Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

The Dead Thief's Turnabout

By Derald Snyder

Trial- Day 2 (Part 2)

Court Record:

-Autopsy Report

-Woman's Footprints

-Crime Scene Diagram

-.30-Caliber Assault Rifle

-.338-Caliber Bullet

-Size-15 Footprint

-Wire Brush

-Fingerprint Data

-Black Suitcase

-Sniper Rifle

-August 16 Flight Manifest

August 18, 10:37 AM

Leanbox Army Base

Courtroom No. 1

General Lawson banged his gavel. "Atten-shun! This court martial is now back in session." The crowd promptly quieted... save Vert, who was once again snoring away.

"Again, Lady Vert?!" Rei groaned in exasperation.

"I must concur with the defense here..." sighed the judge/general.

"Cripes, don't tell me you're gonna have to break out the airhorn again..." Cutter grumbled.

As soon as he said that, however, the CPU's eyes shot open. "No! Not the airhorn again! I'm awake, I'm awake, I'm awake!"

"For once I have to thank you, Colonel," said Rei. "Now I don't have to burst everyone's eardrums again..."

"Indeed," Lawson nodded. "Now then, Colonel Cutter, were you able to retrieve Mr. Hauser?"

"Of course!" scoffed the JAG prosecutor. "Whether it be in the courtroom or out in the field, Colonel Cutter always gets his man!" He then banged his fist on his bench. "Alright, gunny, get on up here!" The man in question promptly took his place at the witness stand, wearing a business suit similar to when Rei and Vert had first met him, carrying a black briefcase in one hand. "Name, rank, and current occupation! You know the drill!"

"Yes sir, Colonel!" The man saluted. "Retired Gunnery Sergeant Steve Hauser, reporting for duty! Oh, and I work as a real estate agent nowadays..."

"Sergeant Hauser. Do you understand why you have been summoned here?" Lawson inquired.

Steve Hauser stated, "Well, I would assume it's due to the fact that I'm the older brother of the victim in this case..."

"Actually, Mr. Hauser, it's because your fingerprints were discovered on a piece of evidence directly related to the incident," Rei pointed out.

"Is that right?" Hauser muttered. "Well, I *was* hanging around the crime scene not long after the incident occurred, as you well know... Is it really that surprising my fingerprints were discovered at the scene?"

"Well then, would you testify as to your actions on the day in question?" General Lawson requested.

"Yes sir! Willco, General!" Hauser saluted again, before beginning his testimony. "I was on my way to the airport to get on a flight for a business trip. But after I got out of my car, I heard some commotion. Curious, I asked a passerby about what happened. Imagine my shock when I heard that my brother had met his end! I was so distraught... everything went fuzzy... I must have been in a daze for a while. I didn't really snap out of it until Lady Vert and the others met me... by that time, I knew I had missed my flight. Boy, did I get chewed out by my boss for that... but it's not like I could tell him that Klept O. Maniac was my brother, either."

"I see," General Lawson nodded. "So you were in shock from hearing about your brother's death..."

"Yes sir," Steve nodded. "Like I said, I might have gotten my fingerprints on a piece of evidence without even realizing it..."

"...Ms. Ryghts, your cross-examination, please."

"It would seem even the good general realizes just how vague Hauser's testimony is," Vert muttered.

(Which means I'm going to have to press him for more details before I can start pulling his story apart,) Rei mused. "Well, first of all, Mr. Hauser, I have to ask... do you remember exactly where you wandered while you were in a daze?

Hauser bit his lip. "Well, I can't be sure, but I think I was mostly around the crime scene itself..."

"Well, did ya happen to enter the airport itself at any point?" Colonel Cutter asked.

The former sergeant blinked in confusion for a moment. "Oh...? Oh! Well, now that you mention it, I think I might have wandered in there at some point..."

(Argh! Way to undercut me, Cutter!) Rei fumed inwardly. (You certainly live up to your name...)

"Do you remember anything you did while at the airport?" Vert pressed. "Perhaps, did you use the restroom at any point?"

"Th-the restroom?" Steve closed his eyes in thought, before shaking his head. "No, I don't think so..."

Catching on to what Vert was doing, Rei slammed her fists on the bench. "Then explain how *your* suitcase ended up in the possession of one Henry Schneider, who was busy with a bathroom break after the crime occurred!"

"W-what?" Hauser grunted in mild surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"Allow me to enlighten you," said Vert. "Henry Schneider was arrested for illegal weapons possession not long after Mr. Rickard Hauser's murder. However, his fingerprints were only found on the handle of the suitcase containing the weapon..." She then slapped her gloved hand on the bench. "But *your* fingerprints were found on the buckles, indicating you had actually opened this suitcase, and thus knew its contents!"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Hauser cried out, before something occurred to him, causing him to slap his forehead. "Aww, sssshhhhooot!" he barely avoided cursing in the CPU's presence. "I never even bothered to open my suitcase when I got back home! So mine got switched with this Henry guy's...?! Dang it!"

"So you *do* know the contents of the suitcase, and why Mr. Schneider was arrested!" accused Rei, pointing her index finger at the witness.

"Ugggh, I'm sorry!" Hauser groaned. "Yes, I know my suitcase was supposed to have a sniper rifle inside... But I've got an explanation for that, all right? Just hear me out! Please, Lady Vert!"

"Order!" Lawson banged his gavel. "Sergeant, calm yourself! You know panicking gets you killed on the field!"

"So if you've got an explanation, just give it to us straight!" said Colonel Cutter. "Don't let the former psycho over there knock you off your game, soldier..."

Steve Hauser took a few deep breaths. "Y-yes sir... sorry. I think I'm OK now..."

"Very good," the general nodded. "Now, give us your explanation as to why you had that sniper rifle in your possession at the time of the incident..."

"Sir!" Hauser saluted. "As you likely know, I was once a trained sniper during my service in the army! That rifle I had was a relic of sorts from my last tour of duty, so to speak. My boss wanted to impress on the associates I was meeting that I was a straight shooter, and what better way to symbolize that than to refer to my stellar sniping career? After all, I never missed a single target while on duty!"

"I see," General Lawson. "So it meant to be used as a prop, nothing more..."

"That's right, sir!" Steve nodded. "After all, it wasn't even loaded!"

"OBJECTION!" Rei suddenly cut in. "The evidence contradicts your statement! After all, this sniper rifle shows signs of having been recently fired! How could it do that when it wasn't loaded, maggot?!"

"Gurk!" Hauser gripped his briefcase with both hands, sweating.

"Gunnery Sergeant... you've been lying to this court!" declared Vert with a hint of anger. "And in front of your own goddess, no less! What did I tell you about that?!"

"AUUGGHH!" Steve Hauser cowered behind his suitcase. "Forgive meeee!" The gallery started chattering confusedly.

"You go, Rei!" Peach cried from the crowd. "Nail that bastard!"

"Order! Order!" yelled Lawson as he banged his gavel repeatedly. "And Staff Sergeant Macintosh, you're out of order! Sit down and shut up!" Peashy squeaked and promptly did as ordered. "As for you, Gunny! What is the meaning of this?!"

"Nnngggghhh..." Hauser groaned. "A-all right, all right, I admit it! I was lying about being in a daze!"

"You idiot!" yelled Colonel Cutter, banging his fist on the bench. "Lyin' under oath's a serious crime, y'know!"

"Very serious," Vert agreed. "An innocent man could be wrongly convicted because of your actions, Mr. Hauser. I highly suggest you come clean now, and save yourself further disgrace."

The former sergeant bowed his head in apparent shame. "...Yes, Lady Vert. I understand. The truth is..." He took a deep breath. "I was angry, when I heard about what happened. My own flesh and blood, killed by a fellow soldier, over something as petty as theft, or so I thought at the time. So I went into a blind alley, and fired my rifle into a dumpster, to muffle the sound. There really wasn't any other way for me to express my rage..."

Lawson shook his head in disappointment. "Why did you not testify truthfully from the beginning, Sergeant?"

"Because, I know what angle the defense would argue if I did." Steve looked over at Rei Ryghts. "You want to try to pin this crime on me, just because I happened to be a sniper at one point, don't you?"

"Only if that's the truth of what happened," Rei said firmly.

"I'm strongly tempted to quote my favorite movie here, but that'd be too cliché, so I won't. That being said..." Hauser reached into his briefcase, pulling out a military helmet, which he swiftly donned. "If you want to do battle in the hot zone, you'd better be prepared to be med-evac'ed!" he declared, now holding his briefcase as if it were a machine gun.

"Meep!" Rei squeaked. (OK, didn't see that coming...)

"If Sergeant Hauser is trying to put on a tough act, we must be getting close," Vert whispered. "But I can see the fear in his eyes. Don't let him intimidate you now!"

"So, defense, I challenge you to present proof! Proof that I used my rifle to kill my brother, instead of this petty officer here!" Hauser declared loudly.

"Heh heh heh... and once again, the gauntlet is thrown," Cutter chuckled. "Let's see how you respond this time, civilian!"

The former goddess simply gave her trademark 'psycho smirk' in response. "Well then, Sarge, let's see how you like this bombshell! TAKE THAT!" She presented the wire brush.

"A wire brush?" Lawson muttered in slight confusion. "What does that prove?"

"This wire brush was found on the western rooftop above the crime scene," Rei explained. "We had it tested by the local forensics lab, and it came back positive for gunpowder!"

"Gunpowder?!" gasped the general.

"Yes sir," the horned lawyer nodded. "I can only speculate that it was used by the killer to clean his weapon after firing the fatal shot!"

"OBJECTION!" Cutter cut in. "That wire brush could've been left up there long ago! There's no way you can prove it belonged to the sniper, if there even was one!"

"OBJECTION!" Rei shot back. "And what about the footprint that was also found up there, Colonel? You and I both know that could only have been left recently!"

"OBJECTION!" Cutter banged his fist. "Even if that's true, you still can't connect it to the wire brush! It's circumstantial at best!"

"Oh really?" Rei crossed her arms. "Tell me Sergeant, what size shoe do you wear?"

"Size 15, why?" Hauser responded... before realization dawned. "GAAAHH!" He cowered behind his briefcase again.

"In other words, the exact size of the footprint left in the sand!" Rei declared triumphantly. "And I bet if we compare that footprint to all the pairs of shoes you own, we'll find a match for the tread pattern!"

"Arrrrgh!" cried Steve Hauser as he dove behind the witness stand as if ducking for cover, sending the crowd into a tizzy. "Mayday! Mayday! I'm taking heavy fire!"

"Order! Order! Order in the court!" cried the general/judge as he banged his gavel several times. "Do I have to make you all do pull-ups until the cows come home?!" The gallery promptly calmed down somewhat.

"Now that doesn't seem like the reaction an innocent man would have," Vert pointed out.

"Speak for yourself, Lady Vert!" Cutter countered. "He's just followin' his instincts! Any soldier would do what he did when confronted with an enemy ambush!"

"The question is, can he return fire?" Rei challenged.

"He doesn't have to!" Cutter retorted. "I'm going to provide him cover fire so he can escape!"

"Are you saying you have a rebuttal, Colonel Cutter?" Lawson inquired.

"Yes sir!" The veteran soldier nodded. "The thing is, civilian, while you've been busy trying to tie Sergeant Hauser to the crime scene, you've forgotten one crucial thing!"

"And what's that, Colonel?" Rei asked.

"It hasn't been proven that the gunny's rifle is the murder weapon!" Cutter declared. "After all, I said the .338 caliber bullet was consistent with the rifle in question... but I never said it was a match!"

"W... wait, what?!" Rei gasped, starting to sweat a bit herself.

"Are you saying... the bullet does *not* match the sniper rifle in question?" Lawson said in surprise.

"Exactly!" Cutter declared triumphantly. "The ballistic markings weren't even close! And that's a fact! So how do you respond to that, Rei Ryghts?!"

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Rei recoiled in shock. (It... it can't be...!) The gallery started chattering in confusion...

"We've been suckered again," Vert muttered, looking over at her companion. "Colonel Cutter certainly knows how to hold his trump card until the end, doesn't he?"

"Well, you know what they say, Lady Vert, about how no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy," Cutter chuckled. "Which is why I had a backup plan waitin' in the wings, just in case!"

(What... He *planned* for this?!) Rei thought to herself.

"Heh... thanks, Colonel," said Steve Hauser as he stood back up. "Looks like you saved my hide..."

"Of course, Gunny!" the colonel smirked. "A good soldier never leaves a man behind, after all!"

General Lawson then banged his gavel. "Much as I hate to admit it, it looks like defense's theory holds no water. After all, if the ballistics don't match, then this sniper rifle was nothing but a red herring all along..."

(No no no!) thought Rei in desperation. (Where did I go wrong? I was certain I had him...!)

"D-does this mean I'm s-still guilty, too?" Henry Schneider stuttered.

"No, no," Lawson shook his head. "You're fine, Mr. Schnieder. Sergeant Hauser simply grabbed the wrong suitcase at the airport. You're off the hook."

"My deepest apologies, Mr. Schneider," Hauser bowed. "I'll make sure to get your clothes back to you..."

(Sergeant Hauser made a mistake? No, that can't be right!) Rei pondered. (He must have been trying to get rid of the evidence... but why, if the bullet didn't match anyway?)

"Well then, now that that's settled, I will proceed to my verdict," declared the general. "This court finds the accused, Petty Officer Adrian Harold Johns..."

"OBJECTION!"

Rei slammed her fists on the bench. "J-just a minute, General! I-I'm not d-done yet!"

"Oh, come on..." Cutter groaned. "I've already shot your case full o'holes! Just surrender, will ya?!"

"Ms. Ryghts. I must concur with the colonel," Lawson warned. "Do you honestly think you can make a rebuttal at this point?"

(I... I *can't* give up now!) Rei thought to herself. (Both Adrian and Peashy are counting on me!)

"General Lawson," Vert spoke up. "I request you give my lawyer a minute to gather her thoughts. I still have my doubts about this case, myself..."

"Y-you too, Lady Vert?!" Cutter grunted in dismay.

The general considered for a moment, before heaving a sigh. "Very well, as you wish, Lady Vert. But this is the last chance for the defense. If Ms. Ryghts cannot come up with a convincing argument, then nothing will stay my gavel. Do you understand?"

"U-understood, sir," Rei acknowledged. "J-just g-give me a m-moment..." (I have to go back over this whole case... there must be something I've missed!) She closed her eyes as she went into deep thought...

(OK, let's review the facts. The victim, Klept O. Maniac, AKA Rickard T. Hauser was shot dead in a dark alley after being violently assaulted by Peach. The position of the body indicated he was shot from directly above, meaning either Adrian killed the victim from close range... or a sniper shot the victim from the rooftop. But the bullet did not match Adrian's assault rifle, which means the sniper theory is more likely. So, first question: How did the sniper sneak his weapon onto the scene?)

(*It was hidden in a suitcase*)

(The sniper hid his gun in a suitcase he was carrying. And after committing the deed, he waited for the ruckus to die down, before discreetly exiting the crime scene. Which leads to the next question: How did he dispose of the evidence?)

(*He switched the suitcases*)

(...right. He swapped the suitcase with one owned by Mr. Henry Schneider, who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But that was a bit risky, wasn't it? After all... what if he had been caught making the swap?)

(*He had a backup plan*)

(Just like Colonel Cutter, he had a backup plan in case something went wrong. But how would he have avoided being suspected if he were caught with the sniper rifle?)

(*The bullet didn't match*)

(...if the ballistics test came back negative, he'd only be charged with weapons possession... a serious crime itself, but not as bad as murder. But if that's the case, how did he fool the ballistics test?)

(*He altered the gun barrel*)

(Wait, that's it! If he somehow altered the gun barrel so the ballistics no longer matched, he'd be free and clear! But what could he have used to alter the barrel?)

(*The wire brush!*)

THE CULPRIT ALTERED THE GUN BARREL WITH THE WIRE BRUSH!

Rei's eyes shot open. "I'VE GOT IT!"

"Wahh!" cried Vert in shock. "Don't yell like that! My ears are still sensitive!"

"Have you come up with a rebuttal, Ms. Ryghts?" asked General Lawson.

"Yes sir, I have," the lawyer nodded. "I just had to turn my thinking around. You see, the question isn't, 'Why doesn't the bullet match the gun?' Rather, it's 'How was the gun altered to not match the bullet fired from it?'"

"Altered?" blinked Lawson in surprise.

"Are you sayin' the evidence was tampered with?!" Cutter grunted.

"Yes. And I have proof," Rei asserted. "I would direct your attention back to the wire brush presented earlier. At first, I thought it had been used by the sniper to clean his weapon after firing it... But that doesn't make any sense. After all, why clean your gun if you were going to dispose of it afterward, anyway? Not to mention... General, in your experience, would you use an instrument like this to clean your gun?"

"Absolutely not!" General Lawson answered. "Using a tool like this would scratch up the barrel beyond belief!"

Rei just nodded, smirking. "...Exactly."

Cutter's eyes went wide, before recoiling as if from a gunshot. "Gaaaaahhh!"

"It seems even the prosecution has realized the truth," the defense attorney chuckled. "I've got to hand it to you, Sergeant Hauser. It was a well-conceived plan to escape culpability for your brother's murder... you even had the good colonel here fooled. But now we know what happened!" She slammed her fists on the bench. "You used the wire brush to mutilate the inside of the rifle's barrel, so the ballistic markings would no longer match up!"

"Auuuggh!" cried Hauser as he once again dove for cover.

"OBJECTION!" yelled Cutter, now sweating a little. "E-even if what you say is true, you still can't match the bullet to the sniper rifle!"

(Uh oh, he's right,) Rei thought to herself...

"Hmhmhmm..." Vert suddenly chuckled. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, Colonel. Clearly you aren't up to date on forensics techniques."

"Lady Vert?" Lawson looked over at the CPU. "Are you saying there is a way...?"

"Contrary to what Rei is thinking, I wasn't up all night playing video games, like usual," The goddess expounded. "In fact I was watching several crime documentaries on NepTube, in hopes I could learn something useful to help her out."

"Y-you were?!" Rei looked over at Vert, eyes wide with shock.

The busty CPU couldn't help but chuckle at the lawyer's reaction. "Indeed. And it seems my cramming paid off. You see, on an episode of Forensic Crime Files, there was one detective who suspected that a rifle recovered from the crime scene had been tampered with. So he poured some quick-drying rubber down the barrel, then extracted said rubber so he could compare a bullet to the unaltered markings at the other end. And sure enough, it was a match!"

"Wh-wh-what?!" cried Steve Hauser. "A-a test like that actually e-exists?!"

Rei slammed her fists on the bench again. "General Lawson! The defense requests that the sniper rifle be re-tested, in the manner Lady Vert has just described! It's possible the ballistic marking at the other end may still be unaltered!"

"N-no! Wait! Stop!" Hauser protested. "You can't do that!"

(Now that's definitely not a reaction an innocent man would have!) Rei thought. Aloud she spoke, "It's over, Sergeant. To borrow from Colonel Cutter's lexicon... you're surrounded on all sides. You're completely out of ammo! All your escape routes have been cut off! And any cover you might have had... has been exploded by my bunker-buster bombs of truth!" She pointed dramatically at the sniper. "The only option left to you... is to surrender!"

"S...surrender?" gasped Hauser, sweating, grasping his briefcase tightly. A shot rang out, and he barely dodged it. He held out his briefcase as if to return fire, only to have it 'shot' out of his hands. "Augh! No! Mayday!" Another 'shot' knocked off his helmet. "Mayday! Mayday! Send air support! Send anything!" A piece of his suit was 'shot' off... then another and another... "Gahh! Agghh! Stop, stoooop! I give up! I SURRENDEEEERRRRRR!"

He collapsed over the witness stand, his breathing heavy and labored, like a man gravely wounded, yet still alive. Slowly, he pushed himself back into a standing position... "...Damn it all! Damn it all to hell! That stupid deadbeat brother of mine...! He had no right to exist!"

"Stupid deadbeat?" Lawson inquired.

"He was a sully on our family name!" Steve ranted. "It's not our fault he was a failure at math, unlike the rest of us! It's not our fault he was kicked out of his apartment because he didn't know how to pay a bill! That he just started stealing anything he could get his hands on, so he could barter with drug dealers to get high!" He slammed his hands on the witness stand, growling. "It seemed like every day, there was another headline! 'Klept O. Maniac robs tourist couple!' 'Klept O. Maniac evades police again!' 'Klept O. Maniac terrorizes vacationers at airport!' Oh, my family tried to reach out to him, but he'd just laugh in their faces and swipe what he could from them, too!" He looked up, glaring at Rei Ryghts. "And don't you tell me I should've gone to the police! Those incompetent slobs just grow fat on coffee and donuts, cause they figure Lady Vert will just pick up their slack! Honestly, I was almost shocked to see a skinny detective with the CPU and Rei Ryghts...!"

"Now that he mentions it, Detective Green *did* seem to be the skinniest person at the department... Then again, he was a recent hire, wasn't he?" Vert pondered.

"So you see!" Steve shouted. "You see why I had to do it, because no one else could or would! I knew from the reports that he'd be hanging around the airport... so i set up on a rooftop outside the parking lot, and waited for my chance... sure enough, he came running by, having swiped another little trinket, no doubt! But even then, I doubted I could have hit him... but then, a miracle occurred!

(*Thud!*)

("And just where do you think *you're* going?")

("Waaaaah!")

(*POW! THWACK! THUNK! KICK!* *thud*)

"I knew wouldn't get a better chance, so I took my shot!"

(*BLAM!*)

"...for the briefest of moments, I wondered if I should try picking off the woman too, to eliminate any witnesses... but then that petty officer showed up, so I pulled back, and waited for the fuss to die down." He glanced back over at Vert. "The rest, I'm sure you know, Lady Vert..."

"Y...you disgraceful whelp!" yelled Cutter, banging his fist. "Whether you shot your brother by blood, or your brother-in-arms, it's the same to me! You should be ashamed, Gunny!"

"Not if he was scum!" Hauser retorted. "Admit it, I did my family and every person who got robbed a favor, by rubbing out that piece of dirt!"

"OBJECTION!" Vert slapped her hand on the bench. "You removed a sully on your family's name? I think not, Mr. Hauser."

"Wh-what do you mean by that?" the former soldier asked.

"Quite simple. Everybody who knew your notorious brother knew him as 'Klept O. Maniac', not Rickard T. Hauser! We didn't find out his real name until *after* he died." She shook her head in disgust. "The only one who has sullied your family name... is *you*, Steve Hauser, by murdering your own kin in cold blood!"

Hauser's eyes went wide at that. "M... me? I sullied... the name...? I...? ...no... No... NO! NO! NO! GAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" He recoiled as if shot in the head, before finally collapsing to the ground, unmoving.

"Medic! Medic! We got a man down!" cried Colonel Cutter reflexively, as the crowd chattered. The bailiffs went into action, picking up the unresponsive sniper's body and quickly carrying him out of the room...

A few minutes later, General Lawson had finally managed to calm the courtroom.

"Well!" the JAG officer muttered, "This was quite the unexpected turn. Who would have guessed Ms. Ryghts sniper theory to have been correct? It's been a while since I've had a trial this exciting...!"

(Personally, I could do with a little less excitement myself,) Rei sighed internally.

"Colonel Cutter. How is Gunnery Sergeant Hauser?" Lawson inquired.

"He's regained consciousness, but he's completely listless. Seems Lady Vert's final words broke him completely," Cutter shrugged. "He's coolin' his heels in the brig, at least until we can have him turned over to the local leos."

"What about the ballistics test?" Rei pressed.

"Got the results right here," Cutter held up a piece of paper. "It was a match, just like Lady Vert suspected. Looks like Petty Officer Johns was in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like Mr. Schneider was. As was Miss Macintosh..." He shook his head. "I gotta hand it to ya, Ryghts... never thought my first loss in court would be to a civilian, of all people..."

"It's not about winning or losing, Colonel," Rei retorted. "It's about finding the truth. And believe me, you're not the first 'undefeated prosecutor' I've had to deal with. You find a lot of them in Lowee..."

"Guess I should've taken a tour of duty in that country then," Cutter said with a tinge of sarcasm. "Still, I lost fair and square. You stuck to your guns despite the odds, and managed to come out the victor. A job well done, Rei Ryghts. I salute you!"

"Th... thank you, Colonel!" Rei said as she clumsily returned the salute.

"At least the good colonel is a graceful loser," Vert nodded.

"Very good," said Lawson. "In that case, I will announce my verdict. This court finds the accused, Petty Officer Adrian Harold Johns..."

NOT GUILTY

"ADRIAAAAAAAN!" cried several soldiers from Adrian's unit.

"LAAAAAAMMME!" Adrian yelled back, a grin on his face. The gallery then dissolved into whoops and cheers as confetti rained down from the ceiling.

"Is that their rallying cry?" Rei sighed.

"Must be," shrugged Vert.

"All right, soldiers, continue your celebrating outside! Dismissed, troops!" ordered Lawson as he banged his gavel one last time, to end the trial.

To be concluded...