Chapter 39

Amanda and Herrick waited alongside sub-Commander Locki, as well as several squads, as the prisoner transport arrived.

“This them all?” she enquired.

“Yes, Serenissimé, though the assault squad and infiltrator units are still checking the site,” Locki replied.

“AI, did the prisoners converse amongst themselves whilst en-route?”

“Only a few conversations amongst a woman and her apparent children, Serenissimé.”

“Have them given a room together, we are not barbarians after all,” Amanda requested.

“By your command, Serenissimé.”

The prisoners were quickly separated and the woman, to her surprise, was left with her children, though a man who tried to join them was given a warning neural pulse as he and the other group were led away to various holding cells the AI had constructed.

“Your children will be permitted to stay with you,” a female Trooper informed the woman. “You will however still be questioned as to who you are, where you are from and what you did.”

“I ... I understand,” she nodded, replying in Imperial basic.

“Good, follow me if you please,” the Trooper ordered and led them off to a secure family unit.

“Is this wise?” Herrick asked. “She may after all be the leader here.”

“Yes, she may,” Amanda replied. “However it’s also obvious who her man is and both can be questioned separately to see if their answers match.”

“Ah, well done,” Herrick nodded, looking pleased at Amanda’s thinking.

“You really ought to stop trying to get me to justify my decisions, Dad,” she commented.

“Can’t help it, lovely girl,” he chuckled. “You still have a lot to learn and prove.”

“Probably. Though in this, I do intend to get to the bottom of it and, if necessary, authorise executions.”

“You’ll need a Justice Table of some sort, or have to wait until they are taken to Vreekoos.”

“I’ve requested volunteers from the Governor of Trancik,” Amanda replied.

“You did? You kept that one hidden from me.”

“You might have said no.”

“True. But it’s done,” he replied with a slight smile. “Well done, my daughter.”

“As it is, I’d like to know where they were recruited from, they clearly understand Imperial basic, unlike most of the mercenaries.”

“Yes, ImpSec will begin the interrogations and keep you updated,” Herrick nodded.

“Thanks, Dad,” Amanda smiled.

“Planning to go full Imperial on them?” I asked when we were alone.

“If necessary, Dayyev,” she nodded. “Some may be unaware of what was happening, like the two children, but others will no doubt be complicit in this horrible crime.”

“Yes, though your Mum ought to be the one who should pass judgement, not you,” I replied thoughtfully.

“They’ll likely be transported back to Vreekoos where they can appeal to the High Table. That said, as I’m here, I can pass judgement on their actions and let them know just how seriously the Empire is going to take this.”

“As well as the Empire itself, once it learns what you’ve done,” I nodded.

“Yes, I expect to get some criticism over this, but it’s also part of my job.”

“I expect Herrick to OK it with your Mum, so it will be officially sanctioned at least.”

“True, though I think he approves,” she added with a smile.

“Just don’t make yourself ill over this.”

“I’ll try not to; after all, I learned a few lessons from Parros about dealing with stress.”

The following day a party of ten Bureaucrats and Nobles arrived from the system of Trancik, the nearest Imperial world to Rogoth. Amanda greeted them personally and was assured that they’d been brought up to date with the situation as well as being aware of the potential for a death sentence.

“A heavy responsibility,” Hertrucha Limme, the senior Noble present, stated to Amanda after the greetings and briefing.

“Indeed so, though the gravity and magnitude of the crimes committed here may leave me with little choice if they were involved in the experiments,” Amanda replied.

“Agreed, Serenissimé,” Limme nodded. “Rest assured we will judge accordingly and give our verdict without fear or favour.”

“Serenissimé,” the others murmured in agreement.

The group were then given a tour of the site, as well as of the recovering patients, to familiarise themselves with precisely what had been done. Most looked rather ill once it was over with, though still determined to do their duty. They were also amazed that nearly half of the Cures in the Empire were busy on the site, swiftly aiding the recovery of the worst cases. The interrogations carried on apace with the answers constantly being cross-referenced from one prisoner to the other, with the AIs letting the interrogators know when they were being lied to. Finally though, Herrick informed our group that a trial could begin.

“So, they are Arconians by Realm?” I enquired of Herrick once he’d briefed Amanda.

“Yes, Dayyev, which does mean that the Arconian government, such as it is, will not give us issues over trying their people.”

“Government?” Torric enquired as the Arconian Protectorate didn’t really have one as it was basically run by a criminal society of gangs. It was constantly in a state of flux as one group gained ascendancy and were promptly pulled down by the others.

“They have a ruling body, even if it does change frequently. They mostly look after the Spire and ensure it remains neutral territory in order to conduct business.”

“Ah, in short they’ll cut their losses and claim these ... people were working independently, or their ‘gang’ is no more?”

“Pretty much it, yes. It’s what they do to any of their people working outside the Protectorate who get caught doing something illegal,” Herrick shrugged. “We’ll try to make enquiries, naturally, but unless you have connections or know who to ask, it’s difficult to find out about anything going on with their planets.”

“No matter their crimes, it’s not enough to justify an invasion,” Amanda added.

“Sadly no. Plus there are any number of Realms who would not take kindly to us doing so,” Herrick agreed.

“Not even with this dispute the Gershonians have going on with them?” Haelee asked.

“Technically the Gershonians only have an issue with the Diadem Republic, not the Arconians, despite pretty much everyone knowing who actually instigated the raids,” Amanda explained. “The Empire also has a reputation for not picking fights with smaller Realms without a casus belli.”

“And Rogoth ... isn’t?”

“Legally speaking it’s not an Imperial world, was not under Arconian rule and therefore not covered by the various protocols amongst the other starfaring Realms that we abide by.”

“I see,” Haelee nodded sadly.

“We’ll definitely punish those we can. But unless we can find documentation that an actual Realm authorised it, there’s little else we can do,” Herrick commiserated.

“Do the Arconians know who supplied the equipment?” I asked.

“Their Association did, though none of them know who contracted their Association.”

“How convenient,” I sighed.

“We will keep investigating, but this group, whoever they are, are keeping well in the shadows.”

The trials of the various administrators, scientists and guards were swift as guilt had already been attributed by the AIs and the trial as such was merely an opportunity for the defendants to plead their case and request leniency or mercy from the human participants. Evidence was presented, questions asked, though it mostly resembled an enquiry not an argument over relative positions. The AIs would interject if someone lied and naturally the defendant could remain silent, however that was of no real help to them as records existed of their activities on the various sites they’d worked. Nor, in this case, were there people to cross examine, the records were clear and a guilty charge given in every case. There were a few who had merely travelled with their family and were not fully aware of what was going on, but they were not placed before the Judgement Table, though were permitted to watch the proceedings, if they so desired. Mostly they didn’t, except for the cases of their partners, and many looked totally shocked as the incriminating evidence was produced.

Over all this Amanda sat on a raised chair with her Royal diadem on her head and would hand out the sentence once the Table gave judgement. Invariably the sentence was death for the scientists, enslavement for the administrators and mercenaries. Nor did those sitting in judgement accept any pleas of ‘just following orders’ as it was clear from the various AI recordings that the scientists, administrators and guards had behaved callously towards their captives. They had been indifferent to their pleas for mercy when immobilising them and introducing the various genetic cues to make their victims’ biological systems produce the drugs that were desired.

I also knew this was taking a toll on Amanda, as did Herrick, though through it all she sat stoically and simply passed a sentence in all cases. It was only afterwards that she accepted hugs and comfort and shed tears at the tales and evidence the AIs had presented as well as the abuse hurled at her occasionally by a sentenced prisoner.

“Well done, my love,” Herrick finally said after the last sentencing. “Your Mum will be proud of you.”

“It needed doing, but I hated it,” Amanda sighed. “What some of them did was utterly evil, yet I still cringed inside when I condemned them to death.”

“Well, other than a final goodbye to their family if they were with them, they will be transported to Vreekoos for any appeals and completion of their sentence,” Herrick nodded. “Justice is swift and sure in the Empire and this was a horrendous crime and a necessary warning to those who were behind it of what they can expect when we catch them.”

“I know. I just wish it hadn’t been me doing it.”

“You wouldn’t be the woman I love if you did want to,” I added.

“Thank you, Dad, Dayyev,” Amanda replied. “I just hope we never find anything like this ever again.”

“Hopefully not, but I’m pretty sure those involved will not give up,” Herrick replied as he hugged her.

“No, I doubt they will.”

The meeting had been hurriedly called by Senior Technocrat Noll to discuss where the group would go next after the transmission of the trials of those on Rogoth and the reaction of the public. Normally the people on Vreekoos were somewhat indifferent to off-planet activities and crimes, though in this case, it was clear from AI polling that they were incensed by what had been done to the people of Rogoth, particularly when they learned that someone or a group in the Empire were likely to have been behind it.

“So, you’ve seen the polls. Whilst there are no traces to us, it would be folly to immediately pursue such a path again.” Noll summarised his thoughts on the matter.

“If there are no traces back to us, why would it bother you?” Lendmena Trask replied almost indifferently.

“The Carvalli Mercenaries will hope to buy off the enslavement of their troops, they could reveal who the bond agent for the contract is and ImpSec may take a close look,” Noll replied.

“Ah, though again the bond agent was contacted anonymously by the Crittek Group on Arconia to protect their scientists as well as seize Rogoth. I am fairly sure they do not know who we are,” Meritocrat Vollt shrugged.

“Nevertheless, caution is called for,” Noll insisted.

“The ethos of the Protectorate is that they never reveal their employers,” Tallica Vrice pointed out.