My Day in Court

"How do you plead to the charge of treason Trezlan Lorentino?" The judge had on a ridiculous hat that was about a foot over his head annoucing his position of being a judge to anyone who obviously could not look to the center of a room and see of course he was the judge. I mean its insane has anyone ever been in court, looked to the raised podium in the center of the court and wondered who the judge was until they saw that stupid hat?  "Oh thank god he's wearing his hat, I would never have seen him TOWERING OVER US IN JUDGEMENT AS IF THATS HIS TITLE!" Anyways I'm getting lost on this entry.

"Ridiculous." I had been in prison for a week.  I was immediately arrested for treason upon my getting to the divide.  Apparently while I was gone it had come out that Hanlon was supplying the rebels with weaponry, and I as their only outward representative had been accused of treason for supplying an enemy (though the rebels of the Red Hand were not our enemy, well at least not yet).  I figured this was Kruze's fault, and I also figured Toneron had known they'd arrest me hence why Prince Davan went a different way home and I walked alone.

"You plead ridiculous?" The judge seemed taken back by remarks.  I was to his right, the "prosecution" (I put that in quotes because in this case it the prosecutor was a rep for a competing weapon manufacturer) was to his left.

"Yes I plead that this whole court trial and these charges are ridiculous." Prior to waking up in my cell that morning I had been wearing the remains of the clothes I had been taken into custody with, but that morning I had gotten a gift of a nice suit from Toneron with a simple note wishing me luck in my trial. Such was the overwhelming support from the owner of Hanlon weapon manufacturing.

"Mr. Lorentino please limit your remarks to the question you are asked." The judge sounded bored, but they always did (yes yes its sad I can say that about judges and not like be making an untrue statement, such is the nature of Trezlan Lorentino).

"I certainly will not! This whole trial and these charges are stupid.  This is Ronerawth the land of profit! Who are we to decide that selling weapons to rebels opposing an enemy force is now treason? IT WAS AND STILL IS PROFITABLE!" I was trying to get some fire going in this trial (the emotional kind not the actual kind I'd been shackled during my imprisonment and had no magical ability naturally), "Our competitors are just angry they didn't get a piece of the pie your honor! Indeed the man prosecuting me works with one of those competitors! This entire room is packed full of reps from other weapon manufacturers! So why am I here? Because we made money!" It was a lie, the rebels had paid us exactly nothing to the best of my knowledge, but Ronerawth had bought quite a lot of Hanlon products so we were making money to an extent.

"Is this true?" He was asking the prosecutor who stuttered a response and came up with nothing.

"Of course its true your honor! Have you ever heard of a more ridiculous charge? Treason for selling products? THATS WHAT THIS COUNTRY IS ABOUT! I was raised to believe that if you have a superior product and our willing to do what it takes than the government will not impose its will on your product! And thats what we did! And continue to do! AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO EVEN IF I'M CONVICTED!" I knew that last part because its not like Toneron had any factories to shut down (I mean in theory he did but I never saw them and no one else had either, it was a huge mystery where Hanlon weapons even come from).

"So you plead guilty then?" It seemed like the judge was not being swayed by my argument, but the room was, I heard a lot of muttering.

"Yes I plead guilty, guilty of making money like a true patriot of Ronerawth, guilty of working to defeat a long time enemy and get access to new customers and resources under a new regime. GUILTY OF DOING WHAT EVERYONE ELSE WISHES THEY COULD DO!" And with that I sat back down spent from my completely made up outrage I would be executed for selling product.  The murmur was taking over the court, a lot of those weapon reps were with me in the outrage department, because they knew they too could wind up in court for pretty much the same thing.

The judge yelled at the room to be in silence for his verdict (when you plead guilty the judge then gets to decide on the spot your punishment as opposed to waiting a day and doing it then in normal Ronerawth fashion). "Trezlan Lorentino in light of your guilty plea the Ronerawthian government hereby..."

"Wait!" An even more ridiculously hatted man stood up from the audience, he was a duke or something in the empire, I vaguely recalled his face from some function I had been forced to watch over petulant prince Davan at.

"Duke Rivaldi please do not interrupt the court." The judge meant it to be a simple rebuke, but from the look on Rivaldi's face it had not gone over well.

"Or you'll what future cleaner of my bathroom?" Rivaldi's rebuke was a little bit more directed.

"I'm sorry Duke, please address the court." Powerplay over the Duke won, the judge resumed his subserviance to royalty as was first and foremost in the Ronerawth system.

"Mr. Lorentino is correct, this court is a farce and we should be ashamed of our part in it. The empire will pardon him for his 'crime'."

"So ordered!" The judge bellowed out, despite of course having been effectively neutered in front of his court.  The court was in a roar of cheers when I was unlocked from my shackles and I have to say I walked out of their with a bit more of a spring in my step than when I'd been marched in.  Amongst everyone slapping me on the back the Duke approached with a small entourage of guards.

"Well fought Trezlan."

"Thank you my Lord."

"If I can have a moment of your time Mr. Lorentino, the empire would like to discuss the future of your corporation and the war you have been supplying." I felt one of the entourage lift my arm up in a more insistent gesture of "you will come with us."

"But of course my lord." And with that I went from one trial and on to the next, as is the nature of Ronerawth they are never done with you until you're dead, and even then I've heard of some people not even escaping that either!