Shortly after Mara was retrieved and detained for being a cult member of the Church of Scientificity and in league with Lemnos, now considered public enemy #1, the Supreme Court of Colorado based in Denver ruled that Mara was ineligible to be a princess of Earth. The Colorado Supreme Court held jurisdiction over states from Kansas to Nevada to Washington to North Dakota. The largest city was in Seattle, but the capital was established in Denver. Within its jurisdiction was the capitalist autonomous city of Las Vegas. The culture had greatly changed since the 21st century. The Church of Latter-Day Saints went extinct either due to government persecution in later centuries or due to the fulfilled prophecy of the Second Coming of Christ or both. Marijuana smoking was deemed "unscientific" in later centuries leading to a mass persecution and extermination of potheads in Colorado. Starbucks became so powerful as a coffee monopoly that the government broke them up. Once Native Americans "disappeared" so did their reservations in the Dakotas. Kara arbitrarily making these states cooperate with each other in a nation led to occasional insurrections in Idaho.
The royal family immediately appealed the decision to the World Supreme Court, a seven-member body with each member coming from each continent. The Supreme Court justices were appointed by Kara and rubber stamp confirmed by the World Senate. They were Smith (North America), Anderson (Europe), Wang (Asia), Garcia (South America), Ali (Africa), Kumar (Oceania), and Cobblepot (Antarctica).
Representing the Supreme Court of Colorado and a Colorado native was Mr. Eric Cartman, a notorious hater of the royal family. His counterpart was Brainiac 5 acting in his capacity as chief counsel to the royal family. In oral arguments, Brainiac 5 went first.
"Mr. Chief Justice and may it please me, the Colorado Supreme Court held that Prince Mara-El is constitutionally disqualified from serving as princess and as heir to the throne under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The Colorado Supreme Court decision is incorrect," Brainiac 5 began.
"Holy shit!" several of the justices said amazed. "How so, Mr. Dox?" Chief Justice Smith asked after he had recovered.
"Princess Mara-El is not covered under Section 3 because the princess is not an officer of Earth as that term is used throughout the Constitution. An officer only pertains to appointed officials and does not encompass members of the royal family or elected officials. Furthermore, Colorado has no power or jurisdiction over the royal family. Only the reigning monarch, the queen, or impeachment and removal by the World Congress can do so. As stated in Section 3, only the World Congress can remove the disqualification. Additionally, Princess Mara-El has not been charged nor convicted of insurrection against the Crown or Earth, and it's rather obvious she would be pardoned by the queen even if she was. Finally, Section 3 is not self-executing. Indeed, Congress would have to pass a resolution stating that Princess Mara has been disqualified which isn't going to happen. The notion that one nation's supreme court can make this determination is absurd on its face," Brainiac 5 argued.
"You're saying it's up to Congress and not any court, even this one, to determine whether someone is disqualified from holding office as a suspected insurrectionist?" Justice Ali asked.
"That's correct. Unless Congress passes a law that delegates that power to a nation which it has not," Brainiac 5 replied.
"What if Princess Mara waltzed into the Secretary of State's office in Colorado and announced she was rebelling against the Crown and the Earth, could that Secretary of State disqualify her?" Chief Justice Smith asked.
"No, Princess Mara is not an elected official nor running for elected office so the Secretary of State would have no authority," Brainiac 5 replied.
"It seems an unlikely scenario that the Congress would vote two-thirds to remove the disqualification," Chief Justice Smith remarked.
"Actually, it would be super-easy, barely an inconvenience," Brainiac 5 predicted.
"So, are you saying countries can disqualify people from running for nationwide office for insurrection, but they can't disqualify a royal?" Justice Garcia asked skeptically.
"Exactly so," Brainiac 5 confirmed.
"To disqualify a royal, only Congress has the power to make that determination under Section 3 and the power to remove that disqualification?" Justice Garcia clarified.
"Yeah," Brainiac 5 agreed.
"I like the idea that any federal court can make this determination because I do believe Section 3 is self-executing. Otherwise, the amendment is vague as fuck," Justice Garcia said. "Princess Mara was put on trial in Colorado, she was found to be an insurrectionist, and they disqualified her under Section 3. Princess Mara may then appeal to us as to whether that trial is valid," Justice Garcia argued. "And even if we agree with Colorado, the Constitution gives Congress the authority to remove the disqualification."
"I would argue they can't put Princess Mara on trial in the first place as she is not an officer. She was also not given full due process as the Colorado Supreme Court merely made a fact-finding decision rather than a criminal trial," Brainiac 5 said.
"The Constitution does not preclude the possibility of a federal court making this determination?" Justice Anderson asked.
"The amendment's language highly implies that only Congress can disqualify through legislation and remove a disqualification. There are many federal courts and only one World Congress. We would have legal chaos if different federal courts came to different conclusions," Brainiac 5 said.
"Well, then, it would be decided by us," Justice Anderson said simply.
"The amendment does not mandate you hear the case. If, hypothetically, you refused the case and different federal courts came to different conclusions, it would be an issue," Brainiac 5 said obviously.
"But why...wouldn't we want to hear the case?" Justice Anderson asked flabbergasted.
"As I see it, Section 3 prevents the holding of an office, not the running of an office. If Princess Mara were disqualified as a princess, could she run as a princess?" Justice Cobblepot asked.
"No, since being a royal is not an elected position," Brainiac 5 replied.
"Couldn't one say that the queen appointed her daughter as a princess and therefore appointed her as an officer of this planet? And couldn't one say that Princess Mara was elected by the queen to her position?" Justice Cobblepot asked.
"Princess Mara is a princess by virtue of being born the daughter of the queen and this is an automatic designation. She was neither appointed nor elected to the position of princess," Brainiac 5 said. "Even if Princess Mara was deposed, she could later be reinstated by the queen without running for that office, which does not exist."
"It just seems to me that if different federal courts come to different conclusions, we'll have to make the decision with a trial, witnesses, evidence, and all that shit. That sounds like a lot of fucking work I'd rather not do," Justice Cobblepot said.
"There are a number of qualifications for elected office like citizenship, age requirements, and term limits. Are you saying those qualifications do not pertain to Princess Mara?" Justice Garcia asked.
"Exactly. A royal has no qualifications at all other than being born to the reigning monarch. Even if the princess was born after the monarch took power, the monarch can simply retroactively declare her daughter to be a princess," Brainiac 5.
"Okay, so what stops the queen from adopting some random citizen, an adopted sister, for example, and making them a princess?" Justice Garcia asked.
"Only blood-related individuals can be royals according to current statute," Brainiac 5 said flatly.
"A statute that can be changed rather easily," Justice Garcia pointed out.
"In such a case, the queen would propose a bill to that effect that would pass into law unless Congress vetoed it by a one-third plus one vote or if Congress proposed such a law by majority vote not vetoed by the queen," Brainiac 5 said simply. "But in such a case, that adopted royal, even if they were an insurrectionist, could not be disqualified by a federal court."
"You're saying we can't do shit here, and I'm very skeptical about that," Justice Kumar said skeptically. "Can we at least determine that Princess Mara was an insurrectionist? Can we do that?"
"It would be premature to make that determination since we don't know if the queen will reinstate Princess Mara and thus require a waiver from Congress that I am arguing today we don't need in the first place," Brainiac 5 stalled.
"In your brief, you say that Congress can decide by majority vote whether someone has committed insurrection, but a two-thirds vote to overturn a disqualification. I find that odd," Justice Anderson pointed out.
"The two-thirds vote to overturn a disqualification is explicit in Section 3 while the majority vote for executing Section 3 is implied as with all other non-self-executing clauses in the Constitution," Brainiac 5 replied.
"If the queen pardons Princess Mara for insurrection, isn't this all a moot case?" Justice Cobblepot asked.
"First, the queen is unlikely to do so because she doesn't believe Princess Mara did engage in insurrection and any pardon would admit guilt. Second, we would argue that no one can be disqualified for insurrection unless found guilty in a criminal proceeding which Colorado did not do," Brainiac 5 answered.
"Can Congress with a two-thirds vote lift the disqualification for insurrection without a conviction of insurrection?" Justice Cobblepot asked.
"It could. That resolution would only take immediate effect after the individual in question is convicted of insurrection," Brainiac 5 said.
"Can Congress rescind its resolution of disqualification at a later date?" Justice Cobblepot asked.
"Congress cannot retroactively declare someone an insurrectionist after it has removed the disqualification," Brainiac 5 said flatly.
"The Constitution says: The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States of Earth and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution," Justice Kumar pointed out. "Couldn't it be said that royals are executive officers who have taken an oath or affirmation to support the Constitution?"
"I would argue the royals are not executive officers at all and they have taken no such oath," Brainiac 5 said.
"Well...shit," Justice Kumar said stunned. "Wouldn't you say the royals hold an office and are 'under the United States of Earth'?"
"I would agree that the royals hold an office but they're not under the United States of Earth. Rather, they're above the United States of Earth," Brainiac 5 corrected.
"The Constitution allows for the impeachment of a royal from their office, right? So, doesn't that imply the royals hold an office under the United States of Earth since the World Congress is also under the United States of Earth?" Justice Kumar argued.
"The impeachment and removal from office clause was a political concession to give humanity the false assumption they're still under a democratic federal government. The royals are also Imperial royals above the United States of Earth. Therefore, the royals are both under and above the United States of Earth depending on the context. And, in this context, the royals are above the United States of Earth and cannot be subject to the insurrectionist clause," Brainiac 5 said.
"So, you're arguing only Congress can initiate and remove the disqualification, but you're also arguing no one under the Constitution truly has the authority to do either?" Justice Kumar questioned.
"I'm all about covering my bases," Brainiac 5 explained.
"Why would Congress and the ratifying countries approve of this amendment with the royals being excluded as officers under the Constitution?" Justice Garcia asked.
"Cuz, Queen Kara made known she would exert political pressure to defeat the amendment if they did otherwise," Brainiac 5 said obviously.
"Okay, so why wasn't Section 3 written to explicitly exempt the royals?" Justice Garcia asked.
"At the time, Queen Kara considered that to be too corrupt as fuck," Brainiac 5 answered.
"You're arguing that the royals hold an office but they're not...officers?" Justice Garcia questioned.
"Yes...," Brainiac 5 nodded.
In the Palace, Mara addressed a gathering of human dancers and choreographers. They were reserve officers who were given relatively low supervision by Brainiac 5. Mara's theme was Pitch Perfect...at the Palace.
Mara was under a cloud of controversy but still had her so-called duties to perform. As a princess in an absolute monarchy, Mara still held considerable influence. "This isn't about me," Mara said awkwardly to the crowd. "It's about putting dancers and their choreographers together...to make magic happen but not in a sexual context. Here, you all will talk and listen to ideas and maybe make them into reality. So...I'm going to just get out of your way."
Mara then left the podium, took a prepared selfie with the group, and then left. As she was about to leave, she met up with Brainiac 5. She showed him a Daily Planet article on Mara and Lemnos hanging out together. "How do you let them get away with this?" she asked outraged.
"It will take time," Brainiac 5 assured her.
"Time? That photograph is nine weeks old," Mara said impatiently.
Mara and Brainiac 5 exited the room and made their way to Mara's private office. "There's no quick fix to this," Brainiac 5 said to her.
"That's what you keep reminding me," Mara said peeved.
"You've been dealing with this for the last ten weeks. You haven't seen him in that time, have you?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"Me? Err...no, absolutely, of course not," Mara said befuddled.
"We simply need a new strategy to put this controversy to bed. And I can make it go away, but you have to let me control it. I know the press. I can help you. I have a list of friendly journalists," Brainiac 5 said.
"Sounds like a contradiction in terms," Mara said skeptically.
"Invite them here, one by one for tea. Make them feel special. Let them get to know you better off the record. And slowly they'll realize you're not an impressionable Insane teenage cultist who has made critical errors in judgement," Brainiac 5 said smartly.
"Slowly...always slowly," Mara muttered. "I'm turning seven next year...and my mother...well...none of us are getting any younger," she mused.
World Supreme Court
It was now time for Eric Cartman's argument. "We are here because, for the first time in world history, an alien Insane Kyptonian hybrid princess violently assaulted the government in an insurrection no one saw. For the first time in world history, an alien Insane Kryptonian hybrid princess joined a terrorist cult to disrupt the balance of power in the galaxy. By engaging in this insurrection, Princess Mara-El disqualified herself from royal office," Eric began.
"As we have just heard, Princess Mara wants an exemption for herself and all other royals from Section 3, and that's horseshit. Section 3 is vague as fuck intentionally to give the federal government broad options to disqualify insurrectionists whether it be national courts, the World Supreme Court, or the Congress. It's only logical that the Constitution refers to the royals as officers under the Constitution because the royals are extensively mentioned throughout the Constitution. Princess Mara wants it both ways where she has all the powers of an officer under the Constitution while claiming she is above the Constitution at the same time. As mentioned in Article 2 of the Constitution, states are empowered to enforce who is allowed to run for elected office under constitutional criteria," Eric concluded.
"Do you have any precedence of nation-states disqualifying a royal Insane Kryptonian hybrid princess from office?" Justice Ali asked.
"No, and I don't think that's surprising, for obvious reasons," Eric replied.
"I just find it ahistorical that the Fourteenth Amendment would suggest nation-states can declare a royal disqualified on their own when the whole purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment was to curb nation-state power relative to the royals. I recall the queen ramming through this amendment shortly after our last global civil war and purging fools soon thereafter," Chief Justice Smith recalled.
"I would say that the intent of the amendment is irrelevant. The only thing that is relevant here today is the actual wording of the amendment," Eric said stubbornly.
"I think the obvious question is why should a single nation-state, Colorado, decide who should be a royal? I mean, the royals are now in seats of power on the galactic, sector, and planetary levels. Why should we give a fuck what Colorado has to say on this?" Justice Anderson asked.
"Honestly, Colorado doesn't really give a fuck what other nation-states, planets, sectors, and galactic quadrants have to say on this. We have made our determination and Princess Mara is no longer a princess, at the very least, in Colorado," Eric said defiantly.
"I'm a bit concerned that Colorado is engaging in...insurrection against the royal family...by disqualifying their princess under the insurrection clause," Justice Wang noticed.
"The record speaks for itself. It's obvious that Mara is totally guilty and other nation-states would have to be corrupt as fuck to not come to the same conclusion. So, we're confident we would not only win in all the nation-states but at the World Supreme Court on the merits," Eric said.
"Is it your opinion that Princess Mara was disqualified as soon as she committed insurrection?" Justice Wang asked.
"Yes," Eric nodded.
"And that would mean her role as a Vindicator, a military officer, a government official, and all her royal orders would be null and void the moment this occurred?" Justice Wang pressed.
"Sure," Eric agreed.
"So, all government and military officers would be safe to ignore or disobey her orders at this point?" Justice Wang asked.
"In all reality, that would be true, but I think it would be wise to have a court determination on this before ignoring or disobeying her orders just to cover their ass," Eric said awkwardly.
"But there is a distinct possibility that government and military officers could ignore or disobey Princess Mara's orders or even take her into custody on their own initiative based on their own interpretation of whether an insurrection has occurred. Not everyone is like you. Maybe, they don't want to cover their own ass," Justice Wang said.
"It's highly likely any orders from Princess Mara come from Queen Kara, herself, and all those orders would be lawful," Eric replied.
"But what if Queen Kara engages in insurrection against her own government?" Justice Wang asked.
"Seeing as how she is the head of state and head of government as an absolute monarch, Queen Kara can't engage in insurrection against herself by definition," Eric argued.
"But what if a mob were to tear into the palace, trash Princess Mara's office, and remove her from the premises under this insurrection clause?" Justice Wang asked.
"The palace and all offices inside belong to the queen so that would be insurrection against the queen. I see what you're getting at. If someone is a traitor or breaks their oath of office, they lose their office automatically de facto but they still hold that office de jure until a court or Congress decides. In this case, we believe Princess Mara is disqualified from her office de facto and de jure via our court proceeding in Colorado," Eric explained.
"What if we reverse your verdict?" Justice Wang asked. "Is Princess Mara still de facto disqualified in your eyes?"
"We would respect any decision made by this court but until this court decides on the merits of this case, we hold Princess Mara to be de facto and de jure disqualified as a royal," Eric replied.
"And if we decide not to take up this case, you may be the ones seen as insurrectionists," Justice Wang pointed out. "What if Congress passes a resolution that Princess Mara was not disqualified?"
"We wouldn't really give a shit because the amendment doesn't preclude the possibility of Congress and all fifty national supreme courts from making their own determination on the merits," Eric said flatly.
"So, even if the Queen, Congress, and all forty-nine national supreme courts determine Princess Mara was not disqualified, you would still disqualify her?" Justice Wang asked incredulously.
"Yes," Eric confirmed. "Only the World Supreme Court can overturn us, or the World Congress removes the disqualification, or the queen pardons Princess Mara. Until any of those things happen, we hold that Princess Mara is not a royal princess over Colorado."
At the Palace, Mara reminisced about her Scientificity friends. "It was the worst of times and some of the best times," Mara reflected. "Those men...they really knew me, you know? Well, there's no hiding in a cult. From your friends, from yourself," Mara said tearfully as she recalled those who had died trying to bring her to Lemnos.
"Do you miss them?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"Too much trouble, I'm afraid," Mara said mournfully. "As long as I am my mother's daughter and a princess, my remaining friends will never be safe. I realize that now."
Brainiac 5 then turned on the TV. "Praetor Lemnos has been arrested today on felony terrorism and insurrection charges. The disgraced Vindicator has been accused of spreading a cult-like religion that has attracted dozens of young men and women," the Daily Planet reporter said.
Mara simply stared at Lemnos' face deep in thought. She then turned to her bed and found something seriously amiss. "How many times?" she snapped at a human maid with a private rank.
"I'm sorry," she said stunned.
Mara grabbed the stuffed kangaroo. "Where does he go?" she asked seriously. "Simple question, where does he go? Do you need a clue?"
The maid simply stared at her in fear. "Go away!" Mara shouted irritably. Once she was gone, Mara placed the stuffed animal in the right position among several dozen other stuffed animals placed in a specific formation.
"I'll have one of my drones prepare your room from now on," Brainiac 5 assured her.
At her Palace office, Mara reflected in her chair. "The morning I went off to boarding school, mother brushed my hair. I can feel it now. Violently tugging on my Insane hair to make it straight. It hurt but I didn't want it to stop. So...what am I supposed to do?" Mara asked Brainiac 5.
"We'll see how this plays out," he said sympathetically.
"I'm supposed to talk to Mother about my seventh birthday. She's got big plans," Mara muttered.
"Mara, your mother brushing your hair on the last morning at home, you remembering it and talking about it...there's a reason for that. You want your future back. We both do. Let me help you," Brainiac 5 offered.
Daily Planet journalists arrived at the Palace and had a meeting with Mara. "I hope you don't mind I brought someone along," Mara said referring to Brainiac 5. There was an awkward silence between them all. The Daily Planet reporter, Emily Mantis was the main reporter. At her side were Sam McAle and Stewart BigMac.
"I can't tell you what the questions will be because even I don't know. But when I do know...I still won't tell you," Emily said coyly. Mara simply stared at her with dark Insane eyes and then chuckled as if amused. "But they will be fair."
"Will be? I think you mean 'would be'," Mara stared her down. "And my conditions?"
"Pitch Perfect? We'll discuss it, of course, but you know as well as I do that's not why we're here: Lemnos. This is about honesty on both sides," Emily said.
"If I do an interview, it will only be one. Why you?" Mara asked.
"Stewart," Emily requested.
"Emily is tough but not sensationalist. She's a woman as well," Stewart said.
"And she's here," Emily said obviously.
"Look...in my position...with the way the world is now...I'm not sure how I'm going to turn this around. Honestly, I think it's a mistake to even have you in the same room as me," Mara said skeptically.
"I can tell you one thing. If you remain silent, you're fucked. You know how people see you, don't you? Lemnos represents insurrection, recruiting young superheroes into his cult, spaceships, private islands, and money. The public sees these stories and they look at you and they say to themselves, 'Yep, I can believe Princess Mara was Lemnos' lieutenant, recruiting, indoctrinating, branding people like livestock. I can believe that shit.' This is really bad for your brand," Sam told her.
Mara scoffed at that. "I'm an angel compared to my other family members. I'm not out there committing war crimes, executing people, torturing people, conquering people, sacking governments, censoring the media, taking full control of planetary economies with AI, and promoting the spice trade. All I did was join a gang without knowing all the terms and conditions. I mean, what's the big deal?"
"It's because you've always been the good girl, Mara. Your other family members are crazy as fuck. And when they do something bat-shit insane, it's not even news. You going rogue, being a bad girl, joining a superhero cult, that is news," Sam explained.
"I'm being punished for being too good up to now," Mara shook her head dismayed.
"Look, I understand the 'always complain, never explain', philosophy of the royal family but those days are over. Everyone has a voice now and they're all talking shit," Sam said.
"Good thing I don't care," Mara said dismissively.
"Yes, but your mother is. I mean...she's legendary for talking shit on all social media platforms with hundreds of comments a day. How your mother is influenced by social media will affect you at some point," Sam pointed out. "And this shitstorm isn't going to change until you change it, unless you tell a different story. Your story in your voice."
"I just don't know why people are so obsessed with my friendship with Lemnos," Mara said bitterly. "Well, thank you very much. Barney will be in touch." Mara then left the room not indicating her intentions.
As the World Court continued its debates, Mara eventually agreed to an interview with Emily. The interview took place in the Palace. It was supposedly endorsed by Kara beforehand. Mara micromanaged all the sets and where the chairs were located. It wasn't too long ago that Kara was in a similar position when they impeached and removed her from office. Mara and Emily were in their respective officer uniforms, black boots, trousers, and jackets. Emily had a purple undershirt indicating her department was in art and film. Mara's undershirt was black indicating the royal family remained still in mourning even after several years. Emily had a one-star general (O-7) rank while Mara continued to keep her princess (O-15) rank.
Emily was a little nervous as Mara was not only of an extremely high rank but was also physically dangerous. Mara simply stared at Emily with a killer's gaze she inherited from her father. "Your Highness, we've come to the Metropolis Palace, in very queer circumstances. Normally, we would be discussing your work, your charities, your duties, and your childhood, but today, we're talking about Lemnos. How did you first become friends?"
"I met him at Midvale High. He was one of my professors. I spent a great deal of time with him during my classes, the underground club he hosted, and quite often during Vindicator functions. He offered to have me stay at his various houses, and I readily agreed. But I would say it's a stretch to say we were really good friends. He was a generation older than me, and I'm used to everyone and anyone pandering to me with gifts and services of this kind," Mara downplayed.
"But he had this extraordinary ability to bring extraordinary people together. He was very social. He would host dinner parties with academics, politicians, administrators, and celebrities," Mara said fondly.
"Did you trust him?" Emily asked bluntly.
"Yes, I did, but I don't go into a friendship looking for the wrong thing. I'm an engaging person," Mara said with an anti-social expression on her face.
"Did you host a birthday party for him?" Emily asked.
"No, it was a shooting weekend. A party implies a lot of people, music, and cake. A shooting weekend is a small group that goes out and kills birds for fun," Mara clarified.
"But during these shooting weekends, Lemnos was recruiting people into his cult to rebel against the Crown, the government," Emily pressed.
"We now know that," Mara lied. "At the time, there was no indication to me or anyone else I knew that this was what he was up to," she lied.
"For the record, you've been on his private ship, his island, and his home," Emily asked.
"Yeah," Mara said nonchalantly.
"Why did you run off from the Vindicator tournament to see Lemnos," Emily asked boldly.
"I went to see him with the sole purpose of saying to him that because he was planning an insurrection against the Crown, my family, it was inappropriate for us to be seen together. I felt doing it over the phone was lame. I had to go see him and talk to him. Ultimately, I didn't get to see him because my brother knocked me out before I could," Mara lied.
"But if I could have talked with him, I would have told him that because of what he was planning, I don't think it's appropriate for us to remain in contact," Mara said.
"Those seem like weak words for someone planning an insurrection against your family. I would have figured you would be more shocked and appalled," Emily pointed out.
"Well, I was...and I was going to tell Lemnos how shocked and appalled I truly was," Mara lied. "I don't believe in violence. I believe in using my words."
"Were you not Lemnos' trusted lieutenant, second in command, of his cult?" Emily asked accusingly.
"Totally false, lies," Mara lied.
"And isn't it true you were at his Metropolis mansion on many occasions?" Emily asked.
"Well, yeah, but I was also doing other things there, too. It was a convenient place to stay, it's in a prime location, twenty minutes to the beach, twenty minutes to downtown," Mara said defensively.
"Allegations have been made against you that you were part of this insurrectionist plot against the Crown. An undercover spy within Lemnos' cult says that you discussed insurrection with Lemnos on three different occasions, once in London, once in Metropolis, and once on Lemnos' private island with a group of seven or eight other members," Emily said.
"No, no to all of it," Mara lied.
"You're saying this undercover agent is lying?" Emily asked.
"That's difficult to answer because I don't know what the Deep State is trying to achieve. All I can say is that I have categorically, frequently, consistently stated that I never discussed insurrection whatever," Mara lied.
"Did you dine, dance, and have drinks with Lemnos in London?" Emily asked.
"I'm not liking the implication here. It wasn't a Beauty and the Beast situation. As a royal, I'm socially obligated to dine and dance with all sorts of people. I don't drink. It was just a pizza party. In fact, I went out to get the pizzas in Woke. And I remember that so clearly because, as a royal, it's an extremely unusual thing for me to do. I have servants or drones do that for me," Mara said.
"The undercover agent recalled specifically that you danced with Lemnos, that you were profusely sweating," Emily continued.
"As a Kryptonian, I don't sweat at all unless I want to. As an Insane, it takes a lot of exercise for me to even break a sweat. So, due to my queer alien physiology, that's not very likely," Mara denied.
"I think the implication is that you were infatuated with Lemnos. Were you romantically involved with him?" Emily asked.
"That's ridiculous. I'm six and I appear around fifteen. If anything, I'm the victim in this whole thing," Mara denied.
"Do you feel any guilt, regret, or shame about any of your behavior with your friendship with Lemnos?" Emily asked point-blank.
"Guilt? No. Regret, well, Lemnos has obviously conducted himself as unbecoming...," Mara said.
"Unbecoming? He tried to overthrow the government violently," Emily reminded her.
"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm too polite for my own good. I don't curse or say harsh words about people as a rule. Was I right to have him as a friend? At the time of our friendship which began long before his insurrectionist plot, I don't think there was anything wrong about it then. We were all Vindicators, comrades in arms, alumni of Midvale High, etc. I do kick myself for not seeing the signs but I'm only six and I suppose I was a bit naive about him. It was not becoming of a member of the royal family, and we try to uphold the highest standards and practices and I let the family down," Mara admitted with a sad regretful expression.
"Is there anything less unsaid?" Emily asked finally.
"I don't think so," Mara said as she snapped back to her usual cold gaze.
After the interview, Mara gave Emily and her crew a tour of the Palace. "Too easy," Mara said to Brainiac 5 as they walked the grounds.
The World Court decided on the insurrection disqualification case. "We unanimously hold that the findings of the Colorado Supreme Court are in error as Princess Mara is obviously a minor and can't be declared or prosecuted as an insurrectionist. We unanimously hold that the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado national government lack the authority to decide on insurrection under the Fourteenth Amendment, Section Three. We also unanimously declare that the royals are officers under the United States of Earth as Earth's reigning monarchs, but we also unanimously hold that we have no jurisdiction beyond Earth in the Galactic Federation government. Therefore, the royals are both under and above the United States of Earth depending on jurisdiction. We hold by a vote of four to three that only the World Congress can make an insurrectionist determination by a majority vote resolution and that Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment is not self-executing," Chief Justice Smith read from the bench.
Despite the ruling, the public was outraged. Mara's interview went poorly as she did not put to rest rumors she had been Lemnos' righthand girl in his insurrection. The public was even more convinced she was a liar and attempting a coup against the government. While many hated the royal family still, Mara, up to this point, had been seen as the "golden child". Now, she was hated even more than the other royals for her hypocrisy.
It didn't help that Lemnos escaped his human prison guards by manipulating their memories and was now on the loose. Kara eventually took time to summon Mara and chew her out.
"You were supposed to be the good one, Mara. I wanted you to be my successor and you pissed it all away by being friends with Lemnos," Kara scolded.
"You placed Lemnos in my orbit at Midvale High and the Vindicator Corps," Mara pointed out.
"But you were his righthand girl, his trusted lieutenant. You conspired with him to scramble my memories and take over the government, to rule from the shadows. My God, you're even more dangerous to me than your father and brother. After everything I have given you. You have the third-highest rank in the empire. You have luxuries beyond anything I could imagine in the 21st century on Krypton and on Earth. And this is how you repay me? You're just a backstabbing ungrateful bitch!" Kara shouted at her.
Mara simply stared her down. Kara looked away stunned by her outburst and regretting what she had said. "What hurts the most is that you didn't try to destroy me out of Insane pride or funsies. You just hated me."
"And why shouldn't I hate you, mother? You created me in a pod not knowing what would become of me. I have to wrestle with my two natures every day. You robbed me of a proper childhood with accelerated growth because you were too lazy to properly raise me. Even still, you ignored me and placed me in the care of drones. You sent me off to a boarding school rather than have me at home. With all your super-speed, you gave me so little of your time. I tried to be the good girl, but it was for nothing. You rewarded Kon despite his genocidal nature, his atrocities, executions, and warmongering. He swears, drinks, and kills while I do not. When there finally arose an opportunity to rebel, of course, I took it," Mara said.
"Had Lemnos succeeded, the whole galaxy would have been fucked. I am not all-powerful. I am vulnerable to mind control, magic, and emotional manipulation. You have no idea the damage you could have caused to so many people," Kara told her off.
"You're doing great damage to the galaxy, yourself," Mara shot back. "Pray, tell me, how could Lemnos be any worse?"
"Your standard shouldn't be me or Lemnos. It should be higher," Kara lectured.
"What standard do you have in mind?" Mara rolled her eyes.
"Alex's standard," Kara said softly. "Ever since you were born, I wanted you to be like her but with powers to protect herself. I figured if Alex couldn't rule the galaxy, I'd find someone who could be just like her to succeed me when the time was right. That person was supposed to be you."
"I am not a clone of your late sister, and I will not twist myself in knots to be her. I am not her. I am a combination of you and father as you designed me," Mara said.
Kara glared at Mara but then softened her look. "Perhaps the best way for you to appreciate me is to know what it was like for me growing up. I'm sending you to New Krypton where you will act as an aid for Councilor Tor-Argo. He's the only ally I have on the council. Do whatever he tells you to do within reason. Then, maybe you'll know what Kryptonian coldness really is."
Author's Notes: This is based on a US Supreme Court case involving God Emperor Trump's ballot access and the movie, Scoop.