The Trial - Fault

Their eyes were cold and disapproving, as if I was some filthy insect that had gotten loose. I stared right back at them, my jaw tense with frustration as I stood as tall as I could. I am smart and capable, and I refused give them a chance to think otherwise by cowering.

I locked eyes with a woman seated at the center of the council. With her long fair hair and upright posture she seemed almost regal. The intensity of her green eyes showed no fear and I could see the corner of her mouth twitch into a small smile that made me shudder. The smile vanished as soon as Geo spoke, "High Council, I ask-"

"You do not get to ask anything of this council, Geo of Novarca," the long haired woman said as her piercing gaze turned on him. "The council will ask you questions and you will answer them. Afterwards the council will decide your fate. But know this, the crime you have committed is serious, so I suggest you cooperate."

Geo looked as if he was going to protest, but he pressed his lips together and nodded. The long haired woman sighed in relief and turned to the council member on her right. "You may begin, Councilman Mevo," she nodded. Mevo looked quite different from everyone else I had seen thus far. His hair was a warm brown that matched the color of his eyes. His skin, while still fairer than mine, had a touch of melanin in it, and he was nearly a head shorter than the other council members. I wondered if he came from another pod or perhaps the Labyrinth.

A hologram appeared before Mevo, "On 04/14/12119 a scavenging ship came across some wreckage hidden within a cluster of asteroids on the fringe of Arca pod's domain. The scavenger collected the wreckage and brought it back to Central where it was promptly placed in isolation. At 06:23 that day Geo of Novarca was called in to inspect the contents. In his report he noted the metal of the wreckage had been stamped with the symbol of the Ark and a series of numbers that may indicate it was built in ancient times."

'Ancient times?' I thought, almost slightly offended until I remembered what was a few days for me is thousands of years for them. I am an ancient 27-year-old...well 10,027-year-old.

"Inside of the wreckage Geo discovered a pod of some sort containing a woman. At the time of the report it could not be determined whether or not she was alive," Mevo's eyes flickered over to me for a second before continuing. "Due to the unusual nature of the contents the report was submitted to the High Council immediately where it was decided that the wreckage should be jettisoned from the pod due to the high contamination risks. The jettison was ordered for 06:00 on 04/15/12119 and was successful. However, because the woman from the pod is now standing before us, we can assume someone moved her from isolation before the jettison."

Mevo looked at Geo with disappointment as Geo glanced away. "We checked the access logs from that isolation room and found no entries from the time of Geo's report and the jettison, Councilwoman Thana," Mevo said to the long haired woman. "Thank you, Councilman Mevo," Thana said calmly. "Did you take the pod from isolation?" she asked Geo directly.

"There is no record of me accessing the isolation room after the report had been made," Geo stated matter-of-factly. "Records can be tampered with," Thana retorted with the same tone. "I did not enter the room again, and I do not have a high enough access to tamper with such records." Thana's eyes narrowed as if she was piecing a puzzle together in her mind. Something must have clicked because her eyes widened for a split second before she regained her composure.

"Councilman Mevo, please continue," Thana said, a hint of frustration barely detectable in her voice. Mevo cleared his throat, "In the early hours on the 15th Geo sent in a notification to Central's lab stating that he was going to continue his research at Nova Station indefinitely. No reason was stated. Dock II's report from that morning shows Geo leaving Central at 05:13 in a commuter ship filled with lab equipment headed towards Nova. The next report was made on 08/28/12119 when an alien woman was rushed to Nova Station's medical ward. Dr. Aelina placed the woman in isolation after being unable to identify her origins. The High Council was made aware of the incident, leading us to this trial today."

Thana clasped her hands in front of her, "Seeing these reports, it is not looking good, Geo." "In no report does it prove that I took Flora from the isolation room or moved her to Nova Station," Geo argued. Thana gave out a tired sigh, "Enough. Your antics are well known in Arca, but this time you have put us all in serious risk. Her illness could spread throughout the pod leaving behind a metal shell floating through space as we waste away. We have seen it happen one too many times which is why we decided to jettison in the first place!" she snapped.

Geo flinched a little at the ferocity of her tone. "I understand the reasons why the decision was made, but I felt that the benefits outweighed the risks." "That decision was not yours to make!" Thana shouted in anger. Geo clenched his fist, "If we do not take risks we will be finished! Our crops are diseased, and if we do not find solutions soon we will die from starvation anyhow!" Geo turned towards me, "We need help," he said while looking into my eyes. He turned back to the council, "I thought if she really was an ancient she just might have the knowledge we need to survive."

The air was still and tense, it was almost suffocating. "Well, is she an ancient?" asked another councilman with a look of curious amusement on his face.

"Why don't you ask her yourself, Councilman Albin," Geo said gesturing to me. "She speaks Arcan?" Albin asked with a surprised smile. "Not exactly," Geo replied before turning back to Thana. "If I may, I'd like to call my sister, Marea, to the council."

Albin raised his eyebrows at Thana with a smile on his lips. "Very well," Thana agreed. Marea was ushered into the room alongside the council members. She stole a brief glance at Geo before handing Thana a small card and exiting the room. Thana placed the card into a small slot at her seat and dispersed the information to the other council members. The council sat still and quiet as various documents flashed before them, last of which was Geo's translation file.

Some of the council members faces had a shocked expression, others looked fearful, and only Albin had a look of joy. "Flora Hernandez," Thana said at last, breaking the silence, "who are you?"