Starlight Gleaming Ch. 22

The main difference at High Guard was we had the Protection Order in place; the word Unit being dropped because the Protection Order was in force across the entire war base, courtesy of the Commandant, General Rikoletsi. General Ulee'ar's attempt to intimidate Lieutenant Hanti into giving him sex was a direct violation of written orders, and a flagrant disrespect of the Commandant's authority. More importantly, that written order was officially supported by Lord Bantochi, the Air Marshal; by Lord Paritchul, the Ground Marshal; and as well had the tacit support from Lord Wanitsl, the War Minister; it was only old guard within High Command that were opposed to the changes brought by the Protection Order, grousing about the loss of their male privilege.

Pointedly, the Emperor himself had neither commented on nor taken an official position about the Protection Order. Regardless of whatever happened to General Ulee'ar at High Guard, I suspect the Air Marshal would not let the opportunity to express his own displeasure pass without weighing in on the matter.

Toomie was quickly hauled off, and rather than free his legs so he could walk under his own power, two enterprising troopers found a pole and some rope and carried him out of the building like hunters lugging home a stag they'd killed. Toomie's muffled protests and ineffectual struggles were soon lost amid the catcalls and laughter of the servicemen watching the spectacle; it was evident that Toomie had used the general's rank to abuse his peers, thereby burning his own bridges.

Both Pen and Doyya arrived at the Air Service C&C at about the same time as General Barankoshto made an appearance. When she asked me what happened, I instructed Haytam to replay my official statement. While the general and my two Watch Commanders listened, I stopped my phone's recording, and sent the file to Haytam and to my work email account.

General Ulee'ar demanded to be heard and released, and slipped when he started to say something about women not knowing their place, but a scathing glare from General Barankoshto as well as the furious faces of her four guards silenced him.

General Barankoshto saw the blood stain on the back of my torn shirt and ordered me to uncover, so I did. Tall Pine showed the statue within the evidence bag, an eagle, with a bit of blood smeared on one corner of its base. Haytam took a picture of the injury before the medico-trooper treated it. General Barankoshto ordered that General Ulee'ar had his bloody nose attended to on the pretext that she didn't want him dripping blood everywhere.

Hanti was just waking up, and after being checked out, said she felt well enough to answer some questions. Though to her embarrassment, she'd pissed her pants. Ground Security was ordered to drive her to where she could wash and get into a fresh uniform, and then take her to the Commandant's Office for an official interview.

Under normal weather, we could have walked, but the rain was still coming down in sheets, so rather than get soaked, we drove.

As all five of the troopers with me had been hit with two to three stuns in quick succession, including my own guards, they were taken to the hospital for observation.

Doyya assigned Haytam and Tall Pine as my replacement bodyguards, and called Dispatch as to their change in status. Pen, who was still on duty, returned to Air Security amid Doyya's assurances that she'd keep him apprised.

"Thanks for minding the details, Captain," I told her with a smile.

She smiled back. "I'm your Second. It's all part of the service."

I chuckled.

After General Ulee'ar's office was locked, I gave the key to Doyya; normally I would have kept it, but I was involved, it seemed appropriate that the key be held by someone not involved with the situation.

At War Base C&C, besides the Commandant and General Barankoshto, there were two JAG attorneys present, one from the Ground Service and one from the Air Service. General Ulee'ar was sequestered in a conference room under guard. His restraints were not removed, despite his insistence that he be given the courtesy. General Barankoshto ordered him secured to his chair and he was left to rant alone. Per protocol, he was recorded in case he said something of interest, and a security trooper monitored him.

A copy of my oral statement had been forwarded to General Barankoshto, along with my phone recording. Both were quickly transcribed by software, and Sergeant Bomar, the Commandant's admin, printed them up. After verifying the texts, I signed both statements, he stamped and dated them, scanned then, then handed the original documents to the Commandant. Most of it was duplicated, but my recording started earlier than Haytam's. A copy of Hanti's Quarterly Performance Review and my rebuttal was printed up and also entered into the record.

Haytam played my oral statement, and connecting her tablet to a media center, displayed the photos she'd taken, and gave her assessment, asserting that she found no evidence to dispute my version of events. She forwarded the files to the Commandant, and he thanked her for her candor and she was dismissed to wait outside.

When Hanti arrived, she was ushered in and her statement of events was taken down. She swore on her honor that despite the Protection Order, General Ulee'ar had given her an ultimatum to suck his cock. She had refused outright, citing the Protection Order from the Commandant, who outranked General Ulee'ar, then adding that as a noblewoman and follower of Huitzilopochtli, patron god of the Air Service, it was beneath her to violate official temple doctrine to engage in oral sex, that doing so was a sin.

Hanti said that she not only refused based on the Protection Order, she admitted that she might have provoked him.

The Commandant asked, "Oh? Please explain, Lieutenant."

"I told him I'd rather fuck a tapir, sir."

The surprise was the snort of amusement that escaped from General Barankoshto, who quickly covered her mouth.

Janetta uses the phrase "tapir's prick" all the time, and it's plainly used in derision. If you've ever seen a tapir's prick, it swells to almost eighteen inches with a spade-like helmet at the tip that flounders around comically, often missing the targeted orifice when the male attempts to mount and inseminate the female, making repeated attempts necessary before the male finally connects.

General Rikoletsi smiled as he said, "Yes, I could see how that comparison might incite the general's temper. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that General Ulee'ar was still attempting to violate my written order, despite your repeated warnings to him."

When questioned about being struck, she was asked to uncover, and she dutifully removed her shirt and bra, turning around to show her back. Three welts were clearly visible. A superior officer could either bring charges or administer punishment directly, but as mentioned before, Lieutenant Hanti worked in a non-combat role, and she was a noblewoman. Because General Ulee'ar had struck her for refusing to disobey an order from his own superior officer, his actions clearly became insubordination combined with assault with intent to injure and were actionable.

Once she was covered, Hanti also presented the paper that General Ulee'ar wanted her to sign, which was also damning. After recovering from being stunned, she'd had the foresight to snatch it up and bring it along.

After giving her testimony, she was thanked and told to wait outside.

Then troopers escorted General Ulee'ar into the office and he was given the opportunity to present his side of events.

Interestingly, General Ulee'ar spent a lot of time talking about the fact that I had written an extensive critique of his Performance Review of Hanti, asserting that she "must be putting out for me." When he was asked about striking her with his riding crop, he said he had done so because he was convinced she was lying about not having an affair with me, and that she had denied knowing anything about my critique of his Review.

The Commandant said, "So you admit you struck Lieutenant Hanti, a noblewoman and non-combatant officer?"

After listening to him bluster a bit, the Commandant cut him off with a demand, "Did you or did you not demand she provide you sex? And when she refused, you demanded she suck your cock, which she also refused. Both of those requests violate the Protection Order, which I signed and you were duly notified of and confirmed you understood when you arrived at High Guard."

General Ulee'ar snarled, saying we were fabricating evidence, then demanded to know why Doyya was present, and inferred that Doyya was servicing me as well.

The Commandant snapped back with, "Captain Lovyanchiti's reputation and actions are not under consideration. Yours are! She is Commander Kandikan's Second at Air Security, and has often acted as CO in his stead, and she is therefore entitled to be present. Among the issues that are not in dispute are the fact you struck an Air Security officer not once, but twice, both times drawing blood, and the second time while his back was to you. The fact that you were armed and he still managed to subdue you tells me you should be exceedingly grateful that High Command forbids duels between flag and field officers, because at this moment, I'm tempted to call the War Minister and beg for an exemption to that rule."

General Ulee'ar shot back, "Well, since you are all bent on railroading me, why isn't there a third flag officer present?"

The Commandant snarled back, "I already have enough shit on my plate, no thanks to you. Ever since you arrived at High Guard, you keep distracting me with puerile nonsense that adversely affects the careers of the women under your command, people who were doing their jobs for the Empire before you singled them out. In marked contrast, Commander Kandikan and his team have not only rebuilt the 602 Air Security regiment from the ground up, they have done wonders at rebuilding the morale at High Guard itself, which had been allowed to founder under my predecessor. If you insist on having three flag officers to preside over this case, I can have Admiral Tokmari set aside his attention from critical Imperial fleet operations so we can have an official court martial! With the evidence here, it would be my pleasure to officially end your career! You know what that would mean, Ulee'ar! A dishonorable discharge means no pension! Guards! Take him away while I figure out what can be salvaged out of this mess."

Captain Arkom, the Air Service JAG rep, covered his face and looked askance at General Ulee'ar. Captain Kilfoor, the Ground Service JAG officer, just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

After the guards departed with their noisy prisoner, the Commandant leaned forward and rubbed his temples for a moment. "What are your impressions, Commander?"

"Well, I'm curious as to how General Ulee'ar knew about my rebuttal to his biased review. Not that I was trying to hide it, but the only places I sent copies late yesterday afternoon were to Lieutenant Hanti, since it directly involved her, with courtesy copies to HR and General Barankoshto. This tells me he has someone working for him in HR, feeding him information, and he took my critique of his biased Review personally, and immediately tried to force Hanti into ending her career."

At that moment, the voice-to-text software finished transcribing Hanti's statement, and she was asked to return to review and sign it, which she did. Sergeant Bomar stamped it, counter-signed as witness, scanned it, and gave the original to the Commandant. He thanked Lieutenant Hanti and after being assured she would learn the result of the current charges, she was dismissed.

Similarly, the JAG officers were dismissed until the Commandant came to a decision.

Then it was just the four of us - the Commandant, General Barankoshto, Doyya, and myself.

The Commandant sat back in his chair. "Commander Kandikan, as much as it would please me to watch you take him apart in the ring, there is no way you are going to be allowed to duel him for his assault on you. You were clearly in the right by stepping in to protect Lieutenant Hanti. The fact that you are Air Security and he attacked you will directly affect his future chances of promotion. Because he is a general, there are limitations on what can be done. What do you, personally, want to see happen?"

I nodded. "First off, I want him permanently barred from ever doing another performance evaluation for anyone, whether man or woman, in any capacity, full stop. He gushes over the qualities of the men and is scathing for the women, regardless of the person's prior reviews. Whenever I've become aware of it, I've kept General Barankoshto in the loop as to what's been happening. I've also been aware - and grateful - that she's been making it easy for these women being unfairly persecuted to transfer to the Ground Service to get away from him and avoid being forced to exit the military.

"Second, his actions are not serving the interests of the Empire at High Guard. Frankly, unless there's an opening at Southern Star War Base, I hate to inflict him on any other installation. Wherever he goes, if he ends up taking a rowboat by way of Afrika first, I would be okay with that."

General Barankoshto chuckled. "As in letting him experience fighting the warrior women of Ashoka? They castrate all their male prisoners. That's oddly sadistic, Commander, yet somehow apt at the same time."

Amused, the Commandant shook his head, then gazed thoughtfully at me. "I was told not to tell you this, but I think at this point, both you and your Second deserve to know. Part of the War Minister's support of this Protection Order at High Guard was to see if it would really work. Ulee'ar's bias was known. Indeed, part of why he was selected to command the Air Service here was to see how well both he and we responded to the situation. Would he abide by the orders or not? Well, he clearly is insubordinate to higher authority, and I will report such on his permanent record. I will also note that he attempted to murder you while your back was turned, and I will note such is the act of a coward. His own performance here has been lackluster at best.

"But aside from a few diehards, who have been either transferred to other war bases or been exited from military service, the Protection Order has been well-received. If a year after my written order was issued morale has continued to improve and violent incidents continue to remain low, there's a good chance the War Minister will order other War Bases to adopt the same restriction. We are already at the mid-point." He paused a moment, then added, "I'm not sure how she became aware of it, but I recall until recently, your wife, Lady Ocotépan worked for the Empress. What exactly was her role? Do you know?"

"She served the Empress as a data analyst," I replied.

"Hmm, yes, that makes sense. As I understand it, your wife is on sabbatical, but officially still works for the Empress. Is that your understanding, Commander?"

"We... haven't discussed it, but yes, sir, I believe that's the current situation," I replied. "I'm sure she would answer if you called and needed to know her status."

The Commandant nodded. "I might do that later, but it doesn't affect my decision at this moment. What you both need to know is that the Protection Order and High Guard are viewed as an important experiment by Her Imperial Highness, Empress Chaya. She has informed both me and the War Minister that this social experiment has her full support."

He paused a moment, sighed, then continued. "What you should know, Commander, was before you issued your first Protection Order as a Senior Lieutenant - and I'm not meaning to imply any disloyalty on your part - but even if you joined one of the temples and moved up within their ranks, your ascension to flag rank was always remote because of prejudice due to your Vedan origin. General Barankoshto and I feel that with a few years' experience at your current grade, you would make an excellent flag officer, but unfortunately, far too many others at High Command do not share our opinion.

"Because of your involvement with the Protection Order, unless the Emperor himself directly intervenes, combined with the Vedan prejudice, you will never rise above the rank you hold right now. Personally, I wish I had a dozen more men like you. I need to ask you, are you okay with knowing that? Will it make a difference as to whether you stay in the Air Service? Are these social changes worth the cost of advancing in your career?"

"Absolutely," I answered. "If capping my career is the price for helping the women who fight against the Empire's enemies receive a fair shake, I consider it well worth the cost. The Empire is in serious danger from our rivals - Atlantis and the Aesir-Vedan Alliance. If the Empire is to survive, we need our men and women working together, both in and out of uniform. Llam nuqan or 'we work together' isn't just a catchy phrase, it's a fundamental core belief that I believe the Empire needs to embrace, and it's based on men and women respecting each other. Depending on men alone to defend the Empire isn't viable, and hasn't been for years now. We just don't have the numbers to make it work. Together, we are stronger. Even the Atlanteans see the need to improve the rights and conditions of their women in uniform because they're making changes, too."

General Barankoshto nodded as she stared at me. "He's right, sir."

Then she wiped at her eyes.

Concerned, the Commandant said, "General... Adjanta, are you okay?"

"Sir, we've been friends - I daresay, good friends - for over fifteen years. I need to say something." She took a steadying breath before returning her focus to the Commandant, General Rikoletsi. "When you made the Protection Order effective across all of High Guard, I was fine until I got home that night. In the privacy of my own quarters, I cried. I couldn't help myself, and worse, I couldn't stop, and it went on for hours. It was mostly a mix of relief and joy. but also remembering all the past hurts I'd been forced to endure, knowing there was a chance those who came after me and those of this generation would not have to face the humiliations that I was forced to endure because I was born a woman and not a man in order to serve the Empire."

She glanced at me before continuing. "I'm told that when slaves are emancipated, many of them will cry at being granted their freedom. At that moment, I viscerally understood their elation. With the Protection Order in force, I had control over my own body. You've never demanded that I bend over to service you. First, I know you aren't made that way, and second, I know you love your wife and take pride in being faithful to her. But the point is, you could have. I am a general, a flag officer! And yet away from High Guard, anyone of higher rank can order me to service their lust. But here at High Guard, I am a free woman, I have the choice and can say no. By the gods, I cannot stress how good that feels!"

The Commandant nodded. "My wife, Lady Chanom'sec, was also quite emotional after she became aware of the order. While she assured me that she'd never turn me away from our marital bed, she said even if she never used it, just knowing she had the right to say no made her feel like she was a real person and not property that I owned. For years I was and remain positive that my wife loves me, but I had no clue that she felt that way."

Then he looked at me. "Commander, both of your requests are reasonable. Ulee'ar defied my express order, and for that, I can remove him and have him transferred. His actions against Lieutenant Hanti are despicable, but getting him barred from future Performance Reviews will take greater authority than I alone possess. I will do what I can, but no promises. Thank you for your restraint."