War Against the White Knights

War Against the White Knights

Book5 of The Human Legion

Copyright © Tim C. Taylor & Ian Whates 2016

Cover image © The Life Tre-e Project / shutterstock.com

Square logo image © Algol / shutterstock.com

Published by Human Legion Publications

Also available in paperback

All Rights Reserved

HumanLegion.com

The authors wish to thank all those who work-shopped, proof read, or otherwise supported the making of this book. In particular, Paul Melhuish for allowing us to raid his vault of filthy Skyfirean vernacular, the Northampton Science Fiction Writers Group, Midland Road Costa Coffee, The Bromham Swan, Bedford Central Library, Hans, Mike and our loyal supporters on humanlegion.com, Donna Bond for a fine job as editor, and Ian Watson for persuading Tim to turn a short story into a bestselling book series.

This, the fifth book in the Annals of the Human Legion, begins in 2602AD in the aftermath of Legion’s hard-fought victory against the New Empire faction in the Second Battle of Khallini. The route to the White Knight homeworld lies open, and the Emperor himself seeks to bind the Human Legion to his Old Empire faction in the Civil War.

But there were those who sought to use the battle as a cover for murder and infanticide. First comes the reckoning.

This fifth book is the account of how the Legion fought its way to the gates of the Imperial Citadel, and how the immutable choices they found there threatened to shatter their unity and end the dream of freedom forever.

This is the
War Against the White Knights.

For those unfamiliar with earlier events, or wishing a refresher, a brief summary
has been provided here
.

“Summon the next witness!” called the court clerk.

Chief Petty Officer Coombes was
Lance of Freedom’s
master-at-arms, and that made him responsible for law and order on the ship. As he rose reluctantly to do the clerk’s bidding, it was obvious that parading witnesses in front of an audience wasn’t what he’d had in mind when he took the post.

Arun glanced at the defendant in her fenced-off box atop a high platform in the middle of the mess hall which had been transformed into a bustling courtroom. Given his personal connection with the defendants and the targets of their crime, General Arun McEwan knew that transparency was vital. He hadn’t wanted the trial to escalate into a spectacle but knew that was always going to be the risk and wasn’t surprised that it had become one.

From her high tower, Springer faced the polished stone bench, behind which Arun and the other members of the tribunal sat. She wasn’t looking at them, though. Her eyes, which could glow in such vibrant violet hues when excited, were sullenly cold and staring into the far distance.

Arun couldn’t even remember the names of the next witnesses. They’d changed the schedule shortly before the trial commenced at 09:00, and by that time Arun’s ability to think beyond the next second had vanished. All he could manage was to hide behind a façade of dignity, and hope Springer would get through this in one piece.

After Coombes had been gone a few moments even Arun noticed the atmosphere in the courtroom begin to calm and then chill. He tore his glance away from the defendant and onto the witness approaching the stand.

Arun shot to his feet, his hands pressed down on its polished top ready to leap over.

The judge grabbed Arun’s wrist. “No you don’t!”

Arun remained poised for the jump. There was no full-time judiciary, of course. The judge’s role in this trial had fallen to Major Chan. Before joining the Legion after the First Battle of Khallini, the former staff sergeant had practically run his battalion in the name of its Jotun lieutenant colonel. Chan’s voice carried enough authority for Arun to sit down and glare at the witness in silence.

Breakfast with Xin that morning had been awkward, but this was unbearable. She hadn’t warned him, hadn’t said a thing – presumably because she knew how he’d react.

Immaculate, and shapely in her colonel’s dress uniform, Colonel Xin Lee walked along the deck. She held her head high and studiously avoided looking in his direction. Xin ascended the witness stand, which was a second high tower, but whereas Springer’s stand faced Arun and the tribunal, Xin’s faced the defendant.

Springer had always claimed that Xin had a heart as dark as a singularity, but he’d never wanted to believe that. From the earliest days of his infatuation with her, he had convinced himself that she was nothing like the woman Springer perceived, that she was special. And of late that was precisely what he had found, seeing a completely different side to her. Yet now, seeing her take the witness stand, Springer’s judgement and all the doubts it had inspired came back to him.

“I protest,” Arun heard himself say. He knew that in speaking out he risked looking foolish and undermining his own authority, but he had to. He didn’t want to hear what Xin had to say. He didn’t want Springer to be right about her.

“Noted,” growled Chan. “But you were given the revised schedule, so sit down!”

Arun clenched his jaw tightly and watched Xin as she swore the sacred oath of honor, of fealty to the Legion and the ideal of freedom for which it stood.

Lieutenant Vogel was handling duties as interrogator. He circled the witness stand at deck level before beginning. “Impulsive. Protective. Revengeful. These are all words previous character witnesses have used to describe the defendant. Do you concur?”

“Yes I do. Springer’s all those things. One moment she seems normal, and the next her violet eyes light up and she gets excitable. I don’t mean that little thrill of excitement we’ll get them time to time. I mean she’s a frakking maniac.” Every word was a dagger to Arun’s heart.

“Colonel!” growled Chan. “You will treat this court with respect.”

Xin shrugged. “Sorry. Springer’s excitable, yes. It’s where she gets her name. Thing is, she gets her wires crossed. Blames the wrong people. She’s a terrible judge of character. Yeah, those are all those bad things that don’t help her case and they’re all true, but the thing is… Springer’s got a strong sense of justice. In a galaxy where brutal pragmatism often dictates actions, right and wrong remain paramount to this individual.”

“Can you give examples?” asked Vogel. “Details?”

“Details? Just one is all you need. Back in the Second Battle of Khallini my unit was wiped out. I was surrounded, done for. My life is no more valuable than any one of the tens of thousands who died that day. But at that moment I
was
important. We had to respond with all speed to the enemy sneak attack, and I was the only field commander in place to do so. When Springer’s friends and comrades were killed around her, she sought me out and single-handedly shot dead the half-squad of enemy Marines who were surrounding me.”

Arun watched helplessly as Xin rose to her feet and pointed an accusing finger at Springer.
What the hell is she going to say now?

“Without this woman’s actions that day, I would have died, and the enemy sneak attack would have captured
Lance of Freedom
– this ship where we are assembled today –
and
her hangar filled with vital X-Boats.” Xin started jabbing a finger at Springer, who didn’t seem to register that this witness was even there. “Let no one in this court be in doubt. Every one of us here would be dead if not for that woman.”

Xin sat down.

Everyone in the audience got to their feet. The overhead rumbled with the uproar, but Major Chan swiftly brought the chamber to order. He gestured for Xin to continue her testimony.

“Springer had been boiling with anger at me and at General McEwan over there.”

She spared Arun a glance for the first time, able to do so now that she had revealed her true intent, he suspected. To do so any earlier would have meant facing his disapproval, hurt, anger… and perhaps even his hatred. She must have known that. As it was, Arun wasn’t sure if he felt proud of her or angry that she hadn’t warned him… Perhaps a little of both.

“When the moment came to choose right from wrong,” Xin continued, “Springer chose right. Furthermore, it is my belief than she would do so every time that choice is placed before her.”

“Colonel Lee,” said interrogator Vogel, “you are more than a character witness. The attempted murder was of your children.”

Springer gave a start, her face becoming animated for the first time since the proceedings started. She stared at Arun. “What does he mean,
attempted
murder?”

Arun felt a surge of hope. He had almost given up on reaching her: she’d seemed so closed to him, to everybody, retreating into her own private hell. “Springer, listen to me, because this is so important. We’ve been through all this. It’s all right to feel guilty, I understand why you would, but everything’s all right. Furn never hurt anyone. He tried to, but even he can be outwitted. It was Pedro’s idea. The embryos weren’t on
Lance of Freedom
at all. Pedro moved them. Even I don’t know where they are now, but he assures me they are safe. Furn attacked decoys.”