Commander Arihiso Hamato sat inside his office at Joint Forces Air Field Tirol. With him was Lieutenant Commander Fan Zeppel, who had just started as the new executive officer just four weeks ago. The commanding officer looked at the computer screen and his paper notes.
"It's still the same as our previous class," said Hamato. "They're not performing better. At this rate, I'd have to fail a third of the class. This is very serious. An admiral flew all the way from Galaxy City to talk to me about how poorly my class was performing. And this, of course, would reflect poorly on us."
"I understand, sir," replied Commander Zeppel. "The best thing to do is to gather the whole cadre. Go over the entire curriculum. Intensify the drills and training."
"Send out a notification. The whole cadre is meeting at 1630. Dismissed"
"Aye aye, sir," said Zeppel, immediately leaving Commander Hamato's office.
Hamato wondered what he could do, to make sure his superiors know that he was training the best of the best and pushing them beyond their limits.
oooooo
"The UEF calls Benito Bayog to the stand," says Lieutenant Commander Michael Sarakian.
Commander Arihiso Hamato and Lieutenant Commander Sari Priyatosh look as a man enters the courtroom, passing by the two Space Marine MP's. The defendant recognizes the man. He appears to be in his mid-forties, and has black hair and brown skin. He wears the Spacy white service charlies. His shoulderboards are gold, each with a rocket thruster icon and three stars. Ribbons pinned to his white shirt tell the story of his service. The witness sits in the stand.
"Admiral do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?:" asks the bailiff.
"I do, Sergeant," replies the admiral.
"State your name for the record," says the trial counsel.
"Benito Bayog," answers the witness.
"State your current rank and post, sir."
"Vice Admiral, United Nations Spacy, Deputy Chief of Spacy Operations for Training and Operational Development."
"And you have commanded interstellar space vessels in the past, is that correct, sir?"
"Yes, I commanded the U.E.S. Henry J. Gloval, a Tokugawa-class carrier. .I was the last captain. I even led the ship during missions with our Sentinels Alllies before my superiors decided to decommission the ship. It is in a museum on the planet Mars- that's in the Sol system, same as Earth."
"Admiral, could you describe the duties of your current post?"
"Commander, just as it says on the tin, I advise the Space Staff regarding training the people that fly the shuttles and operate our space vessels. My advice is essential in the drafting and revision of training regulations."I don't spend all my time cooped up ion my office in the Citadel. I pay visit s to bases and posts to personally observe training. As a matter of fact, after I am done testifying before this court-martial, I shall pay a visit to V-School."
"Sir, have you met the defendant, Commander Arihiso Hamato?" asks Sarakian.
"Yes," replies Bayog. "I certainly did."
"Can you describe the circumstances of that meeting, sir?"
"Let me give this court-martial some background. We needed a new commander for our V-School training squadron. Commander Hamato had an outstanding service record. He was awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses for his actions in the Battle of Reflex Point and the Battle Over Haydon IV. His superiors reported that he lent a helping hand to other victor tango pilots. I spoke with the commander over the phone. I made the recommendation that he be assigned command over our V-School squadron."
"Okay, Admiral. Tell me about your meeting with him, here on Tirol, just last year."
"I received a report from the commander that he failed a fourth of his class," answers the admiral. "My office notified him that I would personally visit him at V-School. And so I flew from Galaxy City. After landing in Tirol and unpacking at my temporary quarters, I visited the commander. He gave me a little tour, showing me the classrooms and the hangar. All of his graduating students stood before me. After that, I met with Commander Hamato inside his office for a discussion."
"UEF would like to introduce into evidence the orders from the commander here disenrolling his students," says Commander Sarakian, presenting some papers to the judge. "What did you discuss, sir?"
"I criticized the commander for the performance of his cadre in training these pilots," answers Admiral Bayog. "They were the best, and the commander wasn't training them to meet the standards required in veritech space aviation. We're not in as great a need of veritech pilots as we were ten years ago, but if we couldn't train enough pilots, we would still have too few, even in this time of galactic peace. After that, I left to return to my office and file my own report."
"Any further communications with Commander Hamato, sir?"
"My office did send memos to his office. I did read reports. I recall that he reported his next class performed much better than his previous class."
"The UEF would like to enter into the record the reports Commander Hamato sent to Admiral Bayog's office," says Sarakian, holding up some papers.
"He reported his next class performed much better," continues the admiral. "Eventually, only two pilots were failed for not meeting the required standards."
"What did you think, sir?"
"At the time, I thought he reorganized things and started really training his students. I even had a fifteen-to-twenty minute conversation congratulating him after his second class graduated."
"One more thing, Admiral. Did you recommend Arihiso Hamato's promotion to captain?"
"Yes, I wrote a letter about five months ago to the O-6 selection board, provided therm with copies of the reports the commander gave me. To be perfectly honest, without this accident, he would be serving his first post as a Spacy captain."
"I have no further questions, sir," says Commander Sarakian.
"Your witness," Captain Thompson says to Commander Priyatosh.
"Admiral, could you please remind this court-martial what your present post is?" she asks.
"I am Deputy Chief of Spacy Operations for Training and Operational Development," he answers.
"So I would be correct o say that you have experience training crewmen, is that correct, sir?"
"Yes, Commander. I served a tour of duty in the boot camp cadre for the East Asia Recruit Training Center, and when I was captain of the Gloval, it was my responsibility that the crew was properly trained to do their jobs."
"Commander Priyatosh, I believe we covered this already," says Captain Thompson.
"I will get to the point, your Honor," she says. She looks at the admiral. "Admiral, are there safety regulations that govern training?"
"Most certainly, Commander," replies Bayog. "It was my responsibility then, and is my responsibility now, to make sure officers and NCO's regarding safety regulations."
"Sir, would it be fair to say that these regulations eliminate the possibility of an accident, even a fatal accident, if followed to the letter?"
There is silence in the courtroom for a few seconds.
"Commander, there is no way to eliminate all risk of injury or death during training," answers Admiral Bayog. "Our crewmen, and service in our cousin services, have the job that would require them to break things and kill people. We train to use equipment designed to break things and kill people- sometimes breaking lots of things and killing lots of people."
"The defense would like to enter into evidence these Commission recommendations of past fatal training accidents," says Priyatosh, presenting a piece of paper to the judge. "Three times, there were training accidents resulting in a fatality in the past ten years before Lieutenant Seuk's death., which is a rather good safety record.."
"Objection," says Commander Sarakian. "Argumentative."
"Sustained," says Thompson.
"My apologies, your Honor," says Priyatosh. "In these three prior cases, the Commissions inquiring into these accidents all recommended against a court-martial against the officer in command. In fact, this one here, involving an accident in the Army, they completely exonerated the commanding officer, not even to recommend a suspension from command- let alone removal or charges under the Articles of Discipline. Now, Admiral, it is fair to say that not every training accident resulting in death is due to dereliction of duty."
"It is fair to say, Commander," replies the admiral.
"I have no further questions, your Honor," says Commander Priyatosh
"Redirect, your Honor," says Commander Sarakian.
"Go ahead," replies the judge.
"Every case is different, right, sir?" the trial counsel asks.
"Of course," says Admiral Bayog. "each case must be judged on its own facts."
"No further questions."
"You are excused, sir," the judge says to the admiral.
Bayog steps down and walks out of the courtroom, with the two Space Marine MP's standing at attention.
"The UEF would like to move to add a witness," says Sarakian.
Oooooo
"I must object to trial counsel's motion," says Commander Priyatosh, sitting inside the room serving as Captain Thompson's judicial chambers. "The proposed witness had been assigned right here at the J-FAF for weeks before we agreed on our witness list. He could have added the witness back then."
"You make very good points, Commander," says the judge. "However, Commander Sarakian did provide a substantial reason why this court should add this witness. The change of circumstance he informed us about is clearly substantial. I will allow the new witness."
"Can we have him deposed?" asks Priyatosh. "And get the trial in recess until Monday, so I can investigate this witness?"
"May I remind your Honor that the defense waived preliminary depositions," says Sarakian.
"Key word is preliminary, Counselor," says Thompson. "We can have the witness deposed tomorrow. Dismissed."
"Aye aye, sir!" the lawyers snap in reply.