Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)(16)
Like I said, back to work. My group leader has no idea how much I want to know what might really be going on. And I’m going to find out.
INCEPT: 07/22/75
WITNESS IDENT: Ezra Mason (UTN-966-330ad)
RANK: Second Lieutenant
CALLSIGN: N/A
COMMANDING OFFICER: David Torrence (UTN-951-787ad)
RANK: General
CALLSIGN: Dozer
—TRANSCRIPT PAGE 5—
DT: Lieutenant Mason, what was your initial reaction when Echo Group was ordered to attack shuttle group Osprey?
EM: Sir?
DT: What did you do when the Alexander ordered you to open fire on the Copernicus shuttles?
EM: I didn’t do anything. I was waiting for my CO to confirm the order.
DT: Your Commanding Officer being Major Eli Hawking.
EM: Yes, sir. Prophet.
DT: And did Major Hawking confirm the Alexander’s command and order Echo Group to engage and destroy the shuttle group?
EM: (inaudible)
DT: I beg your pardon, Lieutenant?
EM: (inaudible)
DT: Lieutenant, you are accused of disobeying a direct order in a time of war. Do I need to explain the severity of this situation to you? The penalty you will face if this court finds you guilty?
EM: You have the communications logs, what do you need me to—
DT: Lieutenant Mason, you will answer all questions addressed to you, or this court will find your prettyboy ass in contempt.
EM: … No. Prophet didn’t confirm the order. Sir.
DT: What did Major Hawk—
EM: We’d just watched the Alexander murder over two thousand civilians for no good reason, what the hell was Prophet supposed to do?
(slamming noise)
DT: Lieutenant Mason, you might be fresh meat from some pitdigger shithole, but that’s still a goddamn UTA sigil on your collar. One more outburst and I will rip out your eyeballs and skullf*ck you so hard you’ll wish your momma told your daddy she had a headache the night you got loaded into the launch tube.
EM: My father is dead, sir. He died at Kerenza. Sir.
DT: (inaudible)
EM: Sir?
DT: Listen, son, I know you’re conscript-material. I know you didn’t join the UTA willingly and I know you don’t want to be here. …
EM: No sir, I’m happy to help out, sir. Alexander saved us at Kerenza. And I want to help. I really do. What I don’t understand is why you fought so hard to save us, only to X-out the Copernicus near six months into the retreat.
DT: This is not a retreat, Mason.
EM: Can we tell that to the BeiTech dreadnought chasing us?
DT: This is a tactical withdrawal, Lieutenant.
EM: Yes, sir. Apologies, sir.
DT: Are you ready to start answering my questions now, Lieutenant? Or do I get the MPs to warm you a seat in the hole?
EM: (inaudible)
DT: Lieutenant?
EM: Ready, sir.
DT: What did Major Hawking do when Alexander ordered Echo Group to engage and destroy the Copernicus shuttles?
EM: He asked for confirmation from you.
DT: He refused the order.
EM: He wanted confirmation from a human. He’d just watched AIDAN nuke the Copernicus.
DT: How did you know it was the artificial intelligence that ordered the strike on Copernicus, Lieutenant?
EM: Because it was the AI talking to us. Prophet tried to raise you on comms and AIDAN told him it was unable to comply.
DT: And so, instead of following orders, Major Hawking decided to tow the shuttles into the Alexander’s hangar bay. Despite repeated warnings of an Alpha Zero pathogen aboard those ships.
EM: He didn’t …
DT: Lieutenant?
EM: The Major didn’t escort the shuttles right away. He spoke to Dreadnought—
DT: First Lieutenant Alvaranga.
EM: Yes, sir. He spoke to her and the CO of Delta Group. Delta got scrambled when the Copernicus was nuked. They talked it over. And all the while, AIDAN was just screaming at us to engage and destroy. We had no comms on those shuttles. The EMP from the blast had knocked out their systems, and they were floating helpless. But they were close enough at that point for us to see the people inside. I saw this little girl in one of the viewports, she couldn’t have been more than ten—
DT: Who made the final decision to tow the shuttles onto Alexander?
EM: You know the answer to that, sir. You have the communications logs.
DT: I am asking you, Lieutenant.
EM: You want me to feed Prophet and Dreadnought to the wolves.
DT: I want your version of events, Lieutenant Mason. I’m not going to warn you again.
EM: There were innocent people on board those ships. We could see them. Prophet and Dreadnought made the right call.
DT: So it was Major Hawking and First Lieutenant Alvaranga who made the decision?
EM: …
DT: Lieutenant?
EM: I don’t recall, sir.
DT: I beg your pardon?
EM: I don’t remember. Everything happened too fast.
DT: You are on thin f*cking ice, Lieutenant …
EM: I’m sorry, sir. I don’t remember. You want to brig me for that, do it. I’ll sleep easier in the hole than I will on thirty pieces of f*cking silver.
McNulty, J, Sgt: jus saw you head back to your rack wut news chum
McNulty, J, Sgt: chum
McNulty, J, Sgt: mason
McNulty, J, Sgt: ezramaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssosooonISrnbopNRb[on erb