"R. Garcia Y Robertson - Oxygen Rising" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robertson R Garcia Y)

othersтАФif they want me."

Prosecutors objected, claiming, "It creates conflict of interests for the defense attorney to be a
co-defendant." The prosecutors were Gekkos. Not real ones, who could not tolerate the humid
oxygen-rich atmosphere of the lowlands; instead, they appeared as holograms beamed down from
orbitтАФgrim humanoid bio-constructs, stretched-out versions of Greenies with horny skin, big bald heads,
and barrel chests; bred for dry, low-g, low-oxygen worlds, like Harmoma was before real humans
arrived. The Gekkos suggested, "Have the unindicted human do it."

They meant Derek, who had already refused. Leo turned to look Tammy over, lazily eyeing the
Earthwoman in her worn militia uniform. Disarmed, defeated, but not the least downcast, Tammy looked
calmly back at the SuperCat, not afraid to defend herself, against him, or anyone. Leo liked what he saw,
saying, "Charges against you are dismissed without prejudice. Prosecutors may try to revive them before
another judgeтАФbut not me. Until then, do your best. Since this is your first case, I'm sure the prosecution
will agree to give you leewayтАж" He glanced at the Gekkos.

"Dismissed?" Speed-of-light lag made the hologram prosecutors seem slow and insensitive, as well as
insubstantial. "This human is a dangerous war criminal, responsible for the deaths of thousands of sentient
beingsтАж"

"So you say." Leo yawned, showing off gleaming canines. "But this human was not aboard the strike
craft, and not in the chain-of-command, since Pender gave the launch order himselfтАж"

"And he never held a staff vote," Derek volunteered, though he only had Pender's word on that.

"These are all points to be proven," the Gekkos insisted, outraged at any attempt to shortcut justice.
When Derek's comments arrived, the Gekkos added, "Who is he to talk?"

"You just tried to make him defense attorney," Leo pointed out. Giving another toothy yawn, the
SuperCat told his court, "Case against the defense attorney is dismissed. Intercepts show Pender gave
the launch order, and the strike craft carried it out. This court has neither the time nor patience to prove
things everyone knowsтАФstick to points in dispute."

The Gekkos objected again, but Leo overruled them, then turned back to Tammy, smiling broadly, telling
her, "No Greenie is going to sentence a defenseless female to death anyway. So do your damnedest, and
if you screw up, the court will understand, being amateurs ourselves."

Tammy thanked him and went to consult with her former co-conspirators. When she was done, Leo let
the holos lead off, describing the strike in some detail, time, location, and numbers killedтАФstressing that
most of the dead were infants and females. Then the chief prosecutor went from defendant to defendant,
asking each one what he had done. The pilot tried to take all the responsibility himself, knowing he was
dead, but hoping to save his sons, declaring adamantly, "I alone got the orders, and I alone carried out
the strike."

Nobody much believed the desperate father, but the hologram Gekko happily pocketed the abject
confession, then turned to the weapons officer, asking about the strike craft's armament, getting a
complete description of the Artemis air-to-surface missile, and its antimatter warhead. Then the Gekko
asked, "Did you know there were non-combatants within the kill radius?"

Nodding, the teenager admitted that he did, and that he armed and aimed the missile anyway, adding