Chasing Stars

Chapter 14

I sat next to Ben in the gallery. Although the court had been closed during the trial – and each witness appeared separately – the court was open to close family, witnesses and reporters for the verdict. Admiral Westland was in the front row with his wife and sons. Travis Deckard’s widow was there with her two children. And I spotted Lauren, the cleaner from the most recent mission.

‘This will only last for a few minutes,’ Ben said to me in a low voice. ‘The admiral will announce the verdict, and if he’s found guilty, the sentence. That’s it.’

There was a hush as Ryan and his lawyer entered the room. An usher directed Ryan to the front bench. I watched him scan the gallery until his eyes rested on me. He smiled; I smiled back, doing my best to convey good luck and all my positive energy his way. He scanned the gallery again, this time his eyes resting on his mother.

And then Wolfe came in. Everyone stood.

‘Be seated,’ said Wolfe.

He began by telling us all that it was a troubling case, that time trials are never easy because only a select few are privy to the full details of a time mission.

‘However, there are several things that have caused me grave concern,’ he went on. ‘Any time mission must be authorised by the Guardians. Only then can we be certain that all possible permutations have been duly considered. The theft of a time-ship and an unauthorised mission to the past – whether performed with good intentions or not – is a breach of our most sacred law.

‘There is one exception to this rule. And that is if the Clemency Protocol applies. The Protocol may only be invoked in “exceptional circumstances” when a participant has made an “unusual and vital contribution to a mission”. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the point of debate.

‘I have listened with great care to the testimonies of all those involved in both missions,’ Wolfe went on. ‘And I have reached my verdict.’

Ryan and his lawyer stood. Ben squeezed my arm.

‘Mr Westland claims that he thought that it was morally right to save the life of the young woman who assisted his mission. To that end, he presented his concerns to a panel of the Guardians.’ Wolfe checked his notes. ‘Admiral Philp and Admiral Shastri were the Guardians who considered his case. They did not agree that it was necessary and correct for the mission outcome to be altered in any way. At that point, Mr Westland should have accepted their decision, unless he considered that he had a duty to act under the Clemency Protocol. Mr Westland did not convince me that was the case. I believe that he stole a time-ship and travelled without authorisation for personal reasons rather than altruistic reasons. As a consequence I find Orion Westland guilty as charged and an Enemy of Time.’

There was a gasp from the gallery.

‘Furthermore, I do not believe Orion Westland was acting alone,’ Wolfe continued. ‘The difficulty in acquiring a time-ship, along with the expense of procuring enough fuel to make the journey, persuade me that he was assisted by another or others. I will be opening an inquiry into what amounts to a conspiracy against time forthwith.’ He paused and ran his eyes across the members seated in the gallery. ‘And now to sentencing.’

He paused again and I realised he was doing so in order to allow the photographers from the press the chance to get a good still image of him.

‘The sentencing guidelines are wide,’ said Wolfe. ‘However, Orion Westland is a young man from a considerably advantaged background. He has had the benefit of a top-class education, including a privileged position on the Elite Program at the Lakeborough Space and Time Academy. I believe that he wilfully and knowingly chose to disregard the sacred Temporal Laws so that he could pursue a personal agenda with a girl he had become infatuated with.’ He paused again and posed for the cameras. ‘Due to the seriousness of this case, I believe it is important that we make an example of this young man. I will be sentencing Orion Westland to life imprisonment on the International Lunar Correctional Facility.’

For a moment, the room appeared to hold its breath. And then all hell broke loose. Ryan’s mother shouted something, but I didn’t understand what she was saying. One of his brothers yelled something. There was noise all around me. I said nothing. It felt as though my heart had stopped beating. Wolfe didn’t think my life was worth saving. He was punishing Ryan by depriving him of his. This was all wrong. Ryan looked at his parents and then at me. His expression was blank.

Wolfe rapped his gavel on the bench. ‘I have arranged prison transport for next Tuesday. The defendant will remain in custody until that time. Family and close friends should head to Waiting Room B if they wish to say their goodbyes.’ He banged his gavel, stood up and exited the room.

Ben and I were alone in Waiting Room B. I went over to the window. It looked out over the visitors’ lawn. Two children were laughing and chasing each other around a fountain. Adults sat on benches and picnic blankets, doling out food to their children. They had all the time in the world. Above them, a flock of tiny blue birds took flight from a treetop.

Ben was buying two coffees from the drinks machine. I sat in one of the armchairs. And then I realised that in just a few minutes I would be with Ryan for the last time. Nervously I ran my fingers through my hair, smoothing it, tucking a flyaway strand behind my ear.

‘You look lovely,’ said Ben. ‘Don’t worry.’

He put the hot drinks on the glass-top coffee table in the middle of the room. If it wasn’t for the drinks machine in the corner, we might have been in a sitting room in a private house. Ryan’s parents and brothers weren’t there. I guessed they were waiting somewhere else, the admiral’s office perhaps.

Ben was called first. For the hundredth time I wished I’d bought a port-com. I could have called Peg. He’d want to say goodbye to Ryan. So would the others. It didn’t seem fair that only those of us present at the verdict had the chance to say goobye.

When Ben came back he kissed my cheek. ‘Careful what you say in there,’ he whispered. ‘They’re listening to everything.’

‘Thank you,’ I whispered back.

The usher led me to the same meeting room I had seen Ryan in before. A single guard was standing outside.

‘You have ten minutes,’ said the usher.

The guard nodded and unlocked the door. Inside was a table with three chairs and a plastic jug of water in the middle. Ryan was sitting in one of the chairs, resting his head in his hands. Above, on the wall behind him, was a com-screen with a rolling newsreel. The sound was off.

As soon as I came through the door, he stood up. He was still wearing the suit he’d worn in the courtroom, but the jacket was slung over the back of a chair now. His eyes were red and his hair was too short, but when he smiled and his brown eyes crinkled, he looked like himself again. I ran across the room and hugged him tight, ignoring the bony ribs and sharp nodules of his spine. I reached up and touched his face. His cheekbones were prominent in a way they hadn’t been before. How could someone get so thin so quickly? Either they weren’t feeding him enough or he wasn’t eating.

Ryan pulled away and held me at arm’s length, a wild desperation in his eyes. ‘God, you’re beautiful,’ he said.

‘Ryan,’ I began.

‘We don’t have long,’ he interrupted. ‘Let me speak first.’

We were standing face to face. His arms on mine. It took every ounce of my self-control not to kiss him. But I had to let him speak. These could be the last ten minutes we ever had together.

‘No touching,’ said the guard.

Ryan dropped my arms but held my eyes with his own. ‘I wish this hadn’t happened.’

‘It’s wrong.’

‘Yes it is, but we don’t have time to discuss that now. I want you to pass on some messages.’

‘OK.’

‘Are Peg and Lyra together yet?’

‘No. I don’t think that’s going to happen.’

‘She likes him. And I know he likes her. We’ve always liked the same girls.’

Even though they were history, the thought of them together twisted my stomach. ‘Peg said it would be too weird because of you and Lyra.’

Ryan rolled his eyes. ‘Could you remind Peg that I moved on some time ago. And I’m not exactly going to be around to make him feel uncomfortable. Tell him to get over himself and go out with her.’

‘OK.’

‘Peg’s my best friend. He’s a good guy. He’ll take care of you.’

‘He said I can stay with him.’

Ryan nodded. ‘That’s good. He hates living alone. I’m going to get my dad to transfer some credit to Peg’s account. And to yours. You should decide on a school or college course. Anything. You could go to the Academy if you want.’

‘I don’t care about going to school,’ I said. ‘None of that matters.’

Ryan shut his eyes, then pulled me in for another hug. I could tell by the rhythm of his breathing that he was on the edge of tears.

‘No touching,’ the guard said again.

We ignored him.

‘Eden,’ he sighed into my hair. ‘I’m not going to be able to get out of this. Promise me you’ll move on with your life.’

I said nothing.

Ryan took a step back from me. His eyelashes were wet. ‘Please promise me that. When I’m up there, I don’t want to be worrying about you. I want to know that you’re happy and that you have friends.’

‘I promise,’ I whispered.

He leant towards me, his breath gentle against my skin. And then his lips met mine. I knew this kiss. This kiss meant goodbye. It was desperate and painful; it was filled with a lifetime of lost opportunities. I wrapped my arms around his back and under his shirt, feeling the soft heat of his skin under my fingers. The rest of the world disappeared.

‘OK, people, your time is up,’ said the guard.

Ryan and I pulled apart.

‘I love you,’ he said.

I wanted to tell him I loved him too, but instead I leant in to tell him one last thing. ‘This is not goodbye,’ I whispered.