Accusation

Two Onyx Guards shoved me ahead of them in the tight hallway. I could hear my squad mates receiving the same treatment behind me; they kept us separated since the court-martial was handed out in a pathetic attempt of a scare tactic. The courthouse itself was a flimsy attempt. It was built during the Era of Silence so it was all fancy pillars and statues and cramped hallways meant to make the guilty tremble and the rest feel secure. In its dilapidated state, I wasn't impressed.

I was prepared to defend myself and Kilo Squad as long as I had to. As far as I was concerned, we weren't guilty. We held a crunch position against all odds and stopped a raging commander from destroying the rest of Halvo Bay. Back in the Pendulum Wars I would have received a fucking medal—today they were putting me on trial. Shows how much the COG appreciated their grunts now.

Another pair of Onyx Guards were stationed at the double doors leading into the courtroom; it was always nice to see our elite troops kept busy, not like we had a worldwide war going on. They opened the door and my escort shoved me into the dim room. I scowled and would have told them to piss off if I didn't know it would be used against me. I didn't need their help to walk and I wasn't going to run away, but they were having fun. It wasn't every day they had a trial for a lieutenant.

The courtroom was round without a table or chair for the guilty; everything was composed of stone and polished marble, though most of it had begun to chip away. The domed ceiling had a crystal chandelier that shook with the constant whomp of artillery in the distance. The war was going on right outside the door yet they still cared about normalcy enough to go through with a court-martial, or maybe the man in charge was just that anal. Yeah, I could believe that.

Colonel Ezra Loomis sat in the towering stone bench with his typical disdainful glare. He was a man of order from the hair on his head to his pressed dress blues. The idea that someone under his command wouldn't do as he said like a blind pawn obviously upset him. It almost made me beam with pride that I could shit on someone's power parade.

"The trial of Kilo Squad will now commence," Colonel Loomis said as my squad joined my side. Sofia gave me a look that clearly said You ruined my life, bastard. I ignored her. "Lieutenant, your squad is charged with desertion, cowardice, treason, the theft of experimental COG technology, and trespassing. How do you plead?"

The list is longer than I thought. Dad would be proud. "Not guilty," I said.

The look on his face was priceless. Yeah, maybe I'd done all those things—except I hated the term "cowardice" and preferred "saving my ass"—but it was for a good cause. Without my squad, none of us would be alive to have this pathetic trial.

"I hope you realize what you're saying. This isn't some public court system where your family name could pull weight. This is my courtroom; I am judge and jury and you, Lieutenant, are nothing. You committed a severe crime against your government and there are consequences that you must pay."

"What crime?" I spat. Sofia's elbow immediately made contact with my armor in a futile attempt to shut me up. Prissy little bitch was ready to roll over and accept the colonel's bullshit. Not me. "I did my duty—I fought so that your ass could sit safe and sound in Command like a good little officer. My squad kept you alive. We stopped an advancement of grubs, held the museum, and took out a rabid, mutated spider creature just for shits and giggles. You wanna put us in front of a firing squad because I defended Halvo Bay when you claimed it was lost? Don't punish my squad for your mistakes, Colonel. We're still alive to have this trial so obviously I did something right. Here's an idea, maybe I should have your position and you can get your ass on the front line to call the shots."

His face had become an unhealthy shade of red and I was surprised he let me rant. He must have known that I would have bulldozed whatever pathetic excuse he could have interrupted with. Beside me, Sofia sighed heavily. Cole had been trying for six weeks to teach me how to control my mouth; it was an old dog, new trick situation. But here, it was helpful. Sofia would thank me after this.

Garron stepped forward as if nothing had happened. "Colonel, if I may speak?"

Loomis shifted in his seat, his fingers white with their tight grip around each other. Oh no, he really wasn't happy. "Whatever you have to say, I'm sure it won't help your case. Your lieutenant is a prime example of insubordination. I'm not sure anything can help you now."

"If you'll excuse my lieutenant, sir, you have to concede we accomplished an incredible feat."

"Although our methods were wrong," Sofia said, lips taut.

"Yes, but Locust do not care about military strategy. If we had pulled out, Halvo Bay would be rubble. At least now there is time for evacuation. That general—Karn—he was too much for even my people. He wiped out our army, our cities, until we were almost nothing. Lieutenant Baird may be a reckless man, but he was not afraid of Karn and doing whatever it took to stop his path of destruction. With Lieutenant Baird's leadership, Karn is now dead."

"This is not about revenge for your people, Private Paduk. The COG have rules, standards—every Gear takes an oath of servitude that they will remember their place in our grand machine. They will follow orders," Loomis barked.

"Will you can it already," I said. "You don't even have evidence or witnesses. All you have is rank and what man wins his battles like that?"

I swear his face turned three shades of red again. He stood up, possibly using the height to scare me into submission. If anything, it just annoyed me more. "If you're trying to remind me how pointless this trial is, Lieutenant, then please, dig your hole deeper. I thought I would give your squad a fighting chance since this was your first offense but I see I was wrong. You may get the firing squad yet."

As if I really cared. Whatever the afterlife was like, it had to be better than what I was living now. I didn't mean to drag other people down with me, but they all knowingly agreed to this. It was their funeral.

Cole cast me a glare of disapproval and stepped forward. I liked Cole, I really did, but if he thought charming stories of his thrashball days would make this better, he had one hell of a wake up call coming. But maybe he found a way to make this all better, like he usually did. Cole was good with people; he had to be, being a big superstar and all.

"Colonel, please excuse my friend, but he ain't all there, if you know what I mean," Cole said. If I hadn't just won a battle only a lunatic could win, I would have been insulted. "Every one of us is suffering from guilt or grief and Dam—Lieutenant Baird is finding it difficult to cope. We all watched our old lives go up in smoke, but he's a bit different. He's never experienced the real world before he joined the army; he don't know the rules yet. I know he seems heartless and reckless, but that's part of his charm, sir. I admit we were wrong—we should have retreated like you ordered, but Lieutenant Baird—no, Kilo Squad couldn't sit on our asses and let the grubs destroy more families. We didn't do it the best way, but we got results, sir. Right now, that's all anyone can ask for." Cole ducked his head as if he was afraid he said too much and stepped back into line. "Thank you, sir."

Loomis sat down, his face back to a normal color, and rubbed his temples. There was no way he could ignore Cole; that guy was a frigging walking teddy bear. He could put things into proper perspective and you just didn't say no to him—believe me, I found out the hard way.

Loomis sighed. "All of you disregarded my orders, but because of that you saved countless lives. You stole highly unstable experimental technology, but it helped to bring an end to General Karn. I see a dangerous hero lurking inside you, Lieutenant, and I'm not sure I like it. Being a hero can cause more trouble than necessary for one person. I'd shoot you myself yet we need all abled bodies. Do you have anything to add before I pass judgment, Lieutenant?"

I grinned, summoning up every bit of snark I could manage. "Let the record show that I was right all along. Next time, mind your own damn business and let me do my job. I know what I'm doing."

Loomis steepled his fingers on the desk in front of him. "I don't believe that will be possible. For your crimes, Kilo is sentenced to two months in jail."

"What!"

"This is already a very lenient sentence. I could lock you up for life or insert you in a suicide squad. Your choice, Lieutenant."

He waited with narrowed eyes. He wanted me to have another outburst, but I grit my teeth. I could handle two months, and so could Garron—he was just recently released from a POW camp; jail would be nothing next to that. But what about Cole and Sofia? They were all soft-hearted do-gooders. Shit.

It beats standing against a wall and getting a bullet through your skull. I'm not going to kiss the colonel's boots and thank him, but I have no room to complain either. I brought this on myself.

"I also strip you of your rank and disband Kilo Squad. When you're released from prison, you'll be assigned to new squads."

"Sir," Sofia interrupted, "what about my Onyx Guard candidacy? Can I continue my training in Ephyra?"

Of all the things to be worried about. Her government just threw her under the bus for saving lives and she was still concerned about protecting them. Idiot.

"With your past service record, we'll consider it when the time comes. If you can prove Private Baird left no lasting impression," Loomis replied dismissively. "Now, bailiff, if you would escort Privates Baird, Cole, Paduk, and Hendrik back to holding, I'll arrange for a transport."

The Onyx Guards descended and ushered us out the way we came in. Sofia went ahead of me looking like a kicked puppy. What was so special about the Onyx Guard that she felt compelled to be there? Was it a family tradition? Damn it, why did I even care? She had a rigid moral compass but she, eventually, agreed to do whatever we had to do to push back the grubs.

Cole caught up behind me. "Sorry, Baird, but I tried. I didn't think the colonel would strip you of your shiny stripe. I know how much it means to you."

Back to private, my first demotion. Damn. "Yeah, I kissed a lot of ass to climb the ladder. My technical and combat skills had nothing to do with it. But… thanks, Cole. I knew you would pull something off the top of your head. Medically unsound? Unfit for duty? I would have never guessed that."

"Hey man, you don't have to tell me anything, but The Cole Train's been looking out for you. It's not complete bullshit."

"Whatever, man. If they find out you were lying, they could hold you in contempt of court." We were not having this conversation with other people around. I didn't feel guilty for anything, I wasn't grieving, I was just surviving. My old life didn't matter anymore. I was Lieutenant Damon Baird, finally able to make it on my own without the weight of my father's heel to crush me. I didn't need his name or his money to be successful.

"Not like it matters now. Jail, huh? The media will eat this shit up. Former thrashball superstar in jail, and for once it's not for a scam or illegal drugs. Guess I won't be able to write Mama from in there."

"I'll let you cry on my shoulder about it. But not in the group showers—make eye contact with me at all times or else I'll kill you."

"Shit, threatening to shiv me already! Garron, you in for a little tag-team tickle fight against Baird in the showers?"

The Gorasnyan laughed from behind me. A few days ago he would have growled with disgust but he had grown used to Cole's teasing. "Better watch your back, Baird. A pretty face like yours will fetch much attention."

I sighed. "Ah, goddamn it. I should have agreed to the firing squad."