Titan's Plague: The Trial, Tom Briggs [free ebook reader .TXT] 📗

* * *

Pati arrived at Nancy’s office early Friday to review what she planned to do in the JJ hearing later that morning. Pati sat opposite of Nancy, waiting on her to finish.

“Okay, Pati, here’s the data I’m putting into the JJ this morning,” Nancy said. A video screen emerged from her desk and rotated into Pati’s field of vision. Pati read through bullet points that summarized what Nancy would upload to the JJ. It documented that Bruno attacked Pati with intent to kill, and Pati did not know why. The twins shut off life support to the bridge, and blocked any means of escape. She was forced to pull the plug because her life support was failing.

“What do you think?”

Pati continued to stare at the screen. “I’m still not comfortable leaving out the part of the apparition.”

Nancy sighed. “It wouldn’t be a good idea to include it.”

“It’s the truth.”

“We’ve no evidence to back it up.”

“We’ve little evidence to back up anything I said.”

“Then let me put it this way.” Nancy put on the deadly serious look Pati had learned to pay attention to. “Everything we have in your statement is plausible. We said Bruno attacked you and tried to kill you for no reason you know of. His documented history makes that possible. The twins, the same logic applies. This apparition you speak of, there is no documented, verifiable, instances of that happening, anywhere, ever. Because of that, the JJ will give next to no weight to the assertion. And worse of all, because there is no situation the JJ will relate it to, the JJ will lessen the weight of the rest of your statement. True or not, without some evidence from a separate, reliable source that corresponds with what you assert, you’re better off not bringing it up.” She leaned back in her chair, apparently waiting for Pati to respond.

“I’ve been through everything that happened a thousand times in my head. And, I am absolutely sure of what I saw. Could we even consider the big picture, that I have been contacted by an alien race, one that apparently can take over a human? While I’m very concerned about what happens at my trial, I also want to know what humanity wants to do about my meeting with an extraterrestrial.”

Nancy did not move a muscle. Her face changed not in the least.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” Pati asked.

Nancy leaned forward. “Pati, I can believe something happened that leads you to believe you met a ghost or an apparition. But from a legal standpoint, none of that matters. We’re here today, right now, to make sure the state doesn’t send you back to Earth on a thirty-year trip. I believe you do not deserve that, nor most of the lesser punishments, either. Please, follow me in this. I’ve been here before and I know what needs to be done. You have a good case, and we only need to stick to our guns so you can walk away free. After that, you can work on the possibility that you interacted with an extraterrestrial. That's an alternative you won’t have if you’re on a mining ship.” She sat back again. “Or a long trip back to Earth.”

Pati got the feeling of being a little girl chastised by an adult. But Nancy was absolutely right. She’d worked her butt off to keep Pati from spending a good part of her life in the state's custody. Now, her client wants to bring up what would be important to humanity based on a memory no living human has had. Pati would not deny she saw something that looked like a ghost and claimed to be Richard. For now, she’d have to keep it to herself. If there were to be a meeting between humanity and extraterrestrials, that was for other people to worry about. “I see your point,” Pati said. “Just keep that information to myself?”

“Until the trial is over, definitely.”

“All right. What else do we need to do now?”

“What do you think of the data I’m uploading to the JJ? That was my original question.”

Pati thought about what she read. The statement didn't exactly portray how she remembered living it. At the same time, nothing in the statement was wrong. “It’s good,” Pati said.

Nancy nodded. “Fine, Jack Reagan is still hot and heavy on this case, and I want to keep on the offensive. After the last ruling, he’s not in a good position, and if we can get a better ruling this time, I think he’ll start to crack.”

Pati nodded her head, too. Her only concern was, from what she’d seen of that Jack Reagan, another setback wouldn't scare him.

* * *

“Counselor, can I speak with you and your client now?” Jack Reagan asked Nancy. They were in the courtroom, and the JJ just returned a “29” ruling.

“Sure, let’s go,” Nancy said. She got up and followed Jack Reagan through a door next to the JJ display screen. Pati followed her and emerged into a hallway with a windowed conference room on the left. Jack Reagan walked to the door and opened the lever handle. He let Nancy and Pati walk through. Nancy took a seat next to the head spot, and Pati sat next to her.

Jack Reagan closed the door and took a seat across from them. He put his tablet and a stylus on the table. “I think we need to reach a settlement,” he said to Nancy.

Nancy folded her arms. “Well, I can’t say I agree,” she said.

“And why is that?” Jack said.

“A score of 29, and you think we should settle. You seem to believe that in the next two hearings, that score won’t go any lower.”

“That’s not the point,” he said. “I have many cases that I can put more of the state’s resources toward if we finish this today. I will concede that Ms. Lynch may have acted in self-defense and we may never know for sure what happened. Without that certainty, however, I’m still in a situation where people have been murdered, and there must be some restitution to the state. Because the murdered were convicted criminals themselves does not mean I can ignore their fate when choosing a sentence for the perpetrator.”

Nancy stood up and motioned for Pati to come with her. “If that’s the case, then I don’t see why we’re here right now.” She led Pati around the table and toward the door.

“Counselor, please sit down. I don’t plan on wasting anyone’s time,” he said.

Nancy stopped but did not sit down. “Okay, what’s the offer, then?”

Jack Reagan took a breath. “Six months on a mining ship, with at least twelve weekends of leave, spread out over the months.”

“Six months!” Nancy spat. “Did I miss something? Or did you not read the JJ score? There’s a reason that score went down, and it’s because all the evidence that has been discovered since then has supported my client’s testimony. And I have every expectation that trend will continue.” She nudged Pati to take her seat again and then did the same. She looked back at Jack Reagan. “Unless there’s information you’re not supplying.”

He seemed to think for a moment. “No, not as far as the case is concerned, although the engineers are still working on the records.”

“Then what’s the information that doesn’t concern the case?”

A look of surprise crossed his face. “It concerns your client. May I first ask a question of her before I reveal this information?”

“You can ask. I won’t guarantee an answer,” Nancy said.

“Fine, Ms. Lynch, have you completed your travel plans back to Earth?”

“Of course not, I’m waiting to see what happens with the trial.”

“Then did you plan on taking the two-year cruise? And I only ask because most people choose that and not because I have inside information on your plans.”

“Well, that’s the primary choice since I won’t be in debt when I return, and I can work to pay for most of my passage.”

“Then, Nancy, have you discussed with your client any progress Mr. Chevelde has made in negotiating with the McLears?”

“No, I asked him to only report to us if he needed Ms. Lynch’s involvement. I wanted us to focus fully on dealing with you.”

“Okay, may I state what I’ve heard on good authority.”

“Does it pertain to this case?” Nancy said.

“It pertains to Ms. Lynch’s situation.”

“Go ahead, I’ll stop you if I need to.”

He looked at Pati. “It seems Kerry McLear is willing to provide a significant sum if you renounce any claims to your ex-husband's assets. With that money, you can travel back to Earth on whichever ship you choose and cost would not be a consideration.”

Pati knew that would be a possibility. To hear it from another person, especially an officer of the court, launched an enthusiasm rocket within her. She wanted to dance; she