Chapter 7

I was removed from the platform and frog-marched down a long corridor, while I made my legs appear rubbery and unable to support my weight. After a few moments I stumbled along, until by the time we had arrived at the courtroom, when I was able to stand without assistance. My escort took me over to a small room, pushing me inside so that I stumbled and nearly fell to the floor.

"You're early." an official inside the room noted.

"We thought she might make trouble." one of my escorts revealed. "But it looks like she's had the fight taken out of her."

"Miss Swan!" Tavis Demandro came rushing toward me, placing a steadying hand on my elbow. "Whatever has happened?"

"I'm fine, Tavis, so kind of you to ask." I smiled sweetly, using the opportunity he presented to move slightly away from my guards.

"Did you sleep well?" Tavis inquired.

"That's all I did." I sighed regretfully. "I was drugged all night. I don't really remember anything since I left the Hall of Light yesterday."

"Drugged?" Tavis appeared shocked, and he glanced pointedly at the broadcast camera, which was being set up in a corner of the room. I realized that we were not in the courtroom itself, but rather a side chamber. Tables and chairs took up half the room, while along one wall a low counter held a variety of foods. I could feel my mouth watering, and my hunger returned to the fore.

"May I have something to eat?" I asked my guards politely, playing the 'innocent ingénue' routine for all it was worth. It wouldn't fool the men of my escort, but my act caught Tavis' attention, as I had planned.

"She hasn't been fed?" he was aghast. "Why, I'll speak to Lord Zoltar immediately!"

"No need, let the savage eat!" Ganpro snarled, clearly unhappy at being outmaneuvered. He looked over nervously at the camera. "No need to bother Lord Zoltar."

"Could you get me something, Tavis?" I asked prettily. "My hands are a little… hampered." I gestured helplessly to my wrist restraints.

"Of course my dear." Tavis said kindly, leading me over to a table close to his camera, but away from my escort. The guards got the point, milling quietly on the other side of the room.

I sat down, and shortly Tavis returned with a plate of breads and fruits that could easily be eaten by hand. He placed a tall, thin glass in front of me.

"Gattan?" he asked politely. I saw that the glass was filled with a purple juice. It looked similar to the liquid I had been given with my previous meal.

"No thank you; I would prefer water." I shook my head slightly.

"That's fine." Tavis agreed, moving back to fulfill my request. When he had returned, he sat down next to me at the table, leaning his head close to mine.

"You know about the gattan, then?" he whispered softly.

"That it's drugged?" I replied sotto voce. "Yes, I've already determined that."

"Many citizens are addicted to it." Tavis explained, his effusive, slightly effeminate manner suddenly transformed into a serious demeanor. "The officials prefer it that way. Gattan is distributed freely all over the Empire."

"Good to know." I nodded between mouthfuls.

"Giggle." Tavis instructed. "Act like the simpering girl you play for the cameras." I complied, leaning my head close to his, my mind whirling with the implications of Tavis' words.

"I'm glad you realize that's not all there is to me." I replied.

"I realized that the moment you spoke during your evaluation yesterday." Tavis revealed. "You're walking a thin line, but so far you're balancing upon it. Unfortunately, no one knows what Zoltar has planned. He has not revealed his arguments to anyone."

I giggled again as my escort stared, waiting until their gazes turned away once more.

"It would seem that you're not entirely impartial in this matter." I pointed out.

"Not at all." Tavis smiled grimly. Casually he rested his chin on his hand, his forefinger tracing a slight swirling pattern on his chest. A signal of some sort? Was it possible he worked for Galaxy Security? I glanced sharply at Tavis. He was clearly a full-blooded Spectran, making such a possibility highly unlikely. But still…

Slowly I copied his movement, swirling my finger around as I lifted a piece of bread to my mouth. My eyes were locked on Tavis' face, and I caught a quick flush as it passed over his cheeks. I blinked and the color was gone, as if it had never been there at all.

"I knew you would help." Tavis sounded relieved. "You've already helped. Just keep doing what you're doing." I wanted to reply that I wasn't even sure what he was referring to, yet there was no more time for explanations. An official entered the room, announcing that the proceedings were about to begin, curtly informing Tavis that there was no time for 'interviews'. Hurriedly I stuffed the last of the food into my mouth, not knowing when I would get another meal. Wiping my hands on a napkin I rose, joining up with my escort once more before being led into the courtroom.

I was surrounded as I entered the Hall of Light, yet I sensed the masses of people moving past my escort. Tavis and his camera had moved off to one side, spectators swirling around them. It seemed that the audience was much larger than it had been the previous day. As I was brought to my assigned place, my guards moved back and I was finally able to see the rest of the room. I had been right: there was nearly double the amount of seating for spectators today. Bleacher-style benches rose nearly to the ceiling, blocking much of my view of Spectre City.

The people attending today seemed more excited than I recalled from yesterday. Their clothes were vibrant hues of blue and green, red and purple, orange and yellow, so bright that it almost hurt to look at them. There was a sort of restlessness amongst the crowd that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

At the very front sat Tavis, as he had the day before, smiling at me in a reassuring fashion. The high spirits of the crowd appeared to buoy him somewhat, and I could sense his excitement. What did he think was going to happen? What did he want me to do?

My eyes skimmed the crowd, searching for some kind of clue. And without warning, I found it.

Jason.

It took all of my effort to prevent an expression of surprise from crossing my face. Jason was here! He sat amongst the spectators, dressed as they were, looking as far from a member of G-Force as was possible. Even his hair had been styled differently, to reflect what appeared to be current Spectran fashion trends. Yet I knew it was my friend. And if Jason was here, then the others must be close by!

But even as my excitement began to build, reality brought me back to the ground. No one was allowed into Spectre City unless they were of pure Spectran blood. Jason's parents had been Spectran defectors, refugees who had come to work for Galaxy Security. He was the only one here in this courtroom because he was the only one who could pass through the DNA screenings.

Still, the others couldn't be far away. They had to be within contact range. Jason could never come here on his own, not without help.

My eyes caught his, and Jason's fingers flickered slightly, as if he was scratching his nose. Yet I understood the message.

Wait for my signal.

I blinked, nodding very slowly, so that Jason understood that I was acknowledging his instructions. Whatever his plan, I didn't want to jeopardize it. Even more, I knew what a terrible risk Jason was taking simply to be here. If Zoltar realized that there was not one, but two members of G-Force in the room…

I forced my eyes to move around the massive chamber again, not wanting to draw attention to Jason's presence. As my gaze returned to Tavis, he stared at me with a perplexed expression, as if he didn't truly understand what was going on. Well that made two of us.

An official stepped up, calling the room to order and announcing that the proceedings would begin where they had left off yesterday. Zoltar entered the Hall of Light, his sister Mala on his arm. The Spectran Leader moved to the center of the chamber before turning to address the audience, while Mala took a seat at the side of the room, well away from the spectators.

"The crimes of the defendant have already been established." Zoltar began, putting on his most regal mannerisms. "And so I turn to the issue of the defendant's status, which was previously challenged in this court." I was surprised to hear this. I wondered if Zoltar had spent half the night concocting some reason to charge me as a prisoner of state.

"Millions of years ago, when the twin suns of Spectra were still yellow, this planet was devoid of life." Zoltar began, as if he was conducting a lecture at a university. "The Spectran people did not exist here. Indeed, our people came from far across the galaxy, from an entirely different solar system, where we inhabited another world. We shared this world with creatures so massive that they could crush us beneath their toes and not even be aware of our presence. Our cunning and ingenuity allowed us to survive, yet we admired these leviathans in our souls. Even today, they provide the inspiration for our own robot beasts, which we use to provide for the wellbeing of the Spectran people."

"The planet was lush and green, full of life and wild creatures. We were an integral part of this biome, helping to maintain and sustain the natural environment." Zoltar declared. "Yet one day, that all changed. An immense asteroid fell from the sky, crashing into the planet and creating a massive dust cloud. Its brethren, who had missed impacting our planet, still left their debris behind: smaller rocks and dust which caught in the atmosphere, due to the planet's gravitational pull. These fragments of cosmic rubbish filled the skies, eventually covering the entire planet. Light from the one sun was blocked, and the surface of the world became dark. Plants that required sunlight to sustain them perished, and with that a chain of death followed, as the delicate balance of the biome had been shattered. Our people fell victim, and began to die." The entire courtroom was silent, held up in Zoltar's spellbinding tale. The Spectran Leader paused, surveying the mood of the spectators with a pleased expression on his face. Then he spoke again.

"Our people would be no more, and already the first of us had been sacrificed to this terrible cosmic event. Yet in the midst of that darkness, one true light arose to save us. The Luminous One appeared, taking pity on our people, offering us salvation." The audience murmured appreciatively at this development, nodding eagerly as they spoke in response.

"Mighty Spirit!"

"By the power of the Luminous One we shall be saved…"

"The Great Spirit is our hope for the future…"

"The Luminous One offered to take us through the galaxy to a new world: a world that would sustain us and let us live as we once had done." Zoltar explained. "But before we left, He showed us how to leave a part of ourselves on the planet, so that we would never be forgotten. Through His instruction, we were able to insinuate our genetic material throughout the natural structure of the planet, so that if it were ever again to sustain life, that we would be a part of that world once more."

A tight knot began to form in my stomach. Surely Zoltar couldn't be saying…

"The Luminous One took us from the dying world to another, and another, and another… many worlds existed, yet none of them were at that time capable of supporting life forms as complex as ours. Yet on each, we left our genetic material, as a reminder that we were there. After a thousand years we reached our final destination, the planet we call home today: Spectra. Here, the Luminous One still guides us, and teaches us."

"I fail to see how this fascinating story has any impact on me." I pointed out. Zoltar turned angrily toward me, furious at the interruption, yet he hid his feelings quickly.

"Clearly you weren't paying attention." Zoltar replied condescendingly. "These planets our people had passed by eventually grew to sustain life, even humanoid life. And the planet from which the Spectran people had originated became the most bounteous world of all: lush, healthy, vibrant, full of resources and all that was required to sustain the humanoid race that developed there. Its new inhabitants were unaware of the planet's full history, and they gave the planet a new name: Earth."

A deathly silence fell across the courtroom, as everyone absorbed the terrible accusation that had spilled from Zoltar's cruelly twisted lips. I spoke again, but it was an effort to keep my voice steady.

"It's a pretty story, but there is no factual or scientific basis in what you say, Zoltar." I refuted his claim. "Earth scientists have long been aware of the evolution of its species, and its timing in the history of our planet. There is no evidence of humanoid life at the time you state. Certainly there was no humanoid life during the time of the dinosaurs, as you imply."

"And if there had been, would your scientists have been able to find such evidence?" Zoltar argued. "The entire population of our people left the planet. There was nothing that remained other than the genetic material we integrated into the planet's very nature. Do your Earth scientists have any real capability to even separate what is truth and what is not?"

"There is no proof that what you are saying is true." I countered. "You have no way of confirming or denying your wild claims. This is a myth."

"Have you never wondered about the similarities of life on planets across the galaxy?" Zoltar smirked. "Humanoid races from Earth, from Riga, from Aquatica, from Tremulos, from Urgos… they are all the same. These races are so similar they can even interbreed. How is this possible if they did not all come from one source, one Master Race?"

"That is an interesting question for scientific debate, but it hardly verifies what you are saying." I insisted. "Where is your proof?"

"I have all the proof I need." Zoltar declared grandly, his arm sweeping about. "The Luminous One himself revealed this wondrous secret to my ears."

"And when was this?" I asked. "Has this story always been a part of Spectran history? Based on the reaction of the spectators today, I would say that they have never heard such claims before either. Why is it that such 'wondrous' events would take place, yet not remain a part of your culture, your histories? Why would the Luminous One choose to reveal such a 'secret' to you now?"

"You dare question the Great Spirit?" Zoltar was outraged. "It is not for us to ask Him why. We merely accept His wisdom and guidance with humble gratitude."

"You haven't answered me, Zoltar." I refused to be led into a theological discussion. "You claim that humans on Earth descended from the Spectran people, yet never before, over millions of years, has this been discussed openly on Spectra. The people here today have never heard this version of history. And most importantly, what you propose is a story, or at best a theory. You offer no proof other than the word of the Luminous One, who is not even present to confirm or deny your statement."

"I speak for the Great Spirit!" Zoltar announced. "No one in this Hall of Light denies that!" A soft murmuring broke out amongst the spectators. The mood of the crowd was uncertain, and recklessly I forged ahead, seizing upon the moment.

"You may speak for the Great Spirit, but who says that you speak his worlds truthfully?" I asked. Zoltar's face drained of color, his eyes flashing with hatred.

"Are you impugning my honesty, my credibility?" he demanded.

"I admit, I know little of your domestic affairs here on Spectra, or of your governance of such matters." I replied. "Yet there have been numerous occasions during your dealings with me, or with my teammates, where you have been far from honest, and less than forthcoming."

"That is because we are at war!"

"Ah, so now my actions are ones of an enemy of war, and not of a terrorist?" I asked innocently.

"You twist my words with your slanderous tongue." Zoltar hissed. "You will speak no further! I have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, for the Great Spirit's word is such to the Spectran people, that the people of Earth have descended from the Spectran Master Race. Therefore, you are a citizen of the Spectran Empire, and the crimes you have committed are terrorist acts of rebellion against your proper and rightful overlords! As a prisoner of the state, you have no right to speak in your own defense in this courtroom!"

An angry buzz began to emerge from the spectators, and Zoltar's eyes flashed nervously from the audience to the broadcast camera.

"Even if what you claim is true, which I doubt, your argument does not apply to me." I noted. "My racial heritage isn't of Earth. In fact, my family came from Komedra. I was merely raised on Earth."

"Humanoids on Komedra have also descended from the Spectran Master Race!" Zoltar spat.

"Really? Funny you didn't mention that before now." I didn't bother to hide the skeptical nature of my response.

"You are not permitted to speak!" Zoltar hissed through gritted teeth, carefully enunciating each word before turning to the official. "It is time for the verdict to be announced!"

"The verdict?" the official asked nervously, glancing over toward the angry crowd of spectators.

"The verdict, Mala!" Zoltar snapped at his sister.

"The Luminous One has reached His verdict." the High Lady of Spectra declared, rising to a stand. "The defendant is clearly guilty of high treason, and there can be only one punishment for such a crime. The defendant will be executed immediately."

"I don't understand, Lady Mala." I said loudly, pushing back the fear that threatened to overtake me. "How can you have a verdict already? I thought you were supposed to consult with the Luminous One regarding the verdict? He is not here. How can he know of what took place in this courtroom today?"

"The Great Spirit is omniscient: He knows all." Mala purred smugly.

"Are you omniscient as well?" I asked pointedly. "How can you know his verdict without going to consult with him?"

"The Great Spirit… communicates with me." Mala faltered, but only for a moment. "He speaks to me in my mind. I do not have to visit Him in His Audience Chamber to know his will."

"I see." I nodded. "Does he speak to others in this way as well?"

"He can if He desires." Mala acknowledged. "He is all powerful."

"If that's true, then why does the Luminous One have an Audience Chamber at all?" I asked innocently. "Surely if he can simply communicate with his subjects through their minds, he has no need of something so mundane." My gaze flickered over toward Jason, who sat stone-still. Even now, I did not receive a sign from him to act.

"The desires of the Great Spirit are not your concern!" Zoltar shouted. "You desecrate His name! You will be executed immediately!" The Spectran Leader signaled to the men of my escort, who raised their rifles, aiming them at my head.

"Stop, Lord Zoltar!" Tavis Demandro rushed forth, grabbing at the Spectran Leader's arm. "Surely this is a jest! The defendant has not been proven to deserve such a verdict!" Zoltar sneered at Tavis, yanking his arm rudely from the man's grasp. But the Spectran Leader's face grew pale as he observed the mood of the crowd at his action.

"This is not right!"

"She should be spared!"

"Consult with the Great Spirit!"

"This is ridiculous!" Zoltar screeched, his desperation leaking into his voice. "You see her as she appears here, demure and pure in her misleading white cloak. But before her punishment is carried out, you shall see her for who she truly is!"

Before I knew what was happening, I had been grabbed by six men. They hauled me from my seat, forcing me to stand before Zoltar. Desperately I looked for Jason, but was unable to see him, thanks to the crowd of Spectran guards around me.

"You will remove your bracelet for me." Zoltar ordered.

"I will not." I refused. "It was a special gift, and holds much sentimental value. I am far from certain that you would care for it as I do."

"Enough with this insolence!" Zoltar snarled. His hand reached out for my left wrist. I yanked my restrained arms away, pushing back into two of the men who held me. The pair of guards went tumbling to the floor, yet more rushed in to take their place. Zoltar's fingers grabbed at me, and despite my efforts, I felt them brushing my arm.

"No!" I cried, my head swiveling desperately to look for Jason. Damn his reticence! It was time to act now!

But it was too late. A blindingly white flash erupted from my body as my communicator was forcibly removed, causing Zoltar and the soldiers surrounding me to stumble back. When the light faded, I stood before the entire Spectran Empire wearing my number three shirt, my communicator still clutched in Zoltar's hand.

No! Not again…

A few months ago, I had lost my shoe while helping save innocent civilians from a surprise Spectran robot attack. Zoltar's men had found the shoe and used it to discover the secret of our transmutation, building a weapon that could cause us to revert from our G-Force uniforms to our civilian clothes. My identity had almost been revealed to Spectra as I had infiltrated Zoltar's airship to retrieve my missing footwear.

And now, after all of that, here I was, exposed to the entire universe via Spectran broadcast. Even worse, Zoltar was holding my communicator, and the technological information contained within that small device was highly secret.

After the incident with my shoe, Chief Anderson had redesigned our uniforms, altering the mode of transmutation, so that Zoltar's weapon would no longer work on us. Yet there had been another change as well. The Chief had re-programmed our cerebonics, allowing us to transmit action codes to our bracelets at short range.

There was no question what I had to do.

As I stared at my communicator, I initiated the command.

Zoltar cried out in surprise, dropping the bracelet as it sparked and hissed at him. It hit the floor, detonating with a puff of smoke. My communicator had been completely destroyed. The Spectrans would never get anything out of that.

Yet there was another resulting action as well. Now that my communicator was no longer active, my uniform responded in kind. My clothes began to glow from within, and I felt a burning, tickling sensation all over my body, not dissimilar to the feeling of transmutation. Minute fiberoptics and data chips inside my uniform burned out, leaving nothing in their path but standard Federation synthetic fabric. No matter what Zoltar did to them now, my clothes would never transform again.

"What weapon is this?" Zoltar cried, scrambling to his feet. "You tried to attack me!"

"You are the one who attacked me!" I pointed out furiously. "You forcibly removed my bracelet! I could have warned you about the consequences, but you weren't willing to listen!"

"Kill her!" Zoltar cried.

"No!" Tavis threw himself forward, appealing to the Spectran Leader on his knees. "My Lord Zoltar, she is just a girl! A child! Surely there is some other form of punishment for her that will be acceptable."

"There is no acceptable alternative." Zoltar sneered, kicking Tavis away so that the man fell awkwardly on the steps. "The Luminous One has pronounced his verdict! She will be executed!"

The guards around me raised their rifles again, but I wasn't about to die without a fight. With or without Jason, it was time to act. Ganpro shoved his rifle at my head, but I swung up my bound wrists, smashing his weapon aside so that it struck his face, causing him to fall to the ground. I ducked down to the floor, avoiding the rifle fire of the other guards as I swung my restrained legs around in a circle, knocking them all off of their feet. I rolled upward, ready to fight.

Yet the fight was going on all around me.

Tavis Demandro was wrestling with Zoltar, the two men rolling on the floor. Mala had disappeared from sight. The spectators were leaping out of their seats, rushing toward the front of the room. Jason's head moved with the crowd, and our eyes met for one desperate second. He sent a wry grin my way, as if to comment that I should get going. I grinned back, relieved and energized to see him there. Time slowed down; a sea of chaos surrounded me, yet I was able to take in every detail, every facet of that moment.

And then I turned.

The guards I had swept to the floor were getting up, and more soldiers rushed in behind them. They lifted their rifles… but they weren't firing at me.

They were firing at the spectators.

My blood chilled in my veins as I saw the first civilians fall. Unable to help myself, I turned, throwing myself at the floor, rolling toward the green-uniformed soldiers, desperately trying to get them to stop in their deadly attack. The world became a blur as men fell on top of me, falling over my body and crashing into the floor. I scrambled to my feet as quickly as I could while wearing the restraints, then launched myself at the backs of two soldiers who had escaped my previous attack.

"Princess!"

Jason's cry only spurred me on. I had to stop this from happening! This was my fight. How dare Zoltar bring innocent bystanders into it? And he had accused me of being a terrorist? Didn't he care at all for his own people?

My body smashed into the remaining shooters, slamming them onto the ground. I felt bones crack underneath my elbow and knew that at least one of them was permanently out of commission. I snarled with my minor victory, looking up to see more soldiers approaching my position. I swung my legs around, doing my best to stand so I could face them. Just as I struggled to my feet, I saw Jason reach up from behind one of the men, grabbing his neck and giving a sharp twist. I rushed as best I could toward the next Spectran uniform, bending over to throw my shoulder into his solar plexus. The man grunted in pain, collapsing to the floor.

"You're coming with me, savage!" a voice snarled in my ear. I didn't need to look to know it was Ganpro. An arm snaked around my neck, dragging me backwards. I was unable to reach back and throw him over my shoulder, as I would normally have done, thanks to my wrist restraints. Instead I pushed up with my legs, preparing to backflip over Ganpro's head and out of his grip. My body surged upward, my momentum carrying me around my attacker.

Something sharp sliced my arm and a fierce pain burned through my body. My throat cried out in pain, but no sound emerged.

I was already gone.