Jaded (5 page)

“Her mind was filled with images of the design station. I have seen it before and it always makes me a little cranky.” She shrugged and finished her meal.

She put her plate in the cleanser and returned to the table, sipping at her cup.

“I suppose I should get dressed.” She noted that he was in casual clothing.

“Don’t do it on my account. I enjoy the suspense of seeing where the fabric will shift next.”

She blushed and finished her caf. “Right. That settles it. Clothes it is.”

He laughed and she double-checked her robe before heading to her room.

She took a quick solar shower before putting on her silky top and matching trousers. Once her hair was confined in a ponytail, she felt a little more in control and less like a giggling girl with a crush.

Smacking her blush mentally, she headed for the com centre. It was time to make a call.

“Xa, you say?” Her court representative was making notes.

“Yes, the Xa designed the pathogen that bonded to the genes and formed the disease.” She drummed her fingers on the table.

“Yes, Judge. I will file this with the investigation arm immediately.”

Jayd sighed. “Please do so. I will follow up after my next assignment.”

The woman looked nervous. “Yes, and that is where again?”

“You don’t have clearance to know. Have a good afternoon.”

She disconnected the call and rubbed her forehead. “Harry, can you send a copy of that call to the Guardian project?”

“Of course, Judge. Congratulations on your coitus. I know it has been a while.”

“Harry, are you on ship wide?”

“Of course, Judge. Your new partner has quite the sense of humour. He saw the amusement value in my comment right away. It seems to be taking you some time.”

Jayd muttered to herself and got up from the station. She hated the corruption that prevailed even within the imperium legal system. It made her want to rummage through people’s thoughts and that was never a good idea at a distance.

She rubbed her forehead and tapped the moon for wisdom. All she heard was her head thumping like a melon.

She headed for the galley and made herself another cup of caf. It had the same effect as coffee but none of the aroma or flavour. It tasted like chamomile tea but had a wicked black colouring.

Truanic was nowhere to be seen, but she could feel him puttering around. It was as annoying as it was comforting. She had hoped that he would be there to share her irritation, but she was out of luck. Time to watch a movie and do some push-ups.

Three hours later, she had listened to three documentaries and done more push-ups than she ever had in her life. Her body had been remade, and it was still surprising her.

Her belly was her one constant, it wanted food every four to six hours or it began calling audibly for it. It had been that way growing up, and it was still that way.

She washed her hands, blotted at her face and headed out in search of a meal. When she arrived in the galley, her meal was waiting.

“You know, I might get addicted to this type of service.” She took the seat he waved her to.

“As long as I am with you, I will make sure you stay on a schedule. I was distracted at our first court case, but I will not allow so much time to pass in the future.” Truanic sat next to her and smiled.

He made no additional advances toward her that night, and despite a few restless minutes in her own bed, she was able to find her own way into sleep without the need to for stress relief.

Darn it.

The next few days passed quickly. She taught him to play poker and he taught her a game similar to chess called cuurin.

By the ninth game in four days, she had managed to make inroads into the scoring system and wasn’t beaten quite as badly.

“We are approaching orbit and will be landing on Krosswin in a matter of hours. Buckle up.”

“Thanks, Harry.”

Truanic got to his feet and retrieved his concealer from the charging station. He was already wearing a bodysuit that would allow the concealer plenty of space.

She returned to her room and got into her own bodysuit. Her concealer was fully charged and ready to go. She settled it onto her shoulders and buckled the band around her waist. The field it would project was part particle, part energy and refracted light.

Wearing her uniform and the contraption that would keep her anonymous was part of the job, and she suspected that it was actually the hardest part.

The signal for atmospheric entry flashed and they turned their concealers on.

“This one is a bit of a walk. We have to enter a secure facility. The defendant is a Guardian.”

“Understood. What are the options for the sentence?”

“Some of the locals are pushing for death, but we will see.”

“Of course.”

They strapped in for landing and waited for the signal.

Under the concealer, Jayd was wearing robes that reached her calves. If the concealer snapped, it was best that she was dressed as a judge.

The moment Harry gave the signal, they uncoupled from the seats and headed for the exit.

The local peacekeepers escorted them away from the spaceport, up a steep set of steps and across a courtyard surrounded by over fifty armed peacekeepers. Whatever was going on, the Guardian was no longer welcome.

The tension in the air was palpable. The only person not affected was the defendant. He was sitting slumped over with a dead look in his eyes and a psychic constrictor on his skull. This was not a good day for him.

Ex-Hess called out, “All rise for Judge Dex.”

Dex moved from the shadows and stepped to the stand prepared for her. As she settled in, Ex-Hess ordered everyone to have a seat. The jury of three Guardians and four laymen joined her mind.

“Court is now in session, Judge Dex presiding.”

Dex looked at the prosecution and the defense. “We are here to hear the charges against Legion. The destruction of the village of Norgin is the matter we are here to get to the bottom of. Prosecution may proceed.”

The prosecutor rose to his feet. “Six weeks, five days and nine hours ago, the village of Norgin was razed to the ground by the Guardian, Legion. I am here today to prove that it was carelessness on the part of the Guardian project to allow him to remain on our world.”

“Understood. Present your first witness, but be warned that I can and do ask questions during this procedure. This is not a standard court.”

A pale blue farmer took the stand. Dex got nothing but static from his mind until he began speaking. The images in his mind were clear, too clear.

He described in detail the quiet day that the village of Norgin was having. Each detail was pictured with intense clarity.

He spun a tale of the sudden appearance of Legion and the wave of power that devastated all the buildings and knocked all the people to the ground. He spoke of terror, disaster and injuries to the local population.

“Mr. Jinak, answer me this. What did you have for breakfast?” Dex brought her mind to bear on him and the image of cooked grain and tea was blurry. He was in a room with others while he ate, but they also had a blurry aspect.

“I don’t know. Cereal, I suppose.”

Dex spoke, “Thank you. Defense?”

The defense council got to his feet. “Mr. Jinak, what was going on in Norgin that day?”

“It was the same as every day.” His memory of the day brightened until it nearly gleamed.

“What about the reports of rioting that were sent to the Guardian outpost?”

“I do not know where they emerged from. It was a happy and sunny day.” Mr. Jinak shivered, “Until Legion landed.”

The observers murmured and muttered.

Judge Dex perked up, “No chattering or I will clear the courtroom.”

Under her concealer, she rubbed her forehead. Someone was pushing on her and there was no one who should have been capable of doing so. The pressure combined with the crystal-clear testimony was giving her a hint as to what was occurring and what actually had occurred.

“Pause for recess. Twenty minutes.” Ex-Hess called it and Dex left the room.

She paced in her temporary chambers until her mind was clear again. While the people of the village of Norgin had their story together, there was going to be a crack somewhere and their little secret was going to blow wide open. This was going to hurt.

“Ah well, back into the trenches.”

She used the bathroom, drank some water and had a snack before she resumed her place in the courtroom.

It was time for the next witness of Norgin and she had a question or two after the precise deposition of the local baker.

“What is the first memory you have of opening your shop?”

The fuzzy panorama of images cobbled together were overlaid with joy and nervous energy. The baker smiled at the memory.

The prosecutor frowned, “Judge, may I have a word please?”

Dex said, “You may approach.”

The defense moved in as well.

“Judge, what are all these questions leading to? Why are you asking them?”

Dex chuckled. “When I make my final judgement, I will explain. Not before. Continue with your witnesses. This is fascinating.”

He looked disconcerted at that but Ex-Hess moved them back to their stations.

The witnesses continued until Judge Dex called a halt to the proceedings for the day. “We will adjourn until dawn tomorrow.”

She left the courtroom and Ex-Hess followed her.

They walked out of the court and back down the path. Their peacekeepers followed them, but they were unnecessary. Dex was not in the mood for interference.

They returned to Harry and Dex headed straight for her room. She broke protocol, turned off the concealer and puked in her lav for half an hour.

Truanic pressed compresses on her neck and forehead. “I am guessing that it was a very bad day.”

“You could say that. Two more days of testimony ahead before I can make a judgement.”

He had removed her concealer and put it on the charging station. Before she could stop him, she was in her bed and he put another compress on her forehead.

“What did you do for fun at home, Truanic?”

“We swam, a lot.” He chuckled. “We lived on the coast and traditional garb was still worn for casual playing in the sea. We would dive and fish.” He smoothed her hair from her forehead.

“It sounds nice. There were things to do in the city but few involved swimming and none fishing.”

He smiled and helped her sit up. He held a cup of weak tea to her lips, and she drank eagerly.

“What caused this reaction?”

She smiled. “I can’t tell you that either, but I am not going to be well during this case. Food and rest, then we start it all again before dawn tomorrow. Aren’t you glad that you have chosen this as your profession?”

He sighed and stroked her cheek. “I am thinking that you have some regrets.”

“If you believe in it, destiny changes us into what it needs. You can either fight it or you can give inand become one with what you need to do. I have chosen the latter as I was changed without my consultation.”

Truanic disappeared for a few minutes and returned with a tray filled with foods she would qualify as invalid fare. “I am not actually sick, you know.

“Tell that to your poor lav. It has been stuck in cleaning cycle since I took you out of it.”

Jayd snorted and ate slowly. He brought his own food in and they had a picnic on her sheets.

As soon as she was finished, she peeled out of her robes and bodysuit, much to Truanic’s surprise.

She set the tray to one side and crawled into bed. “You can join me for sleep if you like. It would help to keep you from wearing a path to my door to check on me.”

“Am I that transparent?”

“No, but I think I am. I am not precisely robust right now.”

He sighed and removed their trays. She wasn’t sure what was up until he returned, removed his suit and joined her beneath the sheets. The moment that she curled up in his arms, she dozed off.

She heard Truanic asking Harry for a predawn wakeup and Harry’s quiet reply. A slight smile on her lips was still there when she woke.

After another day of vivid testimony, she was relieved to see that the next day’s schedule was for the defense.

Truanic had to carry her back to the ship. She was unable to walk under her own steam. Inside Harry’s shielded hull, he asked, “You have to tell me what is going on.”

“Pressure. Minds are pushing on me. Hundreds of them.” She bit her lip. She shouldn’t have told him that.

“Understood. I will feed you and tuck you in.”

He did what he said he would. By touch, he found the concealer and turned it off. His was next, and when he had set them to charge, he helped her into bed and brought her a tray.

She only made it through half the food before she was yawning uncontrollably. He took the tray away and stayed with her while she drifted in and out of sleep.

The next morning, he held her up in the solar shower and got her dressed before lining up cups of caf in front of her. She took the hint.

“You are not here to be my minder or my personal assistant.” She sipped at the hot morning beverage anyway.

“You need all of the above. I am an executioner when called for, your bailiff when we are in court, and any other time, I need a hobby. I have decided that it is keeping you sane.” He smiled and slid a breakfast meal in front of her.

“Good luck with that.” She ate and was surprised that her appetite made an appearance.

He slid a second helping in front of her as she took the final bite. “Keep going.”

After her third cup of caf and two breakfasts, she felt a little better. She put her concealer on and smiled. “Are you ready?”

He was already wearing his. “After you, Judge.”

She turned on her concealer and headed out into the predawn light. Her guards were missing. “Attention, Ex-Hess. We are targets.”

She shifted the concealer and it extended in front of her, widening and lengthening her shadow. Ex-Hess followed suit.