Sargasso , then I have a shot at walking out of here a free woman. I’m afraid to hope; I don’t even know if I should be exonerated.
“Over the course of the next few weeks, the prosecution will attempt to blacken Ms. Jax’s name. Mr. Latimer will paint her actions in the darkest possible light, but I want you to remember as you listen that this woman was prepared to die for each and every one of you, so that you might live in peace. Thank you.”
Judge Wentworth inclines his head, clearly wanting to get this over with. “If both defense and prosecution are prepared, let us begin.”
CHAPTER 10
The trial has been going on for thirteen days. We’ve heard from character witnesses and people I don’t even remember meeting. Tarn himself has been subpoenaed and is scheduled to appear in the witness box. I show none of my nerves as the opposing counsel gets to his feet. I’ve been grilled for the last two hours, and my testimony may be the one thing Nola can’t defend.
Today, the prosecution ends with a punch to the face. “Were you, at any time, ordered to make the jump that ultimately destroyed interstellar travel as we know it?”
“No, but—”
“That’s all,” Latimer says.
“Witness is yours to cross-examine,” the judge tells my barrister.
Ms. Hale rises gracefully. “Sirantha, did Chancellor Tarn speak with you about the significance of your mission?”
“Yes, he did.” I’ve been coached to answer only the questions as she asks them and to let her build the momentum.
“And what did he say, to the best of your recollection?”
“He said, ‘Your mission is of the utmost importance. If you fail, all is lost.’ ”
There are no more questions, so I return to the defense table. More people take the stand; some have good things to say about me. Others are not so complimentary. Through it all, I try to wear the expression she prescribed—sympathetic and remorseful. It doesn’t take much; I will always be sorry for the loss of those six hundred soldiers. If I could go back and fix it, I would . . . but I wouldn’t change what I’ve done. The Morgut have been permanently weakened, and I can’t think that’s a bad thing, after what I’ve seen.
Finally, they call Chancellor Tarn himself. His testimony might bury me. He enters the courtroom with six armed guards, and they escort him to the witness box. The bot makes him promise to tell the truth, and his guards step to the side.
Latimer starts the process. “How well do you know Sirantha Jax?”
“We have enjoyed a working relationship since just after the fall of Farwan Corporation.”
“And what is your impression of her?”
“Objection,” my barrister says. “Impressions are opinion, nothing more.”
“Withdrawn. Let me rephrase: As substantiated by her record, does Ms. Jax have a reputation for thoughtful, careful behavior?”
“No, she does not.”
“Then what made you ask her to become the ambassador to Ithiss-Tor?”
I see regret in Tarn’s eyes. He knows his answers will hurt me. “Expedience. She had formed a close friendship with Velith Il-Nok, and he would not work with anyone else. I felt the mission stood a low enough chance of success without him that any other option would prove utterly ruinous to our efforts to forge an alliance.”
“Did you have confidence in Ms. Jax’s abilities to make logical decisions and restrain her temper?”
“No, I did not.”
“But you lacked any viable alternative at that time?”
“Correct. Catrin Jocasta was still mourning her mother’s death, and none of the other trained diplomats could’ve coped without a native guide to Ithtorian culture and politics.”
Latimer turns to the jury then. “That’s how Ms. Jax lucked into her cushy assignment on Ithiss-Tor. Connections. She had only basic diplomatic training, that which any jumper gets in the academy to help her handle first contact, and it had been turns since she’d practiced any of those techniques. From
“Over the course of the next few weeks, the prosecution will attempt to blacken Ms. Jax’s name. Mr. Latimer will paint her actions in the darkest possible light, but I want you to remember as you listen that this woman was prepared to die for each and every one of you, so that you might live in peace. Thank you.”
Judge Wentworth inclines his head, clearly wanting to get this over with. “If both defense and prosecution are prepared, let us begin.”
CHAPTER 10
The trial has been going on for thirteen days. We’ve heard from character witnesses and people I don’t even remember meeting. Tarn himself has been subpoenaed and is scheduled to appear in the witness box. I show none of my nerves as the opposing counsel gets to his feet. I’ve been grilled for the last two hours, and my testimony may be the one thing Nola can’t defend.
Today, the prosecution ends with a punch to the face. “Were you, at any time, ordered to make the jump that ultimately destroyed interstellar travel as we know it?”
“No, but—”
“That’s all,” Latimer says.
“Witness is yours to cross-examine,” the judge tells my barrister.
Ms. Hale rises gracefully. “Sirantha, did Chancellor Tarn speak with you about the significance of your mission?”
“Yes, he did.” I’ve been coached to answer only the questions as she asks them and to let her build the momentum.
“And what did he say, to the best of your recollection?”
“He said, ‘Your mission is of the utmost importance. If you fail, all is lost.’ ”
There are no more questions, so I return to the defense table. More people take the stand; some have good things to say about me. Others are not so complimentary. Through it all, I try to wear the expression she prescribed—sympathetic and remorseful. It doesn’t take much; I will always be sorry for the loss of those six hundred soldiers. If I could go back and fix it, I would . . . but I wouldn’t change what I’ve done. The Morgut have been permanently weakened, and I can’t think that’s a bad thing, after what I’ve seen.
Finally, they call Chancellor Tarn himself. His testimony might bury me. He enters the courtroom with six armed guards, and they escort him to the witness box. The bot makes him promise to tell the truth, and his guards step to the side.
Latimer starts the process. “How well do you know Sirantha Jax?”
“We have enjoyed a working relationship since just after the fall of Farwan Corporation.”
“And what is your impression of her?”
“Objection,” my barrister says. “Impressions are opinion, nothing more.”
“Withdrawn. Let me rephrase: As substantiated by her record, does Ms. Jax have a reputation for thoughtful, careful behavior?”
“No, she does not.”
“Then what made you ask her to become the ambassador to Ithiss-Tor?”
I see regret in Tarn’s eyes. He knows his answers will hurt me. “Expedience. She had formed a close friendship with Velith Il-Nok, and he would not work with anyone else. I felt the mission stood a low enough chance of success without him that any other option would prove utterly ruinous to our efforts to forge an alliance.”
“Did you have confidence in Ms. Jax’s abilities to make logical decisions and restrain her temper?”
“No, I did not.”
“But you lacked any viable alternative at that time?”
“Correct. Catrin Jocasta was still mourning her mother’s death, and none of the other trained diplomats could’ve coped without a native guide to Ithtorian culture and politics.”
Latimer turns to the jury then. “That’s how Ms. Jax lucked into her cushy assignment on Ithiss-Tor. Connections. She had only basic diplomatic training, that which any jumper gets in the academy to help her handle first contact, and it had been turns since she’d practiced any of those techniques. From
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