The morning of the trial he woke up from the dream at two in the morning, straining to understand the meaning behind it. He was so close this time. Asleep only a few hours, he lay there wide awake, wishing that sleep would retake him so he could finish the dream. After a while, he realized it was hopeless—he would get no more sleep this night. He got up, dressed, and left his little habitat house to check on the men in the security shack.
It was a beautiful summer evening, with a cloudless sky that allowed a million stars to light the surface of Avalon. As he walked the path to the security shack, the night air helped to calm his nerves.
Al was not looking forward to this day of the trial. There were so many security concerns to worry over; he thought it might be a good idea to get a jump on things. For reasons he could not quite put his finger on, he felt apprehensive.
Inside the security shack, he was met by Robot Nine and two of his men, all three staring at monitor pads and the images transmitted by the watchers. The robot was in a corner cubicle re-charging himself and had something he wished to report.
“Sir…watcher number two detected a large Riktor just outside the fence ten minutes and fourteen seconds ago.”
Al was surprised. Of all the days for a Riktor sighting, this was not the day he wanted to have this happen. They had seen no activity from the creatures in almost three weeks and were beginning to think of the village as a safe zone.
“Is he still there?”
His senior officer, Sid, answered before the little robot had a chance to reply, “No Chief, he looked around a little bit and then left. It was a bit scary there for a minute, though—it was close to the prisoner’s quarters.”
Al had known there was a risk involved with placing her so far out, but he had to isolate her from the rest of the colonists. When someone does something as serious as she did, it was best to keep them as far away from the victims as possible. He wanted to keep her safe long enough to have a trial.
Al asked the robot, “Robot Nine, how long before you are finished re-charging?”
“I require another hour and twenty-one minutes sir.”
The chief knew there would be pre-trial preparations going on in the prisoner’s quarters, “How many people are there at the jail?”
Sid replied, “The lawyer, the psychiatrist, your young friend, the guard.…and of course, the prisoner.”
“Chris is there?”
“Been there all night sir.”
What has gotten into that kid?
“All right,” Al said, “You guys stay here and have one of the watchers take a closer look at the fence line where it was spotted. I’ll go and take a look around.”
Chris had been seeing a lot of Tammy Shoemaker lately. Al knew that, and it worried him that Chris was getting so attached to someone who may or may not be a good person. Then there was also the possibility of her execution. Young love is usually tragic enough.
The jail compound they constructed appeared ominous as he walked up to the gate. A remote place with open space all around, that resembled a small fort. With the ten-foot electrical fence topped with barbed wire and the bright lighting, the prison looked quite capable of keeping people in and creatures out.
The guard, a specially picked colonist familiar with security protocol saw Al coming and opened the gate.
“Did you see the Riktor a little while ago?” Al asked him.
“I don’t know about any Riktors sir, but I saw a ten-foot dinosaur. It was like looking at a history book. I’ve never seen one that was real—about scared me out of my boots. One minute he was there at the perimeter fence, and the next—it was not.”
This man apparently did not know the Sansi name for the creatures.
“What was he doing?”
“He was just looking around; real quiet like. It seemed interested in the two posts it was standing by, like I said, I only saw him for thirty seconds or so.”
“How close did he get to the fence?”
“…about ten feet.”
“I’m going to get my senior officer Sid out here in about an hour. He’ll be responsible for getting the prisoner to the trial with your help. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled and remember trouble can come from any side of this facility. All right?”
The man said he understood completely, and Al continued inside to check on Tammy and her guests.
Trying to keep the tone light, Al entered and said, “You guys are having a party, and you didn’t invite me?”
“It’s not much of a party, but we’re trying,” Chris replied without humor.
It didn’t look much like a party either, with them sitting around looking worried. Scattered around the table were lists of prospective witnesses and ledgers of all the people on Avalon. It didn’t look good for the defense.
“Hey—come on people—this is no way to win a trial,” admonished Al, “I don’t know a lot about courtroom procedures, but it seems to me that you need to think positive. Show that Tammy is not a threat and could be of help to the colony, and you will have progressed a long way towards winning. Stress Tammy’s skills and talents, and concentrate on the beliefs that her parents drilled into her since childhood. She admits she is guilty; you only need to prove they coerced into it?”
Chris turned to Tammy with a told-you-so look on his face.
“Such as it is, that is our plan,” admitted Tammy’s lawyer, “I hope you are part of the jury…that would help a lot.”
Al regretfully informed them, “My name won’t be on any of the twelve pieces of paper they pick out of the hat. Because I’m security, I am exempt. Think positive, though; all you need is seven people that don’t believe in capital punishment, out of the almost eight hundred names in that rather large hat. The odds are in your favor.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her,” Chris said.
“You’re just going to have to have faith in the general goodness of human nature,” suggested Al. “Can I talk to you for a minute…outside, Chris?”
Chris followed him outside, and Al told him of the Riktor sighting. He looked Chris square in the eyes and told him, “I want you to stay alert on your way to the auditorium, and stay close to officer Sal and the guard. Whatever you do, don’t forget that many threats are facing Miss Shoemaker today. If you have to stay with her—please be careful—okay?”
Al left thinking he could do little to discourage him from seeing the girl. Young love can be like a bulldozer and almost unstoppable. But it concerned him that Chris appeared to be falling for a girl that may not live long enough to see her eighteenth birthday.
****
As Al headed back to the security shack, scattered clouds crept across the sky, diffused the starlight, and creating eerie shadows that crept across the landscape. He was thinking of the unfortunate girl and what she would be facing this day; if there was anything more he could do to act in her defense. He decided he must speak for her at her tribunal. Al didn’t believe an eye for an eye would do the community any good. She was so young, and he wanted her to have the chance to prove that her life mattered.
It was eight o’clock in the morning, and Al had arranged a meeting at the shack to go over security for the trial. All his men but Sal were there along with Robot Nine. Sal was responsible for the prisoner and would deliver her to the auditorium at the start of the trial.
“I do not understand Chief Clark, the proceedings you are preparing are illogical,” stated Robot Nine.
Standing by the door, the security chief asked, “Why do you say that robot?”
“You left Earth to come here and make a new beginning. Logic tells me that you will need every person, and more, to live on this planet safely. Why would you choose to kill one of your own?”
The settlement of this planet had turned into a bittersweet journey and proving to be harder than imagined. Its beauty and compatibility with human needs made it worthy of the struggle.
“That, my friend, is what I’m hoping the defense can
get across to the jury.”
Al stood up and issued assignments. “Robot Nine, I want you circling the fence perimeter exclusively.” Al gestured to the four men on the left side of the room and continued, “You four men will join him and post yourselves so you can see in all directions and the rest of you men…and women, will be stationed inside the auditorium. I’ll fill you in on individual posts once we get inside.”
The trial took place in the community center auditorium at ten in the morning. The now completed center, located in the very middle of Camelot, was something the colonists were understandably proud of. All sidewalks crossed the central square surrounding the building, making it truly the center of the community. Its steeply angled roof peaked at almost one-hundred feet tall; the entire surface used to collect rainwater. The roof overhang also provided for a wrap-around porch that gave people a place to get out of sun and rain.
The building was designed and used as a multi-function facility, with rooms that circled the interior walls that included: school rooms, several stores, a clinic, and even a small church, leaving a large open space in the middle for community gatherings. Behind the building was a shuttle pad large enough for all four shuttles.
By nine thirty the auditorium was packed. Bleachers lined the outer walls of the room, with the prosecution and defense tables, the jury boxes, and a judicial bench for the captain placed in the center. The sounds of the crowd echoed through the large open room; buzzing with anticipation.
Sal brought the prisoner in at nine-fifty, to sit next to her lawyer at the defense table. Another officer stayed with her while Sid sat with the audience. The captain entered, sat down at the judge’s table, and at precisely ten o’clock called the proceedings to order. He did not wish to prolong this procedure, so he minced no words.
“Tammy Shoemaker is charged with sabotage and murder. How do you plead?”
Tammy’s lawyer stood up and declared, “My client wishes to plead guilty…with extenuating circumstances.”
Captain Effinger showed no signs of surprise. He had expected as much. “All right then, let’s get started. Please draw the names of the jurors.”
A young boy pulled twelve slips from the hopper, and the names were called out. One by one, seven women and five men were sworn in and seated in the jury box. That done, the prosecution called his first witness and the trial began.
The murdered girl’s parents were called to testify; the psychiatrist, the doctor that did the autopsy, water quality experts, and the few people that knew Tammy were all requested to say their piece. They discussed the power room fire, the hangar door malfunction, and of course, the poisoning of the water. The prosecution attempted to make her appear evil while the defense framed her as a victim of a form of brainwashing, and could not be held responsible. The whole time, Tammy sat there with a blank look on her face, like she couldn’t believe this was happening.
When all the witness’ had testified, and the character references heard, the captain asked, “Is there anyone else that would like to speak?”
Al raised his hand, “I would like to say something, Captain.”
“Well…go ahead Mister Clark.”
What Al had to say was this, “I just want to point out that we are setting a precedent here. If she is found guilty and executed, we will be following the path that believes taking the life of a criminal is a deterrent to serious crime. You should know that there is no evidence to support this conclusion. I don’t believe she is a danger any longer to the settlement, and she sincerely wants to make amends for her actions.”
Al paused for a second, to allow the jury time to think about what he had just said, “There is also the issue concerning the number of people necessary to colonize a planet. A lot of very smart people got together and decided that one-thousand individuals are a good number to start a colony. We are down to eight hundred and thirty colonists, which in my book, is pushing the limits. We need every person we can get to make this settlement a success. We can’t afford to kill her.”
Captain Effinger frowned at Al, so he finished with, “That’s all I have to say.”
The rain started around two o’clock. A slow, steady rain that could be heard tapping on the roof while the jury listened to the testimonies. The captain recognized Tammy and asked her, “Do you have anything to say. Would you like to come and be heard?”
She hesitantly said, “Yes…I would.”
Tammy stood up and moved to the center of the room.
“Most of my life they told me that the colony ships were war vessels sent out to conquer new planets. Loaded with Earth’s elite and wealthy they would use biological weapons to wipe the world clean of native people while the ship was still in orbit, making the planet suitable for occupation. My parents believed it was the truth…but I know now that they deceived me.”
Tammy knew that what she said next might make the difference between life and death. She composed herself and then continued, “I am very sorry for what I’ve done. I thought I was earning my way to heaven, but I was making myself a place in hell. Please—I want to live—so I can do what I can to help this colony survive and grow.”
The defense and prosecution made their closing statements, and the jury retired to one of the classrooms to deliberate. Now her fate was in the hands of the jury.
Sunset came, and the rain kept getting harder, and louder. So loud, in fact, that it began to get hard to hear inside the courtroom. Retreating from the noise, Al stepped outside onto the porch to await the verdict.
The watchers were excellent surveillance tools, with only a few limitations. The Riktors were a species of cold-blooded dinosaur, and the drone’s night vision had trouble tracking an animal that took on the heat signatures of its surroundings. The high-tech drones could see little in a downpour which added to the problem. It was pitch black and raining cats and dogs. The watchers were pretty much useless.
“There is a break in the fence,” Robot Nine reported, “Multiple tracks leading to the confinement facility. I am pursuing.”
A silent alarm went off in his head. Al pulled his pad from his pocket.
“I need to know how many there are and where. Report quickly Robot Nine, I need to know how bad this is.”
Al had considered a possibility like this, but it didn’t include the rain. He turned and ran back into the building yelling into his communicator, “Everybody inside! You officers outside round everybody up and get inside quickly.”
He stopped in front of the captain and yelled over the rain, “Can you fly in this Captain?”
Raising his voice to match Al’s he replied, “Son—I can fly in anything—what is it you need?”
“Follow me, sir, I’ll explain once we are in the shuttle.”
They made their way to the back, exited the building, and stopped at the first shuttle they came to, the captain working the door lock in almost no time at all. They climbed in, and Al closed the door to the pouring rain.
“They have split up, sir,” the robot’s voice reported, “The tracks indicate at least four—possibly more. The intruders appear to be headed for the community center. I am following the tracks of two reptiles moving to the east side of the settlement. Be advised; I am having trouble navigating the soft ground, and my forward velocities have decreased considerably.”
Al realized the situation was quickly becoming serious, very fast.
“Tobias, can you see well enough to stay fifteen feet off the ground?”
“We may not be able to see what’s directly below us, but I can use the instruments to keep us at whatever height you want,” the captain said.
“I need you to say the phrase to enhance my abilities. It seems I can’t make it work alone. Believe me, I have tried.”
“What do we do then?”
“You’re gonna fly over them, and then I’m gonna shoot them.”
The captain had learned to trust Al’s judgment, and he didn’t have any better ideas. His simple reply was, “O…kay.”
>
Captain Effinger started the shuttle while Al grabbed the two rifles he had stashed under the seat—just in case. He had promised himself not to be caught unprepared again.
“Are you ready Mister Clark?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
Tobias spoke the phrase: “The metal of a man is judged by what is inside.”
Al repeated the phrase and felt the ramping up of his systems again. The feeling of power filled his senses, his hearing increased and then settled down, and his sight became equivalent to the eyes of an eagle. Once again, he was an enhanced human.
The captain asked, “Are you okay Al?”
“I have never felt so ready. Let’s go and find us some dinosaurs.”
Al threw the shuttle door open as the captain lifted off, in the direction of the marauding predators. With his leg wrapped around a pole, Al leaned out of the opening in the aircraft trying to find a target for his rifle.
“Can you see anything Captain?” Al yelled.
“I can see enough. Something is going on ahead—be ready.”
Something flashed by under the shuttle, and the captain performed the sweetest one-eighty that Al had ever seen. Ten seconds later, Al was above one of the reptilian intruders; running full-tilt towards the community center, with the shuttle only a few feet over its head.
It was an easy shot, and he fired three times as fast as the rifle would let him. The creature fell hard; disappearing behind them.
Captain Effinger was one with his machine, and the amazing little craft did everything he asked of it. Circling the building the captain found them, and Al shot the beasts from above. With the rain pouring down and the almost silent shuttle being above their heads, they didn’t even know what hit them.
The third raider caught on, though, and stopped his run to watch the spacecraft fly over his head. These were not stupid creatures. Al motioned for the captain to lower the shuttle, and Al jumped out; facing the Riktor as it advanced on him he shot it several times in the head and it went down for the last time in its life. The captain brought the shuttle back down; Al jumped in, and they went looking for more targets.
AL CLARK (A Sci-Fi Adventure)(Book One) Page 16