Judge Adelon sighed and tweaked his nervous system to dim an oncoming headache. “Will the accused please pay attention and respect this court?”
The defendant’s lawyer leaned over and adjusted the cardio regulators and neural monitors. “Apologies, your honor. As you can see, my client is not in full possession of his senses. It must be noted that this mental state is not recent. Mr. Brendon has long been neurologically unstable and the court should–”
“Objection,” the prosecutor said. “Mr. Brendon would have been identified as unstable in daily checkups and reports. No such discrepancies appeared on the archives.”
“It should also be noted that my client was not connected to the networks for at least three days before the incident.”
“That in and of itself is also a crime,” the prosecutor said. “As this court well knows.”
Judge Adelon held back a sigh and glanced around the courtroom once again, at the jurors and bailiffs and spectators. He wanted to rub his forehead but he had to keep professional and not indulge in mundane physical movements that suggested tiredness or tension. The trial streamed on all the major vid channels–it was a historic moment, after all.
In all his three hundred and seventy-two years in presiding over the Luna Criminal Justice Court, he’d never dealt with a case like this. And really, it was pointless to carry on the trial. He was just following protocol as he’d always done.
Mr. Brendon was clearly guilty: even his lawyer was having difficulty denying that. The only question was how to sentence him when there were no laws to dictate how to punish such an offense.
Judge Adelon silenced all the arguments with a sharp rap of his holo-gavel and regained the attention of the prosecutor and public defender. “I’ve heard enough. Does the accused have anything to say in his own defense?”
Mr. Brendon stared blankly ahead; the only movement was the artificial rise and fall of his chest. At least the surgeons had been tactful enough to patch up the back of his skull before he appeared in court.
The defendant leaned down to whisper in Mr. Brendon’s ear, but the accused still made no move to speak.
“Very well,” Judge Adelon said. “Mr. Brendon, for the crime of self-termination without permission of the State, you are found guilty.”
The accused still didn’t move. The neural monitors registered no brain activity.
Judge Adelon sighed. What the hell did he sentence a dead man to, anyway? The State-regulated life policy for all citizens had been undisputed for several hundred years. Everyone was content to live forever; it required no need for reproduction and citizens were more easily monitored and placed in niches. Perfect order and harmony.
Oh, petty crime occurred and was there the rare murder, but never suicide. He’d had to research far back into the archives to even find a word for the crime committed.
Judge Adelon cleared his throat, a tic left over from his younger days. “Mr. Brendon, your sentence is…” He forgot why he’d bothered speaking to the corpse, and turned to the bailiff. “Send him to the Luna Museum of Natural History and have him preserved with the case records. Case dismissed.”
Abby “Merc” Rustad believes everything is better with ninjas and zombies (or zombie ninjas), and enjoys writing speculative fiction in a variety of styles and varying levels of weirdness. She plans to take over the world someday so she’ll have time to write uninterrupted. Minions can handle the paperwork.
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19 Responses to “BENCH TRIAL • by Abby “Merc” Rustad”
Comments
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September 2nd, 2008 at 2:10 am
Unfortunately, I was terribly distracted at the start by the use of defendant to mean the defendant’s lawyer.
I spent most of the piece presuming the man was defending himself and then I had to start over when it was made clear that he was dead.
I think you meant “the defense” rather than “the defendant”.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:24 am
The concept was good, and i suppose the story was alright. But this is a problem i have with a lot of sci-fi…word like “holo-gavel” I mean, why does it have to be holographic….what’s wrong with a normal one? wouldnt it be cheaper and probably louder?
But it think this is more of a generic fault in sci-fi rather than you personally.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:32 am
Holo-gavel is the sort of monstrosity you get when someone unfamiliar with the genre tries to write SF and wants to make sure we KNOW it’s SF. It’s not a genre fault it’s an abuse-of-the-genre fault.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:42 am
I think you’re confusing “defendant” with “defense attorney.” And possibly a few other things, but it’s too confusing to figure out.
Bonnie.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:44 am
Err…I am afraid I was put off by the use of the word Defendant for the Defender role. And I kind of agree about that holo-gavel. But hey chaps, lets not burn her at the stake! I liked the premise, just some of the details were a little sloppy.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:32 am
Yep, I’m afraid I have to echo the whole “defendant” issue above - sorry!
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:27 am
Thanks for the comments, everyone!
I’m sorry about the typo–I didn’t catch the “defendant” mistake when uploading (my bad). Again, terribly sorry about the sloppiness; no excuse for it, typos or not.
(Maybe the zombies stole my brain when I wasn’t looking.)
I appreciate everyone reading and commenting.
~Merc
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:58 am
Down with those zombies! Good concept.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:03 am
(My initial comment didn’t post, so I’ll try another whack at this. If it posts twice, my apologies.)
I thought this was atmospheric and entertaining. And, as others said, a clever concept.
I’m no sci-fi expert, so the glitches others pointed out didn’t detract from the story for me. Most likely, I would have made the same faux pas myself!
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:32 am
I’m not so sure why the scores are so low on this story; I really enjoyed it! Even if some of the details were sloppy, the overall concept was wonderful…a group of ‘immortal’ humans living on the moon - what a treat!
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:03 am
Interesting premise. Thanks for sharing!
The poor guy who killed himself… I would be curious to know what it was that sent him over the edge.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:13 am
I like the idea, too. Immortality is something we may one day have to face. I like the face you put on it.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:40 am
I liked the concept, Merc, and you get extra points for referencing ninjas AND zombies! (Just watch those body parts fly.) I don’t think sci-fi (or any other genre) should be held up as sacred, something for seasoned veterans only. Even Asimov had to start somewhere. And if any genre should be about striking out and taking a punt, trying something new - surely that genre is sci-fi? Good on you for giving it a go.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:47 am
Erin: “I would be curious to know what it was that sent him over the edge.” Lack of a lawyer, maybe?
Sarah: I don’t think anyone is against striking out. A commenter pointed out a fault of the story as a fault of the genre. That’s not the same thing as claiming beginners shouldn’t write sci fi…
Keep going Merc!
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:51 am
I edited that comment so that it no longer makes sense. May I try again?
I don’t think anyone is against striking out and taking a punt. A commenter pointed out a fault of the story as a fault of the genre. Defenders of the genre pointed out it’s a comment beginners mistake and not actually a standard sci fi issue. That’s not the same thing as claiming beginners shouldn’t write sci fi, at all!
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:01 am
Quite right, Sylvia, and thanks for sounding a note of sanity. The vast majority of comments here have been constructive and helpful. EDF has a great record of attracting readers who want to enourage and support writers (not least because so many of those readers ARE writers!) - long may that last.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Merc,
I really like the concept. The defendant thing threw me a bit, but I quickly picked up that it was a typo. The decision of the judge to cart the corpse off to a museum was good as well. There are no rules in sci-fi–it’s what makes it so fun. Every planet Star Trek visited with the Enterprise had breathable air–so c’mon, defenders of the genre–grow up! Immoratls on the moon–great premise–so, too, the story.
–dj
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
For the benefit of future readers, we have now corrected the “defendant” issue. Apologies.
September 4th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Oh, thank you, Camille, for fixing that.
Very much appreciated!