Court-Martial on the Charys

By Scott Ashby

Newly-graduated Probationary Ensign Jenna is assigned to the Dragonstar Charys. She’s got a standard year to prove her worthiness to be a Cavalier, and her assigned wingmate and Mentor seems to have a thing against women fighter pilots.

When her Wyvern fighter starts malfunctioning and no one can prove there’s anything mechanically wrong, everyone with power over her future seems to blame her, calling her a liar and a coward. After her wingmate is gravely wounded in battle – partially because of the ongoing problems with her wyvern, he brings charges of cowardice against her. If convicted, she’ll never become a full Cavalier.

Can she prove that the real problem is a mechanical malfunction before her court-martial?

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Electric Scroll
• Release date: Nov 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781940311982

Scott Ashby

Scott Ashby is a somewhat self-taught web designer who prefers to write fantasy and science fiction. He lives and works in Gilbert, Arizona in a tiny bedroom office that is only saved from being called a garret by virtue of being on the ground floor. Like most computer geeks, he doesn’t really notice the passing of hours, or days, so long as food arrives on a regular schedule. When not at the computer, Scott enjoys board games, hiking, and letterboxing.

Book preview

Court-Martial on the Charys

The Cavaliers: Book 6

Scott Ashby

Copyright 2020, The Electric Scroll

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by The Electric Scroll. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the publisher. For information contact The Electric Scroll, 745 N. Gilbert Rd. Ste 124 PMB 197, Gilbert, Arizona, 85234.

The characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and entirely in the imagination of the reader.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Chapter One

About the Author

Books by Scott Ashby

Acknowledgments

Connect with me online

Cavaliers' Timeline

~ 1 ~

Jenna hefted her jump bag and stepped from the shuttle to the deck of the Dragonstar Charys. A man in the uniform of the hangar-deck crew motioned to her, and she strode to his side. The whine of the shuttle's drive echoed in the confines of the metal-walled hangar, making speech useless. The crewman handed her a pair of headphones that mercifully blocked the sound of the shuttle's engines, but didn't fix the communication problem, as they weren't the type with built-in speakers and mic. They stood together and watched the shuttle take off for its return trip to the Octavia.

Once the shuttle had gone and silence returned, the man turned to her, removing his own headset. Jenna followed suit. You'll be the Ensign we've been waiting for?

Jenna nodded. The whole dragonstar had been waiting for her? That wasn't a good way to start. It wasn't your fault, she reminded herself, and you've been absolved of all blame. Anyone would be late if they had a building dropped on them. At least you had the sense to take your medals off and slide them in your jump bag on the trip over, so it doesn't look like you're boasting.

The man grinned at her. I'm George, one of the wrenches. They asked me to meet you and give you this. He held a mem-chip out, and Jenna took it from him as he continued. We usually keep banker's hours in maintenance, so I'm off to bed. See you around.

He punched at his wrist-pad as he ambled away, leaving Jenna alone in the dark cavern of the hangar, the few lights along the periphery of the long inboard and outboard bulkheads giving just enough light for her to avoid running into the shuttles, each fastened neatly in its place.

She shrugged the jump-bag off her shoulder and let it slide to the deck. It didn't take long to get out her datapad and slide the mem-chip into the slot.

The chip held schematics of the Charys, and she appreciated the thought, though she'd already loaded them on her pad. She guessed the other newly-assigned personnel had been met as a group and been given a tour of the ship. That's how they'd done it for her cadet cruise, anyway. As she was arriving several days later and late at night, it had been both easier and quite thoughtful to be given the schematics so she could find her way around.

There was also a memo from a Captain Macklehurst informing her she was in Fox squadron, giving her bunk and locker assignments so she could put her things away and get to bed without waking anyone up, and telling her to report to his office at 0600.

She checked the map to locate her squadron's quarters, shouldered her jump bag, and set off through the dimly lit corridors. It was going to be a short night.

~ 2 ~

Precisely at 0600, Jenna yawned as she pressed the chime on Captain Macklehurst's office door. The door slid open and she stepped through.

Have a seat. He gestured at the soft and comfortable chair across the desk from him.

Thank you, Sir. Jenna tucked one leg under her as she sat.

Captain Macklehurst tapped a few keys on his desk and glanced at the screen embedded in its surface. Tell me about yourself.

Jenna had no idea what he wanted to know. As her immediate supervisor, he had her entire file available to read. What else could he need?

"I graduated from the academy fast-track in my secondary school with top marks, spent four years at the Academy, and one on my cadet cruise on the Cormorant. After..." Jenna paused. Should she mention the three days she'd just spent getting the civilians out from under the bombed-out Fellowship Hall – the reason she'd been late to check in here – and the medals she'd received last night? No; he should already have at least the preliminary reports in her