January 28, 1998

Ross J. Kelly did follow through on his promise. The military police hand me a copy of the San Francisco Telegram each morning since Sunday. I saw the Sunday, January 25th edition, with the headline in big bold letters "PRESIDIO COMMANDANT CAPTURED". I saw my counterpart's picture, which was an official picture with him in an SS uniform. The lead article mentioned Colonel Angus Rickman of the United Crown Commonwealths Royal Army. Another article detailed the atrocities that happened in the Presidio even before the native Arturo took command.

I gathered some more information about this world. The Prime Minister was one Jeff Williams, and his picture looked familiar, I guess I might have seen it in other off-world newspapers or books. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was the senior professional head of the Royal Armed Forces, was one General Oliver North of the United Crown Commonwealths Royal Marine Corps; he was definitely a counterpart of the United States Marine colonel who was the main character of the Iran-Contra hearings in my world back in 1987. I did see a picture of Queen Sophia, who was a woman in her mid-twenties; I likely saw pictures of her duplicates in other off-world newspapers and books.

I also saw that Michael Mallory was the Premier of the California Commonwealth here. On my world, his duplicate was Quinn's father and had been dead for quite some time when I had stepped through the vortex for the first time.

There were still reports of battles with Nazi holdouts in the mountainous regions of the Commonwealths. One article mentioned that just five years ago, it was Liberation forces who were hiding in redoubts in the mountains, waging guerilla war against the Nazi regime.

Were Quinn, Wade, and Rembrandt still here?

For all I knew, they were already found and returned home.

I was then escorted to the interrogation room, where I met my lawyer.

"Your defense will be a long shot," he said. "The best we can hope for is a plea deal to spare execution. you'll instead be sent to a prison camp in Alaska."

"My chances of a rescue are better if I am merely imprisoned," I said. "Perhaps my people can demonstrate the truth to the authorities here and they will release me."

"There's cause to believe your claims of being from another dimension. But from what I have, it's not enough to doubt you are not the former commandant of the Presidio."

The guard opened the door, and a black man walked in, wearing a uniform near-identical to one worn by United States Navy officers on my world. He looked at us.

"Commander Chris Morton," he introduced himself. "Judge Advocate General Corps, United Crown Commonwealths Royal Navy. I am the trial counsel for the joint military tribunal that will try Standartenfuhrer Maximilian Arturo."

"Ross J. Kelly, Mr. Arturo's attorney," Kelly said, extending his hand to the Navy commander. "We would like to discuss a deal, Commander."

"Tell me."

"He pleads guilty and avoids execution. Mr. Arturo is sentenced to prison for the rest of his life. No need for a trial, we can move on in our work of rebuilding our country."

"No," replied Commander Morton. "the evidence is overwhelming. I don't need a deal. I will seek that your client be hanged."

"Trials can be unpredictable, Commander," said Kelly. "And the Presidio prisoners whom you call to testify will have to relive what they endured."

"They're willing to do it if it means their tormenter pays full price for his horrid crimes.

"I joined the Royal Navy back in 1975. There was a Bundist mutiny on my ship back in '84. We fought hard, and some friends I knew were killed by the Bundists. We defeated them, and we threw the survivors overboard.

"Personally, I would like to make Maximilian Arturo shark food. But if he dies by a broken neck due to a hanging ordered by the tribunal, I can live with that."

"I will fight for my client," said Kelly.

"And you will fail," replied Morton.