The Mech Touch

Though Ves wanted to rush the trial as fast as possible, he did not want to turn it into a forgettable moment.

He wanted to sear this solemn occasion into the minds of his clansmen, especially the recent recruits who might hold thoughts that were just as deviant!

This was why he cut this public portion short. There was no need for him to expound on what Dr. Redmont had done and he did not want to give the accused a podium to present his twisted logic.

Rather than waste the attention span of his clansmen on irrelevant speeches and protocol, Ves decided to just get to the point straight away.

He turned to the pair of expert pilots that had remained still up until now. When Ves nodded in their direction, the expert pilots stepped to the center, thereby drawing everyone's attention to the best mech pilots in their midst.

This time, the field had turned so silent that Ves could clearly hear Lucky's tail tapping against the surface of the podium.

"Behave."

"Meow!"

Though Lucky didn't think much of expert pilots, the rest of the crowd thought differently. Hero worship of expert pilots was a universal phenomenon in human space.

It didn't matter if the LRA embraced biomechs instead of regular mechs. Its citizens still looked up to their version of expert pilots with just as much enthusiasm!

Venerable Tusa no longer looked as casual and at ease as his usual self. His internal turmoil along with the need to preside over this serious case caused him to exude a grave demeanor.

The clansmen who looked up to him, both figuratively and literally, started to turn grave as well. The air became heavier as everyone figured out that Venerable Tusa didn't have anything good to say today.

"I find myself in a position that I never wanted to occupy." Tusa began to say. "Since the founding of our clan, no one had ever acted this far out of line. When I advanced to my current rank, the patriarch told me that one of my new responsibilities was to preside as a judge over serious crimes. To be honest, I scratched my head when I initially tried to wrap my head around this requirement. Why me? Why not leave these complex legal issues to the lawyers and the judges with fancy legal degrees?"

That was a good question. While the Larkinsons definitely hired a small body of lawyers and judges, they were not here right now.

"It's only now that I think I got the gist of it. As much as I hope that every Larkinson would try to behave, crime is a human condition. Everyone is different, and that is something that should be celebrated, but not every deviation is good. When an individual such as Dr. Redmont comes along, I cannot stand by when I have the capability to step forward and help our clan in my own way."

Venerable Tusa turned his robed and armored body around and stepped closer to the suspect.

The biomech designer was still muted, so the only way he could show his apprehension was by changing his expression.

"Nigel Redmont." Tusa spoke in an intense voice as his gaze pinned the accused into place. "I have already heard what you did and how you justified your actions. Do you still believe you acted in the best interests of the Larkinson Clan? Do you still cling to the notion that you have made us all stronger and better by getting rid of some of our biomechs?"

Venerable Tusa frowned deeper. "Have you ever asked your superiors or our patriarch whether you should destroy our mechs? Have you ever approached the designated mech pilots of those biomechs and inquired whether they would like it if you deprived them of their ability to defend our clan? HAVE YOU EVER ASKED THE THOUSANDS OF DEFENSELESS LARKINSONS IN OUR MIDST WHETHER THEY THINK IT'S FINE IF YOU STRIP THEM OF SOME OF THEIR DEFENSES?!"

This was the first time that Ves saw his cousin becoming so emotional! The doubts swelling in the expert pilot's mind acc.u.mulated to such an extent that he felt the need to vent his frustrations!

"You didn't, obviously." Tusa guessed. "You asked no one because you knew they would have different thoughts. Why else did you keep your intentions secret? The fact that you made sure to keep your plan under wraps until it was too late is proof that a part of you recognizes that what you have done is wrong. Am I correct? Do you feel guilty, Dr. Redmont?!"

The muted prisoner frantically shook his head. Whatever he felt in his heart, it was clear that he did not want his actions to be interpreted in a negative light!

Venerable Tusa looked disappointed. "You are no different from the people who are terrorizing the populace outside. You share the same sins as those who have embraced the chaos and pursued their hedonistic d.e.s.i.r.es over the welfare of others."

The expert pilot grew emotional. "Just like every other Larkinson, we entrusted you with freedom and responsibility. We only ask that you do your job, uphold the expectations of our clan and care for your fellow clansmen. You did none of that, Dr. Redmont. You did not make use of the freedom that we have granted you. You misused it. You trod on the freedom and safety of many other clansmen with your act of sabotage. You acted SELFISHLY!"

He spat out that last word with such vehemence that his force of will pulsed aggressively at Dr. Redmont! The traitor winced from the tirade!

"The choices you have and the freedom you enjoy in our clan does not mean you are allowed to impose your strange views on others. How would you like it if someone thinks you're better off dead? According to your logic, any Larkinson should be able to shoot you in the head, just because you don't think that infringing on other people's rights is wrong! DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW WRONG THAT SOUNDS?!"

Venerable Tusa brutally exposed Dr. Redmont's selfishness. By stripping the subject of his righteous veneer, the impressive mech pilot of the Piranha Prime removed any sympathy that anyone might harbor.

Not only that, Tusa also voiced his disapproval of others who might hold similar intentions. This served as a powerful deterrent to those who also thought about acting behind everyone's backs!

"My opinion on this case is already set." He spoke with a tone of finality while turning around and walking back. "Dr. Nigel Redmont-Larkinson is guilty of high treason. Only an enemy of the Larkinson Clan would go as far as unilaterally destroying a significant amount of working mechs in the middle of a warzone. Although the word 'Larkinson' is attached to his name, he is no kin of mine. He is the enemy, and should be treated as such."

With those harsh words, Venerable Tusa finished his piece.

If it wasn't unseemly for him to do so, Ves would have clapped. Tusa did brilliantly! Even if he was not a trained or experienced public speaker, expert pilots were always good at expressing their will.

Venerable Jannzi's turn came next. She moved to the center and occupied the same spot that Tusa had just vacated.

She directed a stern glance at Dr. Redmont.

"My cousin Tusa has already asked some of the questions that I intended to bring up. I still wish to follow up on some matters, though. Let me begin with this. Did you ever consider bringing your proposal to your boss or fellow workers in order to gain their support?"

Dr. Redmont reluctantly shook his head. Obviously, the clan had already ascertained that he had never shared his plan to anyone.

Venerable Jannzi's disapproval increased. "Do you think that our Larkinson Clan is an organization without rules? We have an entire body of laws. Just like the Life Research Association and any other state, we formulated rules and codified them into laws because their absence permits behavior that endangers our clansmen! While I can not recite any specific clan laws that pertain to this current case, I am certain that there are some in place that prohibits what you have done. Destroying any biomechs without possessing the necessary permission or authority is a crime in the LRA! What makes you think our clan is any different?"

Dr. Redmont urgently wanted to speak, but not a single sound escaped from his strained throat.

She shook her head. "You are an intelligent man. You wouldn't have graduated with one of the most difficult degrees that people can obtain in the LRA. Yet for all of your intelligence, you knew that our rules forbid you from arbitrarily destroying our defensive weapons, but you did so anyway! Our clan is not a dictatorship, Dr. Redmont. If you truly think it is right for us to get rid of our biomechs, then convince us! You should have followed our legal pathways to push your views. If you are truly right, then you will have no problem attracting enough support! If you fail to convince enough Larkinsons to go along with your plan, then perhaps the problem does not lie with the clan, but you! Have you ever considered this possibility?!"

The doomed suspect shook his head. It would have been worse if Dr. Redmont nodded. That would have indicated that he definitely knew that there was a more proper method to 'purify' the biomechs in the hands of the Larkinsons, but rejected it in favor of an illegal solution!

"No one in our clan can agree on everything." Venerable Jannzi lectured, more to the audience than the suspect she was judging. "I do not entirely approve of how our patriarch runs our clan, for example. Does that mean that I should ignore his authority and impose my own views on you? No! The rules exist for a reason. No one is allowed to act arbitrarily, especially not when it affects other Larkinsons. Our laws are meant to protect us from each other. While acting within their confines does not always mean you get your way, everyone can at least feel reassured that they are protected!"

She was harping quite a lot about rules and laws. Ves became more intrigued as he listened. He gained a greater insight into her mentality. That would doubtlessly be very helpful the next time he got into another argument with the stubborn expert pilot!

"This case is simple to me. Nigel Redmont broke our laws. His actions, which he undertook without even bothering to gather support, led to real material damage to our clan in a situation where we can least afford it. Any motivation or justification is not that relevant to me. What I care about are concrete actions and concrete results. Since Dr. Redmont has deliberately rejected every legal or permissible avenue to implement his idea, he cannot even claim ignorance that his intentions are wrong. He is representative of the worst kind of evil, the unrepentant devil who believes he is right when the rest of the galaxy thinks he is wrong!"

Ves eagerly nodded his head. What a good speech! Venerable Jannzi did not do any worse than Venerable Tusa. The audience fully accepted her clear and simple reasoning!

Jannzi pinned Dr. Redmont with one last glare.

"Although I do not feel worthy to pass judgement on fellow clansmen, the harm you have done to us is so great that I feel no remorse in deciding upon your fate. My opinion is that Dr. Redmont is guilty of high treason, and other crimes. You are a threat to your fellow Larkinsons. While I am not a fan of retribution, I strongly believe that we must set an example in order to make it clear that breaking our laws is not permissible! As far as I am concerned, anyone who has gone far enough to commit treason does not deserve a second chance!"

The expert pilots had spoken!