In the Brisingr Globular Cluster in the Milky Way Galaxy is a blue gas giant planet. This planet has seven moons. Some of these moons are bare rock, others are made of ice. The second-closest moon is a terrestrial moon, basically a large spheroid rock with a thin layer of salt water covering most of the surface. Its atmosphere is breathable by humans, and surface temperatures on about 95% of the landmass is tolerable by humans.
On the surface, there is a large landing field, where interstellar vessels and space shuttles land and take off. Xaos Interstellar Corporation has a hangar in this landing field. Its personnel unload containers to be delivered by truck or rail to other locations on the landmass, and load container vessels to cargo vessels which will take off and transit hyperspace to other parts of the galaxy.
Inside one of the cargo vessels, Roy Hunter is on break from his duties as pilot. He sits at a desk in his cabin. It had been a long flight, flying through hyperspace, visiting worlds and space habitats. Now is a period of rest. He had eaten dinner at a cafeteria- just a hot dog with mustard, fries, and a Petit cola.
"How are thing going on Earth?" he asks his parents, to whom he is speaking via a holographic communicator.
"It's been an adjustment moving," replies his father, appearing before him as a translucent hologram. "We're still shipping things in. To be honest, I haven't hide time to actually explore the area."
"Yeah,:" replies Roy. "right now, I laying over on this moon called Voldor. It used to be a colony of the Robotech Masters. There's a couple of huge construction projects going on and we've been importing a lot of materiel. There are even some ruins nearby, less than an hour's drive from the landing field. I don;t have time to check them out now. I got to get up in the morning to go over my flight plan before flying the cargo ship off this moon."
"At least you have a new career going," says his mother. Come to think of it, she had heard of Voldor before- it had been one of the worlds liberated by the Sentinels Alliance perhaps
"I guess I haven;t really found out where I want to set my roots," says Roy. "I thought it would be the military, but even now I still need canes just to walk and I still have to wear braces on my legs. I take the time to exercise my legs. It's actually relaxing after a long hyperspace flight. Exploring the galaxy. Maybe I'll find something."
"I'm sure you will, son."
"anyway, I did request some time off," he says. "Commander Hamato's trial is ending soon and I got to attend the closing arguments. I have to be there for my classmates, and for Hyun."
"I understand," says his father.
"I will have to do a months-long tour of duty afterward; it's worth it."
oooooo
"General court-martial is now in session," says the bailiff. "The Honorable Jaquan Thompson, Captain, United Nations Spacy, presiding."
Thompson walks and seats himself at the judge's bench. "The defense may present its next witness," he says.
"The defense calls Dr. Simon Leibowitz," says Lieutenant Commander Sari Priyatosh.
A bespectacled man wearing a light blue shirt on the torso, khaki slacks on the legs, and a green necktie around the collar walks up to the witness stand. The judge notices that the witness has dark brown hear.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" the bailiff asks the witness.
"I do, Sergeant," replies Leibowitz.
"Please state your name for the record?" asks the defense counsel.
"I am Dr. Simon Leibowitz," he answers. "I'm a contractor optometrist with the United Earth Forces. I served in the Air Force Medical Corps Reserve for ten years, was honorably discharged as a major. I was also an optometrist during that time."
"So it's fair to say you measured people's eyesight?"
"Humans, specifically. Not scalies or Karbarrans or Garudans."
"Do you have experience performing eye exams for the purpose of qualifying aviators?"
"Yes, I have done those kind of tests for seventeen years."
"Dr. Leibowitz, did you perform an eye exam on a Lieutenant Roy Hunter?" asks Commander Priyatosh.
"Why yes, I did. I was told it was part of his post-accident medical exam, to determine if he could become fit for active duty."
"Defense introduces into evidence the eye exam results of Roy Hunter," says the defense attorney. "what is this?"
"This is the letter chart. Roy Hunter had 20/20 vision. Whatever the accident did to his head, it did not diminish that part of his vision."
Priyatosh shows the doctor another piece of paper. "Explain what this is," she says.
"A peripheral vision test," says Dr. Leibowtiz. "I guess veritech pilots need good peripheral vision. Veritech aviation is not my expertise, just eye exams."
"And you performed this test on Lieutenant Hunter, correct?"
"Yes, it does look normal."
"But this is not then only peripheral vision test conducted, correct?"
"No, it was not. As standard policy, a second test was done to determine night peripheral vision."
"Correct."
"Now, you see that it is almost all red X's appearing here, right?"
Dr. Leibowitz looks at the picture. "Yes."
"And this was then results from Lieutenant Hunter after his accident, correct?"
"Yes."
"In your experience, is this average, above, or below?"
"From what I have seen, this is below average," replies the optometrist.
Priyatosh gives Leibowitz some more exam results. "These are night peripheral vision exam results on other pilots in Hunter's class- exams you administered."
"Yes, for their pre-exam. As I recall, a Space Marine candidate was dropped for failing the vision test. I don't recall at the moment whether it for for failing the peripheral vision test."
"Do you see more green O's one these exam results?"
"Yes, Commander, they are there. This one was from Lieutenant Seuk, and this one from Lieutenant Krantz. They had much better night peripheral vision than Lieutenant Hunter."
"So one could rationally conclude that Hunter's head injuries caused neurological damage that all but destroyed his night peripheral vision."
"Now, Commander, I;'m not a neurologist, but I'm not completely ignorant on how the brain's visual cortex works. It's possible."
Commander Priyatosh provides Leibowitz with another chart. "Whose chart is this?" she asks.
"Lieutenant Hunter," replies the optometrist.
"Did you administer the exam?"
"Yes, that' s my name over there. I administered the exams for all the veritech candidates."
"And this date was before the accident, correct?"
"Yes, definitely. Before Lieutenant Hunter and the others started instruction, in fact."
"And you see about the same amount of red X's that were in his post-accident exam, correct?'
"Why, yes," says the optometrist.
"What can you conclude about his peripheral night vision when he started V-School."
"He had very poor peripheral night vision, much poorer than most of the other students."
Commander Arihiso Hamato looks on. His heart rate slows down a bit.
"Now, I would like to show you images recovered from the black boxes; images which were captured by both veritechs before the crash.
The doctor looks at it, seeing what looks like pieces of starship hulls.
"Was the crash site bright as day or dark as night?" asks the defense counsel.
"More like early evening, a few minutes after sunset," answers Dr. Leibowitz
"This is the snapshot of the sensor logs from the Leonard, showing the final recorded position and trajectories of the two veritechs before the crash."
"Looks like they were in the debris field."
Priyatosh shows Leibowitz another picture. "This was another picture from the Leonard's sensor logs, showing the planet Fantoma. Can you see the night shadow of the planet?"
"Yes," replies Leibowitz.
"And you see the debris field through which Lieutenants Seuk and Hunter flew through?"
"Yes. It was right at the shadow."
Commander Priyatosh holds out a device and presses something.
"Look out!" yells the recorded voice of Lieutenant Seuk.
"those were her last words," says the defense counsel. "Is it likely that Lieutenant Hunter did not see her?"
"It is likely," says Dr. Leibowitz.
"No further questions, your Honor," says Commander Priyatosh.
"Your witness," the judge says to the trial counsel, whose eyes appear wider than usual.
"Is it fair to say that Roy Hunter had absolutely no night peripheral vision, Doctor?" asks Lieutenant Commander Michael Sarakian.
"No, I wouldn't say that," replies Dr. Leibowitz. "He did manage to get two green O's."
"So he might have seen Lieutenant Seuk's veritech anyway."
"Possibly."
"No further questions."
"The defense rests, your Honor," says Commander Priyatosh.
"We have no rebuttal case," says Commander Sarakian.
"That keeps things simple," says Captain Thompson. "Closing arguments start at 1000 Monday. Prepare yourselves, counselors. Court-martial is adjourned."
"Aye aye, sir!" snap Sarakian and Priyatosh.
Commander Hamato wonders if it is almost over, or it is just beginning.
Ooooooo
Roy Hunter gets out of the Toyota that he had just parked at a handicapped parking spot. He looks up, seeing the planet Fantoma. He then uses his canes to walk.
He can see the number of the building where the court-martial of Commander Hamato is taking place,. He also sees many people in white service charlies. It takes a few minutes for him to reach them.
"Hunter," says Lieutenant Vang.
"I had to be here," he replies. "Good to see you again."
"Commander Rush is letting us attend the closing arguments and the reading of the verdict," says Lieutenant Rachel Krantz. "Well, he's getting the lesson plan ready for us once we return to the office."
Roy notices two people in civilian clothes. They both have black hair and amber0-complected skin.
"Hi, Mr. and mrs,. Seuk," says Roy. "I'm Roy Hunter."
"I think I saw you at Academy graduation," says Mr. Seuk.
"That's right, sir."
"Let's go in," says another student pilot.
And so Roy uses his canes to assist his walking into the building and down the hallway. He follows the junior officers as they go through some double doors. The room inside is organized like a typical courtroom; Roy recognizes the judge's bench and the witness stand and the benches where the guests, including him and his former classmates, now sit. He looks and see two Space Marine MP's is khaki service charlies standing stiff by the courtroom entrance.
"All rise," says the bailiff. "General court-martial is in session. The Honorable Jaquan Thompson, Captain, United Nations Spacy, presiding."
The judge sits at the bench, adjusting his eyeglasses. "The UEF may make its closing statement.
"Perfection," says Lieutenant Commander Michael Sarakian. "perfection. When I walked inside, I noticed that the floor was spotless. And as I sat down at this table, I noticed that it was perfectly polished."
"Of course it was," replies the judge. "Our staff works hard. Excuse this court, please continue, Commander Sarakian."
"Yes, sir. Before I went to this court, I made sure my shirt was pressed. I made sure my pants were pressed. I used a different shirt today- I keep a spare uniform, so that I have something spotless to wear when I have to make closing arguments to the court. I went to the restroom before coming here to look at the mirror, making sure my ribbons were straight.
"And now look at Commander Hamato. He is perfectly groomed. You can see that his white service charlies are spotless. See that veritech combat aviation badge, looks like it was polished. Look at his ribbons, his distinguished flying cross. They are all perfectly straight. Commander Arihiso Hamato looks perfect.
"A deeply flawed man wears that perfectly-pressed, perfectly decorated uniform. Commander Hamato wanted to maintain the illusion of perfection. To maintain his illusion, he lied about the performance of the students in his classes. He hid their imperfections, despite his XO, Lieutenant Commander Zeppel, testifying that they had virtual accidents. To maintain his illusion of perfection, he sent his students on live exercises despite not being ready. For months he was lucky. And then, for the debris field exercise, he sent a pilot, Lieutenant Roy Hunter, who was not ready. He collided with Lieutenant Hyun Seuk, and she lost her life in that robotech graveyard orbiting Fantoma.
"The commander wanted to still maintain the illusion of perfection. He falsified the records he sent to Space headquarters and the Commission investigating the accident. He committed perjury by sending falsified records."
"The defense tried to push the blame for Seuk's death on Roy Hunter, saying he didn't see her. There wasn't any evidence that was the case. She could not demonstrate for certain that Hunter did not see Seuk.
"And we must not forget Hyun Seuk. She did not die to free Earth from alien oppression. She did not die in saving the lives of her teammates. She gave her life for one man's illusion of perfection, one man's pride. This general court-martial has the duty to find Arihiso Hamato guilty of the manslaughter of Hyun Seuk and all charges."
The trial counsel sits down.
"We are ready for the defense to make closing arguments," says Thompson.
Lieutenant Commander Sari Priyatosh stands up. "there is one thing I agree with my colleague, Commander Sarakian," she says. "We could not demonstrate for certain that Roy Hunter's eyes were unable to see Hyun Seuk's Alpha. In fact, it's likely he could have seen her.
"But it was not up to us to prove for certain that Hunter couldn't see Seuk. All the defense had to do was to show that it was likely. It was up to my colleague to rebut it beyond a reasonable doubt. And so we have the testimony of the optometrist Dr. Leibowitz. It was likely Hunter could not have seen Seuk. Maybe he could have., Maybe he did. Under our law and precedents, maybes are not enough for the prosecution,. As it was likely Hunter did not see Seuk due to an eye condition, it was likely that his eye condition was what caused the crash. The best training in the history of the Universe would not have been able to compensate for the defects in his eyesight. As such, even if Commander Hamato was negligent in sending Lieutenant Hunter up there due to an alleged lack of training, there is still reasonable doubt that the accident that claimed Lieutenant Seuk's life was the result of that, and not the result of an eyesight defect which was tolerated by our very regulations.
"As for dereliction of duty, perhaps an argument can be made that the commander should have been more strict in evaluating his students. But, as your Honor knows, dereliction of duty requires more than mere failure to perform to standards,. It requires gross failure. As General Marie Crystal, an experienced veritech aviator and experienced leader, testified, Hamato's actions were not in any way grossly negligent. She, an experienced leader of combat pilots, voted against the charges of dereliction of duty and manslaughter. If she, who had a quarter century's experience as a commissioned officer, had doubts about the charges, how can we say these doubts are not reasonable? And this points to this court-martial finding Commander Hamato not guilty."
"Thank you, Commander," says the judge. "Court is adjourned."
Roy takes a few minutes to process the words that the judge advocates had just said to everyone in the room. He had followed the case, something that he had done whenever he was back in port. He hears the footsteps of hard shoes against the hard floor.
"Excuse me, sir," he hears. Roy looks up and sees an MP.
"Court's been adjourned," says the MP. "Uh, you need help getting up?"
"I'm good," replies Roy, pressing his canes against the floor to lift himself up.
Later, even as he lays on the bed in his hotel room, Roy still thinks of all the arguments that he heard in that courtroom, wondering what will happen to his former CO.