First District, Tseludia Station, Pantheonic Territory, Fourthmonth, 1634 PTS

Sioan was in a foul mood. The retirement facility trashed, its guards murdered, and all of the alien test subjects escaped. Luckily, none of the scientists, and only one of the Elders had been slain, but it was still something which would hold back their efforts for years. She was glad to have been spared, but now her life’s work had been significantly delayed. Who knew how long it would take to capture another spirit refiner? Of course, she thought, that was unless she could get one of them arrested, and intercept them before they were sent to the prison moon.

The Hadal Clan, obviously, had too much influence, too many connections with corporations to attack. This newly formed Redwater Sect was different. They lacked the connections to shift the blame downwards, and she doubted they had enough money to survive a trial. It was perfect. Sioan was funded by both the government and most of the top corporations. She had more than enough money and influence to ensure that all of the top brass of the sect would go down, and in doing so fall right into her hands.

As it was clear who the culprit was, as well as the classified nature of the crime in question, Sioan had managed to schedule the trial as immediate as was possible, in order to save time.

The courtroom the trial took place in was stately and had been left largely undecorated, a monument to the ideals of efficiency and wise spending aside from the large holy emblems which rested on the far back wall behind the judge’s uplifted seat. There were only three tables in the room, those of the judge, the prosecutor, and the defendant. There was no place for anyone else to sit, so Sioan had taken up a place beside the prosecutor. She was both the victim and the primary witness for the trial.

Before long, the judge entered, as well as two Seiyal, who were led in by a pair of uniformed Justice Officers. The metal barrels of the room’s turrets fixated on the pair as they sat on their seats. The weapons had not been part of the room’s original design, but had later been added after the station was refurbished to cater to alien residents. It had been added to make people in the trial rooms such as the judges and lawyers feel comfortable, even in the presence of physically powerful individuals such as those present here and now.

Sioan got her first good sense of the Riverfiend and his Vice Leader. He appeared quite dignified in his fine robes, and she did as well in her own set. Sioan sensed Rachel’s gaze as she glanced over. She was curious about the woman, and the slight oddness to her nature. The properties of extant miasma were very odd, and she would love to inspect Rachel’s body.

While Sioan rarely dealt with trials such as this one, she had spoken with some colleagues, and acquired a link to speak with the judge for the trial in advance. His name was Tevei, and he had been quite happy to take her money in exchange for ruling in her favor. At the moment, she honestly wished that the legal system was less corrupt. Since the martial artists were so obviously guilty, she would have been able to acquire them without spending a single serite.

The moment Tevei sat down in his seat, he clicked a button on his podium, and a chime dinged audibly, marking the start of the trial.

“The nature of the crime is breaking and entering, as well as the murder of government employees. A group of what appeared to be martial artists broke in, and based on genetic markers as well as abilities, it is believed to be members of the Redwater Sect. Representing them is the sect’s Leader and Vice Leader, and representing the group who were victims of this incident is Miss Sioan. Personally, I believe the result of this trial will be fairly obvious, so we’ll run through everything quickly, if all parties are in agreement.”

Sioan easily agreed, as did the martial artists. They didn’t seem worried, and she wondered whether they had tried to pay off the judge. She sneered, knowing they had no chance of competing against the power of her wallet, particularly because they were so clearly guilty. There had even been DNA evidence taken in that matched with several of their members. She wondered whether their plan was to sell out some of their underlings to let themselves get off. If so, they would be disappointed.

With that taken care of, Tevei immediately turned to glance at Sioan.

“Sioan, you claim to be a witness to the crime, having been present in the facility during the raid.”

He paused, waiting for her response.

“That is indeed the case, Judge Tevei.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Good. Do you believe that among the martial artists you witnessed within the facility, Cyrus Yu and Rachel were present?”

“I do.”

“Please describe the individuals you witnessed.”

“He was a Seiyal man, and a powerful formless practitioner. That could only have been the Riverfiend.”

“And you’re certain it was the defendant?” asked Judge Tevei.

Sioan nodded, her expression impassive. She had considered using fake waterworks, but it wasn’t as if that would affect anything. A judge was rarely motivated by emotions. Only money and evidence could sway one of them.

“Yes, I’m very certain. Every aspect of him matches perfectly. Unless he has a twin…”

This was, of course, a lie. Sioan had been in another part of the facility, and had not even seen him. Still, it wasn’t as if lying here would cause her any issues. There had once been a motion brought to the Council of Clerics to mandate witnesses to swear to the Pantheon itself not to lie during trials, but the idea had been shot down unanimously. After all, trials would become more difficult to win, and thus more expensive, for the societal elite, if they were unable to lie.

Judge Tevei nodded, accepting her words. He then turned towards the seat where the Riverfiend and his subordinate were sitting.

“Mister Yu, do you have anything to say in your defense?”

The Seiyal shrugged, exposing a small ripple of muscle along his neckline. Sioan noticed the odd way it shifted, as if part of the muscle had contorted its way through or around his collarbone. She felt a deep stirring of desire, one that was difficult to hold in. She wished to dissect him, and was very curious about the nature of a formless constitution. It could be extremely useful for her research. Even more so than the sanguine practitioner had been. After all, unlike sanguine Elders, formless Elder Staiven she was allowed to perform experiments on. The compatibility would almost certainly be far superior.

“The perpetrator would have to be somebody else. My partner and I,” he said, motioning towards Rachel, “were at a theater watching a recent play. I’m certain we can pull up some evidence, if you need.”

“I still have the ticket stubs,” she said. “We even took some photographs of ourselves.”

Sioan had known about the alibi in advance, and was honestly curious just how they had accomplished it. The only explanation she could think of was that either they had acquired some strange advanced technology to expand the extant woman’s technique range, or the sect secretly had a second powerful extant practitioner. She had paid the judge some extra fees to account for ignoring the matter. After all, everyone here was already aware that they were guilty. She wondered just how they managed to be so confident.

“I see,” said Judge Tevei, nodding as if she had made a good point. “In that case, it must have been someone else.” He smiled, and shifted his head to direct his words towards Sioan. “I believe we have apprehended the wrong individuals. I will trust that the true perpetrator will soon be brought to me.”

Sioan was flabbergasted, and for a moment she was unable to even comprehend what he was saying. Had he really sold out to the Seiyal? Just how had they acquired the funds to pay him off? She had offered over half a million serite to the man. Just who was backing them? Had there been a deeper meaning to the raid, more than just stealing those eyes? Perhaps they had been paid by someone to sabotage her experiments…

With that, Tevei immediately pressed the button to end the trial. As he walked out, he passed by Sioan, who was still deep in thought. He whispered in her ear.

“Next time, you should consider more deeply just how much your opposition is willing to spend, Miss Sioan. They have clearly deeper pockets than you anticipated, it seems.”

Sioan growled, but allowed him to pass. She had missed the opportunity, and would likely have to rebuilt her supply of test subjects in the slow way. She turned to observe the two martial artists. Cyrus walked out calmly, while Rachel once again turned to observe Sioan back. The Seiyal woman smiled, and gave her a polite wave of goodbye.

Sioan was enraged, but of course, there was nothing she could do. She was the highest ranking of the scientists that had been placed on the project, but the military forces under her command had been annihilated. She would let this matter go. For the moment, it was all she could do.

Staiven Legal System: [The legal system of Staive has remained almost exactly as it is now for centuries. While it pretends to be an impartial system for ensuring no innocent civilians are taken to prison for crimes they did not commit, in reality it largely just serves as a way for those with money to escape from their sentencing by bribing the judges. Judicial positions are one of the most highly sought after of all government jobs, and the competition for them is intense, as they can make almost as much as a high cleric or a corporate CEO if they manage to preside over cases involving important figures. This is particularly so when they can initiate a bidding war between both sides, or trick one of the sides into giving money and not returning it even though they lose. Of course, a judge's reputation is key, as if they are seen as untrustworthy, none will be willing to bribe them. Judges have been killed for not following certain strict unspoken rules of corruption. In most cases, the trial is fundamentally just a formality with the result decided long in advance.]