Also undisputed evidence was introduced which showed her dna was not found anywhere on his person or clothes, although by the time he’d been arrested, he’d had ample time to shower. He insisted he hadn't showered at all, and hadn’t needed to.
Still a slam dunk for the prosecution. Everyone thought he was obviously lying.
With a look in our direction first, the defense lawyer then asked what had happened before he’d been arrested. He claimed he’d had to take a major pain killer, so had missed work that day, and had slept for a while before being woken by the phone.
A male voice had accused him of raping his daughter, and demanded he marry her that day, or face the consequences. He refused, thinking it was some sort of sick joke which would turn into a money scam. He’d never heard the voice before or since, and both defense and prosecution lawyers stipulated to the woman’s father being in fact, dead.
At this point you had to wonder what the defense lawyer was doing, as it wasn’t so much of a slam dunk now, as why hadn't he just pleaded guilty and saved the court’s time. All the evidence was against him.
And then it entered the realm of farce.
When asked what he thought had happened, he told the court a mage had drugged him, removed the sperm from his body, and placed it inside the woman’s body in such a way as she was guaranteed to become pregnant.
The whole court laughed really hard, with the exception of the defense lawyer, the judge, and the three of us mages. The judge had to do the gavel banging thing a lot to get the court back under control.
He was asked why he believed this, and said he’d subsequently hired a private detective to find out more about the woman who’d accused him, and during the investigation, another five cases over the previous month on different planets had turned up, all with the exact same events. Three of the men involved had married the woman, and the other two were in jail. One of the men had been encouraged to have too much to drink one night, and he’d spilled the story of his wife using a mage to entrap him.
The court wasn’t laughing now, but no-one I looked at was in any doubt he was making it up.
Both lawyers did their summing up, the jury left, and deliberations took minutes. They returned, and the man was pronounced guilty.
Which was when I stood up.
All eyes turned to me.
Sixteen
“The court recognizes Mage Master Bud.”
I could feel anger inside me, but I kept it off my face, as I walked to the front of the public area, and pushed through the short swing doors into the actual court space.
The judge was looking at me with an expectant expression on her face, but I stopped inside the doors, and said nothing. There was complete silence now.
“Who is this?” demanded the prosecution lawyer.
“Are you here in the capacity of judge,” the judge asked me.
“I’m not a judge. My uncle Thorn was,” which drew a reaction from the prosecution lawyer, “but I’m Imperium military. I am however a master mage, and since I’m here, and have at least had some training in court room procedures from my uncle, I cannot let this travesty of justice continue.”
“What are you talking about?” said prosecution.
I ignored him, still looking at the judge.
“Do you possess the ability to ensure truth,” asked the judge.
“I do.”
Prosecution, who had been standing, now sat abruptly.
“You may proceed, mage master. The court grants you leave to determine the truth.”
“Thank you, your honour.”
I turned to face the full gallery.
“You will not make a sound until I say you can.”
The words were said with the appropriate magic, and people suddenly found they could open their mouths, but no sound came out. I turned back to the court, walked up to below the bench, and turned so I could see both sides.
“Only truth can be said now. Any attempt to say a falsehood will result in nothing being said at all.”
Again, I put the magic intent into the words. The prosecutor rose, and worked his jaw for a few moments without any sound coming out, and abruptly sat again. I approached the defendant.
“Do you swear the evidence you have given at this trial is the truth.”
“I swear.”
The jury all suddenly looked shocked. So did a lot of the gallery. I walked over to the accuser. She visibly flinched as I approached.
“Do you swear the evidence you have given at this trial is the truth.”
She tried really hard to answer the question, but nothing came out. When she stopped trying, she glared at me.
“What part of your evidence was the truth?”
Again she tried to answer and failed, then silently sighed.
“The events up until he passed out on the couch were true. Him leaving was true. I watched him leave.”
“And the mage?”
She’d given up fighting now.
“Exists.”
Everyone including the judge now looked shocked. Even the defendant and defense lawyer hadn't been prepared for that admission.
“Whose idea was this?”
“His.”
“Describe the events leading up to meeting the defendant.”
“I’d been stalking him for months, but it was like I was invisible. I’ve been madly in love with him since the first time I saw him, but he just wouldn’t ask me out. A group of us girls were discussing magic, and suggested I find out if love potions were real. I thought they were joking, and but I found an ad in the local news service, and met a man who claimed to be a mage. He suggested a magically arranged baby would convince anyone to marry me. I just needed to meet his price.”
“And did you?”
“Yes.”
“Can you describe the man?”
She screwed her face up so much trying, I thought for a moment she was trying to lie.
“No, I can’t.
Odd. Everything she’d said was the truth, and yet it was also all lies.
“Do you want the baby?”
“He told me it could be removed just as easily as it was created, and initially I didn’t when we didn’t get married, but now I do. So yes.”
I looked over at the defendant.
“Do you want the baby?”
“No. But I will not see it terminated as long as I’m not asked to be part of its or the mother’s life in any way, including financially.”
“So ordered,” said the judge. “Anything else to present, mage master?”
“No. I think that will be enough. For now. But the court should be aware there are only victims here. One had genetic material stolen from him, and the other had it added in such a way as to create a life, while at the same time appears to have had her memories altered. There was no rape, even though the accuser remembers it happening.”
“Then you may release your magic, with the court’s thanks.”
I did so, and the noise level went up immediately, causing the judge to bang her gavel again. The room went silent.
“The conviction is overturned. The defendant is free to go. The bailiff will take the accuser into protective custody, pending investigations.” She banged her gavel. “Court is adjourned. The mage masters will see me in chambers immediately please.”
She rose, the bailiff bid everyone rise, and the judge left. Officers led the woman out, while the man sat sobbing. The court emptied, with an officer leading the three of us towards where the judge waited in her office. She’d removed her robes, and made herself comfortable. She waved us to the three seats in front of her desk.
“What now?” she asked.
Syrinx and Tanith both looked at me.
“This is now an Imperium matter. You’ll be hearing from either Chief Burnside or Detective Jane, or both, in due course. If you’d had your own mages, this would have remained a local matter until proved otherwise, but since you don’t, it means a mage from another Imperium member i
s acting illegally here. Imperium security will take the lead in the investigation, with mage support.”
Syrinx nodded. Tanith just kept looking at me. I wasn’t sure if he was stunned with what I’d done in the courtroom, or just wasn’t game to say anything. Like as not, both of them would end up involved in the investigation. It wasn’t certain the mage came from either of their people, but it was highly likely. And since neither of them had any ties to their own people, they would be completely impartial.
“I will pass that on to the local authorities. I assume you’ll be wanting to see the recordings of the other two trials mentioned?”
I sighed.
“Yes. I may also need to confront the parties to determine the truth again. And also the three men forced into marriage, should they want out.”
“When those investigating require it, I’ll issue the warrants.” She paused for a moment, looking at me. “You don’t look happy, but I consider it unlikely this case is the cause. Can I help you further?”
“I don’t know who called me here, or even how they arranged for me to be ordered here by my superior officer, but I’d like you to spread the word it will not happen again. I am Imperium military. I have no intensions of becoming a civil judge like my uncle, and anyone who thinks they can change that will find themselves regretting trying it.”
“But we obviously need your help, as we needed your uncle’s help.”
I looked at her. She met my gaze, and didn’t flinch.
“What was your reaction to the verdict?”
“I thought it wrong, but there was no evidence supporting the defenses claims. Not until you ensured the truth was spoken.”
She was telling the truth.
“I will allow the judiciary to refer recordings of trials to be sent to me, through Chief Burnside, where the presiding judge is of the same mind that justice has not been done, but there is no legal avenue to change it. I will give no time frame for looking at the recordings, and I will not tolerate my time being wasted. Anyone wasting my time will regret it.”
“Your uncle was well known to hold the same view point. We called on him sparingly. I shall ensure it is known that you are not to be bothered without special cause.”
“Thank you, your honour. I have a job to do, and very little time of my own as it is. I will help in cases like this one, but when we find a mage who can do the same thing I did, you will be referred to that person instead of me. Understood?”
“Yes, mage master. I do not know who called you in today, but I did of course recognize you when I saw you. All three of you are known. Would you like to be informed when I find out who it was?”
I thought about it.
“Only if the motives of that person were not pure.”
She laughed.
“I’d need you to determine that.”
“Got you there,” said Tanith, finally smiling.
Seventeen
We went straight to Burnside’s office.
As soon as we were back on the local station, I’d pinged Jane we were on our way, so the two of them were waiting for us. The older version of Jane made me feel uncomfortable, and I had no idea why. They were both in civvies, with him wearing eagles on his shoulders, and her wearing just her AI insignia. That was just wrong, in my opinion.
I gave a short version of what had happened, outlined what I thought needed to happen, and made it quite clear I didn’t want to be involved if someone else could handle it. A rogue mage happened every now and then, even at home, and the fact we had one now just meant the Imperium security services needed to step up their game.
I could see the wheels turning in the man’s head, and when he asked, I confirmed there were probably a lot more cases of magic being used illegally, and not just where we’d found this case. Mages had just as much ability to move around the Imperium as anyone else. And there was just as little control over what they could access, as any other person. The only wonder was, something like this hadn't happened already.
Magical insemination though was something even I hadn't thought was possible, but apparently was for a movement master. It narrowed the field for this rogue mage down a lot. The stupid thing was, he could probably make a good living doing it legitimately, for couples unable for some reason to have the child they wanted, and technology still failing them.
Modifying memories was a known thing, although mages known to be able to do this were rare. Much more rare than spine entertainments made it out to be. Jill kept trying to get us interested in watching them, because they had imaginative versions of what mages should be able to do. So far I’d resisted, but I couldn’t avoid discussions of them at the dinner table.
A mage capable of both was unheard of. If there had been in the past, it hadn't been documented. But that was probably the point. You don’t document what you don’t want to encourage mages to try. Someone obviously had though, or we were dealing with two mages, which was actually much more likely.
Burnside and Jane listened, made notes, and said little. But I could see the fire burning in his eyes, and realized this sort of hunt was what got him up in the morning. It was pretty obvious he was yet another draftee, doing a job he didn’t really want to do, because no-one else could. So I was happy to give him the sort of challenge he relished.
After we left security, we again followed Syrinx. This time to a conference room on the Terminus station, where we were quickly joined by a group of senior mages. This included the Mage King of Kelewan himself, who was none too happy being summoned.
Syrinx outlined what we’d discovered, and what I’d done to discover it. Even the Mage King looked surprised, both for having a rogue mage with the sort of power and control this one did, and what I’d done. Personally I hadn’t considered what I’d done as all that impressive as far as magic was concerned, but it quickly became apparent I was the only known lie detector since Thorn, there’d never been one before him, and no-one had ever heard of anyone silencing a group of people before. Truth to tell, I only did it because I didn’t know it was impossible. Now I knew it was considered impossible, so obviously I wouldn’t be doing it again. Yes, I was annoyed, and I made an effort to keep my thoughts civil.
I made it quite clear I was only here to supply information, and it was up to them to chase down whoever was responsible for the crimes. They looked at me as if I was mad. Maybe I was, but that was beside the point. I was Imperium, had a full time job, and civilian matters were their concern. I had a few ugly thoughts about mage leaders who couldn’t control their mages, but didn’t voice them.
We went over the skills necessary to pull off what we knew had been done to two people, and most thought it had to be more than one mage involved. But the Mage King looked troubled, and when pressed suggested it might be a mage master called Pangbornd, who hadn’t been seen since returning from the ill-fated first jump drive test. He certainly had the move magic skills, but no-one had known he could do memory altering. If indeed he had. But it gave them a start for someone to look for.
That out of the way, Syrinx proposed a new level of master insignia for those considered a grand master skill level. Instead of the normally flat insignia, she proposed the new one be the same size as the current master insignia, but be half of a sphere shape instead. The only other people who had a non-flat insignia was the Imperator, who wore a starburst with a red gem in the middle, and flag officers who wore stars. All other insignia was flat.
This was accepted by all present, but I was pretty sure only because no-one alive at the moment had this level of magic skill. Thorn would definitely have qualified as one, but he was gone.
So naturally as soon as the vote had been taken, and the insignia design authorized, Tanith proposed me to be elevated to grand master. I looked at him as if he was crazy. The Mage King looked at him as if he was a traitor, and everyone else just nodded. The formal vote was redundant, and no-one opposed the motion.
It made me the senior mage.
Of everyone.
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Which was exactly what I didn’t want.
After I took my hand away from my face, I told them they still had to run their civilian affairs themselves, and if it became necessary to bother me with them, no-one was going to like what bothering me looked like. Syrinx and Tanith actually laughed. The King looked relieved, which suggested he’d been none too pleased with the idea of having a grand master who wanted to run things, and me not wanting to suited him just fine.
Did I want to be keep apprised of the search for the rogue mage? Yes. But summaries only. Did I want to be kept apprised of other mage infractions? Hell no I didn’t, unless such action was of a level which required consideration by senior masters. Did I want to hold regular meetings at this level?
I told them to stop asking stupid questions, and moved myself back to Judge without realizing I was jumping myself, without a ship, half the length of the core galaxy. I appeared in my ready room, and surprised the hell out of Serena when I walked out unexpectedly and took my chair. The two AIs gaped at me as well, having had a few seconds more warning than Serena did.
“What did the Admiral want?” asked Serena.
“Fuck!” I said, causing them to grin back at me.
I’d forgotten he still wanted to see me.
Eighteen
“Congratulations, Grand Master.”
I’d had Leanne contact the admiral’s aide, asking if I could have half an hour to eat before I came to see him, now that mage duties were concluded, and I hadn't eaten since breakfast, it now being half way through the afternoon.
While I was wolfing down fast food on the bridge, and getting a status update on the squadron, my insignia shifted on my uniform. Serena caught the change in her mirror, looked surprised for a moment, then squealed and rushed over to hug me. After a butler brought me a second helping of food to cover what had gone all over my uniform and chair, I managed to complete eating without anyone else knowing. The suit of course didn’t stain, and had only needed to be shifted to be rid of anything sticking to it. The cleaning bots dealt with the mess while I finished eating in the XO’s chair.
Lieutenant Commander Spacemage (Imperium Spacemage Book 4) Page 7
