Two - EARTH

The Conference room was small, no more than twelve feet across, and painted bile green. There were no decorations other than a poorly executed portrait of Captain Jackson Morre and a neatly framed recruiting poster. It showed a trooper II, arms spitting death, with bodies all around. The caption read: "Last to fall". The furnishings consisted of a much abused wooden table, six mismatched chairs, and a government-issue waste paper basket. 

Sandral Usmos was beautiful in a hard, calculated way. Her hair was blonde, her her eyes were green, and her teeth were white. When she spoke, it was with the manner of someone in the habit of giving orders. 

"Take a break, Bari. I want to speak with my son". 

Daniel Bari had dark skin and extremely intelligent eyes. They flicked from mother to son. He was a lawyer, one of the best, and worth every credit of his exorbitant fee. 

"Tell him to get his shit together, Sandral, there won't be a second chance". Light rippled across the surface of his eight-hundred-credit suit as Daniel Bari crossed the room and stepped into the hall. The door clicked, and Sandral Usmos turned towards her son. 

Captain John Usmos had his father's features, his mother's eyes, and a full, rather pouty mouth. He tried to appear nonchalant but couldn't carry it off. Not with his mother. Her voice was low but intense. 

"The only thing that stands between me and the presidency is my own son. You had everything and threw it all away. And for what? A few hundred thousand credits". 

John Usmos starred at his shoes. "Is that all? Are you finished?" 

"No," his mother replied vehemently. "Not by a long shot! We still have a chance. Not much of one, but a chance all the same. Bari says that except for the breed's testimony, the rest of the case is circumstantial. What the hell were you thinking? Not even your idiot father would have done something like that". 

"It worked for a long time", John replied defensively. "You've done worse". 

"Watch your mouth," Sandral Usmos snapped. "This room could be bugged". 

"No, the Legion doesn't work that way", John said contemptuously. 

"It's not the Legion that I'm worried about," his mother replied darkly. "I spoke with General Page, and he agreed to speak with Colonel Marco." 

"The furball won't flip", the younger Usmos replied. "Not in a million years". 

"Well, you'd better hope he does", Sandral Usmos replied sternly, "because that's all you have". 

*  *  *

The auditorium was parked with a menagerie of reporters, staff grunts, and service-issue robots. 

A panel of six officers sat or stood on the stage. There was a lieutenant general, two colonels, two majors, and a couple of captain. The fact that one of the captains was a half-ton cyborg surprised no one. Some of the borgs held field commissions. There was even talk of admitting cyborgs to the academy, though traditionalists didn't like the idea. 

Conversations stopped the moment Page mounted the stage. Marco felt his stomach muscles contract and wished he were somewhere else. The choice was clear - lie for the Legion or retire as a colonel. It should have been simple. Right is right. Then why couldn't he decide? 

General Page sat at a the center of a long wooden table. The gavel banged. "All right, everyone knows why we're here. Let's get on with it. Well, Major Harry? Are your weapons locked and loaded?" 

"Yes, sir", Harry replied. 

"Fire when ready." 

Harry hadn't fired a weapon since Officer Candidate School. His mustache twitched over what might have been a smile. "Yes, sir. The prosecution calls staff Sergeant Julie Andreas to the stand."

The session began with Andreas' matter-of-fact testimony: "Yes, sir, it did seem as if the people under Captain Usmos had lost or misplaced a lot of weapons. A hundred and fifty-eight thousand credits worth, to be exact". 

Then came the more colorful comments made by an "entertainer" who called herself Apprize Moshis. She was nothing unusual in the large amount of money that a certain captain had to spend and hoped he'd return to Foxybro. 

The media, many of whom had been dozing up till that point, ordered their hover cams to move in closer. Citizen Moshis had enormous breasts, and metal clanged on metal as the machines fought for the best angle. 

Page frowned when it became difficult to see the witness through the swarm of machines and ordered them withdrawn. The reporters did so, and the general glanced at his wrist term. 

"Time for a recess. Twenty minutes. No excuses". 

Clothes rustled, chairs scraped, and servos whined as the Trooper II left the stage. Major Harry caught Marco's eyes and waved him over. "Sir, I plan to call you immediately after the recess." 

Marco felt his heart start to pound. "Really? You made some pretty good progress. Will my testimony make any difference?" 

"It certainly will", Harry answered confidently. "Given the fact that Sergeant Andreas had been a supply sergeant for less than three standard months at the time of the incident, the defense will attack the extent of her expertise. Then with Andreas on the list to Ms. Moshis, point to what she said, and the fact that Governor Usmos is wealthy. Of course Captain Usmos has extra money - the slimy bastard is rich. Never mind the fact that he isn't that rich. Get the picture, sir?"

"Yeah," Marco replied wearily. "I get the picture," 

Harry nodded. "Good. I'll see you after the break. I gotta bleed my tanks," 

"You sound like the general". 

Harry grinned. "Good! That's the plan. Over and out".

*  *  *

The proceedings resumed right on time, and Major Harry called his next witness. 

Marco stood when his name was called, walked for what felt like a hundred miles, and swore to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And it was then, with his hand in the air that he remembered his father's words. He'd been caught in a lie, he couldn't remember what the incident was about, just the way his father loomed against the sky. It would have been impossible to tell the real eye from the implant if it hadn't been for the field scars that surrounded it. The voice had been serious but loving. 

"You can't build anything on a foundation of lies, son. The walls will buckle and crush you in the rubble. The best thing to do is tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may".