Jessica was found at the bottom of a steep stairwell, head broken and bleeding into the brain. The Ship AI’s Life Alert System registered the impact on the decking along with the erratic lifesigns. The nearest first aid bot activated, unhooked itself from the bulkhead, and was first on scene to establish what the situation was, to try and stabilize the patient, alert Emergency Response, and send data to the first responders and to the hospital.
Once alerted the closest Emergency Responders grabbed their gear and headed out, running through the passageways of the ship yelling “Make a hole!” and people in those passages plastered themselves to the walls.
The hospital began to prepare to receive the patient using the scans from the first-aid bot. They moved fast to prepare the operating room for cranial surgery, for the staff to gown and glove, and to receive and transport the patient as soon as Emergency Services brought her in. The chief of surgery studied the scan being sent to her and knew that it would take all of their skill and speed to save the patient.
David, who was still in his quarters, was notified by the halo of the ship’s AI of the incident since it is protocol for the captain to be informed of these kinds of events. When the captain asked for details on what and who, and he saw that it was Jessica, he had a heart stopping moment of shock. Then he, too, flew into action, running the passageways, also yelling for others to “Make way!”
****
In the Security Department LCDR Sampson was reviewing the incident. He had a team at the stairwell to get first hand knowledge of what the hell happened and was receiving their preliminary findings as they made them. Meanwhile he was working with the security’s version of the ship's AI halo to review all video of the area. The ship doesn’t have video surveillance on every square meter of the ship, just on those areas that have a pressing need for continuous, passive, surveillance. The passage ways and ladderwells of where Jessica was found was not a sensitive area or a large public area and therefore did not have video footage.
The situation looked at first that she had fallen from the top of a ladderwell. The ladderwells on the ship are very steep by necessity. Given the bad leg and having to climb down holding a cane it is reasonable to assume that she lost her balance or her grip and fell. But why the hell would someone with a bad leg and a cane in one hand attempt that?
The first way to answer that question would be to see if this, or other ladderwells like it, were a part of her normal route through the ship. The Security AI very quickly sorted through all of the available videos and logs for controlled passage through various areas to create maps of Jessica’s various routes through the ship.
The AI then put up a three dimensional map over the halo table of the relevant areas of the ship and showed in green lines and markers everywhere that Jessica had been. In red it showed the ladderwell she was found as well as all of the ladderwells in the public areas that were similar. The green lines and markers did not intersect any of the red ladderwells. The LCDR frowned hard at the map.
“Sir,” said the AI to the LCDR “In reviewing the footage of the subject’s movements I have identified a second person who has been mirroring those movements.”
“Show me on the map and who is it?” said LCDR Sampson.
“It is LT Sandoval.” and the map showed orange lines and data points marked by dots and diamonds.
“Sandoval?! What the hell?”
LCDR Sampson began pointing at each datapoint with his stylus for both Jessica and Sandoval. Each tap brought up the relevant video clip and date-time stamps.
“I have run a regression over time of location for both the subject and the LT and it appears that over the past three weeks the LT has been increasing the number of times that she has been in close proximity to the subject.”
As the AI and the LCDR went through the footage it became clear that even though Sandoval never approached or talked to Ms. Wellington, and in fact in many cases she looked like she just so happened to be in the same area doing something else entirely, it was becoming clear that Sandoval was tailing Ms. Wellington. Further, the amount of time spent watching her mark had steadily increased.
LCDR played the clips of Sandoval at the harvest party at The Gardens from the other night and the look on her face as the Captain danced, talked, and stayed with Ms. Wellington was plain murderous.
“Do we have any video to place Sandoval at that passageway?” the LCDR said low and carefully as though to contain a growing anger.
“Not exactly sir. I do have footage of the LT entering the nearby area but there are other routes she could have taken that would have put her away from the location of the incident at the time of the incident.”
“Based on what you know of her location at that time, is it possible for the LT to be in the same location as Ms. Wellington at the time of the incident?” asked the LCDR?
“Yes; however, it is circumstantial. There are other possibilities for where the LT could have been at that moment of time.” replied the AI halo.
Sampson hit a button and called in one of his Majors. “I need you to stay with LT Sandoval. Do not let her out of your sight or this squadroom.”
“Yes, sir.” replied the major. She waited a moment for more info, but when none was forthcoming she left the office to carry out her orders.
****
At the hospital Jessica Wellington, aged 43 of the Capsilon Colony, died of traumatic brain injury aboard the Brain Ship Alpha Cruiser. The doctors made the call to turn off all of the machines to stop the incessant alerts, moved the body to a patient room though that is not normal protocol, and let David Hall, their captain, say goodbye. He walked into the room slowly and approached the bed she was laid out on as though he was drawn to it but resisted going closer.
David did as a million grieving lovers had done before him. He stood by the bed with the body of his dead lover and automatically held the limp hand in his. He cried, he screamed, and he laid his head on the unmoving chest just sobbing, all the while clutching that cold hand.
The medical staff that had tried and failed to save Ms. Wellington waited in the hall, ready to give as much time as needed for the Captain to grieve. When it was time, the doctor would go in and lead the Captain away and the body would be taken to the morgue. That is, until the forensic team entered the hallway. They spoke quietly to the doctor and told them that the death was being treated as intentional and that they needed to collect evidence.
No one wanted to enter that room and intrude on the captain's grief so the AI stepped in to help them. The Brain Ship Alpha had worked with this captain for years and had a great respect for the man. Not only did this captain treat the AI of the ship as an entity worthy of the same respect as any other person but he was damn good at his job at running a tight ship. The halo lit up in the room and stood across from the body. The halo got the captain to stand aside so the techs could come into the room and process the body for the collection of evidence. The captain refused to leave the room while the techs worked so they did their grisly task in silence and small whispers.
****
The DNA samples from under the nails came back as a match for LT Sandoval and there was no good reason for the presence of the DNA. The LT had an informal order from her command to interact as little as possible so why would there be DNA evidence on the body? Given the results a court order was given for a search of the LT’s body and yes, there were matching scratches on her arms.
LT Sandoval gave confession where she stated she had waited for Jessica Wellington to come out of the crew’s quarters. The LT said she was just going to talk but things got out of hand. Somehow she just had the woman by the front of her shirt, Jessica grabbing at her arm which resulted in deep scratches, and then the LT just shoved that woman down the ladderwell. It was like someone else was in control of her body, she said.
When asked about the cane, which was found next to body, the LT stated that she had picked it up and thrown it down after. This was enough to tip the balance for any one who may have tried to argue on the LTs behalf. It simply showed an attempt to cover the crime.
After the trial the LT was placed in the little used brig. There she would stay until the ship was in transport range of the closest penal colony. Through it all the Lieutenant was sure that, no matter how unfortunate the circumstances, in the end she had done the right thing.
****
The captain arranged for a funeral for Jessica. Her body was cremated, the ashes loaded onto a space bot, and with all of the mourners at the funeral watching from a viewing window, the space bot scattered her ashes in the vast, cold, blackness of space.
In the end Jessica died for what she had done during her time as an operative. It didn’t matter that there were those involved and those who were directly on the receiving end of the consequences of those actions who had forgiven, dismissed, found peace with, and excused her actions. Because as they say, it only takes one. One person to be sure they know better. One person to burn hot enough with the hate to destroy that which they found monstrous.
No one understood the depths of anger that consumed the LT. No one had stepped in to stop her before she acted on her rage because there was no one who could fathom that rage. It all became another tragedy for the historians and scholars to ponder and the survivors to mourn.
What happened to Jesscia and her Captain is that it was simply that hate is destructive by its nature. Hate and destruction are easy to embrace. Hate and destruction doesn’t require anything more from a person than to keep believing in the importance, the righteousness, and the absolution of what they already believe. To never question and just continue to believe. For most that absolution of self-righteousness means you can never tolerate those who are different. That for someone to be different is a challenge to yourself and you must meet that challenge with the result of a loser and a winner.
Love however is harder. Love requires you to love yourself even if, and especially if, you are not at your best self. Love requires you to love another who is different. For who they are, as they are, and to always believe in their best self. Which are hard tasks to perform. Love even requires you to acknowledge, to see, to cohabitate with another who is different from yourself simply because you are both people. To be the same even when you are different. Love can conquer all intolerance of differences but only if you truly embrace the love without judgement for yourself and for others. To embrace that we are all humanity, full stop, end of convo. Without unconditional love you only have the half truth of your lies.
The End.
Comentarios