“Wait! No!” Kian blurted out. “That wasn’t my defense.”
The judge arched an eyebrow. “Regardless, Mr. Rhenn, you have had your chance to speak, and now it’s Ms. Rhenn’s turn.”
“Mrs. S’Vre,” Cait corrected.
The judge blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
“My name is S’Vre now,” Cait said, turning to smile at Raaze. “I got married recently.”
“Err… of course. Congratulations,” the judge said and turned to one of her administrators. “Please ensure the court record is updated with the new name. Now, would you like to present your evidence?”
Kian glared at her, but Cait ignored him as she stood.
“Thank you, your Honor,” she said, nodding to her lawyer. “I’d like to present several files to the court. They are records of the maintenance done on my ship, H4-RPY.”
She waited a moment for the file transfer from the lawyer’s device. “As per protocol, these were all verified as correct by the Rhenn Logistics company records.”
The nearest of Kian’s lawyers sat up quickly, his expression tight as he read through the files.
“Three weeks ago, I accepted a supply run to Parac’Norr on behalf of Rhenn Logistics. The vessel assigned to me was the H4-RPY, registration number?—”
“We have the registration details,” one administrator said. “Please continue.”
“I inspected the ship after an unexpected hard landing as per protocol and discovered significant damage to the ship’s systems. Damage that should have caused a catastrophic failure during atmospheric entry. As you can see from this recording,” Cait turned to the main viewscreen, showing the video evidence with the sound off. “The port-side hydraulic line was cut through here. You can see the cut is clean and surgical and intended to make the line fail under landing pressurization.”
The image zoomed in on the sliced line. The edges gleamed in the harsh light. They were smooth rather than the ragged damage of wear and tear.
Kian’s smile had disappeared. His jaw had tightened, and he was staring at the screen as if he could change it by force of will alone.
“Additionally,” she nodded, and the video froze on another frame. “The starboard secondary power relay had been removed entirely. There was no damage, so it wasn’t the case that the relay had been hit by debris during the run and torn free. The bolts were unscrewed, and the bracket was replaced without the relay inside. Someone wanted it to look normal on a visual inspection while ensuring the backup systems would fail.”
Would you look at his face? Raaze’s mental voice was filled with amusement. He looks like a deearin chewing a vasp.
She didn’t turn, even though she wanted to. Instead, she kept her gaze firmly fixed on the judge. Under the Universal Commercial Logistics Protocol, Section Thirty-Four, the company safety officer is responsible for ensuring all ships are in good working order and do not put their crew or cargo at risk. At the time of the incident, the safety officer for Rhenn Logistics was Mr. Kian Rhenn.”
Kian shot to his feet. “This is ridiculous. I never?—”
“Mr. Rhenn.” The judge’s voice cut through like a blade. “You will have your opportunity to respond. Sit down.”
He sat. But his eyes stayed locked on Cait, the look in them confused and angry. The judge motioned to Cait to continue.
“He signed off on the H4-RPY’s pre-flight inspection,” she folded her hands in front of her. “More than that, he was the technician working on the ship before it was cleared for departure. A vessel he knew was compromised.”
The judge’s hard look swung to Kian.
“Mr. Rhenn, these are serious charges. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”
He stood, virtually shaking with anger. “This is utter nonsense. My record as company safety officer is spotless. This evidence is obviously doctored and should be dismissed.”
All eyes shifted back to Cait, and she smiled. She expected this.
“All the files were recorded through my InfoLens,” she smiled. “And as you know, InfoLens data carries its own verification ID to ensure authenticity.”
The judge nodded. “Indeed, InfoLens data is considered the most reliable source of evidence. It is very pricey and strikes me as a little odd, however, that a freighter pilot would be using such a device.”
Cait shrugged. “It’s for POD… proof of delivery, ma’am. I always wear them during a run to prove that I’ve delivered the goods.”
The judge inclined her head. “Do you usually have to use InfoLens data to prove delivery to your clients? Would the presence of the cargo not be proof enough? As far as I knew, all crated cargo had a trackable manifest number.”
