The image of Captain Micha’s face froze in a ricktus of fear and panic as it hung in holographic projection. Sabatine hated to admit it but you really had to hand it to Tilda. When the former (?) reporter had rather offhandedly offered to help prepare the footage for the drumhead court martial Sabatine had imagined it would be a simple presentation, instead Tilda had cut the footage taken from the Vickie’s bridge sensors together in a production worthy of a holofilm. Not coincidentally it also served to subtly highlight Kaiden’s bravery but any client would naturally seek to please her patron.
 
Kaiden, Sabatine and Lieutenant Rachet were sitting in console seats on the bridge of the Z-21, all wearing full dress whites with medal ribbons. In Rachet’s case these were somewhat tattered and ill tailored, having apparently lost weight since the last time they had been worn, and that last time some ways in the past. Captain Micha sat in a seat on the lower level of the bridge, unshaven and glowering. Though he had been given the opportunity to shave and dress formally, he had spurned the offer, another detail recorded by Tilda’s careful efforts.
 
“The prosecution rests,” Leyla Savachev declared, taking her own seat with a wave at the holo projection. It was, perhaps, not entirely proper for a warrant officer to serve as counsel, but all three commissioned Cinnabars, Ottis’ commission by courtesy didn’t count for this purpose, were required to make up the three member quorum for the court martial.
 
“Do you have any further remarks to offer in your defense Lieutenant?” Kaiden asked with cold formality. Technically speaking he outranked Micha now that the later had been stripped of his command.
 
“You will swing for this you bastards! Ill see each of your rotting bodies over a yard arm at Harbor Three!” Micha blustered. Sabatine rather sadly thought that if Micha had shown this kind of fire during action this court wouldn’t be necessary. Of course that didn’t mean he was right about the hanging. She felt her lips peel back slightly in something between a grin and a snarl. A great many things would have to go right if she was going to survive to face the hangman. Micha continued to rave but Tilda touched a control and engaged the privacy field around his station, effectively muting him behind a curtain of sound cancelation. She was damned good at this, the bitch.
 
“So noted,” Kaiden sighed. Sabatine didn’t know if he was as unconcerned with Micha’s threats as he appeared. The RCN took a jaundiced view of its officers committing mutiny, which might or might not be what they were doing, depending on the outcome of an inquiry back in Xenos. It was an open question as to whether his family name would help or hurt him in such a proceeding. The RCN prided itself on being above politics, but whether it would find it convenient to spare a Caladwarden or come down hard on him to make the point was difficult to say.
 
“Lieutenants, do either of you require time or additional material before rendering a verdict?” Kaiden asked.
 
“No sir,” they both replied in unison.
 
“Very well, Lieutenant Hickoring, your verdict on charges of neglect of duty to the Republic in time of war and cowardice in the face of the enemy?” Kaiden continued. Sabatine was technically Rachet’s senior on date of commission.

 “Guilty on all counts Sir,” she responded formally. Kadien nodded his head.

 “Lieutenant Rachet?” Kaiden asked, nodding his head at the gun boat captain. Rachet scratched as his close cropped hair in what Sabatine interpreted as a nervous habit. He had the look of a man in extreme discomfort, having not been present when Kaiden had removed Micha from command, he was now being asked to hitch his reputation to what might be ruled to be a mutiny. Much of the presentation that had been delivered today was aimed at him, as no court martial could be conducted without three captains present, a technicality, among an increasing list of technicalities,  satisfied by Sabatine’s temporary command of Z-21. Rachet took a deep breath and cast a glance at the silently ranting Micha then straightened his shoulders.
 
“Guilty sir,” Rachet declared with a slightly pained look. Sabatine had reviewed Rachet’s record since the Whitehall had joined their nascent squadron. He was a son of minor nobility whose father had squandered most of a small family fortune on bad investments. He had, none the less, made his way in the RCN with little interest and no money, not the sign of a coward or incompetent.
 
“Guilty,” Kaiden said decisively. He crooked a finger at Tilda, who dropped the noise cancelation around Micha who cut off in mid expletive when sound from the outside reached him.

 “Lieutenant Valten Micha,” Kadien began formally, “you have been found guilty of Cowardice in the Face of the Enemy by this court martial.”

 “You have no authority to…” Kaiden silenced Micha with a raised finger. Sabatine was struck by how well he played the Cinnibar Noble though that shouldn’t have been a surprise.

 “In recognition of the extraordinary circumstances, I have elected not to have you shot on your own quarterdeck, as has been done in the past,” he continued coldly. That shocked Micha as effectively as a glass of cold water to the face. He had been worried before, but now he was scared. It would have been an easy thing for Kaiden to have him disposed of out here where fewer questions might be asked.

 “Clear the bridge,” Kaiden declared. There was a general rush for the door as spacers obeyed, piling out into the corridors beyond.

 “Lieutenant, you will be transported to Cinnabar aboard the Nestor as Captain and Astrogator,” Kaiden continued coldly. Micha stared at him in shock. Sabatine could see the wheels turning behind his eyes, considering how he might be able to get the wheels of the Navy House bureaucracy moving behind the scenes.
 
“I’ll be sending a report on the situation here in a sealed fleet packet,” Kaiden told him. The packet was a solid state device sealed with encryption that could only be opened by Navy House. It would contain not only the report of what was going on, but a transcript of the court martial.
 
“I’ll see you hang, I swear I will,” Micha snarled hatefully.


“So long as it is after you get to Xenos and deliver the packet,” Kaiden responded.