Luxury Liner Bellona, a stolen Shukensha-class vessel, and the seat of power for the Republic of Malta, the Seventy-second Fleet's ruling body, quietly coasts in the system of Inverness, far from the bustle of Invergordon. Following her, one Storta-Class destroyer, the Santa Maria, as well as a patrol of fighters, led by the Tridente Guadiana, stands guard.
Within the Bellona, a large meeting hall is strangely quiet. No longer is the murmur of politicians heard. Instead, a strange, almost dreadful silence permeates the air. In the front of the room, a large, multi-staged desk sits in front of a small table with a chair behind it. The lights are raised, and in marches a Maltese soldier from a side door, who begins speaking.
Empty Courtroom
'All rise for the honorable Alyssa Vlahos, Law Authority of the Republic of Malta.'
The room of spectators stand in silence as the administrator moves to her seat in the middle of the room. Following her, one Colonel Valdez enters the room and takes the seat to her left, with no introduction. Seven other stony-faced figures in cloaks file into the room to positions behind the desk afterwards. Vlahos looks around the room, before sitting down, with the rest of the courtroom sitting after her.
After several minutes, Colonel Valdez speaks, after clearing his throat. 'Bring the accused out and let's get this over with.'
The bailiff at the door complies, and a masculine figure is brought into the room in shackles. The room floods with whispers and murmurs as the man is brought to the center of the room, where his hand and ankle restraints are removed. Colonel Valdez looks around the room, and the conversations cease. Alyssa begins to speak.
'Commander Locklear, today you are standing accused of the crimes of mass murder, assault on a civilian vessel, violating a ceasefire, and attacking a vessel in distress. She pauses, then continues. One week ago, the Legion cruiser Invictus opened fire on the hospital ship Delphi, killing over two hundred wounded soldiers, diplomats, crewmen, civilians, and children, after they were fleeing from a terror attack.' The courtroom erupted in shouts and anger, but was quickly quelled by the Colonel's gavel. 'Your order to fire upon the Delphi was seen as an attack on our Fleet in the most cowardly sense. I hope the gods will have mercy on what remains of your soul.'
The rough voice of Colonel Valdez started again. 'At the point, the accused will begin speaking.' Then, looking towards the figure, 'We expect a good reason to attack the defenseless.'
Samuel Locklear stepped into the court room, the calm and steely demeanor he had worked up immediately crumbling under the gazes of the crowd, not out of fear but... it dawned on him that these were friends and family, parents and children, lovers and rivals. Hundreds of possibilities, hundreds of futures, snuffed out in the blink of an eye by a few simple words. He cast his head downwards as he was led to the center of the room.
Judge Vlahos' words - if she was in fact a judge - seemed pale and insignificant against the dark, static tension of the room. Briefly the thought crossed his mind that anyone who told you hostility couldn't simply be felt was a god damn liar. He swallowed, steeling himself as best he could and raised his head. "I gave the order, your honor. I gave the order and the blood of you and yours is on my hands and mine alone. The black box logs alone must prove that much, I'm sure. I stand before you today not to cry pardon for my actions or claim my innocence. I stand before you to tell you why, and nothing more."
He took a deep breath before continuing, his whole body shaking and his voice wavering more than he cared for. "On the night of January 27th, 824 AS, I received a message from an informant in New York claiming that someone had attempted to co-opt him into helping to steal a vessel from the Vespucci system. The informant identified this man by the callsign of Terracotta. At the same time, the Delphi was discovered adrift near planet Iridescencia, and I was faced with two choices - deploy tow cables and bring the Delphi to safety, or move my ship to the Magellan jump hole to secure the system. On that count, I believe I made the right choice."
He swallowed again, mouth bone dry, desperately wishing for a glass of water but not daring to ask. "The Delphi had been hauled nearly three quarters of the way to Monterrey Base when the contact Terracotta appeared on scanners and flew past the Delphi, thanking Paladin Jackson. Two Auxesians, Keeper Raven and Curator Leviathan who were also in the system, broke off to follow the Terracotta. It entered a derelict carrier, the Lazurite, and the hulk begin moving towards Planet Guadalajara at full speed on sublight engines. The Invictus was the only ship in the sector large enough and fast enough to respond at the time. Given circumstances, I had every reason to believe that the Delphi and the Lazurite were in collusion with one another. I ordered a mortar strike on the Delphi's engines with the intent of disabling the vessel, and ordered my crew to intercept the Lazurite. I am not proud of what I did, but given the circumstances and the knowledge at my disposal, I.. I made the only call that I believe I could have." He took another breath, feeling a little more composed now, and awaited Judge Vlahos' response.
'Going by your best judgement, you fired upon a hospital ship? Would you fire upon a ship of Commonwealth, if you suspected them of misdoing?' A short conversation started with two of the lesser justices before they turned back with disproving stares.
Colonel Valdez was next to speak. 'Blackbox recording list little after the attack. If what the Fleet was told is correct, the ship was then abducted to an unknown location, where it was then boarded by breaching teams. Is this correct?' Valdez made a slight motion with his hand, and the Bailiff departed to the side door. The bailiff brought in a disheveled man in casts and bandages, and the crowd began another wave of insults and shouting. The uproar was short-lived, as Vlahos began speaking again. 'We will now hear from the Knight commanding the Delphi at the time, but I must warn you, first. Life is a sacred thing within Malta, and even more sacred within the Republic. The Lives of those gone cannot be replaced, ever. If you have deceived us in any way, it will be your last mistake. She paused. Now, explain what happened, based on what Colonel Valdez has said.'