Commodore Kamini Nijjar arrives inside the hallway in an admin building at Joint Forces Air Field Tirol. The whole place had looked familiar with her ever since her trial began. She is with her attorney, Lieutenant Roy Hunter, and his paralegal.
Lieutenant Commander Keith Ogilvie arrives, accompanied by his paralegal. He himself carries a black briefcase.
"I am not taking any deal, Commander," says the commodore. "My attorney shall present my defense."
"Then we will see you in court, ma'am," says the trial counsel.
They all sit inside the courtroom, and Nijjar and her legal team, sit on a table at the left side. She glances back, and sees visitors sitting in the seats in the front.
"All rise," says an Ocean Patrol first class petty officer serving as a bailiff, wearing a white sailor outfit. "General court-martial is in session. The Honorable Hyun Hee Seong, Commander, United Nations Ocean Patrol, presiding."
From the back, the judge behind the tall wooden podium. "Is the defense ready to present their case?" she asks.
"Yes, your Honor," says the defense counsel.
"Then call your first witness."
"The defense calls Monique Halstead," says Hunter.
A woman approaches the witness stand. She has dark skin and tightly-curled black hair. She wears a white short-sleeve blouse, a white skirt, and a neckerchief around her collar.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" asks the bailiff.
"I do," replies the witness.
"State your name for the record," says Lieutenant Hunter.
"Monique Halstead," she says.
"Rank and current post?"
"Electrician's Mate First Class, presently assigned to Ocean Patrol Station Hawarden on Planet Glorie. My job is to fix electrical things, sir."
"It must be an important job, Petty Officer."
"Absolutely, lieutenant."
"Petty Officer, were you ever deployed aboard a sea vessel?"
"Yes, sir, I was. It is rather difficult to reach petty officer first class in the Ocean Patrol without a tour of duty on the high seas."
"Did you ever serve aboard a ship called the Manta Ray?"
"Yes, sir, I did. I did a tour of duty there when it patrolled the South Rongit Sea on the moon Tirol.""
"Petty Officer Halstead, were you aboard the Manta Ray at the time of the magazine explosion fifteen years ago?" asks the defense counsel.
"Yes, sir," answers Petty Officer Halstead.
"What was your rank and post that day?"
"I was a Seaman Second Class and an apprentice electrician."
"And did you know the defendant, Kamini Nijjar, before the disaster?"
"I didn't know her too well, sir. She was an officer, a lieutenant at the time. I saw her when she did rollcall for our department. But I was just a seaman at the time, so I didn't regularly work with her like the petty officers did."
"Petty Officer, can you briefly describe your experiences during the magazine explosion."
"Well, sir, I felt shaken and the lights flashed," answers the petty officer. "For maybe less than a second, there was a blackness, and then it was red as the emergency lights were on. I heard water and felt my feet wet. I recall there were passages that were blocked."
"It must have been scary."
"Yes, it was, Lieutenant."
"Please continue."
"I remember the water rushing in. We were all trying to leave. It was so dark. Even when I climbed to a higher deck, the water kept rising. It reached my waist, and then my chest, and then my neck. Some of the sea water was getting in my mouth. I thought I was gonna drown, sir."
"I think the United Earth Forces would agree with me that you didn't drown, Petty Officer," says Hunter. "How did you survive?"
"Then-Lieutenant Kamini Nijjar called out to me," answers Halstead. "I held my breath and then went under. She guided me, held my hand. I kept my mouth shut as tight as I could. We then swam up a staircase. We managed to get out just before the compartment was sealed to save the ship."
Lieutenant Hunter holds up a piece of paper. "I want to introduce Defense Exhibit Alpha. This is a copy of findings and recommendations by an Ocean Patrol commission that investigated the Manta Ray disaster."
"Yes, the Commission recommended that the Ocean Patrol no longer assign the captain to any command. I'm not surprised."
"And you spoke with this Commission?"
"I spoke with one of their officers, sir. Can't remember his name, though."
"Now, I highlighted the section when they discussed then-Lieutenant Nijjar's actions. What did they say?"
"We commend the actions of First Lieutenant Kamini Nijjar for her actions in saving the lives of two sailors from a flooding compartment, without regard to her own safety and own life," Petty Officer Halstead reads aloud. Had the magazine explosion occurred as a result of combat with a belligerent, pirate, or rebel, the United Earth Forces would be honor bound and duty bound to award her the Medal of Honor. We must recommend she be granted the Medal of Altruism."
"The Medal of Altruism, that would be the highest non-combat search and rescue award issued by the United Earth Forces, correct?"
"I believe so, sir."
"And you agree with the Commission regarding the bravery of then-Lieutenant Nijjar?"
"Objection," says Ogilvie.
"Your Honor, Petty Officer Halstead was there," says the defense counsel. "Her life had been in danger of drowning."
"I'll allow it," says Seong. "Overruled."
"Sir, she risked all," says the petty officer. "There's no doubt about it. She didn't have to go, but she did. I was able to continue being a sailor. More than that, I took the opportunity to be a wife, and a mother. She did what she could for her people."
"No further questions, your Honor."
"The UEF may begin its cross," says Commander Seong.
Commander Ogilvie stays silent. Commodore Nijjar looks at him.
"Counselor, do not keep this court waiting," says the judge.
"The United Earth Forces has no questions for this witness at this time," says the trial counsel. "We reserve the right to recall her as a rebuttal witness."
"The defense rests, your Honor," says Hunter.
"Wait, your Honor," says the commodore. "I would like to have a word."
"The UEF is interested in what she has to say," says Ogilvie.
"Court-martial will be in recess until 1330," says Seong, banging the gavel.
"Commodore," says Lieutenant Hunter, "I was about to rest our case. We don't need to give the prosecution new material to work with."
"You have been advised of your rights already, ma'am," says Commander Ogilvie. "No need for me to readvise you."
"We'd better have lunch together, Lieutenant," says Nijjar. "we need to discuss what I have to say. There's a place on base that has a great salad."