"Battle? I thought there was no resistance."

"That's why I made my move. Our instruments showed that they had dropped their defense net, so I thought if I moved quick we could scare them with a little demonstration of firepower and bring this whole revolt to an early close."

"It was already over," Beeker pointed out dryly. "That's why they dropped their defense net."

"But I didn't know that! I just saw the net go down and-"

"And talked the hot-shot pilot on duty into going in on a strafing run. All in the time it took the ship's captain to go to the john."

"It was a simple case of bad communications," the lieutenant grumbled, avoiding his comrade's eyes. "How mad can they be? We deliberately aimed at property and not people, so no one got hurt."

Beeker stared innocently at the ceiling.

"I'm told the property damage was in excess of ten million credits..."

"Hey. I told them I'd..."

"... and that you shot their flag to shreds while it was flying over the ceremony... "

"Well, it was..."

"... and of course, shooting up the ambassador's private space yacht was unwise at best. That's our ambassador..."

"They didn't have their ID beacon on!"

"Possibly because there was a cease-fire on."

"But... Oh, damn it all, anyway!"

The lieutenant ceased his struggles and his pacing and sank wearily into the couch opposite Beeker.

"What do you think they'll do to me, Beek?"

"At the risk of sounding disloyal sir," the butler said, picking up his reader again, "I frankly don't envy them that decision. "

As the court-martial involved a junior officer, Legion rules only required three officers to try the case. An air of discomfort seemed to hang over the deliberations, however, mostly due to the senior officer present.

It was said that everyone in the Legion had three names: the one he was born with, the one he chose when he joined the Legion, and the one he deserved. Though the records showed the second, most were known by the third, the nickname they acquired through their personality and actions while enlisted, though few officers formally acknowledged what the lower ranks called them.