Page 17 of Forbidden

For the first time since the trial had begun, he faltered. Unfortunately, he picked up smoothly. “Would it surprise you to know that bomb was set by a faction within your own country?”

Without hesitation, Anna shook her head and said, “No. It has happened before. Groups of radicals, or even one individual acting alone but in the name of a group, have performed such acts of terror before. It doesn’t constitute a civil war.”

“Yet your country was at war.”

“But not with ourselves.”

“No!” He pointed at Anna to emphasize his statement. “With a country vastly inferior in technology to your own. A war they had no hope of winning.”

Anna remained as calm as she could. “On paper, maybe. But if you’ll look into Earth history a bit, you’ll find that the group of countries in the region you’re referring to has a long, bloody history of war, dating back thousands of years. You’ll also find that such people usually find a way to beat technology and ‘civilization.’ They were doing plenty of damage, just in bits and pieces. They knew the one thing America would never stand for was her soldiers coming home in body bags. The factions who were left to do the fighting after the governments fell took out one soldier at a time. It adds up after a while.”

“But Earth is still fighting amongst itself. Do you deny that?”

Anna was getting confused. She reached for Kahn with her mind hoping he could feel her confusion and help her out. She couldn’t reach him this time.Damn.

“I suppose you could say that, yes.”

“You see, Your Highness! She admits it!” Mikkril’s representative was triumphant. “If it had not been for the Gothe’maran forces taking control of Earth, they would have annihilated each other.”

The smile Mikkril gave her was pure evil. He obviously thought he had won a victory. And from the way the king was nodding his head, he just might be right.

“Your Highness.” Anna looked to Kerrek. “I’m confused.”

Mikkril’s counsel barked a laugh. “You’re human. It does not surprise me.”

Kerrek speared him with a look. “Darkin, you will keep quiet when I am addressed or I will have you removed. Further, you will not insult any witness in this tribunal for any reason. Such shows disrespect by you and the one you represent.” Kerrek’s voice was quiet but even more menacing than Kahn’s could be. “I will take any such action in the future as a personal insult.”

The tribunal went dead quiet. Anna wasn’t sure of the significance, but Mikkril paled and so did his representative. After one last menacing glare at Darkin, Kerrek returned his attention to Anna. “You wish to pose a question, Ms. Garrett?”

Anna looked warily at Mikkril before answering. “Yes, sir. Are our definitions of civil war the same?”

The king’s eyebrows rose a fraction. “I’m not sure I see where you’re going, Ms. Garrett. A civil war would be when a planet or empire is divided and separate sects fight amongst themselves for control of the government or to form a government of their own.”

“But you see this as being separate sects within the same government?”

“Of course. What’s your point?” The king looked annoyed, and in a race that gave away very little through facial expressions, that meant he was most likelyveryannoyed.

“Well, sir, Earth isn’t ruled byonegovernment. Each country has its own form of government and there are literally hundreds of countries in the separate continents.”

The whole room came alive with murmurs. Anna looked behind her to find Kahn, wanting his reassurance. As she did so, she heard excited whispers being exchanged, and Kahn didn’t look happy at all. Unfortunately, when she turned back around she could see that Mikkril looked very pleased indeed.

“Silence!” the king roared. “I’ll have order in this tribunal or I will excuse everyone in the viewing gallery.”

“Your Highness.” Mikkril’s delegate again. “I ask you to dismiss the charges. It is obvious that Mikkril De’Kar understandably misunderstood the goings on of Earth. He was only trying to protect Earth from itself.”

“Absolutely not. There is still the matter of the genocide he ordered.”

“A misunderstanding as well, my king. He was not committing genocide but trying to get the populace under control when they refused to stop the bloodshed.”

“That’s a bit of an overkill, don’t you think?” Anna said dryly.

“Ms. Garrett, I’ll give you the same warning about speaking when I’m spoken to. I am in control of this tribunal.” Kerrek’s emotions were really showing now, and he looked livid. Which likely meant he was ready to commit murder. “I’ve had about enough of your double talk, Darkin. It is clear to me that Mikkril is responsible for the bloodshed on Earth.”

“But, Your Highness! He was only trying to save lives. Theirs as well as those of the Gothe’maran people. His methods might have been a bit harsh, but they were working. Earth ceased fighting itself. Given time, he would have added Earth to the Gothe’maran empire, thereby adding females to breed fighters. Our warriors would not have to battle to expand the empire and the Gothe’maran people would be the envy of the entire universe!”

“To my knowledge, this empire has never encountered a planet as divided as Earth.” Kerrek’s tone said he had heard enough. Anna held her breath. This was it. “And yes, I can see how one might mistake Earth’s squabbles as a sign of government upheaval, but the killing of women and children has never and will never,everbe condoned. For any reason. General Kahn spoke here about how he liberated a so-called ‘death camp.’ His report was chilling even for a race that has thrived on war and bloodshed in the past.” He now looked at Mikkril, his eyes chillingly angry. “Mikkril, if there is ever a need for war, Gothe’mar will defend itself with its own warriors, without breeding a race of slaves for that purpose. That you both are using this as a defense for your actions shows you are not honorable.”

Kerrek took a deep breath, obviously not liking what he was about to do. “Mikkril, you are found guilty of all the accusations against you. For your crimes, you will forfeit your life. For forsaking your honor and tarnishing the honor of my son and therefore myself, the king, your death will be prolonged and most painful. My son and I will decide your fate within the day.” Picking up a previously unused gavel, he said, “So be it.” And slammed the instrument against the desk with a resoundingwhack.

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