Judgment at Proteus q-5

by Timothy Zahn

  He looked down the table at his fellow judges. But none of them seemed inclined to go any further out on this particular limb, and after a moment he straightened up and nodded to Hchchu. {Proceed,} he ordered.

  Hchchu nodded back. {Proper form states that a list of charges be the first item under consideration,} he said. {But in this case, we must first establish who, in fact, my opponent truly is.}

  He lifted one of the readers and tapped a button. Beside the running translation on our table, a repeater display lit up with an image of my diamond-edged first-class Quadrail pass. {His Quadrail pass identifies him as Frank Compton of New York City, Western Alliance, Earth, Terran Confederation,} he continued. {Yet this document—}

  {Which sector?} the judge beside Wandek interrupted.

  {The Terran Confederation has only one sector,} Wandek told him.

  The judge gave me an odd look, probably wondering how Humans dared even show their faces around the galaxy with such a pathetically small tract of real estate to call our own. {Proceed,} he said.

  {This document, in contrast—} Hchchu tapped the button again, and my Quadrail pass was replaced by my fake Hardin Industries ID card {—names him as Frank Abram Donaldson. This speaks of duplicity and fraud.}

  Wandek turned to our table. {Does Chinzro Hchchu’s opponent have a parry?} he asked.

  [We do,] Minnario said. [At heart is our opponent’s contention that having two names is an intent to deceive this court.]

  {Do you take us for fools?} the judge in the fourth position demanded. {Humans are not Cimmaheem, who randomly take different names at different lifepoints.}

  [I did not imply that they were,] Minnario assured him. [To repeat: Mr. Compton’s intent was not to deceive this court. As a security agent of the cross-galaxy corporation Hardin Industries, it is necessary at times for him to conceal his true identity from his opponents.]

  {No Human corporation can be considered truly cross-galaxy,} the third judge said disdainfully. But he nevertheless nodded and made a note on his reader.

  {Parry accepted,} Wandek said. {Riposte?}

  [Yes,] Minnario said, turning toward Hchchu. [I claim that from the evidence thus presented, Chinzro Hchchu had no reason to suspect my client of the crimes for which he is accused. As a second riposte, I claim that the evidence he presents is improper and flawed.]

  {Explain,} Wandek ordered.

  [Chinzro Hchchu states that his evidence comes from a Filiaelian scholar who traveled to the Human world of New Tigris to retrieve the bodies of the six santras and investigate the circumstances surrounding their deaths,] Minnario said. [But the information she collected pertained to a Human named Mr. Frank Abram Donaldson.]

  {Which is one of Mr. Compton’s assumed names,} Wandek reminded him.

  [But from the evidence presented, Chinzro Hchchu could not have known that at the time Mr. Compton entered Kuzyatru Station,] Minnario said. [Mr. Compton entered under his own proper name, with proper identification.] He looked at Hchchu. [So I ask: for what reason of expectation did Chinzro Hchchu search Mr. Compton for other identity papers?]

  It was, I decided, a damn good question. From the suddenly wooden texture of Hchchu’s face I gathered he thought so, too. {A valid question,} Wandek agreed. {Parry, Chinzro Hchchu?}

  {I have another source of information concerning Mr. Compton’s identity and crimes,} Hchchu said reluctantly. {It was this source who informed me that the Frank Abram Donaldson of the scholar’s report was the same as the Frank Compton soon to arrive aboard Kuzyatru Station.}

  [The name of this source?] Minnario asked.

  {At this time, I’m not at liberty to disclose it,} Hchchu said.

  Clearly, Minnario had been expecting that reply. [The Slisst Protocols specify that a defender must have a clear view of all weapons in the opponent’s array,] he said. [Unless the identity of this source is revealed in a timely manner so that I can assess its strength and temper, I must request that the attack against my client cease without risk of blood, honor, or spirit.]

  {I ask time to consult my source,} Hchchu said before any of the judges could respond.

  Wandek murmured something down the line of judges, and received other murmurs in reply. {You have one day to lay this weapon on the table,} Wandek told Hchchu. {We will reconvene on this field at this same time tomorrow. The groundstage has ended. The opponents may leave the field.}

  Silently, Hchchu stood up and began putting his collection of readers into the pouches of a belt bag fastened around his waist. I started to stand up, stopped as Minnario laid a hand on my arm. [Wait,] he murmured. [You were last to arrive. We must similarly be last to depart.]

  Hchchu finished his packing and strode down the center of the room, not looking at either of us, and disappeared through the double doors. As they closed behind him, the judges gathered their own paraphernalia and filed off their bench, Wandek bringing up the rear as they too marched toward the doors. Like Hchchu, the first three judges ignored us, but Wandek paused as he passed. “Come by quickly,” he murmured. “Ms. German’s condition worsens.”

  I started to speak, again stopped at the touch of Minnario’s hand, and watched as Wandek followed the others out through the double doors. “Now?” I asked, standing up.

  [Yes, we may depart,] Minnario confirmed, making no move to maneuver his chair away from the stone table. [But there are matters we need to discuss. This is as good a place as any to do so.]

  I looked at the double doors, thinking about what Wandek had said about Terese. But Minnario was right, on both counts. With our quarters possibly bugged, and me with no faith whatsoever that an attorney/client conference room would be any cleaner, the courtroom itself was probably our best bet. Especially a courtroom made entirely from stone, which would make hardwired microphones extremely hard to install.

  And to be doubly sure …

  I stood up and turned back to the doors. “Thank you for your assistance, Logra Emikai,” I called, beckoning Bayta toward me. “I need to speak with my attorney for a few minutes.”

  Emikai hesitated, then nodded. “Very well,” he called back. “But I’ve been informed that there are new developments in Ms. German’s case.”

  “Yes, I know,” I said. “If you’d like, go on ahead and assess the situation. We’ll find our way back from here.”

  “Very well.” Emikai pushed open one of the doors and ushered the two Jumpsuits ahead of him out into the corridor beyond.

  “We can find our way back from here, right?” I asked Minnario.

  [Of course,] Minnario said. [There are directories at each major intersection. Touch the green emblem, speak your destination, and follow the directions you’re given.]

  “Oh,” I said, feeling more than vaguely foolish as Bayta came up to us. “I must have skipped that page in the guidebook.”

  [Now we may speak?]

  “Sure.” I pointed toward the judges’ bench. “Up there.”

  Minnario looked at me in astonishment. [In the guardlaws’ positions?]

  “I won’t tell if you don’t,” I said. “If there’s any place in a courtroom guaranteed not to be bugged, it’s the place where the judges discuss their side of the case.”

  [You may be right,] Minnario said reluctantly. [All right, but we must be quick about it.]

  We crossed to the stone table, Doug and Ty padding along behind us, and I climbed up into the place where Wandek had been sitting. “Plenty of room,” I pointed out.

  “That’s all right,” Bayta said, standing beside me as Minnario stopped his chair at her side. “What exactly do we need to discuss, Attorney Minnario?”

  [To begin with, Chinzro Hchchu’s mysterious information source,] Minnario said. [Have you any idea who it might be?]

  “Emikai and Dr. Aronobal are the most likely suspects,” I said. “They were both on our super-express Quadrail, which gave them opportunities to see me in action, and both were on Earth when the reports of the New Tigris incident filtered in. Either of them
could have put those two pieces of data together and come to at least a suspicion, if not a conclusion.”

  “Could they have obtained a private police report?” Bayta asked.

  “Assuming they have a top-level contact in the Filiaelian embassy, sure,” I said. “I’m more interested in who exactly this Filly scholar is that Hchchu mentioned, and how she was conveniently on hand in that part of the galaxy to go around collecting bodies and evidence.”

  [I have her name,] Minnario said, scrolling through his reader. [But I’ve done a search, and she seems to have no connection to Chinzro Hchchu or anyone else aboard Kuzyatru Station. It appears she was simply on Homshil when the report of the santras’ deaths reached the Assembly, and as the nearest Filiaelian with governmental connections she was ordered to delay her return and travel to New Tigris.]

  “So she has no actual expertise in police procedure?” I asked.

  [None,] Minnario said. [And to tell you the truth, it shows. Her report’s full of oddities, curiosities, and the occasional contradiction.] He smiled lopsidedly. [Those are technical legal terms, of course.]

  “Like the laying out of weapons that Usantra Wandek mentioned?” I asked.

  [The Slisst Protocols are filled with such expressions,] Minnario said. [They came from the ancient Filiaelian mode of honor-satisfaction via combat, and retain much of the same form and language. That’s why the overseers are called guardlaws instead of judges. They don’t so much rule on the case as watch what Chinzro Hchchu and I do and award the verdict on the basis of the strength and validity of our arguments.]

  “Like martial-arts referees awarding points,” I said, nodding. “Not so different from the way a lot of Earth courts work, actually. Can I assume the Protocols won’t degenerate at some point into actual armed combat?”

  Minnario laughed, a sort of pleasant rippling-brook babble that I’d heard before only in recordings. It sounded even more cheerful in person. [Be of confidence,] he assured me. [Filiaelian society is far beyond such primitive behavior.]

  “Glad to hear it,” I said. “So tell me more about the scholar’s report. Starting with how I managed to get saddled with six murders.”

  [You didn’t commit all the murders?] Minnario asked. [I’m your attorney, you know—you can tell me the truth without fear of bias or betrayal.]

  “The truth is that I didn’t commit any murders,” I told him firmly. “I may—may—have killed one of the Fillies in a firefight, but I’m not even sure about that.”

  “Which they started in the pursuit of criminal activities,” Bayta added.

  Minnario made a sort of hissing sound. [Incredible,] he said. [Santra-class Filiaelians.]

  “Evil comes in all shapes and sizes these days,” I said. “And as I say, even that one killing is questionable. I was in the middle of a bunch of cops at the time and all of us were trying very hard to get to the santras before they got us. You’d have to do ballistic and residue tests on all our weapons to figure out who shot whom, and I’m not sure the New Tigris cops even bothered.”

  [I see,] Minnario said thoughtfully. [Well, as I said, the scholar’s report is full of problems. It shouldn’t be a problem to pick at it until it falls apart.]

  “I’ll hold you to that,” I said. “Was there anything else?”

  [I have no other questions, no,] Minnario said, easing his chair backward. [Now that I have possible names for Chinzro Hchchu’s information source, I can begin backtracking and hopefully have some material on hand when he officially reveals the name.]

  “So as to have your sword in the en garde position?” I suggested.

  Minnario laughed again. [Indeed,] he said. [I should have known that a Human would have little trouble adapting to the legal flavor of the Slisst Protocols. Your recent history’s still so bloody.]

  “Thanks,” I said dryly. “I think.”

  His smile faded. [Speaking of blood, did I hear Usantra Wandek say that your companion’s medical condition has worsened?]

  “Yes, and Bayta and I need to get back there,” I said.

  [Do you wish me to escort you?] Minnario offered. [But no—you can surely travel to her side faster by yourselves.]

  “Probably,” I said. “But if you’d feel better traveling together…?”

  [No, no, I’ll be fine.] He looked ruefully down at his chair. [Someday, Mr. Compton, I’ll be free of this chair.]

  “Absolutely,” I assured him. Though if he figuratively bloodied Proteus’s assistant director by beating him in this ridiculous trial by verbal combat, it might be a long time before anyone aboard the station found the time to treat him.

  Firmly, I shook the thought away. Surely Hchchu wouldn’t be that petty. Even if he was, I could only deal with one crisis at a time. “Then we’ll see you later,” I said, sliding off the stone bench and taking Bayta’s arm. “Oh, and this time will you do me a favor and leave your comm on?”

  [I will,] he promised. [My regards to your friend.]

  The green directories worked exactly the way Minnario had described. I used them four times on the trip back to Terese’s medical dome, the last three times just to double-check my memory, and I felt a flush of warmth in my cheeks each time I did so. I really should have picked up on that on my own.

  We arrived at the door to Terese’s building to find Emikai waiting for us. “How is she?” I asked.

  “I am not certain,” he said, beckoning. “Come and see.”

  Dr. Aronobal was waiting in Terese’s room. So, to my mild surprise, was Usantra Wandek, dressed now in his doctor’s tans instead of his guardlaw outfit. “Mr. Compton,” he greeted me gravely. “It’s good of you to come.”

  “Nice to see you again, too,” I said, shifting my attention to the bed. At first glance Terese didn’t seem to have changed much since our last meeting, though she was hooked up to more wires and monitors than she had been before.

  But on my second look I noticed her sunken cheeks, the dark circles around her eyes, and her slightly sallow skin. “Hello, Terese,” I said. “How are you feeling?”

  “Crowded,” she said, a little of the old fire coming back into her eyes and voice as she looked pointedly around at all of us.

  “I don’t doubt it,” I said. “Shall I ask Logra Emikai to throw all of us out?”

  She snorted. “I can ask him myself if I want to.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you can,” I said, catching Bayta’s eye and nodding fractionally toward Terese. “Actually, I have a few questions for Dr. Aronobal, so I can at least get two of us out of your way. And I think Logra Emikai and Usantra Wandek have a matter or two of their own to discuss.” I looked at Emikai. “For one thing, I’m concerned about the security arrangements at my trial.”

  For once, someone actually picked up on one of my cues. “As am I,” Emikai said. “If I may have a moment of your time, Usantra Wandek?”

  “What security arrangements are these?” Wandek asked, his blaze mottling a bit with obvious confusion.

  “Oh, come now,” I said reproachfully. “I’m a Human aboard a Filiaelian space station accused of murdering six other Filiaelians. Of course I’m going to need security.” I gestured down to Doug and Ty. “Preferably something with a bit more of my own welfare in mind than Chinzro Hchchu’s watchdogs.”

  Wandek was still looking unconvinced, but he nevertheless nodded. {There’s a small conference room down the hallway,} he told Emikai. {We can go there.}

  The two of them left the room. “Dr. Aronobal?” I invited, gesturing toward the doorway. “Perhaps outside would be best—I could use the fresh air.”

  Aronobal hesitated, then looked at Terese. “I will return shortly,” she said. “Call for an attendant if you need anything.”

  The dome was, as usual, reasonably deserted when Aronobal and I emerged from Terese’s building. There were a handful of Fillies moving around, most of them walking from one building to another, but that was about it. As far as the mainstream of Proteus traffic flow was concerned, this dom
e definitely wasn’t in it. “Please make this quick,” Aronobal said. “I have a patient to treat.”

  “I appreciate your devotion,” I said. “I wanted to ask about the status of Terese’s unborn baby.”

  “Ms. German is aware of our concern for him,” Aronobal said, a little reproachfully. “We could have spoken of this in her presence.”

  “Maybe yes, maybe no,” I said, feeling a frown creasing my forehead as I took another look around the dome. I’d brought Aronobal out here purely to give Bayta a little privacy in which to quiz Terese about the attack she’d suffered back on Earth. But now that we were here, something was tingling at the back of my neck.

  The dome was wrong. Something about this place was simply wrong.

  “What do you mean, maybe yes, maybe no?” Aronobal asked.

  That was a good question. With my mind preoccupied with the vague new riddle that was suddenly nagging at me, I grabbed at the first thought that came to mind. “I mean you might not want her around,” I said, “when you tell me the baby’s going to die.”

  I expected that to spark some kind of reaction. I didn’t expect Aronobal to grab my upper arms and pull me toward her until my face was bare centimeters from her nose blaze. “Who told you he was going to die?” she demanded.

  “No one,” I protested, leaning as far away from her as I could. Beside me Doug gave a low warning growl, no doubt assuming that I was the aggressor.

  “He must live,” Aronobal insisted. Abruptly, she seemed to realize what she was doing and hastily released her grip. “My apologies,” she said stiffly as she took a step back. “Do you have new information on the child’s welfare?”

  “No, that’s why I asked you about him,” I said. “But I apologize in turn for my comment. It’s what Humans call hyperbole, the deliberate stretching of a situation to its worst possible conclusion in order to make a point. Let me rephrase: there may be things about the child’s condition you wouldn’t want to say in Ms. German’s presence.”

  “If that was what you meant, that was what you should have said,” Aronobal said severely. “And my answer is that there has been no such worsening of the child’s condition.”