Manipulate (Book 1, Alien Cadets)

Chapter 23

“That is very interesting.”

Sam shook his head, small trickles of blood running down his arm and chest.

“I would consider that a confession.” Sam dropped back into his chair.

The Spo emperor had turned off his view screen, making himself invisible to them.

His voice emanated from a blank white screen. “Take him away until the conclusion of the trial. The Spo will remain the sponsors of Earth. In... true debt.”

Downy didn’t struggle as they carried him away, but gave Sam a ghastly grin.

 The Council was in noisy disorder, members standing and yelling at one another. Their screen went blank also.

Sam sighed. “Downy and the Rik… we didn’t see it.”

Greg nodded. “How would we? He hates the Rik. I didn’t realize he hated the humans more.”

Shara sat silently against the wall. Probably trying to blend in and disappear. When the screen flickered on, Tishing rose to his feet. Sam had almost forgotten him. He looked unruffled, amused.

“This theatrical discovery does not change the crux of the trial. The humans have no defense for the Hadron explosion or the millennia of violence preceding it.”

“Violence is not the issue,” Greg said. “Malignancy of animal form, which is not proved.”

“What does the witness have to say?” Tishing said, talking to Sam.

“I – ”

Someone knocked on the door.

Tishing frowned and jerked the door open. The captain of the space station, Sam had met him during his own trial, pushed past Tishing into the room. Gustav entered behind him, with Nat in his arms.

Sam surged to his feet. Nat’s face showed flecks of blood, like somebody hastily wiped her face clean. Her eyes had the droopy look of anesthesia. Her neck was limp and her eyes wobbled around the room, disoriented.

“Nat, look at me,” Sam said, “focus. Be here.” He held her limp hand as her eyes rolled past him.

“Hey,” she said finally focusing on the Rik prosecutor. “Tishing. What’s up?”

Tishing stepped back from her, grabbing for the door. Then he got a hold of himself and let go of the door.

“Nat, I’m not…you look – it makes no difference,” Tishing said. He visibly collected himself and turned to the Council. “These people have interrupted the trial.”

Sam held Nat’s hand as Gustav settled her into Sam’s chair. She smiled at him, making the dried blood around her nose crack. She really looked awful. He squeezed her hand.

The captain of the ship was speaking to Greg. Tishing tried to intervene, and Gustav shoved him away.

Greg turned to the Council view screen. The Council was calm again, watching the proceedings carefully. “The captain of this space station has new information about the Hadron explosion.”

“I have a video, from a Rik ship. It shows an atom digger bomb, of Rik signature, causing the Hadron explosion,” the captain said.

“Absolutely not!” Tishing exploded. “They have nothing.”

Nat smiled again. “They don’t yet, but Akemi has everything.”

Tishing glared at her, and the look Nat gave him made Sam flinch.

The captain connected their screen to the Rik ship, and Akemi (after a brief introduction) played the Hadron footage for them. The Council members watched on their personal screens, and the Spo emperor on his table.