Dead Star Dockyards

Justice Kurpask sighed as he walked into the courtroom. The door to the justice's seat was obscured from the view of both the parties at odds and the crowd gathered to make a decision, so this wouldn't hurt his image. He wouldn't mind if they did see him sigh like that, they just couldn't right now. Kurpask was tired, incredibly so, and could not be bothered to maintain the image of a composed arbiter of neutrality. 

Recently there had been efforts to restructure the Sanctum's justice system. All things considered it was a small adjustment, yet it was annoying and required a laundry list of menial tasks like filling out paperwork and going through the exam again. This effort to organize the law under the Librarian's oversight wasn't without reason, the Arboreal Maiden of all people had uncovered a corrupt individual among the highest ranking officials. This was a necessary action if the Sanctum wanted to maintain its, neutral image, and he knew this better than anyone else.

In fact he viewed this whole restructuring to be partly his fault.

It wasn't that Kurpask viewed himself as a problem for not being sufficiently vigilant for those individuals. Well, he did a little bit - that was a problem everybody shared, he just viewed himself as more of a direct problem. Kurpask was the magistrate in charge of the case that started this whole shit-show, his unwillingness to assert himself over the courtroom leading to the disaster that the Arboreal Maiden herself had to fix. 

He felt great shame over that stain on his reputation. His colleagues were likely to prod him over it until the day he died, but at least he had come out of it a better justice. Kurpask took the Arboreal Maiden's words to heart and had zealously practiced exercising control over the court. He had even managed to get promoted to a proper justice with the Librarian's blessing!

Now he was suffering from a mild case of deja vu, a depressing vision of the past that just took even more out of him. He had faith in his ability to control a courtroom regardless of his energy, but word had reached him from the guards that one of these parties had the potential to be incredibly difficult to deal with. There were no specifics beyond his room guard asking for the rest of the day off and leave to spend time with his pregnant wife after he was escorted to the courtroom, apparently appearing quite afraid of something. The Enforcer's arrest report also mentioned that he felt like he was on the back foot despite theoretically having him in his custody. 

Neither the rumor nor the report mentioned anything about violent behavior or direct threats, so he really didn't know what to make of it. As far as he could tell, it could just be an insane coincidence that a paranoid Enforcer and a guard worried to death about his wife's first pregnancy happened to handle the same person, but he couldn't rule out the possibility that this guy would be a problem. Kurpask would probably have to prepare himself for a verbal spar.

"Everybody take your seats so we can get this case going as smoothly as possible." Kurpask gave those few individuals who were standing up to stave off the pain of sitting for an extended period of time the leeway to make themselves presentable while he surveyed the room. The jury, always the first party up for inspection, seemed to be relatively average as far as he was concerned. As always, they would not know the specifics of the case they were being asked to make a decision on upon entry. "Alright, I think that's enough time for everyone to have gotten settled. Tonight's case is with regards to the allegation of attempted murder that the prosecutor, one . . . Rishtahn?"

It was common practice for the justice to have the proper understanding of both party's names and titles before ascending to his seat, however the rushed nature of this hearing meant that he only had the Enforcers' best attempts at Sanctum-script to work with. 

"Future Minister of the Bulsarzian Empire, Rishtahn. That is correct your honor." The man who spoke was very clearly in a pained state. His arm stuck straight at his side, wrapped tightly in silk cloth to a wooden splint. The face wasn't faring much better, the black and blue blotches on his face formed a neat curve from his chin, to his left cheek, to his nose, which was looking quite deformed at the moment. The damage to his person certainly seemed to match the severity of his accusation, those were not the injuries of someone caught in a bar fight.

"I see. For the purposes of simplicity, may I refer to you as Lord Rishtahn for the duration of this hearing?"

"I consent to such an accommodation. I would prefer justice be carried out as swiftly as possible." Kurpask kept himself from expressing disgust at this behavior. Just because he said 'justice' like that he was forced to take certain precautions.

"Well, Lord Rishtahn, the matter of justice is what we are here to determine. I take it your Sanctum Representative will be speaking on your behalf for most of this case, is that correct?"

"That is indeed the case, your honor." A slightly older gentleman dressed in white robes stood up at the front of the small stone platform they were on. 

"Hm. Very well. As is usually the case, I will refer to you by the name of the person you represent. Do you have any objections?"

"That arrangement suits me, your honor." The gentleman bowed. Sanctum representatives were usually retired justices or magistrates familiar with the law but unable to keep up with the work of a full time judge. Their purpose was to represent their clients' positions armed with knowledge of the law and proper courtroom procedures, as well as keep tensions from rising between the two parties. It was entirely possible to forgo employing one of course, but it was an odd thing to do. 

"The defendant of this trial stands accused of attempting to murder Lord Rishtahn. My apologies, but the precise writing for your name is not within my understanding of the Script. Would you please identify yourself for both myself and the jury?"

"Donovan Strauss." In stark contrast to Rishtahn, Donovan's body appeared untouched. He was sitting by himself, legs crossed in a chair as he maintained eye contact with Justice Kurpask, who was ignoring the cold tingle on the back of his neck.

"Donovan Strauss? Have I said that correctly?"

"That would be my name."

"Are there no ranks or statuses you wish to attach to your name?"

"Is it relevant to the outcome of the case?"

Kurpask raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Donovan while he thought of a proper response. ". . . I suppose not."

"Then they are not worth mentioning. Please continue."

"Very well." Kurpask suddenly understood just how much of a pain this guy could be. "For the purposes of simplicity, may I refer to you as Lord Strauss for the duration of this hearing?"

"If simplicity is your goal, I would assent to the shortest arrangement of my name, Don. If referring to me as such is too informal for this setting, you have my permission to refer to me as Donovan."

Kurpask had to be careful navigating this one. On one hand, it could be that Donovan was not worthy of or too prestigious for the title of Lord. On the other, it could be a cultural preference. 

"If it does not offend you in any way, may I refer to you as Lord Strauss to keep court proceedings to the standard kept by most other cases of this type?"

"If that is your preference then I have no right to stop you."

Alarm bells started blaring in Justice Kurpask's head. To someone on the outside of the Sanctum's Justice system, nothing Donovan said would have been suspicious. To someone inside of the Justice system, his lack of a desire to attach his status to his name would cock a few heads. To someone who was a Justice in said system and was familiar with the law, Donovan's last sentence would signal that caution needed to be taken regarding his case.

The keyword that set off the alarm was 'right', particularly that he had 'no right'. If, and this was a big if, Donovan had any familiar with the rights granted and denied to him during a trial, he could make proceeding to a decision incredibly difficult, a fact that the gentlemen representing Lord Rishtahn also seemed to be aware of.

"Lord Strauss it is then. Shall we begin with the specifics of the accusation? Lord Rishtahn, you may begin." Kurpask silently prayed that Donovan would keep it quiet for this part.

"Ah, very well. My client, Lord Rishtahn, was invited to a party hosted by the Crown Prince of the Bulsarzian Empire and Lord Rishtahn's future superior, Merndil Bulsa. It was-"

"That statement is incorrect. I invoke the defendant's right to correct the details of the case."

'Shit.' In an instant, Justice Kurpask knew that he was going to have to go through hell to get this case done. 

"You insolent cur! How dare you interrupt the retelling of your heinous misdeeds!"

"Because your retelling is faulty. It is the right of the defendant to have the specifics surrounding the case clarified in such a manner that facts are presented in a neutral manner. It is the right of the jury to not have their decision muddled by lies or misunderstandings set forth by the prosecutor be they borne of malicious intent or ignorance."

Donovan did not break eye contact with Justice Kurpask for even a moment during this assertion, which made the Justice start to sweat. As far as speech in Split went, this was the closest to a one to one recitation of those exact rights as could be performed. Donovan didn't just know about the rights granted to the parties of the court, he understood them. Kurpask was almost willing to label this case as inconclusive and tell everyone to go home from that alone.

Donovan was now revealed to be capable of making this courtroom a hellish prison for all involved. Only three people besides Donovan himself knew it, Justice Kurpask, the gentleman representing Rishtahn, and the Head Enforcer guarding the entrance to the room.

"What?!?! I have heard no such-!" Rishtahn seemed to have accidently flexed his arm, causing him pain. "I have heard of no such right!"

Donovan did not even spare Rishtahn the luxury of his peripheral vision, keeping his focus intently on Justice Kurpask. It was more than just a challenge, it was a threat. If he could recite the rights of the defendant and the jury to such a degree, then it stood to reason that he also knew the rights of the Justice. More importantly he would also know the degree to which the Justice was restrained. One wrong move and Kurpask could be deemed a biased justice and removed from his position as the one overseeing this case, meaning that everything leading up to that point would have to be done all over again. The worst part was that he could do nothing to stop this, he had to keep to the law as strictly as possible.

"He speaks the truth. The law states that in the case of a disagreement over the facts of the case, corrections are to be carried out as swiftly as possible. This may be through one party accepting the other's assertions as fact or through the introduction of a third party witness both parties agree to be capable of presenting the correct interpretation."

This was only the beginning of the troubles. Because the party presenting this information had to be mutually agreed upon as a neutral entity by both sides, it required a temporary adjourning of the case in order to secure this individual for the proceedings. If this happened enough times, the trial could potentially drag on for weeks. 

"W-what?!"

The gentleman besides Rishtahn bent to whisper in his ear. Whatever was expressed left him in shock, but he no longer raised any objections.

"Lord Rishtahn, I will ask you directly on the behalf of the Jury, are the specifics of the case different than what you have previously described?"

"Ah, um, yes. I suppose that would be correct. The Crown Prince funded the party, but it was held at the Barracks that houses him and his squad." Kurpask nodded. Even when he knew that the next few hours were going to be difficult, it helped when people were compliant.

"May I be permitted to clarify the exact relationship on the prosecution's behalf?" Technically this was not a right granted to Donovan, but given the fact that he would be able to interject until they approached something both parties agreed upon it may as well be.

"If it suits the prosecution." The gentleman besides Rishtahn nodded. "Then it will be permitted."

"Thank you, your honor. As Lord Rishtahn has stated, the funding for the party was indeed provided by Crown Prince Merndil. However besides a few essential features that the Prince could not allow to be excluded from a party held under his name, all of the organization and arrangements were chosen by my fiancé, Diana. Is this explanation acceptable to the prosecution."

"That is . . . an acceptable summary, yes."

"Then with the consent of the prosecutor, the details of the case are as stated. Lord Rishtahn, you may continue."

"As I was saying, it was during the later stages of the party after Lord Rishtahn had determined the fiancé of the defendant had acted beyond her station regarding her status compared to the Crown Prince. Following in his future duties as prime minister, he thought it prudent to inform her of her errors and warn her about the consequences of further interaction with the Crown Prince."

"That statement is misleading. I invoke the defendant's right to correct the details of the case." Donovan had yet to even look at the prosecution thus far.

Kurpask pinched the bridge of his nose. If Donovan was going to correct every other sentence of his accusers . . . "Go ahead."

"The prosecution has failed to mention the fact that he was, to a degree, drunk at this time. The wait staff on call reported that he consumed at least thirty glasses of a wine known for being particularly intoxicating when imbibed in large quantities."

"That is simply untrue! It is common knowledge that pure blooded Guayans such as myself are impervious to the effects of alcohol."

"Resistant, but not immune. Various cases of intoxication have been reported among those individuals with concentrated Guayan blood. If you had imbibed as much alcohol as is claimed, then it is not outside of the realm of possibility." A voice from above countered the assertion of Rishtahn. "Good afternoon Justice Kurpask."

"A-ah? Grand Elder Szirpty? What brings you here?"

"I received word that a potentially troublesome individual had been brought into our custody, and I wanted to see if I could glean any methods of improving our current system using his behavior as an example. I don't doubt your ability, but I recognize that some individuals may still be beyond your level of experience. If ever I feel you may be losing control of the room, I will intervene."

Kurpask wanted to sigh in relief. The Enforcers must have sent word for her once they realized Donovan promised to be trouble. Perhaps today wouldn't be as bad as he thought it would.