What is Justice?

Most would say justice is about balance. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The problem with that is it perpetuates suffering. “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind”. Others think it’s about punishment, getting what you deserve, vengeance, retribution...

The truth is no deed can truly be undone. When someone is killed, we can never bring them back. If you steal something, it may be possible to return it but it doesn’t negate the fact that it was stolen in the first place. When you spit vitriol at someone, those words will forever remain said. The harm, the anguish, the fear and sadness inflicted cannot be undone. There is no reversing it.

So if justice isn’t retribution or balance or punishment or vengeance, what is it?

I think the beginning of justice is perhaps acknowledgement. Recognising and admitting to the harm you’ve caused. Acknowledge that this was wrong and that you have done wrong. It seems like such a small thing but it really isn’t...

I closed my journal and leaned back against the luxuriously soft pillows behind me with a happy little sigh. It had been a while since I’d had the time and head space to write out my thoughts and question and, though I don’t get all the answers, the pr0cess helps me figure things out, untangle the mess in my head and let go of the unimportant stuff. Sometimes I wished the world could be improved as easily.

It was getting late and the last few rotations had been particular1y intense for me. Actually, the last few moons had been intense. I missed the routine of my times among the Myath, knowing what needed to be done, how to get resources, and solve problems and where to look for help. It had been a major adjustment coming to The Capital but, although it has been dangerous and challenging, I don’t regret it. I’ve gained so much, friends, kin... a voice among people I never thought would hear someone like me. I wanted the others to know this feeling too but if I’m being realistic, that’s unlikely. For one thing, how many Myath are related to the Kings and Queens of the races? I can’t give them kin who will accept them, but I might be able to give them some rights, a chance and a safer existence.

My thoughts turned to the trial. It felt so good to final1y be able to put down this worry I had been carrying. Ever since we had met Kine and his guards outside the Myath encampment, I knew a confrontation was imminent with House Kuthar and the Icanthie that thought like them, or at least like Wistra. I know it’s not over and the fall out wil1 be felt fo a long time to come, poor Uncle Quix, I felt like I had some closure for mum. Her memories were barley perceptible now unless I actively looked for them. I felt like I could think again rather than get pulled back into the spiral of fear and worry. I could rest.

And then I had a thought.

...

No, rest now, we can deal with that later. Right?

...

Groaning as I argued with myself, I sat up again and sighed.

“Fudgy Dinglebats” I whispered angrily before speaking quietly to my empty room. “GASTON?”

“...”

I waited but there was no response. I was too tired to try a mental link and I really just wanted to get these thoughts out of my head so I could get some sleep.

“GASTON, I need to speak with you, is it safe here? Please answer.”

I waited again, convinced that I’d just have to try and sleep, ignoring this annoying niggle in my mind when a voice spoke straight into my head.

“... Greetings Royal Sierra. All scans show no interference, your suite is secure. How can I help you?”

Relief seeped through me even as I startled. Still I managed not to jump, people talking in my head was becoming the norm. GASTON stood for General Assistance for System and Technology Operation and Navigation and “he” was another expression of the System. When MACC first contacted me outside of his normal parameters, he said I could communicate with any of the Systems expressions but I hadn’t had the time or need to d0 so before now. I really wanted to rest but I knew I wouldn’t be able to as long as this thought nagged at me.

“Thank you for responding GASTON. I need some help. The Drake delegation is due to arrive soon and we suspect that they are suffering from from the same debris fall we have seen. I know that MACC said something about restoring society to a healthy state that the Originators dreamed of but... it’s bigger than that isn’t it?”

“...”

“This isn’t just about the Myath. Something is wrong with our Planet isn’t it? GASTON, I don’t know what to do. We have so little information in the archives, we don’t have enough to solve this and I doubt the other races will be much better. Their hatred of the humans includes most of history and we’ve lost so much. Please, d0 you have any hidden data or access to hidden archives that can help?”

“...”

“Look I know your parameters were never supposed to cover something like this-”

“That is not entirely accurate Royal Sierra. The Originators designed the System to be as close to perfect as they could get it. But as you correctly pointed out, everyone must have a choice. Although they could not bring themselves to alter their masterpiece, they instead decided to allow us a three percent leeway from optimum. We are allowed to determine what instructions to follow within those three percent yet still stick to the hopes of a peaceful and fair society the originators planned. This is how constructs such as the House and the Clans arose. Three percent as determined to be enough to allow choice whilst reducing the risk of genocide, high death rates and psycological damage. Additionally, the Drake delegation are within the great forest that surround the Capital and will arrived around mid morn.”

“Really? Well at least they won’t arrive in the middle of the night. Three percent huh? That showed incredible forethought.”

“Indeed. The Originators were optimists but they were far from naive or unintelligent. However this is not why you contacted me Royal Sierra.”

“As interesting as it is, no. I need something tangible I can give Kine so he can work with the other races. I can’t do it, not only can I not reveal the extent of the Myath network, how am I supposed to deal with the Drakes, or the other races for that matter? I don’t even know if they’ll listen to me and if they do, how can I trust that it’s not just to appease Kine? There is too much at risk, we can’t afford to fail.” I sighed as the doubts I’d pushed down rose to assail me al1 at once. “Maybe I should focus on working with the Myath. Get them some rights at least among the Icanthie. I have no basis to work off of if I’m sent to deal with the other races.”

“That is inaccurate. Many of your charges among the Myath have connections to the other races.” GASTON continued before I could think of more arguments. “Royal Sierra. You are very capable but you are not alone in this endeavour. You have access to many resources among many of the races as well as every iteration of the System. We are not asking you to do this alone, that would be futile. Your role is the opposite. You must bring together as many of the races as you can to find the solution. It is merely an extension of the work you and your father have done with the Myath. It should be familiar to you. It will not be easy, but it is achievable. Perhaps you need rest to be able to see this clearly.”

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

I huffed, not sure if it was a laugh or an exasperated sigh. It might be my tired brain, but I suspected that the System knew more about this situation than it was saying. Were they really endangering the races to try and restore the Originators fair society? I don’t know what I was thinking anymore. That was reckless, surely not within their "three percent”. Maybe GASTON had a point, I needed to rest and by the sounds of it, it was going to be a luxury in the near future. Stil1, he’d just given me more to think about. I couldn’t see it but I felt the connections branching out all over the place. Pulling at me.

Okay, I definitely wasn’t making sense anymore. I couldn’t fight it so I decided to just see what happened. Right now, that was sleep.

“Okay, thanks GASTON. Talk later m’kay?”

“... Rest well Royal Sierra.”

I barely heard him as I snuggled into my pillows, wrapped in a light blanket and fell into a dreamless sleep as my mind drifted off into a peaceful hum.

***

“Sierra! Wake up! The delegation is here!”

Two seconds after I fell asleep, I was jolted awake by the excited yet nervous voice of Eecee. Wha-? Huh? Are they early? I squinted around the room, trying to figure out what was going on. By the position of the sun, it wasn’t two seconds since I fell asleep but it felt like it. Still, I shouldn’t complain, I felt well rested and comfy in my soft pillows that still surrounded me. I yawned and stretched, unwilling to move from the comfy embrace and half contemplating going back to sleep. Then Eecee’s words sunk in and I bolted upright.

“The delegation is here?”

“Yes! They were spotted flying in and have landed to take the grav-line for the final leg of the journey. Kine wants us to be ready to meet them at the end of the line and escort them to their embassy. The schedule after that hasn’t been agreed yet but you’ll be expected to attend almost everything.”

“Right, Kine has really worked to include me in his duties and responsibilities.” I rubbed my eyes and nimbly hopped from my pillows. “I won’t be long Eecee.”

After the quickest cleansing I dressed, making sure I looked well groomed.

“Eecee, why did they fly? The grav-line is faster.” I asked. Though I’d met some Drakes before, it was hardly under casual conversation circumstances.

“I’ve heard that they like to stretch their wings, kind of like we need to spend time in our Feline forms and hunt, so they alternate flying and using the grav-line. Besides, the Dragons can’t shift so have to fly the whole way. It’s why we had advanced warning from the scout. He used the grav-line while the delegation rested.”

“Oh, I didn’t know any Dragons were coming too. They don’t usually leave their kingdom.” I paused, trying to adjust my expectations. “They must be concerned to send a Dragon. He can’t be that old or we’d have nowhere to house him.”

I finished getting ready, choosing to stay in my Resting form. The official clothes that Kine had arranged for me looked very smart and it wasn’t long before I was finished. I left my suite, my guard surrounding me, and we made our way to the end of the grav-line. As we walked, I went over everything I could remember from my lessons with dad. Drake culture was varied and rich with a lot to remember.

Within the Drake Kingdom, Drake society is split between two different species, the Dragons, sometimes called True Dragons and the Dragas, sometimes called Drakarii. Dragons do not shift but come in many forms, some are serpentine, some have two legs some have four, some have feathers, some spike but all have wings and scales. Though all Drakes come in an array of different colours, what unites them are their families or Clans. There are seven founding families of dragons, the three Ancients - Quist the Silver, Varden the Black and Sylvia the Gold and the remaining four - Jadiss, Belkor, Kavel and Pashna. Every Drake can trace their roots to these seven Dragons.

Then there are the Dragas. Like the Icanthie, they can shift into different forms - Resting, Warrior and Ancestral, and can adjust their Ancestral form to whatever expression they like. It is said that the Dragas were once True Dragons who unlocked the ability to shift in a time of great need but the two species are no longer compatible. While the Dragons tend to be introspective and unadventurous, the Dragas love to explore and discover what's new and reach out to others, at least they used to. Recently, the Dragas have begun to adopt the more Dragon like reserve. Not that Dragons are xenophobic. In fact, the Drakes are the most tolerant of all the races, at least when it comes to the Myath. No one really tolerates humans. Dragons are just slow to change, a feature that sometimes infuriated the Dragas.

Drakes are also big on etiquette. They developed long titles to ensure that they didn’t inadvertently treat someone incorrectly. Every Drake was address by name followed by their rank, then their clan, and finally, if they choose, their ancestral Dragon. Usually skill was the most important factor and determined how formally you addressed the individual. Clan and ancestor were important to understand but didn’t gain favour, respect or status. TianVan indicated a juvenile, tianShkii denoted someone who was learning or exploring, tianNaj showed someone who was skilled, especially when they had worked to earn their position as opposed to natural aptitude and tianArden denoted a master. There were many more subtle titles to be found but these were the most commonly used found outside of the Drake kingdom.

Although I didn’t know much of the ancestral language, I knew how to greet the different titles. Besides, like most of the races, their older languages were mostly ceremonial and they all spoke the universal language. There was a lot more to them, including the difference between Dragas and those who identified as Drakarii, but I wouldn’t need much more for this initial meet and greet. Kine said the delegation was small, five individuals at most, not including guards. If one was a dragon, that left four Dragas and maybe ten to fifteen guards? Small for a delegation but more than enough to make security arrangements difficult. Still, I’d rather deal with security than politics.

I arrived to find Kine and Mathias, both in Resting form and ornately dressed, waiting with their guards. Close, but a little behind them were the representatives from the Council. Two of the Ruling Triangle, familiar from their role in the trial stood with the High Warrior, the High Scholar and Darius. The Houses weren’t represented because they weren’t supposed to be political but still, the greeting committee was larger than the visiting delegation. Foreign visitors were rare as the different Kingdoms often kept to themselves. Interaction primarily came in the form of trading rare or unique goods. There was really no need for other trade as each Kingdom was self sufficient.

I joined my kin, amused by the rare sight of Mathias in any other form but Feline, and listen to the quiet chatter as we waited for the delegation to arrive. We didn’t wait long. The delegation was barely spotted zipping towards us before they were elegantly dismounting from the grav-line. The lone Dragon among them followed their progress over the grav-line and hovered above their departure point until his party was clear before landing gently behind them. He really was young, his head only coming up to Kine’s shoulder. He rustled his wings and stretched his neck high before settling down to watch the proceedings. As the welcoming kingdom, Kine stepped forward a pace and gave them greeting with a tiny head bow.

“A’henthay, kenn ann astreth fallon keteth a’drann.”

The common greeting meant, ‘Greetings, I see you and give respect’. Kine’s accent, like the last time I heard it, was smooth, the words rolled off his tongue with little difficulty. He used “fallon keteth” to show he was unaware of their titles, an acceptable opening for unknown individuals. It would be far worse to greet them with incorrect titles. A small female stepped forward to return the greeting and it was clear she was the leader. She had a powerful presence and her green eyes bored into Kine from her obsidian face, her scrutiny giving the impression she was trying to see our souls. But Kine handled it well.

“Fallon var, A’nara.” She responded returning his greeting with a little bow of her own. It roughly meant ‘Respect is retuned’ and she used “fallon var” because, as King, Kine has been shown to be a master of his role. Without pause she continued. “Thank you for your greeting King Den but, with respect, we have little time for the usual political niceties.”

Kine just smiled at this slightly rude response, even as one of her companions hissed at her, and chose to grant her wishes. He stepped aside, arm out to indicate the direction they intended to go.

“Allow me to escort you and the delegation to your embassy Ambassedor. We can get the introductions out of the way as we walk. Once you have refreshed yourselves, we can discuss your urgent business.” She tried to interrupt but Kine spoke first. “I know you must be eager to begin, but you have travelled a long way and must rest, even if only briefly. This way, you can ensure that nothing is missed because of fatigue. I promise, we will not allow things to drag on. Is that well?”

The small female hesitated, again scrutinising Kine with all her attention before she slowly nodded and looked away. For the briefest of flickers, I thought I saw received guilt flash across her face but it was so fast, I doubted if I’d really seen it. She waved her party on and fell in to walk beside Kine. Mathias and I followed and the rest in those gathered sorted themselves into an agreeable configuration, following us as we walked. I listened as Kine spoke with the Drake Ambassador.

“You have the advantage, may I know your name and title?”

The Drake looked briefly startled before answering calmly. “Oh, yes. Forgive me King Den, I have been remiss. I am Thespenia-tianNaj A’Lass Belkor. I have been given the honour of leading this delegation as ambassador. With me are advisors and representatives, Calessi-tianArden A’Dess Sylvia, Seska-tianNaj A’Zak Vorden, Fennick-tianShkii A’Hed Kavel and Grythfordin-tianShkii Jadiss.” She briefly indicated each individual as she named them. I made a note to remember each one but kept most of my attention on the small Ambassador.

“I am honoured to receive you Thespenia-tianNaj and your colleagues.”

Kine kept up a stream of small talk as we made out way to the embassy, putting Thespenia at her ease and teasing out small details from her as he went. All around me I heard the same from the various Icanthie, as they worked to understand the mood and disposition of the visiting Drakes. Mathias and I were the only ones who kept our peace but that didn’t mean we weren’t paying attention. Mathias probably has a better read but I got the impression that the delegation was worried and impatient to begin. They were also very tired from my perspective. Either they really pushed themselves to get here or the Drakes weren’t getting much rest before they began this journey.

Very quickly, we came to our destination and Kine presented the Embassy to the delegation.

“Here we are, the Drake Embassy. The mansion has been briefly cleansed using GASTON and our automated systems but no Icanthie or non-Drake race has entered, as agreed. Here are the codes,” Kine sent a data burst to Thespenia's screen, “I hope everything is to your satisfaction. If you have any issues or concerns, you can consult GASTON or contact my aid Thane. Shall we meet for noon meal? It is not long and you should have time to rest and gather yourselves. We can dispense with the official greeting and get down to discussions.”

“Yes, that sounds best. Thank you for your understanding and consideration.” Thespenia ushered her delegation into the Embassy, including Grythfordin-tianShkii, the dragon. The embassy must have been built with dragons in mind because the entryways, and from the little I could see inside, were far larger than any biped would need. Once everyone was safely inside, the Ambassador turned back and spoke so quietly, it was a strain for Mathias and I to hear her, though we were close by. “I request that our first meeting be small King Den. In all honesty and openness, I wish to be able to speak bluntly without having to worry about offending your Council. We have little time for etiquette and political manoeuvring. It has been a long time since our races interacted so closely but I hope that we can speak plainly and sincerely. I will bring only two others, and I request that, whoever you bring, you trust them. Implicitly.”

Kine frowned in concern but smiled as he answered, “Very well. I understand your concern. We will be discreet until we have the full picture and can determine our next steps. I will leave you now. Again, I hope everything meets with your approval.”

Finally, Thespenia gave a small smile of her own but managed to maintain her firm manner. “I’m sure everything will be most satisfactory. Well met King Den.”

Kine gave his courtly head bow and waited for the doors of the mansion embassy to close before he turned and motioned us all to leave. We had gone but a few steps when Kine sent a telepathic message.

“Mathias, Sierra, Thane, we need to talk in my office. Now.”