Deep Space New World - 8. DSNW Chapter 8

Since my travel time is just under four hours back to Mars, I decided that I wanted to be there before the shuttle arrives from Ganymede, so I thanked the Administrator for her time, and informed her that I would be returning to Mars, first thing in the morning.

When I did arrive at the SRTA Space Port the following day, after a restless night of sleep, I was surprised to see Mum there waiting for my arrival. “This is a bit of a surprise, I thought you would be home at Deimos,” I said to Mum as I gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “We have been informed of the situation with this man – Torres, so I came to be supportive in any way I can,” Mum replied, as we headed for the administration centre.

Before leaving the shuttle, I asked Isaac to remain with the shuttle and luggage, and that I would be just a short while, and with Mum alongside, we headed for any update on information regarding this Ewan Torres. With the assistance of the International Space Federation at Geneva, and in particular Mr Durham, there was not much more information about how Mr Torres managed to get through the screening process.

It was not sure how all the usual security checks, failed to detect his real identity, and that was a concern. Now that we know of his false identity, the ISF was able to get a little bit of information about him presenting documents of training and education, which turned up to be false, once they were rechecked.

The two persons responsible for doing the security checks at the time, were fairly new to the ISF and were employed as security clerks. Just a few months after the security checks on Mr Torres had been completed and cleared, the two security clerks had resigned and disappeared.

Once we had been briefed on all of this information, we returned to the shuttle that I had arrived in, and with Mum joining us, we flew back home to Deimos, were I would try and relax for a few days, while Ewan Torres is processed and detained in the high security detention centre, located deep underground.

On the day that the judicial hearing was been held for Mr Torres, Mum, Isaac and I returned to the Capital City and went straight to the Judicial Centre, entering unannounced, and on seeing us, the five Judicial Panel members stood, and the Judicial Clerk called out for all to rise.

Mum, Isaac and I stopped a few paces in from the main door at the rear of the room, and gave a respectful bow of the head, “If it may please the Judicial Court, I wish to make a statement to the panel,” I said in a loud clear voice, “Yes, the Panel recognises His Lordship, the Crown Prince of Sahndrol and the URP. The Court may be seated,” the Judicial Chairman responded, and we stepped forward to the front left seats of the Court.

Mum and Isaac took a seat while I remained standing, “Your Honour, I am here as the victim of this man detained and present here today. I was a teenager attending a private school in Winchester, England on Earth and I was returning to England for the second term, after a brief holiday at Ganymede.

My protector, Mr Isaac Otterman, who is seated beside my mother, was present and a witness to everything that took place at the Heathrow Airport, while our travel guardian – Lord Durham, was delayed in another part of the airport when I was assaulted and injured by this man, but on contacting him, he soon arrived to assist me.

At the time my protector was still a little rusty with the English language, and so it wasn’t until Mr Durham, as he is known now, arrived and what had happened was relayed to the Customs Supervisor, who was quick to arrive and after been informed of the situation, plus she witnessed the last act that resulted in my shoulder been injured, that she suspended him from work and sent him home.

We have a hospital report from where our family was residing on Earth, that clearly states the injuries that I sustained, along with digital scans of my shoulder. He was later charged with assaulting and injuring a protected person, and sentenced to a prison term, which on appeal was reduced to just eight months.

This Mr Ewan Torres, has I believed purposely falsified his travel documents to hide his true identity, so as to be able to inflict revenge for him losing his job and being jailed,” I said before sitting down. “Thank you for the background on this matter Crown Prince, is there any more information from the prosecution?” the Chairman asked.

“Serine Highness, My Lord, Protector and Judicial Panel members, my name is Heunt Graendl, senior Security Investigator for the URP Capital of Ganymede. Once the alert came up about this man – Mr Ewan Torres using a false identity to gain access to travel to the URP Capital, we have done some research into the matter…

… It is therefore I believe as stated earlier by Our Lord Crown Prince, that Mr Torres had a purpose for getting into space and in particular to Ganymede to seek out and do harm to the Crown Prince or members of his family, we recommend that before he is returned to Earth, that he is incarcerated for … I am sorry, may I have a moment to confer with a colleague, as some important information has arrived,” the Security Investigator said to the panel and his request was granted.

We patiently waited for two minutes, before the Security Investigator returned to the podium, “Judicial Panel, I wish to inform you that my last statement before being interrupted, has just been confirmed, we have located the residence of Mr Torres, and found substantial evidence that proves that he did indeed intend to do harm to the Royal Family and in particular the Crown Prince.

If we may speak via video to our investigation team at my office, we will be able to present the evidence that was found at his residence, which includes weapons with Mr Torres finger and palm prints and DNA on those items,” the Investigator announced.

Once the evidence was viewed and the panel asked a few questions to the investigation team, who were thanked for their quick response on the matter, the panel announced that they would have a conference and return with a decision on this matter.

Less than five minutes later, the panel returned, and found Mr Ewan Torres guilty of all charges of falsifying identity documents, planning and preparing to do great harm and injury to a member of the royal family, as well as a URP charge of assaulting and injuring a protected person.

“Ewan Torres, you are sentenced to a minimum of twelve years of Isolated Incarceration for each of the three charges, and on release, you will be deported back to Earth and your home country of England, with a lifetime ban on ever returning to a URP controlled planet or facility,” the Chairman of the Judicial Panel announced, and Ewan Torres was led away to start his long and very lonely sentence.

Once the hearing was over, we headed back to Deimos, and I tried to forget all about this part of my life, which was hopefully now over for good. A few days later, Mum, Isaac and I returned to the SRTA, and we travelled to the ESA Space Port on the Moon, to inspect the now-completed additions to the Research and Training Academy, as well as four of the extended eight Space Colonies completed, which are now ready to be occupied, with the Chinese and Russian complex, to be the last to be completed.

The additional two colonies would be for India and South Korea to be sharing one new colony, Brazil and Canada, would share the other additional colony, with the USA’s NASA and Japan would share, along with Australia and New Zealand to share a Colony.

Back on Earth, at the International Space Federation Headquarters in Geneva, the security checks and screening process had been completed for a total of 600 personnel for each of the new Space Colonies, and one of the transporters that has recently arrived from the home world, will be used to transport those 1,800 people up to their new home on the Moon.

This would be happening with very little attention and no fanfare, as I wanted it to be a low-key event, but eventually a statement will be made to the media around the world, that the first settlers to the new lunar colonies have arrived and settled into their new homes on the moon, as part of a whole New World of space exploration begins.