Consequences
by Soul Hunter and TacomaSquall
Chapter 6:
Openings
I was walking toward the jury with hardly anything in my
hands. It was like going off to war
without weapons. Or even training. No matter how anyone sliced this situation,
it was clear that I was about to be outclassed by Xu. Her case was solid as a rock, while my defense was as volatile as
alcohol.
And as I looked into each of their eyes, I could have sworn the
jurors were all thinking the same about me. How did I get suckered into this? Or worse, how could I, Quistis Trepe, renowned instructor and shaper of
minds, mindlessly march into a task that not only was atrociously irrational,
but hopelessly lost as well?
Thanks to the media, everyone on this planet was quite aware who
that person was who stood beside our possessed Matron during that parade in
Deling. They knew who commanded
Galbadia Garden against its supposedly sister school. They knew who was aboard Lunatic Pandora when it ravaged across
Esthar's capital.
Seifer Almasy.
My client. The one I was
supposed to defend. Whose guilt I was
supposed to dilute with arguments that Hyne only knew were as improbable to
acquire as sharp spikes from a Blobra.
Because everyone knew what he did.
How in hell can I possibly render an undeniable truth as
inert? How can I discredit an action
supported by perhaps hundreds of eyewitness accounts?
They must have been asking the same question while staring at
me. Some of them were actually staring
down at me. They thought I must have
lost my dignity and common sense for having agreed to this assignment. The others were simply feeling sorry for me. They knew I was on the way to humiliating
myself.
Damn him. Why did I have
to feel sorry for Seifer now? I didn't
feel this way for him when he needed me most, and that was right before his
fated march to folly. That was before
his hubris forced him to that ill-fated decision to abandon his post and
therefore earned him the ire of most of Garden's staff, particularly that of
the Headmaster's. If I had begun
sympathizing with him before that, his corruption would have been averted. If I had only paid more attention to him...
But that was all pointless now. Besides, I wasn't even sure if a preemptive response would have saved
him. In a way, it was quite arrogant to
assume that.
I guess the only important thing to do now was to perform my
task. Try to save Seifer from the
clutches of blood-thirsty avengers.
If I can.
I have to try.
I have to make this good.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my name is Quistis
Trepe, Balamb Garden instructor and overall deputy commander of SeeD."
They knew who I was. But
right now, they looked at me as if they were seeing a different person. As if I was some stranger.
But not really. They
just loathed what I was trying to do. In their eyes, I was cradling a murderer. That had never sat well with the people. Especially during these trying times when
difficulties in the way people lived had rendered them intolerant of even the
smallest misdeeds. The last thing they
needed right now was letting a miscreant off the hook.
Add to that the number of groups who banded together just to
make sure that the war criminals of the just-concluded Sorceress War got what
they felt they deserved. And it needed
not to be said that one of their primary targets was Seifer Almasy himself.
Which was what spawned this trial in the first place. They were going for retribution. They wanted their blood.
And I was standing in their way.
"I come before you today with a terrible dilemma. As you may already know, I am one of those
six whom you all lauded for our roles in saving all of existence as we know
it. Through no small effort of the
media, you were all made acquainted with that little adventure that we embarked
on in the future, against Ultimecia, the sorceress that threatened to erase all
space and time in her quest for total domination of everything that
existed. And you were all made aware of
what I and five of my colleagues accomplished. You all know that we defeated Ultimecia, in the process ensuring the
survival of mankind for at least one more generation."
"As my role had brought me in the forefront of everything
that transpired during those rolled-up series of events, I also was eyewitness
to the different atrocities that were committed. One such atrocity is being put on trial now. One, in the person of Seifer Almasy, former
student of Balamb Garden, former head of the Disciplinary Committee, and former
apprentice of the one who stands before you today."
I had to pause momentarily to make sure that they at least were
listening to me. I had to be certain
that this attempt at defending Seifer wasn't going the way of futility. It was bad enough that they had to
half-condemn me and my intentions. The
last thing I needed right now to at least be capable of furthering this case is
learning that they had already landed on a verdict, and were merely treating
these proceedings as a formality. I had
to make sure that in spite of the hate, the basic protocol of treating an
accused as innocent until proven guilty was still being upheld.
"Yes, Seifer was my student. For more times than I'd care to remember, he sat there at the
back row of my classroom, almost adjacent to the one who was also my student
but now functions as my superior, Balamb Garden Commander Squall
Leonhart."
"I know Seifer quite well. I know of the innate ... indifference that he perennially bore and
consistently displayed towards me, and his other peers. And as such, you could say that more than
anyone else, I am the best judge of his character, the foremost resource person
for anyone who'd care to understand his seemingly stubborn, errant ways. Seifer, as most of the students knew, has a
problem with attitude and authority. He
had never been good at working with others, save the two whom he called his
posse. Outside of their little circle,
he treated everyone as practically enemies. He even treated me with so much contempt that I once even considered of
giving up on his potential. Yes, he has
great potentials. His strength is
almost unbelievable, and his cunning and cold ways in battle are almost without
peer. I repeat, for the record, I know
him well."
I had to toss a glance at Seifer, as though I dreaded his
impending reaction to the next words I was about to say. As I said it, he didn't disappoint me. The look on his face was very quizzical, and
almost reproachful. I tried to ignore
him. If things were to go my way, he
might just thank me later. So I went
on.
"When Seifer chose to abandon his post as Garden's
subordinate and pursued a partnership with the then malevolent Sorceress Edea,
I wasn't even half-surprised. I knew he
was capable of doing it. In the back of
my mind, I knew that he would do it. I
read him quite well based on my knowledge of his behavior. And he joined the enemy, just as I expected
he would."
Seifer now had that 'ARE YOU CRAZY?!?' look in his eyes. And even Xu was quite surprised with the way
I approached my opening. At face value,
it did look like I was actually drumming in hard the very premise that I sought
to dispel in my campaign to establish his innocence. It looked almost like a set up, or even a betrayal.
I didn't want him to completely lose faith in me, so I had to
hasten my pace. At the very least, the
next words I would say should give him a rough understanding of my strategy,
and Xu a foreboding comprehension that not all was well with the prosecution.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I stand before you now,
confident in my knowledge and resolute in my belief that Seifer Almasy should
not be held responsible for all the things he allegedly committed. Yes, he was party to a merciless world
conqueror and instrumental to the countless deaths entered in statistics. And I myself wouldn't even deny the truth
that I faced him in battle at least twice. I will not deny the truth that he was there, against me, insisting that
he would fulfill his alleged life's calling, and would not stop until he had
completed the race. He himself told
this to my face."
"I will show to all and sundry that what Mr. Almasy said
was a mere unfortunate result of the harrowing truth that he himself tried to
avoid. Of the fact that though he was
in clear mental faculties, he was just as much a victim of Ultimecia's
machinations as Edea Kramer was. I will
prove - beyond reasonable doubt - that Seifer Almasy wasn't offered the benefit
of a choice, and acted out of necessity. For what? To salvage his
reputation, preserve his sanity, or save his own life? Or could it even be all of the above?"
"At this point, it doesn't matter. Only one thing does, and that is Seifer
Almasy should be proclaimed unaccountable to all these charges. And the glaring proof will unfold in the
duration of this trial. This will be a
quest for truth, esteemed members of the jury, and the truth shall come out
that Seifer Almasy is indeed, innocent."
As the jury stared at me, with equal resolve I stared back at
them, as if telling them that I had complete confidence in my words. As though telling them that there could be
not doubt in my mind that Seifer deserved to be freed and be reprimanded for
his actions.
I looked at Xu, who was also gazing at me hard. The expression on her face was a cacophony
of smugness, concern, questions and incredulity. I knew that she was thinking I probably had lost my mind. But I was also aware of that other facet she
had behind that drilling ogle. With the
way I unleashed my opening argument, Xu was now thinking about my tactic, my
method of approaching the defense. She
knew me quite well, and now she was wondering if I did have an ace in my
proverbial sleeve that she had failed on anticipating. We both knew that her case for the prosecution
was still rock solid. But, unlike
before, she had now realized that even the sturdiest of rocks can have its
breaking points.
I tried to avoid myself from smiling. For the first time since I received this assignment, I suddenly
realized that even the most hopeless of situations can be reversed if played
correctly. Truthfully, I myself didn't
know where I got those words that came out of my mouth. It was like they just came out of nowhere,
previously waiting for the right moment to reveal themselves.
Still, I tried to suppress the burgeoning smugness inside
me. We still had a long way to go with
this case. Before Seifer and myself was
a towering, mighty mountain that we needed to scale and conquer. And doing it wouldn't be easy. Though I had now established the strategy to
utilize in his defense, that still in no way assured us of success.
All of a sudden, I felt depression creeping into me. This couldn't be good. One moment, I was feeling all confident, the
next I was suddenly unsure of myself. This case had been taking much from me that I had now started to suffer
from untypical mood swings.
"Are you even half-sure of all those things you
blabbered?" Seifer whispered just as I rejoined him in the defendant's
table. "You looked all pumped up
like you actually have a solid case for me. Don't tell me those were all just for show."
"From where I'm standing," I began to answer him,
"we're going to need every inch we could get. Even if it is just coming out from spectacle. I'm still not promising anything,
Seifer. But at this point, it is you
who needs to give me your word. You'd
have to give me your 100% cooperation if we are to pull this off."
"Sure. What do I have to lose?"
"I reckon you'd be worried about your reputation."
"Well, you started this, Instructor," He
answered. If I wasn't feeling so
concerned about the case I'd think he was being derisive again. "Besides, what good is my reputation to
me if I'm dead?"
"Now you actually sound concerned. Good, that's a start."
He didn't answer, which was good. I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my strategy if he continued
to talk to me in that manner. And it
seemed Headmaster Cid himself realized that I needed a break to calm my
nerves. No one could have imagined the
relief I felt when he ordered for a one hour recess.
I was mildly surprised when Xu met me outside the
courtroom. She had that familiar
half-pitying and half-scorning look on her face.
"You're clutching at straws, Quistis. And you know it," She started. I tried to fight a knot that wanted to form
inside my throat. "The jury isn't
really looking for a confident-looking defense lawyer. They're looking for evidence. And you know I have a mountain of it on my
side."
Of course, she was right. But Xu should know better than to overemphasize the obvious. Why did she bother to meet me here just to
tell me this? Only one answer was
obvious from where I was standing.
"I don't mean to sound condescending, Xu, but if you're so
confident with this mountain of evidence you have, then why bother bragging
about it? Please, don't try to show me
that you're starting to feel worried."
"Show you that... what? Quisty, how can you be so bloody trite about this? I'm just trying to save you from further
humiliation."
Whether she was telling the truth about her intentions or not, I
had to realize that what I told her was totally uncalled for. I shouldn't have talked that way to Xu, she
was my friend. I suppose this trial was
beginning to take its toll on us. I
just hope we could all finish this trial before it inflicted permanent damage
on our friendship.
"Quisty, tell you what..." She began again. I didn't like the look in her eyes. And with good reason too.
"I... suggest we stop talking to each other until the
trial's over. How does that sound to
you?"
"Um... maybe that would be better for us both," I said
sullenly. I felt sad about the
development, but I also knew it would be better this way than the other
alternative, which wasn't in any way good. For now, I had to forget that Xu was my friend. For now, owing to the performance of our
duties, we had to assume the evil but necessary truth that we were at war.
And wars had never been kind to friendship.
To Be Continued...