Until the Dawn, page 34
"He's planning sabotage again," objected Komm furiously. "They found more fuel ore in his quarters this morning – ask your marines if you don't believe me!" Fuming, he pointed at the troops standing next to Wrangler.
Norris carefully held up the stones in his hand. "Do you mean these particular rocks?" he asked curiously.
"Yes. He thought he covered his tracks this time, but he dropped one in the corridor and the marines found those in his quarters while he was working in the restaurant." Behind them, the crowd had quieted some but most of the passengers still had murderous expressions on their faces. It was definitely an unpleasant situation to be faced with and it certainly could not be allowed to escalate into violence. William sighed patiently and held up a hand for quiet as the Colonel and his troops ordered the crowd to back up some more. This helped to abruptly calm everyone down as passengers had to jockey for new positions to watch from.
"We checked, Captain," said one of the marines. "There's no sign of forcible entry into his quarters. And we really did find the mineral stones in there."
"Mr. Wrangler no longer has security clearance to be in the Waywardsman's hangar bay or in our Laboratory," Norris pointed out. "So a curious guy like me is wondering just where he got these stones from."
"What does it matter?" someone in the crowd shouted. "He had the stones and we know from experience that he likes to sit in his quarters and make bombs." Murmurs began in the crowd and the cries of protest began to start up again.
"Yes it does matter," William replied, quieting the crowd again through sheer force of will. "Because as soon as we abandon the rule of law and due process, that's when the Brotherhood will have beaten us spiritually as well as on the battlefield. Their society annihilated ours and many of them are guilty of murder, but this man is not…" He pointed at Peter Wrangler for emphasis. "This man has not killed anyone."
"Give him time," one of the hangar bay technicians said spitefully. "He'll renew his commitment to kill us all."
"Quite the contrary, actually," objected Norris. "The Council and I met with Mr. Wrangler many times after his initial mission of espionage was revealed to us. We found him quite guilty of those crimes and he agreed to meet all of our conditions in return for limited freedom aboard the Waywardsman. One of those conditions was that he fully cooperate with our efforts to learn more about the Brotherhood – a project that I think you'll all agree is absolutely critical if we're ever to find a way to fight back against them."
"That doesn't excuse his crime!" retorted Komm. "You've had plenty of time to study him… it's time for justice! Throw the bastard out an airlock, I say!"
"Yes, give him the airlock express!" the hangar technician agreed. "Space the Brotherhood saboteur!"
William continued to calmly look Komm directly in the eyes. He noticed that the man was sweating profusely, with large drops of moisture noticeably running down his forehead. "You use the word justice," said Norris angrily, "But you have no idea what it actually means. You simply distort it to justify your hatred… and I think you'd willingly sacrifice this man's life whether he's guilty or not – as long as it satisfies your craving for vengeance."
"He's not a man! That genetically enhanced freak was caught red-handed again," Komm insisted.
"Was he, Jon?" asked Norris carefully. "Are you absolutely certain of that?"
"Yes! You're holding the evidence," spoke up one of the marines.
"I'm holding three stones," the Captain replied. "Any system of justice worth its salt takes its time to search for the truth… not by reacting wildly based on appearances and circumstantial evidence. You'll note that I pointed out earlier that Peter Wrangler willingly agreed – as a part of his sentencing by the Council – to a series of conditions. Another of those conditions was that he leave his door unlocked at all times… hence the lack of forced entry."
"And the fuel ore?" Komm seethed. "How do you explain that?"
"He also agreed to 24 hour, internal video surveillance of his quarters," Norris said flatly, continuing to observe Komm carefully. He normally didn't get too personally involved in situations such as this one, but he truly enjoyed watching the man squirm with visible discomfort. "Just before I came down here I watched a video log taped earlier this morning. It shows you, Jon Komm, entering Peter's quarters shortly after he reported for work. I watched you carefully search his room and then plant the three stones in his desk drawer. If you like, we can go up to the Command Dome and I'll let you watch the video yourself."
Komm fell awkwardly against the corridor wall while the crowd surrounding him became absolutely silent. "You video tape his quarters…" Jon said slowly with obvious disbelief.
"…24 hours a day. That's correct. And from what the Colonel tells me it's not the first time you've been in there without his permission while he's not at home."
"You did this, Jon?" asked one of the female hangar workers. "You did this?"
"Peter agreed to let us monitor his activities in order to guarantee to the Council that he would not continue the Brotherhood's agenda of violence against our people," continued Norris. "Jon planted the stones, Jon tried to frame him, and Jon tried to work you all into a feeding frenzy so that he could form a lynch mob to execute Peter without a trial. He did it because, despite everything he claims to stand for, he doesn't give a damn about something as simple as justice. All he cares about is revenge… and in this case the revenge should be directed at the Brotherhood Triumvirate we left behind in the Milky Way, not the man standing before you. Peter is voluntarily cooperating with us, and we still badly need his help to learn more about our mysterious Earth enemy."
"Take this man into custody," Emerson said, pointing at Komm. Two of the guards moved over and each of them grabbed an arm.
"Wait…" Jon said nervously, holding up a hand. "I beg you – I have responsibilities in the hangar bay. I have to go to work in an hour."
"That's right," Norris said, still holding the mineral stones in his right hand. "You do have to go to work… but not in the hangar bay. As of this moment your security clearance is revoked and you will be reassigned to work side by side with Mr. Wrangler in the restaurant."
"What?"
"I'm serious. Go grab an apron and get to work."
"Captain, you can't…"
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do," Norris snarled, his fist closing around the three small stones with sudden, burning rage. "Not after what you've pulled. We're in enough trouble drifting along helplessly in this gravity river, and you call out most of our Security personnel and have me pulled off my shift in the Command Dome for what – to come down here for this?"
Komm rallied up what remained of his courage. "Suppose I refuse? I have that right."
"No you don't actually," the Captain disagreed. "You're so fond of pronouncing summary judgment against someone – fine. Here's a decision for you. You're the one who decided that stealing fuel ore is a capital crime and now we've learned that you stole some of them yourself. Breaking the law is no way to enforce the law, not to mention that the entire crew is just plain sick of listening to you bitch about the conditions on this ship. So I order you to work in the restaurant with Mr. Wrangler. If you decline to do so then the sentence you chose for him applies – we'll have you thrown out the nearest airlock."
"Captain, please… you don't understand… show some mercy, for God's sake."
"I understand perfectly," William growled furiously. "Now all of a sudden – when it's you who's guilty of the same crime that you accused Peter of – the word mercy is suddenly available in your vocabulary. Get to work in the restaurant or take a close-up tour of the gravity river… it really makes no difference to me."
"I deserve a trial…" Jon objected. "Captain, I deserve a trial – you said I do."
"And you'll get one," Norris promised. "We'll give you a really nice trial with a judge and jury and video-taped evidence that clearly shows your guilt." He handed the rocks back to the Colonel. "But as Captain I get to make a recommendation to the Council as to your sentence if you're found guilty, and – just so you know – they haven't overruled any of my suggestions yet." He turned and walked angrily through the crowd and headed off down the corridor toward the lifts at the front of the Waywardsman.
"All right everybody, we're done here," Colonel Emerson said loudly. "Let's get back to your quarters or on to your jobs or wherever you're supposed to be." He began motioning sharply for compliance and the crowd immediately began to break up and disperse. "You!" he said, pointing at Komm, "Come with me. I'm personally going to escort both you and Mr. Wrangler back to the restaurant." He noticed the look of shame that came over Komm's face as he glanced nervously at Peter – the man had remained quiet and said absolutely nothing in his own defense through the entire affair. "Well what do you know," grinned Emerson with wonder. "Is that a hint of remorse, perhaps? And here I thought I'd seen everything already this morning…"
* * *
Evening found Norris in the Livestock wing near one of the newly constructed barns. Off in the distance he could see Melissa out horseback riding – James was sitting behind her and clinging tightly to her waist. The beautiful brown and white horse paused, whinnied, and then continued trotting happily around the empty fenced-off field. Next to the barn were a series of benches and he could see Aaron, Nell and Trey seated casually together. A half empty pitcher of lemonade sat next to Aaron and the ice cubes in it tinkled lightly as he noticed the Captain's approach and quickly poured him a cup.
"I see that Melissa has made good on her promise to go riding," William grinned, sitting down next to them and taking a sip of the lemonade. He looked first at the cup and then at Aaron. "Just out of curiosity, where did you manage to get cold beverages?"
"There's a small refrigerator back in the barn," Aaron said, waving a hand over his shoulder. "There are some other choices also, if you want something a little bit stronger."
"No thanks," Norris decided. "If today proved anything it's that you never know when something weird and unexpected is going to rear its ugly head. I'd better keep control of my faculties, at least for the time being." He glanced casually back at the barn and noticed a large brown dog in front, lying on his side and sleeping heavily in the simulated sunlight. It was a very relaxing scene, to say the least. "But there will come a day…"
"There are always holidays and other special occasions that you can look forward to," Liane decided cheerfully as they clinked their plastic cups together in a mock toast. Her curly, cinnamon-frosted hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and William grinned at her freckled expression as he carefully patted her swelling belly.
"How is our junior pilot doing?" he asked.
"He's very well, actually," grinned Liane. "And we're not the only happy couple as it turns out. Dr. Simon commented that there are at least two dozen other expectant mothers currently on board the Waywardsman."
"Two dozen?" Norris gasped. "Holy Hannah… I knew lots of people had made the decision to start a family but that's a lot of kids! This ship is going to be a floating kindergarten before too long!" He sat back and watched Liane and James continue with their horseback ride. The trail that they were using was, for the most part, circular. It wasn't the lengthiest riding trail he had ever seen but it was sufficient for the handsome steed to alternate between a prance and a full gallop. He listened to the sound of the horse's hooves and James's laughter with pure delight, extremely grateful that it had been within his power to keep his son and the rest of the people on board the ship safe.
"Trey, would you like another round?" offered Aaron politely, holding up the frosted pitcher of lemonade. He waved it back and forth, noticing that his younger brother was sitting very quietly lost in thought. "Hey Trey, are you in there?" he asked a little more loudly.
"Hmm?" asked Trey, glancing uncomfortably at his brother.
"What's up with you today?" inquired Aaron. "You've been all quiet and creepy. Is there something going on in that head of yours that we should know about?"
"Nothing really," Trey insisted, smiling politely. "Just trying to figure out how we're going to generate a stable singularity while inside Poseidon's grasp, that's all." He glanced down at the dirt, frustrated. "There's just too much matter in here… light, dark, you name it."
"This is our relaxation time… emphasis on the word relaxation. You're not supposed to be thinking about work," commented Aaron. "Smell the fresh air or bask in the fake sunlight. But say something once in a while – you're making me nervous." He watched Trey smile weakly and begin to blush. He continued to wonder just what his kid brother was spending so much time thinking about, then remembered how well he knew Trey and decided there was a 90 percent chance that it had something to do with Nell.
"Thanks for picking up James after school," William said to Aaron and Liane. "One of my Lieutenants is ill, so I had to stay a little longer than normal and help cover the next shift."
"It's no problem at all," responded Liane. "Your son is welcome to join us any time we're off-shift. He told me this afternoon that he can't wait to hold our baby when he arrives."
"Well, for that matter… neither can I!" Norris grinned. "For all the progress we've made and all the galaxies we've charted, there's still nothing more miraculous than our children. I love watching them observe us, imitate us, and repeat everything that they shouldn't."
The horse pulled up next to the fence in front of them, and Melissa waved as she and James climbed down from the saddle. "That was great Melissa!" James said gleefully. "Thanks a lot!"
"You've got riding in your blood, young man," Melissa said, patting him on the shoulder. "I think you should talk to Jeff about taking lessons. They have some older horses in one of the other barns… they're very gentle and just right for new riders." James came over and accepted a cup of lemonade from Aaron. He quickly drained his glass, obviously thirsty from the activity.
"Are you ready to go, kid?" William asked, standing up and tossing his plastic cup in a nearby wastebasket. "I don't know about you, but I could use some supper."
"Yeah, I'm hungry too," James replied happily. "Can we eat in the Asian restaurant on deck three? They have great food."
"And they also have video games," Norris commented idly, winking at Aaron. "You and your friend Ryan aren't satisfied unless you both ring up all the high scores – are you?" He thought the matter over for a moment. "Sure, James – let's eat out tonight. But then we go straight back to our quarters so you can get your homework done. Horseback riding was a nice middle of the week treat, but don't get too used to it now that the new school season is starting."
"I know, I know," he said, running ahead on the walking path toward the exits. He turned and waved cheerfully. "Thanks Aaron, Liane and Trey. And thank you thank you Melissa!"
"You're most welcome, James," she replied as she began unhooking the saddle from the horse. She stroked the animal softly along his white furry mane and the horse snorted, playfully pawing at the ground with his hooves. She smiled warmly, watching William slowly following his son for a few moments, then grabbed the animal by the collar and carefully led it toward the barn.
* * *
He didn't know exactly what time in the early a.m. it was, but William woke up the next morning with the distinct feeling something was not quite right. He tossed aside the blankets on his bed and got up, moving toward the bedroom doorway. He stepped out into the main living area of the quarters that he shared with his son and checked James's bedroom. The kid's door was slightly ajar and he could see his son inside, curled up and safely asleep on the bed. As usual, the kid had taken the pillow and was sleeping with his head at the foot of the bed and his feet stretched out toward the headboard. Norris had no idea why James did this, but the boy had been sleeping backwards that way since he was a small child.
The Captain walked slowly across the living room in his pajamas and into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of chilled water. The feeling that something was not totally right persisted and he sat down on a barstool next to his kitchen countertop, deep in thought. That was when he noticed the image of his dead wife Elizabeth sitting quietly on the sofa in the living room area. She hadn't changed at all… still the gorgeous blonde with the beautifully long hair and not a curl to be seen. A petite woman, she was barely over 5 foot 2 inches but still a powerful presence to him. She sat comfortably and was wearing a lovely white cotton dress with colored flowers on it – the same dress that she had on in the family picture that sat on his desk.
"Hello William," she said softly, glancing up at him with her beautiful blue eyes. "I've really missed being with you and James these past years. But even when you can't see me, I'm here. I'll always be a part of your life."
"I see," Norris replied, glancing curiously at his hand where he had held the fuel ore stones early in the morning of the previous day. There was a soft red blotch on his palm, almost undetectable, but definitely present. "Again our quarantine has been compromised, this time by someone who claims to be the walking, talking solution to religious extremism."
