Off Center (The Lament) (24 page)

Seeing
that, Claire stared at her, using her whole focus. It was a horrible idea really,
since she had to know that Pran was just being paranoid, but the woman asked anyway,
that being part of her nature, it seemed.

"Do
you truly expect a problem? Will Butcher didn't seem healthy enough to be a real
threat. Am I wrong to think that?"

Shrugging
she straightened her legs and stretched forward, grabbing her toes. It pulled at
the back of her calves, but didn't really hurt too much. She wasn't that stiff anymore.
A week before she'd barely been able to move, but she was healing now.

"How
would I know? I don't think so, but what if there's some other threat that we haven't
accounted for? Or, I don't know. Really, this is all about making Mara and Clark
feel like I'm doing a good enough job that one of them doesn't have to be in here,
so they can go and do whatever else they need to. That's all." She held the
stretch then, letting her body go all the way to her legs. Claire did the same and
when they both sat up, the other woman seemed serene again.

"That
makes sense. Stand and to the left?"

They
finished and were into meditation practice by the time Clark came back. He knocked
and she had the Judge go and lock herself back in her bedroom again, moving to take
a new position, across the room and to the left before the man came in. He looked
at her directly, not surprised at all by the change in location from earlier. It
just made sense to him.

Then
he closed the door and called out for Claire.

"All
clear."

The
door opened almost instantly, as if her hand had been on the lock and handle at
the same time. Then the white robed woman walked out, her slipper covered feet barely
making a sound at all. She hadn't been wearing them before, for the stretching,
so Pran noticed them. They were made of a white, very soft looking material that
seemed more like heavy cloth than leather. She didn't get a good look at them, not
really. The woman came out and sat on her feet.

"May
I have an update, Guardian?" It was a very formal way of saying it, but, Pran
realized, it was a pretty formal situation.

"William
Butcher seems to have escaped. We aren't certain if he had help, or if he took Ezekiel,
the new ship's hand, prisoner. They aren't on The Lament however, so we're in a
quandary. If we turn around it will be more than a half day lost, in an emergency
situation. I recommend we keep on our current course. I told Captain Mina as much.
What do you think?"

There
was silence, but the woman finally let some words come out, about three minutes
later.

"We
know that the man is a techno-cultist, and not guilty of the crime of which he was
originally accused. While he might be guilty of other things, this has not been
proven at this point. Having illegal technology is a crime, but one that is mainly
handled by having it removed, with no more than a fine for repeat offenders. I cannot
see risking the lives of sick people to recoup him at this time. We know that Ezekiel
was one of his people, but isn't accused of any crimes either. Pran, what do you
think?"

That
shocked her enough that she blinked. Really, she thought they were supposed to be
faking their parts in this, and claiming something very different. Had that all
been just to keep her entertained? She nodded though, thinking through it all carefully.

"We
need to see to the current situation first. Losing time here might be too dangerous
to the sick people. After that, we should try to follow them. I still don't think
they'll go back to their base, but they might head that direction. If they take
Will's wagon from the woods, then that will slow them down a lot. The horses don't
have saddles. They have enough goods to survive for a while but not all winter.
I think. That's if they don't do something else." She would have, but they
weren't her.

That
got a nod from the woman.

"Very
well. Do you know how they escaped, Bard Pran?" It was direct question and
one that had that "Judge's focus" behind it. She stood in front of the
woman, still holding the rifle and shook her head.

"Not
exactly. I could make some guesses, but I was here with you all night, guarding
the door. Past that, everything I have is mainly a guess." That, she thought,
was
all
true and the woman nodded, agreeing.

"Truth.
Guardian?" That came as a surprise to Pran, since she hadn't realized that
Clark or Mara would be suspected at all. Apparently
everyone
was going to
be questioned.

"No.
I could make some guesses as well, and they'd probably be the same as Pran's."

"Also
the truth. I'll need to interview everyone else. If we have anyone working against
our efforts on the craft we need to know about it. This way I can clear everyone,
if there is a further investigation."

That
meant bringing everyone to her, one at a time. Pran noticed that Bill, the Second
Mate was hard to find, and looked a bit angry, glaring at her when he and Mara came
in. He didn't even wait to confess, clearly trying to throw himself on the mercy
of the Judge from the start.

"I
took a jug of Pran's apple jack and changed the ledger so it wouldn't show. I was
planning to pay her back, just, quiet like, so no one would know about it."
He looked worried, but Claire regarded him with a blank expression.

"Truth.
Do you know anything about the escape or where the new crewman, Zeke, may have gone?"
her regard was intense and the man squirmed a bit.

"No..."

"Lie.
What do you know?"

"I...
Well, it isn't a big thing, but the new man mentioned heading to the south west
of here. Going to the dry country. He didn't say why, but it sounded to me like
he might have people there. I don't know that though, for certain."

"Truth."

The
Judge was standing there looking at him blankly.

"You've
admitted to theft, which is a minimum of a month in a camp. This will be processed
and-"

There
was a soft groan from the man and Clark looked at her, as if to signal something.
She had no clue what however. He had stolen and gotten caught. That was a real crime
too. Stealing from
her
. Still, she looked at Claire and spoke, her voice
gentle enough, trying to copy what the Judge normally did, mainly for practice.

"He
did mention paying me back and that was the truth, wasn't it?"

"Yes.
That does not excuse a crime however."

"I
see. Still, he's valuable here and in a camp he'll just be doing menial labor. Should
we remove him from The Lament right now? They might need him."

Claire
blinked and looked at her.

"You
have an alternative punishment in mind?"

She
didn't. Really, she shouldn't
have to
either. It wasn't her job to protect
the man, but she sighed and nodded.

"Three
months mucking out the stalls here, whatever that is? He can keep the alcohol, but
has to pay for it, in coin or trade, before I leave." It didn't really seem
like enough, but Clark looked at the Judge, as if he felt that it was about right.

Then,
she realized, he was a giant softy, wasn't he? Taking in stray girls and being kind
to slow men and drunkards like he was always doing. It had worked out in her case,
so she could let a spot of theft go, for his sake.

The
Judge bowed slightly her hands coming up in front of herself slightly.

"Very
well. Do you agree to this modification of the standard punishment Bill? You will
clean out the horse stalls here, for three months on a daily basis, and make full
restitution to Pran for the goods you took without permission."

He
nodded, his eyes relaxing a good bit.

"Yes,
your honor."

"Very
well. Please bring in the next person."

That,
it turned out wasn't the only confession of wrong doing from the crew. Two of them,
a man and a woman, confessed to having lied about their names when they'd signed
on, but not anything else, and that wasn't a
crime
, though it did mean they
were questioned pretty hard for a while.

One
of the men confessed to having drilled a hole in the shower wall, so that he could
watch the ladies shower. That was news to her, but thankfully it was the shower
on the other side of the ship, so it didn't apply to her at all. He, however, wasn't
let off and had to serve two months in a camp for it. That did not make him happy,
and he tried to just leave, but Clark and Mara tossed him into one of the cells,
so he couldn't escape too easily.

Not
that it was really needed, but they didn't want the man to forget they were thousands
of feet up in the air and try to run out, in his fear and anger.

That
didn't seem to be that big of a crime to her, just looking at people, but when the
Captain was told she stiffened and growled a bit.

"The
slimy rotter! Yes, I'll have him off my ship for that. We have a mixed crew and
no one will want to serve with us if we let that kind of crap happen. Word gets
around, and it's hard enough to keep good hands on board." She seemed more
angry about that than the theft her Second Mate had committed which just got a snort
and an offer to let Pran beat the man.

Of
course, that shower room was the one that the Captain used, so it might have been
that causing her to take it more seriously. They were just grabbing people, but
the Doctor was nowhere to be found. He had to be cleared however, since technically
he was the one that was supposed to have been watching Will Butcher, more or less.

Bard
Benjamin was cleared quickly enough, even though he'd seen the men leaving. He just
hadn't thought anything of it.

"The
new fellow was helping the other one walk, and when I saw them, he just waved a
bit and kept going. I don't know, I just figured it was what was supposed to be
happening. Going to shower or the bathroom, or even a meal in the dining room. I
mean, the man is a prisoner, but he didn't seem to be escaping really. I guess I
should have stopped them, but... I really didn't know." He shrugged, looking
innocent.

Which
he was. Claire even said so, breaking her trance enough to smile at him a bit.

Then
they had to find the Doctor, who came in seeming... Very sleepy. His eyes drooped
and he looked older. Like he'd been worn down by the events. Subdued somehow.

Drugged.

In
order no doubt to get past Claire. It wasn't a bad plan, if one that was a little
obvious. The Judge just looked at him and snorted.

"Did
you help Will Butcher escape?"

The
old man smile sweetly, and shook his head just a bit, seeming decrepit and like
he were about to nod off.

"Not
directly. I... wasn't watching him like I should have been. I didn't ask for guards
either." Whatever he was on didn't make him stupid and he stopped there.

"Truth.
The compound you're using to hide your guilt is very good Doctor, but not good enough.
However, that statement is correct. Why are you using drugs to hide from that?"

The
man wrinkled his face up a bit, seeming happy.

"I'm
not. Not at all. But I'm old and have done more than one thing I don't want you
to know about. It's worth a shot?"

"Ah.
Well, I won't ask, since it isn't relevant to the current case and you aren't offering.
Keep that in mind next time? It will save you having to dose yourself like this.
It makes you seem very guilty. Of something. Now my curiosity is up."

She
seemed slightly angry and it wasn't until the old man left the room and the door
was shut and locked that she took several deep breaths and shook her head.

"I
don't know what he was on, but it worked
perfectly
. I couldn't tell if he
was lying or not at all. If he stood in front of a panel of Judges, not one would
know if he spoke the truth or a lie. Luckily the effects showed in him strongly
enough, but a lower dosage would probably work as well, and not be as obvious. We
need to find out what he used and make certain it remains a secret. If it is."

She
seemed honestly worried about it, but Pran was simply glad that it wasn't her problem.
After all, if the man could lie about things, that simply meant he wasn't going
to be telling on her. As far as he knew, she was the wonderful traitor to her own
people that had facilitated the escape of one of his people. Hopefully that meant
they were friends now.

Maybe
she could cement it by suggesting what Claire had just said. A smaller amount of
the drug to help evade detection? That could be passed along without too much harm,
no doubt.

They
even had a reason to get together and chat, since they had medicine to deliver and
those people really needed help. So far, if nothing else, the Doctor had always
seemed serious in that regard. He
helped
people.

True,
he also stole their bodies and possibly lives, but he was probably a bit stuck there,
wasn't he? As a Download, he had to be what he was, or not have a body. It wasn't
good or fair to take from others, but he hadn't been caught doing it yet, and really,
he might not have been responsible for that anyway, as far as he went, personally.