The tribunal was silent as the judges waited for the accused to be brought in. Valerya tapped her foot impatiently, desperate for a glimpse of her sister. She made a quick scan of the council leaders – all elderly, all with scowls on their faces. Their only function was to offer advice and vote if they didn't agree with the judgement of the head Auguri. Which never happened. Auguri Anna was by far the youngest in the room and the highest in rank by virtue of her birth. Unlike Valerya, the evil girl held a grin.
The accused were brought into the room. They were over a hundred. Valerya immediately spotted her sister among them. Lilliban had lost a lot of weight, and she looked miserable and dirty. The shiny glow of her hair was gone. And this was after just one day in custody. She could not imagine how horrible their prisons were.
Auguri Anna cleared her throat and a hush descended across the room. "Lyonel Maris, Felip Harsh, Marienette Diggs, Clarion Kal, May Briggs, Helena Sandal, Kipp Love, Elijah Goh, step forward," she called out, and they did.
"Of all the people here, you eight were caught dealing directly with proton beams. I would ask you how you plead in a matter of minutes, but remember, you were already caught by our soldiers. Plead guilty, and your deaths would be swift and almost painless. What do you plead?" she asked.
The individuals looked at themselves, before chorusing, "Guilty," with regret. To Valerya, the oldest seemed to be about twenty-eight. What a waste.
"Before making my judgement, is there anyone else who was involved with the deal, Lyonel?" Auguri Anna asked. A thin, wiry, scared-looking man trudged forward. Lyonel was apparently the leader.
"There is one more person," he whispered.
"Well? Who is it?" Auguri Anna asked impatiently.
"We call her Lili. Not sure of her surname. I don't ask questions, I only exchange money."
"Would the so-called Lili be Lilliban D'ajnes?"
"I'm not sure, Ma'am."
"Point at her."
To Valerya's horror, the man unashamedly pointed right at her sister.
"No!" Lilliban cried in fear. "I swear I had nothing to do with it."
"Silence!" Auguri Anna yelled. This made Lilliban shiver. Valerya wished she could wrap her arms around her sister and offer her some comfort.
"To the rest of you, you weren't dealing in proton beams, but you were present at the site. Some of you may have been aware, and some of you may not have been. For the sake of the latter group, I would give only a light punishment. Eight years in our prison. Each day by 12pm on the dot, you are to be brought out and given twelve lashes of the cane, so you can repent from your misdeeds."
The Volyrt soldiers then dragged the now-sentenced criminals to their cells. Eight years in prison was a light sentence? What would become of her sister? Her fear and desperation quickly gave rise to anger.
Auguri Anna turned to Lilliban and addressed her directly. "Your colleagues have pleaded guilty. What do you plead?"
"I didn't do anything!" she cried out.
"What do you plead?" she asked impatiently.
"Not guilty."
"Do you know the consequences of that plea?"
Lilliban sighed in resignation, "I do, but I cannot admit to a crime I did not commit, especially when it would be at the cost of my life. I swear, this ugly douchebag is lying."
"Silence! What is your defence?"
"I would defend her, Auguri," Valerya called out, then daring to speak.
"Very well, you may proceed. But hurry up, we don't have all day," Auguri Anna consented.
Valerya walked to the middle of the courtroom and faced the judges. "What is your proof she committed this crime?"
"What is your proof she didn't?"
"For her to be prosecuted, there has to be proof beyond a reasonable doubt that she did it."
"The leader already confessed that she was among them. That is sufficient."
"His word against hers!"
"Very well then. To the seven other accused, if the young lady was among you, kindly step forward."
Valerya waited with bated breath, as none of the others stepped forward. She was about to continue pleading her sister's case when the first person stepped out. A few seconds later, three stepped out at once, and then the other three.
"There you have it. It's no longer a person's word against hers, it's all their words against hers. She was at the place where the illegal deal occurred. Even if she wasn't privy to it, that is eight years at least. But here, you have all of the culprits claiming she was involved. That is as definitive as a case can be," Auguri Anna said. Lilliban looked as if she was about to pass out.
Valerya tried to control her breath and keep her tears at bay. "Fine. I would agree with you, but first, I want to interview all of them separately," she finally said.
All the accused were cleared out, with the exception of Lilliban and Elijah. The jurors watched with keen interest. "I just have a question for you. Was Lilliban part of the sellers or buyers of the proton beams when you were caught?" Valerya asked.
"Sellers… uh, I mean buyers. She was definitely buying," Elijah said. Valerya nodded and Elijah was led out of the room through an exit, while the next witness was brought in from another. She asked the same question and got a different response. "She was selling when we were caught," Felip testified.
On and on the testimonies went, with the witnesses giving conflicting, and often vivid statements. In the end, four people claimed she was selling, while three claimed she was buying. One said he couldn't remember.
When the testimonies were over and the malefactors were all back in the courtroom, Valerya made her closing statement. "it is apparent that they agreed to lie that Lilliban was involved, but forgot to go over their stories to match. It is obvious she was not involved in this, and to prosecute her for a crime she didn't commit would be a gross miscarriage of justice," Valerya said.
When Valerya finished, Auguri Anna sat upright and gave her judgement. "To the eight individuals previously accused of dealing with proton beams, I pronounce you guilty of the charge. You would have a very swift execution, as a reward for admitting to your crime. You would be given a lethal injection in your sleep. It is the best I can give you," she declared. Soldiers came into the room and led the convicted individuals out.
"To Lilliban D'ajnes, there is no convictive proof you committed the crime, after all, the guilty parties all had different stories. However, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and their testimonies show though you may not have participated in this deal, but you have strong ties with the black market for the dealing of the proton beams.
"In that light, and looking at the case holistically, I find you, Lilliban D'ajnes, guilty. The empire must be rid of all who threaten its stability. You are hereby sentenced to life in prison, and from today, till the day of your death, will be known as prisoner 12342280. You would never have any visitors, nor go outside. You would be confined to your rooms forever, to keep the empire safe."
At the mention of her sentence, Lilliban screamed, and Valerya sank to the floor.