San Damien and the Red Daggers
by Brian Yapko
In the year 2990 — some 500 years after Earth’s destruction — the Martian nation-state of Xanthe is rocked when terrorists destroy San Damien, an experimental dome in which Martian leaders hoped that the two human races — Trads and Numen — might coexist for the first time. One of the 713 victims of the attack happens to be the wife of Adrian Marlow, who is Xanthe’s premier prosecutor of terrorists.
Marlow’s investigation exposes a planet-wide conspiracy. It promotes fascism, commits genocide and sabotages terraforming, thus threatening to annihilate both Mars and humanity. What can Marlow do to avert catastrophe, and how can he survive long enough to do it?
Chapter 4: The Trial
M. PERSONAL NOTES ON SAN DAMIEN FILE BY ADRIAN MARLOW (PRIVATE LOG: PASSWORD PROTECTED) (June 1, 2990)
Pound is really riding me. You’d think it was his wife who died at San Damien. I’ve worked under him for over ten years but never with the pressure he’s putting on me now.
Today he again raised the possibility of challenging Jana’s re-election bid in December. I reminded him that he’s not even legally eligible since he was born in Zantium. He told me “to frep off.” He says that Jana’s acting without honor and that “she ought to put herself out of Xanthe’s misery.” Pound has a disturbing obsession with honor suicides, but I suppose that’s the Zantium in him. He says Jana must be brought down. And he says if the law doesn’t support having an immigrant stand for office then it’s time to change the law.
The idea of this profane, necro-obsessed man replacing Jana really bothers me. I hate to be his minion but he clearly sees conviction and execution of the Red Daggers as helpful to his chances. Maybe he’s using me, but I’m using him. I want to win this case.
Trial is just a month away. After two months of discovery, Kiri and I easily have enough to convict the Red Daggers. But we still don’t know much about these defendants personally. Each one has refused to submit to interrogation, even though their lives are on the line. These bastards are banking everything on the theory that Xanthe can’t meet its burden of proof.
Ji Bellamy brought in a second trial chair. A Numen man named Firestart, Fireblaze... One of those childish Numen Outback names. When I complained about being unable to interview the defendants, he seemed put out. He said that the gist of the defense was that the Red Daggers had no idea that the bomb that went off would be lethal.
An idiotic position to take, on its face! What’s the point of a bomb if not to destroy? And our ballistic experts made it clear that this was a lethal weapon whose sole purpose was to cause massive damage. Nothing about its engineering or placement was accidental.
Something does bother me, though. This bomb had a sophisticated quantum-based design. None of the Red Daggers has the education or experience to explain its manufacture. They must have obtained it from someone. I asked Pound about it. He thinks the idea is nonsense. Anyone can research the details to make a bomb. The Numen lawyer’s position is the opposite. He says these Numen men were framed by “Someone Big.” Evidence is an excellent concept, I said. Let’s depose the defendants and find out. He sighed and repeated that the defendants refuse to testify.
I raised the question a second time with Pound. He turned red and said that bringing up “bullshit conspiracy theories would be a good way to lose the trial and blow a promising career in Habitation Justice.” Why is Pound being so adamant about not pursuing this? Don’t we need to know if Xanthe has enemies above and beyond the Red Daggers?
— ADM
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N. XANTHE PANVISION NEWSCRY
Byline: July 14, 2990 by Chandra Macadam
RED DAGGER TERRORISTS FOUND GUILTY OF MASS MURDER!
After a four-day trial before Xanthe’s high court, the six adult Red Dagger terrorists have been found guilty of terrorism and 713 counts of murder as a result of the destruction of the San Damien dome on March 9, 2990.
Lead advocate, Adrian Marlow, on behalf of Habitation Justice, was relentless in his presentation of evidence against the Numen defendants, each of whom refused to testify. In addition to the late President Henry Jana, Marlow’s wife, botanist Dr. Anne Marlow was one of the San Damien victims.
Three of the seventeen survivors of the blast managed to testify: one Numen and two Trad, along with a series of Xanthean Peace Force witnesses, primarily first responders who arrived within hours of the disaster and engaged in search-and-rescue.
The five justices of the Supreme Court could be seen holding back tears over descriptions of the carnage.
Xanthe’s forensic expert, Pliny Cooper, Ph.D., testified at length regarding his reconstruction of the dome blast and the nature of the bomb that exploded.
The Red Daggers, represented by Ji Bellamy and assisted by Clement Firespeak of the Numen Justice League, countered Dr. Cooper with Numen expert Theodore Kahain, who argued that the bomb was of foreign manufacture, most likely Zantine. This tied in with the defense argument that although the Red Daggers took prospective responsibility for the explosion, they did not intend the bomb to explode with lethal force, a position mocked by Advocate Marlow and received with unusual vocal skepticism by Associate Justice Opal Carney.
The Red Dagger defendants, none of whom are Xanthean nationals, refused to testify, asserting a right against self-incrimination.
The only member of the Red Daggers not to go on trial was Devon Quindes, who — at 15 — is legally a minor. Though under subpoena, he also refused to answer questions on the same specious grounds of avoiding self-incrimination.
After four hours of deliberation, Chief Justice MacIntosh announced a verdict finding each of the adult Red Daggers guilty on all counts and sentencing them to death. All six will be hanged with a tentative execution date set for August 25, 2990. Since the Xanthe Supreme Court sat as a court of original jurisdiction, there can be no appeal. However, our Panvision lawyers advise that a motion for reconsideration based on new evidence may be submitted.
Interviews with Xanthe advocate, Adrian Marlow, and defense advocate, Ji Bellamy, will be broadcast on Panvision at 18:30.
Stay tuned for on-going reports regarding the San Damien trial and its aftermath. And remember to buy Burt’s Bellow Breathers — when you trudge the Beyond, fresh air is but a breath away!
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O. AIRSLIDE LETTER: ABSALOM POUND TO ADRIAN MARLOW (dated July 15, 2990)
CONFIDENTIAL & CODED
One helluva fantastic job, Marlow! I see advancement in your future. You may even end up with my job, if I end up moving on to some other position (hehehe.)
Now on to the juvenile. In light of Lizard Boy’s refusal to answer questions, despite my investigator’s attempts via, ahem, extrajudicial means, maybe the Supreme Court will allow us to try Devon Quindes as an adult. We could look forward to a seventh execution. Too bad he can’t be exterminated now with the other vermin.
I’ll buy you a drink next week. You deserve it.
A. Pound
THIS COMMUNICATION SHALL SELF-ERASE UPON REVIEW BY ITS INTENDED RECIPIENT. UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION THEREOF IS A FELONY PURSUANT TO SECTION 19.18A, XANTHEAN CODE OF REGULATIONS
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P. ORDER OF THE SUPREME COURT (July 21, 2990)
By Order of the Supreme Court of Xanthe, Aurora MacIntosh, Chief Justice:
In the Matter of In Re: San Damien, etc., the ex parte application of advocate Ji Bellamy to withdraw as advocate for the Red Dagger defendants is hereby GRANTED.
Said defendants shall continue to be represented by advocate Clement Firespeak of the Numen Justice Center.
The court further grants the defendants a thirty-day stay of execution based on their advocate’s representation that evidence supporting a motion for new trial will be forthcoming within the statutory deadline. The execution date is hereby continued to September 25, 2990 at 12:00 noon.
IT IS SO ORDERED...
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Copyright © 2023 by Brian Yapko
