Threshold part 2

It was the cleanest he had been since his first day; they’d hosed him down, fumigated him and even given him a clean coverall. The airlock opened with a pneumatic hiss and Kyr stepped into the interview room; the walls were white, as was the floor and ceiling, even the table and benches were white only the man sitting across the table from him was different; dark haired, bespectacled and clad in an immaculate beige suit. His face, when he looked up was unfamiliar to Kyr but he sat across from him anyway waiting, never taking his eyes from his ‘visitor’.

The stranger waited until the guard had left the room and the door was sealed before he spoke, lifting a briefcase up on to the table and taking out a folder.

“Good evening Lieutenant Commander Harden, I trust you are well.”

“I don’t hold any rank now, I was court-marshalled. Who are you?” he answered bluntly.

“I’m arbiter Teal Munro. I’ll be handling your appeal.” He answered without looking up from the file.

“I don’t know who sent you but go back and tell them I’m not falling for it; there is no appeal against military tribunal.” Kyr stood to leave.

“Actually under article 145 sub-sections 16 of the Alliance military codes of justice there are grounds for appeal and I quote; “if it is later found that a serving member of the global defence service who testified at the original trial did perjure himself or herself”. The charges must be reheard by a new board.”

Kyr snorted, “There wasn’t one of those bastards that did tell the truth. Even the general lied through his teeth; he worked hard to put me here, he isn’t going to sit by and let some smart ass lawyer talk me back out. You’re wasting my time and yours.” He reached the door and banged on it.

“You’ve been out of circulation for a considerable time; General Keller’s star is waning in the Senate; there are those that have taken an interest in your case and ‘encouraged’ a reinvestigation by an impartial tribunal. I promise you, you’ll get a fair hearing.”

Kyr turned to face him; it sounded plausible enough a despite everything he felt the first tiny flare of hope that he thought had died years ago. But the cautious defences he’d built around himself weren’t so easily breached. He came back to the table and sat once more. “The first thing you learn in here arbiter Munro, is DTA; don’t trust anyone. Keller has a million global deathmark on me, how do I know this isn’t just another try to get it?”

Munro took something out of the folder and pushed it across the table toward Kyr who, despite himself leaned over to look. His face paled. It appeared to be an authentic credit certificate for three million globals and his name was on it.

“This is just to prove that a million globals means very little to my client. Take that into any financial institution and they’ll honour it.”

“There aren’t many banks on the penal colony.” Kyr pointed out making no move to touch the certificate.

“The tribunal will be held in four hours, I fully expect you to be acquitted of all charges. You won’t be coming back here.”

The door hissed open and a guard stood quietly, waiting.

“The presiding generals will expect you to appear in uniform, I’ve arranged one for you.” He stood up, slipping the credit certificate back into the folder and into the briefcase “I’ll wait for you at the transport.”

“Transport?”

“The tribunal is being held at lunar colony one, you’ll be bound over to the custody of Alliance marshals until we reach the colony.” He turned to leave then paused “Please don’t make any foolhardy decisions at this point. I realise you have no reason to trust me but if you heed my advice you’ll be a free man by tomorrow morning.”

The whole attitude of the guards was different as they escorted him to the locker room and waited as he pulled on the dress uniform of the Terran Alliance Defence Force before ushering him to the shuttle bay; no longer did they treat him like an animal but instead with a grudging respect; a modicum of what was due to the uniform he now wore. Despite his suspicions it felt good to be back in uniform again; an officer in the Terran fleet.

The doors hissed open and the cavernous shuttle bay spread out before him; it was almost empty, a few ore shuttles and patrol skiffs as well as a shiny new shuttle with the Alliance marshal badge emblazoned on its sides. The hatch stood open and either side of it stood two stone faced marshals their black suits immaculate. Kyr’s eyes scanned both men as they waited for him and his escort to reach them; the gold badges were plainly visible and seemed authentic and he noted the slight bulge beneath their jackets that indicated holstered side-arms. If it was some kind trick, he concluded, it was an elaborate one – still a million globals would more than pay for the inconvenience. He remained loose as they reached the shuttle; it was unlikely they would try anything while planet-side but you never could tell. The two ‘marshals’ stepped forward in unison their movements precise; marshals or otherwise they were highly trained that much was clear.

“I surrender custody of prisoner 0018615/45 to you at this time.” One of the prison guards said formally as they met.

One of the marshals stepped forward, producing a restrainer collar and Kyr’s eyes narrowed; the restrainers weren’t much to look at but they were very effective, working in a similar fashion to the stunners the guards were armed with; they interfered with the nervous system on activation and could stop the largest man dead in his tracks.

“I’m sorry Lieutenant Commander Harden, regulations.” He said quietly as he slipped the narrow band around Kyr’s neck.

Kyr noticed that the second marshal’s hand had slipped inside his jacket and was resting easy on the butt of his pistol. In that split second Kyr had to decide; every instinct he had screamed to act but he did nothing except flinch slightly as the restraint collar clicked closed.

The marshal stepped away and gave him a curt nod while the other’s hand slipped free of his jacket.

“I hereby accept custody of Lieutenant Commander Harden.” The marshal replied stepping aside and motioning toward the shuttle’s open hatch. Kyr looked from one to the other of them and then moved for the hatch; it was rumoured that all marshals were cybernetically modified taking both would have been difficult, even for him. He ducked in through the hatch and had to pause a moment to let his body adjust; the artificial gravity was set to Earth standard higher than the 87% adopted for the Martian colonies. The marshal’s followed him in and motioned for him to sit in one of the plush seats lining the shuttles passenger cabin. Kyr sat and was surprised when the seat he had chosen moulded itself automatically to his body.

Both marshals sat opposite him and as the hatch sealed neither paid him any more heed; but then with the restrainer he was no threat to either of them.

He felt rather than heard the whine as the shuttle’s engines were powered up; for the first time he noticed arbiter Munro seated at the front of the cabin, well away from him. The lawyer looked up and smiled with a reassuring nod before returning his attention to the data pad in his hand. There was a slight stomach lurch as the shuttle lifted off from the hanger. He glanced at the marshals again and one of them gave him a half smile before turning his attention to one of the glossy magazines retrieved from the seat next to him.

If it was a set up then it was an elaborate one and either way there was nothing he could do about it. Easing himself back into the comfortable chair he closed his eyes and in moments he drifted into sleep; if it was a shot at the bounty he was dead already and he knew it.