CHAPTER 6
THE BEGINNING
Now to begin the real defense, the Doctor thought, steeling himself for the ordeal he knew was to come. He consulted his notes and turned to the Matrix screen that dominated the wall behind the gallery. He pressed a button on the console. The lights in the room came down and the screen lit up, displaying a spacecraft moving through deep space.
"This is the Glyateven prison ship GX5," he stated dramatically. "In an armed revolt, the prisoners have taken control of the ship and changed course. In their haste to escape, however, they have also damaged the engines and have been forced to set course for the nearest habitable planet."
The image of a solar system came into view and moved in on a large blue green planet. "This is the planet Eldeberon. It's here that the ship eventually crashes. During the ship's decent, the fuel will be jettisoned to elevate the possibility of a fire on impact. This decision, while valid at the time, will have disastrous repercussions in the weeks that follow."
The Doctor moved the image in closer, showing the crashed ship on the surface of the planet, the area around it a scene of desolation. "The ship came down in a coastal area at the same time a hurricane was making landfall. The natural disaster knocked out the area's radar equipment, blinding it to the approaching alien craft. As you can see, the crash site blended in perfectly with its devastated surroundings. No one even questioned the appearance of some four-hundred homeless individuals amongst the thousands of other displaced persons."
The image moved closer still, focusing on the interior of the spaceship where two men were organizing the others into groups. "These two men are the leaders of the revolt that ended in the crash. The core of what the Glyateven call a Triad. The third member was killed in the crash. It's the prosecution's contention that, after the death of this original member, Prince Jason insinuated himself into this position for his own personal gain."
The Doctor paused, his voice dropping in pitch. "It is my intention to show that this was not the case and that, rather than being the author of the holocaust that followed, Prince Jason was, in actuality, its most innocent of victims."
The Doctor took a sip of water, allowing his listeners time to absorb all he had said. Then he drew a deep breath. Time to get to the heart of his presentation. "My lord, these next extracts contain incidents in which I myself was involved. I should like to introduce them as a portion of my testimony."
Fitzhugh could not keep the amused smirk from coming to his face. "Doctor, you've already given testimony for the prosecution," he reminded.
"And now I'm giving it for the defense."
The prosecutor turned to the Inquisitor, protesting, "My lord, this is highly irregular."
"This court sees no reason why the Doctor may not add to his own testimony," the Inquisitor replied blandly.
Fitzhugh was taken aback by this and took a moment to collect his thoughts. "If the Doctor is presenting this evidence as a part of his testimony, will the prosecution be permitted to, er, question the witness during the presentation?"
This seemed a valid question and Eustis turned to the Doctor. "Is the presentation of your testimony of great length, Doctor?"
"It is, my lord."
"Do you have any objection to answering any questions that may arise during the course of your testimony?" Eustis then asked.
The Doctor hesitated, sensing a trap. "I have no objection to answering questions," he began slowly, "so long as the presentation isn't interrupted every five minutes."
Lord Fitzhugh snorted loudly, and made a show of being insulted.
"I should point out that there are breaks between sections in the presentation," the Doctor informed quickly.
"Very well, Doctor," the Inquisitor replied. "The prosecution may stop the Matrix extracts for questions." He turned to Fitzhugh, adding in a no nonsense tone, "Keeping interruptions to a minimum."