engagement at the asteroid? Or is there something about that which will be presented later?'
A murmur arose in the courtroom, quickly quelled when Judge Campbell gave the spectators an acidic look. Paul found himself startled as well by the question. Startled because he wondered why he hadn't thought of that himself before. Communicating with the other ships wouldn't been easy, but it wouldn't have been impossible, either. The right software could've projected a simple code onto part of the Michaelson's outer hull using the video displays which were part of the visual bypass system, or a transmitter could've been run out past the grounded outer hull, though that would've required cracking an airlock which would've set off alerts.
But Commander Carr was shaking her head and answering for Captain Hayes. 'There's nothing in the government's case pertaining to that issue, Lieutenant.'
Lieutenant Kilgary looked surprised. 'Even though as Communications officer Lieutenant Pullman would've had authorized access to the visual bypass system back-up message projection capability?'
Paul felt like slapping his forehead. Well, duh.
Captain Hayes had an expression that seemed just as startled, but then his face cleared. 'No, wait a moment. Pullman didn't get tapped as the new Commo until after we were on our way back from the asteroid. He didn't have that access when we were out there. Lieutenant Denaldo was still Commo at that time, and I know she'd have ensured there wasn't any unauthorized access of that capability.'
'Yes, sir.' Lieutenant Kilgary nodded in agreement. 'That does resolve the question.'
Lieutenant Commander de Vaca looked from Lieutenant Kilgary to Captain Hayes. 'There's high confidence, then, that this Lieutenant Denaldo would've done a good job of protecting her access codes?' Both Kilgary and Hayes nodded.
Captain Nguyen checked to see if anyone else had questions. 'That's it, then. Thank you, Captain.'
As soon as the judge dismissed him Hayes hastened down the aisle, checking his watch, and out of the courtroom. Paul checked the time as well, surprised to see how little time remained until the change of command ceremony was scheduled to take place. He still felt uncomfortable about not being there, knowing that Lieutenant junior grade Shwartz would be the one standing in front of what had been Paul's division. But it was probably just as well. Shwartz, not Paul, would be the new Captain's Combat Information Center Officer. He had to let go of that responsibility and start facing whatever new responsibilities he'd have in his job on Mars.
The next witness's testimony wasn't as dramatic as Captain Hayes' had been, but Paul found his information intriguing. The NCIS agent, a man Paul hadn't encountered before, testified to the results of the financial investigations conducted on Lieutenant Pullman once the proper warrants had been obtained. The last ten years of Lieutenant Pullman's financial life, both on and off the official record, had been reconstructed in exhaustive detail within a period of days. Paul wasn't sure whether he should feel reassured that the government could ferret out financial wrongdoing that well, or horrified that the government could track someone's financial life that well.
Paul stared at the displayed data. The complex diagrams, revealing a dizzying maze of interlinked financial transactions across borders and regulatory authorities, kept ending in various bank accounts whose owners had different names, but a remarkably similar set of passwords and access codes. That in and of itself meant little, until the agent revealed that a warranted search of Pullman's personal storage had unearthed a well-concealed data coin containing all those same passwords and codes under triple encryption.
Paul couldn't help staring at Brad Pullman after this information was revealed, wanting to see how Pullman would react. But except for a surprised expression and a shake of the head in denial, Pullman didn't seem especially fazed by the revelation.
There were a few purchases that hadn't apparently come from Pullman's salary; the money to pay for those things not having come out of Pullman's regular bank accounts and not being traceable to the regular government deposits of Pullman's pay. A very nice vehicle registered in Pullman's name. A state-of-the-art home theater system. A couple of gambling vacations where the house (as usual) had won a lot more than Pullman. But nothing Pullman, as a single junior officer, couldn't have afforded by using the money he earned in his own salary. Instead of using Pullman's salary, though, the luxuries been paid for using money acquired in some other way. Paul stared again, focusing on the sums in the different bank accounts. They were nice, but even added up they didn't seem all that large.
David Sinclair tried to hammer at that in cross-examination. 'Is there anything here that Lieutenant Pullman couldn't have afforded on his own?'
The NCIS agent shook his head, his expression calm. 'No.'
'These sums in the bank accounts. That's all you found?'
'Are you saying there's more?' the agent inquired, igniting a burst of laughter from the courtroom and a glare from the judge.
David Sinclair flushed slightly, but spoke evenly enough. 'That little a sum. Those few trinkets. You're claiming that Lieutenant Pullman sold secrets to a foreign power for such modest sums? For a few items that aren't even luxuries beyond his income?'
'That's what our investigation shows.'
That agent left the witness stand and another arrived to discuss the contents of other data coins found in searches of lockers reserved under various names. All of the lockers had been traced back to Lieutenant Pullman as the agents had followed threads of information from point to point. She explained and showed that these coins contained detailed plots for dead drops, locations where materials could be deposited for later retrieval by foreign agents. There were lists and photos and instructions, all of them cross-referencing each other across one or more coins so that the capture or loss of a single coin couldn't compromise any part of the scheme.
When his turn came to cross-examine, David Sinclair tried his usual question. 'Did anything on these coins indicate they belonged to Lieutenant Pullman?'
'Not directly,' the NCIS agent replied smoothly, 'but comparative analysis of the written contents with material known to have been written by Lieutenant Pullman produced a match with a statistical certainty of ninety-eight percent.'
David Sinclair gave Commander Carr a very brief but intense glower as he returned to the defense counsel's table. He knew she'd left that item undiscussed during the agent's testimony so he'd be fooled into bringing it out during the defense's cross-examination.
'This court-martial is closed,' Judge Campbell announced. 'It will reopen at thirteen hundred in this courtroom.'
Paul stayed standing after the judge and members had left the room, once again trying to study Brad Pullman. The physical evidence presented this morning seemed both damning and conclusive, yet Pullman didn't reflect concern. What has he got up his sleeve? What defense evidence or witness or argument is so potent that Pullman doesn't seem much worried even after being caught with all this Spying For Idiots guidebook stuff?
'Going anywhere for lunch?'
Paul turned in surprise, seeing Jen standing beside him. 'I didn't expect to see you here.'
Jen shrugged. 'I don't particularly enjoy visiting courtrooms anymore, but I figured you could use a break.'
Commander Carr turned as well, halting when she saw Jen. 'Lieutenant Shen.'
'Commander.'
Apparently having finished their conversation, Carr and Jen turned away from each other. Paul resisted a sudden urge to bonk their heads together, reflecting that if the two women had been a little less alike then Jen might actually have liked Commander Carr.
Jen insisted on their hiking to Fogarty's. 'You haven't been eating well enough.'
'How do you know that?'
'I have my own sources and methods. Order a decent meal and eat it.'
'Okay, okay.' Paul ate, knowing she was right, but didn't say much for a while, thoughts tumbling through his head as he tried to process everything he'd seen and heard at the court-martial.
Jen canted her head to one side and studied him. 'You're awful quiet. What's bugging you?'
'I don't know.' Paul frowned, then nodded. 'Yeah. That's exactly it. There's all this evidence that Brad Pullman did commit espionage. Hard, physical evidence. It seems plenty convincing to me. But I keep asking myself why he would've done that. There's no indication at all that Pullman supports the South Asian Alliance, no indication he dislikes our government or our country or our policies on Earth or in space. No one's claiming he secretly hates the Navy. He doesn't seem to have any strong political beliefs. All we have is money showing up in
