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of yourself now.”
    Dismissed, Tirzah wiped her hand on the coveralls she wore and stood to follow Josiah back into the station, away from the hangar where the fighters were stored. She tried not to glance over her shoulder at the elegant ships as she left, but she couldn’t help herself. She’d wanted a fight command since the first moment she’d seen a fighter. So fast, so nimble. She’d loved flying.
    It had been the first thing Walter had taken from her.
    “He won’t use it against you,” Josiah said, interrupting her thoughts.
    “What? Oh, Lucassen. Why do you think that?”
    “Because he’s a fair man. A good man. He’s getting pressure to put you away, and he’s pushing back. Maybe he’s not our enemy, Tirzah. You deserve a fair trial; I’ll make sure you get one. I believe it is in your best interest to tell him what happened. Including why you were in the brig in the first place.”
    “Becky…”
    “Don’t call me Becky.”
    “Fine, Advocate Beckett. ” She rolled her eyes. “Set up the meeting.”

Chapter 7
    Tirzah looked across the table at the prosecutor and noted his relaxed posture. This seemed so easy for him—he had no idea the turmoil that lived inside her. She fidgeted with the cuff around her wrist, the one that told some computer on the station if she went out into the launch yard. Her jailor. More effective than the brig, in the long run.
    “Why were you in the brig, Captain?” Lucassen pinned her with his intense eyes, his face calm and serious.
    “I assaulted a superior officer,” she answered.
    “That doesn’t answer my question. I know you were accused of assaulting your husband, but according to my notes, Walter Simonian was six and a half feet tall, roughly two hundred forty-five pounds.”
    “That’s correct.” Walter had been a big, hard-muscled man.
    “So, roughly my height, plus another twenty pounds.”
    She looked at him carefully, and then nodded. “Why is his size relevant?”
    “Well, you’re about five feet, four inches, and I’d guess you weigh about one thirty. So he’s got more than a foot of height and reach, and over one hundred pounds on you. Also, he was your superior officer. You aren’t a stupid woman—you were salutatorian of your class at the Academy.” His glance flickered over to Josiah. “Behind only him. So, why would a smart woman do a stupid thing like assault a man double her size?”
    “Why do you care?”
    “Because justice is important to me, damn it. You didn’t assault your husband, you were assaulted by him.”
    “I hit back.”
    “Why didn’t you file charges against him?”
    “He was a hero. Why would anyone believe me?”
    “You were a hero too. Why wouldn’t they?”
    “I was insubordinate.”
    “Mmm. Fleet rules are pretty clear on insubordination. What was the order you disobeyed?”
    “He told me to suck his cock and make it good.”
    Lucassen’s hand slammed on the table. For a moment it trembled as he took in a deep breath.
    “This isn’t a joke, Captain.”
    “I didn’t find it funny either.” She met his eyes defiantly. She was tired of all the bullshit that came with being a woman in the Fleet. If Zeke Lucassen couldn’t recognize the reality of the culture he was a part of, she was fine if this conversation ended right now.
    “I find it hard to believe you were thrown in the brig because you didn’t give your husband a blowjob—or was it because you didn’t ‘make it good?’”
    “Advocate…” Josiah interrupted. Tirzah looked at her friend, giving him the “I told you this was a bad idea” look that had been part of their non-verbal communication ever since the Academy.
    “Advocate Beckett. I need your client to understand I am trying to make sure she is only prosecuted for actual crimes committed. I have plenty of evidence that supports the Fleet’s claim she shot her husband and the warden in order to steal a transport. If there are mitigating circumstances, now is the time to