#ppis

Onyx was many things. Rash, vulgar and rude. But the way they held him personally accountable for their demise seemed out of place. What had he done, other than dictate the investigation and present the reports to the court? Onyx seemed to think they had been unfairly prosecuted, that they had done nothing to deserve the charges that were laid against them. But the damage to the ship was undeniable. The lives lost were irrefutable. So what were they implying? That it hadn’t been their fault? That they hadn’t made a fatal mistake that caused one of the largest internal disasters in the history of the Alliance?

Onyx was many things. But they weren’t a liar.

Try as he might, he was unable to ignore the feeling. Which is how he came to be hunched at the poor excuse for a desk in the room, with multiple holo screens, pouring over the hundreds of documents in the Alliance vs Rathbone case. He poured over the transcripts of the trial. He hadn’t been present for all of it. Onyx had represented themselves. A bold choice, though given they were a small business owner, perhaps it was all they could do. He found some of the tapes of Onyx on the stand. Early in the trial their replies had been civil and calm. They’d answered the questions confidently, barely getting flustered as the plaintiffs challenged their qualifications, their knowledge, even the memories they recalled. But as the trial went on, and it started to become clear that Onyx wasn’t going to win this fight, their demeanour shifted into one more familiar to Theo. They became more obstinate, becoming deliberately difficult to cross-examine. Their frustration was clear, they were restless on the stand. They became more vocal, even coming close to being held in contempt when they continued to interrupt the lawyer during their statement.

Onyx had maintained their innocence throughout the trial. Pleading not-guilty, despite being offered a plea deal. The plea deal wouldn’t have saved their reputation, but it would have lessened the punitive damages charged to them.

Why hadn’t they taken the plea deal? He wasn’t familiar with Onyx by any means. But he’d met them enough times to imagine them to be stubborn to the point of stupid. If they had truly felt themselves to be innocent of the charges laid against them, there was no way they would stoop to pleading guilty.

So if they truly were innocent, why had the evidence mounted up against them so clearly? He had coroner’s reports, doctor’s testimonies, and eye witness accounts. The after effects of the accident were clearly documenting and there were no denying them. But there was really only one key piece of evidence that proved that it was as a direct result of Onyx’s work on the ship.

He’d asked a third-party mechanic to look go over Onyx’s work orders and examine the Alliance Starship. He searched for a mechanic that had no particular ties to either the Alliance or Rathbone, to ensure there could be no accusations of bias.

Theo pulled up the report, rubbing at his eyes while it loaded, as though he could push the headache away. He blinked his eyes into focus and pulled the holo a little closer as he carefully read through the report. It was straightforward enough, and he had a working knowledge of astro-engineering which meant he could understand more than what most lay-people might.  The report clearly indicated that there was a critical failure in the magnetic bottle containment field, which had led to an explosion that killed two people who were in close proximity to it, and the remainder of the ship had been exposed to acute levels of radiation. The report was thorough and damning to say the least. This alone would have been enough to condemn Onyx. But Onyx had insisted that the report was wrong.

He shook his head with a sign and scrolled back to the top of the report. He’d read it dozens of times already, but maybe once more would highlight an error or a flaw in the mechanics mathematics. Before he could begin to read the report again though, something else caught his eye. The second holo had brought up the file data. What program they had used, the IP address of the processor the program had run on and, most importantly, the date it had been created on.

14:12:02, 23rd October, 2398 ASDT

Theo’s brows furrowed as peered in closer to it. October. That couldn’t have been correct. He had his request file opened on the third holo. He hadn’t even asked for the third party report until 5th November. So how is it that the mechanic had written this report nearly two weeks prior? Theo’s jaw shifted as he ground his teeth together, churning through the different explanations for the anomaly. But there was one the consistently came to the forefront of his mind.

Cover-up.

Theo sat back in his chair, his heart beating uncomfortably loud in his chest. It could have been an error. Perhaps the mechanic had simply overwritten the report on a document they’d started earlier. Maybe the file data was corrupted.

Theo had spent over half his life with the Alliance. Once it had been his lifeline. Now? Now he knew better. Now he knew what the Alliance were capable of. He knew the lengths they would go to in order to keep their power, to preserve appearances. He knew the kinds of things that they could hide so easily. Framing a small, independent mechanic to hide a bigger government play did not surprise Theo in the least. Unlike Theo, Onyx hadn’t seen it coming.

He closed down the holos and tucked the processor back into his pocket. He undid his vest, as though that would ease the tight feeling in his chest as he began to pace through the small room. He should leave it alone. That much was obvious. There was nothing he could do now. He held no power in the Alliance. He couldn’t undo what had been done. And any attempts to try and uncover whatever it was the Alliance were hiding would likely end up with him imprisoned, or worse. He could only be so lucky.

He should leave it alone.

The next morning, when the simulated dawn finally came to light the hallways of the Genesis station, found Theo walking down them with purpose. He was on his way to ISAT, or Ironscape Astro-Technologies, the address to their office he found easily on the letterhead of the third-party report. It was in the business sector, where a bunch of small rooms were rented out so that small businesses could have a reputable office space in the central zone of the station. A place like ISAT no doubt had a large warehouse further out in the industrial sector, but most people disliked travelling to that part of the station. It was loud and dirty and busy. Not to mention slightly risky, what with all the large machinery and haulers moving about.

Theo stepped into the ISAT office, adjusting his vest as he did so. The room was small and brightly lit. An attempt at décor had been made by painting blue patterns on the white walls and the addition of one lonely plastic plant in the corner of the room. There appeared to be no reception or waiting area, but the room instead opened directly to the main office. A young woman sat behind the desk, one finger paused over their touch screen as they looked up to greet him with a pretty smile.

“Morning, Sir. How can I help you today?” she asked, flicking a few strands of dark braids back over her shoulder. Theo came to a halt in front of the desk, his feet automatically coming beneath his hips, and tucked his hands behind his back.

“I’m looking for a Caesi Tameron,” he answered. The woman smile, standing up behind her desk. She was             very small and barely made it past his elbow.

“Well, you’re in luck. I’m Caesi. And you are?” she stretched across the desk to offer him her hand. Theo hesitated only for a moment before taking it, his hand engulfing her tiny fingers.

“Captain Theo Wolfe,” he said. Technically he had retained his title, even though he had retired from the Alliance. And given the circumstances that had brought him here, he thought he would have a higher chance of success if she thought he was still affiliated with them. Caesi was smart though and he watched her dark eyes scan him up and down, noting the fact that he was not in Alliance uniform, but rather dress in what had become his new uniform of black cargo pants, black tech shirt and his vest.

“Oh? Well, what can I do for you Captain Wolfe?” she asked, gesturing for him to take a seat as she sat down once more. Theo took a deep breath as he took his seat, trying to put the excess energy in his legs to good use. He clasped his hand together in front of him, looking over Caesi slowly.

“I understand that you wrote a report some time ago. You were asked to examine the wreckage of an Alliance Starship and provide evidence as to what had happened, yes?” He watched as Caesi’s cheery customer service façade faltered a little, her eyes narrowing and her smile fading just a fraction.

“That’s correct,” she answered. “Ordered by yourself, I believe.” Theo inclined his head a fraction, indicating that her memory had served her well.

“Indeed. I have some questions around the report that you gave. I was hoping you might be able to answer them,” he said, watching her carefully. Caesi swallowed thickly, reaching out to straighten the mat on her desk, buying herself some time while she considered his request. Theo had no intention of giving her any real choice in the matter however.

“Of course. I understand astro-engineering can sometimes be complicated,” she said, renewing her sweet smile. Theo’s eyes narrowed at her passive aggression. Was it a warning? Was she telling him not to go digging around land mines?

“Indeed, it can be. The concept of dates and time however, are quite simple,” he said. Caesi’s eyes narrowed again, and she looked confused.

“Excuse me?” she asked, tilting her head to the side, a couple of her braids swinging free as she did. Theo took out his hand held and flicked out the holo screen, placing it on the desk between them.

“You’ll see here the request I made to have an independent third party take a look at the Alliance starship in question. Note the date here,” he gestured to the date in the bottom of the document, below his own signature. “And here is the report you presented us.” Theo flicked across to the next document, showing the report on the ISAT letterhead. He glanced back at Caesi. Her olive toned skin had paled to a cold yellow as she stared at the screen.

“I thought that trial was done a long time ago,” she said, pulling her composure back together. Theo fixed her with a hard stare, ignoring her comment and instead flicking open the data points of the document.

“Now, I may not be an astro-engineer such as yourself. But tell me. How is it you came to write a report two weeks before I had even thought to request one for my case?” he asked, not letting her escape from his scrutiny. He watched as Caesi lifted her chin and drew up her shoulders, gathering her bravado around her like a safety blanket.

“I don’t know what you’re implying here, Captain Wolfe. But I think it’s time you left,” she said getting to her feet. It only gave her the slightest height advantage, but she used every inch of it to look down at him. Theo sat for a deliberate moment before slowly standing up, watching the shift as she straightened and shifted, having to look up at him instead.

“I think you know exactly what I’m implying here, Ms Tameron,” he said. “Unless you have an uncanny knack for telling the future, which I rather doubt on account of you seeming quite surprised to see me here, I cannot think any explanation where you come off with nothing to hide.” He saw the muscles in her throat tense as she swallowed thickly.

“I told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, stepping around the desk and walking towards the door, reaching out to open it. “If you don’t mind, I’ve quite a lot of wo-” Theo strode across the tiny office, clearing it in two strides. One hand snapped out, pushing the door closed, even as Caesi tried to hold onto the handle. She looked up at him, eyes wide in shock and he leaned in, pressing his advantage.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, Ms Tameron. But I recently retired from the Alliance. Do you know what that means?” he asked, tilting his head questioningly. Caesi continued to stare up at him, but remained silent, so he continued. “That means that I have all of the tools of the Alliance, and none of the responsibilities.”

“What do you want from me?” Caesi asked, trying to sound fierce but lacking the gusto behind the question. To her credit, she didn’t step back from him, but lifted her chin to stare right back at him.

“The truth, Ms Tameron. I understand that sometimes that it is a high price to pay, but it is the price I demand none-the-less. And unless you want to end up like Mx. Rathbone and the scraps of their business, I suggest you pay it,” Theo said, his brow furrowing, looking down at Caesi like a panther cornering its prey. Caesi snorted, rolling her eyes at him.

“And what, I tell you the truth and you just walk away? No harm, no foul? I never asked to be involved in any of this. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. A gift I never asked for!” she snarled, her sudden fury surprising Theo. Not altogether unexpected, perhaps. A frightened animal is always at its most unpredictable nature. It did make him wonder if Caesi wasn’t the villain, however, but perhaps another victim.

“Yes,” he said, his dark eyes boring into hers, letting his hand fall away from the door. “Caesi, I’m not your enemy here. This is your chance to come clean.” His voice was pitched low, the words grinding out his throat like gravel. Caesi hesitated, her eyes narrowing as she regarded him, her expression heavy with suspicion. But then she sighed, dropping her head and lifting her hands in surrender, taking a step back from him.

“Alright, fine. What do you want to know?” she asked, looking back at him with an arched brow. Theo shifted considering that question for a moment. What did he want to know? That Onyx had been innocent? That he’d unwittingly aided the Alliance in another cover-up?

“Was the report false?” he asked, unable to dance around it. Caesi regarded him for another moment before letting out a long breath, nodding.

“Some of it, yes. There was a failure in the magnetic bottle containment field. But as far as I could see, it wasn’t due to anything Onyx Rathbone did,” she admitted finally. Theo pressed his lips into a thin line, grinding his teeth. So Onyx had been innocent. No wonder they were so full of bitterness and vitriol. He could hardly blame them. He had, after all, reacted in a similar fashion when he’d left the Alliance.

“What was the cause of the failure?” he asked. Caesi shook her head, folding her arms across her chest.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Seriously, I don’t. I got the feeling that I would fair better not knowing,” she added at the look on Theo’s face. “I gave the ship a bit of a look over, so it appeared like I had made my own assessment. Then I handed in the report that was given to me.” Theo frowned, considering them. She appeared to be truthful enough.

“Who gave you the report?” He asked. Caesi shook her head, too soon. She had been expecting the question and she had no intentions of answering it. She appeared to be less truthful now.

“No idea,” she said, lifting her chin defiantly. The back of Theo’s neck prickled hearing the blatant lie, and he stepped forward, his shoulders square and solid as he looked down at her.

“Who gave you the report?” he repeated himself slowly. Caesi shook her head, taking a hasty step back, holding her hands out in front of her, whether in surrender or to keep him at bay.

“No. No way. I’ve already told you too much,” she objected. “Please, if they find out, my business is as good as dead. As will I be,” she said, looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes. Whoever they were, Caesi was terrified of them. Theo took another step forward, pressing his advantage, seeing the weak spot she’d left open for him.

“I can assure you, they aren’t the only ones capable of killing a business,” he said, meeting their eyes, determined, making it clear that he wasn’t leaving without some kind of answers. “Was it the Alliance?” he pressed. Caesi gave him an odd look at that. Accusing the Alliance no doubt seemed counter-productive when he was supposedly a part of them. Perhaps that was why she finally gave him an answer.

“No, it wasn’t anyone from the Alliance. Not exactly. But they might as well be,” she answered. “Please, don’t make me tell you anything more. This is all I have. I can’t lose it.” Theo didn’t move straight away, leaning on his silent intimidation, just to make a point, before finally stepping back. Caesi let out a breath, her shoulders slumping slightly with relief.

“I know of another mechanic who once thought the same,” he said, looking them over slowly, one last time. Caesi’s expression shifted and he was pleased to see some kind of shame on her face. Without another word, he turned and left.

The following day, Theo received a message from the mechanic asking him to come by the workshop. The message was suspiciously lacking any details as to why his presence was required. So it should have come as no surprise when he arrived at the workshop to find a still not-repaired Idalia and a shiny faced, slightly bashful mechanic.

“What do you mean by the shield generator is fried?” Theo asked through gritted teeth. Tobs, a stout man with a shiny red face, wiped his brow with a dirty rag.

“Well, Cap’n Theo. I was tryna remove the busted capacitors, like. And soons I did, the rest of them went up in smoke,” he said with a shrug. Theo could tell he was trying to play it off as though it weren’t a big deal, but given Tobs had asked him here, he was inclined to think maybe that was the case.

“And the port thruster?” he asked, arching a brow. Tobs blew out his cheeks, wringing the rag in his hands as he feigned deep thought. Stalling, Theo figured.

“Ay, right. Well look, I can take a look, like. But you have to understand this ships an olden. There’s only so much that can be done, sir,” he said with a shrug. Theo’s eyes narrowed, but Tobs looked down, picking grease out from beneath his fingernails. It didn’t make them look any cleaner.

“You assured me that you had the skills to make basic repairs,” Theo said, his hands balling into fists behind his back. He could already see where this was going to end up. Tobs looked up at him, pouting his bottom lip out.

“Ay, I said I thought I could get you going, depending on if she had much wrong with her. Turns out, she’s go’ a lot wrong with her, like,” he answered with another shrug. Theo stared at him for a moment, grappling with his temper. There was no point in bullying Tobs into attempting to do the job. Clearly he wasn’t as capable as he had led Theo to believe. In all honesty, he felt he was better off removing the Idalia from his grasp sooner rather than later.

“Fine,” Theo said, grinding the words past his teeth. “I’ll arrange for a tow.” Tobs nodded, slinging the dirty rag over his shoulder.

“Ay, you do that. I’ll send you the invoice,” he said, making as if to turn around.  Theo shifted though, a subtle movement, but enough to make Tobs stop in his tracks.

“Excuse me?” Theo arched a brow. “You’re handing me my ship back more broken than it was when I left her in your care, and you’re charging me for the honour?” Tobs puffed his chest out a little.

“Labour’s charged by hours worked, regardless of the outcome. Said I’d take a look. I did,” he said, narrowing his eyes up at Theo. “An’ I emptied out your radioactive decay chamber.” Theo took a deep breath, but he couldn’t be bothered to enter into an argument with the man. Tobs still worked for the Alliance predominately, and he’d rather keeping flying under their radar for now.

“Fine,” he said, turning on his heel and leaving the workshop without another glance back, his fury settling uncomfortably in his chest. Was he never going to get the Idalia out of Genesis?

Theo knew what he had to do before he’d left Tobs. Perhaps that was part of why his anger was active. The truth of the matter was there really was only one mechanic on Genesis that could work on the Idalia. Just as they had both known. But given how they had last parted ways, what were the odds that Onyx would agree to take the Idalia back?

Given the information he had learned yesterday, perhaps he could forgive some of Onyx’s attitude towards him. Perhaps that was the olive branch they needed to get an uneasy truce between them. He could withstand the insults a little longer, no doubt. And truth be told, if parts were hard to source, then he had no issues with a surcharge. Perhaps calling their bluff was enough to encourage a little more decorum out of them.

There was only one way to find out.

Theo entered the cramped shop front of Onyx’s workshop. Unsurprisingly, Onyx was sitting at the desk there. He assumed they didn’t have any other work on, which worked in his favour for the time being. They were sitting cross legged in their chair, hunched over a complicated mess of circuit boards and wires. They were wearing a pair of large goggles, giving them a distinctly bug-like appearance. They didn’t look up as he approached the desk.

“Rathbone,” he greeted them. Their hands froze over the circuit, holding a fine red wire in a pair of forceps, as though debating whether they should simply continue their business, or stop and address him. Eventually though, they slowly lowered their tools, removed the goggles, and looked up at him, one brow arched. Not exactly a warm welcome back, but Theo hadn’t really been expecting one either. At least they hadn’t ordered him from the premises immediately. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the conversation ahead of him.

“You have misplaced your blame for what happened to you and your business,” he said. Onyx’s other brow twitched up to join the first.

“Ay? What’s given you that impression, then? When it was your hand as signed the paperwork condemning me?” they retaliated, their tone dry as their gaze was cold. Theo reached into his pocket and pulled out his processor drawing out the holo screen of the report and dropping it onto the counter between them.

“I was a captain. I signed many documents. Documents that were prepared by orderlies. I had no reason to believe that the reports that had been given to me, through many chains in command, may have been tampered with,” he said. He watched Onyx’s eyes dropped to the holo screen and saw the corners of their mouth tighten. It changed their whole expression, and they suddenly looked worn, tired. He would have said defeated, but he was sure Onyx was far too stubborn for that.

“I seen the fuckin’ paperwork,” they snapped. “Ya think it makes me feel any better to be thinking that the hand that signed my execution order didn’t even know me?” they said, sitting back as they glared up at him. “You’re the tool of a bureaucracy that couldn’t give two shits about justice.”

“Not anymore,” he said, the words coming out clipped. The fact of the matter was that he was no longer associated with the Alliance. At least not officially or in anyway that mattered. However, their accusation of him not caring about ‘justice’ didn’t ring true. If Onyx really had been innocent, then they were right, and the system had failed them. Just like it had failed him. “I’m no longer in the position to investigate what may or may not have happened during that particular event. However. Despite being retired, I still hold certain renown and influence. I cannot undo the past, but perhaps being seen fixing a retired captain’s ship may go some way to repairing your damaged reputation.” They gritted their teeth, the toothpick clamped between them twitching as they ground it.

“I don’t need your charity,” they snapped. Theo was about to point out that it wasn’t charity, but it was business, which they clearly did need, but he saw their expression shift as they looked down. They were thinking it over. “Get that away from me,” they muttered, pushing the holo back at him. Theo obligingly closed the holo and picked up the processor, placing it back into his pocket, waiting patiently.

“You want me to fix your ship, fine. But you bring it here because you want the best, not because you think it’ll absolve your guilt,” they said finally. It took him a second to recognise it, but he noted that they were speaking with a far more educated tongue than they had been previously. In his experience, people reverted to old habits when stressed or distracted. Why would Onyx be making themselves out to sound less educated than they actually were?

“I have many sins to absolve, but I do not believe your business’ demise is one of them,” he said. Why someone had wanted to sabotage Onyx’s business was beyond him. He had merely been a pawn in their game. “And I would not be back here otherwise. There was a reason I came to you first. I’m merely pointing out the benefits of a symbiotic relationship.” Onyx shot him a dirty look, eyes narrowed.

“I wasn’t the one who walked away, pal,” they said. Theo bit back his reply. He felt they were close to a truce and an agreement. There was no point in arguing with them about that. He watched as they leaned back, their chair creaking under their weight as they ran their hand back through the indigo strands of their hair. Finally they seemed to come to a decision.

“You know where the hanger is,” they said. Theo refrained from sighing in pure relief. Maybe he had half a chance of getting the Idalia out into open space after all. He nodded once, and was about to turn to leave when he paused, remembering their last discussion.

“No tax. If you have trouble sourcing parts, use my name,” he said. His name didn’t hold much, if any, sway with the Alliance anymore. But for the most part, the people of genesis still knew him to be a respectable captain, even if he’d retired. Onyx narrowed their eyes at him, seeming to be tempted to argue, but they must have sense the same offer of truce between them as he had.

“Fine,” they said instead. Don’t call me Rathbone anymore. It’s Onyx or nothing,” they shot back. Theo arched a brow, finding the request a little odd, but he figured it was not his place to wonder why they’d dislike the surname they’d named their own business after.

“Very well,” he said.  “I’ll bring the Idalia round presently.” Onyx picked up their goggles once more, pulling them over their eyes once more, grunting at them.

“Assume you haven’t broke anything new since I last saw?” They asked. Theo grunted in return, clenching his teeth tightly for a moment.

“Well, I haven’t,” he answered shortly. “You may need to source some more capacitators,” he added after a moment. Onyx smirked to themselves as the hunched back over their project.