s there. Kurt Sweeny’s older sister married Zoe’s father.”

“She even said she was from Oklahoma like he is,” said Ben with a shake of his head. “I really should have seen that.”

“I’m pretty glad people don’t know about that,” said Allen. “I’m sure the objections from Meeker would have been epic.”

“And caused a mistrial,” said Ben.

“I think we’ll leave that little footnote to the back of the records,” said Allen.

“Probably a wise move,” said Ben. “Kurt did a great job though.”

“Yes, he did,” said Allen. “He was the only choice we had actually, but he was objective and fair through the whole thing.”

“Probably a lesson we need to remember,” said Ben.

“Just how many people were ready to break you out?” asked Allen finally.

“If the numbers I was told were accurate, over half the colony at least,” said Ben. “Most likely more by the time everything was said and done.”

“That would have been a mess,” said Allen.

“The plan was for them to move to Rachelle Island and take that over as a new colony,” said Ben. “Problem was it was never going to support everyone they had in mind.”

“Meaning they would start looking at places they could support,” said Allen. “Meaning coming back and taking over this place.”

“Yep,” said Ben with a wry smile. “Eventually, it would have dawned on them the only place they had of supporting everyone until Expedition 2 would be this place. Oh, sure, they could get by on the island, but this place is far more secure.”

“How close was it from happening?” asked Allen.

“Less than a day,” said Ben. “I have the impression they were going to do it the night before the tribunal. I didn’t ask because I don’t want to know.”

“I’m not sure I would either,” said Allen as he sipped at his beer. “It really shocked me Charity pulled in on your side.”

“I was surprised as well,” said Ben.

“Ben, I want to apologize again for the way things went down,” said Allen. “Some things I had to let happen and others were within my control. But I didn’t see any other way this could have gone down and get you cleared.”

“Objectively speaking, you are going to take way more heat about it than I am,” said Ben.

“I’ll accept it in order to protect you,” said Allen. “If you feel like removing me from my position, I’ll accept that.”

“I’m not sure that’s wise at the moment,” said Ben. “I’d say you still have friends of your own and it would look like retribution if I did.”

A silence came between them for several moments as they both finished the beers they had started with. Ben fetched two more out of the cooler before handing over one to Allen.

“You know, Ben, I was a ship’s Captain for over a decade before we arrived here,” said Allen as he ran his finger on the bottom of the bottle. “I had the Denver for almost two and a half years before we got mauled at Triton. When it went into spacedock, they gave me the Frank Borman which I had for about a year before coming over and seeing the completion of the Santa Maria. Of course, eight years of my life were spent aboard her.”

“I had great crews on each of them,” said Allen. “I told them what needed to be done and they did it. No questions asked, they performed the tasks I instructed them to do. They knew what needed to be done and they did it. I thought I had this leadership thing down pat, you know? Nothing more I could learn.”

“But you? You just mention something needs to be done and people are tripping over themselves to do it. You don’t even have to ask; they just do it because they want to do it. It’s a rare talent you have to get the best out of people,” said Allen. “Honestly, I’m a little envious of you for that. In all the years I spent in leadership classes and management seminars, I quickly learned all they needed to do was put me with you for a month to know I never learned anything in their classes.”

“I’ve only seen that kind of raw leadership one other time in my whole career,” said Allen. “I don’t know how Novus found you, but I know why you were picked to lead this Expedition. I also know you’re going to be the only thing that holds us together before Expedition 2 arrives. I feel pretty confident you’re going to be the only thing that holds them together as well even though we’re supposed to have elections after they arrive.”

“I’m a realist, Ben,” said Allen. “What I did will deserve some form of punitive actions on your part. I know sometimes the greater good demands a sacrifice and I have no problem being sacrificed in order to keep you in position, but most importantly, keep everyone’s trust in you going. Because I know you’re the only man who will have kept us united and on point when the last ship comes in to land.”

Ben didn’t say a word and deeply sighed as the wood in the fire popped as it burned.

“I’m not going to relive you, Allen,” said Ben. “Honestly, you balance me out and give me good alternatives when I don’t always see them. Don’t sell yourself short either; you have plenty of people that will do whatever you ask with no questions. Truth be told, even if Tasha had gone ahead and absconded with me, this colony would have been split right down the middle.”

“But I need you around because sometimes I get stuck on the rules,” said Ben and he scoffed slightly. “Funny thing, the other day I was telling Logan Jefferson it’s not that Special Operations don’t have rules; we just don’t play by other people’s rules. We have rules of our own. And maybe I’m a little guilty of being a little too strict with the rules since being here. I need a right hand man who can see that and offer me alternatives outside the rules. Or make new rules as different situations come up.”

“But there is no way we stay together if you are removed,” said Ben. “Don’t even think of stepping down either because I won’t allow it. We need each other just like the colony needs us to work together. Tonight, we put everything behind us and move forward, right?”

“I can certainly agree to that,” said Allen as Ben offered his bottle and they clinked them together before taking a large swig.

“But if it’s punishment you are looking for, I think you taking all the section reports for another month would be in order,” said Ben.

“It’s the least I can do,” said Allen. “I earned it.”

“And the science briefs,” said Ben. “You have to sit through all the science briefs.”

“You sure you wouldn’t rather relive me and get it over with?” chuckled Allen.

“Nah, sometimes punishments are worse than the crimes,” said Ben as a smile formed on his face. “Speaking of punishments, I haven’t asked what you plan to do with Marci.”

“I don’t think we need another tribunal to determine her guilt for perjuring herself,” said Allen. “Obviously, that will have to be dealt with, but I’d rather not have another mess.”

“And after?” asked Ben.

“I went ahead and temporarily reassigned her to Kurt,” said Allen. “I don’t trust her in Engineering, Security is out for obvious reasons along with SIT. Kurt could use the help and with her biology background, she should be able to fit right in on a permanent basis when it’s all said and done.”

“Javier didn’t object?” asked Ben.

“He was glad to get rid of her,” said Allen.

“Oh?” asked Ben.

“I asked specifically since he tends to run short staffed as it is,” said Allen. “Long story short, he fed her back into the vacation rotation so quickly to keep her out of his hair.”

“I’m sorry?” asked Ben.

“Basically, the science teams were complaining she wasn’t pulling her weight. So, in order to keep harmony within his teams, he shuffled her off on the next available R and R trip so he could switch teams while she was gone. It gave him time to figure out what to do with her when she returned,” said Allen.

“Details I probably should have known about,” said Ben. “I wondered why she got back into the rotation that quickly.”

“Javier didn’t think it needed to be brought to your attention,” said Allen. “Basically, she did just enough to keep out of trouble.”

“Any other problems like this I should know about?” asked Ben.

“No, the Joe Buck thing will be acceptable punishment without being punishment,” said Allen.

“We don’t really have a rule against slandering someone,” said Ben. “You think he was the one that put the marks on Marci?”

“I wouldn’t bet against it,” said Allen as he sipped at his bottle. “I have this feeling they got together on the island at some point and talked it through. Marci took the pictures and transferred them to her. He gave the pictures to Javier and Ashley to discredit you and lay the foundation for her allegations.”

“They probably deserve each other,” chuckled Ben. “Their kids would be rotten though.”

“Her story was just way too convenient for me,” said Allen. “Mary had her dead to rights with the theft though enough time had passed that she might have thought she got away with it. But her dropping it as soon as she was caught is what got my attention to begin with.”

“It certainly was suspicious,” said Ben.

“Extremely,” said Allen. “Which is why I started looking at alternatives.”

“I’d love to know why though,” said Ben. “Why come after me like that?”

“I have this feeling someone’s going to ask that question eventually,” said Allen.

“Who?” asked Ben.

“I would say it’ll be Tasha,” said Allen. “She’s still angry over the pictures she received showing Mary and Chuck in that compromising position. And while Marci denies it, Tasha still suspects she did it.”

“I’d prefer not to have Tasha ask that question,” said Ben. “Lot of bad blood there.”

“Well, you can’t ask that question either,” said Allen.

“No, I really can’t,” said Ben with a sigh. “One other thing I can’t figure out.”

“How Zoe Kent knew to come back?” asked Allen.

“The day you disappeared, right?” asked Ben. “People thought you went to Rachelle Island.”

“Well, I did go there,” said Allen.

“And I didn’t know you were a pilot,” said Ben.

“I hate flying,” said Allen. “Strange knowing the background I have, but I do hate being at the controls. I headed south knowing full well Larissa would inform Charity and Rachelle about me taking the shuttle. As soon as I hit orbit, I switched off the transponders and tracking devices and headed for the eastern continent.”

“When I got into range, I contacted Sonya Griffith to put Zoe in the gunship and meet me about 25 kilometers from the camp they made. Call it a recon or whatever. Sonya owes me for saving her career on the way out here. She was a young pilot when we started the journey and made a huge mistake that would have dropped us out of an ASD window early. I managed to catch it and we stayed on course. So, to say she owed me one is an understatement.”

“So, anyway, I talked to Zoe about what was going on and got her side of the story with no repercussions. She was apprehensive about talking since word had reached the research team by then, but she understood what we were planning to do. I told Sonya to fly her back and drop her off as soon as I knew you were going to hit the stand.”

“So, I suspected at the time there was a movement against what I was doing, so I headed to the island knowing when I refueled the ship it would register in the colony,” said Allen. “But I wiped out the nav system so they couldn’t tell what I’d been,” said Allen. “I will say Sonya cut it just a tad too close for my tastes and I’m glad Kurt took a few more recesses than necessary.”

“It was a bit close,” admitted Ben.

“What was Cyrus going to have you say if you got on the stand?” asked Allen.

“I didn’t do it and wear a cheesy grin and watch Meeker lose his mind,” chuckled Ben. “He’s another enigma for coming at me as hard as he did.”

“Spoke with him as well this afternoon,” said Allen. “You see, he volunteered for the duty and I never realized he had a law degree until then. Cyrus called it wanting to make his mark on the world by proving he could prosecute a case. And who better than to prosecute the big boss?”

“Anyway, he was a little upset over not being asked to help with formatting the laws and judicial guidelines in the colony and felt like Mark Bennett had too much sway,” said Allen. “Of course, I reminded young Mister Meeker he could have volunteered at any point to help.”

“We would have been glad to have an opposing opinion,” said Ben.

“Cam said he felt childish after what happened in the court,” said Allen. “I’d say he’s going to be on his apology tour for a while.”

“I’m sure Ashley will forgive him,” said Ben as he took another sip of his beer. “Sometime in the next decade perhaps.”

“He said he got desperate and wasn’t thinking straight,” said Allen. “And personal loyalty got in the way of critical thinking.”

“Personal loyalty?” asked Ben.

“Cameron Meeker was a classmate of Marci Dubose,” said Allen.

“Good grief, can we tangle this web up any further?” asked Ben with a scoff.

“I talked to Javier and checked out Cameron’s recruitment scores. Just like Marci, he wasn’t a standout for recruitment,” said Allen. “But Javier said he was a good scientist, produces solid work, botanist by education and he’s taken the lead on the study of trees and shrubs on this planet. Javier even said Jim Kirk praised him for never having to send his work back.”

“That’s a miracle,” chuckled Ben. “Still doesn’t fit the profile of someone they would recruit. Let’s face it, he was upper third in his class, didn’t graduate with honors, only published twice after graduating. Just doesn’t fit the mold.”

“You did your homework as well,” said Allen.

“I wasn’t quiet as out of touch as you wanted,” chuckled Ben.

“Javier explained he was hired on as a research assistant to a professor that he had dealings with in the past as well. This professor had a habit of hiring good young scientists out of college, having them do all the legwork and taking the credit in the end for their work. Basically, he let them have credit for some minor stuff, but the big stuff he took credit for,” explained Allen.

“What a guy,” said Ben.

“You and I both know that’s not limited to academia,” said Allen. “I’d bet even you know other commanders in the military that took credit for the work done by someone else.”

“Way too often for my tastes,” said Ben. “How did he get recruited though?”

“Marci pulled strings for a former classmate,” said Allen with a wry smile. “He’s done stellar work since being here and Javier is happy to have him. But Marci Dubose and Cameron Meeker were classmates in college.”

“Okay, let me ask the stupid question of how she had such pull,” said Ben. “Talk about not fitting the mold. Lower third of her class, decent marks, but nothing stellar, enough to graduate and that’s about it. She joined a bio-tech research firm not long after graduation and worked on that until getting recruited into the Novus Group. Her interview, again, wasn’t stellar, but apparently enough to get her a spot. Exactly how did she get a spot?”

“That’s what happens when your Uncle is the Director of Security for the Novus Group,” said Allen with a chuckle. “Nepotism at its finest.”

“The man that wanted Tasha’s spot,” said Ben quietly as he saw everything falling into place as to the why she did what she did. “Novus wasn’t sending him anyway. He was already suspected of some shady dealings when I got recruited.”

“Maybe Marci caught his ear over Cameron joining before he fell out of favor,” said Allen. “Don’t know honestly and will it affect anything in the long run?”

“Not in the least,” said Ben. “I just have one more question for you.”

“Sure,” said Allen.

“Did you get to see the dinosaurs?” asked Ben as Allen saw a brief smile come over his face.

“Those things are unbelievable,” said Allen. “I landed close to another herd of them and managed to get some pictures up close before I met with Zoe.”

“I wonder if anyone would object if my first act back in office is to commandeer a shuttle and head over to check them out?” chuckled Ben.

“I’d say you would have every pilot lining up for that,” chuckled Allen.

“We’re good, right?” asked Ben.

“I should be the one asking that,” said Allen. “I will say you telling me you didn’t trust me hurt, Ben. I have nothing but the utmost respect for you even though you’re not much younger than me I look up to you.”

“You’re a little older than you let on,” said Ben.

“Okay, ten years,” said Allen as Ben gave him a look.

“You sure about that?” asked Ben.

“Let’s not get out of control here,” chuckled Allen.

“You earned back everything tonight,” said Ben. “I said some things that I probably shouldn’t have as well. It wasn’t a good time for either of us.”

“But we move forward,” said Allen.

“Ever forward,” said Ben as he toasted Allen once again.

 

CHAPTER 24


The next week seemed to fly by as Ben got back into the job and up to speed with the current projects and happenings. While only being out of pocket for ten days might seem like a short time, the pace they had set in the colony meant he was further behind than planned. However, he managed to look over most of the projects and at least know they were going on even if he didn’t know the in depth knowledge of the programs themselves.

Plus, he was still dealing with the aftermath of the tribunal as well as the division within the colony itself. Such things would take time to deal with, but he and Allen had made the pact they would act as if nothing happened the five days after he returned from vacation. While it seemed strange, they knew by them working together, others had no reason they couldn’t work together. They still had some trust issues to work out between them, but by and large, they kept them hidden from the main population as the colony healed itself after a significant division.

Today was a more exciting day as the team returned from the other northern continent where they had spent nearly ten days observing and studying the large dinosaur creatures as well as discovering many other dinosaur-like creatures on the continent. It was as if time had stood still on that continent and the Earth of the past was brought to life. The daily reports were sent through the colony as everyone’s imagination ran wild at seeing the large creatures eating away with the excursion members standing at their tree trunk sized legs.

“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many grins as this trip,” said Ben as the main members of the research team gathered in the new theater after coming off the shuttles. “Even Rachelle Island hasn’t produced this reaction.”

“Now, let’s not get crazy with that,” laughed Rachelle as she brought up the screen where the teams would brief on what they saw. Angeline had been the leader on this excursion and grinned just as much or more than everyone else.

“As discussed, we left some of the science packs in place as well as dropping a few more at strategic points on the continent,” said Angeline as she started the briefing. “But overall, I think it’s certainly a location we need to study more in depth in the future.”

“No paleobiologists on this Expedition, right?” asked Ben.

“No, but I think Novus was planning on sending one or two on Expedition 3 or 4,” said Angeline as she got into the briefing and was assisted by Chuck Dawson. They went through all the discoveries of the trip as well as the pictures and videos they had taken of the various creatures as well as the unique vegetation they had encountered.

“It was like being on a completely different planet,” remarked Chuck. “Nothing we’ve seen over here was the same over there.”

“No featheroos?” asked Javier.

“Not in the quantities like we have here,” said Chuck. “But yes, they were there. We just didn’t take as many pictures of them since biologically speaking they are little different than the ones we have on this continent.”

“Security problems?” asked Tasha.

“None that we saw that were serious enough to warrant a large scale security force,” said Captain Kendra Moore who was the security lead. “Obviously, we have some carnivores and other dangerous creatures, but nothing large enough to pose a challenge to the dinosaurs.”

“And the dinosaurs themselves weren’t problems?” asked Tasha.

“Not in the least,” said Kendra. “They tended to notice us coming towards them then ignored us the rest of the time.”

“I would safely assume a follow up trip would be requested?” asked Ben.

“Is water wet?” asked Chuck with a laugh. “Honestly, I’m thinking before we go back, we really need to bone up on our paleobiology.”

“Smart choice,” said Javier. “Yes, I think a follow up trip would be highly useful especially if somehow these creatures have survived the climatic changes this planet has undergone.”

“I saw the report on that and glossed over it,” said Ben.

“We need another polar mission or two to get additional samples,” said Javier. “But yes, this planet is no different than Earth in the fact it’s undergone some fairly violent climatic changes in its somewhat recent past.”

“By recent past you mean?” asked Ben.

“Hundred thousand years or so,” said Javier. “Angeline is heading up that area.”

“I’ll get you a briefing paper on it,” said Angeline. “Small words and everything.”

“Small words are appreciated,” said Ben with a smile. “Okay, your final report will take some time I’d imagine?”

“Probably a week or so,” said Chuck.

“I’d like to get an initial after action report in a day or two for the Directors,” said Angeline. “Lessons learned and that kind of thing. This is the longest excursion we’ve had so far and there are some important lessons we need to adopt going forward.”

“I think that’s certainly warranted,” said Ben. “You want to meet with the full team?”

“If possible,” said Angeline.

“Directors? Can you make sure the folks that went are available… when?” asked Ben.

“Tomorrow at 10?” asked Angeline.

“Whatever works for you,” said Ben. “Rachelle? Can they have your pretty new theater?”

“Only if they clean up after themselves,” said Rachelle. “And they promise to take me to see the dinosaurs the next time they go.”

“Ahem!” said Tasha and gave Rachelle a look.

“And of course, my trusted personal security officer,” said Rachelle.

“I think we all want to check them out,” said Ben. “Okay, I look forward to your report on this as well as the planning for the next mission.”

“Yeah, that’s the desert,” said Javier. “Not much fun there.”

“I’d imagine not, but again, you requested it,” said Ben.

“Next time remind me to put it at the bottom of the list,” muttered Javier loud enough for everyone to hear it. He had been doing better after his breakup with Emilia and was getting back into his groove.

“Okay, I’d like the usual suspects to stick around for a couple of minutes to go over some ideas I had,” said Ben. “Otherwise, go treat yourself to a real shower and a good meal for a change.”

The teams departed as the Directors and assistants gathered around Ben as he moved from the seat he was in and sat on the back of the chair so he could see the group.

“I had an idea a couple of days ago about these treks into the other continents, islands and subcontinents,” he stated. “Basically, we’re hauling a lot of gear back and forth each time we perform an excursion. How hard would it be to preposition some of the items and use sites selected as a base of operations?”

“Such as?” asked Allen.

“Well, take the other northern continent,” said Ben. “The base they used was somewhat centrally located on the continent itself and looked to be in a good, defensible location with some resources like water available. Making a long story short, could we establish unmanned outposts at certain areas so we aren’t lugging the same equipment back and forth each time?”

“I think that’s going to depend on what equipment we want to preposition,” said Grady as Rachelle nodded. “Take water purification systems. We only have a limited number of those to begin with and wouldn’t have enough to cover the ten major land features on the planet.”

“But things like tents, water bladders, stoves and other items that tend to take up already limited space on the shuttles?” asked Allen as he saw where Ben was going with his idea.

“Exactly,” said Ben. “Basically, we can pack in either more personnel or science equipment or food or whatever if we think about setting up outposts on these areas.”

“Weapons and such as well?” asked Tasha.

“I don’t think we should go that far,” said Ben. “I’m thinking that’s something we’ll have to accept the weight and bulk on until we know an area’s secure like the tropical islands.”

“Well, we are still emptying containers as we go along,” said Charity. “I think we’ve got the full compliment of what we need on Rachelle Island.”

“Enough for single quarters?” asked Ben.

“Not without a major expansion project,” said Grady. “Which will take away from projects here which aren’t behind schedule yet. But with the winter months coming up, work will slow.”

“Aren’t we slightly ahead of schedule as it is?” asked Ben.

“A week or so, yeah,” said Grady. “But again, when we start getting our first snows in, we’re going to slow down considerably here.”

“And harvest is coming up,” said Kurt. “That’s going to take away manpower we’ve been supplementing other areas with like engineering.”

“Okay, scratch that idea for the moment and people can have roommates,” said Ben. “I’d still like to look at the feasibility of outposts on the other areas if possible.”

“Just a base of operations?” asked Javier.

“For the most part,” said Ben. “I mean, when we get the later Expeditions in, we might consider manning them on a rotational basis, but at least have the infrastructure and support items there for when we want to take excursions.”

“I like the idea,” said Angeline. “You’re right; unpacking and repacking that equipment was a lot of time better spent doing other things.”

“And we did the same thing on our first trip to Rachelle Island,” said Grady. “We knew we were coming back so we left some items behind. It’s not a bad idea at all.”

“See what you can come up with individually and let’s talk about it next week at the normal staff meeting,” said Ben. “Don’t worry about other sections at the moment, but just what your section might be able to afford leaving behind.”

“You want a priority on the locations?” asked Tasha.

“Not really,” said Ben. “I’m thinking we have some equipment that will be universal no matter where we go. That’s the kind of things I’m looking for.”

“All the land areas?” asked Javier.

“We’ve been to six of the ten major land areas so far,” said Ben. “I think we should look at those areas we’ve been first and determine suitable sites on the other four after we visit.”

“Works for me,” said Javier.

“Anything else before I let you guys get back to whatever you were doing?” asked Ben.

“We’ve detected some migratory patterns emerging in the recent days,” said Javier. “It looks like we have some creatures starting to move south for the coming winter.”

“Anything harmful?” asked Ben.

“Nothing of note,” said Javier. “No Raptors if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I was thinking of other creatures that can maul and claw us as well,” said Ben.

“The plains lions still are elusive for the most part outside of the one we captured to study,” said Javier. “We’re still finding new creatures every day and determining the threat.”

“Keep us apprised,” said Ben. “Otherwise, the migrations aren’t causing problems?”

“The featheroos are eating more,” said Javier. “In anticipation of hibernating I’d imagine.”

“I guess we’ll get to study them a lot more this winter,” said Ben.

“Most certainly,” said Javier.

“Nothing else?” asked Ben. “I’d like to see Kurt and Mary afterwards real quick.”

The others gathered their items and departed as Kurt and Mary stayed around. Mary motioned at Kurt to go ahead and speak with Ben first.

“How’s your new personnel working out?” asked Ben.

“Not really well, I’m afraid,” said Kurt. “I don’t know if it’s shock over getting transferred out or trying to integrate herself into a new team, but Marci is not happy right now.”

“I’m not sure she was happy before,” said Ben.

“Yeah, it’s the manual labor she’s not fond of,” said Kurt.

“Is it going to be a problem?” asked Ben.

“Let me get back to you on that,” said Kurt. “Maybe it clicks after another week or two.”

“Fair enough,” said Ben as Kurt departed heading back out to the farm areas.

“My turn?” asked Mary.

“I can walk with you if you need to get back to the hospital,” he stated.

“Uh, sure,” she said as she collected her things to leave. After they walked out, he walked next to her as they slowly headed towards the hospital.

“You’ve been fairly quiet lately,” he said.

“I have?” she asked.

“Just an observation,” he stated. “Normally you’re more interactive and whatnot.”

“I’ve just been going full blast for a while,” she said. “Just tired, I guess.”

“Do you need a break?” asked Ben. “I can schedule you some down time.”

“Hold off for a few,” said Mary after thinking about it for a moment. “Can I be perfectly honest with you?”

“Of course,” he said.

“It’s just strange you and Allen picked up right where you left off,” she stated. “That’s been on my mind for a while.”

“We made peace the night after the trial,” said Ben.

“Worked everything out in one sitting?” asked Mary.

“Mostly,” said Ben. “Look, in order for us to get done by the time Expedition 2 gets here, we have to work together. We don’t need a divided camp.”

“It’s just weird,” she stated. “No fussing, no fighting. It’s like nothing happened in those four days you were a prisoner.”

“Well, he explained why he did what he did,” said Ben.

“Explain it to me,” she stated. Ben spent several minutes discussing what happened and why it happened the way it did. Mary nodded at the explanation before taking in a deep sigh.

“You don’t agree?” he asked.

“I do and I don’t,” she stated. “I think people knew up front she was making it up.”

“But there was always a bit of doubt there, I’d bet,” said Ben.

“Maybe,” said Mary. “Of course, I was convinced you were innocent and the house arrest thing was way out of line.”

“He even admitted he didn’t think that one through,” said Ben. “But make no mistake, things went down like that for a reason.”

“I just didn’t like people trying to hurt you, okay?” she asked. “And frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t remove him as your deputy.”

“Because he holds loyalty in the colony as well,” said Ben.

“People questioned the decision to keep him there,” said Mary.

“Are you one of them?” he asked.

“I am,” she said as she looked at him.

“I kept him in position after he explained everything,” said Ben. “Now, if they feel my resolve isn’t quite up to their level of expectations, they are going to be disappointed.”

“Even though it looked like an attempted coup?” she asked.

“He worked behind the scenes to get Zoe in to testify,” said Ben and saw her about to interrupt. “I confirmed that with Zoe and Sonya Griffith from SIT. He made the trek to the other continent when he disappeared that day.”

“I didn’t know that,” said Mary.

“I think at his core Allen is a good man and got put in a position to have to make a hard decision that wasn’t going to be popular,” said Ben. “And in retrospect, he found about the only pathway out that completely exonerated me and allowed me to return seamlessly.”

“I think you can thank Rachelle and Ashley for that,” said Mary.

“And Zoe and Cyrus and Kate and Kurt and a lot of other people,” he stated. “Look, Allen and I both agreed it would be best for him to stay on. Now, when Expedition 2 gets here, maybe I find another deputy and he moves… somewhere else. The Expedition Leader on number 2 was going to be my second anyway.”

“You trust him?” she asked.

“I do,” he said.

“I can’t think of a reason I can’t then,” she said with a sigh. “It’s just that his actions burned up a lot of trust with a lot of people in this colony.”

“I think he’ll earn it back,” said Ben. “We both know it’ll take time.”

“A whole lot of time with me,” said Mary.

“Is that the only thing on your mind?” he asked.

“No,” she stated as she looked at him. “We still haven’t had that conversation.”

“I should have taken the time,” he said with a sigh. “Mary, I’m sorry.”

“No, I know you were busy getting caught up and everything,” she said as she waved her hand.

“But I should have taken the time,” he repeated.

“Dinner tonight then?” she asked.

“I’ve got dinner with the Stafford’s,” he said. “Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow works perfectly,” she said with a smile.

“Is that why you’ve been quiet?” he asked.

“That and the stupid decision I made with Joe,” she sighed. “Do you realize I still haven’t been back in that bed since it happened?”

“I really want to beat his ass,” said Ben. “Not just over you, but over everything he did.”

“But I’m included in that, right?” she asked with a serious look, but he saw her eyes turn playful.

“Number one on the list,” he said. “Maybe something happens in the near future that makes you forget all that?”

“I do hope so,” she said as she stared directly at him.

“As I hope you get back into where you were before,” he smiled at her.

“As do I,” she stated as they arrived at the hospital. “Hey, I’d love to stay and talk, but I do have appointments coming in.”

“I won’t hold you back,” he smiled and took her into a hug.

“What’s this for?” she asked as she hugged him back.

“Because everyone needs a hug once in a while,” he said.

“I think those words sound very familiar,” she smiled as they released the embrace.

“Quite possibly,” he grinned at her. “Won’t hold you back any longer.”

“I don’t mind it sometimes,” she smiled. “Catch up with you later, okay?”

“I look forward to it,” he smiled as she headed inside.

“It’s nice to see you smiling again,” said Vanessa Perez as she walked up to Mary.

“I smile,” protested Mary.

“Okay, the ‘I like a guy’ smile you are currently wearing,” grinned Vanessa.

“It’s taken a while to get back to where we were,” said Mary with a sigh.

“Not as long as you might think,” said Vanessa. “You both have been through a lot in recent weeks. Perhaps it is time for you to come clean with each other.”

“Planned for tomorrow,” said Mary.

“So, we are to assume you will be wearing a satisfied smile the day after?” grinned Vanessa.

“I think that’ll be none of your business,” said Mary with a scoff.

“Perhaps not,” said Vanessa. “But all work and no play makes Mary a dull girl.”

“What is it with people quoting me today?” laughed Mary.

“Did Commander Ben say something as well?” asked Vanessa.

“Just that everyone needs a hug once in a while,” said Mary.

“I agree,” said Vanessa. “It makes you smile.”

“Yes, it does,” said Mary.

“Here are your cases coming in,” said Vanessa as she handed over the appropriate files and they walked towards her office.

Ben headed back and got back into reviewing the items he had missed as well as taking a visit to the Security facilities that day. He had taken to visiting one of the sections each afternoon just to catch up with the people working as well as helping in whatever projects they happened to be involved in. He ended up catching up with one of the training sessions being taught by Anton Sokolov where the subject happened to be unarmed fighting.

Ben saw the techniques the Russian used were different than the ones Americans used and gladly joined in the class to expand his own knowledge of the subject and to keep in practice. The Systema and Sambo techniques weren’t hard to learn as Ben saw they could easily be adapted from the Krav Maga he had practiced for many years. The security troopers even encouraged Ben and Anton to spar a couple of matches and eventually they relented in which Ben found Anton was a formidable foe. Out of the five matches, Ben only came out on top once as he saw his own skills had perished from a lack of use.

Eventually, Anton called the class to an end and thanked Ben for “taking it easy on me.” Ben vowed to make the classes a regular part of his weekly exercise routine since it was good to keep in practice as well as the health benefits of doing it. Heading home, he took a shower and changed into casual clothing before heading over to Grady and Dani Stafford’s house where he was hosted for dinner as well as a drink afterwards. Ben eventually saw it was getting late as he headed across Leadership Lane to his house, but stopped along the way to look up at the stars and moons as he often did.

“You think we’ll ever get use to three moons?” asked Tasha as she walked up to Ben.

“Probably not,” said Ben as he tried to figure out where Earth was in the thousands of stars in the sky. The Milky Way was a lot more pronounced in this part of the galaxy since they were closer to the center, relatively speaking, than the Earth was. It made the nights seem a bit lighter than those on Earth, but still gave an amazing sight of the nighttime sky as several stars were closer to the Novae Spes system than the ones on Earth.

“Almost romantic one might say,” said Tasha. “Might be a good night for a stroll with a nice lady friend if one was to be available.”

“Tasha, we’ve managed to keep our relationship professional this long,” said Ben. “Why mess up a good thing?”

“Wait… no, I didn’t mean me!” she protested. “God no!”

“What were you babbling on about then?” asked Ben.

“Perhaps someone else who’s pretty interested in our dear old commander on a more personal level that enjoys looking at the stars as well,” said Tasha with a twinkle in her eyes. “There happens to be someone in this colony that fits that description.”

“I think you’re crazy,” said Ben with a laugh. “Who this time?”

“Mary!” stated Tasha in a slightly exasperated tone.

“Mary that works with the Engineers?” asked Ben, playing with her a bit.

“Don’t be absurd,” said Tasha.

“We’re still working things out,” said Ben.

“She’s moved past your little ignorant act you pulled,” said Tasha.

“Really?” he asked.

“It was stupid and don’t try to deny it,” said Tasha. “Anyway, I think it’s time maybe you opened up with her.”

“I’m not certain it’s the best time,” said Ben. “It’s way too soon after everything to even remotely discuss such things with her.”

“So, you like her too?” asked Tasha.

“Who wouldn’t?” asked Ben.

“Let’s face it, you’ve not had the best track record with women since being here,” said Tasha. “Well, since I’ve known you even. You’ve had more than your fair share throwing themselves at you since I met you so long ago. Some you took to, others you passed on. And your ex-wife we’re not even going to get into. But Mary? She’s the total package in my opinion.”

“We’ve known each other a long time,” said Ben. “And I’ve always respected your opinion. But I honestly think you’re wrong about the timing on this one.”

“I wasn’t wrong about your ex-wife,” said Tasha with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Wish I’d known sooner,” said Ben with a grunt.

“All part of life,” said Tasha. “She certainly was a spawn of hell, that one. Now Mary on the other hand? She’s a nice lady with a good head on her shoulders.”

“Playing matchmaker?” asked Ben with a chuckle.

“As if you don’t!” protested Tasha. “But really only one way to find out if the timing it right or wrong and that’s to ask her.”

“Sure, I’ll get right on that,” chuckled Ben.

“No better time like the present,” said Tasha as she turned to leave. “And by the way, she’s right over there, alone, and looking at the same sky you are.”

Tasha walked away from him and headed back to the quarters in hopes he might come to his senses that evening. Ben watched her as she was walking away and sighed to himself before seeing, yes, Mary was standing there by herself looking at the stars as well. He sighed before walking over to her quietly and pulling up slightly behind and out of eyesight.

“They are pretty,” he said in a low voice, causing her to jump slightly and spin around to face him. “Sorry if I startled you.”

“No, it’s okay,” said Mary with a smile as she recognized him. “You’re just very sneaky.”

“Kind of had to be in my life before here,” he smiled and saw the segue into a conversation he had provided her.

“I’d hope you didn’t consider me an enemy soldier or something,” she said with a grin.

“Furthest thing from it,” he smiled in return.

“But, yes, they certainly are pretty,” she said. “Have the scientists figured out why they are three different colors?”

“The moons? Angeline explained it to me,” said Ben as of the three moons, one had a pinkish hue, one was grayish white like the Moon at the Earth and the smallest one in the sky had a blueish tint to it. He spent several moments explaining what Angeline had passed on early in their days on the planet.

“This place never ceases to amaze me with its surprises,” said Mary.

“It’s been refreshing for me,” said Ben. “Want to take a walk away from the lights here?”

“Go out the gates?” asked Mary.

“No, out to the perimeter wall,” said Ben. “Nicer view of the stars if we get away from the colony lights.”

“I suppose I could let a gentleman walk me into the darkness,” she replied and turned to walk away from the main area. He was a gentleman that evening and offered her his arm in case she stumbled. She took it with a polite smile as they walked towards the southeastern wall near the supplemental Ag areas. As they walked, he pointed out some of the additions that were planned, but ground had yet to be broken for them.

“So, this is where another clinic will be?” she asked as they strolled along.

“Yes, with fourteen thousand residents we’ll need additional clinics strategically placed in the colony as well,” he replied. “We won’t need the hospital getting swamped.”

“And they all will be here?” she asked. “The colonists, I mean.”

“I mean, you know we’re looking at expanding into several different settlements,” said Ben. “One that is planned for certain will be on the coast with another in between.”

“How far away?” she asked.

“The one on the coast? About five hundred kilometers give or take,” he replied.

“So, why one in between?” asked Mary. “I’ve always meant to ask.”

“Kind of like a natural stopping point. We haven’t built any roads yet and have been forging our own trails. The problem comes from the mountains between here and the coast. Until we either get dedicated aerial transportation that can resupply a colony on the coast or build a high-speed ground transportation network, we feel it’s prudent to have a place closer,” he replied.

“Sounds smart,” she stated.

“And while I don’t mind the meat we currently have, some fish from time to time would be great,” he chuckled. “Even though the lakes do have edible fish, I never get any.”

“You’re the boss. Shouldn’t you get head of the line privileges or something?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye. “Just barge on ahead of everyone.”

“If my troops can’t get any, I can’t get any,” he said in a semi-serious tone. “Honestly, morale is a critical tool at this point in time. And if I can keep the worker bees a little happier, everything goes a little easier for the rest of us.”

“And that’s why you are a good leader,” she stated as they passed one of the security patrols heading towards the towers. They stepped out of the path of the vehicle and let it pass before continuing their stroll.

“Thank you for bringing me out here,” she said as she adjusted her hand on his arm. “It’s nice having someone to keep me safe.”

“There’s plenty of folks you’d be safe around,” said Ben.

“Perhaps,” said Mary. “But you’re the only one that asked me out here.”

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed that announcement as they continued walking until reaching the perimeter wall and holding just short as to not ruin the view of the sky. Mary pointed out some of the stars and what their significance was including some of the other planets in the system that could be seen clearly in the night sky.

“Now, you can’t see the outer planets after number seven, but there are eleven major planets total in this system,” said Mary as she was unaware Ben already knew those details. “The telescopes offer some nice views.”

“How do you know this?” asked Ben.

“I asked one of the Angeline’s folks when we got here,” said Mary. “I’ve always been kind of interested in the astrophysics field, but just couldn’t get the math down to do it full time. Kind of a hobby now more than anything.”

“Sharp mind to remember all that,” said Ben.

“I would have figured you would do the same thing,” said Mary. “Orientation and all that. Finding your ways by the stars.”

“I typically would,” said Ben. “In my military days, most certainly.”

“Kind of old fashioned,” she stated with a grin he could see in the pale light.

“I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy,” he chuckled in return.

“It’s a good quality,” said Mary as they were approached by one of the guards from the nearest tower. He walked towards them at a rapid pace after sliding down the pole recently installed for a rapid evacuation.

“Excuse me, sir, ma’am,” said the guard politely. “I just thought you should know we have potential movement out beyond the walls. Probably nothing, but just in case, you might want to head back to the main camp.”

“Any idea what kind?” asked Ben.

“No, sir,” said the guard. “Not big enough for a Raptor, at least not an adult. But you can’t be too careful out here.”

“Thank you,” said Ben as the soldier headed back to the tower and he turned to Mary.

“So, being old fashioned and all, escort me back?” she asked and held out her hand.

“It’s my honor,” he grinned and held out his arm theatrically. She laughed and took it as they slowly walked back into the camp, but she dropped her hand as they came into sight of the residents. The rumor mill was always active in the camp and even more so with the distinct lack of entertainment. Mary didn’t want to put him in a compromising position so they were proper for the moment. Eventually they arrived at the leadership houses and saw Tasha on her porch.

“Hi guys,” said Tasha with a grin as they started passing by.

“Hey, Tasha,” said Mary.

“What are you folks doing out so late?” asked Tasha.

“Ben was kind enough to ask me on a walk to look at the stars,” said Mary.

“Well, wasn’t that nice of him?” asked Tasha.

“I thought so,” said Mary. “He said they were prettier out here.”

“They certainly are,” said Tasha. “Downright old-fashioned and gentleman-like to escort a lady out to look at the stars, sir.”

“Yeah, I’m old school like that,” said Ben as he knew Tasha was prodding right then.

“And who better to escort me around than a former decorated soldier?” asked Mary with a smile.

“Very true,” said Tasha. “You’re safer with him than practically everyone else around here.”

“I thought so, too,” said Mary as she looked at him.

“Well, I’ll let you two go do whatever it is you have planned,” said Tasha. “Night.”

“Good night, Tasha,” said Ben as she disappeared and Ben walked Mary to her door.

“Well, Commander, thank you for the lovely evening,” she said with a smile.

“And thank you, Doctor, for allowing me the privilege of your company,” he said in return.

“My, you got formal all the sudden,” she laughed.

“As did you,” said Ben with a laugh of his own. “Old fashioned, I suppose.”

“My mother tried raising a very proper lady,” said Mary with a twinkle in her eye.

“Tried?” asked Ben with a laugh.

“Oh, I have my moments of being appropriate,” said Mary with another sly grin. “Other times she would have a heart attack in shock at my behavior.”

“I doubt you’re that bad,” said Ben with a laugh.

“You saw me on the porch that night,” said Mary.

“I was thinking it was just the drug playing games,” said Ben.

“Might have been that too,” said Mary. “Regardless, I do try to be proper.”

“You’ve succeeded so far,” said Ben.

“You just never know,” said Mary with a twinkle in her eye. “Of course, for the last eight years I’ve had to be Miss Proper, but I can break loose with the best of them.”

“A lot of the ship’s crew got involved in the trip out here,” said Ben. “But not you? Forgive me if that’s too forward of a question.”

“Plenty of decent guys on board,” she replied. “But none sparked my fancy. I have some fairly high standards when it comes to men.”

“And those would be?” he asked.

“Maybe we’ll talk about it over a cup of java tomorrow,” said Mary with another sly smile.

“I think that can be arranged,” said Ben with a grin and not responding to the subtle flirting.

“Catch you tomorrow?” she asked seeing he wasn’t going to take the bait right then.

“I’m sure we’ll run into each other,” said Ben with a warm smile. “Night, Mary.”

“Good night, Ben,” said Mary as she entered her house and closed the door. Ben headed over to the security command center and entered after flashing his card at the door. Upon entering, he saw the guards on duty watching the southwestern wall where they had been earlier.

“Have a nice walk?” asked Tasha as she looked at one of the view screens.

“I certainly did,” said Ben.

“I’m kinda surprised to see you tonight,” said Tasha. “With the way she was looking at you and all. Those looks kinda mean something.”

“How about that’s enough?” he asked in a serious tone. “What do we have out there?”

“Don’t know,” said Tasha. “Positively not a Raptor, smaller. Definitely not a featheroo. Can’t get a good thermal look at it since it’s being very smart in hiding behind the plants at the farm. But if I was to suspect, it knows we’re here.”

“We are a bit obvious,” said Ben with a chuckle. “Something new?”

“The seasons are about to change,” said Tasha. “Could be a migratory pattern of a new species we haven’t encountered yet like Javier mentioned.”

“Hostile?” asked Ben.

“Can’t say at this point,” said Tasha. “But you know as well as I do many animals moving around at night are carnivores looking for their next meal.”

“True,” said Ben. “You think Science will want to try a capture tomorrow?”

“Probably,” said Tasha. “It’d give them something new to look at. Not that they lack in that department as it is.”

“Maybe even give Chuck a reason to talk to you,” said Ben.

“No,” she stated very simply.

“You ever going to make up with him?” asked Ben.

“Probably not,” said Tasha. “I take a long time to get over that kind of hurt.”

“Anyway,” said Ben. “Why are you here anyway?”

“Any time we get something unusual outside the perimeter, the Control Center gives me a call. I was just getting ready to head to bed when they reported this,” said Tasha.

“I wondered why you were in sandals and shorts,” said Ben. “Not exactly combat wear.”

“Um hello Mister Jeans and a Polo,” said Tasha as she looked him over.

“You said you were getting ready for bed wearing sandals?” he asked.

“Well, I had on my very naughty negligée, but I thought it would be very improper for the security commander to be running around in frilly lace,” said Tasha.

“I thought you didn’t bring any underwear along,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“Well, there’s underwear and then there’s something used to make a woman feel sexy,” said Tasha. “I’d bet the good doctor even packed away something very revealing and naughty.”

“Uh huh,” said Ben as they continued watching the screen. “And you were wearing it because?”

“Dreaming about that perfect man coming along and taking advantage of me,” said Tasha.

“Before or after you shot them for breaking into your house?” asked Ben.

“Depends on how he looks,” she said with a grin. “What? You never played escaped convict goes after the warden’s wife?”

“And you are the escaped convict?” he asked.

“You got me there,” she laughed. “But I could put some feelers out as to whether someone might like to play a little game with you.”

“I’m sure that’d be an interesting start to a conversation,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“I could always subtly ask,” said Tasha. “Girls poker night is coming up.”

“I’m sure it’ll be a serious topic of conversation,” said Ben with a scoff.

“You know us girls when we get together,” said Tasha. “No holds barred.”

“Right,” said Ben as there was movement in the screen. “It’s like it knows we are watching it.”

“And the radar isn’t much help with the dense foliage in the way,” said Tasha. “Smart.”

“But not hostile,” said Ben.

“Yet anyway,” said Tasha as the bell for the main door announced they had a visitor. One of the controllers went to the door and allowed the entry of Chuck Dawson.

“Hi, heard there might be something new?” he asked as he approached. “Commander.”

“Hey, Chuck,” said Ben. “Yeah, possible new species we haven’t seen before. I’ll let Tasha tell you all about it.”

“Hi,” he said softly with a brief smile.

“Hey,” she said uneasily.

“Something new?” he asked, sensing Tasha’s discomfort.

“Well, we really don’t know that much yet,” said Tasha.

“Thermal or radar composite?” asked Chuck.

“It’s staying behind the vegetation,” said Tasha.

“Maybe you two could head out to the perimeter and look in person,” suggested Ben.

“We aren’t going outside the wall,” said Tasha.

“No, I was just thinking of you two heading out to the guard tower. I mean, it’s a nice night out and plenty of moonlight to guide you there and back,” said Ben very helpfully.

“Let’s see if we can pick up anything from the sensors first,” said Chuck.

“You were the one that told me seeing it firsthand was always important,” said Ben. “Tasha would be more than happy to escort you out there.”

Ben glanced over at her from the corner of his eye and saw her mouth had dropped open and an incredulous look had come over her face. She mouthed the word “enough” and shot a dirty look at him before stepping back up to the sensor station.

“This is a live feed in case you were wondering,” she managed to stammer out after Ben had gotten her goat.

“It does seem to know we are watching it,” said Chuck. “You think we might be able to capture it tomorrow?”

“Maybe,” said Tasha. “Provided it’s still there.”

“Regardless, I’d like to have a look in the morning at that location,” said Chuck.

“We could arrange a detail to take you and a team out,” said Tasha.

“What time?” he asked.

“Maybe a couples of hours after daybreak?” she asked. “I wonder if it’s nesting down for the night or something.”

“Possibly,” said Chuck. “Our noise and whatnot around here tends to keep most of the predators away for the most part. It could be a somewhat intelligent species that realizes it’s safer here than in the woods.”

“Quite possibly,” said Tasha. “We’ve recorded all this, so you might be able to get a composite image of what it looks like.”

“I really appreciate it,” said Chuck. “Thank you very much.”

“It’s no problem,” said Tasha softening up a bit.

“Okay, I’m going to go get some sleep. When can you have the composite done?” he asked.

“I’ll put one of my computer geeks on it and it should be done by dawn,” said Tasha.

“Perfect,” he stated. “I’ll see you then, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Tasha.

“Okay, see you in the morning,” said Chuck as he gave her a quick smile and departed. Tasha found one of her security troops would be able to build the composite image of the newest creature from the various security footage they had gotten. Once she saw everything was in place, she headed back to her house where she had a surprise visitor waiting on the porch.

 

CHAPTER 25


“Hi,” said Tasha softly as Chuck saw her approach.

“Hey…” he said and seemed nervous about something as his voice trailed off.

“Can I help you?” she asked in an even tone.

“I just wanted to thank you again for giving me a call,” he said with a smile. “It really means a lot that you thought of me first.”

“It’s not a problem,” she replied, knowing she hadn’t specifically requested him, but rather told the staff to find one of the science team to come over. “Anything else?”

“Yeah…” he stated and his voice trailed off.

“Okay?” she asked with a wave of her hand.

“Can we talk?” he asked meekly.

“Now you want to talk,” she stated with a sigh.

“Yeah, I… maybe get a cup of java or something?” he asked.

“You want a cup of java and talk,” she scoffed. “Can I say this is kinda strange right now?”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“We haven’t talked since we were on Rachelle Island,” said Tasha. “I mean, yeah, we’ve spoken at formal briefings, but we haven’t talked.”

“I know,” he said with a sigh. “That’s the reason I’m here.”

“And you felt like tonight was the best time to have this discussion?” she asked.

“I wanted to get some things off my chest,” he stated. “Cup of java?”

“I had planned on going to sleep,” she stated and folded her arms. He took that as his dismissal and politely nodded before starting to leave. Her voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Chuck, wait,” she said. “I’m… yes, let’s talk.”

“You sure?” he asked.

“Wouldn’t have stopped you if I wasn’t,” she stated. “But on the same point, there are some things I am going tell you before you say what you think you want to say.”

“Such as?” he asked.

“You hurt me,” she stated as her eyes flashed. “Did you know that?”

“I never wanted to see you get hurt,” he stated softly. “For that, I truly am sorry.”

“Oh, you’re sorry now?!” she demanded. “Do you know what that feels like?”

“Emotional pain is worse than physical pain,” he said softly and a look of sadness came over his face. “I never wanted to put you through anything like that.”

“But you did put me through that!” she growled. “And not only that, I ended up hurting myself because I was foolish over getting hurt by you! I put myself through emotional pain!”

“I am sorry,” he stated as he hung his head.

“As well as you should be!” she growled. “I had just decided it was time to take that next step with you and you pretty much stomped all over my feelings! You couldn’t have waited a single hour for me the last night we were on the island and decided to bed down the first piece of ass that crossed your path!”

“That’s not fair!” he stated forcefully and interrupted her with a pointed finger. “I had no way of controlling what I was doing that night!”

“That’s a convenient excuse! Obviously, you had control enough to tear your clothes off and hop into bed with another woman!” she exclaimed. “Was every other kind of control that was missing except that one?!”

“I had five times the normal dose of Truedream!” he exclaimed. “That caused my inhibitions to go away entirely! Of course, you don’t know that because we never talked!”

“I know about you getting drugged, Chuck!” she exclaimed. “Dammit to hell, I’ve known for a while now and each and every time I wanted to reach out to you and talk to you because I’ve been there myself, I couldn’t do it! I wanted you to make the first move!”

“You’ve been drugged with Truedream?” he asked.

“Yes and I know what you went through! But I was waiting for you to at least come and talk to me about it!” she exclaimed.

“How did you know?” he asked softly. “That never came out at the trial.”

“Because my friends told me,” she said as she shook her head. “They felt like I was treating you unfairly since you really didn’t have control. But you should have told me!”

“Look, I wasn’t in a good place afterwards!” he stated. “I was embarrassed over what happened and didn’t know how to talk to you!”

“Oh, obviously clamming up was a better option!” she stated with her hands thrown up.

“Tasha, I didn’t know how to approach you about it!” he stated. “I already made one really bad remark to Mary and I knew I shouldn’t talk to anyone else until my mind cleared!”

“You could have told me you had been drugged!” she exclaimed. “I would have understood!”

“Would you?” he demanded. “Each and every time I make a mistake, you hound me for it day in and day out until I make another mistake and the process repeats! So, just imagine if I introduced Truedream into the mix! I couldn’t have told you because you won’t let things go!”

“That would have been different!” she exclaimed.

“All I had to go on with you was history!” he stated forcefully. “And your history showed you’d have made me play silly little games as apologies!”

“Oh, that’s not what I do!” she growled.

“Oh, really?” he asked and crossed his arms.

“I’ve never made you play games,” she scowled as she put her hands on her hips.

“Bringing you flowers every morning wasn’t a game?” he asked. “Demanding I grovel to you whenever I make a mistake isn’t a game?!”

“That’s… different!” she stated.

“No, it’s not,” he stated and jutted his jaw out.

“Well, let me go ahead and tell you a few things, mister,” she hissed. “You don’t know me quite like you think you do. I’ve been there, done that with getting drugged myself. I know what things cross your mind and saying things you probably shouldn’t. But of course, you just think you’ve got me all figured out, don’t you?!”

“So, this little tirade of yours isn’t going to work on me,” she growled. “Because I’ve gone through the same thing and plenty of people were understanding with me about it.”

“I didn’t know that, okay?!” he demanded. “I just thought…”

“No, you weren’t thinking when you decided to use your… man parts to make decisions instead of your brain!” she exclaimed. “I felt like I had been petty enough and that if I didn’t move soon, I would lose you both as a friend and whatever else we might have become. But you? I disappear for an hour and you jumped right into the sack with some random woman who didn’t even become your girlfriend after!”

“That hurt, Chuck! That seriously hurt me!” she stated as her voice started wavering. “You made me think that I wasn’t good enough for you. Or that you thought so little of me that you would chase after the first woman who crossed your path! What do you think that does to a woman?! It felt like someone stomped all over my chest to hear the two of you in your quarters! I felt as low as I ever have! Had you only told me you’d been drugged I would have understood and could have helped!”

“I…” he started to say.

“You don’t have anything to say because you know not saying anything was wrong!” she stated as a tear formed.

“I never wanted to hurt you,” he said as his head dropped. “Tasha, I would rather have seen myself dead before hurting you.”

“Yeah, you say that now,” she scoffed and wiped the tear away.

“I don’t know what else to do except beg for your forgiveness,” he stated. “I know it was wrong, I knew right after it was wrong and I should have told you about it after it happened.”

“Yes, you should have,” she stated calming somewhat.

“Do you think…” he started to say.

“That we’ll ever get back to that level?” she asked.

“I don’t think we can,” he said softly.

“Yeah, just give up,” she scoffed. “That makes sense.”

“I’m trying to be realistic here,” he said. “What I did was unforgivable.”

“Oh, don’t even think giving up is going to get you out of this,” she hissed.

“I’m not giving up,” he stated. “I know I wronged you. But I don’t want to fight about it.”

“So, you’re giving up,” she scoffed again. “Can’t win an argument with me, so you surrender and throw up your hands like that’ll save you from me.”

“This isn’t entirely about you, Tasha!” he exclaimed. “This is me trying to apologize, ask for your forgiveness and reestablish communications with you!”

“Something you shouldn’t have stopped to begin with!” she exclaimed.

“Like I said, I really didn’t want you seeing me like that!” he replied. “I was giving you space because I didn’t trust myself at the moment!”

“And didn’t trust me as a friend either!” she countered.

“No, I thought I was protecting you!” he stated.

“As if I need protecting?!” she demanded.

“Not like that!” he protested. “Protecting you from myself and what I might have done!”

“Oh, sure, just avoid me and the problem goes away!” said Tasha as she threw up her arms.

“I didn’t know how you would react,” said Chuck as he was getting agitated. “I didn’t want to seem pushy.”

“You don’t think I would have put a stop to it right then had you been?” she asked.

“Maybe!” said Chuck. “But then again, I didn’t trust myself not to say something stupid! Nor did I trust you to leave it alone!”

“Oh, don’t you dare turn this around on me!” she exclaimed.

“You sure don’t mind making this centric to you!” he growled.

“As if this is about me!” she growled back.

“You want the truth?!” he demanded.

“It’d be about time!” she countered.

“Fine! I couldn’t stand myself afterwards! I saw how it hurt you! Each and every time I saw you, I could see it on your face and it made me sick to my stomach knowing what I did! I hurt you and in turn I hurt all over! I made myself sick over thinking of how I hurt you,” he stated as his own voice wavered a bit. “Tasha, I care for you deeply and I put you through something I never should have. I saw what I did and I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror. I hate myself for hurting you!”

“You’re right, it felt like someone kicked me in the guts,” she stated in a quiet tone.

“I made a huge mistake,” he stated. “I wasn’t thinking straight and I know what I did to you was wrong. I should have just gone down to you at the shuttle and told you right then. But…”

“But what?” she asked.

“I just… wasn’t thinking,” said Chuck with a sigh. “I have never experienced what that drug did to me and I didn’t know how to react. Before I knew what was happening, I had already walked away with Vanessa.”

“Are you throwing that in my face?!” she demanded.

“No! But dammit to hell, I hurt all over afterwards when you wouldn’t even look at me the next morning! I knew you knew! I knew I screwed up! We both made mistakes in the aftermath and my biggest one was hurting you!” he exclaimed.

“The only mistakes made here were yours!” she growled.

“We both made mistakes over this!” he protested.

“I certainly didn’t!” she exclaimed.

“I know about Greg! Okay!” he stated. “I know you slept with him to get back at me!”

“That asshole bragged about it, didn’t he?!” she said quietly after the realization that Chuck had found out hit her like a brick.

“No, as a matter of fact we used to be friends. That was until he came up to me accusing me of tearing at your emotions and keeping you from moving on! Basically, told me I was an asshole for the way I was keeping you from seeing other guys because I had you all twisted up,” he stated forcefully.

“You did have me twisted up!” she exclaimed.

“I know! Okay!” he exclaimed. “And I twisted myself up even more after that!”

“Greg should have kept his big mouth shut!” exclaimed Tasha. “He had no right to speak on my behalf and make those claims!”

“Was I really keeping you from seeing other people?!” he demanded.

“I don’t need your permission for that!” she exclaimed.

“Which is exactly what I told him! I had no idea what he was going on about until he told me what happened between the two of you!” exclaimed Chuck.

“He had no right to go around blabbing about that!” she exclaimed. “Like I needed him to protect me from you or for your permission to see other guys!”

“That’s not what I ever told anyone and you sure as hell don’t need some other guy trying to protect you from me!” he exclaimed. “You know that conversation with him hurt me even more! Because I knew I had screwed up enough to drive you to that! That’s another reason I couldn’t stand myself! It felt like I got hit by a truck when he told me what happened! I felt lower than I have in my whole life knowing I drove you to that!”

“I… wasn’t thinking,” she said quietly. “I thought it was getting back at you.”

“Well, it sure as hell worked,” he scoffed. “You should have just beat me with a baseball bat and been done with it.”

“This all could have been avoided had you just come to me and explained everything!” she exclaimed. “Just talk to me, Chuck!”

“You want to know the rest of the truth? I was scared to tell you!” he stated. “Because of your arrogance, your jealousy, your history in making me do all those stupid things and the fact you always start getting pushy with apologies!”

“I am not jealous!” she protested.

“Oh?” he asked. “Why did you get jealous of other women when you damn well could have made me yours had you only taken that next step?!”

“I was not jealous!” she protested. “And you could have taken that next step as well!”

“I tried! Short of physical contact, I did everything possible to let you know I was ready for you to open up!” he exclaimed. “Every time I got close enough, I’d make a little mistake and have to start over with you!”

“Doesn’t make me jealous of any other woman!” she stated forcefully.

“You sure as hell were!” he countered. “You made me practically bow down to you every time I made a mistake! Each and every time I even had a female friend, you’d pop back up into my life and we’d start talking again! You were jealous of them!”

“I was not!” she protested, though she knew his statement was somewhat accurate.

“I made a mistake, a significant one, but a mistake nonetheless over calling you by someone else’s name! You went complete batshit crazy over it and made me pay the price for weeks on end! That’s jealousy!” he exclaimed.

“It is not!” she protested. “Any other woman would have dropped you like a bad habit had you done that!”

“Which you did! And I came back on my knees asking for forgiveness!” he stated. “You set conditions on it and I agreed to them without hesitation no how silly I thought they were!”

“If you wanted me in your life, you better damn well agree to them!” she exclaimed.

“And that’s your arrogance talking!” he stated forcefully. “You act like you’re the sole woman on this planet and I was yours and your only!”

“Excuse me?!” she demanded.

“I gave up plenty of opportunities because I really like you, okay?!” he demanded.

“Obviously not with Anna!” she stated as she crossed her arms.

“That wasn’t right for me,” he said in a calmer voice. “I knew it when it started it wasn’t right and I knew while it was going on it never felt right.”

“You went after her anyway!” exclaimed Tasha.

“Because you shut me out again!” he thundered. “You were right there at the house and you disappeared just as soon as I tried talking to you!”

“I… I got involved in taking care of my troops!” she exclaimed.

“And you couldn’t have come back?!” he demanded.

“You don’t want to know why,” she said with a shake of her head.

“So, I’m the only one that has to open up and talk here?!” he demanded.

“You made the mistake in chasing someone else!” she countered. “You could have come after me! But no, let the first girl that crosses your path! That’s a pattern, Chuck!”

“It’s not a pattern!” he exclaimed. “I waited for you damn near all night! You never came back and I felt like you…”

“I what?” she asked with a growl.

“Like you had given up on me!” he said with a shake of his head.

“I never gave up on you that whole time!” she stated. “You were the one that decided to go hop into bed with some floozy!”

“I didn’t just jump in!” he protested.

“Sure seemed like it!” she countered. “And found out you made a big mistake too!”

“You really have no problems pointing out when others do something wrong, but God forbid someone do it to you, right?!” he demanded.

“I do not!” she protested.

“You just did it again!” he exclaimed as he threw up his arms.

“I was scared, okay!” she exclaimed. “I was scared of being hurt again like I’ve been hurt so many times in the past!”

“I…” he started to say and his voice trailed off.

“Don’t even say you’d never hurt me,” she growled.

“I wouldn’t have that night,” said Chuck softly.

“You sure as hell did!” she exclaimed. “Again, couldn’t even wait or text me or call me or even pop onto my porch like right now!”

“There you do pointing out everything I did wrong again!” he exclaimed.

“That’s not what I was doing!” she countered.

“And you just love to put down anyone you think is smarter than you are! Trying to break them down so you can feel good about yourself!” he exclaimed. “And you don’t even realize you’re smarter than most of the people around here!”

“That is not what I do!” she objected.

“Oh yeah? Why did you call me a nerd all the time? Because you’re insecure! You have this chip on your shoulder that you just dare anyone to knock off! Well, guess what?! I wasn’t going to play that silly game!” he exclaimed.

“I am not like that!” she exclaimed.

“Then why all the name calling?” he demanded.

“I was just… I don’t know, okay?” she stated in a quieter tone.

“It got old!” he stated. “I treated you as a professional and even my superior in most regards. Yet, I was met with disdain over my chosen profession like you were doing some preemptive strike to keep me down! I never once treated you with anything but respect!”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” she protested, sensing this conversation wasn’t going as she thought it might.

“But you did it,” he stated as he threw up his arms. “I never once demeaned you or anything of that nature! I always treated you like a professional!”

“I… I know,” she stated as she saw he was making a great argument.

“Nobody has ever treated you like a dumb grunt! You’re the resident expert around here and we all recognize what a smart woman you are!” he exclaimed.

“I… I’ve had run ins with people that thought I wasn’t smart since I was in the military,” she objected meekly as she had never seen this side of Chuck.

“But not me, Tasha! I treated you as the professional you are and better than myself as a person!” he exclaimed. “You earned that right a long time ago and who am I to question it?”

“Yes… yes, you have,” she said as she looked him in the eyes. “I didn’t realize until now.”

“I really don’t know why you treated me with such contempt when I did nothing but bend over backwards for you since day one!” he exclaimed.

“You did,” she stated softly and looked at him.

“Now, I’m sorry for hurting you like I did,” he stated. “I swear on my sister’s grave I would never have done anything intentionally to hurt you. Something happened which made me lose all my senses and I felt so bad about it afterwards, I couldn’t even face you.”

“You’re facing me now,” she stated softly.

“And begging for forgiveness,” he stated. “Without you being pushy about it.”

“I’m never pushy! You made the decision to do what I asked!” she stated. “I never made you do anything!”

“I did it to regain what I thought was special so I made sure I played your silly games,” he stated. “Because I know we had something special! I ruined that by a real bad decision that was out of my control! Each and every other time I made a mistake, you were pushy in your conditions for forgiveness!”

“You didn’t have to!” she exclaimed.

“I wanted to! Because you are special to me and that’s what I wanted!” he stated. “I care about you more than my own life and if I could change what I did, I’d do it in a heartbeat! Whatever I needed to do to open that wonderful heart of yours, I’d do! I would crawl through a thousand kilometers of Wasteland just to see you smile at me.”

“Do what?” she asked.

“You are the greatest woman I’ve ever met and you’ve got a special place in my heart even though you can be a royal pain in the ass!” he stated.

“I can be a pain,” she said softly and looked at him.

“But I accepted that! For everything that happened, I still care about you so much I’m willing to do anything for you to forgive me and just talk again! If you told me to cut out my heart for you, I would ask you for a knife!” he stated.

“You’ve never told me how you truly felt,” she said softly.

“Neither have you!” he scoffed. “I know we had something special going on, but we both were too stupid to just take that leap!”

“Maybe we were,” she said softly. “I cared for you a lot too.”

“Cared?” he asked.

“I still care about you,” she said softly. “A lot more than I let on.”

“I don’t want anything else in my life but to just talk to you like we used to,” he said as he looked deeply into her eyes. “Anything you ask, anything you want, whatever I need to do, I will do it. All you-”

Before he managed to finish off the thought, she grabbed him by the neck and deeply kissed him. He managed to recover and grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in closer, sharing in the passionate kiss. All the emotions and all the negativity of their conflict melted away into pure passion right then as they stayed embraced for far longer than either thought possible just a few minutes before.

“That’s me being pushy,” she said after they released the embrace and looked into each other’s eyes, finally revealing their true feelings to each other.

“No, this is pushy,” he stated and pulled her back in for another round. They kissed deeply as they finally let go of any remaining reservations and went with their hearts. They paused long enough to catch their breath as they stared deep into each other’s eyes as they held each other.

“Still want that cup of java?” she asked after catching her breath and continuing to stare into his eyes and let her true feelings come out.

“I don’t want a cup, I want the whole damn pot,” he stated and he grabbed her again in a passionate embrace while pushing her towards her house. Somehow, they managed to get up the steps to her porch without tripping even though they were kissing the whole time. Once on the porch, he pulled her back in closely as they continued the heavy kissing as he pushed her against the wall of her house. Her leg went up and pulled in his lower body as they continued going at each other without reservation. Eventually, they had to come up for air and stood forehead to forehead as their eyes met and they were lost in a moment of time that seemed to last for eternity.

“We’re not stopping here,” she said bringing them back to the moment as she yanked open the glass door and shoved the inner door open before pulling him inside as they continued going after each other. Knowing he was unfamiliar with the layout of the house, she pulled at him guiding them both towards the bedroom as their hands started roaming over each other’s bodies and pulled at the inconvenient clothing. Once inside the bedroom, she reached out just long enough to shove the door closed and immediately recoiled to pull his t-shirt over the top of his head. Before she was able to continue, he spun her around as his lips found the base of her neck and his hands started pulling at the buttons on her shirt.

“You think this is a good idea?” she asked after barely catching her breath enough and her hands reached behind her body onto his. “Weren’t we just fighting?”

“I might as well let you know how I really feel,” he said as he nuzzled down her neck. She stretched it out with a groan as her hands grasped at the back of his head and scratched.

“I can accept this method,” she groaned. “No problem there at all.”

“I want to make sure you understand without question how I feel,” he said between kisses as he pulled open the shirt to reveal a black bra and his hands explored the front of her body. He yanked the shirt down as she spun around and grabbed him in another passionate embrace.

“I’m beginning to get the idea,” she groaned as they caught their breath for a moment, though hands were still tugging at clothing.

“I’ve always wanted to tell you black is your color,” he said as he looked her up and down. “Ever since that day in decon, I knew that was your color.”

“I knew you were checking me out,” she said as he kissed down her neck and she groaned.

“Damn right I was. That’s when it figured out it’s perfect on you,” said Chuck as her hands roamed over his body and he picked her up off the ground and her legs wrapped around him.

“I think you’re going to find it’s matching,” she moaned as they passionately embraced once again with him walking towards the bed where he softly laid her down, continuing to kiss down her body. She involuntarily arched her back as he reached her stomach and his hands roamed over her legs. She grabbed at the back of his head and dug in her fingers as his own fingers found that sweet spot and she let out another moan.

“This is what you should have done that night on the coast,” she stated as she arched her back.

“Which night?” he asked between kisses.

“Both!” she exclaimed in a higher pitch as his hands ran up her body.

“Sand would have gotten everywhere and been hard to explain,” he said with a groan himself.

“You sure seem like you aren’t angry with me anymore,” she groaned as he undid the belt on her shorts and started undoing them to slip them off.

“I was never angry at you, just angry at myself,” he stated as he continued finding new areas to kiss on her body while she drew in a sharp breath and arched her back.

“I think we both were angry at ourselves,” she stated breathlessly as he pulled down her shorts and tossed them over his shoulder. He found another spot she really liked and exhaled sharply while grabbing at the back of his head and arching her back once again.

“That’s going to make anger go away!” she exclaimed as her voice raised. “Yep!”

“You weren’t joking about your underwear matching,” he said as he looked her over and she leaned up to start undoing his shorts. “It is very nice.”

“It hides something even nicer,” she said naughtily as she pulled down his shorts. “And apparently, I’m not the only one hiding nice things.”

“I’ve been hiding far too long,” he said as she pulled him on top of her and they started another round of heavy petting while rolling around and she eventually ended up on top of him.

“We’re both guilty of that,” she stated as she kissed down his chest.

“Yes, we are,” he groaned as her hands started their magic. “But we’ve been too proper with each other for way too long too.”

“Time for your bad boy side to come out then,” she stated as he slipped off her bra. However, the offending sandals also had to go as she quickly leaned up in the bed and tossed them off quickly as he continued kissing all over her body and slipped his fingers under her panties.

“Hopefully, I’m a good bad boy,” he said as her own hands roamed and found his own sweet spot. She started going down his body, her hands roaming over his muscular frame as she moved down the bed and he groaned as she reached his midsection. “And I really hope your bad girl side has been building up.”

“You haven’t seen nothing yet,” she said with a naughty grin as they continuing making peace with each other in a way that was far more effective than words alone.

********************
​

Chuck held Tasha in close as they had finished their wild escapade not long before. He heard her sigh contently as she adjusted slightly snuggling her buttocks into his groin. He gently rubbed his thumb on her midsection as she pushed her upper body back into him as well.

“I guess we both had a bit of pent up frustration with each other,” she said as her hand found his and scratched at it gently. “I think I figured out what we were missing.”

“You are a woman with a lot of stamina,” he said as he kissed at her neck. “I was just trying to keep up as best as I could.”

“You certainly hit the right spots,” she said with a giggle.

“Who says I’m done?” he asked as his hand rubbed at her midsection.

“You’d be asking a lot of a normal girl,” she groaned slightly.

“It’s a good thing I’m with an extraordinary woman then,” he stated as his hands roamed.

“You sure there’s none of that Truedream left in your system?” she asked with a giggle.

“Nope, you are what’s driving this,” he stated as he kissed her neck again.

“I need to use the bathroom before driving anywhere else,” she said and rolled over to give him a kiss and a warm smile for his troubles. She headed into the bathroom and saw she had been sweating profusely during the session they had just completed. After finishing on the toilet, she decided a quick rinse in the shower would be appropriate. She started the hot water and grabbed a towel before stepping in and letting the water run over her head and pulling her hair back. She ran her hands over her arms as the sensations of what just happened washed over her and she felt contentment for the first time in a long time. Just as she grabbed a washcloth, she heard the door to the shower open behind her and was joined by Chuck.

“Can I help you, Doctor?” she asked.

“I think I lost my wallet in here,” he stated as he snuggled up behind her and kissed on her neck.

“You expecting me to bend over and pick it up for you?” she asked with a pleasurable groan as his hands went to work yet again.

“I’d pay generously,” he said as he kissed at her neck. “Or even scrub your back.”

“Sounds like quite a deal,” she said with a naughty smile. “The kind of offer a girl can’t refuse. But what if I wanted more?”

“I think I can come up with additional payment,” he said as he turned her around and pulled her into a passionate embrace as her own hands roamed his body.

“I think I might need advanced payment,” she stated with a naughty smile after they parted.

“How about a lesson, what’s that worth?” he asked.

“What lesson can you give tonight?” she asked with a grin.

“I can teach you all scientists aren’t nerds,” he said as he kissed at her neck.

“I’m pretty sure I completed the 101 course already,” she said with a smile as she gave him a kiss. “I had a good professor too.”

“I think there’s still doubt in your mind,” he said as he ran his hands down her side onto the strong thigh she had wrapped around him.

“Maybe I’m just curious about how much you still have left,” she said with a naughty smile as her own hands scratched at his chest and she looked down. “Again, it seems like someone might not have gotten everything out of their system on the first try.”

“Told you I wanted the whole pot,” he said with raised eyebrows.

“Too much can be bad for you,” she said with a naughty grin as she wiped her finger at his nose. He playfully bit at it earning a giggle in the process.

“You know science is all about trial and error,” he said with a grin.

“There certainly weren’t any errors on your part,” she said as he rubbed at her leg.

“I think there is still much to be learned about you, though” he said.

“And how much studying would you need to do?” she asked with a playful grin.

“I reserve the right to be non-committal on a timeline of such things,” he said as her own hands started exploring yet again. “A good scientist just cannot give a time frame on the in-depth research needed to fully analyze a unique specimen as you.”

“I’m a specimen now?” she asked as her eyes sparkled.

“No, you’re like a whole new field of exclusive study,” he said as his lips found hers and eventually moved down her neck.

“Who says I want exclusivity?” she groaned as his hands went to work again.

“I’ll convince you I’m the scientist for the job,” he said as he pushed her against the wall of the shower and pulled her other leg up.

“You’re already making a strong case,” she stated breathlessly as she reached in for another kiss.

“You ready for lesson number two?” he asked as her hands were locked behind his neck.

“What’s the price for this lesson?” she asked.

“I’ll come up with something,” he said as his mouth found hers and they were lost into another round of their desires.

********************
​

“Wow,” she stated with a deep sigh as she and Chuck had finished up the second round and were cuddling close together in the bottom of the shower with her between his legs and him holding her under her armpits with their hands intertwined.

“Not what you were expecting at all, was it?” he asked taking in a deep breath himself.

“Not quite,” she giggled. “Though I probably could use another shower.”

“Both of us,” he stated as he kissed her neck. He stood up and helped her up as she turned on the hot water as they rinsed each other off. After finishing she retrieved towels for the both of them as they quickly dried off.

“Not quite how I saw this evening progressing either,” she stated as she pushed back his hair over his ear and caressed his face. He gave her a kiss on the hand and a smile.

“Truth be told, I’m surprised you didn’t kick my ass,” he chuckled as he went to hang the towel.

“I wouldn’t kick such a nice looking booty,” she said as she bit the side of her lower lip in a naughty smile and smacked hard at his backside.

“Ow!” he exclaimed as he hadn’t seen the attack coming. “Just wait until I get you back for that.”

“Who says I won’t enjoy it?” she giggled.

“You are horrible,” he laughed as he advanced at her. “I’m so getting you back.”

“Or follow me into a nice soft bed with warm covers,” she stated with a playful grin as she backed into the bedroom as he advanced towards her. “Fair compromise?”

“I can compromise especially since I wouldn’t want to disappoint while I continue research,” he chuckled as she threw out the bedspread from where they had shoved it into the floor during their first round.

“Disappointment is the furthest thing from my mind,” she said with a grin over her shoulder as she saw the sheets needed straightening as well. “You realize I’m going to have to completely remake this bed?”

“Isn’t that kind of both our faults?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she grinned. “It was fun making a mess too.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he stated as he snuck up behind her and smacked her on the backside.

“Ow!” she growled through gritted teeth. “That was way harder than I hit you!”

“Sneaky,” he grinned.

“You’re so dead when I get done making this bed,” she giggled as she pulled the sheets back and started putting the fitted one on. “You know, you really should have told me you were drugged.”

“I know,” he said with a sigh.

“I’m still aggravated about that,” she said as she set the pillows up.

“Again, I wasn’t thinking straight,” he stated.

“No, you weren’t,” she remarked. “You should have trusted me.”

“I made a mistake, okay?” he stated. “I should have trusted you.”

“Yes, you should have,” she stated. “I don’t know why you didn’t.”

“I just… I wasn’t thinking,” he said with a sigh. “I know it was a mistake.”

“Pretty big one,” she remarked.

“Am I going to be lectured tonight on my mistakes?” he asked.

“I’m just saying,” she stated as she threw out the top sheet to cover the bed. “You either didn’t trust me or you thought I wasn’t smart enough to help.”

“Where the hell did that come from?” he asked incredulously.

“I mean, you gave up, so why even ask for help?” she asked. “What good could I be? I mean, I know nothing about the subject even though it happened to me before.”

“Tasha, please don’t,” he said.

“Don’t what?” she asked. “Be upset you didn’t trust me enough to talk to me?”

“You know, I think I’m going to head back to my place,” he said after a long silence came between them. He started collecting his clothing from the floor as she turned and looked at him, seeing he was quite serious.

“What?!” she asked with surprise.

“I’m heading home,” he said.

“Now?!” she demanded.

“This is not what I wanted tonight after what we just got done doing,” he stated. “I don’t want to argue or be reminded I made mistakes during a trying time in my life.”

“Oh, hell no!” she exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, but I thought we had a good thing going,” he stated as he located his underwear. “But you just can’t stop arguing long enough to see I’ve admitted to making mistakes, admitted I should have told you sooner and admitted I had feelings for you.”

“I honestly thought we broke the final barrier tonight in expressing the feelings we have for each other. I thought this was a new day for both of us,” he stated as he pulled on his underwear and shorts. “But frankly, you have to have someone to argue with and won’t let up long enough to see something really good is happening here.”

“You’re seriously leaving?!” she asked. “Just have sex with me then leave?”

“That’s not what I had planned, but you are forcing me into that decision,” said Chuck.

“I’m not forcing anything!” she protested.

“I did something tonight I never do,” said Chuck as he faced her. “I tossed my brain to the side and went with my heart. My heart says I should have done this a long time ago, but my brain kept getting in the way. I see that might have been a mistake.”

“It isn’t a mistake!” she exclaimed. “I did the same thing! I went with my heart too!”

“Yet, you still want to fight,” he stated. “And remind me of my mistakes.”

“That’s not what’s happening!” she stated.

“Yes, it is” he stated. “I thought tonight we had moved past that.”

“That’s not what I was doing!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah, it is and you’re continuing right now arguing with me,” he stated as he found his shirt. “I opened myself up tonight to you and you still want to fight. I just can’t do this tonight.”

The silence was uncomfortable to say the least as he turned his shirt right side out and started to pull it on. He didn’t even look at the expression on her face as he figured the old adage of ‘if looks could kill’ was her expression about right then.

“I…” he heard from behind him after the silence was unbearable. “I’m… sorry.”

“Did that hurt?” he asked as he turned around.

“Swallowing my pride to apologize? Yeah,” she stated as her eyes watered up at the thought of him walking out because she was ruining it. For the first time in a long time, she realized she had met a man who was her equal and treated her that way as well. And she was about to royally screw it up if she didn’t act fast.

“Look, I’m not willing to fight any more. I just want to be with each other tonight and forget about everything else in the world,” he said. “I’m not sure if that’s even possible.”

“I… I push too hard sometimes,” she stated truthfully. “I had a lot of pent up frustration over what’s happened between us and I thought I needed to tell you.”

“You did tell me and I saw how much I hurt you,” he said with a shake of his head. “Each and every day I woke up trying to figure out how to fix what I broke. It broke my heart to see the sadness so evident on your face every time I saw you.”

“Chuck,” she said sincerely. “I’ll stop. I was just frustrated for so long.”

“I had frustrations as well,” he said. “But I don’t want to fight.”

“Maybe just a little squabble over you stealing the covers?” she asked with half a smile and turned serious. “I don’t want to end tonight like this. Not like this, please.”

“I don’t want tonight to end this way either,” he said. “But maybe it’s best if we started fresh again tomorrow.”

“Stay,” she said seriously as her eyes watered again. “I’m asking you to stay, please.”

“No more arguing?” he asked as he saw she was as serious as a heart attack.

“Unless you think cuddling and pillow talk is an argument, no,” she said with a smile but a tear dropped down her face.

“No reminding me of huge mistakes I made?” he asked as he gently wiped the tear away.

“The only mistake will be if we leave each other upset,” she said.

“No name calling?” he asked, but not trying to be too forceful.

“Is baby a bad name?” she asked. “Babe? Sweetie? Powerful sex machine?”

He shook his head and smiled at her and she saw it in his eyes he really didn’t want to leave. She certainly didn’t want the night to end like in him leaving either. She leaned into him and whispered another apology in his ear before taking him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged back before rubbing her back softly.

“Tasha…” he started.

She shushed him by putting her finger on his mouth before taking him by the hands and gently tugged him back towards the bed, not forcefully, but enough to make him realize she was not willing to let him leave that easily and could relent. She got him close enough before lying on the bed partially under the covers and patting the bed next to her as her eyes made the request for him to stay a final time. She wasn’t going to force him and allowed him to make up his own mind. He quickly undressed again and slipped under the comforter with her and got comfortable. She snuggled in close to him, draping her long leg over his legs and pulling herself in with her head on his shoulder and scratching at his chest gently.

“So…” she said.

“So…” he replied and kissed her on her forehead as a sign he was willing to try it one more time.

“Just for the record, that was not me being pushy,” she stated.

“More like pully,” he stated with a chuckle.

“Is that the technical term?” she asked with a scratch at his chest.

“What would you call it?” he asked.

“A non-verbal way of apologizing and asking you not to leave on a sour note again,” she stated. “After tonight, I think we’re both at the point where we shouldn’t leave things unsaid.”

“No, we certainly shouldn’t,” he said with a content sigh. “I do have something to say on that.”

“Oh?” she asked.

“A promise,” he stated. “I promise to never hurt you again.”

“You can’t make that promise,” she sighed.

“I can and I will,” he said as he looked into her eyes. “I will never hurt you again, I swear. I’ll die before hurting you.”

“That better not be for a long time,” she smiled.

“Planning on keeping me around that long?” he asked.

“Depends on how long your research takes,” she grinned.

He smiled at her as he reached down for another kiss which turned into a good ten second affair between the two of them. After releasing each other, she gently scratched at his chest and laid her head back down on his shoulder.

“Anything else on your mind to discuss?” she asked.

“How about thank you?” he asked.

“For what?” she replied.

“For being here mainly,” he said as he rubbed at her shoulder. “For letting me speak my mind without throwing me on the ground and kicking my ass.”

“That thought did cross my mind,” she said with a smile.

“So, did kissing me come before or after?” he asked.

“I’m not really sure where that came from,” she replied. “I just kinda did it.”

“I certainly wasn’t objecting,” he said and squeezed her gently. However, she raised her head slightly and was rewarded with a kiss.

“I did my own scientific study tonight as well,” said Tasha.

“Oh?” he asked.

“After careful analysis, I have determined your kisses are dynamite,” she said and giggled.

“Oh, that’s bad,” he laughed.

“Anyway,” she said as her green eyes sparkled.

“Anyway,” he replied. “Can I tell you something romantic on our first official night where we aren’t tearing at each other’s throats?”

“I think we’re in that romantic arena right now,” she stated as she scratched at his chest.

“When I was sick and you came to visit me, I think it was you that brought me out of that coma,” he said with a smile. “I heard your voice, about like a whisper and you telling me to fight since we weren’t done by a long shot. I realized I had someone special waiting for me and it brought me back.”

“Wow,” said Tasha. “I did that?”

“I tend to think you did,” he smiled at her. “Let’s face it, I liked you a lot at that moment and I think you gave me a reason to press on.”

“Why didn’t you say anything while you were recovering?” she asked.

“I…I wasn’t sure how you felt,” he stated. “I thought maybe I was imagining it.”

“You remember what I said specifically?” she asked.

“Not really,” he admitted. “Just the sound of your voice pulled me back.”

“I told you that you needed to beat that thing since there were too many people that cared about you that you would leave behind,” she stated as she looked directly in his eyes. “I might even have mentioned I was one of those people who wanted you to pull through because we had unfinished business.”

“More arguing?” he chuckled.

“No, that even I knew we were destined to get together and I wasn’t going to let you go until we had that chance,” she said with a smile.

“But we never really did afterwards,” said Chuck.

“Too many things got in my way,” said Tasha with a sigh. “Namely my brain.”

“I was guilty of the same thing,” said Chuck.

“Let’s start over then,” said Tasha. “Square one?”

“You mean sex should have been the first step?” he chuckled. “I’ve been doing it wrong for years.”

“You’re bad!” she exclaimed and slapped gently at his chest.

“Okay, square one then,” he said. “I’m Charles Dawson, but everyone calls me Chuck.”

“And I’m Tasha Hayden,” she replied with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Chuck Dawson.”

“It certainly is my pleasure to meet you, Tasha Hayden” he smiled back as he intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed gently. She gave him a smile as she got comfortable by snuggling in close to him and not letting him escape nor letting her own brain get in the way. She finally let go and just decided to let the world turn and not try to stop what was happening. They both felt a sense of contentment as if this was the way the world was supposed to be.

They continued talking and getting to know each other a little better as lovers would as they drifted off. Chuck meant to set the alarm on his communicator before he went to sleep but was completely comfortable lying there with her. She started dozing off before long and he didn’t want to disturb her. He figured she would have set her alarm and would just get up with her in the morning. He fell asleep wondering how much more of the woman he was enchanted with would reveal in the future.

 

CHAPTER 26


“Ma’am? Major?” stated Sergeant Jodi Walker of the Security Forces outside Tasha’s house while banging on the door. “Ma’am!”

Tasha woke up and quickly looked around, seeing daylight was already coming through the window. And furthermore, illuminating the visitor she had as well as their clothing tossed haphazardly around the small bedroom. Quickly waking up, she grabbed her robe and headed for the door where the pounding continued. She saw Jodi standing there patiently and was about to begin another round of pounding on her door when Tasha opened it just enough to peek around and allow the troop to see she wasn’t ready for company.

“Yes?” asked Tasha.

“Ma’am, the images you requested from last night,” said Jodi Walker as she handed over a memory crystal. “I tried finding Doctor Dawson, but I guess he’s up already.”

“That’s okay, I can pass it to him when I see him,” said Tasha. “Anything else?”

“There’s a team on alert to go out with him this morning,” said Jodi. “I think the creature left right before first light though.”

“Okay, give me a half hour or so and I’ll be at the center,” said Tasha.

“Also, it looks like you might have dropped this outside last night,” said Jodi as she passed over Tasha’s communicator. “We tried calling you, but I can see why we didn’t get any response.”

“Thanks,” said Tasha.

“See you in a bit, ma’am,” said Jodi as she departed. Tasha headed back inside and found Chuck just waking up as she came back into the bedroom. She crawled into bed beside him and ran her fingernails down his chest as he groaned and stretched.

“Good morning,” she said with a warm smile.

“Hey, you,” he said and returned the smile.

“Thanks,” she said to him.

“For?” he asked.

“For last night,” she replied.

“I couldn’t imagine a better night here so far,” he said with a smile. “But I think you started that argument with me after the shower just to keep my attention.”

“Maybe,” she said with a smile as she ran her fingers over his chest again.

“As in maybe it’s because you wanted to argue to keep my attention?” he asked.

“Maybe,” she grinned as he took her hand and kissed it gently. “But it seems if my ploy was to get your attention, it worked.”

“You could have just accepted the cup of java,” he chuckled.

“Wouldn’t have been as much fun,” she grinned and raised her eyebrows. “And you getting what you wanted to say off your chest.”

“I got a bit heated,” he said as he took her hand. “I didn’t mean everything I said.”

“Not everything?” she asked with a grin.

“You are a bit pushy,” he grinned and kissed her hand again and worked up her arm.

“I recall you shoving me inside my house,” she said with a giggle.

“I think that was kind of mutual,” he replied with another set of kisses.

“Maybe,” she grinned after he finished and she gently pulled back her hand.

“You arguing about that?” he asked as his own hand pulled hers back and held it softly.

“Nope,” she smiled. “I do seem to recall you really spoke your mind as well.”

“Tasha, I got a little…” he started to say as he pulled back.

“Carried away?” she asked.

“I was going to say personal,” he replied.

“No, you hit the nail on the head actually,” she stated.

“Do I get a prize for figuring it out?” he asked with a playful grin.

“You already got your prize,” she said with a wink. “I didn’t beat you up like I should have.”

“I think I’m still under that threat,” he grinned.

“Constantly,” she laughed. “Chuck, I can be really…”

“Hard to deal with?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said with a sigh. “But I am trying to do better. Tiny steps and all.”

“Tasha, I’ve been intrigued by you for a while now. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t see past that gruff exterior of yours and see the awesome woman you truly are,” he stated.

“Wow,” she said. “That talk is kinda mushy.”

“Truth often is,” he said as he took her hand and kissed at it again.

“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that,” she stated as he tugged gently at her arm and the memory crystal fell from her hand.

“Is that the pictures?” he asked as he kissed up her arm again.

“It is,” she replied and leaned over to get her tablet so he could look at them. However, she was stopped by another tug on her arm as he pulled her back into the bed and embraced her passionately once again, the pair running their hands over each other’s bodies.

“I thought you wanted to see the pictures,” she stated haltingly through the kisses.

“They can wait,” he stated.

“But it’s a new wild animal or something,” she stated again through the heavy kissing and certainly wasn’t stopping him or herself for that matter as his hands were hitting all the right places that morning.

“I discovered a new wild animal last night,” he said as they succumbed to their passions once again. “And I like this one better.”

********************
​

“Oh, Lord, I’m going to be so late!” said Tasha as she got out of the bed quickly after they finished and started grabbing clothing for the day. “I told Jodi I’d only be like a half an hour.”

“The creature left,” said Chuck as he looked for his clothing. “We’ve got a little time.”

“I know, but still,” she said as she collected everything and saw him quickly dress. “You’re going to meet me at the Control Center, right?”

“Certainly,” he said as he collected his things and got ready to depart.

“I’ve got to grab a shower and I’ll see you there, okay?” she asked as she dropped the robe and started to hang it on the wardrobe.

“Wish I had a change of clothing here,” he said with a grin as he went to her. As she turned for the bathroom, he caught her and pulled her back in. She immediately grabbed him by the neck and planted a kiss as they made it a solid ten second event.

“As much as I’d love to continue, I’ve got to get cleaned up,” she said as they finished and she had a dreamy smile on her face. “And so do you.”

“I know,” he sighed with a smile.

“I mean, you certainly can’t go in there smelling like my perfume,” she said with a grin.

“Probably not,” he said as he backed away and their hands held onto each other all the way to his last step before finally dropping. “See you in a bit.”

“Bye,” she smiled at him. She heard him leave out the door and darted into the shower, quickly rinsing off and changing into her uniform. She decided she didn’t need any makeup that morning and grabbed at a band to puller her hair back as she gathered her gear and was quickly out the door. As she was leaving, she saw a flower on her top step and reached over to pick it up with a giggle though she knew he had stolen it from Mary’s flowerbeds. She darted back into the house and put it in a cup of water for later transfer to a small vase she had. She didn’t think Mary would have objected to the theft as she traveled the short distance to the Control Center and headed inside.

“Okay, sorry I’m a bit late,” said Tasha as she breezed in.

“It’s okay,” said Sergeant Sue Romano-Peters, one of the pregnant females in the colony and the furthest along. “I was just getting the team briefed.”

“Okay, make it six with myself and Doctor Dawson,” said Tasha as she glanced over the team listing and nodded her approval. “Where’s Sergeant Walker?”

“She was on duty last night and headed home,” said Sue. “She was supposed to deliver the memory crystal to Doctor Dawson this morning.”

“Oh, got it,” said Tasha.

“She said she couldn’t find him,” said Sue and noticed something amiss.

“I caught up with him this morning and gave it to him,” said Tasha evenly as she looked over the threat boards for that morning.

“Ma’am? Can I speak with you for a moment?” asked Sue.

“Sure, Sue, what’s up?” asked Tasha.

“Um, privately, please?” asked Sue as she nodded away from the others. Tasha looked slightly puzzled and walked over to where Sue had gone away from the group. Tasha leaned over while Sue whispered in her ear as Tasha jerked her head back in shock with her eyes wide open when she finished.

“For real?” asked Tasha in a whisper.

“Left side,” said Sue. “If you let down your hair, that might help.”

“Thank you,” said Tasha and meaning it. “And if we could be a bit discreet?”

“Certainly, ma’am,” said Sue with a grin. “Our secret.”

Tasha pulled the band out holding her hair in a ponytail and quickly shook her head to spread her blond hair around. She saw the group that was tasked to go outside the perimeter gathering around the table and the alarm on the door was heard. One of the other members checked and allowed Chuck Dawson to enter.

“Doctor,” said Tasha with a formal nod.

“Major,” said Chuck with a nod in return, but added a quick wink and a half a smile to show his thoughts for her. Everyone gathered around the table and went through the plan for that morning. Being it was between gates, they decided to take vehicles out to the spot instead of going on foot. They had just finished prepping the team when Ben appeared geared up and looked ready to go with them.

“Heading out with us, Commander?” asked Tasha, being formal for the moment.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind taking a look,” said Ben as he adjusted his pistol belt slightly. “If you’ve got an extra seat that is.”

“I’ve got room in my vehicle,” said Tasha as she quickly ran through the plan.

“You finished with the briefing?” he asked.

“Yep, we were getting ready to go,” said Tasha. “Okay troopers, let’s get to it.”

The members headed outside and got the two vehicles with one of the individuals placing a light machine gun in the turret of one. The remainder grabbed seating where possible as they departed the security station and headed for the east gate and departed after stopping and checking in. It was a reasonably short drive as they got to the area and stopped well short as not to spook any creature just in case it was still hiding.

“You let your hair down,” stated Ben as they came to a stop and a team of four started sweeping ahead of the vehicles. The driver and Chuck got out and went to the front vehicle and were waiting for the team to call it clear.

“Yeah, I figured since we are on an alien planet and I’m in charge, I can relax the appearance rules slightly,” she replied without emotion.

“And it covers the hickey you have on the left side of your neck,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“I don’t-” started Tasha and calmed her voice into a whisper. “How did you know?”

“You think you’re the first female troop under my command that’s tried to hide a hickey?” he asked with a chuckle. “And the wind caught your hair on the way out.”

“Is it really noticeable?” she asked in a whisper.

“No, not really,” he chuckled. “Funny though considering the grief you’ve given me.”

“It just kind of happened,” said Tasha meekly.

“It being…” asked Ben.

“It,” said Tasha and knew he hadn’t connected the dots yet with her and Chuck.

“It being you and Chuck?” he asked.

“How did you-” she exclaimed.

“Shakespeare had a saying; ‘thou doth protest too much.’ And it certainly applies in your case,” said Ben. “You protested way too much over him.”

“I did not!” she protested.

“Well, that and you gave him a warm smile when he got out of the vehicle,” said Ben.

“I didn’t smile at him,” she halfheartedly protested.

“Tasha, you can’t bullshit the bullshitter,” said Ben.

“I…” she started and knew she never could lie to him. “He was waiting at my house to talk to me last night. We kind of got into an argument and one thing led to another.”

“You got into an argument and ‘it’ happened?” he asked with a chuckle.

“I got caught up in the moment, okay?” she exclaimed. “He was making accusations I didn’t think were right and I decided, well, to kiss him to make him stop.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” said Ben sarcastically. “First thing I do in an argument is grab the other person and plant one on them.”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly like that,” replied Tasha in the same sarcastic tone.

“Right, it happened because you two finally got your brains out of the way and let your hearts guide you,” said Ben. “You two have been destined to get together from the word go. And that stubborn side of his drove you up the wall.”

“Maybe…” she said and her voice trailed off.

“But obviously, that wasn’t everything,” said Ben.

“You aren’t living your life vicariously through me,” she stated. “But yeah, he kind of kissed me back. And got a little… aggressive.”

“Aggressive?” asked Ben who suddenly got a bit worried.

“Not in a bad way,” she replied. “In a good way. Like a real good way that turned me on.”

“I didn’t ask for details,” he replied.

“Just saying,” she stated as the team called the area clear. Chuck moved forward to the area where the animal had been the night before and looked around. The grass was matted behind some trees and out of the direct line of sight of the colony. Chuck looked at it from several different directions and made some quick measurements of the area as well as looking for signs the animal had been present.

“Maybe 10 to 20 kilos,” he remarked. “No signs of droppings. I’m going to see if it left some DNA behind though.”

Chuck moved in closer to the bedded down area and checked, finding some hair and collecting it into a small specimen jar for later analysis. He checked around the perimeter for additional signs, but didn’t find anything of note except to see some of the plants had been gnawed on.

“Probably a herbivore,” he announced. “Looks like this area had been grazed recently.”

“Not a threat?” asked Tasha.

“Probably not,” said Chuck. “But honestly, I won’t know more until I conduct an analysis.”

“Okay, you’re the scientist,” she replied. “Want to check the extended area in case it might be somewhat close?”

“Did your thermal cameras pick up anything?” he asked.

“I don’t believe so,” she replied. “Couldn’t hurt to go out about a click or so towards the river.”

“Okay,” he replied with a smile. “I’ll leave my safety in your capable hands.”

Ben noticed he ended the remark with a smile which flustered her slightly; something that rarely happened with Tasha. They headed back into the vehicles and across the landscape slowly and the vehicles themselves made little noise save the low whine from the electric motors. Nothing was seen during their brief patrol and they decided to head a little closer to the river and the nearby orchards. Again, nothing was amiss and no sightings of any additional creatures were seen that morning.

“Alpha Team, you can head back,” said Tasha over the comm unit.

“Ma’am?” asked the leader of Alpha Team.

“We’re going to check another half a click or so,” said Tasha. “We’ll be fine.”

“Roger that, ma’am,” said the leader. “Returning to the barn.”

The vehicle driver continued a little further as the other vehicle turned around and headed back towards the colony. Tasha and her vehicle crept along in a generally south manner as they didn’t see anything of note before getting ready to come back. Just as they made the turn, the comm unit came to life with a warning.

“Archangel, you need to expedite return!” announced the speaker. “Raptor sighted!”

“Floor it!” ordered Tasha as they scrambled to toss on safety harnesses and checked weapons. Tasha was already on the tablet permanently placed in the vehicle determining the location.

“Go to the West Gate!” ordered Tasha. “The Raptor is between us and the East Gate!”

“Are the others inside?” asked Ben as he heard the cannons from the southeast side open up.

“Just made it in,” said Tasha as the vehicle bumped along the terrain heading around the fields and orchards, picking up speed, but having to keep it down to avoid the crops. They had made their way around to the southwest section when two more Raptors appeared from the side running at full speed from the ditch created by runoff from the farm.

“Evasive action!” ordered Tasha as the two were closing the distance rapidly by working the angles coming in. The driver headed slightly closer to the colony as one of the 30 mm cannons was heard sending out a burst of fire in the direction of the Raptors, but stopped as the vehicle was somewhat in the line of fire.

The Raptors sensed the lack of a threat from the colony and stayed low as Ben opened the turret and started firing with his carbine. He didn’t know if he was making any hits, but it at least would give them something to think about. They had almost reached the main path heading north to the colony when another Raptor climbed out of one of their traps and stepped right into the path of the vehicle.

“Son of a-” exclaimed the driver as he slammed on the brakes and yanked the wheel, helping swing the vehicle sideways before pushing the accelerator down and shooting forward across the field and not caring about the crops. The rear end fishtailed in the loose soil, but he managed to bring it back on course. Ben dropped down from the turret just as the kick from the hind leg barely missed the vehicle. He got back up and managed to toss a high explosive grenade behind them before reloading his carbine and firing once again.

The grenade went off, startling the other two Raptors and the third broke off as they managed to get enough distance between them so the colony defenses could engage. The driver didn’t slow down as he floored it towards the west gate and Tasha saw a medium range missile launch and saw the impact on one of the Raptors to their rear while the cannon continued sending shells towards the creatures.

The vehicle made it to the gate which was quickly opened and they skidded to a halt once inside as he put the brake pedal to the floor. The security forces quickly started closing the gates behind them and pointed weapons outside while waiting for the hydraulics to close it. Tasha was out like a flash and headed up the wall defenses to the nearest tower.

“They’re breaking off, ma’am,” said the guard manning the cannon.

“How come the sensors didn’t pick them up?” demanded Tasha.

“I don’t know, ma’am,” said the guard. “We got the notification about the two on the southeast side. The other one surprised us by popping out near you.”

“I want answers,” said Tasha to nobody in particular as she headed down to make sure everything was okay. Chuck had a pale look on his face even though he had been up close to the Raptors before. But this situation had them all rattled.

“Are you okay?” asked Tasha as she went to Chuck and placed her hand on his arm in a reassuring manner.

“Yeah, just a little shaken up,” said Chuck. “First time being that close without you backing me up with a missile launcher, you know?”

“Happens to us all,” said Tasha with a brief smile. She received a smile in return and headed to Ben who was looking at the southern forest and towards the river.

“You know what they were doing?” asked Ben.

“Yep, diversion on the southeast side which made us move to the west side into the waiting arms of the other two which herded us into an ambush on the other one,” said Tasha.

“That’s tactics,” said Ben more to himself since he knew Tasha recognized it.

“We know they are far more intelligent than we originally gave them credit for,” said Tasha.

“And far more dangerous,” said Ben and turned to Tasha. “I want to know how they evaded the sensor lines and how they knew about the traps.”

“They came down the river,” said Tasha as she checked her communicator and saw the footage that showed the Raptors heading back into the water with a gunship in pursuit. As they had before, they swam underwater and only popped up long enough to get a breath, but Lieutenant Sam Gonzales managed to time the pattern perfectly as he unleashed a cannon burst from his gunship and caught one as it neared the surface, ending its life with a head shot as the body floated up. The process was repeated several moments later as the other was killed.

“This is Redeye,” he said to the Control Center. “Two down in the river.”

“We need to work on a plan to get something in the rivers to stop them,” said Ben as he saw Mary responding with a medical team in tow.

“Is everyone okay?” she asked.

“We’re okay,” said Tasha. “The driver probably needs a change of underwear and you might want to check on Doctor Dawson. But we’re okay.”

“I don’t think so,” said Mary as she went immediately to Ben who finally noticed the blood running down his arm. He apparently had caught one of the grenade fragments during the fight and the adrenaline shock was just wearing off. Mary ordered him into the seat of the vehicle while she checked on him and decided it was little more than a superficial wound but required the application of a medical patch to heal it correctly. She went about applying it to his arm and getting it wrapped up when he looked into her eyes.

Mary stopped for a moment and looked back. Unspoken communication went on between the two until Ben stood up, took her around the waist and pulled her in, their mouths locked as soon as their lips touched. Her knees buckled slightly as the embrace continued, but she managed to hang on by taking him around the back of the head. Eventually they were interrupted by catcalls and whistles from the nearby individuals. He attempted to withdraw, but she leaned right back in to continue the embrace and kept his head there by planting her hand on the back of his head and pulling him back in. But eventually, they needed to come up for air and released the embrace with him still holding her around the waist and her scratching at the back of his head wearing a dreamy smile.

“Good grief, it’s about time,” said Allen as he drove up with Javier, Rachelle and Grady.

“I had an old General once tell me to never let a good crisis go to waste,” said Ben with a huge grin and Mary flushed from head to toe.

“You okay, Mary?” asked Javier with a laugh.

“She appears a bit flustered,” laughed Tasha.

“What do you mean, about time?” asked Mary finally in a quaky voice, though still smiling.

“You two,” said Javier. “You two together.”

“I’m sorry?” asked Ben.

“You both beat around the bush long enough,” said Allen. “Took one of you getting close to dying to admit your feelings for each other. But not bad.”

“Who won?” asked Chuck who had recovered as well.

“Won what?” asked Mary who was finally coming back to normal.

“I don’t think they know about that, Chuck,” said Allen with a chuckle.

“Knew about what?” asked Ben.

“There was a pool going on when you two would get together,” said Javier with a grin as Rachelle looked at her tablet.

“Three alcohol chits got you in and picked a date closest without going over,” said Rachelle as she looked over the listing. “And the lucky winner is… Brooke McMasters with Science.”

“Wait, how many people were in on this thing?” asked Mary.

“Last count the total of alcohol chits is…1,323,” said Javier as he looked at his tablet.

“That’s over half the colony!” exclaimed Ben and turned to Tasha. “Did you know about this?”

“My day was yesterday,” she said with a sheepish grin.

“Oh, so all that talk about romantic moonlight strolls and whatnot was trying to get us together last night?” asked Mary.

“Wait, that’s what she told you?” asked Ben.

“Yes, she informed me you were interested in astronomy,” she replied. “Said you might be looking for someone to take a walk with and talk about the stars.”

“The Commander always taught me to stack the deck in my favor whenever I could,” said Tasha with a sigh. “So, unless you two want to share a secret about last night.”

“Oh, I don’t have a secret about last night,” said Ben and stared intently at Tasha. She realized he knew what only one other person knew and decided retreat was the best option right then. The majority of the group departed and the guards went back to their vigil as the smaller leadership group stood around without saying much at the moment.

“Tasha! You’re injured as well!” exclaimed Mary as she went over to Tasha. Tasha looked at her body to see where she might have missed something, but immediately went on guard as Mary swept her hair away from her neck.

“No! That’s okay! Not an injury!” exclaimed Tasha and she tried to back up, but found the vehicle prohibited her from moving.

“It’s not okay! Let me check!” ordered Mary as she swept the hair back again and saw it in fact was not from the earlier attack. “Oh, that’s a… right. Not an injury from this attack.”

“Is that a hickey?” asked Javier with a laugh.

“No!” protested Tasha and turned to see Chuck looking very proud at that moment. However, she tipped her hand by looking at him as all other eyes did as well.

“Yeah, that’s from this guy,” said Chuck with a large cheesy grin.

“Oh, you pig,” muttered Tasha. “You are so going to get it later.”

“Oh yeah,” he grinned in a knowing tone.

“Really? God, why are all men pigs?!” exclaimed Tasha. “That’s not what I meant!”

“Hoping maybe?” he grinned and got a roll of her eyes and a smirk in return. Seeing the proverbial cat was out of the bag, he took her in for a passionate kiss as well. However, those watching couldn’t tell who was getting the upper hand as they both seemed quite equal in their passions as she pulled him in unwilling to stop.

“You still aggravate me,” said Tasha with a smile and a scoff after they released their embrace.

“Admit it, no man has ever stood up to you before,” said Chuck. “And that’s why you like me.”

“Maybe a little,” she smiled. “Except for you being a pig.”

“Oh, congrats on you two as well,” said Rachelle as if it wasn’t a surprise.

“It’s a recent development,” said Tasha with a grin.

“Yeah, we know,” said Rachelle. “Last night.”