Oh look I didn't use song lyrics for the chapter title this time.
Update: Someone's been leaving weirdAF reviews. I deleted the really offensive ones. Guys, don't make me block anonymous reviewing. That said, onward!
Keisai paused with Su and Korra outside the door of Kuvira's cell. "Okay," he said slowly. "So... do we knock?"
"I'd definitely knock," Korra said, her face anxious. "I don't want to walk in on something..."
Su frowned. "Something being...?"
"We're being stupid," Keisai said to Korra, patting her arm. "Hey man," he said to one of the guards, "is Baatar in there?"
The guard smirked. "Yes, sir."
He looked at the women. "We're definitely knocking." He rapped on the door loudly as he opened it. "Hands where I can see them, guys," he called, leading the way into the cell. Baatar and Kuvira were seated on her cot, his hand on her knee and hers interlaced on her lap. "Oh," the lawyer said with a frown. "That was anticlimactic."
Kuvira arched a brow. "Keisai, you didn't tell me you were bringing others."
"What do you mean, 'anticlimactic'?" Baatar added. "What were you expecting to see, exactly?"
Korra held up her hands. "Okay, in my defense the last time I came in here, Kuvira was straddling you."
Su's eyes threatened to exit their sockets. "What?"
Kuvira turned bright red. "Thank you, Avatar Korra. I'm sure that information was absolutely necessary-"
"That's really not that bad," Keisai said to Korra, ignoring Su altogether. "When I walked in on them, Baatar had his hands up her shirt-"
Baatar jumped up from the cot. "That's enough! What are all of you doing here?"
"Junior," Su said, looking as though she were about to faint, "please tell me this isn't true."
Baatar groaned, his cheeks steadily turning pink. "Mom, don't ask me questions when you don't want the answers-"
"Su, it's fine," Keisai said reassuringly. "He didn't do anything you wouldn't have done."
Su opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it and nodded. "We came to wish you good luck," Korra said. "Keisai got his warrant, and so he'll have the minutes from the..." She looked to the lawyer for help.
"Tripartite Meeting," Keisai said. "Basically, Raiko and his bitches-"
"Statesmen," Kuvira said, nodding.
"Right, his bitches," Keisai said stubbornly, "were casually discussing slaughtering your officers at large in the Earth Kingdom for war crimes, and making light of your execution long before it was known that I had taken on your case. There's some shit in their file, and hopefully it'll stink up the courtroom to the point that Hotah won't be able to ignore it- especially with a little bully pulpit action from my favorite avatar," he added, resting his elbow on Korra's shoulder and trading conspiratorial smiles. "Key is, I have a witness willing to testify that there was talk of a bill of attainder and I have the written record of the meeting in which it was brought up. Get excited, sweetheart."
"Wonderful," Kuvira said dully. The lawyer's forced enthusiasm and overconfidence had not escaped her, and did little to assuage her worry. Keisai often reprimanded her for being guarded, but she had come to notice that he too was cagey about his emotions, albeit in a different way. "When did this take place?"
"Nearly a month after your arrest," Korra said. "I'm going to bring Naga along to talk to Hotah first thing tomorrow. If he knows what's good for him, he'll grant me an audience even if I'm the last person he wants to see on the day of your trial-"
"What are you doing here, Mom?" Baatar interrupted, his eyes on Su. "I mean no offense when I say this, but you're the last person I'd expect to see here for a friendly visit."
Su turned to Keisai and Korra. "If you both are finished, I would appreciate a moment alone with my son and..." she paused, clearly unsure what to designate her relationship to Kuvira.
"Your daughter in-law?" Keisai supplied helpfully.
"That's enough," Baatar said, crossing the room in seconds and firmly guiding the lawyer and Korra out the door. "Keisai, I have told you time and time again how much I appreciate you, and how thankful I am, and how much I-"
"Easy, man," Keisai said with a laugh as they stood in the hall just outside the cell, the door shutting behind them. "I just like watching you get all growly. Kuvira hinted that you don't just do it when you're angry though...?"
Baatar pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer," he said. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to mediate what will likely devolve into a fight between my mother and my..." he paused, his disgruntled expression collapsing slightly. "I'm going to mediate my mother and Kuvira," he said at last. "Avatar Korra, it has been a pleasure as always."
"No problem," Korra said. "I would say the same, but... well, I can only think of one other time we've talked that wasn't super awkward for me."
Baatar nodded tersely. "Have a good afternoon, then." He returned to Kuvira's cell to find that Su had taken a seat on one of the chairs, while Kuvira had not moved from the cot. He sat next to her again, his arm around her and his hand on her hip, frowning when she nudged him away.
"So," Kuvira said, "you wanted to ask me some questions."
"What did I ever do to hurt you?" Su asked, her voice carefully neutral. "What I do to deserve having my security force, my son, and my investors taken from me?"
Baatar raised a finger. "Mom, I thought we established that I left on my own."
Su inclined her head. "Sorry, Junior. It's easy to forget," she said with a pinched smile, "when you're draped all over each other."
Kuvira's expression withered, and she delicately inched away. "Can you stop?" she asked him in a low tone.
"Sorry," he said, but the hurt in her eyes was already visible and did little to dispel his desire to hold her again.
"Suyin," Kuvira began, "you need to get it out of your head that everything I've done was to hurt you. The world does not revolve around you, and I certainly had no intentions of causing you so much emotional distress, and certainly not when I started out. Frankly, I had more important things to concern myself with, like the welfare of our countrymen. Avatar Korra was gone, and you refused to step up when you were the only governor in the kingdom with a means of keeping the country from spiraling further into chaos."
"You wouldn't have done that before," Su countered. "You were completely devoted to Zaofu, back when you were the girl who broke the record in becoming the youngest member of the security force or headlined recitals. What happened to all of that? I remember how excited you were when I promoted you to captain. You were my featured performer! When did all of that stop mattering to you?"
Kuvira narrowed her eyes. "You can't honestly think it ever stopped mattering, Suyin. Baatar," she said, raising her voice, "did I ever say anything negative about your mother after our departure, excepting my complaint that she ought to have helped our country?"
Baatar laughed nervously. "I think I'll stay out of this..."
"Did I?"
"No," he said carefully, "but I think that was in large part because you didn't want to upset me..."
"That's irrelevant," Kuvira snapped, returning her attention to Su. "You want to know why I left? Because no one was willing to help. You've always been more than content to hide behind the domes, hoarding your state's wealth and prosperity and gloating about the 'enlightened utopia' you built from scratch-"
"At least I wasn't so arrogant as to assume that my way was the only way!" Su retorted. "Kuvira, you imposed your ideals on a nation and started a global war-"
"How many times must I tell you, there were already wars!" Kuvira exploded, standing up with her fists clenched. "You've seen our documentation of the stabilizing of Ba Sing Se. You've heard the testimony. Are you going to face me and pretend that imposing our ideals didn't help the more powerful states in the country?"
"Calm down," Baatar said, reaching for her hand from his seat on the cot and raising his eyebrows when she slapped his fingers away. "Kuvira, please."
"No," she said, her eyes blazing, "we should have had this conversation a long time ago. Suyin, I have questions for you too. Why did you try to assassinate me during our truce?"
"That truce was a power play," Su said coldly. "You had zero intentions of leaving peacefully-"
"I had a job to do," Kuvira fired back. "I was tasked with unifying the empire, and you were standing in my way. If it were someone you thought had a proper claim to the throne, even that imbecile of a prince, you would have happily joined the union-"
"Yes, because he was a legitimate ruler!"
"Oh, this is rich!" Kuvira exclaimed, a cruel laugh escaping her. "Suyin Beifong, the champion of democracy and self-rule, is promoting an idiot who had no claim to power other than his royal lineage. I thought you found the rule of kings and queens to be archaic, what happened? Or was even that option preferable to accepting my authority, despite the world leaders that you hold in such high esteem formally acknowledging my title as president?"
Su was silent, evidently trying to find her voice. "You had no right to do what you did-"
"Is that so? I had no right to step up, take voluntary recruits to the capitol, and provide services to my people when I stood to gain nothing to gain for myself?" Kuvira demanded. Su was silent again, and she snorted. "I don't know what I ever saw in you."
Baatar stood slowly. "Kuvira..."
"If you had wanted to help, you should have asked me!" Su said. "We could have worked something out, I let Opal go and learn with Tenzin and the others-"
"Opal is your daughter!" Her words hung in the air between them long after they had left her lips, and both women looked stricken. "Opal is your daughter," Kuvira said again, her voice barely audible this time. "Baatar said the same thing, before we... made up. He admitted that if he had asked, you and your husband would have been happy to let him pursue his own career as an engineer rather than remain apprenticed-"
"I would have figured out a compromise, if you had just asked," Su said, but her voice was uncertain. Baatar glanced at Kuvira with worry settling in the pit of his stomach, and he could tell from the subtle changes to her posture that she could hear the lie in Su's assertion.
"That's not true," she said, her voice the same heartbreaking tone she had used when she had informed him of the assassination attempt. She was too quiet and too emotionless, her inflection carefully controlled and her delivery like an automaton. "You always made me aware of the difference between your children and myself, whether you meant to or not. You assumed Xi's story of my being a war refugee was all there was to it, and you never tried to find out anything about me before I came to Zaofu. You never thought to ask me my birthday, and after I told you, you went right back to celebrating the anniversary of my arrival in Zaofu. You never stopped to think how a fifteen year old girl who had been abandoned might react to a story about you running away from your own mother."
Su opened and closed her mouth several times with no sound coming out. "I didn't know, Kuvira..."
"You never knew," Kuvira said, her voice level, "because you never cared to ask. I don't think you're vindictive, Su. I think you're frighteningly narcissistic and willfully blind. You were all too happy to introduce me to all the important families as your protege.. 'Oh, and this is the captain of our security force, Kuvira. She's like a daughter to me. Kuvira dear, won't you come snap the family photo? Kuvira, I'm afraid I can't be there to see your first choreographed routine, Baatar Junior has a conflict-'" she said, imitating Su with a frightening level of accuracy.
"I rescheduled that for you, and I was there for you later," Baatar reminded her. "Mom was too, because of that."
"I know," she said, her eyes softening. "It's always been you. But Suyin, why did you need to lie about that? I was never like a daughter; to you I was a young talent to be nurtured and nothing more. I know how you treat your daughter," she said bitterly, "and it is not the relationship between a stateswoman and her ward."
Baatar was unable to restrain himself any longer, and he pulled her against him, his hands at her waist. "Are you okay?" he murmured, his face in her hair and his lips to her ear. "No, stupid question on my part..."
"I'm fine," she said, trying and failing to push him away. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you."
Su looked pained as she watched them, her hands working furiously at her sides. "Whatever I did to hurt you, I take responsibility for," she said at last. "But I won't excuse your behavior after you left. Fine, my security force and benefactors were happy to leave... fine, my son left of his own volition. Are you trying to justify the way you behaved afterward? You were like any other tyrant. What you did at the coronation was wrong, and storming the United Republic was inexcusable."
"You may be right," Kuvira said, firmly ensconced between Baatar's arms and his chest, "but none of that has anything to do with you, so I will thank you to stop accusing me of targeting you in all of my political endeavors. I didn't concern myself with you once I left Zaofu until it was time to bring the state under the banner of the empire."
"What did you need from me that I never gave you?" Su asked, her voice gentle for the first time in years. "It's probably too late, but I'd like to hear it from you if I may, Kuvira."
Kuvira's eyes widened, and Baatar felt her breath catch in her chest; still, she was silent. She regarded Su for a what felt like an eternity, the stillness in the room almost unbearably loud and the weight of Su's words impossible to avoid. "Kuvira," he said at last, his voice the soft, patient tone he defaulted to when she was upset, "why don't you tell her? I'm here, you're not alone-" She drew in a slow, deliberate breath, and he felt her shudder against him as she did so.
"It doesn't matter anymore," Kuvira said, her usual composure back in place. "I stopped needing it after we left, and I anticipate never needing anyone again, if the trial goes the way I think it will."
"Please," Baatar entreated, "just tell her-"
"No," she said with finality. "Suyin, I didn't mean raise my voice," she said with a formal nod. "I hope we can put our differences to rest, now that we've finally aired our old grievances."
"I hope so," Su agreed. "We'll be there to watch the trial. Sweetie, would you both like a moment alone, or do you want to join me?"
"I'll catch up, thank you," Baatar said, letting go of Kuvira long enough to hug his mother goodbye. "You'll be in Aunt Lin's office?"
"Someone has to save her from Keisai," Su said, forcing a smile.
"I don't think he's interested anymore," Baatar said with a grin despite the situation, pulling Kuvira to his chest again. "I'll see you soon."
As soon as the door closed behind Su, Kuvira turned back to him and buried her face in the hollow of his neck. "Can you sit with me?" she asked, her voice muffled.
"Of course," he said, steering them to the cot. "Why didn't you tell her, Kuvira?"
"Because it doesn't matter anymore," Kuvira said decisively. "I'm twenty-five years old. Is this the age to share a sob story about needing a mother's love and never getting it? It sounds like a horrible drama."
"It is if it helps you," he insisted. "Kuvira, I love you. I can't see you unhappy-"
"Who's unhappy?" she said. "This is my default expression, you know that. It's a serious condition."
"You're not happy," he insisted, "and I want nothing more than to see you smile right now."
She lifted her face from his chest, smiling despite of her best efforts at a wry frown. "You talked to her about me, didn't you."
"Yes," he admitted. "Mom is... complicated. Which is interesting, because she has a habit of oversimplifying everyone else."
Kuvira let out a loud exhale, moving out of his embrace and sitting next to him with his hand in hers. "That's an apt statement." She ran her thumb along his knuckles, her touch as soothing as ever. "Thank you, Baatar. I feel significantly better."
"Tomorrow can't come soon enough," Baatar said. "Hold on a bit longer, we've waited this long-"
"I don't want to talk about tomorrow," she said, taking his face in both her hands and kissing him slowly. "I have my reservations..."
He tipped her head back, his thumb stroking along the contour of her cheekbone. "That's fine." Her eyes fluttered closed when they kissed and she tugged him closer, leaning her forehead against his after she pulled back.
"Go on," she said, patting his cheek. "Your mother is waiting."
"If this is our last-"
"Then we'll still have after the verdict," she said. "That said, I'm thankful for you."
"That's it?" he teased. "Just thankful?"
"I love you," she added, finally cracking a genuine smile, "but we've established that goes without saying. If I said it every time I've felt it, I'd say nothing else."
He returned her smile, kissing her cheek before he stood to leave. "I love you too," he said. "And I'll see you soon."
o0o
Kuvira woke up early the morning of the trial and paused at the window, the realization that this could have been her wedding day settling over her and accompanied by a new bout of depression. Her wedding planner sat innocently on the table, every note between Baatar and herself a record of her greatest personal successes, while the book itself was a reminder of her abject failure as both a leader and a lover. Before she had realized she had crossed the room and was standing at the table, her hand poised over the book and her fingers trembling. She hadn't looked through it properly in months, even though Keisai had given it to her on her birthday several weeks ago.
She opened it, wincing when she saw the note Baatar had written on the fly-leaf; needlessly romantic phrases sprawled across the page, the ink so dark that it still looked wet and fresh. She turned to a new page before memories of the boat ride in Juroo swam to the forefront of her mind, when they enjoyed a proper celebration of their engagement under the pretense of a pressing work matter. In retrospect, her higher-ranking officers had probably known, but she had been so anxious to keep the relationship a secret. She had been trying to prevent what had inevitably happened on the day they stormed Republic City.
The page she landed on bore another one of Baatar's proposed sketches for her wedding dress. This one was long and slinky with a train of pale green lace, flaring out over the hips and extending a few yards back. The white column of the skirt pooled around the sketch's feet while the bodice was strapless, the shoulders and arms covered by what appeared to be a dual layer of a filmy green gauze and more of the lace from the train. She saw her own handwriting in the corner. Adequate, she had written. Too revealing. Wedding, not honeymoon. She remembered penning the words and remembered his surprised and embarrassed laughter when he read them, but they pricked at her unpleasantly all the same. For the thousandth time, she wished she had been more expressive about her love for him.
Kuvira turned to another random page, this time towards the end of the book. The design she had landed on was new to her; the date indicated that Baatar had drawn it two days before the invasion. He had written "The one?" in his thready scrawl underneath the drawing, and she studied the sketch appraisingly.
The dress was traditional at first glance, with long sleeves and a high collar, but the fit was snug and the skirt designed with a flaring effect. It was regal, especially with the headdress he had added to the model's head. There was little lace, but the embroidery designs were tasteful and minimalist while the headdress bore a gauzy veil. She snapped the book shut, flinging it across the room and wincing when the pages sagged after a violent collision with the wall. "It doesn't matter," she said to the empty room. "You have no need of a wedding planner anymore."
"Morning, sweetheart," Keisai said brightly as he walked into the cell. "Ready to—oh." He frowned, crossing to the corner and picking up the book. "Yeah, I should have seen this coming... are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not," he said with a sigh, "but I can't help you with that. Well, let's get the chi blocker in here… Baatar will be in as often as possible, but he's tied up with work and he's under contract so I hope you understand."
"Of course I do," she said. "Keisai, no matter the outcome… I hope you know that I think very highly of you."
"Thanks," he said, patting her hand. "You're not too bad yourself."
"And I want to thank you for doing this for me," she added, "and though I've said it already, for getting Baatar the sentence he received."
"That trial was rigged," Keisai said grimly as the chi blockers entered the cell. "The real stuff starts today. Your defense has to be ironclad."
oOo
The steps outside the city hall were roped off and the police were concerned not only with the rapid press, but also with a slew of arguably more rabid Kuvira loyalists. Korra glanced back at the polar bear dog, her expression determined. Naga waited patiently by the small group of policemen that appeared to be monitoring the crowd.
"Let's do this."
"Korra," Mako said, grabbing her shoulder, "this is a bad idea."
"I'm with him on this one," Asami said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You helped Keisai push for the warrant. He'll pick up the hard evidence today. You don't need to get involved, and Naga is too sweet and innocent to be used as your backup muscle."
Korra laughed, playfully shoving Asami at the mention of 'backup muscle.' "Guys, Naga's older than us if you go by dog years. And she's not that innocent… I don't think my seal jerky disappeared on its own. Right girl?"
Naga panted, her tail wagging from side to side before she flopped on her back, asking for belly rubs. "Either way," Mako said, his face aggrieved as he squatted by the dog and rubbed her stomach, "you shouldn't threaten the judge with Naga. That's something you would've done four years ago, and you made a lot of mistakes—"
"Like dating you?" Korra teased, appeasing him with a hug when his face fell. "Kidding… mostly." Asami laughed, and the girls traded conspiratorial smiles.
"Joking aside," Mako said as he stood, "I think it's a bad idea."
"I do too," Korra said. "I'm going to meet with Hotah on my own, one important world figure to another."
Asami frowned. "Then why…."
"You guys really thought I'd bring Naga into the court?" Korra said incredulously. "Wow… I'm kind of offended."
"It's just something you would do," Asami said apologetically. "I'll be right outside in the gallery if you need me, okay?"
"Again, I'm kind of offended," Korra said. "Say hi to Beifong for me, okay?"
"Which one?" Mako muttered to Asami as Korra left. "Baatar? Lin won't be inside."
Asami shrugged in response.
"Judge Hotah," Korra said firmly, planting her hands on her hips. "We need to talk."
"These are the judges' chambers," Hotah said angrily. "You have no right to be here."
"I'm the avatar," Korra retorted. "I'm also the reason this is still a territory of the republic, so listen to what I have to say."
"Of course, Avatar Korra," Saikhan said, shooting Hotah a look. "You have an audience."
"Great," Korra said. "All I have to say is if you don't give Kuvira a fair trial, so help me, I'm going to make sure you'll have to deal with an appeal. I didn't save her life and risk ending the avatar cycle for you to shove a death penalty on her before even hearing her case—"
"Avatar Korra," Hotah said, holding up his hand, "nothing has been decided yet. Now if you'll excuse us—"
"Listen up," Korra snapped, leaning forward. "My dog has a pretty good memory. Think a visit from her might change your answers?"
Hotah paled, but shook his head. "No. We haven't decided anything, and will not until the case has been heard. "
The judicial representative of the Fire Nation spoke up suddenly. "I respect your opinion on the case, but perhaps now is the wrong time to suggest that we listen to it," Misao said. "The defense has yet to make any legal arguments, so what you're also suggesting is that we bias ourselves before the case begins."
Korra frowned, nodding. "I suppose, yeah."
"You are welcome to speak to us before we deliberate at the trial's conclusion," Misao said calmly, silencing Hotah's attempt to protest with a sharp look, "but before the trial has even begun? No, I do not think that necessary."
Korra bowed. "Thank you for giving me an audience."
Saikhan and Misao returned the gesture. "A pleasure, Avatar Korra," Saikhan said gruffly. Hotah only nodded, and as she left the room Korra scowled in his direction.
She joined Asami and Mako in the balcony. "Where's Bolin?"
"He's… he kinda doesn't want to be here," Mako said awkwardly. "Opal is trying to convince him to go, so maybe he'll be here tomorrow."
"Is it because Kuvira nearly sent him to a reeducation camp?"
"Bolin really liked Kuvira," Asami explained. "He worked with her for nearly three years, Korra. She reminded him of you, in a lot of ways."
"Yeah, I can see how," Korra murmured, observing the former dictator enter the room with Keisai and a security detail, her hands cuffed in front of her in platinum and her hair back in her usual bun instead of a braid. There was a proud set to her shoulders despite her situation, and as the press filled the gallery Korra noticed with surprise that no one was in the first row reserved for family. "Is Baatar Junior not going to be here?"
"He's working," Asami said, crossing her legs at the knee and leaning back in the seat. "He's under contract, and we've lost plenty of time from his trial alone."
"Yeah, but.." Korra trailed off. "Seems kind of sad, don't you think?"
"Like losing a parent?"
Korra winced and put an arm around her, squeezing gently. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"
"I know," Asami said quietly. "It's fine."
Mako leaned forward. "Wait, guys. This is interesting, look." The girls followed where he was pointing, and a smile spread over Korra's face.
"Looks like the in-laws are here," she said, as Baatar Sr., Opal, and Su Beifong took seats in the third row of the gallery.
"And it looks like the chi blocking is wearing off," Mako whispered, his breath tickling her ear. "Her hearing can't be that good." Korra directed her attention to Kuvira, and nodded. The woman was facing the judge's bench, but as the footsteps of her former family drew closer over the marble tiles, she lifted her head and froze, the beginnings of a hopeful smile at the corners of her lips.
"Should I say something?" Korra said.
"Too late," Mako said drily, patting her knee. "The trial's about to begin."
oOo
The sounds of rising and sitting, camera shutters and flashbulbs, and the slow, steady drone of conversation seemed like a soundtrack for the courthouse. The prosecution entered shortly after Kuvira and Keisai had taken their seats, with Zhang leading the way to the table and Meilin throwing a quick glance over her shoulder as they passed the defendant's table. "Morning," Keisai said over the din. "Ready for round two?"
"Of course," Meilin nodded. "But this isn't a game, you know."
Keisai shrugged. "I do it for the love of the game. I never professed to take anything seriously—I think you'll find that it's harder to live with yourself when you treat everything with the same intensity as a life-or-death situation."
Kuvira looked incredulous. "This is a life-or-death situation."
The lawyer smiled tightly, patting her hand. "Meilin, I would love to exchange pleasantries but my client and I—"
"Yes, I should be reviewing the case as well," she said, looking at Zhang already in the process of setting up. "Perhaps we can trade courtroom stories in a couple of weeks, when you get your consolation prize."
Keisai shrugged again. "Perhaps." Meilin assisted the attorney general, and Kuvira tried to smile. "She likes you."
"I don't care," Keisai said. "For the next two weeks or so, she's the enemy."
Kuvira looked to the bench as the judges entered and the procedural openings to the trial were officially underway. "Are the Beifongs here?" she asked in an undertone as they stood.
"Yes," Keisai returned in a whisper. "Baatar's parents, and Opal. I'm surprised Bolin isn't here yet…"
The formalities were attended to efficiently and quickly, and Korra found herself on the edge of her seat as the charges were read out and the attorney general stood to speak. The trial was being broadcast live over the radio and the clerk sat with tense fingers poised over the typewriter keys, first waiting and then rapidly transcribing the prosecution's opening remarks.
"At the defendant's table," Zhang said, "sits a broken woman. Kuvira of the Metal Clan, formerly known as the interim president of the Earth Kingdom and still hailed as the Great Uniter by her supporters—"
A shout went up in the back of the hall, and Korra leapt to her feet as shrill cries of "All hail the Great Uniter!" cut through Zhang's words and threw the gallery into pandemonium. Mako grabbed the radio clipped to his waist. "Chief," he said hurriedly, "send more officers, there are at least ten of these loyalists from what I can tell—"
"You're working right now?" Asami said incredulously, restraining Korra as Mako hurried from the balcony and assisted the officers in removing the protesters from the premises. The altercation threatened to become violent, and as the loyalists were dragged from the room a tense buzz of chatter among the spectators started up, dying down when Hotah banged the gavel. The attorney general appeared annoyed, the dramatic effect of his opening statement severely diminished by the interruption.
"Evidently," Zhang said after he was permitted to continue, "the support for her former empire is still present. What you have witnessed, ladies and gentlemen, is a microcosm of what the former Great Uniter has done to an entire nation. These loyalists were proud enough to break the standing protocol for a trial. They interrupted a court of this magnitude, and have consequentially been humiliated and removed. This is what has happened and is happening to the officers of her army across the borders of the United Republic. The United Forces and the avatar have spent the past several months tracking down the men and women who made the atrocities committed in the name of an Earth Empire a reality. Just as the former vice president stood trial, and just as the former Great Uniter stands trial today, the members of her army and cabinet responsible for carrying out her orders will stand trial for their crimes. They placed their faith in and sacrificed their humanity for the wrong person, and at a steep price.
"These loyalists disrupted this trial, and you have seen them humiliated. The Great Uniter was given the option of surrender multiple times, repeatedly refused, and was humiliated. The cost to her nation was a formal military surrender by the Earth Kingdom's current head of state. No officer affiliated with the exacting of the Reunification Order will be spared as the United Forces bring the Earth Kingdom back into the realm of civility and justice."
Mako rubbed his chin as the attorney general spoke, observing Keisai at the defendant's table from their vantage point as he slid back into his seat. "Did he just spin that protest into his opening remarks?"
"Whose side are you on?" Korra said petulantly.
"The men we have captured are both vilified and shamed, much like their former leader. She sits before us today, reproached by the humiliation of those whom she promised a chance at greatness, mocked by those who dissented and escaped the collateral damage of her failure, and bitterly cognizant of the desolation and destruction she has caused. Her time in custody has demonstrated that her own capacity for evil has long since left her. Kuvira of the Metal Clan sits before us like any woman broken by the horrors of war, but do not be deceived by the result of fifteen months of incarceration. Though it may be hard to perceive her as one who dominated and terrified a nation, using cruel methods to annex states and refusing to stop her campaign at the borders of the republic, she must and will be equated with the symbol of the Empire. She must and will be equated with the cold, untrustworthy, and sinister influences that will linger in the world long after she has left it—"
"Is this a joke?" Korra fumed, starting to stand. "After all that, is he really saying that—"
"Sit down," Asami said, tugging her down. "Do you want the cop to escort you from the premises?" she said pointedly. Mako smiled ruefully.
"The Great Uniter, through her actions, has proven herself a symbol of violence and militarism, of nationalism gone catastrophically awry, of science turned to criminal ends, of racial hatreds and personal intrigue. She willfully allowed herself to be consumed by her twisted ideologies to the point that she drove away any remnants of human softness and affection, to the point that she willfully fired on her own vice president, to whom she was affianced, all because she felt he had –to use her own words- defected.
"Before we delve further into the details of her sixteen crimes against humanity, fifteen murders of the first degree, twelve counts of illegal pacification operations, two major crimes against peace, use of illegal chemical weaponry on the battlefield, homicide of Hiroshi Sato, attempted homicide of both Baatar Beifong the Second and Avatar Korra of the Southern Water Tribe, and the now infamous parcel of legislation known as the Reunification Order, I intend to do away with any suppositions that may detract from the credibility of this trial in the eyes of the world. "
Korra exchanged looks with Mako and Asami. "I don't think Baatar sees it as attempted homicide…"
"We demonstrated fairness in our approach to the trial of the vice president," Zhang said, his eyes flashing behind his glasses. "The tribunal, aware of his service to the city and his role in the conquest of the republic, did not falter in deciding a just fate for him. The first international trial, and through it the first instance of significant international law, cannot be discredited. The tribunal has established itself as one of integrity.
"However, the nature of the Great Uniter's crimes is different. A wide gulf separates the conditions of the accusers and accused, but her crimes mandate that prosecution and judgment fall under the jurisdiction of the victorious nation of the war. After the Hundred Year War, the defeated was able to judge itself. Today, the gravity of her acts and the willingness of her remaining follows to exact retribution on the Republic should she be returned to the Earth Kingdom renders such a course of action far too risky. But the facts of the war and division the Great Uniter incited –how ill-fitting the name now sounds! –are irrefutable, all thanks to her own meticulous documentation. We have her records, we have her orders for subjugation of her own people, we have her battle strategies and transcripts of her war cabinet meetings, and we have her written intentions to achieve goals possible only through crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
"The war that the Great Uniter brought to the heart of the United Republic was not a rash act," Zhang said, pointing an accusatory hand at the defense's table. "It was the result of long periods of planning between the most shrewd and skilled of officials. The Great Uniter, by standing trial for her crimes, must set the precedent for an international law that is capable of dealing with criminals of such high rank and global importance. I do not claim that such a precedent will render future wars impossible, but that after we have proven her guilty of crimes of such gross magnitude we expect Your Honors to put the focus of international law on the side of long-term peace. In the handling of this case, we will ensure that all individuals of strong morals and righteous intent will be able to live under the protection of the law, regardless of race or nationality."
"The bench will take a ten minute recess," Hotah said, and as the judges retired to their chambers the courtroom exploded into a cacophony of camera shutters and shouted questions. The flashes from camera bulbs dazzled Korra's eyes, but not before she saw Baatar slip through the throng of people and take his seat in the gallery, apparently talking to his mother but with his eyes on the defendant all the while.
A/N: This chapter wasn't gonna go up today so saigneux, this is for you. No guarantees on part II for next week because I have a flight soon and idk what the wifi will be like abroad and I'm on break and I will have zero time to write. Anywhosies, hope y'all are pumped for Ironclad, part II, whenever it comes out!
