Tonight we continue with Book Two of the Twin Paradox trilogy: Part Five, Celebrities and Pariahs. Our focus will once again be on the trial of Captain Steinhart Stehter. His failure to execute a linkup with Nautilus during Santa Maria's journey back to Earth has led to yet another official inquiry by Space Programme. It's not a show trial; even if the media is making it out to be one. To be sure, many admirals sitting in judgment of Captain Stehter wouldn't bat an eye at occasional 'mischief' going on among the crew of a ship spending multiple years in space - in this case multiple decades. No one had ever done such a thing. No one had ever traveled so far, leaving our solar system to go conquer and colonize an alien planet.
True, there has been scintillating testimony provided by witnesses about the goings-on onboard Santa Maria during its journey to and from Kapteyn B. Only now, the prosecution is about to bring in the heavy artillery: the biggest a-hole they can put on the witness stand, and they've saved him for last.
Tonight we continue with Book Two of the Twin Paradox trilogy: Part Five, Celebrities and Pariahs. Our focus will once again be on the trial of Captain Steinhart Stehter. His failure to execute a linkup with Nautilus during Santa Maria's journey back to Earth has led to yet another official inquiry by Space Programme. It's not a show trial; even if the media is making it out to be one. To be sure, many admirals sitting in judgment of Captain Stehter wouldn't bat an eye at occasional 'mischief' going on among the crew of a ship spending multiple years in space - in this case multiple decades. No one had ever done such a thing. No one had ever traveled so far, leaving our solar system to go conquer and colonize an alien planet.
True, there has been scintillating testimony provided by witnesses about the goings-on onboard Santa Maria during its journey to and from Kapteyn B. Only now, the prosecution is about to bring in the heavy artillery: the biggest a-hole they can put on the witness stand, and they've saved him for last.
Hello, and welcome back to Season Two of Twin Paradox. I'm King Everett Medlin and what you're hearing is a SciFi trilogy I wrote four years ago under the pseudonym Purple Hazel. Twin Paradox follows my first podcast series entitled Deathwalker Colony, which is now a full length novel available for purchase on Amazon. Go online and check it out! It's on sale today in E-book format, as well as the first two books in the Rijel 12 Series, The Rise of New Australia and Return of Anarchy.
Tonight we continue with Book Two of the Twin Paradox trilogy ... Part Five, Celebrities and Pariahs. Our focus will once again be on the trial of Captain Steinhart Stehter. His failure to execute a linkup with Nautilus during Santa Maria's journey back to Earth has led to yet another official inquiry by Space Programme. It's not just a show trial; even if the media is making it out to be one. To be sure, many admirals sitting in judgment of Captain Stehter wouldn't bat an eye at occasional 'mischief' going on among the crew of a ship spending multiple years in space - in this case multiple decades. No one had ever done such a thing. No one had ever travelled so far, leaving our solar system to go conquer and colonize an alien planet. True, there has been scintillating testimony provided by witnesses about the goings-on onboard Santa Maria during its journey to and from Kapteyn B. Only now, the prosecution is about to bring in the heavy artillery: the biggest a-hole they can put on the witness stand, and they've saved him for last.
Twin Paradox is a SciFi series encompassing three full length novels; all of which will be read in their entirety during the coming weeks. You can go online and download the E-books ... or if you prefer, tune in and listen to me read them to you. So let's keep going.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Twin Paradox, Part Five: Celebrities and Pariahs. Chapter Twenty-five, Star Witness ....
True, Captain Luigi Cadorna had lobbied heavily for a chance to be involved in the proceedings. Applied for a spot on the board itself at one point! But he knew this would never materialize. By then he was too controversial of a figure.
It took quite a while for the press to sour on him. It was his occasional tirades with reporters that eventually did him in. That and of course the broadcast of independently produced documentaries on the mission done by news affiliates which told a slightly different story than the one portrayed by the former colony commander.
These small market media outlets had little access to Luigi since he was now a captain in Space Programme, working in a lowly desk job up in Noordwijk, advising scientists researching ocean agricultural opportunities on the alien planet he’d once “conquered”. But sure enough, retired crewmembers and construction contractors, as well as former colonists, slowly but surely did come forward to be interviewed. And though most of them were quite honest and forthright about the trials and tribulations they’d endured establishing the colony, none would ever dare speak a word against their old boss. Luigi by way of comparison had a very bad habit of criticizing his “lazy”, often
“incompetent”, and “unmotivated” subordinates which he’d have to “call out on occasion so to inspire them”.
This ultimately ended the honeymoon he’d enjoyed with the press, when the public began to see just how difficult and tempestuous the man could be. He came across as a petty tyrant by doing that and people picked up on it. It made no sense that he’d turn on those seemingly dedicated colonists who’d so desperately tried to find a way to survive and build a settlement on such a forbidding planet as Kapteyn B. Freezing cold temperatures? Oppressive gravity, twice that of Earth? An alien world with unforeseen dangers lurking in the ocean depths? They’d faced all that and overcome all they’d encountered. Suddenly here was this arrogant, detestable fellow taking most of the credit - yet going so far as to criticize their brave efforts. Reporters can usually “smell a rat”. It’s in their nature and many chose to confront him with this. Whenever they did, the other side of the man’s personality quickly showed through.
“No, no, no, no … you don’t understand, do you?” he’d retort - with annoyance and aggravation. “You cannot possibly grasp what I went through getting those no-accounts to do their jobs and obey my commands. Stubborn mules … they always seemed to think they knew better. I tell them one thing. They do another. Porco Giuda! They drove me mad sometimes.”
It became a game for reporters trying to see if they could set him off – which proved to be quite doable. That’s why it wasn’t long before he stopped doing interviews altogether. Within a year, the public pretty much lost interest in both him and the story of the struggles of the Kapteyn B colonists and their overbearing leader.
In fact by the time of the arrival of Santa Maria, the cranky little curmudgeon had all but faded completely from the public spotlight. Despite that, he was the perfect witness to bring to the stand for the prosecution. As a captain (even though he’d been promoted to the rank after his return from Kapteyn B) he possessed the stature to be taken seriously by the board of inquiry. What’s more, enough time had passed since his devastating testimony one year prior where he’d attempted to “drop a dime” on the captains from the Santa Maria by claiming they’d allowed and even participated in substance abuse during the mission - likely while on duty. Maybe they’d forgotten somehow. Maybe they thought he’d gotten some of his common sense back since returning to Earth and having his “fifteen minutes of fame”. Or maybe they just hoped he’d wised up. Whatever they thought, it didn’t take long to see it was clearly the same old Luigi who’d torpedoed the prosecution’s case by mentioning the crew of Santa Maria may have been high while traveling through space.
Of course, he was initially calm and collected during the prosecutor’s questioning this time around. That part was planned-out well ahead of time and scripted so that he could be directed to support the prosecution’s claims: like an actor reading lines during a film audition. No real challenge there. But just like with all witnesses for the prosecution, it soon became the defense attorney’s opportunity to cross-examine. No doubt the chief prosecutor must have felt his sphincter puckering when the opposition stood up to approach the fiery little Italian.
“Captain Cadorna … in your testimony you claim many things about the quality and character of my client. You also purportedly believe that incompetence, dereliction of duty, and flaunting of the traditional rules of military conduct were displayed frequently by the defendant … and by many others besides Captain Stehter. Am I correct in that statement … sir?”
The defense attorney’s sarcasm and disdain for the diminutive fellow seemed to ooze from every pore. His whole being seemed to detest and revile the haughty, arrogant star witness for the prosecution … and everyone present could feel it exuding from him like beaded drops of sweat. Board members included.
He was certainly pushing the envelope, being just a lowly Lieutenant Junior Grade. But he believed in his heart he knew what he was doing. He could sense the man’s recent fame and notoriety followed by his fall from the limelight – as well as his continued failures to advance further within Space Programme – was due at least in part to the man’s reputation for being difficult and unyielding. He’d certainly done his research in regard to that last part. Indeed Captain Cadorna was already a pariah by that time. If he suddenly up and retired, no one up in Noordwijk would lose one minute of sleep at his absence. That was the scuttlebutt going around about him.
So how to break him down? How to set him off? Most of all, how might the defense attorney do this without raising the ire of the panel of senior officers occupying that long table across the room preparing to pass judgment on his honorable client Steinhart Stehter? This needed to be done delicately. If not, it could backfire and ruin everything. Therefore, he engaged in a line of questioning that would slowly but surely paint the petty tyrant into a corner.
Oh, he knew all about Luigi Cadorna and his past. Heck everyone did! For that matter, Space Programme had seen what had been logged about him in Captain Berwick’s daily ship log during the establishment of the colony. Captain Timofeyevich as well had recorded volumes of damning information about the man. All those senior officers sitting on that panel already knew what Luigi was about. He had been disliked by practically everyone he’d ever dealt with, commanded, or served under. Raising the issue served no purpose.
But there was something else ... something even better that the clever young defense attorney could pursue and it was quite simple to try. The thought had occurred to him days before during previous testimony which depicted Captain Stehter as a man who let too many things go in an effort to maintain morale amongst his crewmembers - even at the expense of crew safety.
He'd heard it being spoken of, and saw the reactions of the panel. Many would shake their heads with disgust at hearing of half-naked crewmembers cavorting about in the hallways and corridors – performing fellatio on one another inside sleeping berths or in shower cubicles – having intercourse on floor mats inside the gymnasium. They’d raise their eyebrows with dismay upon listening to former crewmembers detail how cannabis-hybrid food was systematically worked into the ship’s food distribution system after being smuggled onboard and then grown in the ship’s hydroponic garden. What’s more this had been done with the consent and (seemingly) encouragement of the ship’s Away Team captain Thomas Berwick!
He’d bristled at terms and phrases used by the prosecuting attorney such as “court-martialable offense”, “unconscionable disregard for discipline”, “flaunting of military decorum”, and especially “flouting the sacred rules of soldierly etiquette on an active vessel while performing a vital mission to the future of our species”. Yet he’d rarely cross-examined witnesses vigorously. Usually just thanked them for their time and their service, noting how much they’d gone through, and perhaps asking a few clarifying questions as to the person’s function on the ship, as well as their relationships with their colleagues onboard. This was meant to identify instances where a crewmember might have simply been bitter about their experience and wanted someone to blame for their ordeal.
“Did you feel left out or excluded from social interactions onboard the Santa Maria, Ensign?” he’d asked one particular witness, who became quite uncomfortable and fumbled for an answer. His line of questioning didn’t go very far before the prosecution objected and indeed the judge sustained the objection. Yet by that time the damage was already done. It portrayed witnesses for the prosecution as unhappy souls who’d been resentful of their spot within the social pecking order - or perhaps just embittered by what they’d gone through having to spend so many years in space with little to show for it besides a slap in the face when they found upon returning to Earth that the public had grown inured to their plight. It all served to depict witnesses for the prosecution as whiners and complainers who simply wanted someone to hear their grievances. Nothing more: unhappy, overlooked, passed-over, and largely ignored. Why else would they put themselves through such a thing as being questioned on a witness stand about their struggles?
Only now it was Luigi’s turn on the hot-seat, and the defense attorney sincerely felt he had his prey cornered. He could take his time and meticulously dismantle his opponent’s case. On this particular day of testimony the defense attorney looked forward to pinning the prosecution’s star witness to the mat.
Luigi was relaxed and resolute at first. Answered calmly and generously with, “Well, we all have our shortcomings Lieutenant. I’m certainly not perfect either.” He smiled kindly when he did so. This not surprisingly drew more than a few murmurs and chuckles from the audience of media representatives as well as witnesses and family members who found humor in the man’s self-deprecating comment. What an understatement! A few even said so to their neighbors in attendance. B.J. by way of comparison was far less generous:
“Whatever, dude.”
However, this only served to spring the trap in which he was about to be ensnared - or so the defense attorney hoped.
“No … certainly none of us are,” commented the defense attorney dryly. He had not a single worry in his mind. The same could not be said for Luigi, he surmised. It was all in the demeanor of his opponent. Captain Cadorna gave off a vibe that seemed to indicate he was in complete control - yet his eyes told a different story.
“And yet the conduct and alleged lack of professional oversight by my client Captain Stehter, as well as his fellow senior officer Captain Berwick, seems to have raised many of your … concerns. Would you agree with that statement?”
To this Luigi seemed to regain his cool resolve and began cautiously limiting his answers to yes’s and no’s with little or no elaboration.
“Yes,” replied Cadorna. He wasn’t about to back down or lighten his opinions. He knew that professionally ruining the two captains, Stehter and Berwick, would preserve his career. Failing to do so would mean he’d have determined enemies sinking any remaining hopes he had of advancement. They’d be right there at Space Programme for years, constantly gaining rank and advancing through the organization. He’d be passed over for the rest of his career. This was his last chance to do them in before they did the same to him. The defense attorney could sense this as well. He’d perceived this in Captain Cadorna right from the start. He began closing the trap.
“Did you feel threatened by Captain Stehter?” asked the attorney.
“No … certainly not,” quipped Captain Cadorna, raising an eyebrow at the implied affront to his manhood.
“Physically threatened?” clarified the attorney.
“No,” was Luigi’s suspicious reply.
“Never?” probed the young Lieutenant.
“No,” repeated the captain – this time a bit more sternly.
So the attorney asked him, “Were you aware of my client being under the influence of marijuana; or engaging in any fraternization with members of the crew?” To this Luigi almost had to bite his tongue. Of course he knew about Steinhart’s affair with then Ensign Ariel, also known as “B.J.” to everyone on the crew. If he blurted out what he thought he knew, the lawyer could easily turn the tables on him. He’d slept with her too! Several times. This too was widely known.
“Not to my knowledge. Nothing that I witnessed personally that is, Lieutenant,” answered Luigi.
The defense attorney then confirmed this with, “I see … but let me ask you something else. Was my client ever a detriment to your efforts in building and developing the colony?” Regarding this question Luigi felt like hedging his answer.
“Eh … no. Not particularly. I had many other problems more pressing to deal with, you see?” The lawyer then moved in for the kill.
“Yes. Problems with the crew and colonists. Problems with marijuana abuse as well. Right, Captain Cadorna?”
Luigi responded with, “Most certainly. Yes.”
And when he answered in this way, the defense attorney countered with, “Then would you say you felt threatened by those among the crew who were using this drug or allegedly under the influence of it?”
Luigi scoffed: “No … I did not.”
“Then let me ask you this Captain. In what way did marijuana use, and therefore the alleged oversight on the part of my client in allowing its distribution among crewmembers and colonists damage or threaten the progress of the colony’s establishment on Kapteyn B?” The attorney then paused and added one more clarifying question. “To be specific; was the colony a success?”
To this Cadorna could only answer with: “Yes. Yes it was.”
“Did projects get completed? Were deadlines met? Were buildings and experiments completed in a reasonable amount of time given the harsh conditions on the surface of the planet? Were you forced to formally discipline crewmembers or colonists for insubordination or outright refusal to perform their duties?”
At this point the lawyer knew there was no way out for Luigi. It was all in the logs and records of Captain Berwick. Even Luigi’s own records would bear out the fact that all projects were indeed successfully finished and met all measurable standards. Even the reports from Captain Timofeyevich from what he’d witnessed when visiting the planet during the Nautilus’s mission to Kapteyn B had reported these structures were still standing and functioning quite well since Santa Maria's departure. Luigi had no choice but to confirm this. Anything he said to the contrary could immediately be refuted by the defense.
“Yes. Everything was done. I had no need to pursue formal disciplinary proceedings against any of the crew from Santa Maria or my colonists. They performed adequately, yes, given the conditions,” he said. Upon hearing this, the young lawyer tightened the screws.
“Were there any acts of violence or conflict among crew members and colonists supposedly under the influence of marijuana?”
To this the little man impatiently answered with “No. Nothing like that, Lieutenant.”
It was at this point the defense attorney changed tactics. The point had been made and there was nothing further to pursue in regard to marijuana use presenting any form of threat to crew efficiency or reduction in their work ethic.
“Then tell me please about crew fraternization among crew members, as well as your colonists. How did this pose a threat to you and your goals? For instance, did you personally witness any sexual liaisons with and among your subordinates which might have been perceived as an attempt to avoid their duties … or cause a disruption in progress to build and establish a settlement on the planet?”
When the young lawyer asked this, Luigi could be seen slumping slightly in his chair. By now practically everyone among the crew and colonists knew about his brief affair with B.J. Even the military contractors had heard of it from the returning colonists onboard the Nautilus! He began to sense the attorney was trying to set him up. Wisely, Luigi measured his words before answering.
“It posed no threat, Lieutenant. And no, I did not personally witness any attempts at avoiding their daily workload. As I said in my reports, the projects were completed and both the crew and colonists performed adequately, given the conditions we faced on Planet B. I take no issue with their performance in the line of duty. They did all they could. All I asked of them; they delivered.” And by then his face became almost hollow with fear of what he might be asked next.
“Then would you say Captain Stehter was an adequate commander of his crew and officers … given the conditions as you put it … to build a colony up from nothing on the surface of an alien planet … billions of kilometers from Earth … in a forbidding environment … one that no Earthman had either seen or experienced before? Or … Captain … do you still maintain that Captain Stehter was in any way incompetent or derelict in his duty to lead and command those under his authority?”
At this point, Luigi was back on his heels and starting to look defeated. The courtroom meanwhile was silent as a church. So many questions had been thrown at him, he didn’t even know where to start. Didn’t know what to say for fear he’d dig himself a bigger hole. He hesitated to respond.
“Captain Cadorna, I believe I just asked you a question. Would you like for me to repeat it? Do you remain of the opinion sir … that Captain Stehter, his officers, and even those colonists under your command were derelict in their duty, incompetent, or insubordinate at any time while you were in charge of the colony – even those allegedly under the influence of marijuana?”
Captain Cadorna began fidgeting in his seat and blinking quickly as though becoming agitated. Shifted in his chair and cocked his head slightly as though stretching his neck to relieve tension. At this point the defense attorney knew he had the fox quarried. He could sense things getting ready to ignite like a puddle of gasoline. Luigi looked across the courtroom and suddenly saw B.J. gazing back at him with a mocking grin on her face. That was the spark needed in order to set him off.
“Eh …,” he began, eyes widening. He was losing his grip and starting to boil over. Rational thought was fading from his mind. He was forgetting himself. This was certainly not the time nor the place for him to be teeing off on a subordinate officer - even one whom he felt was being insolent. Yet he knew he couldn’t help himself. It was working! The attorney for the defense team could see he was cracking. Could see him breaking. In fact, if he had only waited a few more seconds amidst the silence within that packed courtroom, it would have worked out perfectly. Surely Cadorna was about to concede; and with that concession the entire case for the prosecution would be sunk like a deflating rubber raft. Yet he couldn’t resist taunting the man just one more time, as he could smell victory in the air.
“Take your time Captain … I have no other plans for the afternoon,” he remarked with a dry expression – just like Brits were so famous for when being coldly sardonic toward an enemy or a rival. His derisive humor drew additional chuckles from the audience, chief among them Luigi’s one-time girlfriend B.J.:
(B.J. can be heard giggling in the background)
Cadorna began his response to the battery of questions slowly, stammering a bit, almost stuttering as his enraged mind searched frantically for words. It didn’t take long for him to pull it together though; and the tirade which followed would eventually turn the tide once again in favor of the prosecution. They shouldn’t have counted him out just yet. There was still plenty of fight left in the hot-tempered Italian.
“Yes! That is what I’m saying … you … I mean they … did not follow orders!” began Luigi, raising his voice, and when he did so the Admiral in charge of the proceedings started to reach for his gavel in anticipation of needing to bring the court back to order. The audience was already murmuring excitedly. In the meantime the defense attorney figured he had him beat.
“But Captain, you just said - “ only to be interrupted by a now fired-up Luigi.
“I know what I said! And I know how I feel. I know what I saw, too!”
To this the young lawyer chuckled jeeringly as he stated patronizingly, “Now Captain … with all due respect,” however when he said this Luigi became unhinged. He immediately cut the young man off.
“Respect? How is it you speak to me of respect? They did not respect … did not respect the rules! Did not follow procedure! Did not obey orders! That, young man, is why we’re here today! It is not allowed! Never! To use drugs while on duty or to possess controlled substances on a military vessel while in active service? No! You speak of this cannabis like it is nothing more than a cup of tea or a mug of coffee in the morning to wake oneself up for work. Speak of this drug as though it is some kind of a medication. Yet the rules my boy, the rules forbid this!”
Now the little man was on a roll.
“In the military we have to follow orders. We have to obey the rules or the system will fail. The mission will fail! Don’t you see? Don’t you all see? I – I alone seemed to perceive this threat to discipline and sought to suppress it. They – er, he – er, all of them – chose to allow it to go on ... against my orders and better judgment. I am sitting in this chair because I witnessed this happen. He (Luigi then pointed a short, stubby index finger toward Steinhart) … your client … is sitting in that chair because he did not follow the rules of proper conduct!”
By then the Admiral in charge was holding his gavel but not raising it. He felt like he needed to put a stop to this and silence the witness from his vitriolic tirade … but he just couldn’t make himself bang that gavel. Maybe he was curious – not really wanting the angry captain to say anything more and bring further chaos to the courtroom – yet at the same time morbidly curious as to what the man would say next! He was not alone in that regard.
It became like watching two ships on the ocean drifting too close to one another. No one wants the two ships to collide (certainly not the passengers on both vessels!) but for those watching from a safe distance there’s still that ghoulish urge to want to see just what would happen if they did. It was like that for most everyone. Even the young defense lawyer was hesitant to jump in now and try to control the witness - terribly interested in hearing what else he might spit out.
Perhaps he should have! Perhaps he should have interjected, interrupted, or even appealed to the Admiral to have the witness silenced. Had he been ten years older and a bit more experienced maybe he would have – figuring that whatever damage had been done so far was still manageable. Yet he took no such action. Indeed, Luigi was essentially turning the whole thing around. If crewmembers were taking drugs while on duty; or while engaged in a mission, this most certainly was a breach of guidelines.
"As captain he should have taken immediate action to discipline those guilty of such infractions!" screamed Luigi, and that was irrefutable. Simply put, Steinhart Stehter had failed to do so and that was a violation of military doctrine.
Once again it was too late. Luigi had said it. There was no denying it. No matter what else the defense tried to do, Steinhart would surely face disciplinary action one way or another for his failure to act decisively….
This concludes tonight's podcast of Chapter Twenty-Five: Star Witness. I hope you enjoyed it. Watch for Chapter Twenty-Six, which I'll be posting very soon.
Also, and don't forget, my latest full-length novel ... Deathwalker Colony ... is available right now in E-book format and can be downloaded today on Amazon.com ... along with the first two books in the Rijel 12 Series, The Rise of New Australia and Return of Anarchy. A link to these can be found in the transcript for this episode. Go online and check 'em out!
I'm King Everett Medlin. Thanks for tuning in.
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