Shoshone Station: The Galactic Consortium season 2

Episode Six: Africa #16

Fox didn't have time to solve his moral dilemma. He woke to find a short message waiting for him from the penal officer, to make contact as soon as possible.

"He came to me late yesterday evening," the officer said without preamble. "Confessed to similar crimes to the one he was placed here for."

"What do you intend to do?"

"These crimes happened before we arrived. We have neither evidence nor jurisdiction, but he won't be swayed. He wishes to take his confession to Legal directly," the officer said.

"And then what?"

"We've had a few of the child soldiers pull similar stunts. Legal will likely take it as permission to try the case and look for evidence to boot. He'll add a considerable amount to his time, for better or worse."

Fox thanked the man for messaging him and turned to Nara, who was making breakfast for the two of them. "Well, you heard that."

"It spares you having to decide whether to keep his trust or see justice served," she commented.

"Yeah," he admitted. He accepted a bowl of food, and they sat and ate in silence. After some time, Fox said, "He did the right thing. It's just . . . I don't know how he's going to deal with it. He's cracking already."

Nara shrugged. "Either way, ten years or more, he's got to find some way to adjust. It's not that different from any long mission, I should think. It's hardest at first. Then it becomes normal."

Fox nodded.

"We have three days left," Nara said. "What do you want to do?"

"We'll visit Naurasthana this afternoon." They'd been saving it—it was a close destination—for one of the days when they didn't want to travel far. "After the trial."

Nara nodded.

***

So instead of sightseeing, Fox found himself at the penal command center, sitting on a low bench next to Klempke. "I'm glad you came," Klempke said. He seemed calmer, more rational this morning, though not by a whole lot.

"I would see this through, whatever this is," Fox replied.

Fox and Nara stayed outside the council chamber itself. The trial lasted for quite a while, considering how fast Consortium justice usually was. Klempke, he learned later, had talked a long time, telling as many details of his previous crimes as he could remember.

When he finally came out, his face was bleak. "They notified the other countries, which said the Consortium had jurisdiction, if they wanted it. They added nearly fifteen more years' worth of time to my sentence." He grimaced. "It was the right thing. The right thing."

"It was," Nara agreed.

"It was," Fox echoed. "And now you just need to find a way to adjust. Think of it like a long mission. Just got find a groove. Make the days pass."

Klempke nodded.

As they were leaving the command center, Green was being led in. He spied them in the yard outside, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What did you do?" he demanded, starting to push forward.

The penal officer with Green put a hand out to stop him. Green shoved him aside and rushed Klempke. Fox stepped in between, only to be knocked to the ground, his breath leaving him quickly.

Green barreled into Klempke, knocking him to the ground, and landing on top of him. He got in two hard punches, and then Nara was there, hauling him off and flinging him away.

He turned on hir with a growl, but before he could charge, his penal officer was there with a stun stick, and he went down.

"What the hell was that about?" Fox demanded as he got to his feet.

"He must answer some questions about these incidents that Klempke told us about," Klempke's penal officer said.

The other officer rolled Green's unconscious body to face upward. "We didn't tell him why, only that he was needed in command. I swear it."

"He guessed. He saw Klempke and he guessed," Fox said.

They hoisted Green to his feet and sat him on a bench in front of the command center. The officer nudged at him to wake him. Green shook his head groggily and then jolted awake, taking a swing at the officer. The officer ducked and stepped back, and Green lurched drunkenly toward him. The officer had to stun him again.

"He's going to kill me. He's going to kill me," Klempke kept saying as Nara inspected a bruise on the side of his face.

"Now, now, we won't let that happen," his penal officer assured him. "I'll see you have a different bunk and work assignment. You won't even have to see him again, unless you choose to. We've not allowed a death to happen on our watch yet, understand?"