It truly is entirely against Shepard. Gianna mused as she watched Cassandra walk back to her desk. She turned and looked upon the Council. Maybe at one time in the past I would have been in awe. She thought as her eyes roved over their stoic faces. But now I see them only as weak. Fragile, and fearful. They are too freighted to see how much the world around them has changed. Too fearful to lose their hold on power; to lose their place as the center of the universe.
Gianna knew that it was only by the masses of people which really allowed the Council to retain their posts. Most were too complacent, and too weary of change. So the masses continued to follow the Council out of respect, and some figment of blind ritual.
Gianna then turned her attention to Shepard. The shackled and barred woman who's face held the very essence of calm. It was if she controlled the very demeanor of the space that resided around her. But the very depths of her eyes betrayed her. Her Right was a flaming torch. Her left was a jet of freezing blue.
Gianna looked deeply in to those eyes. She knew people would never see her as a saint.
She, herself, doesn't think of herself as a savior. A savior saves all. She has only fought for what she wanted.
Giana let out a cool breath. She has done her time in hell, but is it not yet over. She closed her eyes to calm her nerves. I have to give them a reason to play their winning card. Because this 'trite' game is over.
She looked over to the Major who had also taken on the Council's stoic face. He even held himself with a kind of satisfied and cocky air.
I pity you little man. Because now, I will crush you. She stood up, not as Shepard's defense, but as her Knight, her Black Sacrament. The one who would cast the first stone to break the looking glass. Though this will cost us now. This will change everything...
Gianna walked over to the witness stand. Her gate was graceful, seductive. Much like a cobra entrancing it's prey. Yet she wanted to waste no time.
"Tell me Major. There is something odd to me. This N7 program seems have been something elite. There is no doubt to Shepard's combat prowess. Her will to survive under any circumstance, or her leadership skills. She displayed them exceptionally well at a young age. But there is something that is of a curiosity to me." She spoke softly with the slight hint of absentmindedness to draw him in.
"What is that?" He asked with caution on his voice.
"How did Shepard become involved in the program? I highly doubt that even the Alliance would just go around asking every Soldier if they wanted to be apart of a...gray project. Yourself said that she was never particularly socially outgoing. So for her to be 'picked'; it would have taken something else."
"I don't think that is an open topic..." Major Kyle swallowed.
"Your under Oath Major. The Prosecution has made it an open topic." Gianna snapped.
"Defense. I don't think that question needs to be answered at this time, given the lack of relevancy to the proceedings..." Udina interceded with haste.
"Oh but it does hold relevancy to these proceedings Councilor. In fact if the Major is to uncomfortable to speak, I have the information right here..." Gianna started to go back to her desk, but at a languid pace.
Major Kyle closed his eyes. When he opened them for the first time he looked over to Shepard. She didn't turn her head in his direction but continued to look straight ahead as if lost in thought. Yet he saw the look in her eyes that she was keenly aware of what was going on around her.
"She was involved in an...altercation...with a group of officers in my unit." He forced.
"What was the altercation." Gianna ordered. She wanted to drag the skeleton out of the grave, or in this case as it was, the closet.
The Major sat there. He was silent for what seemed like an age as perspiration beaded on his forehead. His gaze though wavered not at all.
"It concerned a difference of views. The Defendant always held a strong view of slavery..." He said carefully.
Gianna wasn't satisfied with his answer. "It was more than a difference of opinion wasn't it Major. And please keep in mind that the Defendant's name is El'Jaid Shepard. She is not some lifeless object."
He said nothing, but bowed his head slightly.
"Major. What happened." She asked coldly.
Major Kyle didn't answer as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Objection! The defense can't press the witness like this! What is the point?" Cassandra yelled.
Gianna responded by tossing mobile holo station to the floor, and it burst to life with sharp imagery.
The footage was taken from the security surveillance. The color slightly off. It caught three human beings in what seemed like a locker room. One male and two were female. One was clearly Shepard. It looked as if the two other personnel were drunk, and Shepard had just finished dressing from her workout. It must have been late night or very early morning. They seemed to exchange words, but nothing could be heard. The camera had not recorded the audio.
All of the sudden the two interlopers rushed forward and proceeded to attack her. The strikes were demeaning. As if the two were trying to break her. To make her submit. Shepard continually fought them both off, and soon the view of the camera was of a torn apart scene. Yet she was tiring.
The other woman soon had her pinned to the wall with her in front of him. She force her lips to Shepard's neck as she proceeded to kick her legs wide.
Shepard writhed and struggled under the other woman's hold as the other man came up and started to tear away her clothes.
But then with out warning there was a flash of dark energy, and the accosting man was throw back across the room. His abettor was stunned by the display and Shepard broke the other woman's hold. Shepard quickly wheeled around with her fists bound together like a wrecking ball and slammed them in to the side of the other woman's head. She crumpled to the ground. Her body resting in a tormenting, contorted, and unnatural position.
Shepard then stalked up the thrown man. She glowed with a dark blue tint, and her fists crackled with energy. The man on the ground before her was terrified, and he struggled to back away from her. Yet before he could not get up and run she was on him. She stamped her right boot on to his chest. The man went to grab for her leg, but was greeted to a kick in the face with her left foot. A second kick lashed out, and the man writhed with pain.
But Shepard was not done with him. Not yet.
As he rolled on the floor Shepard crashed down on his windpipe with her left foot. The last few moments were seen with the camera to her back as she gave her leg a small twist ending his life. Then the holo went blank.
The entire chamber was silent of horror they had all just witnessed. Shepard continued to look ahead, but a small silver tear ran down her left cheek.
"Defense...I have to question your...prudence...for playing that..." Councilor Tevos said. Her voice sounded sick and repulsed.
"I gave the Major ample opportunity to answer..." Gianna said honestly.
"But that...grotesque imagery has nothing to do except accentuate Shepard's violent history. That holo will not be entered in to the log for this Trial." Councilor Daice stated, also with sickness on his voice.
The Chamber was clamoring quietly as the audience talked amongst themselves.
Gianna turned her attention to the Major. Her quarrel with the Council would get her nowhere. She didn't care what would or would not be documented. It didn't matter.
"Who were the two other people in the holo Major?" Gianna asked.
"wha...What...?" The Major responded stupidly.
Gianna closed her eyes. "Major, now is not the time to play games. I can freeze the holo at the beginning. I am sure someone will recognize the faces..."
"Defense that is quiet enough! You can't use this court as your own personal forum. You can't continue to badger the witness!" Valern commanded.
"Commander Thompson, and Lieutenant S'Que!" Major Kyle finally relented.
Gianna smiled. "Your most senior officers. She killed them both didn't she?"
Cassandra sat quietly at her station. Simply observing.
"Yes, she did." The Major said mechanically.
"And Thompson was the man she was standing over wasn't she."
"Yes."
"For years. Decades really, the Alliance Military professed, expounded on it's zero tolerance policy concerning sexual misconduct. And year after year, the Alliance military has posted a pristine bill of health on the topic..." Cassandra sang. Her voice hinting at how much she was enjoying it.
"Those men got what they deserved..." The Major said urgently. He could sense where this was going, and he wanted it to stop.
"Of that I fully agree with. And I'll even say that Shepard's reaction was far beyond what 'they deserved'." Gianna gave him a unconvinced smile. "But it connects with Shepard's involvement with the N7 program doesn't it."
The Major shivered.
Gianna steepled her hands, but a smile was still on her lips. "Now... Commander Thompson. Thompson. He didn't happen to have a father in the Parliament did he?"
"Yes." The Major croaked.
"Ah yes. How interesting." Gianna hissed. "How coincidental that one of the signatures on Shepard's transfer orders from your unit to 'N7 Training' shortly after that...incident...includes one from Sir Bradford Thompson. Committee Chair of Military projects for the Alliance. And yet there was no investigation about the incident. Why would that happen Major? Why would, people, just want this swept away?" Gianna said airily as the question was rhetorical.
"And what does this bring to the table for the this trial? Are you trying to muddy the waters through guilt?" Cassandra chided.
"I am only trying to fill in the blanks. It was the Prosecution who opened up N7 to begin with." Gianna retorted in a mocking innocent tone.
"Defense!" Tevos said carefully, but with interest. "Continue..."
"Councilor you can't be serious!" Udina burst, but Tevos gave him a rebuking glance, and he quieted.
"Continue." Tevos commanded.
"Major. What was the survival rate for soldiers to complete the N7 program?" Gianna queried.
The Major exhaled. "It depended."
"On what?"
"How many there were in a 'class'." He gritting his teeth.
"Maybe I am asking the wrong question. Since the program was ran for twenty years...around...how many operatives were there? You must have an idea. Any Officer having a N7 in their unit had to have had information about the program."
"That...that is classified information!" Admiral Machalovich responded.
"I'm still interested to know. Your under oath Major. Answer the question." Councilor Daice responded.
"But...But..." The Major stuttered.
"You are under Oath." Daice repeated.
"Twenty...there were just Twenty..." The Major responded.
The chamber erupted again with chatter.
"So just Twenty operatives, out of a program that was ran for twenty years? The survival rate then was practically next to nothing. It is almost as if some didn't want Shepard to survive. " Gianna seethed raising her voice above the noise. Her gaze accusatory as she looked at the Major, and he began to crumple further in to his seat.
"Councilors! You cannot have the Defense just draw these conclusions when there is no solid evidence. There is nothing saying that the Defendant's assignment was due to her abilities alone." Cassandra reasoned.
"I have to agree.." Councilor Valern said.
"The Defendant's name is El'Jaid Shepard!" Screamed Gianna. "If the prosecution can't remember it, I'll write it on a board for them! But it is nice to see the Prosecution giving her some credit where it is due!"
The chamber rose with laughter from some of the attendees.
"Defense! Your tone has to change, or will you will be barred from interacting on the defendant's behalf for the rest of the day." Udina said menacingly.
"You mean Shepard's behalf, Advisor." Gianna snipped. But before Udina could respond she started in on the Major again.
"Torfan was a grim...affair...wasn't it. The Alliance had recently repelled the siege of Elysium, but they needed a symbol to the rest of the Galaxy. A symbol that the Alliance wasn't weak. Wasn't reactionary, but instead, was proactive it the patrol and protection of it's boarders. They needed a victory. You and your company were chosen to give them that victory. The Prosecution did a fine job of painting a picture of Torfan. But how about we flesh it out a little more Major. How would you say SAI faired with the information it provided to you?"
Sweat beaded visibly on his forehead.
"A carrier lost with all hands due to a suicide run by Pirates. Poor mapping of Torfan's terrain. Miscalculations about the enemy's strength." Gianna read from a brief overview. "I'd say you went in with botched intelligence."
The Major continued to shiver.
"Now the Prosecution was right. Shepard did torch Torfan's surface. I won't argue with mounds of reports, holos, and accounts that are a testament to what she did. That no Pirate or Slaver was found alive."
Giana let the pause grow as she walked to the center of the 'stage'. "Shepard herself wouldn't argue it. El'Jaid Shepard ordered the burning of Torfan. Torfan had been terra-formed by the Slavers and Pirates. But the prosecution didn't seem to understand from the reports, that the enemy had grown a veritable forest of Seg'eshdi." Giana said. "Do you know what Seg'eshdi is Major? You should, every Soldier in the Alliance, and former Batarian Hegemony soldier should."
The Major held his gaze to the floor. The eyes of the entire court bared down oppressively on him. "Seg'eshdi is a weed. But it can be controlled to grow as high as Cedar pines, and can be grown even in a microscopic atmosphere. The Alliance Military knew that the Batarian's were growing Seg'eshdi on their fortress worlds around important points they wanted to protect. The plant grows thickly to hamper armored vehicles and infantry movement, and provides cover for snipers. The plant also throws off a slight heat signature making exact targeting by infrared aircraft and spacecraft nearly impossible. A mixed blessing and a curse is that Seg'eshdi is extremely flammable.
"The Hegemony was never tied in any way with the events or operations of Torfan!" The Batarian ambassador rang. The rest of the Jury proceeded to treat him in the same manner as an adult would to a complaining child.
Gianna clapped her hands together in a mocking fashion. "Excellent, Major. Excellent. Your memory is fantastic, even if it is selective."
"What do you mean by that?" The Major blustered.
Gianna smiled cruelly at him. "As the prosecution pointed out, you suffered an illness which caused you to be unfit for duty." She paced back and forth leisurely. "But they failed to say what kind of illness. Wouldn't you agree Major?"
"I..." He stammered.
"Schizophrenia. Your medical file stated that your family has a history dealing with Schizophrenia. That you, your self, were a recovered, or maybe rather a recovering Schizophrenic." Gianna remarked pointedly.
"She's badgering the witness!" Sohmon roared. "How dare she treat a being like this!"
"I could say the same, and worse for your treatment of Shepard, Executor." She resounded back.
Cassandra simply rested a hand on the Turian trying to reign him in.
The audience was becoming more unruly, and Sohmon tried to rancor out again but they were all outmatched when compared to the outright firestorm Gianna exhibited as she turned on the Major again.
"Tell me Father Kyle. How far am I off the mark?" Gianna howled.
"What did you call me?" The Major's eyes when wide with shock.
"The entire Galactic community may have a short memory, but it seems that you don't, so stop playing stupid with me." Gianna said callously.
"Defense you are showing extremely poor judgment at the moment..." Counselor Daice warned.
"Nearly thirteen years ago you had contact with Shepard didn't you Father. She came to your compound on Presrop. Honestly I'm quite frankly surprised that this has slipped some people's memory. Yet then again this is just a continuation of how the Alliance seems to like just sweep their trouble under the rug."
Admiral Machelovich was fuming, but he held his tongue. His own gaze held his subordinates in check.
"In the months preceding Shepard's arrival you had formed some kind of a cult following. Your message expounding on protection and rights for all Biotics, but at the same time damning the Alliance. The Alliance sent two negotiators to work with you. Both were killed by your followers. The very people you claimed you wanted to protect. You failed there just as you failed at Torfan."
"No! No...the Alliance sent Assassins to kill me!" Kyle burst out.
"Major, they weren't soldiers. They weren't Assassins. But that didn't matter, they were Alliance. They represented your greatest failure."
Kyle just continued to shake as Gianna continued to rail away at him.
"You had a 'break' at Torfan. You broke down and that is why Shepard took your command. You were unfit to lead." She seethed.
"No...No! It was a coup! She turned my men against me!" Kyle reasoned. His face looked like that of a man who had lost his mind.
"Sometime before Torfan you stopped your taking your medication. You stopped the maintenance regime didn't you! You failed! Your failed your rank. You failed in your duties! But most of all you failed the people who were under your command!"
"No...No...Nonono."
"Major, while you went insane, people under your command were dying. Your company was pushed to nearly the breaking point. Because of your lacking sense of duty, your people were paying the price with their blood! But most of all, you were in jeopardy of not fulfilling your mission." Gianna's face was filled with disgust.
"No she took command from me...She killed those men...The Butcher..." He said deliriously.
"She took your job to do, Major. Your job, because she had to!" Gianna raged.
"Defense that is enough! Your time is over! The witness is no longer fit to stand trial." Tevos rang.
"He never was fit to begin with!" Gianna spat.
"You are here by barred for the rest of the day from the Trial's proceedings!" Udina screamed.
"You call this a trial? This is a sham!" She raged on at the Council. "You don't even have the basic decency; the guts to call El'Jaid Shepard by her name!"
"Consider yourself ejected Defense!" Counselor Valern said. Daice only glowered at her.
"Save your breath. I was just leaving." Gianna said. She turned her gaze towards Kyle who was still shaking in the chair staring at the ground. "Tell me Father. What was the reason you set up the compound on Presrop? Was it that you truly believe in fairness for all Biotics? Or did you do it to try to assuage your guilty soul over a Soldier you failed to protect and support? A Soldier who had to do your own damn job when the time came to do it."
Gianna turned on her heal just as two guards were coming to take her away. She batted them aside and walked off the court floor.
The Court room was an example of unshackled hysteria. An example of a Galaxy beside itself when faced with the grim truth of things. She glanced and locked eyes with Liara for just a moment. All let Gianna Parasini pass as she climbed the steps and walked out. The doors slamming shut, pronouncing the Defense's rest, or rather disgust of the first day.
Author's Note: I hope every one is enjoying the New Year! Glad everyone is enjoying the story. Just two months to go.
Now to let you folks know. El'Jaid Shepard's is more of a Paragade. She helps people, but just don't piss her off. Easy. Right?