Burden of Proof

Aboard the galactic cruise USS Michaelson, every sailor knows the dangers of life among the stars. But not all perils come from the cold of deep space—some come from within . . .

When a freak explosion on the Michaelson takes out most of Forward Engineering, an investigation is ordered. It would seem that a chief petty officer—who was killed in the accident—broke regulations by making difficult repairs alone and caused the conflagration himself. But the ship's legal officer, Lieutenant Paul Sinclair, leams of evidence that points to a cover-up—involving a rising star in the officer corps who may have ordered the dead man to work alone. The problem is, all of Sinclair's evidence is circumstantial—and the suspect is the son of a powerful vice admiral. Now, pressured from all sides, Sinclair must risk his name, his naval career, and his future to find the truth and see justice done . . .

Ebook
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

First printing, February 2004

A Baen Ebook
Baen publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
https://www.baen.com

ISBN-13: 978-0-4410-1147-6
ISBN-10: 0-4410-1147-0

Copyright© 2004 by John G. Hemry

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

Electronic version by Baen Books
https://www.baen.com

To Thelma Durnan,
whose heart has been big enough to include
not only her husband, children and grand-children,
but also dozens of midshipmen far from home
who will always remember her as
"Mom-away-from-Mom."

For S,
as always.

Acknowledgments

I am indebted to my editor, Anne Sowards, for her valuable support and editing, and to my agent, Joshua Bilmes, for his inspired suggestions and assistance.