City-21 “Kyiv”, UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion
Sky Bastion “Queen Lamarck”
Jurgen von Scholz, August 13, 2049, 5:39 AM
In the spacious office, as always, the artificial light was slightly dimmed, creating a working atmosphere. The artificial windows, fitting the status, were covered with blinds. At the head of the large T-shaped table sat a tall, blond man in the black field uniform of a high-ranking officer of the Red Public Efficiency Class of the UNSA Protectorate.
Holding an officer’s command tablet, he finished carefully reviewing the prepared verdict. Nodding in satisfaction at his thoughts, the officer selected the menu item “Approve and send to the judicial decision blockchain.” A confirmation window appeared on the screen with the name and rank:
“Oberst-Protector Jurgen von Scholz, Head of the Fourth Division of the Internal Security and Counterintelligence Service of the UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion.”
Quickly entering his personal code, he placed his thumb on the sensor pad, confirming the submission with his genetic code.
Jurgen set the tablet aside and grimly stared at the tightly closed window. “A morning starting with issuing a death sentence in the courtroom – means total failure of the executives in the field. And since I must sentence an ordinary police lieutenant, they have doubly failed!” irritation flared in his eyes.
He decisively tapped the “Intercom” mediaglyph in augmented reality. “Order from Oberst-Protector Jurgen von Scholz to the entire division. Implement the disciplinary protocol of the third category for thirty-six hours. Immediate enforcement.”
The command center confirmed receipt, and von Scholz felt satisfaction from his decision. Discipline and order in the division would be restored promptly!
He stood abruptly from his desk and finally left his office. Waving off the personal transport drone assigned to his status, he quickly crossed the long corridor and stepped out onto the external gallery of deck twenty-one, section eighteen.
From here, the entire cyclopean hall was visible, where automated systems had been preparing and launching drones for hours to establish primary control over the accountable territory. Screens displaying surveillance and administration statistics for the region allocated to UNSA under the tripartite sector responsibility agreement were built into the balustrade at regular intervals. But Jurgen only scowled at this outdated relic.
“Curse the numerous lobbies and traditionalists prattling about preserving the ‘original culture of Noble Avril and pre-Exodus era design,’ let the shifter fuck them! The anarcho-capitalists and seasoned hucksters from TACTA may annoy me with their chaotic movements, which they brazenly call ‘efficient decentralized market management.’ Yet, they would never drag from world to world outdated technologies that, upon reflection, can only provoke laughter from a modern Citizen.”
“Especially in this hall, which is only accessible to the highest categories of the Blue and Red classes — there’s no one here without the implanted Network for managing informational and physical reality.”
“All this screen nonsense only creates meta-noise and frays the nerves; it’s only useful for impressing ‘natives,’ and even that’s doubtful considering the technological level of this world. If the Great Ancestors had amused themselves with endless and pointless reproductions of such archaic nonsense, the Exodus would have been impossible!”
The morning sun peeked through the slanted, towering panoramic windows of the Bastion, reflecting bright sunbeams off the ridged surfaces in the hall, creating a festive and cheerful atmosphere. But the Oberst-Protector just squinted at the irritating light, eager to get on with his duties.
image [https://i.imgur.com/YZQLCOc.jpg]
Of course, there were no real windows or glass here. From the outside, the Bastion appeared as a massive, opaque dark object hovering about two kilometers above Kyiv. These illuminated planes could display any image on the surface. But again, to appease the cultural heritage preservation specialists, they now showed the real view, pretending to be genuine windows. One could stop and admire how the sun beautifully highlighted the morning clouds, but, alas, the grumpy and sleep-deprived Oberst-Protector was not in the mood to waste time on such rubbish.
Tall, athletic, looking somewhere between thirty and forty, with neatly trimmed blond hair. A straight nose, cold gray-blue eyes, and a sharply defined, slightly square jaw revealed a high percentage of noble Avrillian blood. Despite the stern lines at the corners of his mouth and his constantly furrowed brows making him appear older, von Scholz remained one of the most attractive high officers of the Avril Dominion. However, to the dismay of all the Red Class eligible bachelorettes, Jurgen was not interested in long-term relationships — he devoted himself entirely to his work, relying on the professional companionship of Blue Class ladies from the Psychological Support and Escort Service. In reality, he was in his twenty-fourth century, but high officers of the Protectorate could afford exceptionally long lives.
“The morning of the first day… So much still to do! It’s a shame to waste precious time on such episodes, but they can’t be ignored; the trial and execution of the sentence can’t be postponed either. In any case, the lawbreaker — a Red Class warrior who passed the Initiation — has the right to replace the death penalty with the ritual of Divine Purification. I’ll have to factor in the delay caused by the court proceedings, reschedule the morning senior officer meeting, and only then get on with city affairs.”
Finally, the man approached the high-speed lifts that pierced the titanic flying fortress class “Bastion.”
Destination: Deck Six, Sector Four, Official Hall of the White Court.
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Prosecution: Head of the Fourth Division of the Internal Security and Counterintelligence Service of the UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion, Oberst-Protector Jurgen von Scholz.
Defendant: Police Lieutenant Thibaut-Dominique Bertrand.
Temple Representatives: Third-Rank Templar-Priest Anton Nielsen and Templar-Knight, Hauptmann Klaus Holzer.
Red Class Warrior Brotherhood Representative: Major Thomas Goffman, 24th Combined Perimeter Defense Group.
(from the closed protocol of White Court session No. 894/5/12-01, date: 34th day, 11th month, 343rd year of the E.S.)
The hall is empty today, despite the significance and resonance of the case. Alas, the morning of the eighth phase’s first day is an extremely busy time for any representative of the Protectorate, especially for Red Class warriors. Until the Wall is built, a shaiszu attack can happen at any time, and drones alone won’t suffice.
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Only official representatives, those who couldn’t miss the announcement by regulation, attended the White Court’s decision announcement. The rest remained at their posts, not even appearing for the online broadcast.
“Before the Great Father, True Keeper of Thought, Embodied Eternal Sun, I, Oberst-Protector Jurgen von Scholz, confirm the accusation brought by the Fourth Division of the Internal Security and Counterintelligence Service of the UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion against Police Lieutenant Thibaut-Dominique Bertrand.”
The emblem of the Divine Presence, positioned behind the prosecutor, flared with bright white flames.
Von Scholz stood, raised his right hand, and placed his fist slightly above his chest, extending his index and middle fingers: “Lieutenant Thibaut-Dominique Bertrand is guilty of violating Directive 6/03 of the Internal Security and Counterintelligence Service. His actions also complicated the course of the sixth phase of Operation ‘Shining Branch’ and necessitated Fourth Order Divine Intervention as a countermeasure. In accordance with the Red Class Сode, the accused is sentenced to death. The accusation and sentence are confirmed by His Divine Will. The sentence will be carried out immediately.”
The robust, somewhat stocky man standing to the right of the accused, dressed in the black-and-red version of lightweight field armor. With an assault rifle on his back and a massive submachine gun in a holster on his right thigh, he stepped forward.
“On behalf of the Red Class Warrior Brotherhood, Major Thomas Goffman of the 24th Combined Perimeter Defense Group speaks. I request the interrogation record of the accused based on the Brotherhood Law.”
The Oberst-Protector did not hesitate for a moment, clearly expecting this request. A large holographic screen unfolded next to him. The image displayed a fragment of Bertrand’s interrogation conducted in one of the special sections on the Bastion.
The video started.
“Lieutenant, you have familiarized yourself with the block of ‘sixth’ directives, including 6/03, confirmed by your badge,” Jurgen von Scholz in the footage looked grim, with dark circles under his eyes like someone who hadn’t slept for days.
A screen appeared before the accused, displaying a page from the registry of familiarization with the subsections of Directive 6, part 03. The relevant entry, along with the date and time of informing, was highlighted.
“Yes, sir!” Bertrand responded, standing at attention. He was still in “full combat gear,” but without weapons. Judging by the date and time of the recording, less than two hours had passed since the reporter’s execution in the live broadcast.
“I’ll repeat once more, for the court record,” the Oberst-Protector enunciated. “Full information on the technical development level of this world was provided by the Internal Security Service to all units! Additionally, the Service specifically notified each warrior that the local inhabitants have an irrational tendency to film and broadcast videos in extreme conditions. According to Directive 6/03, upon confirming that a person is broadcasting, you were to discreetly eliminate the target with a paralyzer shot and report the information to the Purge Service.”
Von Scholz waved his hand, and the screen shifted to a fragment of that unfortunate livestream. The camera showed Lieutenant Thibaut-Dominique Bertrand and the barrel of a gun pointed directly at Vasily’s face.
“So, Lieutenant,” the officer continued, “your target was a simple, inconsequential reporter! A pathetic, incompetent fool, not even fit for the Green Class. And you turned him into a ‘martyr-hero’ in a live broadcast watched by over a million viewers! I admit, your speech was grand. And equally harmful!”
The Oberst-Protector approached and grimly stared at the accused, hands clasped behind his back: “Permissible public statements, Lieutenant, including those allowed in unplanned encounters, are outlined in Security Service Directive 5/08. From the same date. Signed by you as ‘read and understood.’ Any public statements that are not coordinated with the Department of Social Psychology are prohibited and considered a crime. This is your second death penalty offense. I have finished. Do you have anything to say?”
“No, sir, Oberst-Protector!” Bertrand stood rigidly at attention, barely breathing. A bead of sweat slowly trailed down his temple.
“The death sentence will be announced tomorrow at 6 a.m. Sergeant, take the accused away.”
“Yes, sir!”
The footage showed Bertrand leaving the room on stiff legs... Von Scholz followed the fool from Akkhitaine with his gaze. His recent promotion seemed to have gone to his head, driving the policeman to urgently convey to the locals the greatness of the UNSA Protectorate and the inviolability of the Divine will.
The video ended.
“Damn, I’ll need to schedule an inspection of the Academy...” decided the Oberst-Protector at that moment. “The quality of the instructors and teachers responsible for retraining former soldiers into junior command positions in the City Police Service raises serious questions. We’d all have fewer problems and significantly less unnecessary work if the cadets had fewer ideology and faith classes, and more on tactics, military psychology, and sociology.”
“That’s enough. Thank you,” the major nodded. “The Warrior Brotherhood has received the necessary evidence and accepts the decision announced. However, according to the Codex, I request that it be noted that Lieutenant Thibaut-Dominique Bertrand has the right to a final statement.”
“Let him speak,” agreed von Scholz.
Standing in the center of the circle, Bertrand also raised his hand in a warrior’s salute: “I acknowledge my mistake and, as a Warrior of the Red Class, request permission for the Ritual of Divine Purification.”
“The Temple acknowledges the application of the right to the Ritual based on the accused’s combat merits,” nodded the Templar-Priest, a tall man in a long white robe, chrome cuirass, and massive shoulder pads. In response to his words, the Divine’s Regalia hanging on the ceremonial chest chain flared with a bright white flame.
“Warrior valor and honor are the strength of the Protectorate,” von Scholz solemnly declared after a short pause. Just because the hall was empty didn’t mean the recording wasn’t ongoing. “The prosecution agrees to replace the death penalty with the Ritual.”
“The Ritual shall be performed immediately,” the Priest intoned. “The Divine Purification will be conducted by Templar-Knight, Hauptmann Klaus Holzer. Brother Thibaut-Dominique, are you ready?”
“Eternal Sun to the UNSA Protectorate!” the defendant roared with all his might.
“Proceed, Brother Holzer!” The Priest raised the heavy golden chain with the shining Divine Regalia above his head with both hands.
The two-meter-tall Templar-Knight, in full field armor, with a white cloak and raised visor, slowly approached the lieutenant. Leaning down, he exchanged a few words with him.
Raising his hand, the Templar traced several figures in the air with his fingers. A protective field flashed, a transparent, glowing cylinder isolating Bertrand from the rest of the world.
For a few seconds, Thibaut-Dominique stood with his head bowed, looking at the ground. Then the moment came.
His back straightened sharply.
His gaze lifted, looking beyond the protective field, beyond the situation, beyond death...
His hand flew up. A strike, slightly above the center of his chest, with all fingers tightly clenched except for the index and middle fingers.
The warrior’s salute — the last one before the meeting of the warrior’s soul and the Great Father, the True Keeper of Thought, the Embodied Eternal Sun — He always personally oversees the Ritual.
An immense, incredibly bright sun flared up behind Bertrand’s shoulders.
Flames shot up from beneath his feet, greedily consuming the arrestee’s clothes.
Within seconds, the entire figure of the standing policeman was engulfed in fire.
He held out for almost a minute before dying from the pain shock.
The figure staggered and began to fall — at that moment, a plasma flash filled the entire volume contained by the protective field. The body should not and would not touch the ground! All remains, even the lightest ash, disappeared. Only the burning white flame symbol of the Eternal Sun remained in the air.
“Every warrior of the Protectorate, everyone who fights the Enemy to the last drop of blood, everyone who stumbles but acknowledges their mistake, everyone who lives for the only true goal — the Rising Sun over every world of the Protectorate, has the right to eternal life of his Thought and his Soul, preserved by the Great Father,” announced Jurgen von Scholz. “Templar, announce it!”
Third-Rank Templar-Priest Anton Nielsen nodded and raised his right hand: “The Temple has accepted this soul! Right now, according to the Divine Will, a new name has appeared in the Hall of Eternal Memory. All charges must be immediately dismissed.”
“So be it!” concluded the court session, Oberst-Protector. “Today, the thirty-fourth day of the month of emerald dawn, in the three hundred and forty-third year of the Epoch of Spheres, Police Lieutenant Thibaut-Dominique Bertrand responded to the accusation by the Fourth Division of the Internal Security and Counterintelligence Service of the UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion, undergoing the Ritual of Divine Purification. The UNSA Protectorate acknowledges the warrior’s courage and honor. All charges are dismissed.”