Gabatrix: The Terrorists of Batrice

"I......was not aware," Baxton said as he could see where the argument was going.

"Under your command or your personnel's actions, they had not treated the prisoners in accordance with UWA or UHN laws. You are fortunate that the T'rintar clan hasn't pressed charges against us on Li'lo and Jenta's mistreatment regardless if they are innocent or guilty."

Mizu could see that Baxton remained quiet. He had no argument to counter back against it, and he didn't seem to give any inflection on his face. Perhaps he either didn't honestly believe it or had just realized the fact of this. In the end, Mizu could only guess.

"Moving along," Annika continued. "Mizu, we are attempting to fully understand your motives. On the one hand, you believed that Li'lo and Jenta were falsely convicted of a crime they didn't commit. You felt that there was going to be a trial in which the two were going to be judged and sentenced by Fort Batrice or the colony of Batrice itself. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Mizu replied.

"They would have been given a fair trial," Baxton remarked. "The two terrorists present would have been placed under trial on Fort Batrice itself."

"Are you aware, Baxton, that the UWA requested Li'lo and Jenta be placed under trial on Mars?" Thiago asked him.

"I am, and I would not allow it. I felt that it would lead to the likely chance that the two would escape or have the T'rintar clan mount a rescue effort in liberating their own citizens. If they left the station, I would not guarantee their security."

"Inexcusable," Simmon said as he waved his hand at him. "You disobeyed an order from the chairwoman."

"I object to that statement. I was not disobeying my orders. I was following the orders of my Prime Minister. He requested that the prisoners would not be moved."

"No.....you were given an order by Chairwoman Lee. Her words supersede anything else.....regardless if we disagree with her or not. We are bound by oath, and you broke that oath."

"Moving along," Annika said as she tapped her hands on the table. "We are fully aware of the events that have transpired in the last several days. We are still here to establish a motivation for Mizu's actions. If there is clear cause for it, then we have to accept his request for asylum regardless of what you want, Fleet Admiral. Is that understood?"

"Yes.....I do," Baxton replied.

"Good. Mizu, there is something that I wanted to bring up to both of you two. According to your report, you committed the breakout because the society had become compromised. When you confronted Baxton, he destroyed a family heirloom that held proof on that. We wanted to hear your words as to this. Explain."

Mizu could see that Baxton put his hands together as he looked at him closely. It creeped him out a little bit on how the Fleet Admiral could be so composed.

"I don't know enough when it comes to history," Mizu explained. "But there was a textbook that was saved by my family that held the correct history of the people of Batrice. It states that the Khmer Rouge committed acts of murder, rape, and violence on their own people. My.....people hold the Khmer Rouge to high regards and dream of seeing a Khmer Alliance with Gillan."

"The Khmer Rouge?" Thiago asked. The admiral seemed to pause as if he didn't even know what they were. Besides Baxton, Li'lo, and Jenta, the others seemed clueless as to what they even were.

"Baxton, what do you know of the Khmer Rouge?" Annika asked him.

"Heroes....." Baxton coldly replied. "They are the greatest soldiers to ever exist. They are the ultimate achievement of what we.....the people of Batrice can become. The Khmer Alliance is nothing but a forgotten relic to all of you, but I can assure you that Batrice and Gillan will achieve that greatness.....just as the Prime Minister foresees."

"And that.....symbol.....you wear it as a part of that historical significance?" Simmons asked.

"Yes. It will remain a part of me and my soul for as long as I live."

"Li'lo," Annika asked her. "There was something that you wanted to pass along with us, isn't that correct? You told us that it was important when it came to regards of this particular topic."

Mizu was trying to figure out what was going on. He had been left out of the loop for a little while now and watching the squabble between the admirals. The one thing that was on his mind was how prepared Li'lo was in providing a defense. It must have been difficult for her. She wasn't just a suspect, but one to have to mount a defense for herself and two other people. He hoped that she at least had something to assist with besides just answering questions.

"Yes," Li'lo replied as she stood up. "I sent the report to you just before I was brought to here. I don't know if you have it or not. I......I hope so. I managed to contact a person who knows Lieutenant Javier. He is a historian on Aphadus and a friend of Ambassador Kane. Mizu, was in contact with this person and relayed the information to him."

Annika and the other admirals were taping a couple of buttons on their tablets. Annika was first as she could see data and information displayed that she was reading intently. She gave the nod to her. There was a long brief pause as the admirals were carefully evaluating the data. Mizu looked over at Li'lo. Despite being in handcuffs, she seemed relatively firm in her actions. She went and sat down as she appeared focused on the case.

"You have this final chance to come back to Batrice....." a whispered word came to Mizu. It took him off guard at first as he looked over to Jenta. Her attention was on the case and not him. He realized that only he could hear it. His augmented ear was picking up the very faint whispered words of Baxton.

"I know......that they are against me.......they will be against you," Baxton continued to whisper to him. "Batrice are second-rate citizens in the UWA, but I understand your plight for these aliens. Come back to us, and I will ensure that your fam....."

"Confirmed," Annika said as she read the information. It interrupted Baxton's whisper as Mizu's attention was pulled away. "According to this, Javier states that he spoke with a person on Batrice. The history of the Khmer Rouge has been falsified and is currently being taught everywhere on the colony. It is also being brought to Gillan as well."

"Those are lies...." Baxton calmly said as he stood up. "I completely object to this. The words of an outsider.....Batrice's history is correct."

"According to the historians, you are not. Your people are teaching information that isn't correct."

"Says the people that don't live on Batrice," he said as he kept his swagger stick in hand. "Yes.....I won't deny that I destroyed Mizu's priceless little book. It was a necessity. By destroying it, I save the people of Batrice from the bloody lies and bogus claims that the UWA will make upon us. If Mizu wants to cry foul for me doing it, then so be it. As they say on ancient Earth, 'I will send a check to reimburse for the damages.' However, understand that this is no excuse for him attacking the personnel on Fort Batrice."

"While this doesn't hold any relevance to the case at hand," Annika replied. "Understand that while you claim it to be lies, it is the truth for the rest of us. We will ensure that the public knows what Prime Minister Chanvatey is doing to his own people."

"Do whatever you need to do," Baxton coldly replied as he slapped his swagger stick to his other hand. "In the end, I want Mizu......I want them all."

"Baxton, we are beginning to see more and more of a picture on all of this. While we do consider Mizu's actions to be extreme, there is an attempt at subterfuge. The banner on your arm is probably an indication of a people that killed millions. History aside, the T'rintar clan makes claims that Mizu's actions were an act of heroism. He broke Li'lo and Jenta out of a situation where you were holding two innocent citizens against their will.....at least from his viewpoint."

"Let it be noted that Mizu, Jenta, and Li'lo all voluntarily came to Mars to surrender themselves to the authorities," Thiago stated.

"So you will let yourselves be dictated by the words of the Itreans?" Baxton asked them. "This man committed an assault on my people. He must face judgment."

"And he will," Simmons answered.

"Baxton, under our opinions, this information given to us by Li'lo is sufficient proof that Mizu was trying to escape with their lives. Your system has become decadent, and it is proof enough that he can request asylum. Understand, however, that he will still face judgment under our laws.....not yours."

"I see," Baxton remarked. He nodded his head as he calmly paced around. "You don't like my uniform? Be ready to see a lot more of it. Right now, it is the uniform that only the people of Batrice can wear. Someday, you will see it everywhere. Our government is beautiful and wonderful for the people to live under. One day, we won't need to have the watchful eye of the UWA over us anymore. There will be repercussions to all of this....." he pointed his swagger stick to the admirals. "I want all of the Itreans off of my station. I will give the T'rintar clan one day to get their people off. Failure to do so, and I will incarcerate them. Is that understood?"

"Very clearly," Annika replied. "This will include their husbands or wives as well?"

"Yes.....of course, or any of family members pertaining. Get them off.....while you still can."

Mizu couldn't believe it. On the one hand, he got his wish that the hearing was in his favor, but the cost was grand. The Itreans that lived on Fort Batrice were being expelled. He could imagine now what had occurred. Perhaps it might have been for the better, but it would still affect the people in general. Hundreds to thousands of people would be displaced. Baxton's words were so threatening in how he said it that it sent chills up Mizu's spine. He absolutely believed that Baxton would carry out his threats if they didn't listen to them. It was something that the admirals all acknowledged. His thinking was interrupted as Baxton pointed his stick at him.

"And, remember what I told you...." Baxton said to Mizu before he looked at the admirals. "The people of Batrice will not stand for this. You have allowed the fugitives to escape. I will not tolerate this any further. It will be the Prime Minister to decide what to do next."

"I have had enough of this," Simmons said as he got angry at Baxton. "You disgrace us with your presence. You act all high and mighty, and you are not. I don't give a fuck if you have a battleship or a bicycle. You can't intimidate us and threaten to dissolve an alliance that has stood for a century."

"I have to agree on this as well," Thiago added. "Mizu's actions are overshadowed by your past actions. We have tolerated your presence long enough."

"Li'lo, Mizu, and Jenta will have their asylum," Annika said. "You are dismissed, Fleet Admiral."

With that, Baxton interestingly didn't convey any anger but simply chuckled a little bit. He looked at Mizu one last time before he grabbed his tablet and pressed the swagger stick to his armpit. He watched as he left the hearing. The scene was ominous as Mizu would see a different man that seemingly entered and left in the same hearing in one day. A part of him felt like it would be the last time he would ever see him face to face.

Mizu was left with thoughts on what Baxton tried to whisper to him, but every time he did, it only seemed to scare him or appear as idle threats. He could breathe a sigh of relief as Jenta even smiled at him. It was only a minor victory. The past actions all played a favor on something he knew was still going to warrant severe repercussions on the political spectrum.

"Mizu, Li'lo, and Jenta," Annika announced to them. "With the prosecution gone, we will now further proceed with your cases. Just because you are granted asylum does not mean that you are free. Fortunately for both Li'lo and Jenta, the evidence on Fort Batrice is not enough, and we have video analysts that are evaluating the recordings sent to us from the bombing. There are early hints of video and computerized tampering with the footage. We still need the final confirmation on this, but right now, we are convinced that you were wrongfully held against your will and wrongfully arrested."

"It was why we withheld that information from Baxton," Thiago added. "Once confirmed, we will also confront him on those regards as well."

"However, until that confirmation is made, Li'lo and Jenta will be kept under watch. Understand, we are only treating this in accordance with the laws of the UWA."

"I understand," Li'lo replied. "We have been treated better here than anywhere else so far."

"Thank you," Jenta added.

"Mizu," Annika continued. "As of this moment, we have to evaluate everything under safe regard. Your actions might have been looked at as heroic, but they also led to a political confrontation with the UWA and Batrice. The end result is that there is dead personnel on Fort Batrice.....something that both you and even Baxton both agree on. You committed to a series of actions that resulted in a theft of a shuttlecraft and the destruction of UHN property. Now.....there are some things to keep in mind. If Batrice does secede from the UWA, then our charges against you would be dropped as the laws of the UWA and UHN no longer apply to them. However, you are still a member of the UHN. Use of firearms against UHN personnel, destruction and theft of UHN property, killing and injuring UHN personnel, and disobeying the orders of a UHN officer still fall onto you. We can look at this in many different directions."

"Understand that our choices are not an easy one for us to carry out on," Thiago added. "On one hand, if we did let you go without punishment, then it means that others can carry out with the crimes that you did commit without consequence. The question is how far is it considered a crime, and how far was it considered a rescue mission for Li'lo and Jenta. In the end, I don't think even we can fully understand what had happened."

"What does matter is that all three of you did return to face justice," Annika continued. "Even with all of this, our choices are grim for you. Now we have to hope that Batrice and Gillan remain allied with the UWA. We cannot afford to lose the alliance.....even if Batrice is going down a very questionable path. At a time where the UWA is doing everything that it can to survive against the other Itrean clans, the loss of Batrice would be monumental to all of us. Even with our actions, it is constrained."

"Your actions are not forgivable," Simmons added. "I have to ask myself if I would feel safe to had personnel that tried to pull a gun on my other staff members."

"That isn't entirely true," Li'lo tried to defend him. "Mizu tried to stun the first several people he shot. He only tried to use lethal rounds when he ran out."

"That.....is not excusable."

"The end result with us is that you committed to a very rash decision," Annika continued. "It is true that Li'lo and Jenta would be under Fort Batrice if it weren't for your actions, however. The T'rintar clan would be looking at possibly dissolving the alliance or launching an assault as you feared. It is possible that we would have pressured Fort Batrice to release Li'lo and Jenta just to find nothing had happened at all."

"Unfortunately, we try to avoid hypotheticals as much as we can," Simmons said bluntly. "Instead, we have a report of a person breaking two prisoners out and bringing them to Mars because he felt that they were being persecuted. If you are expecting a medal for your actions, you will not receive it."

"Agreed......but with the fact that Ambassador Ifra's and Kane's defending you and the T'rintar clan behind you, we are left with two viable options. We still find you guilty of your actions even if you have asylum here. If there are no disagreements with the tribunal, I will advocate that your rank and rate be stripped from you. You will no longer be able to serve as a member of the United Human Navy for as long as you live. You will be placed under arrest and incarcerated for life."

The other admirals nodded their heads in agreement. It was harsh but one that Mizu was almost expecting. He knew that everything that he did in the last couple of days was extreme, to say the least.

"The other choice is one that I think you might find more viable," Annika explained. "While your rank and rate would be stripped from you, you would not be incarcerated. Instead, you will be shipped to Earth as it belongs with the T'rintar clan now. You will live your life there, but you will not be allowed to step on UWA soil ever again."

Exile and the loss of being a pilot......it was one of the things that he felt was the harshest blow to him. Perhaps he considered himself lucky. Maybe somehow, the T'rintar clan would allow him the ability to fly again. On the one hand, he expected nothing more than a death sentence for his past actions. However, to lose the ability to fly was a loss of freedom that was difficult to shake off.

"Go with the second option...." Jenta whispered to Mizu. "Please....you are a hero to me."

He looked down at her. A part of him smiled to hear her say that. He took a deep breath as his options were limited. The concept of exile weighed heavily on his mind, but he couldn't deny the second option. With the second option, there still might be a chance.

"Exile...." Mizu explained. "I can't deny what had happened on the station. I was crazy when I did it, but it had to be done. If I was in that same position, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I do admit that I didn't think that your video technicians would catch the fact that Batrice had altered its film footage. I.......really didn't think that would happen, to be honest, which was one of the reasons I did all of that. The second option is the one that I will go with and live with."

"I have no disagreements with it either," Simmons said as he waved his hand. "As long as he is not on Mars, then it's good for me. Let the T'rintar clan have him."

"Nor do I," Thiago said. "Shame.....we could have really used good pilots right now on Palora. Nothing like having to dodge the asteroids of our system......if it weren't for the whole political fracturing between Batrice and the UWA, I would have taken you in a heartbeat. Unfortunately......things don't turn out the way for any of us. I am inclined to feel as Simmons does."

"Then all of you will be sent back to your cells," Annika concluded. "Once the confirmation is given to us, we will carry out with the final verdict. Once that is made, we will release Li'lo and Jenta back to the T'rintar clan. Mizu.....you will be sent to live on Earth. If the video has not been altered for some reason, then we will be back here again, and this time, Li'lo and Jenta's fates will be reanalyzed. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Mizu said as Li'lo and Jenta nodded as well. "What about my family, though?"

"We haven't forgotten about your family," Annika added. "Investigations are being made to contact your family. We will not stop until they are contacted."

All three nodded their heads. For Mizu, he would have to wait just a little bit longer as he knew that his life had been significantly altered. His fears were being realized that the price of bringing Li'lo and Jenta off of Fort Batrice might have been a drastic mistake that was worse than death. Only time would truly tell.

Chapter 13: September 1^st, 2350

It had been a week since the bombing. Mizu had finished up the first day of work in a forgotten world of Earth. The seemingly abandoned world was little more than a place of refuge for the millions that remained. Most of the great cities were mainly ghost towns by now. In the mountain city known as Tamalpais Francisco, the small enclave is a hub where many Earthlings still try to enjoy what is left of the planet. Consisting of box-like structures woven into the Tamalpais Mountain's bedrock, the thousands of people are enclosed but still try to gaze out of the wasteland that is Earth. Not far, one of the T'rintar clan's ancient dreadnoughts hovers over the sky as it deposits probes that clear the atmosphere of the heavy pollutants. The city once consisted of hundreds of thousands. Now it has been reduced to only 1% of its former glory. Away from the red and orange oceans of the Orange Muck, the people have done their best to live with what's left.