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. In the aftermath of Luigi Cadorna's fiery testimony, Steinhart realizes the writing is on the wall. The best he can hope for is that Space Programme will allow him to retire as captain; maintain his rank but vanish from the public eye, fading into obscurity. But even that is now a forlorn hope. Complicating matters is that his defense team will be calling upon both Young-Min Jo and Ozzie Guerrero as character witnesses. Possibly Kelvin! Captain Stehter fears this will be potentially damaging to their careers. In Steinhart's view, such bright young men would be better off walking out of that building, never to be associated with their old captain again.
And then there's the question of B.J. She too must be considered. Have they all hitched their wagons to a falling star? Are loyalty and devotion worth sacrificing a person's future; if so, for what? What will it prove?
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. In the aftermath of Luigi Cadorna's fiery testimony, Steinhart realizes the writing is on the wall. The best he can hope for is that Space Programme will allow him to retire as captain; maintain his rank but vanish from the public eye, fading into obscurity. But even that is now a forlorn hope. Complicating matters is that his defense team will be calling upon both Young-Min Jo and Ozzie Guerrero as character witnesses. Possibly Kelvin! Captain Stehter fears this will be potentially damaging to their careers. In Steinhart's view, such bright young men would be better off walking out of that building, never to be associated with their old captain again.
And then there's the question of B.J. She too must be considered. Have they all hitched their wagons to a falling star? Are loyalty and devotion worth sacrificing a person's future; if so, for what? What will it prove?
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. In the aftermath of Luigi Cadorna's fiery testimony, Steinhart realizes the writing is on the wall. The best he can hope for is that Space Programme will allow him to retire as captain; maintain his rank but vanish from the public eye, fading into obscurity. But even that is now a forlorn hope. Complicating matters is that his defense team will be calling upon both Young-Min Jo and Ozzie Guerrero as character witnesses. Possibly Kelvin! Captain Stehter fears this will be potentially damaging to their careers. In Steinhart's view, such bright young men would be better off walking out of that building, never to be associated with their old captain again.
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-six, Walking the Plank ....
When the dust finally settled and the flames had calmed down from Luigi Cadorna’s fiery outburst, the prosecution wisely decided to rest its case. Few on the defense team could grasp what damage it had done to theirs, but Steinhart could see the writing on the wall. He saw little hope in their situation and expressed as much to his attorneys.
“Well gentlemen,” he said to them later that afternoon in the hallways outside the courtroom after court had adjourned for the day, “I must say you’ve all done a fine job and we’ve given it our best. Unfortunately....”
He was fully aware it would be the defense’s opportunity to present their case next morning and there were still hours and hours of testimony to be heard. Nevertheless, he foresaw little chance of being exonerated of the charges against him. Certainly not now anyway. Not after Luigi Cadorna’s reproving testimony.
At best he figured maybe (just maybe) he could hold onto the now-forlorn hope that Space Programme would cut him a deal and let him retire. Even that seemed like a lofty dream at this point - like that of a little boy in a working-class family hoping for a brand new cybernetic hover bike for Christmas. No, there was little chance of the board deciding such a thing, he could only assume. He’d be forced to resign his commission and take the fall for his crew’s long ordeal in space. No way to blame the comet which likely swept away the matter conversion device and brought the Nautilus to a halt out there in deep space five years ago. There was no other person to blame either.
“Mist,” he mused out loud to B.J. and the others as they circled around, “I guess there’s no use faulting the Nautilus and her captain for making toward home when they were able to reactivate their warp drive. Might have done the same myself - looking back. Maybe I’d have stopped to see what the other object was. Maybe not. Hard to say. But I have to admit, I’m sure I’d have considered my crew and their wishes to return to Earth … same as Timofeyevich did.”
“Schnucki, don’t,” interjected B.J. She reached out to stroke his shoulders in order to comfort him. Ozzie Guerrero was there by his side as well. He too argued against that way of thinking.
“Nah, Captain. That ain’t right. You’d have done all you could to save the captain and crew of the Nautilus … if the roles had been reversed, I know you would. To hell with that ‘ole Dago son of a bitch.” B.J. was even blunter.
“Yeah! Fuck that little turd,” she remarked with a wincing, barely humorous smirk. It was a face she’d displayed many, many times before. This time however it seemed to be rather more forced. Truth be told, everyone in that group wanted to believe the board would see through Luigi’s attacks leveled against the crew being allowed to fornicate freely and use marijuana onboard the Santa Maria during their voyage. These weren’t normal circumstances! This wasn’t your typical garden variety space mission ... with three or four months in space only to land and finish a project, then be whisked away to a lunar space station where there’d be an officer’s club serving up twelve year old Scotch and ice cold mugs of beer. This wasn’t some two year exploration of the nearby asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, followed by a year back home to be with family and friends near some large military base. No, this had been a commitment of many years: twenty-three, technically-speaking, plus a year on Kapteyn B to develop the colony. Surely the board members could understand that.
Besides, what of the nasty little fellow and his bombastic temper tantrum earlier that day? Hadn’t he shot himself in the foot by railing against his former superior officers during the mission to Planet B? Truly this must have offended those officials overseeing the proceedings; and especially the admiral himself, wouldn’t it?
“I can’t imagine,” continued B.J., now hooking her arm around Steinhart’s waist, oblivious to gazes of onlookers in the lobby who would see the couple were intimate. “I mean, those old coots up there on that panel … they’ve gotta see it for what it is.” She was referring to Luigi Cadorna basically giving away his true intentions during his emotionally charged rant on the witness stand. He was clearly trying to save his own skin and further his position – possibly rejuvenate his career by destroying Steinhart’s. “For God’s sake, I’m sure they know all about what an A-hole the man is. It was all there for them to see in the ship’s logs and Captain Berwick’s report. Besides, the little fucker has been back for over a year. I bet he’s already pissing people off up in Noordwijk. Shit, I pity those folks for having to work with that creep, don’t you?”
Steinhart made no effort to stop her from speaking so disrespectfully. His mind was already seeking acceptance of his fate. His career with Space Programme was over; he’d surely have to resign. They’d make him resign, basically. Or maybe he’d be “reassigned” to some distant outpost - possibly the moon. At the very least they’d send him far, far away from Darmstadt where he was once an up-and-comer. Once a local celebrity. Once viewed as that “local boy who done good”. Now he could see it coming to an abrupt end. All he was going to have left in the world was the shattered remnants of his own dignity - whatever that might look like.
And if they did make him resign? Well, he’d have to vanish from the public eye; no question of that. Plus he’d have to take B.J. with him wherever he went. If she’d go that is. To be sure he knew he’d have to accept her decision if she chose to leave him because of this. Knew he’d never be able to blame her if she just headed back to Denver (or Toronto) and started her life over without him. It was one thing for a bright, attractive young woman of her caliber to be dating a man in his forties when the guy was a respected ship captain (and a comfortable living to go along with it). It was a far different matter if he were to be stripped of his title and prestige. He’d be a poor middle-aged man with no way to provide her a lavish lifestyle.
What’s more, he had to consider Lieutenant Oswaldo Guerrero. Steinhart needed to think about his loyal young officer and how he’d stood by his captain the whole time. Sat there in that audience listening to all that testimony given by former crewmen and women whom Steinhart had treated so fairly and compassionately during those depressing years of no contact with Earth ... waiting and watching as they hurtled through the infinite wasteland of space hoping for a miracle. Hoping they’d be somehow found – like shipwrecked castaways. Captain Stehter had been their rock. Their leader. Their father-figure. The glue that held them together. Now they – and for that matter the whole world – was hearing him being accused of incompetence and “dereliction of duty”:
“A failure to oversee the conduct and discipline of his crew” was how it was worded in the charges brought only days prior. Next, witnesses came forward one by one to drive nails into the coffin. Steinhart was like some hapless prisoner onboard a pirate ship preparing himself for an inauspicious fate at the hands of his cut-throat captors. Walking the plank, arms bound to his waist, shoved forward at the point of a pirate’s cutlass, toes dangling over the edge of the board, expecting at any moment to plunge into the depths of the Caribbean … sharks visible below, circling and awaiting to feast upon his flesh.
Ozzie Guerrero should cut ties with Steinhart right now. That’s how the captain saw it. He should walk right out of that building and try to salvage his career before it was too late. Distance himself from Steinhart and the sad fate he knew was lying in store. If the young man had any sense he’d do just that. Yet Steinhart hesitated to embarrass the fellow and say such a thing. Brave young men like Lt. Guerrero were a rare breed. Loyal to the end. Never wavering. Same thing with Kelvin. The proud lieutenant stood by Captain Berwick the whole time as well. Stubbornly stuck by his side from the beginning. How could honorable men such as these do anything less, he had to ask himself? He could only hope if the tables were turned, he too would be just as courageous.
"Beej is right. They gotta see it for what it is. Guy's an asshole. They all know it. Besides, we're with you to the end, Captain," assured Kelvin.
No, Steinhart simply couldn’t say such a thing. Heroes don’t abandon. They go down with the ship. Heroes defend their foxhole until the last bullet is fired. They fight like madmen with bayonets and the butt of a rifle when they run out of ammunition. They defend their leader until run-through or gunned down during the climax of the battle. This he knew and it only served to sadden him more.
Everyone in that group. Ozzie, his girlfriend and former crewmember Shamiso Kachote, as well as Young-Min Jo, who also volunteered as a key witness for the defense. The young lawyers working on his defense team. And of course his devoted companion B.J. Steinhart wanted so badly to tell them, “Go home to your families my friends. Find your twin brothers and your twin sister. Find husbands and wives; raise healthy children. Leave me to face those jackals back there in that courtroom. There’s nothing more you can do for me. You’ve done all you can.”
Yet he fully realized this would do no good. How could he? There was simply no way to ask this of them. There’d be no deeper insult than to encourage loyal men and women to abandon their leader in his time of need.
Oh yes he needed them, that was for sure. Didn’t want to need them. Didn’t want to rely upon them. Wanted to say, “I’m afraid you’ve hitched your wagons to a falling star, junger.” or something dramatic like that. But the words wouldn’t come out. It would all be brushed aside anyway by his supporters who naively held to the belief that once the defense presented its case, the board members would eventually see the light. Steinhart possessed no such illusions. What’s more he worried that their association with him might be damaging to their futures. His fate was sealed. There was no need for them to take the fall with him.
Sure he’d take the stand in his defense. That was custom. The accused must always do that during a military board of inquiry. This was not some court of English common law like they had back in America a hundred years ago. A defendant had to face his accusers. He was ready for that, and welcomed the opportunity to tell his side of things.
Furthermore he was not going to mince words or try painting a rosy picture. This mission? It was man versus the elements. Any way the crew could manage to cope – while not endangering themselves or the lives of their fellow crewmembers – was the inevitable reality of long distance space flight. People were going to blow off steam and there were few outlets available. He’d tell them this of course. Surely he would.
But … to allow Ozzie Guerrero and Young-Min Jo to expose themselves to the hot media spotlight … to call them up to that witness stand where Luigi Cadorna had ranted and raved like a lunatic (until the admiral finally had to interrupt him with, “Thank you Captain … I believe that will be all”)? To put them in that same position of potentially ruining their bright futures as officers – perhaps even businessmen, corporate executives, or successful entrepreneurs some day? So young and energetic. Intelligent and ambitious. Loyal and devoted. Driven and yet respectful. Men like these knew how to be grateful for everything they had and to value every opportunity given to them - however modest. They had integrity. These two young men, and of course Ozzie’s young lover Shamiso; they needed to be spared this media circus. Their names, their faces, their words spoken on that lonely witness stand. Forever they’d be associated with poor old Steinhart and connected to the scandal in which he was embroiled. That’s basically why he later that evening met privately with his attorneys and had them remove both Ozzie and Young-Min from the witness list ....
“There’s no use in dragging them down with me,” as he put it. “Those good people need to stay out of this. I’ll be fine without their testimony.” And despite vigorous arguments against this from his team of lawyers, they ultimately relented. The defense team went on to finish presenting their case without these key character witnesses.
Naturally, Steinhart was quite brave and forthright when he finally took the stand. The defense called up several other witnesses before him and presented their opinions that though marijuana use was “prevalent” onboard the Santa Maria during the return voyage, the ship was never in any danger nor did it veer off course. No collision with one of the matter conversion devices had occurred. The crew were alert and proficient at all times. Even when the use of marijuana began to proliferate beyond the food distribution system, Steinhart acted decisively (and without causing any further division or damage to crew morale) by simply reassigning crewmembers to different functions on the ship. When it was Steinhart’s turn in the hot seat, he confirmed every part of this. He calmly faced cross-examination from the prosecutor. He politely refrained from criticizing anyone else, even paid direct compliments to his counterpart Luigi Cadorna by commenting that he fully agreed with the man regarding marijuana use amongst the crew and its potential threat to the mission:
“Captain Stehter … did you consume the drug yourself at any time during the mission, whether in space or on the surface of Planet B?” asked the prosecutor. He was a Spaniard in his mid-thirties.
Steinhart patiently replied, “Oh yes Lieutenant. The crewmembers in the stasis chamber administered it to me through my meals when I was being revived from the cryogenics machine. It was quite effective during my rehabilitation. Helped enhance my appetite so I could consume more calories and regain strength. Helped with pain and discomfort. After returning to normal however I had no further use for it.”
“I see,” continued the prosecutor. “And you’re aware that other crewmembers were actively consuming it? Even during the return voyage back to Earth? As a recreational drug?” When he said this he crossed his arms like an old school teacher quizzing a student about whether they’d brought in their homework assignment from the night before.
“Certainly,” answered Steinhart, calmly folding his hands in his lap like he was chatting with a young news reporter - like he was on one of those late night talk shows folks watch sometimes when they can’t get to sleep. “It was a developing problem that was brought to my attention by crewmembers concerned for the safety of the mission. As mentioned earlier, my solution to this was to reassign crewmembers suspected of abusing the substance to lesser roles on the ship.”
“So then you admit marijuana use was a potential threat to the safety of the crew and to the ship; is that fair to say?” asked the prosecutor. Steinhart was fearless. Didn’t stammer or stutter or fumble for words.
“Most definitely. That’s when I took action to prevent such an incident from occurring.”
“How did you discipline them?” pressed the cross-examining attorney, “these crewmembers suspected of abusing a controlled, illegal substance during a galactic space mission? Or … should I ask ... did you discipline them? Cut their rations? Throw them in the brig? Just what did you do about it, Captain?”
“Nothing direct of course,” replied Steinhart. “Nothing harsh. They’d endured quite a lot already. I could have of course. These were all things – these things you mentioned just now that is – that were completely within my authority to mete out as due punishment. But I chose not to. My approach was merely to move suspected abusers away from vital functions. Morale did not suffer from this. On the contrary we all made it through just fine together. We knew we’d make it home one way or another.”
“Then please tell me, if you will Captain,” continued the prosecutor, “just what were you doing at the time the ship detected that the matter conversion device was missing from the pod line? You were at your post on the command bridge I assume, weren't you?”
Hearing that, Steinhart paused before answering. Measured his words. He was well aware that everything he’d done that day – as well as his whereabouts at the time of the crisis – had all been noted in the ship’s log. There was no use trying to make up an alibi. He was with B.J. of course. Off duty. Preparing for an hour of hot sex with her in the Virtual Reality Chamber. In fact at the time, they were waiting right outside the chamber door in boxer shorts and panties anticipating their turn to go in! Maybe try out another below-decks scene using one of those fantasy programs depicting a pirate ship (with B.J. playing the helpless “damsel in distress” being captured by a ruthless “scurvy sea dog”). Something like that was most likely on the menu for the day. He looked out at the audience and saw B.J. smiling, wiggling her eyebrows mischievously. Oh yes, she clearly remembered that day too. Knew of his plans to tie her up, strip her naked, and have his way with her. That’s how he liked it. That’s how she liked it too!
However for the first time in his testimony, Steinhart had to cage his remarks. Up to now he’d told them anything and everything they wanted to know. Felt there was nothing to lose. But, there was certainly no purpose bringing B.J. into this. He’d have to cover for his lovely fiancée even if it meant being ridiculed by the prosecutor who likely knew exactly where Steinhart was that day when Young-Min Jo frantically paged him over the ship’s intercom system. The prosecutor just wanted him to admit it and Steinhart of course completely understood.
Captain Stehter simply looked back at the prosecutor and formed a crooked grin. He chuckled for a moment, then replied, “I was … indisposed, Lieutenant.”
This concludes tonight's podcast of Chapter Twenty-Six: Walking the Plank. I hope you enjoyed it. Watch for Chapter Twenty-Seven, 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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