Starlaw (32 page)

As soon as she approached, broadcast crews pointed at her and shouted her name. She had no idea how they knew who she was but suspected either the defense team or the prosecution had cited her as a key witness. No one instructed her not to speak to them, but Earth experience in these matters led her to understand she shouldn't. To avoid any queries, she simply turned away as several green-looking, dragonish reporters, with glowing yellow eyes, approached. She did what she would have on Earth and kept her mouth shut. She looked neither to the left nor to the right but kept walking.

After about a hundred yards of avoiding queries from reporters, several members of the
Titan
crew spotted her, escorted her into the hall, and told her where to stand. She was to be ensconced in a white marble witness box, about ten feet square and directly in front of a viewing dais, many yards below her. That dais was also made of marble. From her research aboard the
Titan
, she knew this was where Goll would stand. He'd be contained or restricted in his movements, for her safety as well as the magistrates' and court employees'.

A long box, directly opposite her, indicated where the judges would sit. Goll would stand between them all and before crowds who'd sit in the galleries. The entire setup reminded her of the Coliseum in Rome. The accused, in this case, wouldn't be fed to any lions, but would still stand in the center where everyone could see him and hear his statements, assuming he made any. And
that
was her active part of the plan: to make him talk. She knew now that she could. Darius had no idea just what she
did
know and hadn't said. She'd kept information from him that was vital to the trial, things she'd learned during her computer research aboard the
Titan
. And just as he was going to take the blame if this entire plan went awry, she'd do so if the facts she'd gleaned had somehow been misinterpreted. Darius had enough on his shoulders. What she'd testify to was all her doing and she'd own it.

She sat there, stoically silent. Crowds began to fill the building. She saw Darius and his family being seated in a box, some distance to her right. The accommodation for the king and his family was decorated in dark green cloth. Again, the similarity between the scene and an old Roman gladiator flick was uncanny. There was one exception.

Instead of open air overhead, there was some kind of clear, dome-like glass that let all the light in but protected against the elements.

Sunlight sparkled off some mica or quartz-like mineral within all the marble of the viewing stands and columns holding them upright. She tried to concentrate on the décor and not on the stare of one very large, tanned commander sitting so far away.

She covertly glanced down at her wrist communicator and shock almost made her lose her barely-maintained composure.

The plan was working.

Names of officials were coming across her small, wrist view screen. They were men and women who'd suddenly decided to leave the planet, and who were privy to classified information that might have been imparted to Warlord contingents—contingents just like the vamphieres. They'd likely bought whatever message Barst sent, implying Goll had talked or was about to.

As she surreptitiously glanced upward and toward Darius, she saw him nod, cover his wrist as a sign he'd received the same information, and turn to address his father with some mundane comment or other.

Some minutes later, Gemma and Barst joined the royals in their private box. Neither gave anything away, but she didn't miss a smile Gemma shot her way.

Guards in gray uniforms, wearing sidearms, approached her witness box. Two on either side stopped and stood at attention.
Ostensibly these were court officers, assigned to protect her and to keep anyone away who didn't have a need to speak to her.

She sat on her sumptuous, green velvety cushion and waited.

If the rest of Luster believed in Earth's inferiority, as Darius had, then the citizens were about to get a shock. She had no intention of embarrassing her world but would represent it with strength of conviction and the truth. She wouldn't lie about what had happened on Earth. But she
would
make Goll talk.

The vamphiere who'd killed her friends would be sworn in just as she would. He had a right to keep his mouth shut but something told her he wouldn't, not when he was informed of what was going on. Goll knew nothing of the rumor circulating about his duplicity. But as that rumor grew and likely became public, through one news source or another, Goll's defense team would inform him. She'd be there to simply confront the butcher with questions and accusations of her own.

“Would you stand, please?”

Laurel jerked her head when a voice sounded to her left. She did as the uniformed court officer demanded. He was a grayish being with a round head and a fuzzy face. She resisted the urge to smile as memories of her mother's Manx tabby cat named Pooty came to mind.

“Place your right hand over your heart, please, and repeat after me. Do you swear to tell the full truth?”

“I do, sir.”

“And are you here of your own free will, without accepting bribes or without any force or coercion?”

“I am.”

“Please be seated and await the head magistrate's instruction,” Pooty-man said. “You will be the only witness today since others have withdrawn their statements.”

Laurel watched the officer walk away and guessed why there'd be no one else to testify. Goll, or someone working with him, had probably got to the others. No wonder the bastard had refused commutation of sentence if he talked. He never expected to be convicted.

As she'd read during her research, no one on this world could be compelled to testify against their will. This made convicting others terribly difficult. But as she had nothing much to lose, no one was scaring her off. She suspected Darius kept her at the palace compound for that very reason. But he hadn't needed to. She knew what to expect.

And as much research as she'd done during the months aboard the
Titan
, she was sure it hadn't been reciprocal. What Goll's defense team
didn't
know about Earth police officers was about to hit them deep, quick, hard, and often.

She glanced down at her wrist communicator again, and began committing names to memory. Once more, she waited.

Knowing crowds were filling the stadium and that many were anxious to see their first real Earther, Laurel kept her gaze straight ahead. Over an hour later, she refused to so much as glance at Darius, his parents, Gemma, or Barst. No one must record her having done so and therefore implicate them in her testimony.

Her part of the plan was confrontation. But she meant to do it so that only she could be held responsible for any rumors of Goll's defection from Warlord control.

Finally, after it seemed the great building could hold no more, a plethora of gray-suited court officers made their way to the central dais where the magistrates and their minions would sit.

“All stand!” one court officer proclaimed as he stood before a floating, android-like microphone device.

She complied when everyone else did. Her next words would likely be part of the testimony since she'd already been sworn in.

One official after another, of various colors, sizes, shapes, and species, flowed onto the magistrates' dais and sat as each of them was formally announced. She counted at least thirty, all robed in various colors of gold, silver, greens, reds, ambers, and every other hue known to the universe. Each of them represented various factions on the planet.

Goll had killed hundreds, possibly thousands. And at special issue was the fact that he'd been apprehended on a forbidden world. It remained to be seen whether the judges would maintain his capture was legitimate. The defense team, if they were worth their salt, would claim otherwise. But his being there to kill her friends still had nothing to do with being on Earth to begin with. Who caught him didn't matter to her, as long as he
was
caught.

There were various other introductions, and the moving of officials from one partitioned section of the building to another, officials whose opinions might weigh when the final pronouncement was made. She waited and tried to paste on a very stalwart expression, giving nothing away.

Finally, Goll was brought in.

A few specifics concerning the legend of vampires on Earth were repetitive in his case. He couldn't tolerate sunlight. He was actually wheeled in from a recessed portion of the great stadium, encased in a cage that was covered on top by some ornate, metallic roof. The entire apparatus reminded her of a small pagoda. The sides were shielded by some glassy substance that was electrified and barred. Bolts of green energy filtered over and through the bars and might have inflicted a great amount of pain if any attempt was made to even touch them. However, Goll didn't move. Not until he saw
her
.

When he did, he stared malevolently. She felt hatred emanating from him, the way one feels a blast of cold rain in the face. But she had no intention of backing down. She'd seen that merciless intimidation tactic before, in many courts on Earth. Her friends' butcher wasn't threatening her. She lifted her chin, glared back, and was vaguely aware of dark-robed figures behind the pagoda. She believed, from their repeated instructions to Goll, that these must be the defense team. They were bustling about the smaller dais where Goll's containment unit was situated. Even while staring at her attacker, her peripheral vision revealed their furtive gestures and muted agitated discussion. There was no doubt in her mind. They knew about the circulated rumors, and were probably even aware that their client's cohorts on Luster were fleeing and being arrested at various airfields around the planet.

The corner of her mouth lifted as she continued staring straight at Goll. Finally, he'd get what was coming to him. In return, his lips lifted in an ominous sneer that displayed his fangs, and his face grew even gaunter. The crowd responded with a low murmur of utter disapproval. The idiot wasn't doing himself any good. He was likely angry over the rumors concerning his disloyalty. That meant she could get to him.

Hiding from sunlight notwithstanding, one
difference
between Goll and Earth vampire legend was in the way he could sustain his metabolism. She'd read that, once he'd been taken from stasis, he'd been offered any food of his choice. But he'd refused it, demanding fresh blood instead. When his guards wouldn't provide it, they'd had to use blood substitute to indulge him. But the substitution had angered him and set off claims of unfair treatment by his defense team.

Even now, the bastard wanted real blood. She remembered the look on his face that night in Balboa Park. He'd
wanted
to kill. He liked it. It all came rushing back: Cory stretched out on the ground, her friends so still and silent.

“Will you rise, and face the defendant?” Pooty-man asked.

Her guard's cat-like face was kind and his voice was soft. There was a look of encouragement in his gaze. It occurred to her that many in the building wanted Goll to face justice. She took a deep breath and stood.

A purple-robed creature, looking very much like some tall version of a swamp alligator also stood and addressed her.

“To introduce myself, madam, I am Magistrate Orat 'Cur. If you do not understand anything in this proceeding, anything you're asked, you may query the court for any explanation.”

His gaze, too, was very kind. She was either being humored or gently encouraged to say anything to convict Goll.

Orat 'Cur turned to Goll's defense team. “Sirs … we have read your client's statements concerning his refusal to speak. He is pleading guilty and has refused commutation of a death sentence … which is the only recourse of this court given his plea and the deaths attributed to him by his own testimony. Is there anything further you have to say before the Earth witness is allowed to speak?”

“I wish to be recognized,” one of the black-robed attorneys loudly claimed.

“Step forward and speak, Jakus Mol. As head defense advisor to the defendant, you may now add anything else not previously mentioned, for the record.”

Jakus lifted one dark-cloaked arm and pointed at Laurel.

She stepped forward as a gesture of strength and an unwillingness to cower.

“Magistrate 'Cur,” Jakus began, “this woman is likely among others from the royal family that has, just this morning, circulated untrue rumors about my client's willingness to speak. The defendant has made no statements implicating anyone on Luster as collaborator in any criminal activity.”

“First … I, as well as probably everyone on Luster by now, know about that gossip, Jakus. There is no law against circulating a rumor. Second, if you are accusing anyone of the royal family of any
criminal
activity, speak now or hold your accusations,” 'Cur seriously advised.

“Sir … surely we are all aware that, while there is no criminal charge for having circulated such nonsense, there are ethical codes to which enforcers bind themselves. If Commander Darius Starlaw had any part in such chicanery, his future with the Constellation League, in any capacity, should be reviewed.”

An angry roar from the crowd caused a court officer to step up to the floating microphone again and demand silence.

'Cur addressed the crowd briefly. “There will be no further outbursts from this assemblage or I will clear this building.
Is that understood
?”

Silence ensued with the exception of a few catcalls demanding Goll's death. These came from obvious death penalty supporters from an upper gallery. But even they quickly shut their mouths when court enforcers were sent to rout them.

The magistrate got back to the subject at hand.

“Jakus Mol … we are not here today to vet anyone in the crowd, royalty or not, for
their
behavior. That is another issue, completely separate from our purpose. The matter before us now is whether your client has anything to add to the statements already recorded when he was released from stasis. He has, as stated, pled guilty. He has admitted to being a Warlord conspirator, working on their behalf. Is there anything else he wishes to say before the only witness available makes her statement?”