Chapter 6: The trial
AN: Do I have to say it? I own very little?
Joanna rode up on the small elevator into the Skedar courtroom. It was a large, circular and dimly lit room, save for the blue spotlight that was on Joanna. Ekinnj spoke his case. "The state will show that the Carrington Institute fired on the Skedar delegation vessel without provocation, the chancellor and his advisors having been lulled into a false sense of security with an invitation to a state dinner at the Institute that same evening." "Call your first witness." The judge said. A single armed Skedar came up. Joanna assumed his arm was amputated by who ever killed Krinnji. "After the first shot, we lost our gravitational field." The warrior said. "I found myself weightless and unable to function. The, an Institute employee came walking towards me." "Or perhaps, the person merely wore an Institute uniform." Joanna's Skedar lawyer, a certain Colonel Azerim said.
"That remark is purely speculative." Ekinnj said. "I move that it should be stricken from the record."
"Col. Azerim, we are interested in facts, not theories." The judge said.
"If the gravitational unit was not functioning," Azerim said. "How could this person be walking?"
Bless him, Joanna thought. He was trying. He was actually trying. Suddenly she caught herself. She had just complimented a Skedar!
"The assassin appeared to be wearing magnetic boots." The warrior said
Carrington frowned as the employees of the Institute watched on the main screen. "Gravity boots," He muttered. They were a new Maian gadget that enabled the user to walk in negative gravity environments, such as outer space.
"Joanna Dark," Ekinnj said. "Would you be so kind as to give me your current medical status?"
"Aside from a slight control complex, I'd say pretty good." Joanna replied.
This was rewarded with laughs from the Skedar in the audience.
"You have a singular wit, Miss Dark." Ekinnj said.
"For almost two years, I've been the Carrington Institute's top agent." Joanna continued. "In six weeks, I temporarily stand down?"
"Temporarily stand...." Ekinnj frowned at the idiom.
"I take a leave of absence." Joanna said.
"Ah." Ekinnj said. "You know, I believe you consumed rather generous amounts of Maian ale on the night in question, am I correct?"
"Objection!" Azerim said.
"Sustained." The judge said, tiredly.
"We all did!" Joanna said. "All of us."
"Was Chancellor Krinnji alive when you found him?" Ekinnj said.
"Barely." Joanna tried not to shudder as she recalled the moment his hand went limp in her hair.
"Now, be careful miss Dark. "Ekinnj said. "Have you in your past saved anyone as barely alive as he?"
Yes, she had. Joanna had save Elvis' life in Area 51 and he was even less alive that Krinnji had been, but that was with an automated med pack.
"I didn't have the medical knowledge I needed for Skedar anatomy." Joanna said. "My degree isn't in medicine and I'm not too sure about my bedside manner."
"Based on your parents' medical history, your human ailment arthritis runs in you family." Ekinnj said. "May I ask, do your hands shake?"
"Objection!" Azerim said.
"I was nervous!" Joanna said.
"No." Ekinnj said. "You were incompetent." He yelled louder for the court to hear. "You were incompetent! A direct result of young age combined with drink. The court will have to decide."
"I tried to save him!" Joanna's voice broke. "I was desperate to save him! He was the last best hope we had for peace. You were there!"
"The witness is excused." The judge said.
"Miss Dark," Ekinnj continued. "What would one of the great authors of Earth say? Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings. Tell us your sad story. Tell us of how you planned to take revenge for the death of your husband."
"That's not true!" Joanna said.
"Objection!" Azerim said. "Joanna Dark has not been identified as the assassin!"
"Sustained." The judge said.
"I offer into the record this excerpt from the prisoners personal log." Ekinnj motioned to the other side of the courtroom.
"I've never trusted Skedar," Joanna's voice filtered over the speakers. Her blood ran cold in her veins as the log continued, spelling doom for her. "And I never will. I've never been able to forgive them for Jonathan's death."
The court rumbled in anger as the log played over again.
Velvet began to cry as she watched and out in orbit, Elvis bowed his head, knowing his friend was beyond help.
"Are those your words?" Ekinnj said.
"Those words were spoken by me." Joanna said, softly.
"Objection!" Azerim said. "My clients political views are not on trial!"
"On the contrary!" Ekinnj said. "Joanna Dark's view and motives are indeed at the very heart of the matter! This woman's record shows her to be an insubordinate, unprincipled career mind opportunist with a history of violating the chain of command whenever it suited her!"
"I can't deny it." Joanna said.
"You were demoted?"
"Yes." Joanna replied.
"For insubordination?" Ekinnj said.
"On occasion, I have disobeyed orders." Joanna said. Before she was about to add "When others were in danger." Ekinnj interjected.
"And were you obeying or disobeying orders when you assassinated Chancellor Krinnji?"
"I didn't know about the assassination until I boarded the ship." Joanna said.
"Miss Dark," Ekinnj stepped in with the killer blow. "Are you aware that as the agent a mission is assigned to, you are responsible for the conduct of all Institute employees?"
Joanna went pale and spoke softly. "As the agent responsible for the mission, I am responsible for the employees of the Institute."
"And if it should be proven that Institute members did assassinate the chancellor, you would be responsible?"
"Yes." Joanna said, softly.
"Your honor," Ekinnj said. "The state rests."
"I would like to not for the record that the evidence against my client is purely circumstantial." Azerim said. "I beg the court to take this into account before pronouncing its sentence."
"So noted." The judge said and called a short recess, during which, before leaving Azerim went up to Joanna. "I'm sorry." He said and left Joanna with her thoughts.
As court went back into play, the judge spoke his sentence.
"It is the judgment of this court that we find the prisoner guilty as charged."
Joanna closed her eyes and waited for the next sentence, of which she had no doubt. Death. Well, at least she'd be with Jonathan again.
"Joanna Dark," The judge said. "In the interests of fostering amity for the forthcoming peace talks, the sentence of death is commuted."
Angry roars erupted from the audience as Joanna breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't going to die.
"I have conversed with the justice affairs minister on your own planet and agreed to turn you over to them." The judge said. "It is the decision of both courts that without possiblilty of reprieve or parole that you be taken to the Antarctic penal colony of Ice Station Gulag there to spend the rest of your natural life."
The bottom of Joanna's stomach landed in the soles of her shoes as the gavel banged.
End of chapter.
Uh-oh. Joanna in prison! This isn't a very good place by the way, so please review! And read! Find out what happens! It's good and it involves a prelude to the chase I mentioned in Chapter 1.
AN: Do I have to say it? I own very little?
Joanna rode up on the small elevator into the Skedar courtroom. It was a large, circular and dimly lit room, save for the blue spotlight that was on Joanna. Ekinnj spoke his case. "The state will show that the Carrington Institute fired on the Skedar delegation vessel without provocation, the chancellor and his advisors having been lulled into a false sense of security with an invitation to a state dinner at the Institute that same evening." "Call your first witness." The judge said. A single armed Skedar came up. Joanna assumed his arm was amputated by who ever killed Krinnji. "After the first shot, we lost our gravitational field." The warrior said. "I found myself weightless and unable to function. The, an Institute employee came walking towards me." "Or perhaps, the person merely wore an Institute uniform." Joanna's Skedar lawyer, a certain Colonel Azerim said.
"That remark is purely speculative." Ekinnj said. "I move that it should be stricken from the record."
"Col. Azerim, we are interested in facts, not theories." The judge said.
"If the gravitational unit was not functioning," Azerim said. "How could this person be walking?"
Bless him, Joanna thought. He was trying. He was actually trying. Suddenly she caught herself. She had just complimented a Skedar!
"The assassin appeared to be wearing magnetic boots." The warrior said
Carrington frowned as the employees of the Institute watched on the main screen. "Gravity boots," He muttered. They were a new Maian gadget that enabled the user to walk in negative gravity environments, such as outer space.
"Joanna Dark," Ekinnj said. "Would you be so kind as to give me your current medical status?"
"Aside from a slight control complex, I'd say pretty good." Joanna replied.
This was rewarded with laughs from the Skedar in the audience.
"You have a singular wit, Miss Dark." Ekinnj said.
"For almost two years, I've been the Carrington Institute's top agent." Joanna continued. "In six weeks, I temporarily stand down?"
"Temporarily stand...." Ekinnj frowned at the idiom.
"I take a leave of absence." Joanna said.
"Ah." Ekinnj said. "You know, I believe you consumed rather generous amounts of Maian ale on the night in question, am I correct?"
"Objection!" Azerim said.
"Sustained." The judge said, tiredly.
"We all did!" Joanna said. "All of us."
"Was Chancellor Krinnji alive when you found him?" Ekinnj said.
"Barely." Joanna tried not to shudder as she recalled the moment his hand went limp in her hair.
"Now, be careful miss Dark. "Ekinnj said. "Have you in your past saved anyone as barely alive as he?"
Yes, she had. Joanna had save Elvis' life in Area 51 and he was even less alive that Krinnji had been, but that was with an automated med pack.
"I didn't have the medical knowledge I needed for Skedar anatomy." Joanna said. "My degree isn't in medicine and I'm not too sure about my bedside manner."
"Based on your parents' medical history, your human ailment arthritis runs in you family." Ekinnj said. "May I ask, do your hands shake?"
"Objection!" Azerim said.
"I was nervous!" Joanna said.
"No." Ekinnj said. "You were incompetent." He yelled louder for the court to hear. "You were incompetent! A direct result of young age combined with drink. The court will have to decide."
"I tried to save him!" Joanna's voice broke. "I was desperate to save him! He was the last best hope we had for peace. You were there!"
"The witness is excused." The judge said.
"Miss Dark," Ekinnj continued. "What would one of the great authors of Earth say? Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings. Tell us your sad story. Tell us of how you planned to take revenge for the death of your husband."
"That's not true!" Joanna said.
"Objection!" Azerim said. "Joanna Dark has not been identified as the assassin!"
"Sustained." The judge said.
"I offer into the record this excerpt from the prisoners personal log." Ekinnj motioned to the other side of the courtroom.
"I've never trusted Skedar," Joanna's voice filtered over the speakers. Her blood ran cold in her veins as the log continued, spelling doom for her. "And I never will. I've never been able to forgive them for Jonathan's death."
The court rumbled in anger as the log played over again.
Velvet began to cry as she watched and out in orbit, Elvis bowed his head, knowing his friend was beyond help.
"Are those your words?" Ekinnj said.
"Those words were spoken by me." Joanna said, softly.
"Objection!" Azerim said. "My clients political views are not on trial!"
"On the contrary!" Ekinnj said. "Joanna Dark's view and motives are indeed at the very heart of the matter! This woman's record shows her to be an insubordinate, unprincipled career mind opportunist with a history of violating the chain of command whenever it suited her!"
"I can't deny it." Joanna said.
"You were demoted?"
"Yes." Joanna replied.
"For insubordination?" Ekinnj said.
"On occasion, I have disobeyed orders." Joanna said. Before she was about to add "When others were in danger." Ekinnj interjected.
"And were you obeying or disobeying orders when you assassinated Chancellor Krinnji?"
"I didn't know about the assassination until I boarded the ship." Joanna said.
"Miss Dark," Ekinnj stepped in with the killer blow. "Are you aware that as the agent a mission is assigned to, you are responsible for the conduct of all Institute employees?"
Joanna went pale and spoke softly. "As the agent responsible for the mission, I am responsible for the employees of the Institute."
"And if it should be proven that Institute members did assassinate the chancellor, you would be responsible?"
"Yes." Joanna said, softly.
"Your honor," Ekinnj said. "The state rests."
"I would like to not for the record that the evidence against my client is purely circumstantial." Azerim said. "I beg the court to take this into account before pronouncing its sentence."
"So noted." The judge said and called a short recess, during which, before leaving Azerim went up to Joanna. "I'm sorry." He said and left Joanna with her thoughts.
As court went back into play, the judge spoke his sentence.
"It is the judgment of this court that we find the prisoner guilty as charged."
Joanna closed her eyes and waited for the next sentence, of which she had no doubt. Death. Well, at least she'd be with Jonathan again.
"Joanna Dark," The judge said. "In the interests of fostering amity for the forthcoming peace talks, the sentence of death is commuted."
Angry roars erupted from the audience as Joanna breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't going to die.
"I have conversed with the justice affairs minister on your own planet and agreed to turn you over to them." The judge said. "It is the decision of both courts that without possiblilty of reprieve or parole that you be taken to the Antarctic penal colony of Ice Station Gulag there to spend the rest of your natural life."
The bottom of Joanna's stomach landed in the soles of her shoes as the gavel banged.
End of chapter.
Uh-oh. Joanna in prison! This isn't a very good place by the way, so please review! And read! Find out what happens! It's good and it involves a prelude to the chase I mentioned in Chapter 1.