All That Glitters Ch. 63

"You have asked for guidance, Kumaraie?" the image stated more than asked.

"We have a trial that involves the laws of prophecy and we would know if you could act as Trial Director for this issue?" Ne-Maj asked politely.

"In fact, I would be the only person that the People might accept," Poda-La informed the court.

"I object to this parody!" Takka-Larn shouted. "The image of Poda-La has no authority in this time. She cannot speak for the people nor provide judgement over the people!

"To subject the people to such an affront is unacceptable!" Takka finished in a loud voice.

"This is a trial in the Great Hall Takka-Larn," Poda-La warned. "Be careful how you speak in this place."

"Or what, Poda-La? Will you strike me down for speaking my mind?" Takka replied.

"Never for speaking your mind, Takka-Larn, however, for your impertinence..." Poda-La made a motion of her hand and her Chlaerge leapt from her shoulder and glided toward Takka-Larn. Takka stood her ground, sure in her mind that the Chlaerge could not touch her. The Chlaerge moved passed Takka-Larn's face and touched it with her claw, ripping her right cheek open for all to see.

Unbeknownst to all, the emitter array was also capable of firing a laser the light of which was not detectable by Pod-Drran eyesight. The AI had timed the laser to fire just as the image of the Chlaerge had struck Takka-Larn.

A surprised Takka raised her hand to cover her cheek as the Chlaerge glided back to settle once more on the shoulder of Poda-La. All the people, and the guests in the Great Hall, shouted in surprise at what they had just witnessed. Many bowed or took a knee to the image.

"I will not strike you down but I will act if you become too offensive to me or the rulers now seating in this hall," Poda-La replied. "We have a role to play during this trial, however, you as Prosecutor, the Defender, and any others called as witnesses before this trial will maintain a proper attitude as befitting a trial in the Great Hall of the People. Keep that in all of your minds throughout this trial."

Takka-Larn bowed low to Poda-La as a human came up to her. Takka looked down on the shortest person she had ever met in her life, a female human in the white jumpsuits that their medical people preferred to wear. Takka reached up again to touch her cheek but the small one told her not, in very good Pod-Drran. Takka ignored the order and the little one punched her hard in the gut, surprising Takka-Larn with the force of the blow.

"I just told you not to touch your cheek," she snarled. "Kneel!" she barked at Takka, who immediately knelt down. The little one was now able to work on her cheek.

Takka-Larn noticed the members Pod-Drran Chiksta-Dae (Medical Teams) looking on in equal parts horror, sheer delight, and open astonishment of the little one's treatment of her patient.

The small human quickly put on surgical gloves and took some absorbent squares from an assistant who had come up with a human style med-kit. She then told Takka to close her right eye and Takka felt something sprayed on her face. There was instant relief from the pain.

"Keep your eye closed," the little one snarled, and Takka quickly did as instructed.

She felt brief pin pricks on her cheek and there was a sudden numbing effect there. The little one quickly cleaned up the wound and then closed it with small staples. She cleaned again and then sprayed Takka's face with something that closed it off from the air, bring some relief to her cheek.

"Do not touch your face," the little one snarled. "This is what is called a 'combat medical procedure'. It is meant to be temporary. Once this trial is completed, or at the end of this day, you will report to your Sin-Dae and have them properly close the wound."

The little one raised a mirror, allowing Takka to look at her face. She was surprised at the line that stretched across her cheek. Everything was closed with what appeared to be tiny metal pins and there was a sheen there from something that covered the wound.

"The sheen is from 'Instant Skin' which is used to close small wounds," the little one explained, seeming to understand Takka's curiosity. "It will keep the wound from getting infected for at least a day but keep your hands away from your cheek or you may rub off the Insta-Skin and that would only lead to an infection.

"You may stand up now but always understand, I may be smaller than you but my medical knowledge is many times your height."

Takka gave out a bark of a laugh and nodded to the tiny Chiksta-Dae (medical personnel or team). From what she had seen in the mirror, the little one had been very swift yet very thorough in fixing her cheek.

Takka noted the name tag on her right breast. Below her name in the human script was the name 'Chohda-Sin-Dae' in Pod-Drran script. She smiled at the name. "Thank you Chohda-Sin-Dae. Such an unusual name for a Chiksta-Dae," she said.

"The nickname was given to me by some of your Chiksta-Dae in respect of my medical knowledge. I do not like it because it refers to my height, however, it seems to have stuck and I cannot get rid of it. So, better to gracefully accept it than fight a foolhardy battle against it," the little one stated.

Takka heard the distinctive laughter of her people from those around them who had heard the comment. She smiled to the Sin-Dae. "What do you prefer to be called?" she asked.

"Doctor Seito is fine. You can even call me Doctor Chohda. Everyone will know who that is," Seito explained, getting another grin from Takka who found she liked the diminutive and feisty Sin-Dae.

Seito and her assistant quickly cleaned up, packed up their medical kit and move away from the scene. Takka rose and bowed once more to Poda-La and to the Kumar-Pair.

"Please forgive my unseemly behaviour, My Kumar-Pair, Poda-La," Takka stated.

"Your apology is accepted," Poda-La said. "Now, we need to return to the question...can I stand in as Trial Director in this trial? The short answer is yes, I do have the knowledge necessary and the ability to conduct this trial. Will the people accept me? What say the people in this Great Hall?"

Immediately the people gave a full throated "Aye" to accept Poda-La as the Trial Director.

The Kumaraie rose and all went silent. "We now have our Trial Principals, the Defender, the Prosecutor, and the Trial Director. This trial may now begin." The Kumaraie sat and nodded to Poda-La.

"You may sit," the Senechal called out to those in the Great Hall.

"Director, there is an impediment!" Takka-Larn called out immediately, before most of the people had even finished sitting.

"What is the impediment, Prosecutor?"

"This brood is named of the House of Se-Lam. As such, as this is not strictly an internal matter to their family, the Kumar-Pair may not sit in judgement of the accused. It would give the appearance of bias in favour of the accused," Takka-Larn stated.

Poda-La turned to the rulers. "The Prosecutor is correct, Kumaraie, Kumaroe. It would indeed be unseemly if you acted as judges in this trial.

"As you are seated with other rulers, you may retain your place on the throne level, however, you may not participate nor comment on the trial procedures nor in the judgement," Poda-La ordered.

The Kumar-Pair looked at each other, reaching out to hold hands. They rose as a pair.

"We accede to your wisdom, Poda-La, and will refrain from commenting or passing judgement on this issue," the Kumaroe spoke for the pair. They sat again trying vainly to hide a look of concern from their faces.

Score one for the opposition, Junelliya thought.

"Prosecutor, make your opening statement," Poda-La ordered.

"Director, I will show that the accused did willfully engage in an activity that caused the deaths of two individuals. They acted without authority and took onto themselves the role of adults when in fact they are not even Kisory and are still being referred to as the 'Piscium Brood'.

"There interference in this event was deliberate and resulted in the death of the two individuals," Takka-Larn stated, reinforcing the fact of their actions resulting in death.

"Defender, what is your opening statement?" Poda-La asked.

"Director, we intend to show that the accused became involved in this situation in an attempt to save the lives of people whom they knew and loved. Their actions saved the lives of at least a dozen potential victims," Tempa-Harn said.

"Prosecutor, do you need time to prepare your witnesses?" Poda-La demanded.

"No, Director. I have had the night to review this case. I will call the witnesses and question them before this Court," Takka-Larn responded.

"Very well then, Prosecutor, bring forth your first witness," Poda-La said.

Takka-Larn demanded the presence of Chief Superintendent Marc Poilievre, head of the IPPF investigation team.

"State you name, your profession, and your position in relation to this case," the Senechal barked.

"I am Chief Superintendent Marc Poilievre of the Interplanetary Police Force. I am the lead of the team that investigated the incident on Liramor Twenty-Three that the two accused were involved with," Poilievre responded through the translator as he was speaking in Standard.

"Very well, can you tell us in your own words what occurred during this incident?" Takka-Larn demanded.

Poilievre described the incident in question. He showed the timeline of the incident on monitors around the Great Hall. That included the arrival of the assassins, the arrival of the children, the arrival of the suspected victims and the subsequent involvement of the children and the results after they became involved.

Takka-Larn asked several pertinent questions of Poilievre and did everything to indicate to the judges that the children had intervened where they should not have and their doing so had led directly to the deaths of two people and the potentially serious injury to one of the brood.

When Takka-Larn had finished, Tempa stepped forward. "Chief Inspector, do we know why this brood intervened and what would have happened had they not?" she asked.

"According to many sources, the prophecy indicated that twelve people would have been killed by the assassins, including the two children," Poilievre answered.

"Then the children prevented a massacre?" Tampa asked.

"It would appear so," Poilievre agreed.

"Counter questions," Takka-Larn demanded.

"Ask your question, Takka-Larn," Poda-La allowed.

"You humans do not believe in prophecy. Why then do you believe in what has been said here about prophecy. Isn't it nothing more than speculation and inuendo for your kind?" Takka claimed.

"Objection!!" Tempa called out immediately.

"Agreed," Poda-La raised a hand to quell any further comments from Tempa. "Takka-Larn, while it is true that humans do not believe in the value of prophecy, this is a Pod-Drran Court of Law and the Pod-Drran do believe in the reality of prophecy, as do many of those who's leaders sit in judgement here today, including the Asocans, the Byandi, the Harradi, and the Sandekk, whose prophets have already provided insight into this particular prophecy.

"Strike the question from the records," Poda-La ordered. "Takka-Larn, if you have no further questions, call your next witness."

Takka-Larn called Dr. Domuchelle, who testified that she was a certified medical examiner and head coroner for Liramor City on Liramor Prime.

"Doctor Domuchelle, can you explain how the two individuals died?" Takka asked. Domuchelle went through the process of the deaths of the two assailants mostly by massive loss of blood when the internal arteries had been cut by the children's Damates.

"Then you are saying that these two individuals died a slow death brought about from internal and external bleeding and not quick deaths as befitting a warrior?" Takka called out.

"Objection!"

"I will hear your comments, Tempa-Harn," Poda-La acknowledged.

"The Prosecutor makes the two dead out to be honorable warriors when Doctor Domuchelle, and others, have already indicated that they were in fact assassins conducting their trade.

"Assassination is a very risky endeavour, so much so that most do not escape even if they are successful in their attack. Assassins ply their trade from ambush, killing without showing themselves when possible. As such, they do not deserve a warriors honourable death!" Tampa snarled. "Doctor Domuchelle, is it your thought that the accused did this deliberately to the two individuals?"

"No," Domuchelle admitted. "The children were fighting for their lives and simply got rather lucky. Despite what was stated in the media, the children were not the intended victims but an unanticipated result of the attack itself. Surprise more than anything, worked in their favour and against the assailants. Having said that, had the children not been there, that surprise would have favoured the assailants who could have killed many."

"I have no further questions for this witness," Takka-Larn asserted.

"So the children were fighting for their lives and those of the others?" Tempa asked the follow-up question.

"That is my assessment," Domuchelle replied.

"Thank you. No further questions, Director," Tempa indicated.

"Takka-Larn, call your next witness," Poda-La ordered.

Takka called many more people as witnesses while continuously pushing that Ikekiya and Zarreniya had acted without authority and thus were responsible for the deaths of the assailants. She finally came to the end of her witnesses.

"I have no further questions for the witnesses, Director." Takka stated.

"Defender, do you need time to prepare your witnesses?" Poda-La demanded of Tempa.

"No, Director. I am ready to call my witnesses," Tempa replied.

Tempa called forth Chief Inspector Marc Poilievre.

"Chief Inspector, you gave us the breakdown of the event in exacting detail. I understand that most crime scenes are rather haphazard. How did you manage to come up with such a detailed timeline?" Tempa asked.

"You are correct, most crime scenes are not so well documented as criminal activity is such that it tends to take place in the shadows.

"However, this event took place in the open and was recorded from several angles by security cameras in the Food Court. As well, there were many eye witnesses in the immediate area.

"Other security cameras around the station allowed us to back track all of the participants in the incident, including witnesses.

"From this, we were able to establish a precise timeline of the incident and piece it together along with eye witness testimony, including the testimony of the original target and his security team, and that of the accused themselves." Poilievre answered.

"You, being human, do not believe in prophecy, yet you have included references of prophecy to your report. Why is that?" Tempa wanted to know.

"While we humans do not believe in prophecy, other species of the Greater Community do and many of them have answered questions on this subject for us because this situation began with a prophetic dream many months ago. We needed to understand the references to the dream in order to understand the motivations of those involved. So we asked those who claimed to have better understand prophecy to help us to understand what was going on in this situation.

"The motivations of a criminal can be varied and often hang on the slimmest of pretexts that are formed in their sometimes irrational minds. In this situation, the attackers are professionals hired by others and the motivation of those who hired them will eventually need to be determined.

"However, the children have been linked to the prophecy of at least five different races and possibly to the Greater Community as a whole. That would be a substantial motivator for someone opposed to human involvement in the Greater Community to use as justification for this action.

"This is only speculation as we still do not know and will not know the motivation behind this incident until we discover who actually hired the assailants. That is why we included prophecy in our report."

"Thank you, sir," Tempa turned to the Director and indicated that she had finished her questions for this witness.

"Prosecutor, do you have questions for this witness?" Poda-La asked.

"No, Director. This witness has already answered my questions," Takka responded.

"Very well. Defender, call your next witness."

Tempa called Dr. Domuchelle.

"Doctor, you indicated that you are an experienced medical examiner?" Tempa asked.

"Yes, I have over twenty years of expertise as a medical examiner," Domuchelle answered.

"In this incident, you stated earlier that they assailants died more from misadventure than from a deliberate attack..."

"Objection! That calls for speculation on the part of the witness," Takka instantly interrupted Tempa's question.

"Director, the Prosecutor herself has already established that this person is an experienced medical examiner, with twenty years of practice behind her. She does not need to speculate," Tempa rejoined.

"Agreed. Let the question stand. Doctor Domuchelle, please answer the question," Poda-La ordered.

"Yes, they died more by chance than from anything deliberate. The children had already stated that they had wanted to stop the attackers from hurting their friends. However, circumstances put them at risk and they were eventually forced to use their Damates.

"The knife wounds simply hit vital places when the children struck. This is more obvious on the second assailant as there were only two knife wounds. In that case, the first wound was not fatal but the second one was," Domuchelle said.

"Thank you," Tempa replied. "Your questions."

"Doctor Domuchelle, those are pretty big knives for the children to be carrying. Why were they in possession of such weapons?" Takka demanded.

"Why do you wear a Kaldar?" Domuchelle asked in return. "The Damate is a status symbol among the Asocans. It denotes that an Asocan has become a Shamot and may attend formal schooling. It also indicates that the person is now numbered among the Asocans where previously they were not. Those who wear the Damate are recognized as Asocans.

"The entire Piscium family is numbered among the Asocans because of the things they have done for the Asocan people. Each carries a Damate. Each has performed a valuable service for Asocan society which is why they were provided with the distinction of being numbered as an Asocan. That is a rare privilege for any one non-Asocan, never mind an entire family," Domuchelle explained.

"Why was this not included in the report?" Takka asked.

"Why they had a Damate was not considered important to the outcome of the investigation. That they had the Damate was. The weapons were identified as a Damate and individual to each of the children. That was all that was important to the investigation.

"The report has additional references that include the cultural significance of the Damate. These are at the end of the report; however, most people would probably ignore those references," Domuchelle indicated getting laughter from around the Great Hall when they recognized that Takka-Larn had probably not read the references.

"Doctor, do you think it appropriate that a brood of an age to be in Rakhan should be allowed to carry such weapons?" Takka demanded.

"Objection!" Tempa shouted almost immediately.

"Agreed," Poda-La stated. "Prosecutor, what one family considers to be normal, another might not, especially when those families are of different species. Implying that the parents of another family and species, are negligent because they use different cultural norms goes against decorum.

"Do you have other questions for your witness?" Poda-La asked.

"Doctor Domuchelle, the children were each carrying a Damate. You stated that the injuries that they inflicted were more accidental than deliberate?" Takka asked.