The Tribunal chamber was still roaring out of control with screaming and yelling. Arguing and bickering. Liara looked down and across to the Jury stand. The Turian, Salarian, and Asari delegations were cloistered around talking about the spectacle they had just seen. Pointing fingers, waving their hands and arms. She observed Admiral Machovich's red faced and in a heated discussion with one of his subordinates. Was it over the holo that had been shown? Major Kyle's deposition? The N7 program? Liara couldn't be sure.

She could over hear people saying how it had only been a matter of time before Gianna would have cracked. Saying how sad it was to see a novice Defense councilor act so rashly in front of the Council. Others were condemning the Prosecution and the Council for what they saw as heavy handed tactics and for turning a blind eye.

Uncharacteristically, the Krogan delegation, and the representatives from the Confederated Terminus Systems, were for the most part unreadable. Yet when Liara looked more closely at Aria she could sense where at least she stood. As always Aria's exterior was cold. Unbreakable. But her eyes, like anyone else's, were the windows to her soul. In them Liara saw Aria screaming in horror, as if to say she finally understood the situation. As if she finally understood Shepard.

The polar opposite to the quarreling triad of the Asari, Turians, and Salarians were the Quarians and Legion. Sadness pervaded the Quarian 'masked' expressions. Legion sat at his station calmly. Liara already knew that the Geth collective had come to an 'opinion' long ago. But what it was she didn't know. The only other member of the Jury that was organic, and seemed to be calm about the entire event was Ambassador Somosk and his compatriot as they sat at their stations wearing 'smug' looks.

"I'd rip their simpering mouths right off their faces if I could get away with it." Atheta growled as she had taken notice of the direction in which her daughter was looking.

Liara simply took in a deep breath. Her voice was even and cold. "What was the verse that Mother used to say during times and situations like this Da'ma? Where everything seems to have lost their order?"

Atheta turned to her daughter's veiled face. She was caught off guard. Atheta had heard Benezia say the verse from the Ushiad. She had never said it often, because the verse always caught attention, regardless of who heard it. It was a painful memory for Atheta, because every time that Benezia had said it, she had been right...

...she had always been right.

"Please Little wing. Please don't ask me that..." Atheta begged in quiet earnest as the chaos around them continued. But Liara's gaze upon her sire parent did not abate.

"What was it." Liara said softly. Her voice was like the air on a quiet winters day.

Atheta closed her eyes.

Beyond the tribunal the sea of people were in the same hysterics as inside the Tribunal. Some people had lost faith. They considered the trial over. Others were fighting just to vent, and still more already sought to martyr Shepard already.

"According to the Goddess; When the brave and the saviors are bound and chained and brought to court..."

C-Sec, Blue Suns, and Eclipse clashed with the entropy that had gripped the city. Everyone's patience and resolve was taxed. Their members were tiring from the struggle. And it was only the first day. All it would take for it to be undone would be one round fired in the wrong direction. One jerk of a finger to send everything to hell.

"And when the leaders and the wise become blind and deaf to justice and reason..."

Next to Liara and Atheta; Kaidan was cemented. His gaze still aimed upon El'Jaid in the stand as she looked on at the anarchy that roiled away in the chamber. Her eyes raging with fire, and a menacing, hungry presence grew. It demanded attention by it's mere existence.

"Evil will exist..."

A visibly destroyed Major Kyle shuffled from the witness stand. He was wringing his hands together, shaking. As he left the Tribunal floor and started to make his way up the steps to the doors; an older man threw himself on the Major and started thrashing away at him. The man all the while was screamed out his dead son's name. His son who had been killed in action at Torfan. C-Sec guards quickly fell on them and tore the older man from Kyle. The Older man's eyes were twisted with rage, tears and sadness. He continued to howl and wail at how wrong 'he' had been for so long. While both of them were clapped in binders and led away from the chamber, other court attendees were yelling and heckling at the C-Sec guards, telling them to let Major Kyle go.

Yet as quickly the chamber's chaotic nature had exploded, it withered and died. Whether it was from the Council's commands and demands, or the next witness announcement that was issued forth, or something...else. Liara couldn't be sure of. But one thing she was certain of, was that all eyes were boring into the man that was Kaidan Alenko as he reluctantly stood up and started to make his way down the Tribunal Floor.

"And the fires of insanity will devour the world."

Author's Note: A small chapter I know. But it didn't really fit with what is coming up next, and it was too good to just scrap it.

As always. More to come.