Chapter 32: Legal Matters

Location: 1 Div HQ, Briefing Room 2, Artemis Station

Occasion: Conference and PLRB (look it up, MoFos) about several Gebel concubines

Present: Lt Anderson CMC, Ens Gebel CN, Lt Capstan CN, Decurion Suarez CS

... while Anderson droned on about how far behind Private Leopold Gunter’s injuries were pushing his squad’s training schedule, Calix asked the base AI about the Lt’s history.

“Any family members lost recently?” Calix sub-vocalized.

“Both of the Lieutenant’s parents killed in an auto accident three years ago,” the AI replied.

“Were they close?”

“Unknown. The Lieutenant has pictures of them in his quarters.”

“Thank you, Hermes,” Calix replied with a slight, uncomfortable twist of his neck.

“I’m not Hermes,” the AI replied. Calix noted some degree of apparent exasperation in the voice. “I am Artemis.”

“You’re all Hermes to me,” Calix replied, stifling a grin. He couldn’t believe the AI was answering to the sobriquet.

Octavia interrupted Lieutenant Anderson, bringing Calix back from his daydream of crushing Leo’s neck.

“George, I think you’d be better served trying to get a replacement for Private Gunter instead of wasting time moaning about his squad falling behind. He’s never going back to your Company.”

“Why not? Medical says he’ll be out and walking around tomorrow.”

Octavia leaned forward. “Because your boy and my boy won’t both be alive by tomorrow at midnight. And I’ll bet anything you want on my boy.”

“Maybe I should take Gebel off your hands,” Anderson offered. “If he does, I’ll defer all charges.”

He turned to the young man. “What do you say, son? Last chance to save your conks.”

Octavia jumped in before Calix could respond. “Not a chance, Anderson. Gebel is an Ensign in the Navy. Period.”

She leaned forward. “Now, do you want to bet on which of our boys make it out alive by tomorrow night?”

“If Ensign Gebel tries anything, I’ll have him arrested and thrown in the brig,” Anderson responded harshly.

“You and what army, George? If you try to protect your murderer-rapist, I’ll take you out myself. You are NOT going to protect your little gang of thugs. If you try, you’ll go down with them. The Confederacy doesn’t need the kind of jackass you’re collecting.”

“You can’t be a Marine without some aggressiveness,” Anderson defended.

“And you can’t be a Marine without some impulse control, either,” Octavia said hotly. “Artemis, can you verify if Private Gunter was ever told he cannot kill other sponsors, or that he cannot approach another sponsor’s concubines without the sponsor’s permission?”

“Counting the warning Private Gunter received at his extraction, he was told and acknowledged that instruction seven different times,” Artemis replied. “You instructed him in the matter four times yourself. He was only told he cannot kill other sponsors three times. Do you wish to view the videos?”

“That’s not necessary,” Octavia waved the AI off. “Unless Lieutenant Anderson wants to see them, of course. George, Marines follow orders. Your Marine was told several times to leave other peoples’ property alone. He was even told specifically to leave that girl alone, at least twice when I was present. If anyone is going to die because of his injuries, it will be the person who caused them, and that person is the IDIOT WHO RECEIVED THOSE INJURIES WHILE DISOBEYING A DIRECT ORDER!”

“You can’t be seriously suggesting my Marine be executed for fucking someone else’s slut,” Anderson said incredulously.

“Of course not,” Octavia grunted. “I am, however, seriously suggesting you stand out of the way when your Marine gets out of the ‘tube. Because, you know, if you get in his way Ensign Gebel will probably kill you for getting in his way, and then he’ll kill your thug. Although, I’m good if you have your whole Company in there with him, because you’re all a bunch of shitheads and if you’re all that stupid then it won’t be any loss when he kills you all.”

“He’s not that good,” Anderson replied dismissively.

“George, you’re a moron,” Octavia said while shaking her head. “The only way one of your rocks with lips could ever take Cal is by surprise, the way Gunter did. Cal almost died because he allowed a fellow serviceman, someone he THOUGHT he could trust, to get behind him. I’m telling you now the Navy will never press charges against him for killing any Marine who tries to walk behind him after that little incident. You can pass the word now. Your musclemen can walk in front of him or they can die. If a Marine ever tries to walk behind him, he’s going to assume it’s another sneak attack, and he’ll move first. None of your idiots can take him in a fair fight.”

The Civil Service officer cleared his throat. “Excuse me, gentlemen, if I can use that term here. Can we get back on topic? Exactly what charges have been laid against the concubine in question?”

“Assault! She ripped my Marine’s balls off! And the other sluts broke almost every bone in his body!”

“Only because Julia couldn’t get there first,” Calix said under his breath. “If she’d gotten there first, he’d already be dead.”

“Very well, she is accused of assaulting a Marine,” Decurion Suarez agreed. “That’s certainly a capital charge. If proven, she will be executed immediately.”

Octavia quickly put her hand on Calix’s arm before the Ensign could get fully out of her seat. Calix’s face was mottled and the look in his eyes was death. For a brief second, Octavia was scared. She knew if Calix let Espanto out, not a one of them would make it out of there alive – including Calix.

She gave him a slight shake of her head and he retook his seat.

“However,” Suarez said, not acknowledging Calix had moved, “let’s all watch a movie together. I want to see what happened again, with you combat experts to explain it to me. We will pause the video as needed. Artemis, can we see the dining room where the incident occurred, starting five minutes before Private Gunter entered the room?”

Calix snorted in an effort to stop from laughing. Now even the Civil Service officer was using the AI’s nickname.

The Gebel clan was having one of the ‘public’ meals Artemis Base required of all transient personnel, a minimum of once per day. It was supposed to help the families become acclimated to Confederacy culture, by showing new families everyone else was the same way. Calix was in his working uniform, sitting on the floor talking with Amelia while the rest of the family enjoyed the meal. Every concubine in the room was either wearing the prescribed ugly not-quite-long-enough shift, or completely nude.

The video zoomed out to show people entering and leaving, going to the bank of replicators and getting trays, returning trays to the recycler slots. It zoomed into a small table near the door, where Private Leo Gunter was sitting with his redheaded concubines. His eyes were zeroed in on the Ensign, sitting across the cafeteria.

The video remained on him, showing his face getting tighter and tighter. Suddenly, he almost jumped to his feet. He started walking toward the replicators, then changed course to walk between two rows of tables, pushing people out of his way.

When he reached Cal, he leaned over, grabbed Calix’s head, and twisted it 180 degrees. The ‘movie’ included sound, and the sound of broken bones crunching across each other was clear. So were the sounds of screaming and puking which followed.

“AI, stop,” the Decurion ordered. The video stopped with Calix falling, being shoved away by Gunter.

“I’d like a clarification of the technical term ‘assault’, if someone can help me,” Suarez requested. “Is there anything in the last few seconds of that video which could be construed as ‘assault’?”

“Assault is the threat of bodily... , “ Artemis began supplying helpfully.

“Not you, AI,” Suarez said with a small smile. “Let the humans work this one out.”

No one said anything for a few seconds. Finally, Calix broke in.