---Trial---
---Kurkhuw’s perspective---
My client is suspended from a square, ironwood frame, placed atop a cart and being pulled by a full sister of my broodwife with only seven feet.
I walk ahead of her.
Four other Khawekhan soldiers flank the wagon, here acting as bailiffs. They eye him suspiciously, clutching their spears close.
We’ve just put the capital’s gates behind us, headed North.
Over these past few [weeks], I have spent a lot of time with the man who fully admits that he killed my ruler and father in law while I formulated his defence.
I certainly haven’t come to like him at all but I have found him interesting.
He was rather curious about why I showed so little fear of him and laughed when I quipped that, however frightful he may be, he wouldn’t compare to my broodwife if she learned I had let fear get in the way of properly discharging my duty(!)
For what it’s worth, he does seem to have some genuine regret regarding Aghogh’s death… mainly focused on apparently not having realised that he wasn’t a [gardenworlder] but regret nonetheless.
His feelings regarding the deed don’t particularly matter at this point, though.
‘Remorse’ is no defence to a charge of regicide in the Khawekhan [Empire] and, even if it were, it isn’t as if they’d ever believe him!
Pleading that he regrets his actions will only disgust the women’s jury and may even turn some of the men against him, viewing him as a spineless coward who doesn’t even have the courage to stand by his actions!
No. That’s not the way I plan to defend my client…
Having covered the open field that occupies the only land approach to the capital, we cross the edge of a sparse pine forest.
Through the trees an impressively large earthwork makes itself visible.
I’m sure, to the offworlders, it wouldn’t seem like much but, to a simple boy from Nhirmor, the mostly closed crescent amphitheatre that towers more than half way to the forest canopy (like the rest of the capital) is rather breathtaking in its grandeur!
We enter through the opening, revealing the centre to be mostly coarse sand with four stone platforms sitting slightly proud of it.
To the immediate left and immediate right are the defendant’s and prosecutor’s platforms, currently empty.
In the centre of the space is the witness’ platform and, at the far end, my broodwife stands atop the magistrate’s platform, the divide between the 55 men of the men’s jury and the 55 women of the women’s running directly behind her.
The translation coins Khr’kowan had to requisition from the delegates of the other realms gathered in the city glitter at all of their temples.
The women’s jury collectively scowl at my client. I imagine the consensus of ‘guilty’ and ‘death’ would quickly be passed from them to the men if voting were to happen now.
The men look slightly less as if they’ve already made up their minds but… well I know from experience that men aren’t necessarily any less vicious than women… we just do a better job of hiding it(!)
To either side of us as we enter are numerous, mainly bipedal nonVrakhand, here to act as witnesses.
My sister in law drags the cart next to the defendant’s stand and unhitches herself from it while the bailiffs each take one corner of the frame’s base and lift it (with some effort) onto the stone platform.
My broodwife rises to her feet and says “We hereby begin the trial of Sir Jackson ‘Scout’ Stetter of the Terran, New Coloradoan Realm for the crimes of regicide, androcide, attempted mass murder and breech of the peace. As this realm’s Regent, I would act as Magistrate for this court. However, given that I am both prosecutor and the main witness for the prosecution, I must recuse myself in the interest of impartiality. I name Lady Haorken of the Khawekhan Realm, Daughter of Broodking Aghogh of the Khawekhan Realm and First Woman Kvehak of the Wokhashan Realm to act as Magistrate in my stead.” indicating her seven footed sister.
Both juries stir at that and Haorken looks rather surprised.
It isn’t as if there’s any law that states a magistrate must be whole and hale but selecting a woman missing a foot is… well it’s certainly a choice(!)
She quickly recovers from her shock and bows to Khr’kowan, barking “I shall endeavour to discharge this duty fairly and equitably, Regent!”
“As I would expect, Sister.” answers my broodwife, neutrally.
She dismounts the platform and begins walking to the space on my left, passing the newly designated magistrate as she goes.
‘Magistrate’, as I needed to explain to my client, is not the same as the Terran concept of a ‘Judge’; determinations about his guilt and sentencing are to be made by the 110 members of the juries. First the women’s jury, then the men’s. Decisions need to reach majority among the women before being passed over to the men. If a consensus is reached by both juries, the matter is decided. The magistrate is only here to keep order in the court and keep the itinerary moving along… she doesn’t decide anything herself.
Khr’kowan takes position on the prosecutor’s stand, facing forward.
Her sister turns her head to address me, saying “[Public Defender] Kurkhuw, as Regent Khr’kowan has stated, your client is accused of attempted mass murder for the attack on the peace summit with the Twigg, regicide and androcide for the murder of Broodking Aghogh and breach of the peace for both. Does he wish to deny these accusations?”
“He does not, Magistrate.” I state, simply.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“…Right… Good…” she frowns “…Well, if you do not wish to contest his guilt, we’re able to move along to a sentencing hearing then.”
“Oh… I do wish to contest his guilt, though.” I smile.
My sister in law does a confused doubletake for a moment before clarifying “But… you just said he doesn’t deny the allegations?”
“That’s right, Magistrate.” I confirm.
“Then…? In what sense can you contest his guilt?” she asks, narrowing all eight of her eyes.
“Well, I have that outlined in my opening statement, Magistrate, but I wouldn’t wish to begin without your permission.”
“*Sigh*…Let the jurors be aware that the defendant does not contest his commission of the crimes he is accused of… but does contest his guilt. [Public Defender] Kurkhuw, you may now give your opening statement.”
“Thank you, Magistrate.” I smile, dipping my head before walking forward to the middle of the space.
OK, Kurkhuw… your broodwife has set you a task.
Even if that task is defending her father’s killer (from her), you can’t let her down!
Here goes nothing(!)
I open my arms and pedipalps to the juries and speak, loudly and with slightly ungentlemanly confidence “Ladies and gentlemen of the juries, as I have stated, my client does not contest that it was he who attacked our peace delegation with the Twigg, nor that it was by his hand that our ruler met his end… Nonetheless, I contend him innocent by reason of unsound mind!”
Both juries murmur, sceptically, and several of the women’s jury actively scoff.
“Granted, this is a defence that has not been successfully deployed in any of the trials that have taken place since the Khawekhan [Empire]’s founding. However, I was able to find several historical precedents for it including, most recently and pertinently, one from Khawekh, from only [170 years] ago, wherein Lady K’ortha of the Khawekhan Realm, Daughter of Broodking Khviakh of the Khawekhan Realm and Lady Whitku of the Lhor’nhakhan Realm (one of our late ruler’s own halfsisters), driven deranged after the consumption of tainted meat, killed three including a man and was subsequently judged not to bear liability… Per the laws set down by our unifier, His Majesty Broodking Aghogh, where pre[Imperial] laws and legal precedents do not conflict with the laws of the [Empire], they stand… Therefore, since, to my knowledge, our departed [Emperor] never set down a law that directly conflicts with an unsound mind defence, I argue that it is still in effect!… Before I continue, may I ask the Magistrate to confirm the validity of my defence?”
“I…” hesitates the woman “…I am not aware of any fault in your reasoning. If any members of the juries have pertinent objection to raise, I invite them to bring it forth.”
She looks over her left shoulder to the men’s jury, aware that they are, collectively, far more likely to be acquainted with any counter rulings than the women are.
No one raises any.
“Then I acknowledge the validity of the defence.” she says, resigned.
“Thank you, Magistrate. Then I shall continue;…” I gesture behind me to where my client dangles from the ironwood frame “…Over the course of this trial, I hope to show you that Sir Stetter, once a happy familyman, hale of body and sound of mind, was left broken, both bodily (the evidence of which should be readily apparent in his [durasteel] figure) and mentally by an attack that robbed him of his home, his loved ones, his community and his bodily integrity! How his government, preoccupied with fighting a War to ensure their kind’s survival, took this broken man and, rather than attempting to heal him as they normally would, instead inducted him into a clandestine branch of their military and forged him into a weapon! How, affrighted by what they had wrought, they imprisoned him partway through that War. How they, at that point, acknowledged his mental derangement and sought to treat it and how, before his treatment was even close to complete, he was freed from his imprisonment by an opportunistic organisation of criminal [terrorists] who immediately set about undoing any progress he might have made in his years long incarceration in order to take advantage of his capabilities for their own ends!… Now, ladies and gentlemen of the juries, I wish to assuage any reluctance you might have regarding my protestation of my client’s innocence; I do not contend that, having found my client innocent, he ought to be turned free! He most certainly represents a clear and present danger not only to others but also to himself, currently. Rather, my petition for his sentencing is that he ought to be turned over to the custody of the [Galactic Union] and frozen inside one of their [stasis] fields until he can be returned to a Terran [super maximum security prison] to finally finish receiving the help he so desperately requires. I thank you and know that you shall come to the right decision.”
The magistrate clears her throat and speaks “*hhh-hmm*… Thank you, Sir Kurkhuw. The court now recognises Regent Khr’kowan to give her opening statement.”
My broodwife rises as I walk back to my client’s side and, before walking forward, corrects “‘Prosecutor Khr’kowan’ while court is in session, Magistrate.”
“Oh… of course… I’m sor-” Haorken cuts herself off midsentence, seeing the look on Khr’kowan’s face and simply amends “The court now recognises Prosecutor Khr’kowan to give her opening statement.”
My broodwife (looking breathtakingly beautiful) strides forward to the centre of the court and mounts the witness platform.
She turns to gesture past me at her father’s killer “This man killed Broodking Aghogh. I saw it with my own eyes. I came upon him with his hand buried in my father’s throat. Were it not for that fact, the [public defender]’s exposition of his tragic circumstances might have moved my heart. As it stands, it does not. The truth is, however he became this way, he is simply too dangerous to be left alive and has consistently proven so… I cannot fault him for actions he took during this War (the scale and context of which I must confess myself only passingly acquainted with) so I shall reserve judgement on that but, subsequently, he received [15 years] of treatment before being illegitimately freed, whereafter, he took immediately to a role as an assassin for a criminal enterprise and seems to have done so with relish! The full number of innocents he killed after his escape may not even be known to him but certainly among that number was the Terran Representative to the [GU] [Parliament] Sir Zurab ‘Peacemaker’ Mudaliar of the Terran, Earthen Realm. He also made attempts on the lives of my friends, Lady Emiko ‘Smiles’ Miyazaki, Lady Lhamo ‘Crane’ Yeshe and, when they attempted to thwart him, grievously wounded Sir Victor ‘Cuddles’ Taylor, Lady Brunhilda ‘Samus’ Arran, Lady Thran ‘Gimli’ Hunter, Lady Tuun ‘Elf’ and Sir Shí Dǎo Yuán, all of whom are present at this court today and all of whose testimony I plan to have heard by you here. I am seeking a verdict of guilty and a sentence of death which I shall permit no other but myself to enact… I thank you.”
Khr’kowan returns to the prosecutor’s platform and her sister asks “Alright, now that we’ve heard opening statements, who is the first witness?”
The Miyazaki woman stands from behind my wife and says “I believe I’m first, Magistrate… Emiko ‘Smiles’ Miyazaki.”
“The court recognises Lady Emiko ‘Smiles’ Miyazaki to give her testimony. First to question her is [Public Defender] Kurkhuw.” acknowledges my sister in law.
The graceful Terran woman descends the stands, the clacks of her wooden shoes echoing across the court as she and I make our way to the witness platform.
She steps atop the stone and turns her striking alien face towards me.
I must admit, the strangeness of Terran faces is still a little unnerving to me!
It was different with my client, whose face my mind could easily parse as a mask…
Lady Miyazaki’s face is undeniably flesh and blood and, ironically, more unsettling for that fact!
Despite that, I’m able to tell that her expression is kind.
This woman is, as best I can surmise, the closest confidant my wife has among the offworlders and will be intimately involved in our quartering throughout the journey to the [galactic] capital.
Let’s hope I can get through crossexamining her without engendering any ill will(!)
“Lady Miyazaki… would you please start by giving the court a report of your encounters with my client from the time you first became aware of him?”
She smiles and bobs her head at me “Of course, Public Defender. I first became aware of him when he dropped from the top of a multistorey building in front of myself and Representative Mudaliar while we were on our way to the Grauntian and Osiyul embassies on Citadel to meet with members of this expedition…”