by Jerry Aubin
“The defendants shall rise.”
Once more, Markev rose while Adan remained in his seat. Randel nodded at the guards, and they jerked Adan to his feet even more roughly than the first time. He shook his body in protest once he was standing and the guards loosened their grip. When Adan remained on his feet, they took a step backward and allowed him to stand on his own. The Chief Justice leaned forward.
“This has been a very atypical trial in that our Tribunal has met in person for such a short period today. This is a special case with deep significance, so we have treated it differently than all others that have come before us. The real work of this Tribunal has been carried out over the past two months, and we have spent extensive time throughout investigating the evidence and deliberating amongst ourselves. Having finally heard in person today from both the defendants and our witness, we’re prepared to pass judgment.”
The woman addressed Adan first. “You, Adan, have been found guilty of the crime of genocide. This Tribunal hereby sentences you to spend the rest of your existence Uploaded into our detention facility under conditions of maximum isolation.”
The Chief Justice turned to Markev. “You, Markev, have been found guilty of the murder of those people from the East who expected to leave Earth with the asteroid.” The woman paused to let the verdict sink in for a few beats before continuing. “However, you have already spent five thousand years in isolation trying to atone for your actions. As a result, this Tribunal hereby declares that any further punishment has been commuted and you are free to go. Randel—release this man’s restraints.”
Zax gasped with relief when the Chief Justice announced Markev’s sentence and turned to Rilee. The Earther woman had buried her face in her hands with worry, and when she raised her head she beamed through tears of joy. Mase, on the other side of Rilee, appeared as emotionally blank as always. Kalare and Imair were hugging each other in celebration. The Boss, who had interacted with Markev as Prime for many years, sported the largest smile Zax had ever seen on the man’s face.
A cheer went up in the courtroom. Zax turned to discover it was in response to the removal of Markev’s restraints. The man nodded a quick salute at Rilee, but a fire in the giant’s eyes alarmed Zax and caused him to hold his breath.
In a flash, Markev took two huge steps and closed the distance between where he was standing and Adan. His former boss was staring at the ground as his guards guided him towards the exit. In one smooth motion, Markev lifted Adan’s chin, stared into the man’s eyes, and then punched his windpipe with crushing force. As Adan crumpled to the floor, Markev ripped a blaster from the holster of one of the shocked guards. He spun around to face Randel who had drawn a weapon from somewhere inside his robe. Markev was moving more than fast enough to beat the Earther for a clear shot, but then the giant inexplicably lowered his blaster. Randel didn’t hesitate to aim and fire, and Markev’s chest exploded in a shower of blood and gore as the giant crashed in a heap next to Adan.
The chamber was shocked into silence for a moment. Zax was seated close enough to all of the action that the fading, sickly gurgle of Adan’s struggle to breathe was crystal clear. Then, someone in the crowd screamed and the observers exploded into delayed panic from the violence. Rilee jumped up on to her seat, her own weapon in hand, and yelled at the group from the Ship.
“All of you hit the floor—now!”
41
I will bear the responsibility.
The medics quickly transported Adan’s corpse away on a stretcher, but they struggled as they tried to repeat the process with Markev’s far more sizable mass. Zax wished desperately for them to cover the body because he was unable to stop staring at the man’s face. He had witnessed plenty of death during his career, but there was something odd about Markev’s corpse compared to all the others killed in similarly violent circumstances. The man’s eyes were closed, and a smile creased his lips. If you didn’t gaze below his neck to the ghastly chest wound, you would have guessed he was peacefully resting.
Randel appeared and approached the Chief Justice when the medics finally exited with Markev’s body. Zax listened in as they spoke.
“The chamber has been cleared, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Randel. Let’s finish this.”
The Chief Justice turned and climbed back to her spot on the dais. Zax had been so focused on the medics dealing with the bodies that he had lost all situational awareness. He was shocked to discover the chamber had been emptied of all the observers. Other than the group from the Ship, only the Chief Justice, Randel, and a dozen guards remained. Zax reached over and interrupted Rilee who was deep in conversation with Imair, Kalare, and the Boss.
“Hey, what’s going on here?”
Rilee looked around the chamber and her brow creased. She stood up and called out.
“Pardon me, Chief Justice, but why have you returned to your seat?”
The woman at the center of the dais did not reply but instead gestured at Randel. The man, robe stained from the spray of Markev’s blood, stood and bellowed as if the chamber was still full of observers.
“All rise for the Supreme Tribunal.”
Everyone in their row remained seated and appeared as apprehensive as Zax felt himself. Everyone except the Boss, who wore an expression of resignation. Rilee called out again, her voice tinged with worry, as her hand moved to rest on grip of the weapon that was tucked into the waistband of her pants.
“Randel—what the hell is this about?”
Randel raised his hand and a squad of guards charged at Rilee in an obvious show of force. The man’s face showed bemusement while his voice dripped with disdain.
“You will respect this Tribunal and not speak unless you are spoken to. If you can’t manage to follow that simple rule, I will have you removed and detained.”
Rilee glared at Randel for what seemed to be an eternity. She turned back to the group and signaled for them to rise as she whispered.
“Don’t worry. I promise I won’t let anything bad happen.”
Once everyone was standing, the other fourteen justices returned and ascended to their seats on the dais.
“You may take your seats.”
Once the group from the Ship sat down, the Chief Justice spoke.
“We are here in response to a request brought by the Homeworld Security Committee of the Leadership Council. Randel—you may address the Tribunal on behalf of the Committee.”
Randel strode forward. As he did so, Zax finally recognized why he had disliked the man from the first moment he encountered him. He was haughty and domineering just like so many of the worst Omegas back on the Ship, and Zax braced himself for a similarly negative experience.
“Thank you, Madam Chief Justice. The Homeworld Security Committee has run an investigation into the larger society of the asteroid in parallel with the Tribunal’s investigation of Adan and Markev. It is our conclusion that the asteroid and its inhabitants represent a clear threat to the security of all humanity, and their continued presence in the universe will ultimately lead to conflict that will harm Earth and our colonies. We base this conclusion on massive volumes of evidence within their own records that clearly illustrate their violent nature and destructive approach to exploration and colonization. As exhibit A, you need look no further than what just happened here. This Tribunal extended tremendous mercy to Defendant Markev, and yet only my quick action prevented additional death at his hands. The Committee recommends the fleet be tasked with escorting the asteroid into an uninhabited system at which point all of their spacecraft shall be confiscated and their propulsion systems destroyed. They may then live out the rest of their lives stranded and unable to harm anyone ever again.”
Rilee shot out of her seat and screamed. “Are you out of your mind? Don’t flatter yourself, Randel—if Markev wanted you dead, you’d be in a bag right now!”
Two guards were on top of the woman immediately. One confiscated Rilee’s weapon and the other grabbed her roughly by
the upper arm. The Chief Justice looked down with a benevolent expression and tone to match.
“I understand your distress, Rilee, after the time you’ve spent with these people. In deference to all that you have contributed to Earth, I will give you one final warning. You must not disrupt our proceedings again, or I will have no choice but to have you removed.”
Rilee snatched her arm away from the guard and returned to her seat. Zax overflowed with respect for the woman. Her desire for revenge against Adan was the obvious rationale for risking her life to infiltrate the Ship, but she had subsequently stood up on behalf of Markev and the Crew out of nothing but kindness and friendship. He returned his attention to the dais as the Chief Justice picked up her slate and spoke.
“I understand that Doran is the most senior military officer aboard the asteroid. Sir—what is your response to the recommendation that has been placed before the Tribunal?”
After receiving an encouraging squeeze on the forearm from Imair, the Boss rose from his seat. He cleared his throat and after a short hesitation began to speak.
“It’s absolutely true that our Ship has been a poor ambassador for humanity over the last five thousand years. You all have learned how our culture was hijacked by Adan and how he twisted it from the very beginning to serve his deranged worldview. His outlook does not accurately represent our people, and I’m confident our ideals can be entirely aligned with those found on Earth given the right leadership.
“I’m not here to claim the Ship’s current inhabitants are blameless in what has transpired. We’re all humans with free will who should have fought harder for our society to make better choices. The Tribunal should hold me to account for this. I’m in charge. I will bear the responsibility. If you require that punishment be served for our actions, I will peacefully accept whatever you deem appropriate as long as it is only applied to me. The ten million people back on the Ship plus the billion in cryostorage deserve better, though. If you must isolate them to ensure your own safety, at least maroon them on a habitable planet rather than guarantee their death in the cold depths of space.”
“No!”
“Kalare—sit back down!”
Kalare ignored the Boss’s entreaty and brushed his hand away from her arm. She turned to face the justices.
“May I address the Tribunal?”
The Chief Justice nodded and Kalare took two steps forward.
“My name is Kalare and I’m the CAG on board the Ship. This means I command all of our fighters and other spacecraft. With all due respect, I can’t believe I’m listening to you consider whether you should strand our vessel in the middle of space and effectively sentence us all to death.”
Some of the justices had been focused on their slates while the Boss spoke, but something about Kalare’s words and tone caught all of their attention and most leaned forward as she continued.
“Think about what just happened in this chamber a short time ago. You took the time to hold a fair trial and justly convicted the man who launched a genocide against your people thousands of years ago. Are you really going to turn right around and commit the same crime against us? Even if you left us to starve instead of firing a missile, you would be no less guilty of killing a billion people for no reason other than who they are.
“And don’t think for a moment you’d be any more justified if you chose to only punish Doran. This man has done nothing beyond defending his Ship through many years of attacks and counterattacks between our people. Punishing him for horrendous behavior that happened generations ago would be about who he is rather than what he’s done. That’s not justice, that’s retribution.”
Kalare paused for a moment and then gestured around the room.
“I’ve been wracking my brain to understand why this chamber is empty right now, but I’m pretty sure I finally figured it out. You already know this whole endeavor is wrong, Chief Justice, and you don’t want any witnesses to your deliberations. Don’t listen to this man advocating for genocide. Don’t exact misplaced revenge on someone who has committed no crime. Listen to what you know is right and release us all.”
Kalare spun on her heel and returned to her seat. Zax wanted to applaud, but he held back for fear of disturbing the delicate balance in the chamber. Randel’s face had become redder and redder while Kalare spoke, but he did not attempt a rebuttal once she was done.
All of the justices focused on their slates for a quick flurry of communication. Unlike the earlier deliberations where there had been a significant amount of back and forth, they were all done within a min of Kalare sitting down. The Chief Justice gazed at her peers for a moment and then addressed Randel.
“We are overruling the recommendation of your Committee, Randel. Justice was served here earlier today when we punished the man who killed our people without direct provocation. We must not repeat his grave mistake by convincing ourselves that we may do the same, regardless of whatever justifications we possess.”
Randel’s hands balled into fists, but he remained silent. The Chief Justice turned to the delegation from the Ship.
“It is our decision today that we shall not take offensive action against your vessel and your people. However, this does not mean we’re allowing you to roam free and continue the destructive ways of your ancestors. Consider your release to be a form of probation. We’ll allow you to depart, but will insist that a trusted observer go along with you to monitor your behavior. If our observer discovers that you’re not living up to the higher ideals you espoused here today, then we’ll consider your behavior to be an act of war and will take immediate defensive action to protect ourselves. Is that clear?”
The Chief Justice made eye contact with each member of the group and waited for an answer. After each responded with a “yes, ma’am,” she rose.
“This Tribunal is adjourned.”
42
How are you?
Zax breathed the ocean air deep into his lungs as he gazed out across the water. After a week on the sailing vessel to conclude their extended tour of Earth, he was ready for a return to solid land even though he would miss the wide open vistas and the salty spray against his face. He made his way to the bow and found Kalare exactly where he expected. She had spent most of the voyage on the same bench at the front of the boat, alone in her thoughts. He had been extraordinarily mindful about giving her emotional space and had never spoken to her uninvited, but, seeing as how it was the end of their journey, he finally gave in to his impulses and approached.
Kalare must have heard him coming because she looked over her shoulder as he neared and rewarded him with one of those beaming smiles that always made his heart flutter. She patted the empty space on the bench next to her.
“I’m glad you found me, Zax. I was just thinking how this view is far too beautiful to not share it with somebody. Come sit with me.”
The ocean ended a few kilometers ahead where it met a flat plain that bumped against three mountains. The mountain on the right had an exceedingly smooth and gentle slope that was capped with a distinct turret shape at the far end. The peak on the left was more typical of the craggy, rocky formations found on Earth. It was the mountain in the middle that really captured Zax’s attention. It rose taller than either of the others but without the typical, pointed summit. Instead, it appeared as if a much taller mountain had been sheared off at its midpoint leaving a flat plateau that must have measured three or four kilometers across.
The setting sun had kissed the horizon behind their boat and drenched the scene in front of them with a riot of colors. The pinks and browns of the mountains were offset against the dark greens of the foliage on the plain. Above it all were the deep reds and purples of the sky and a handful of giant, fluffy clouds that glowed orange as if filled with flame. Off to the side of their path, what must have been a thousand or more marine mammals frolicked and the foam created by their splashing was similarly flecked with reds and golds. Zax sat in silence, basking in both the beauty of the sights and
the rhythm of Kalare’s steady breathing next to him.
“Oh my, Zax, check out that mountain in the middle now!”
When Zax had first sat down, the flat portion of the table-shaped mountain was covered in a blanket of white clouds. The layer was so thin and uniform that it almost appeared to be white frosting spread atop a cake. The clouds subsequently moved in slow motion and gracefully spilled down the face of the mountain like the frosting was melting down the side of the cake. With the sun imparting a range of pink and red hues to the flowing clouds, what had already been beautiful turned sublime.
A few mins later, the sun completed its daily journey and the colors began to fade. Kalare sighed and then started to applaud. Zax set aside his self-consciousness and joined in. She turned to him and smiled.
“What an amazing place! Rilee told me that before Adan’s Destruction a magnificent city filled the plain all the way up to the base of that flat mountain. Can you imagine calling this place home and witnessing sunsets like that every day? Apparently, it had already declined even before Rilee was born. It was the first major city to run out of drinking water and the riots that followed left it a burnt, hollowed-out shell.” Kalare sighed. “What humans did to this planet back then was tragic. I’m grateful that Rilee’s people have done things differently with their second chance because it’s been wonderful to experience all of this natural beauty. Thanks for sharing it with me.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I came up here. Listening to Mase complain about his seasickness was getting tiresome. I’m surprised how big a problem that’s been for someone who’s such a great pilot.”
“Just goes to show you how smart it is that we only load our minds into the fighters. It’s all the pesky biological bits like confused inner ears that cause problems.”