[ Administration Bureau HQ / September 30, 0078 09:58 ]
"You don't have to come with me, Lanster-kun," Admiral Chrono Harlaown repeated as they approached to hearing room. "You are not even officially released from the ward yet."
"I'm fine, Sir," Teana smiled but her face was pale. "I have made some stupid mistakes that day, too. It's only fitting I should answer for them myself."
"As you wish," Chrono frowned and put his palm against the scanner next to the massive doors.
The hearing room was a semicircular chamber, with rows of banks and tables arranged in neat arcs around the center; half of them were occupied by Bureau officers and non-uniformed employees. Two tables stood in the center of the room, with five figures seated at the larger one: four Navy Admirals whom Teana only recognized from pictures and an elderly woman whom she immediately knew as Midget Crowbell, the Bureau Director of Operations. The smaller table was for them.
"Admiral Harlaown," the Director greeted them in a neutral tone as they seated themselves. "And Captain Lanster, thank you for joining us today. Frankly, given your health condition, you shouldn't have come."
"I am fine, Ma'am," Teana replied.
"Very well, then. Let us begin."
In a slow, deliberate voice, the Director recounted the events that led up to and took place during the Vaizen disaster, punctuated by short questions from the four Admirals and Chrono's curt answers.
"Admiral Harlaown, who gave the order to hold fire when the Saint's Cradle began ascending into the upper atmosphere of Vaizen?"
"As the commander of the task force, I did, Ma'am."
"What was the reasoning behind this decision, Admiral?"
"The Cradle threatened to use its dimensional warp drive, Director. Faced with the consequences of a dimensional discharge within the lower atmosphere, I had no choice but to let it ascend higher and try to intercept it before it escaped into the outer space."
"How exactly did it 'threaten' to do that?"
"It began charging up its drive. The battle telemetries of the Bureau warships closest to the Cradle at that moment should be available."
The committee exchanged glances.
"Indeed, Admiral, the records confirm your report. Let us continue. After the ascent…"
The Cradle escaped again, Teana thought. Three hundred dead, thousands of wounded, billions in property damage, and the Cradle escaped again. She was suddenly acutely aware how lucky she was to have survived the Walder encounter with the ancient warship.
A mention of her name interrupted her thoughts.
"…on Mid-Childa, where a group of three Bureau agents apprehended officer Runessa Magnus. Captain Lanster, who gave that order?"
Teana cleared her throat.
"Admiral Harlaown ordered Lieutenant Subaru Nakajima and me to apprehend the suspect, Ma'am. As the highest ranking officer on site, I assumed the command of operation and requested assistance from Warrant Officer Ginga Nakajima of the Ground Forces Battalion 108."
"After Lieutenant Subaru Nakajima was taken to the hospital, you continued the search for the suspect on your own, in a clear violation of the Armed Forces regulations. Why?"
"I was afraid the suspect would escape while I waited for reinforcements, and Warrant Officer Nakajima was needed for an emergency blood transfusion."
"A businessman named Zerpan testified that soon thereafter, you assaulted his assistant."
Teana swallowed a lump in her throat.
"Yes, Ma'am, I did."
"Explain yourself, please."
"A… source onboard Claudia informed me that Mr. Zerpan is involved with smuggling mass weaponry onto Mid-Childa. Do I need to name the source?"
"No, Captain, we are aware of its nature."
"Mr. Zerpan's assistant attempted to attack me while I was interrogating his superior. My actions were entirely in self-defense."
"Mr. Zerpan also testified that you threatened him with a mass weapon."
A murmur ran through the banks behind her. With an immense effort of will, Teana forced her face to remain neutral.
"I was bluffing, Ma'am. My Device had not been designed to fire live ammunition."
"But you do recognize how unacceptable it is for a Bureau officer to threaten an unarmed civilian, even one suspected in criminal activities, in this fashion?"
"Yes, Ma'am, I do. I will deliver a personal apology to Mr. Zerpan as soon as possible."
"And how will you explain your actions?"
"I was very pressed for time, Ma'am. Also, I… my partner, Lieutenant Nakajima, and I go a long way back, Ma'am. She had just been shot and it was before her sister contacted me about the successful surgery. I am afraid I wasn't very rational at the time."
"It is understandable, Captain," a hint of a smile appeared briefly in Director Crowbell's eyes. "But still unacceptable for a Bureau officer. A disciplinary action will have to be scheduled after you return to your permanent post."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Runessa was taken into custody by the same cleanup team that airlifted Teana to the hospital that day. She had been interrogated continuously since then and confessed complicity in several high-profile crimes, including leaking information on the classified archaeological sites to the rogue knights, who, in turn, could have forwarded it to the Cradle. When asked about her motives, Runessa cited "ideological grounds".
The knights themselves had not been spotted since the battle of Vaizen, and neither was the Crown of the Saint Kings, with the latter now believed to be in the possession of the former, based on recovered video footage. Hundreds of eyewitnesses testified that Fate Testarossa Harlaown risked her life to save theirs. Combined with the testimony of her aide and reinstated corporal Shario Finieno, she was, in absentia, cleared of all charges of complicity in the Cradle's rampage.
After the questioning was finally over, the admirals convened with the Director in muted voices. Teana stole a glance at Chrono, who was sitting stiffly, his fingers clasped on the desk, and eyes looking straight ahead. She had long realized that this may be the end of his career.
"Admiral Harlaown," Midget Crowbell spoke up. "The board has agreed that within the limited time and resources, your task force has shown acceptable performance. We believe that you have made mistakes that are obvious in retrospect, and although you shall take full responsibility for them, they are not grave enough to remove you from command. I have to warn you, however, that you will not get another chance. The Vaizen fiasco must not happen again."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"What is your plan now, Admiral?"
"It's simple, Director," Teana saw her CO smile for the first time since she woke up. "We gather our allies, we bring the Cradle where we want it, and we destroy it."