Onder groaned as his body twisted within the gravity chamber. He had reached the worst part of his dream. The part that should have been the best moment of his life. All it had left him with was a broken heart. It gave him a new purpose, something to keep him alive when he thought his siblings were gone forever.

  Kill them all.

  Dozens of names on his list were still breathing. They needed to be erased. He would make them hurt, make them feel just as small and helpless as they made Mtsi. His father would be the last to go. A difficult kill, but he would get there eventually.

  “I’m talking to you. Get those worthless thoughts out of your head.”

  He opened his eyes and saw the rock-man standing outside of the chamber. Onder’s brooding thoughts seemed to interfere with the man’s psychic communication line.

  “You’ll be transferred to your trial shortly.” The rock-man adjusted a useless pair of glasses on his face. “Are you absolutely certain you don’t want a lawyer?”

  Onder glared at him. “Despite what you think, I’m not a mindless killing machine. I know there’s no point.”

  “Very well.”

  He pressed a button on the side of the chamber and it lifted off the ground. The chamber followed the rock-man out of the room and into the planet’s shipyard. Onder was carefully loaded onto a ship packed with armed guards.

  “You’re going to hear from a number of your victims today.” The man tapped his wrist and a list floated in front of the chamber. “All of them lost family members due to your rampages. Mothers and fathers…Brothers and sisters.”

  Onder’s body stiffened at the words. His tail curled up as he balled his hands into fists.

  “You’re not the only one with a family to protect,” the rock-man lectured Onder with his face down towards his CellPulse. “Do you think suffering gives you the right to do whatever you want?”

  “No. I never said that it did.” The heat of rage made its way down his tail. “Not like you. You parade my brother around then act like a saint.”

  “It’s not ideal, but I can’t assassinate political leaders in my position.” He finally looked up at Onder. “You could’ve, if you were neater about it.”

  “You would leave me alone if I lowered my body count?” Onder mocked him.

  He heard a sigh from the rock-man. Not an actual sigh, but one transferred to his mind.

  “You really are just another monster. I thought you’d feel a little remorse for the number of children you orphaned.” The man returned to his CellPulse.

  “Children that looked up to this agency. Children who smiled at my brother’s enslavement,” Onder sneered. “They’re better off away from people who tolerated you.”

  The rock-man whipped around to face him. Onder couldn’t gleam anything from his empty face, but the stare lasted long enough for him to tell that it left an impression.

  “It’s a good thing Bliss didn’t manage to recruit you. You’re absolutely insane.”

  The rock-man pressed another button on the chamber’s console. Onder didn’t know what it did until he tried talking again. The rock-man continued looking at his wrist as if he couldn’t hear anything.

  He put me on mute? Bastard can’t stand the challenge. He’s used to Mtsi, so fragile and easily pressured. Not me.

  The ship settled on another micro-planet in the Rebirth System. Onder was taken into a desolate building the rock-man was trying to pass off as a courthouse. It was only a temporary one. The agency would never jeopardize their nicest buildings with his presence.

  The courtroom was almost empty, but the first face Onder noticed was Mtsi’s. He was sitting in the bleachers at the front of the room. A wooden podium that clashed with the metal room sat in front of him. Onder’s eyes tracked him as he floated to the front. Mtsi didn’t even turn to look at him.

  Onder noticed figures blurring in and out of his view as he watched his brother. Rage swelled in his veins as the rock-man took a seat next to the boy. He noticed another figure sitting to Mtsi’s right, a speck of green peeking out from his side.

  The plant woman. Mtsi mentioned he’s her mentor. I haven’t seen enough of her yet, but I’d guess she’s just using him for his fame.

  Two sharp pings made their way into Onder’s head. He looked forward and saw the judge tapping his wrist. The trial had begun right under his nose. It didn’t matter to Onder. He had no defense planned for himself. It just needed to be over quickly.

  I’m just surprised the rock-man didn’t appoint himself as the judge…

  “Today, we hear our only case for the day, the People vs Armageddon. The defendant is accused of thirty-six counts of first-degree murder, and about five billion counts of manslaughter.” He let out a whistle before continuing. “Also looks like there’s one count of attempting kidnapping and human trafficking for good measure. Mr. Armageddon, it says here you waived your right to counsel?”

  “It wouldn’t make any difference.”

  “Alright, I’ll take it. The prosecution can go on with their opening statement.” The judge looked down towards his CellPulse when he finished speaking.

  The rock-man sighed as he stood up. The judge ignored him just as the rock-man ignored Onder in the ship.

  “Your honor, I would like to start with a brief explanation of how this trial will go. There are many extenuating circumstances that make this trial confusing.”

  He waived his hand casually. “Yeah, go ahead.”

  “Ahem.” The rock-man adjusted his glasses once more. “For the safety of our witness as well as the general public, we have opted to have most participants attend the trial virtually. For the sake of privacy, attendees can hear everything, but they won’t be able to see the courtroom unless they’re currently giving a statement.”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  He looked at the judge. “The defendant retains the right to see his judge in person. As such, we had a slim pool of ones willing to appear today…”

  So that’s why this idiot is here. At least I’ll get to watch the rock-man squirm before I go back in the hole.

  “Get on with it, Crux,” the judge ordered.

  “Yes…The only ones physically present today are agents of the GSA. Bliss and Hollybrook will provide their statements in person.”

  The judge smiled. “I don’t think anyone could argue with those conditions.”

  “Excellent. Now, for the reason we have all gathered, whether in person or virtually, the reckless and disastrous actions of the one called Armageddon.”

  With no lawyer and no desire to deny anything, Onder let the rock-man continue unchecked.

  “The man before you today is a known entity across the galaxy. His actions are so notorious that they earned him the nickname ‘Armageddon.’ Up until recently, most planets he visited ended in pieces when he left. The evidence is overwhelming. Millions of videos and witness accounts support the charges brought against the defendant. The only thing we lack is a proper confession due to the defendant’s refusal to speak.”

  “Seems like you have an airtight case. Got anything to say, Armageddon?”

  “I won’t deny the lives I took or the planets destroyed.” He shifted in the camber uncomfortably, briefly glancing at Mtsi. “But I am not a human trafficker. The idea of it makes me sick. The agency is only using that charge to bolster donations.”

  The rock-man’s voice quickly followed Onder’s. “Your honor, I would like to call agent Bliss to the stand.”

  The judge looked at Mtsi with a wide smile. “Absolutely, I’d love to have him up here.”

  “Judge Stell!” The rock-man slammed his palm on the counter. “This trial is not a joke. Your words are directly transferred to the minds of every witness attending from home.”

  The rock-man’s scolding was followed by a low rumble from Onder’s chest. The judge’s smile melted into wide eyes and a scowl as he shuffled backwards in his chair. Mtsi didn’t even bother to turn around.

  “Ok, no more joking around, I promise.” He stayed locked on Onder as if making a promise to him instead of the rock-man.

  Mtsi took a seat next to the disgusting judge. He remained facing the empty benches. His legs crossed over each other with a calm and gentle grace. His face remained neutral as he glanced towards his wrist.

  Poor Mtsi looks so terrified. He shouldn’t have to sit next to that judge after that comment!

  The rock-man took a physical photograph out of his pocket and handed it to Mtsi. Onder could barely make out the image, but it looked like a furry black creature. Mtsi placed one hand on the image and the other in the air.

  “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, lest the Old God write you off?”

  “I do. So help me Sorebel.”

  Onder watched the rock-man grasp the bridge of his nose. He shook his head softly at the curious display in front of him.

  “Agent Bliss, can you recount the events that happened on planet Kathous after the flare was launched into space?” asked the rock-man.

  “Of course. It only took a second before Armageddon showed up. He crashed into the ground and crushed dozens of guards. He then injected me with a sedative and carried me to his ship.” He pointed at Onder. “I got a clear look at his face on the ship. Armageddon is the man sitting before you today.”

  He’s lying. He didn’t see my face then. Why are they letting his boss be the prosecutor?

  “There you have it, your honor. The defendant tried to kidnap my agency’s only human hero. While his ship was destroyed, we also have a psy-recording from agent Entropi that details what she found.”

  The rock-man tapped his wrist and a beacon of sound entered everyone’s minds.

  “Yeah, it was kind of disturbing. I found a cabinet full of Rohypnol…uh…I mean flunitrazepam, a human sedative. I also found toys and books meant for kids. Nasty stuff.”

  Onder groaned. There wasn’t a good explanation for anything on his ship. Nothing that made sense without throwing Mtsi under the bus.

  “Do you have something to say?” the judge asked him.

  He sighed. “I know what it looks like. That stuff belonged to-to human children I once cared for.” He looked up at Mtsi, who remained stone-faced. “And I didn’t kidnap ‘agent Bliss’ because I’m a trafficker.”

  “Then why did you?”

  “Because this organization mistreats him!” He swung his arms, causing his body to spin around within the chamber. “Look, I’ll fully admit to killing Lord Podoxec on Kathous, a man with known ties to human traffickers. Why would I do that if I was one of them?”

  “Debt collection. Podoxec didn’t pay you, so you took his head instead.” The tone in Mtsi’s voice was deep and cautious, but a casual smile rested on his face.

  “If he’s so notorious in the human trafficking world, then why does the rock-man send you-his only human-to face him?”

  “Objection, relevance.”

  “Sustained. No more outbursts, Mr. Armageddon. Please…”

  Mtsi was released from the stand and returned to the audience. Onder knew he couldn’t offer a strong counter to the human trafficking charges, but the rock-man’s evidence wasn’t solid either. The next phase of the trial focused on victim-impact statements from survivors of Armageddon-associated apocalyptic events. He had nothing to say. He figured he would at least lend an ear to the people whose lives he upended.

  “I felt the ground shake; I thought it was an earthquake at first…”

  “When I watched the ground crack beneath me, I knew something was wrong.”

  “I thought an asteroid hit. I was just coming home when I saw my house swallowed up by a massive crater…My kids, my wife, everyone gone in an instant.”

  The statements all started to blur within his head. It’s not as though he didn’t feel bad about his actions, he just felt his purpose was more important. He needed his rage to meet reality.

  “I would like to thank all the brave members of the public for sharing their stories. I know it took great bravery to appear today. Before my closing statement, I would like to call agent Hollybrook to the stand.”

  The rock-man extended a hand towards the plant woman and helped her out of her seat. She walked to the stand in small steps, much more reserved than Mtsi’s casual stroll. She was sworn in using a book covered in vines. Something clearly holy that Onder didn’t recognize.

  She doesn’t follow the Old God…Interesting.

  “Agent Hollybrook, please tell us about your experience on planet Kathous.”

  “Yes, of course! I saw the defendant here carry Bliss into space. Well, I didn’t see his face but his body type matches!” Her words were rushed and choppy. “Um…I followed them up and then he tried to kill me. Wait, sorry, let me say that again. He grabbed my root and pulled me towards his fist before Bliss kicked me away.”

  “Thank you. Now will you please tell us about your experience at the gala.” The rock-man placed a gentle hand on the podium in front of her. “Take your time. No one is judging you.”

  She took a deep breath in. “Thank you, Dr. Crux.”

  Again, why is this allowed?! I know my trial was mostly a formality, but this is ridiculous…The trials Reu saw at the GSA seemed much fairer based on what she told me.

  “Armageddon showed up right after the auction ended. He jumped onto the runway and crushed one of Dr. Crux’s fragments. We tried to fight, but he grabbed Surfrista…”

  She had to take a few more breaths. It looked like tears were starting to form.

  “Surfrista didn’t make it. I mean…Armageddon killed him. Then he grabbed me an-and…Bliss decided to give in to his demands.”

  “And what were his demands?”

  “To enter an electric cage. It would sap Bliss’s energy away until he couldn’t resist.”

  Onder couldn’t take it anymore. He had to let his inner voice out.

  “IT WAS FOR HIS OWN GOOD!”

  The shout rang through everyone’s ears. Even Mtsi flinched at the sudden noise. Onder’s struggling in the chamber intensified as he flailed his limbs back and forth.

  “Order!” A sharp beep entered his mind. It was enough to calm him temporarily.

  “Ok, I’ve heard enough and I’m ready to make my ruling. I just want this guy out of my courtroom…”

  “What about the-“

  “Please Crux, please. I’m sorry this isn’t up to protocol standards but I’m about to lose it.”

  “I warned you when you agreed to this, but fine.”

  “On all charges of first-degree murder, manslaughter, and attempted kidnapping, I find the defendant guilty. On the charge of human trafficking, I find the defendant not guilty.”

  Mtsi’s neutral expression finally dropped. Shock and defeat crept in as his smile faltered. The rock-man had no face to react with, but his slumped over posture told Onder everything he needed to know.

  Oh. OH. I didn’t expect that. Maybe this judge isn’t a hack after all.