not after what happened," replied Cole. "But don't forget— there's still a twenty-million-credit price on my head. You don't have to favor either side to want to collect it."
She nodded. "Okay, it makes sense."
"I'm so glad you approve." He opened the hatch. "Let's go."
They emerged onto the roof, where they found themselves facing some fifty armed men and women dressed in street clothes—which was logical: no one would wear a Republic uniform on this planet, and they wouldn't have had time to organize and equip an independent force.
Augustus Lake stepped forward. "The notorious Captain Cole," he said by way of greeting. "Will your assistant relinquish her weapons?"
"No," said Cole before Val could refuse in even harsher terms. "She won't use them without cause, but I wouldn't want to be the guy who tries to take them away from her."
Lake looked up at Val, who towered a foot above him, and shrugged. "As you wish. We will have to trust one another." He headed off to an airlift. "Follow me, please."
Cole fell into step behind him. Val looked like she wanted someone to take a shot at him, but no one moved, and she joined them in the airlift as it descended a dozen levels.
"How bad was it?" asked Cole.
"Worse than I hope you can imagine," answered Lake. "Here we are."
They stepped off the airlift and entered a large room. There were perhaps thirty chairs, and each of them was filled. There were three holographic cameras, each of which turned to him and tracked him as he walked to the front of the room.
Cole waited until Lake seated himself. Val stood about ten feet to his left, her arms folded, scrutinizing each member of the audience in turn.
"I want to thank you for allowing me to address you," began Cole. "I know the propaganda you've been subjected to since the Navy and I parted ways. I'd like to begin by telling you the truth of what transpired. Every member of my crew who was with me at the time will vouch for it, and so, if she's being honest, will Admiral Susan Garcia."
"The Theodore Roosevelt , under the command of Captain Podok, a warrior-caste Polonoi, was charged with patrolling the Cassius Cluster, with myself as First Officer. Our orders were to protect large fuel depots on two worlds, Benidos and New Argentina, and not let that fuel fall into the hands of the enemy.
"One day the Fifth Teroni Fleet showed up in force, some two hundred ships strong, and headed for Benidos. There was no way our single ship could stand against them. Captain Podok interpreted our orders to mean that the fuel was to be kept from the Teronis at all costs."
Cole paused, the muscles in his jaw twitching as he remembered that fateful day. "She gave the order to destroy Benidos rather than allow the fuel to fall into Teroni hands. In the process, she killed three million Republic citizens.
"She then directed the Theodore Roosevelt to do the same thing to New Argentina, which was home to five million human colonists. I couldn't let her slaughter them, so I relieved her of command and made an accommodation with the Commander of the Fifth Teroni Fleet: if he would take the fuel and do no harm to the citizenry, we would not try to hinder him, nor would we do to New Argentina what Podok had done to Benidos. I might add that that same Teroni Commander eventually came to the conclusion that his Federation is no more worth his loyalty than the Republic is worth mine or yours, and he is currently the First Officer aboard the Theodore Roosevelt.
"I surrendered myself to the military authorities and was perfectly willing to defend myself at a court-martial. But while I was awaiting trial, Captain Podok went to the press and claimed that I had taken control of the ship solely because she was a Polonoi. It happens that most of the inhabitants of Benidos, though members of the Republic, were not Men. No one knew what she planned to do to Benidos until it was done, but the press broadcast the story that I only took the ship away from her
She nodded. "Okay, it makes sense."
"I'm so glad you approve." He opened the hatch. "Let's go."
They emerged onto the roof, where they found themselves facing some fifty armed men and women dressed in street clothes—which was logical: no one would wear a Republic uniform on this planet, and they wouldn't have had time to organize and equip an independent force.
Augustus Lake stepped forward. "The notorious Captain Cole," he said by way of greeting. "Will your assistant relinquish her weapons?"
"No," said Cole before Val could refuse in even harsher terms. "She won't use them without cause, but I wouldn't want to be the guy who tries to take them away from her."
Lake looked up at Val, who towered a foot above him, and shrugged. "As you wish. We will have to trust one another." He headed off to an airlift. "Follow me, please."
Cole fell into step behind him. Val looked like she wanted someone to take a shot at him, but no one moved, and she joined them in the airlift as it descended a dozen levels.
"How bad was it?" asked Cole.
"Worse than I hope you can imagine," answered Lake. "Here we are."
They stepped off the airlift and entered a large room. There were perhaps thirty chairs, and each of them was filled. There were three holographic cameras, each of which turned to him and tracked him as he walked to the front of the room.
Cole waited until Lake seated himself. Val stood about ten feet to his left, her arms folded, scrutinizing each member of the audience in turn.
"I want to thank you for allowing me to address you," began Cole. "I know the propaganda you've been subjected to since the Navy and I parted ways. I'd like to begin by telling you the truth of what transpired. Every member of my crew who was with me at the time will vouch for it, and so, if she's being honest, will Admiral Susan Garcia."
"The Theodore Roosevelt , under the command of Captain Podok, a warrior-caste Polonoi, was charged with patrolling the Cassius Cluster, with myself as First Officer. Our orders were to protect large fuel depots on two worlds, Benidos and New Argentina, and not let that fuel fall into the hands of the enemy.
"One day the Fifth Teroni Fleet showed up in force, some two hundred ships strong, and headed for Benidos. There was no way our single ship could stand against them. Captain Podok interpreted our orders to mean that the fuel was to be kept from the Teronis at all costs."
Cole paused, the muscles in his jaw twitching as he remembered that fateful day. "She gave the order to destroy Benidos rather than allow the fuel to fall into Teroni hands. In the process, she killed three million Republic citizens.
"She then directed the Theodore Roosevelt to do the same thing to New Argentina, which was home to five million human colonists. I couldn't let her slaughter them, so I relieved her of command and made an accommodation with the Commander of the Fifth Teroni Fleet: if he would take the fuel and do no harm to the citizenry, we would not try to hinder him, nor would we do to New Argentina what Podok had done to Benidos. I might add that that same Teroni Commander eventually came to the conclusion that his Federation is no more worth his loyalty than the Republic is worth mine or yours, and he is currently the First Officer aboard the Theodore Roosevelt.
"I surrendered myself to the military authorities and was perfectly willing to defend myself at a court-martial. But while I was awaiting trial, Captain Podok went to the press and claimed that I had taken control of the ship solely because she was a Polonoi. It happens that most of the inhabitants of Benidos, though members of the Republic, were not Men. No one knew what she planned to do to Benidos until it was done, but the press broadcast the story that I only took the ship away from her
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