William Forstchen - Article 23

"He's coming here," Madison hissed.

As Thorsson approached their table the four began to stand up, but Thorsson extended a friendly hand waving for them to remain seated. Justin ignored the request and came to attention, the others following his lead.

"Well, you four, a bit of mess, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry, sir," Justin replied, his voice choked, "I hope we didn't let you down."

"I'm proud of you," Thorsson announced, his voice loud enough so it carried across the silent room, "proud of all of you. Now let's have lunch."

Stunned, Justin sat back down, and to his embarrassment tears came to his eyes. It was as if his father had appeared and announced that he had indeed done the right thing after all.

Thorsson drew up a chair and leaned over to Justin.

"It's all right, Bell. I understand, but don't let them see that they're getting to you."

Justin braced himself and nodded.

Thorsson looked over at Matt.

"How are the wounds?'

"Healing, sir. Hands are a bit stiff and the ear still hurts."

"Forty seconds, I understand. You're a tough man to kill, Matt."

"Just worried about passing my next physical."

Thorsson smiled. "I'll make sure you pass, the Service owes you that."

"Well it sure doesn't seem like they feel that way now," Tanya replied coldly.

Thorsson nodded then looked back to Justin. "I hate to ask this, but would you mind grabbing a bowl of soup and some coffee for me, Justin? It was a long flight and I'm beat."

"How did you get here so quick?' Matt asked.

"Well, I'm a good hand with an Eagle fighter interceptor."

"You flew an Eagle all the way from the Academy to here? That's one cramped flight, sir."

"Oh, I needed the hours to keep my rating," Thorsson replied with a laugh.

Amazed, Justin stood up and went to get Thorsson's lunch. The Eagle was little more than an oversized engine with a cockpit and weapons bay. It was the hottest interceptor in the Service, but it meant that Thorsson had spent the last ten days in a cockpit barely the size of a closet.

"Senior Cadet Seay served as my co-pilot," Thorsson was explaining as Justin returned and set the lunch down. "I think I had him scared half to death the whole flight out."

The group laughed appreciatively at the thought of Seay living cheek-to-jowl with Thorsson for ten days.

"Sir, may I ask why you are here?' Tanya inquired.

"You're my students," Thorsson replied, "and I screwed up. I knew MacKenzie was a hard taskmaster. I thought that a short cruise with him would show all of you the tougher side of the service. I should have checked more thoroughly. It'd been years since I served alongside the man. I should have listened to O'Brian."

"O'Brian, sir?"

'Killer Kelly,' we used to call him. He came to see me as soon as the Somers docked with the Academy. Tried to talk me out of having you youngsters on board. He said MacKenzie was on the point of cracking up, but I didn't listen. I asked him to look out for all of you and by heavens, he did."

Thorsson paused and looked across the room to where O'Brian was eating lunch. The sergeant, catching Thorsson's gaze, snapped off a friendly salute which Thorsson made a show of returning.

Justin, looking around the room could see that everyone was still staring at them. He realized that Thorsson's simple act of coming in the way he did and sitting with the ringleaders was a clear and open statement of support.

"Thank you, sir," Justin said quietly.

"For what, Mr. Bell?"

Justin smiled and shook his head, unable to speak.

A bosun's pipe sounded in the distance.

"Well, once more into the breach," Thorsson announced. "That's the signal for the court to convene."

As the Judge Advocate gaveled the court back into session, Thorsson came to his feet and walked towards the bench where the five officers in charge of the session were arrayed.

"Sirs, I know this is highly irregular, but may I approach the court to make a statement?"

Singh lowered his head.

"Admiral Thorsson, you are not listed as a witness in this case. I do not see why you should be allowed to speak."

"Sir, I know it is irregular, but I traveled over eighty-seven million kilometers to be here. I ask but a moments indulgence."

Singh started to shake his head, but Captain Marcioni intervened.

"Sir, I for one feel that it is acceptable to grant Admiral Thorsson this indulgence. This case is based in large part upon the veracity of the witnesses who are cadets in the care of Admiral Thorsson. He can verify the truthfulness of their testimony by his knowledge of their character."

Singh looked at the other three judges, who nodded agreement.

"Five minutes, sir."

"Thank you, sir."

Thorsson, his back to the audience, drew closer to the judges.

"I will not speak of the ideals of the Academy, or the influence I believe such ideals must have in the shaping of the United Space Military Command. All I will say is that our service is unlike any other in the history of humanity. We represent the next generation of civilization, the generation that, united together, will seek our final destiny among the stars.

"I believe that Cadet Everett was the victim of a brutal and disturbed sadist unworthy of our uniform."

"That is out of order," Singh snapped.

"It might be out of order, but it is the truth," Thorsson replied sharply. "Yes, we face a crisis; that crisis is an inevitable part of the historic process of expansion and frontiers. That crisis will not be resolved by the killing of sixteen-year-old cadets whose only crime is being high-spirited and sixteen."

Shaking his head angrily, Admiral Singh held up his hand.

"Then perhaps sixteen-year-olds do not have a place anywhere there is serious work to be done," he shot back angrily, "and your Academy is a nuisance and hindrance to the jobs we must perform."

"It is precisely their spirit that our new and evolving society needs," Thorsson replied. "We need to see the universe through their youthful eyes and not the tired eyes of old men like you and me. We need their exuberance, and yes, their playfulness as well. And most of all we need their idealism. For idealism is born and nurtured in the hearts of the young. I came eighty-seven million kilometers to tell all of you this one thing. I believe that Cadet Justin Wood Bell acted in the highest tradition of the United Space Military Command. Article Twenty-five is placed last on the list for a deliberate reason, to remind all of us that in the end, all rules must be subservient to truthfulness and idealism.

"Too many in our society believe that truth is relative, and I say they are mad. No higher society can function without certain absolute truths to which all must adhere; and defining our ethics based upon a given situation is the path of the damned. I believe that Cadet Bell's act was one of selfless sacrifice to save a friend who could not protect himself from evil. It is that simple, truth versus falsehood, right versus wrong, and if you let MacKenzie go free and then condemn Bell, our Service is damned. And I for one would rather see our entire Service go down fighting and all of our careers destroyed than see one guilty man go free and a group of innocent cadets be condemned in his place."

Singh stirred angrily.

"Are you implying, Admiral, that we would place careers ahead of truth?"

"Yes, I am," Thorsson fired back. "Too many are quietly whispering that for the good of the many we should turn a blind eye to the faults of MacKenzie. We rationalize to ourselves that collectively we do so much good, and that we jeopardize that good by examining this case too closely. Yes, I know about the pressure from the top, Admiral Singh; believe me, I heard it myself, and that is why I flew here with my radio turned off."