“Captain Brooks, what a pleasant surprise.”

Trevod Waites-Kosson did not sound surprised at all, his voice smug.

“What brings this call, is it social or perhaps something more important, hm?”

“You will drop all charges against Sem Kassa, Ozgu Uzun, and Lizicy Mae immediately and clear their records completely,” Brooks said. “You will end the smear campaign against them, have your propagandists change the topic of the hour to the blight of crimes against prostitutes.”

“Captain,” Trevod said with a laugh. “Have you begun taking drugs? What in the galaxy do you think will make me-“

“Shut up. After you have done these things, then in two days I will agree that Jan Holdur should be transferred back to your custody to stand trial for the attempted murder of Peony Vale. We will provide you all data we have for his trial.

“You will find Holdur guilty of being criminally insane. He will receive psychiatric help, with his doctors jointly appointed by the Sapient Union and his family, due to the location of his crime. He will serve his entire time and be released only upon the doctor’s belief that he has actually changed.”

“I see you are trying to direct justice just like you direct the life of humanity itself,” Trevod said. His voice was notably less friendly. “The Holdurs will never accept this, it is a gross violation-“

“I am not done,” Brooks said. “All of his augments will be permanently inactivated and he will be legally banned from ever having another dangerous enhancement. I want to make sure this man can never realistically try to kill anyone ever again.”

“I still object to this blatant disregard for our criminal justice system,” Trevod sniffed.

“Stop it. Drop your mask for one minute, Trevod, and act like you understand how the universe works. We both know you own the courts and whatever judgment is found will be what you want. You will want what I am telling you.”

“Why, though?” Trevod demanded. “Why should I want any of this? I happen to care about the three women-“

“Then you’ll want them with us. You’ll want this forgotten. You’ll make the move to protect other prostitutes and pretend it is a victory for your way of life. Spin it – you spin everything. It’s the only thing you people are truly good at.”

“You still have not given me a reason why I should want this.”

It was time to gamble. “Because I have learned things,” Brooks said.

A long, long silence met his words.

He could only hope that they’d guessed right, that Holdur knew something, or many somethings that were so terrible that even the Lord Executives feared them finding the light of day. That they believed he had spilled some of them to him.

And that their fear was their strongest emotion.

“I understand,” Trevod finally said. His words were ice cold.

Brooks’s heart felt like it began to beat again.

“I will keep everything I have learned a secret, Trevod,” he said. “I am willing to sacrifice it – and the evidence in Jan Holdur’s head – for this.”

“Why are you offering all this for three worthless women?” Trevod asked.

Danger reared again. Brooks had expected this, though.

“Right now I have the word of an attempted murderer, dangling a double-edged sword. Do you really think it is good for anyone for that blade to come down?”

“Are there records?” Trevod asked.

“No,” Brooks told him.

“I need proof of that.”

“You can’t get proof that something doesn’t exist. But I am giving you the primary source evidence in the form of the witness. That is enough.”

He heard a sigh. “I see. Well, you wish for a lot, Captain. For all you’re asking, I’m not sure what you’re offering is enough. The Holdur family wants a win they can flaunt. What do they get out of this?”

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“Jan Holdur’s life,” Brooks said bluntly.

“I’m not sure that’s enough to convince them to accept all of these conditions. They will balk at some of your demands for him.”

“You can tell them that if he stays here, he could face the death penalty-“

“You wouldn’t dare!” Trevod spat.

“-unless he gives up something more valuable. Once he gets turned over to our legal system, a deal like what I’m offering is out of the question. What do you think he will do in that situation, Trevod?”

A long silence came again. Brooks checked if the line was still open and saw that it was.

Trevod finally spoke. “You will release Holdur tomorrow.”

“I will send you the paperwork that shows he will be released to your custody tomorrow, but it will be private. He will be kept incommunicado with all personnel except his current doctors who are sworn to secrecy. We want to wait a few days to keep this from looking too much like an exchange. That would draw too much attention to it all.”

“I am not concerned about that,” Trevod said quickly.

Brooks wondered if that meant that there was external pressure upon him from his class.

He could concede this.

“All right. We’ll transfer him in four hours.”

“Very well, Captain. I will send a representative then.” There was another pause, then a bitter laugh. “You know, you are surprisingly good at this, Captain. I suspect that if you had the right spirit you could have done well here.”

Brooks ended the call.

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Captain’s Log:

It seems that Trevod kept his word.

All charges against Sem Kassa, Ozgu Uzun, and Lizicy Mae have been dropped. As a result, in two hours I will ‘decide’ to transfer Jan Holdur back to Gohhi to stand trial.

We will make the exchange just after the play – a sufficient distraction that I think it will attract little attention. While I have no care for their embarrassment, I do not want this any more protracted than it has to be.

Other work has continued. The last of the Craton‘s damages have been repaired, and we have settled in our newest passengers, even the priest from the Esoteric Order seems to have had no problems acclimating. It is a welcome relief.

I have not had a chance to drop in with the Qhenber Troupe as they have prepared, but I understand that all is ready for the grand showing today.

But that is still some hours away and I am tired. I need a rest.

----------------------------------------

Brooks sighed as he looked at his reflection in the mirror once more.

He had another reason to put on his dress uniform, as much as he did not want to.

By every right, he thought, he should be able to go enjoy a play on the ship he commanded wearing whatever he liked.

But the whole event was heavily diplomatic in nature, which meant a starched collar that would provide no protection whatsoever against the vacuum.

Some spacers lived their entire lives in their suits, only out of them for the few scant moments it would take to put on a different one. A few of those who lived in the deepest parts of space were said to never change their suits at all once they hit adulthood . . .

Perhaps, he thought, adjusting his collar slightly, he did not need to go that far.

Urle pinged at the door and Brooks let him in.

“You’re looking very formal,” Urle said immediately.

Shooting him an annoyed glance, Brooks looked at himself in the mirror again, calling over a drone to clean some lint off his trousers. Urle knew he hated dress uniform.

“And you’re looking very Lunar,” Brooks replied dryly.

“Once a Lunatic, always a Lunatic,” Urle said with a laugh.

His outfit was a gray and yellow cloak, the gray matching the pale lunar regolith. For his face, a pale-white mask was showing, which Brooks knew he’d actually installed as his face for the day. Though it appeared to be made of porcelain, it moved as easily as normal skin. Intricate swirls on its surface in yellow made it a work of art, and a classic piece of Luna’s unique culture.

“I could have ordered you into a dress uniform like mine,” Brooks grunted.

“But you didn’t, because you know I’d look better than you in it,” Urle replied, smiling brightly.

Brooks sighed. “So I’ve not had a chance to ask you – have you seen the play yet?”

“No, I avoided the . . . well, I won’t call them spoilers, since it’s supposed to be based on human history, but I avoided seeing it. I wanted to go in fresh.”

“I’ve done the same,” Brooks agreed. “I’ve seen a lot of other Qlerning works, and they really do have a great knack for human-based plays.”

“Some might even say they’re a bit obsessed with things based on us,” Urle commented dryly.

“Some are. I think they’re just excited about our art, really. Our history is very similar to theirs in a lot of ways.”

“Did you ask for it to be played here just so you could see it?” Urle asked.

“Yes, and I don’t regret it. No matter what, it was a good move – I’m sure some people will enjoy it, and it sends a good message. We do want to encourage arts and culture, and that becomes even more important on the fringes.”

“I’m skeptical of this play, at least, but I guess we’ll have to see, won’t we?” Urle said.

Brooks nodded, and the two men went out into the hall.

“At this rate we’ll be twelve minutes early to the pre-seating,” Urle commented.

“Walk slower. I need to check in with Jaya, anyway.”

Brooks connected to the Command Center, Jaya answering promptly.

“All is well, Captain,” she said.

“You’re on your third shift, are you sure you’re all right?” Brooks asked. “If you desperately needed a break I could come take over and you could take my place at the play.”

“Getting cold feet, Captain? How unlike you. But I am very happy here in the Captain’s chair, fending off enemy drones. I’ve also plotted out twelve different ways of knocking out the Glorian command ship should they initiate hostilities. I imagine I’d be done before the curtains rise.”

Brooks sighed. “Good work, Commander. Continue keeping my seat warm.”

“Oh, I am very comfortable. I’ve also carved my name in the arm rest, I hope you don’t mind,” she said.

“One last thing,” Brooks added. “If hostilities do happen to break out, let me know. I’d like to see those plans of yours in action.”

“Will do, Captain. Now enjoy the play.”