Scattered Suns - Kevin J. Anderson [143]
But he couldn’t stand there like a fool gazing at the colorful tourist zeppelins drifting over the Royal Canal. He hurried down the wide, shallow stairway from the terrace and mingled with people as they spread out. With one glance over his shoulder, Daniel raced into the great plaza. Finally, he allowed himself a smug smile as he imagined the uproar his escape would cause.
Chapter 68—RLINDA KETT
When Rlinda learned about BeBob’s arrest, she flew the Curiosity to the EDF Moon base, prepared to spring her favorite ex-husband from the brig herself. He had been arrested only yesterday, and already General Lanyan had scheduled a preliminary hearing. That couldn’t mean anything but bad news.
She landed on the crater pad without permission, and a flurry of EDF guards rushed to the landing area to intercept her. “You have no authorization to be here, ma’am. Leave immediately, or your ship will be impounded.”
From the ramp of her ship she gave them her best you-can’t-be-serious look—a mixture of incredulity, amusement, and defiance. “Bullshit. Branson Roberts is one of my pilots, and no NPTT is going to stop me from seeing him.”
The EDF guards looked at each other. “NPTT, ma’am? We’re not familiar with that acronym.”
“NPTT is what you are—Not Paid to Think.” She put her hands on her ample hips. “Now, are you going to escort me to Captain Roberts, or do I have to wander around the base looking for him?”
The guards stood firm. “The prisoner is being held on charges of desertion. He has no visiting privileges.”
“We’ll just see about that.”
And she did. Rlinda made a complete nuisance of herself for six hours, intimidating guards, barging into offices, stalking through hallways, interrupting meetings, sending insistent transmissions to everyone she could think of who might help, refusing to leave. General Lanyan would not see her. She couldn’t reach Davlin Lotze, who had vanished on some mysterious errand after making sure that the Crenna refugees had temporary quarters on the fringe of the Palace District.
When Rlinda finally made contact with Chairman Wenceslas and demanded that he do something, his response was curt and cold. “Before you introduced Captain Roberts into the business, I clearly delineated my position on this matter. I warned you I would not help. General Lanyan has been anxious to capture a scapegoat for years now, and Roberts had the bad luck—or the stupidity—to deliver himself right into the EDF’s jaws.”
“How about setting a few priorities here, Mr. Chairman? Captain Roberts helped Davlin and me save all those colonists from Crenna. And he rescued the girl and that old man stranded in the ruins, didn’t he? On top of that, he risked his butt to bring you urgent news you couldn’t have gotten any other way. That has to count for something.” She glared at the screen, but the Chairman’s expression did not change.
“He is charged with desertion, Captain Kett. The General is quite strict in his interpretation of the regulations, I’m afraid, and extenuating circumstances won’t change the facts. Within two days Captain Roberts is due to face a preliminary military tribunal to determine his sentence.”
“Sentence? How about determining his guilt or innocence first?”
“This is an EDF matter, Ms. Kett. I will not interfere with the processes of military justice.”
Rlinda was not above begging at this point. “Then at least let me see him. Please?”
The Chairman frowned, considering. “Very well, but that’s the best I can do. At the moment, other emergencies demand my attention.”
Grumbling guards escorted her through the tunnels of gray rock deep into the EDF’s brig level. Rlinda did not feel very smug about her small victory.
BeBob looked forlorn and tired inside his cell.