DA Miren was taken aback by Marcus's answer, and so were a few others in the courtroom.
In her wildest imagination, she didn't expect to hear the defendant make such a statement in the way he did.
What is he saying!? We didn't discuss this, damn it! Isaac began to sweat.
"So you admit to killing a civilian under explicit protection per Article 7 of the Public Safeguard Pact?" A brow arched as she questioned.
"Objection, Your Honor. Narration."
Isaac Trent rose from his seat this time as he voiced out.
"Overruled, the question is appropriate."
Before now, Isaac's fingers had been drumming the wood beside him—a quiet tick he hadn't shaken since Law School.
With his objection being overruled, he adjusted his tie—not for the first time today—and glanced at the Jury.
No tells, no nods, just a few angry faces and blank stares watching a trial that felt like they already knew its ending.
Squaring his shoulders up he took his seat. Border-born or not, my client deserves a defense attorney who doesn't flinch easily. Even though the case is sketchy.
Taking a glance at the palanquin, Marcus couldn't help but feel that the person within didn't care much about this case. Though it was hard to discern any emotional inflections from the voice, nor could the gender be discerned, he still felt this way.
"If you had checked my body cam-" He started only to pause. Marcus was certain that his body cam had either been destroyed and replaced with a doctored one, or ignored completely, alongside other evidence that could prove useful to him. Either way, it was the start of a setup.
"No, I shot at her, but at the same time, I was shooting at an intruder… one that looked just like her… there were two Ms. Susans that night." His brows furrowed.
From the beginning, he knew that his answer would paint him a certain way, but even after thinking of what to say, there was no appropriate answer better than the truth.
"Are you attempting to invoke Insanity Defense?" With a smirk, DA Miren thought she had Marcus figured out. His initial response of admitting to firing his gun at a civilian under protection seemed to make sense to her now.
"Objection," Isaac Trent intoned.
"Sustained… Has the prosecution accessed the defendant's psychological facilities?"
"No, Your Honor. The defendant has been active in the force for more than 5 years and his mental stability hasn't been questioned once as all officers are required to go through a compulsory mental check-up once every six months."
"Why do the officers have to go through a mental evaluation every six months?" The voice from the palanquin questioned.
"Because they go through a lot of stress that could more or less affect their mental health, Your Honor." DA Miren replied, wondering where the conversation was heading as she blinked profusely.
This was common knowledge.
"When was the last time the defendant's mental facilities were evaluated?"
"On record, it says that he was last checked five months ago, Your Honor." As though realizing where this was going, she continued immediately; "However, Your Honor, he hadn't shown signs of breakdown these past few months, so it's highly unlikely that his mind would have broken down in such a short period."
"DA Miren, is there a study that shows that all mental breakdowns happen over time? Is it proven that it can't happen in a few minutes?"
"No, I was just making a statement based on an objective observation. Your Honor, in Mr. Marcus's case-"
"Meaning that it is possible that the defendant's mental health broke down recently."
"Your Honor!"
A few officers in the court called out, as they too could see how the judge wanted to handle the case.
Marcus remained silent as his eyes shifted between the palanquin and the officers seated throughout the courtroom. Having joined the Empire's military at a young age, he was no stranger to how things were truly run behind closed doors.
In this room, nearly everyone could be considered royalty, everyone except himself, Isaac Trent, and the prosecutor. Though the three of them were officers under the jurisdiction of the military.
The rest belonged to prominent families that had long waged quiet wars of influence amongst themselves, constantly vying to outmaneuver one another. Some of them sought to bring their rivals down, and others focused on expanding their own authority. Most did both.
'These silver spoons are all acting suspiciously.'
And indeed it was very suspicious.
All he had to do was to speak the truth, and the truth had set everything off. The very absurdity of his testimony sparked its own chain reaction.
Now from behind the curtains of the palanquin, the judge seemed almost eager to find a loophole for him.
Marcus had attended trials, not as a defendant, but rather as a guard, jury, or witness—none of them were carried out this way.
Bringing Marcus to the court was a little more than a formality—an act to appease protocols, as this was a Military Court. A few Officers present wanted the court procedure to incite chaos amongst their peers, however, their convictions all withered in the presence of the Judge.
The more Marcus listened to them speak, the more certain he was that he was being used as a pawn in a bigger game. The thought alone stirred his fury, yet, not a trace of it showed on his face.
"Your Honor, filth like this doesn't deserve the courtesy of being called human. And if you choose to treat him otherwise, then perhaps it's not just the accused who's betraying the Empire." Sir Besimount intoned.
"Besimount Bale, not another word from you." The Judge uttered and the murmurings in the courtroom died down immediately, as though they were all wary of the individual within the palanquin.
Some even looked at Sir Besimount, shocked by the statement he made. Though they could understand why he was furious, nevertheless, to utter such words at the judge…
The silence continued for a minute before being broken by a sigh from the judge.
"We can all see that there's something else at play here, however, the perpetrators had to go and make this a big deal. And now the Imperial Palace wants it resolved… and you all know what that means.
"Protocols have been followed, so let's cease the pretense here. Officer Marcus Black." The Judge called out to the wide-eyed Marcus.
Though he had already realized what was happening, he didn't expect that the Judge would out rightly call out everyone's bullshit.
"Your Honor?"
"You've served the Empire well, and your record speaks for itself—even at just twenty-four. I would argue that you're already amongst the few with the potential to rise into the Empire's higher ranks, a prodigy. But a pity, despite the initial difficulties in achieving that, this case being on your record would make it even harder for you to accomplish.
"Ordinarily, I would dismiss you from the force and pass sentence. But this is my courtroom. And since the factors and evidence have already been tampered with, condemning you to death or solitary confinement would only serve the agenda of those pulling the strings behind the scenes.
So here's what we'll do instead: I'm giving you two choices. Whichever you choose—that's the fate you'll receive."
Upon hearing this, Marcus's forehead knitted.