Ran, p.12
RAN, page 12
Two days later, Boszut placed another untraceable call to Arclando. Following a predictable wait, Arclando spoke.
“This is Leader Bopr Arclando. You are Spajo Boszut, I presume.”
“Leader Arclando, I am prepared to present myself to you personally under the following conditions. First, I will present myself unarmed at the Capitol entrance, where I expect to be searched for weapons. Other than weapons, the contents of my pockets will be left alone. Second, when your security people announce my arrival, you will publicly proclaim amnesty for all resistance members without conditions. Third, your security people will escort me to your office, but will not touch me or manhandle me in any way. Fourth, when I enter your office, I will surrender to you personally, signaling the end of the resistance.
“Are these terms acceptable to you, Sir?”
For the plan to work, Boszut had to enter Arclando’s office unshackled with access to the E-disk and hyper-disk sewn inside his clothing.
Following a pause, Arclando said, “I accept your terms.”
Boszut drew a deep breath. “I will present myself at the Capitol in three days at noon.”
“I present myself in three days at noon at the Capitol,” Boszut told Thorpe by Link. “I have someone with a hyper-disk at every significant Ceffidia government office and the main military stations. I will put EMD armed people in the hub and several people to direct traffic. Have I left anything out?”
“You’ve covered it. Mother calculated the odds for events when you enter Arclando’s office. Mother says there is a fifteen percent chance he will talk with you, a ten percent chance he will shackle you, and a seventy-five percent chance he will kill you.”
“What?”
“That’s why you are wearing a Link and making a continuous backup. Here, I’ll step in to maintain the status quo while we rejuvenate you and put you back in play.”
“I guess I didn’t really think my way through this,” Boszut said with a hiss. “You’re certain the rejuvenation process works?”
“I’ve been through it several times personally,” Thorpe answered. “On the grand scale, we have done it several billion times back in the Solar System and here on Andromeda. You need not fear the process.”
Boszut took a comfortable chair in the resistance headquarters and gave the matter some thought. I think I understand bravery. I have witnessed bravery in many of my lizards—several sacrificing their lives. I lead because my lizards see me as brave and are willing to follow. I never set out to be brave, I’ve only done what seemed necessary. Perhaps that’s all bravery is—doing what has to be done. Thorpe says I have one hundred percent survival odds. It still seems like twenty-five percent to me, but I guess, he sighed deeply while his scales rippled light red, it’s something I gotta do.
On the appointed day and time, Boszut presented himself at the Capitol entrance. The building was a massive tiered concrete structure veneered with pale red sandstone. It gave the viewer a sense of permanent massive power. Arclando had it built in his first year as Leader. The entrance was thirty meters of bullet-proof glass with nine double glass doors that opened automatically upon approach. Tough-looking armed lizards guarded both sides of the glass entrance.
Boszut approached the glass doors with a confident stride, but feeling less certain inside than what he projected. He walked past the guards, through the door into the atrium, and stopped as two burly guards approached him.
“Hands where I can see them,” one guard ordered.
Boszut complied. They searched him thoroughly.
“What’s this,” a guard asked, pointing to his wrist-mounted Link.
“Just my watch,” Boszut said.
“Fancy,” the guard said. “Leading the resistance must pay well.”
Two plain-clothed security people approached them. “We’ll take him from here,” one said.
The speaker led, the other followed. “Stay between us,” the guard in front said. They didn’t touch him.
Boszut remained between them with hands in his trouser pockets while he worked the specially designed small hyper-disk through a seam into his left hand. They passed two armed guards and entered a specially designated elevator, where his guards placed him between them against the back wall.
The elevator took them straight to the top level of the massive building. The wide doors, flanked by two armed guards, opened into Arclando’s office. Two more armed guards occupied the corners behind Arclando’s desk. As he crossed the threshold, Boszut activated the hyper-disk and dropped it through a hole in his pocket. It slid down his pants leg onto the lush carpet. Boszut flicked it under a chair with his toe, where its internal camouflage mechanism caused it to become nearly invisible. Its design allowed it to be activated without showing a portal until it received a command from the other end.
“So,” said Arclando, “you are the infamous Spajo Boszut, the resistance leader who has plagued my life for so long.” He gestured to his guards. “Shoot him!”
Phoenix Starship Andromeda—Hovering Invisibly in Nullspace Beyond Lodan, Rejuvenation Lab
Spajo Boszut opened his eyes and cautiously looked around. He distinctly remembered Arclando say, “Shoot him!” And now he lay here with no conscious perception of time passing between the two events. Doc Gregory Dobson hovered over him.
“Spajo…Spajo, can you hear me?” Dobson asked.
His scales flashing yellow with momentary irritation and then back to green, Boszut said, “I hear you, Doc, I hear you fine.”
“Listen, Spajo, Thorpe and Kenred are here with me. We created your new body before you entered Arclando’s office, because the odds were very much in favor of your getting shot. The moment you arrived here, we downloaded your essence into your new body.”
“How long ago was I shot?”
“Three minutes,” Thorpe said. “We need to return immediately to gain control of the situation. Follow me.”
They stepped through a portal into Thorpe’s office.
“How many armed guards are there?” Thorpe asked.
“Four. One on each side of the elevator doors and two in the opposite corners, behind Arclando’s desk.”
Thorpe handed him an EMD pistol set to stun and gave him instructions. “Can you do that?” Thorpe asked.
“Piece of cake,” Boszut responded.
Ceffid Leader Bopr Arclando’s Office—Ceffidia, Ceffid, Planet Arcan
Thorpe and Boszut walked to the portal side by side, weapons drawn.
“Activate,” Thorpe said, giving the signal that opened the already activated portal. They walked through.
Boszut immediately dropped to the floor, taking out the corner guard as he fell. Then he twisted and took out the closest elevator guard. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Thorpe do the same on his side. He sat up in time to see Arclando draw his sidearm. Boszut struck his chest with a bolt from his EMD, and the Leader dropped to the floor. It was over in fifteen seconds.
“Are you alright?” Thorpe asked.
“I am, but the Leader is down for the count.” Boszut got to his feet. “I need to check the status of my people.”
“Before that, you need to neutralize General Sudajos. Can you locate him?”
Boszut got on his new comm circuit. “This is Boszut. I have control of Arclando. I need to know the location of General Sudajos.”
One of his lieutenants answered, “I’ve got him sedated in the Ops Center, along with most of his operational staff. We’re three floors below you.”
“Take him to the Ceffid Hub. Someone will meet you there with further instructions.” On open circuit, Boszut said, “Give me your status by the numbers—Okay for accomplished, Partial for less than accomplished, and Not for failure.”
He listened to their responses, checking them off on a mental list. He got ninety-five Okays, three Partials, and two Nots. The Partials were remote and involved one or more people escaping from the point of control. The Nots were at two southern military posts where the partisan made the operational decision to take no action because of what was happening at the post. None of the five incomplete operations affected the general operation. Boszut turned to Thorpe.
“We have operational control of the government and the military. The only things we don’t control are the navy ships. That is one of the first things we will address.”
Boszut sat down in Arclando’s chair behind his desk and drew in a deep breath. We’ve pulled it off, he thought. Ceffid is free, but we have to consolidate our victory.
“Thorpe,” Boszut said, “I need to speak with Dale. He can assist me to broadcast our accomplishment to the country.”
Thorpe called Dale, who entered the office shortly thereafter.
“Congratulations, Buddy,” Dale said to Boszut, “you did it!”
“Not Buddy anymore,” Thorpe chuckled, “it’s Mr. President.”
It took about an hour before Dale returned to the president’s office.
“We’re ready to go, Mr. President.”
“Knock it off, Dale. I’m your friend, Spajo, and that’s what you’ll call me unless protocol dictates something else for a specific situation.” Boszut’s scales rippled pale blue.
“Right…Spajo, but with you in that chair, things really have changed.” Dale grinned at him. “These three cameras will record you live. My techs on Andromeda will select which image to broadcast at any moment. We have usurped Ceffid’s optical broadcast and cable system. Your message will appear on every screen in the nation. Just tell me when you are ready to start.”
Boszut had prepared for this moment ever since he joined the resistance as a young lizard barely out of his teens. He needed no prepared statement. He was ready to go.
Boszut placed his forearms on the desk, folded his hands, and nodded to Dale. Dale grinned and slashed his arm down.
“My fellow countrymen,” Boszut began, “my name is Spajo Boszut. I have led the resistance movement in Ceffid for the past several years. This morning, my people seized control of Leader Arclando’s government, his secret police, and the military. Bopr Arclando and General Garkid Sudajos, and other senior members of Arclando’s government, are in custody awaiting trial. I have assumed the title of President, pending open and free elections we will hold as soon as possible. As part of that election, you will select representatives who will write a new constitution that will become the basis for law in our country. During the next few weeks, we will look closely at every part of our country, especially the police and courts. We will remove anyone not willing to swear allegiance to our new representative government. As citizens, please continue to obey the law and carry on your lives as you have. Thank you very much.”
Although Boszut could not know it, in bars and taverns across the country, people lifted glasses toasting the new president, cheering, and wishing the new government well.
Boszut turned to Dale. “I need to address the military. Please adjust the broadcast so it includes only military receivers.”
Shortly, Dale indicated the setup was ready and dropped his arm again. For military viewers, the broadcast would appear to have been continuous.
“Now I address the military, and specifically our navy warships. The resistance has assumed command of every aspect of the military. Every senior military position has either a senior resistance member in charge or a cooperating senior officer. Within twenty-four hours, every warship commanding officer must swear allegiance to Ceffid’s new government or be relieved from command. Affirmation documents are being sent to you electronically. You must complete and return them by the deadline. When our new constitution is written, the military’s role in our society will be fully spelled out. No matter what form it takes, one thing is certain. Elected civilians will control the military. In the meantime, carry on, but be sensitive to changes coming down the pike.”
Capitol Building—Ceffidia, Ceffid, Planet Arcan
The assembly hall was spacious with tiered seating for a thousand people; every seat was occupied. A modified judge’s courtroom bench dominated the platform that stretched the width of the hall. The Chief Judge’s seat was raised above the other twelve seats, six on each side. A wood desktop ran the length of the bench. Each station, including the raised station of the Chief Judge, had a computer monitor and a microphone.
On the left side of the Judges’ Bench, as seen from the bench, an enclosed witness stand of polished wood sat on the auditorium floor. A set of steps led to a waist-high door and a raised platform. The stand had a microphone, but no seating. The prosecutor’s stand, opposite the witness stand, was similar, but had seating and a built-in desktop. Like the Judges’ Bench, the prosecutor’s desktop had a computer monitor and a microphone. In the center, on the floor in front of the Chief Judge’s seat, stood the accused dock. Like the witness stand, it was polished wood with steps leading to an internal raised platform. Above a waist-high wall, bullet-proof glass enclosed the entire dock, including the top. The dock had a microphone, but no seating.
A hushed murmur rose from the seated crowd as it awaited the tribunal commencement. Spajo Boszut passed through the curtains stage left dressed in normal business attire and mounted the steps to the Chief Judge’s seat. The crowd burst out in spontaneous applause. Boszut raised his hands.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice amplified throughout the hall, “but please maintain a quiet, respectful attitude. I ask for no further outbursts or demonstrations of approval or disapproval. This is a solemn occasion that is being broadcast throughout the nation and recorded for posterity. Let history know that we, the people of Ceffid, gathered to administer fair and impartial justice to those individuals brought before this tribunal today and the days following.”
Unobtrusive holocams strategically placed in the hall recorded the session. In every bar and tavern throughout Ceffid, Arcans crowded around video receivers to watch the proceedings. In every home that could afford a receiver, it was tuned in to the proceeding. Even in Amred, as many people as possible watched the tribunal proceedings. In Andromeda’s main auditorium, a life-size holoimage of the proceedings played out live to a fascinated audience.
As Boszut took the Chief Judge’s seat, twelve individuals wearing business attire approached the bench and took their seats. Boszut’s six most senior lieutenants sat to his right. Six citizens chosen by lot from a pool of volunteers sat to his left. The resistance members would remain for the entire tribunal. The citizens would change out for each new defendant, so that as many volunteers as possible could participate as judges in the tribunal.
A side door opened, and the prosecutor crossed the floor to the prosecutor’s stand. He was dressed in business attire and carried a sheaf of documents. Boszut called the tribunal to order.
“We are here to sit in judgment over senior members of the Arclando dictatorship, including several high-ranking military officers. In compliance with our nation’s long legal tradition, except the time of Arclando’s dictatorship, each accused will hear the charges, examine the evidence, listen to witnesses and may cross-examine, and may present impeaching witnesses and evidence. In the end, we eleven judges will decide on the truth of each accusation and will impose sentence. There is no appeal of the verdict from this panel. Sentence will be carried out immediately.” Boszut sat quietly following his presentation, hands folded on the desk in front of him. After a full minute, during which each judge assumed a similar stance, Boszut commenced the proceedings.
“Bring the accused Bopr Arclando to the dock.”
A uniformed marshal brought the former dictator forward. The large Arcan held his shackled hands at his waist and shuffled because his feet were shackled with a short chain. He held his head high in arrogant disdain for the procedure. He mounted the steps to the dock and the waist-high door was locked behind him. Bullet-proof glass protected him on all sides. A quiet hissing rose from the crowd as Arclando took the dock. Boszut raised his hand to stop it.
The prosecutor, who was a former district judge widely known for his fairness and adherence to the law, began. “Bopr Arclando, you are accused of crimes against lizardkind, crimes against Arcan, crimes against Ceffid, high treason, sedition, rebellion, murder, extortion, bribery, and theft of public property and monies. Should other crimes be disclosed during this proceeding, they will be added to the indictment.”
Boszut, as Chief Judge, asked, “How do you plead?”
Shouting into the mike, his scales bright orange, Arclando bellowed, “I am the rightful leader of Ceffid. I do not recognize the jurisdiction of this fool’s tribunal. I demand to be released and returned to my rightful rule!” He slammed a fist into the glass barrier. The crowd hissed in response.
Boszut lifted a hand. “I enter a plea of not guilty on all counts for the defendant.”
The prosecutor meticulously laid out each count, supplying the tribunal with evidence and witnesses to corroborate every detail. When he called the first witness, Arclando hissed and bellowed, slammed his shackled fists against the glass, and threatened the witness, the witness’s family, and even the witness’s house lizard.
After the first intimidating outburst against a witness, Boszut said to Arclando, “You will be silent during a witness’s testimony. You will refrain from threatening the witness or anyone else here. If you fail to comply, I will have you bound and gagged.”
When Arclando verbally attacked the second witness, Boszut ordered him bound and gagged. Arclando was so large, however, that the marshals, who were resistance members, could not subdue him. Boszut ordered the senior marshal to stun Arclando at low power with his EMD. The marshal complied, and Arclando collapsed on the dock platform. The marshals bound his arms to his waist in addition to the shackles already around his wrists and tied each leg to an eyebolt in the dock floor. They stuffed a rubber ball into his mouth, held in place with a strap around his head. While this took place, several judges and audience members took short refreshment breaks.
