Opening Earth Part 3
Copyright© 2020 by REP
Chapter 19
Days 4 & 5:
It was Day 4 and Sereine was to make her presentation to our attackers and the lawyers they had retained. Yesterday, Sto, Coral, and the kits had moved back to their home in Sereine’s portable. The kits were doing fine. Aunts Sereine, Misty, Betty, Carol, Rita, and Cindy were taking turns making sure they had everything they needed.
Sereine started her presentation with a detailed description of the laws pertaining to the commission of an act of violence against another party and the laws against the use of lethal weapons in committing such an attack. In particular, she addressed the laws regarding conspiracy to commit an act of violence.
When that portion of her presentation was complete, she moved on to describe the Multiverse Court System and the customs relating to legal procedures and to proper behavior in the courtroom. Sereine could have completed her presentation in less than one day. We expected numerous questions and objections to the process from the defendants and their lawyers, so we had allocated two days for the presentation.
The television stations broadcasting Sereine’s presentation conducted a poll of their viewers and received the positive feedback that we had been hoping for from the public. During subsequent one-on-one interviews of viewers, it was apparent that they believed the US Legal System would benefit from an overhaul to make it similar to the Multiverse’s Legal System. The majority of the viewers liked the idea of using the veracity equipment in a courtroom as long as it was reliable and one hundred percent accurate. I doubt that Earth’s criminal element thought it was a good idea.
I did not have a great deal of time to participate in the events leading up to the trial, but I was very interested in the actions of Juan Reyes, Carlo Rivera, and their lawyer Herman Gomez during this time. One of the things that did not come out before the trial was, according to Multiverse law, the accused is not provided with privacy throughout the period of their arrest and trial. The Multiverse’s rationale is that an innocent man has nothing to hide, thus constant monitoring will result in no negative information being recorded and used against them. If the accused is guilty of violating a law, then the Multiverse has an obligation to ensure that the accused is held accountable for any and all violations of Multiverse law, to include crimes that do not relate to the crimes they were arrested for committing. Our criminals and their lawyers were in for a surprise.
Pre-Attack through Day 5:
Before the attack, Juan Reyes and Carlo Rivera were being treated for their injuries. They were being monitored to ensure that their injuries did not result in their needing immediate attention while our medical personnel were not in their vicinity. With the exception of the days they were in the Weld County jail, they were housed with the other gang members after the attack and all of them were monitored according to the customs and practices of the Multiverse.
Herman Gomez was accustomed to the US authorities not monitoring people in a hospital and at other times when he was talking with his clients. He just assumed that the Multiverse observed the same laws and customs that the Earth authorities practiced. Mister Gomez visited his clients four times while they were at our facility, twice before the attack and twice after the attack.
During his second visit, he informed his two clients that their respective gangs planned to free them from custody, and his sister would provide them with the details. The last meeting was the day before the trial and they discussed how to structure his clients’ defense. Our monitoring showed the lawyers representing the various gang members were very similar to Mister Gomez; their creed was to get the client off regardless of their guilt or innocence.
Day 6:
Matt and Bill made a final review their evidence and made a few minor additions. Matt went through a dress rehearsal of his presentation. I was busy making sure the courtroom was set up the way I wanted it. I installed three cameras to record the proceedings; I would consider whether to share what I recorded with the media after the trial.
The media was upset that we had put all but a few of them in a separate portable and limited the number of cameras that were allowed in the courtroom. They came to an agreement about who would film the courtroom presentation and they would share the resulting video. We would allow them to decide who would be allowed to represent the group in the courtroom.
Our attackers spent the day with their lawyers creating what they thought would be a good defense. Like the media, their relatives were upset that there wasn’t enough room in the courtroom for any of them.
During the past two days, I had received several phone calls from people around the world inquiring about the kits. The callers wanted to buy them. I thanked them for their interest and then explained that Bushbies were a sentient race and it is illegal in the Multiverse to sell sentient beings.
I had Kim prepare a press release to explain that Bushbies were sentient beings. It helped some, but I kept getting phone calls from people who wanted to buy a Bushbie. Some of the people hadn’t seen or heard about the press release. Some didn’t care; they just want to own an exotic animal even if it was illegal to buy one. Then there were a few who didn’t know what sentient meant.
The media also wanted to interview Sto, Coral, and the kits. Sereine and I discussed the matter. We agreed the kits were too young. Sto and Coral couldn’t speak, but they could create temporary telepathic links. Sto let us know that he thought it would be fun, but Coral wasn’t very enthused by the idea. We let the media know that an interview at this time wasn’t a good idea. Perhaps in a couple of months when the kits were older. I had Kim send them copies of the photos she had taken of the kits.
Day 7:
It was the morning of the trial. Matt, our witnesses, our supporters, and I were ready to start the trial, although Matt and I were nervous for we had never done this before. The defendants and their lawyers were ready, and the defendants were exceptionally nervous for they knew they were guilty and were worried about would happen when they were found guilty. The press was ready and upset for there wasn’t enough room in the courtroom for all of them. They decided to hold a lottery to select the twelve people who would represent all of the reporters, and only two media TV cameras were allowed in the courtroom. The courtroom and all of its equipment was ready, and of course, inanimate items have no emotions or concerns.
The focus of the TV crew was evident. They had one camera that would cover the courtroom activities, and the second camera was focused on the veracity equipment. I had a large monitor mounted behind me so the camera and everyone in the audience could see the meter’s indication.
At the Day 3 press conference, Matt had displayed and explained the meter to our guests and media representatives after I left. Then he allowed a selection of the people at the press conference to see if they could lie without the meter detecting the lie. No one succeeded in getting away with a lie, so the media representatives and American public decided that the veracity equipment was probably accurate and reliable. It was amusing when several reporters tried to lie and the veracity equipment indicated they were lying before they voiced the lie. Matt told me our political guests stayed well away from the veracity equipment.
At nine o’clock, Matt in his position as Crier told everyone to rise as I walked into the courtroom. I stepped up onto the platform and took my seat behind the Judge’s bench that had been constructed for my use. Matt, Abby, and Sereine were at a table to my right and the defendants and their lawyers were to my left. The veracity equipment and its operator were to my left near the defendants’ bench so they could focus the sensor’s pickup on a specific person. At the back of the courtroom were three rows of fairly comfortable chairs for the media and special guests. In addition to Bashira, I had invited the representatives of the US, Colorado, and Weld County Governments to attend the trial.
“Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. I am Ambassador Doug Smith, and today I am the presiding Judge for this case.”
Herman Gomez jumped to his feet and said, “I object. You are not a lawyer who has been trained in the law, so it is improper for you to sit in judgement of my clients.”
Looking at Mister Gomez, I said, “Mister Gomez, you are out of order. You are not a defendant in the case at this time, so you do not have the right to enter an objection. If your clients wish to make an objection, they may do so. Any further interruptions by you of this nature will result in charges being filed against you for attempting to obstruct justice. To save this court the time necessary for your clients to enter an objection, I will say that the Multiverse Government grants its Ambassadors with the authority to conduct legal proceedings at its Embassies. I am therefore an authorized representative of the Multiverse’s judicial system. Sit down, Mister Gomez.”
Turning back to the rest of the parties present in room, I called the court to order, confirmed that the veracity equipment had been tested and calibrated, and I then proceeded to read the charges and the names of the accused.
When I finished, I looked at Matt and said, “Mister Crier are you ready to proceed.”
“Yes, Judge, the prosecution is ready to proceed.”
Matt called his first witness, Victor Slater. After the normal witness identification questions were answered, Matt asked, “Mister Slater, were you working the day shift here at the Embassy on the 12th of May during the time Mister Gomez visited his clients Mister Reyes and Mister Rivera?”
“Yes, Sir, I was.”
“Where you monitoring the video feeds from the room in which Mister Juan Reyes and Mister Carlo Rivera were housed?”
Juan was on his feet objecting. He bent down to Herman Gomez, and then said, “I object to this line of questioning for Mister Gomez was there to discuss the charges filed in the Weld County Court case against Carlo and me.”
Turning to Juan, I asked, “Mister Reyes, are you innocent of the charges filed against you by the county?”
“Yes, Sir, I am.”
Everyone in the courtroom started laughing for the veracity equipment clearly showed he was lying.
“Then since you are innocent, I can see no harm in anything an innocent man may have discussed with his lawyer.”
“Your objection is overruled, Mister Reyes. For your information, the Multiverse judicial structure does not recognize the right of privacy between a lawyer and his client. The witness may answer the question.”
Surprise. Surprise. Juan and Herman were both angry and red in the face. I thought Herman was going to do something really stupid like physically attack me.
Victor replied, “Yes, Sir, I was.”
Matt said, “I am going to play a copy of the video depicting the interaction of Mister Gomez, Mister Reyes, and Mister Rivera. When the video clip ends, I will ask you to tell the court if that was what you saw and heard on that day.”
Matt projected the video clip on the large monitor that had been set up for this purpose. The clip and its audio clearly showed Herman Gomez informing Juan and Carlo that their gangs would attack the Embassy Compound to free them from the Sheriff Department’s custody.
Matt asked, “Mister Slater, does this video clip accurately reflect what you saw and heard during your shift on the 12th of May?”
“Yes, that is what I saw and heard.”
“Thank you, Mister Slater, you are excused but are subject to recall if needed.
“Your Honor, at this time, I would like to add two additional charges to those being considered by this court. I am charging Mister Herman Gomez and Miss Shelia Rivera with conspiracy to commit two crimes of violence. The first was the attack on the Weld County Deputy and the second was the attack on the Multiverse Embassy staff. To wit, on the 12th of May Mister Gomez provided advance notice of an attack that was conducted on the 17th of May and on the 16th of May, Miss Rivera provided the details of the attack that allowed Mister Rivera and Mister Reyes to be prepared to assault the Sheriff’s Deputy who was guarding them. This makes them both accessories to the assault on the Sheriff’s Deputy. It also means they were part of the conspiracy to attack the Multiverse Embassy.”
Hermann Gomez said, “Judge, I object.”
Once again Mister Gomez was on his feet objecting, but I allowed it for he was about to become a defendant.
“What is the nature of your objection, Mister Gomez?”
“It is inappropriate to add a charge to an existing bill of charges. Furthermore, doing so does not allow the accused to prepare a defense against the charge.”
“Mister Gomez, the laws of the Multiverse permit a charge to be added to any bill of charges at any time until the court rules on the charges. When the evidence presented in a court is so overwhelming that there is no doubt as to the guilt of the person being accused, the court is not required to conduct a separate hearing.
“Watching a video that clearly depicts you committing the specified crime, Mister Gomez, leaves this court with little doubt that you and Miss Rivera are guilty of the charge being added to the bill of charges. During the defendant’s presentation, you will be offered the opportunity to rebut the evidence of your wrongdoing that has been presented by the Crier.
“Mister Crier, I authorize the addition of the charges against Mister Gomez and Miss Rivera to the current bill of charges. Would you please see that Miss Rivera is brought to this courtroom so she can informed of and face the charge being filed against her. You may proceed, Mister Crier.”
“The next item of evidence is a video clip of Miss Rivera informing her brother of the pending attack. If your Honor will permit, Miss Rivera is being held just outside the courtroom and I feel that it would be appropriate for her to be present when I present proof of her actions. I can have her brought into the courtroom if you will give us a moment.”
I approved the short delay and Miss Rivera was brought into the court and seated in the defendants’ section. I informed her of the charge filed against her, and looking at Matt, I said, “You may proceed, Mister Crier.”
Matt called Stenn Moss as his next witness and after the preliminary witness identification questions, Matt asked, “Mister Moss, were you working the day shift here at the Embassy on the 16th of May during the time Miss Rivera visited her brother Mister Rivera?
“Yes, Sir, I was.”
“Where you monitoring the video feed from the room in which Miss Rivera spoke to Mister Rivera?
Stenn replied, “Yes, I was.”
“I am going to play a copy of the video depicting Miss Rivera conversing with her brother Mister Rivera. When the video clip ends, I will ask you if the video clip reflects what you saw and heard on that day.”
Matt projected the video clip on the monitor and the clip and its audio clearly showed Shelia Rivera telling her brother the details of the imminent attack.
“Mister Moss, did this video clip accurately reflect what you saw and heard during your shift on the 16th of May?
“Yes, Sir, it does.”
“Thank you, Mister Moss, you are excused but are subject to recall if needed.
Matt called Bill as his next witness and after the preliminary witness identification questions, Matt asked, “Mister Hendricks, were you working the day shift here at the Embassy on the 17th of May during the time that the Embassy staff was attacked?”
“Yes, Sir, I was.”
“Mister Hendricks, what did you do when you learned of a potential attack against the Embassy grounds?”
“I notified the Ambassador.”
“Did the Ambassador direct you to take any action?”
“Yes, he did.”
“What did he direct you to do?”
“He told me to take the necessary actions to prepare for an attack in the event that an attack was actually mounted against the Embassy.”
“Did you notify the County Sheriff about the possibility of an attack?”
“No, Sir, I did not do so.”
“Why did you not notify the Sheriff’s Office?”
“To begin with, the Sheriff’s Office does not have jurisdiction on the Embassy’s grounds. Then there is the fact that the Embassy has trained security personnel, who are medically retired police officers, and a sophisticated defense system that is capable of repelling an attack by trained combat assault troops. The attack we were expecting was to be made by untrained personnel, and of course that assumes they actually carried out their plan of assaulting the Embassy grounds.”
“Are you saying that the Embassy and its personnel were at no risk of harm?”
“No, Sir, I am not saying that. In any operation of this sort, there is always the risk that something might go wrong. For example, we knew that part of the plan for the attack was for Mister Rivera and Mister Reyes to disable the Sherriff’s Deputy at the onset of the attack. As soon as they made a move to do so, one of my security personnel was to disable them with her stunner. We intended that she disable them before they actually attacked the Deputy. But like the Deputy, she was fooled by their mock argument. If that part of our defense plan had gone wrong worse than it did, members of our security force might have been seriously injured or killed during the attack.
“I am going to play copies of three video clips. The first depicts the attack on the Deputy Sherriff and the second is the attack on the Embassy grounds. The third video clip is an edited version of the second clip that depicts the action and arrest of each of the defendants. When each of the first two video clips ends, I will want you to tell the court if you directed your personnel to film these events and which portions of the attack you personally witnessed on that day.”
Before Matt projected the first video clip on the monitor, he warned the court that the images to be displayed during the second and third videos were very detailed depictions of people dying and being injured. He warned the TV viewers the images were not suitable for viewing by children and those who had a sensitive stomach, and that those who should not view these scenes should leave their viewing area before the second video was shown.
Matt projected the first video clip on the monitor and the clip and its audio clearly showed the Sherriff’s Deputy being attacked by Mister Reyes and Mister Rivera, and Tammy stunning the two men.
“Mister Hendricks, did you direct your personnel to film this event and did you observe the attack on the Deputy?”
“No, Sir, I did not. The video of the Deputy being attacked was obtained from our regular video monitoring effort, and I was not present at the time of the attack.”
Matt reminded everyone of the graphic nature of the video he was about to play. He then played the second video clip and it clearly showed a group of cars and motorcycles entering the Embassy grounds, the attackers firing their weapons at the Embassy’s staff, the motorcycles hitting the Embassy’s force field, us responding to their attack, us giving medical aid to the injured attackers, and us taking the attackers into custody.
“Mister Hendricks, did you direct your personnel to film this event and did you observe the attack on the Embassy?”
“Yes. I ordered the event filmed if the attack occurred, and gave advance directions as to what I wanted to be gathered as evidence by the people doing the filming. Specifically, I ordered the attack to be filmed to gather evidence showing the attackers activities until such time that all of the attackers had been disabled. I also ordered that the filming continue to document our response to the attack and the apprehension of each attacker to include a close up of the attacker’s face. During the attack, I stood on the front porch of my office’s portable and watched the attack take place. I remained there during the subsequent filming of most of the attackers being taken into custody. My duties required me to be elsewhere before all of the attackers were taken into custody. The film accurately reflects what I recall of the attack and my security guard’s subsequent actions.
“Mister Hendricks, are you aware of how the third video clip came into existence?”
“Yes, Sir. The Ambassador instructed you to prepare a clip that showed what each of the defendants did during the attack and their arrest.”
“Thank you, Mister Hendricks, you are excused but are subject to recall if needed.”
Matt’s next witness was Tammy Charles followed by a selection of the security guards who had participated in the defense of the Embassy and the arrest of the attackers. Misty was also called to describe the injuries suffered by the attackers, and the efforts her group made to provide care to the injured attackers.