Far Horizon (Juggernaut #4)

Forty Five

Ellie sat alone in a waiting area outside the enquiry chambers. The chair was hard and cold, the white walls bare, and her heart was broken.

At first, the only other person present was a clerk whose job it was to admit and release witnesses for the hearing, one after the other. Minutes passed. People came and filled the other chairs, then emptied them as they were called in to give evidence, or a professional opinion, or render expert judgement. They were cadets, senior staff, and investigators. Some looked at her with pity. Some with disgust. Some with disappointment. One with hate.

The clerk took each name and rank and checked them against a list, and ask them to sit and wait. Their names would be called, and they passed through into the chambers. The door mechanism sighed with every admission. Even the Paris seemed disappointed in her.

Ellie looked at the floor until she was alone again.

The clerk called her by name and title and rank. Ellie heard it the second time. It was a formality but it felt like another accusation. She stood and took a breath and stood end stepped through the door into the outer room of the enquiry chambers.

An officer stood ready to meet her. He stood with hands clasped, and a datapad tucked under his arm.

"Cadet? They are ready for you now." He led her to another door and waved an access card at a panel to open the door. The door to that room made no noise. It was as silent as death.

Ellie stepped through the door to greet her fate.

Two desks, each seating two officers, flanked a larger central desk where sat the captain of the Paris. In front of her was a datapad and a polished wooden gavel resting on a matching sound block. Ellie's commanding officer sat on the captain's right, next to Luitenent Awan. Both wore grim expressions. The desk on the left was staffed by two officers Ellie didn't recognise.

The walls were covered in screens. At the back of the room an officer monitored the automatic transcript of the proceedings. A chair and desk in the middle of the room waited for her. There was a glass pitcher of water on the desk, and an empty glass. The chair faced the captain. She gestured for Ellie to sit down.

"Take a seat, cadet."

Ellie walked to the table between rows of chairs and sat down. She drew the chair beneath her and sat close to the table as if it would provide some kind of cover. She put her hands on the desk top. Then folded one hand over the other. Then she moved her hands to her lap. Then back to the desk, this time fingers tightly laced together.

"Begin recording," the captain announced. "This enquiry is now in session." A screen behind the Admiral lit up, displaying the date and time and a long reference number punctuated with dots and dashes.

The captain touched her datapad to check some small detail before speaking. "In accordance with disciplinary regulation twenty six dash nine, this panel has been convened to investigate the incident which occurred two days ago on the date noted in the evidentiary log, and to provide summary judgement. Cadet please state your name for the record."

"Ellie,"' she said.

"Your full name, please cadet," said the captain, not unkindly.

"Eleanor Young."

"Thank you. Let's begin."

The hearing began with witness statements. The entire class had seen what happened, so they were all present today.

All but one.

In turn, they were called to make statements. Each gave their account of what they had seen. Every statement was the same. Dominique sounded apologetic as she retold the story. Rebecca spoke plainly, avoiding eye contact with Ellie, but wiped her eyes as she was excused. They glanced at her as they stepped down to return to their seats, trying to make eye contact, trying to provide what support they could. Ellie only stared at the wall, her face pinched and pale and exhausted by guilt.