Link

Link
By
David E Owen

Chapter One

Kalulu was a small dusty town on the west coast of Munda.  It got its name from the Kalulu itself, a small, fast moving animal, that is notoriously difficult to catch, but enormously tasty.  The Kalulu infested the area one hundred years earlier and still had a marked presence and was a major source of income.  Kalulu, the town, blessed with the Kumpoto River that runs from the Mpaliro Lake into the sea, seemed to have everything it needed.  However, once the wet season starts, much of the low ground in Kalulu becomes waterlogged, and large parts lie underwater.  Even the dry parts become infested with ticks that cling to clothing and skin and bite their irritable way towards the body's flow of blood.
Still, more than eight thousand inhabitants chose Kalulu as their place of domicile.  A tough place to live.  A tough band of people live there.  Justice was often administered in situ but once every month a travelling judge arrived to preside over a court. 
The court house was the dining room of the Kalulu Hotel.  Tables were cleared out and the chairs organised to allow as many people in as possible.  Kalulu was an isolated town with just one high street and six long side streets and the monthly court hearings were very much an entertainment.
Judge Gaitlin was the usual visiting arbitrator and she had already ensconced herself into her upstairs room at the hotel.  Interest in this month's court cases was focussed on one particular trial.  The owner of The High Street Inn was charged with deception and of procuring money by means of deception.  Burl Parvenu, was a thick set man.  Bullish in looks, with a large face and no apparent neck.  He was short but his girth gave the appearance of greater height.  He was a bully, not only by nature of his intimidatory appearance, but he also liked to use his position in society to bludgeon his way through difficult deals.  Burl Parvenu had become the local politician.  Many thought of him as untouchable, and many would have loved to see his downfall in the trial.  As with all bullies, Parvenu also had his supporters.  He possessed the usual sycophants who hoped for the morsels from his deals to fall their way.  He also had made powerful friends in the Capital, Bakha.
Judge Gaitlin sat in her room, perusing the notes in front of her.  Her assistant, Isulu, sat on the edge of the Judge's bed filling her in on missing details.
"This is going to be tough, Isulu.  What do you know of the man, Parvenu?"
"Local politician.  Thought to be corrupt.  Irregularities in the voting system in the town.  Rumour of intimidation of voters at the election."
The judge just smiled at the description.  "Just like every other small town, then!"
"And many of the big ones.  Bakha, in particular.  Bakha supports him.  And Parvenu is an avid follower of Lord Mool."
Gaitlin's smile disappeared.  "One more black mark against him!  However, none of this is a part of the case against him, is it?"
"Probably not.  The charge is that over a period of time, Parvenu has intimidated the patrons of the Kalulu Bar and The Kumpoto Hotel.  The businesses were forced to close and Parvenu then bought them at ridiculous prices, also under the threat of violence."
"And the people who brought the accusations?"
"Two - one is the ex-owner of the Kumpoto Hotel.  He is in hiding but will apparently appear for the trial.  The other is the ex-owner of the Kalulu Bar.  He is missing and has not been seen for two weeks."
"The time that the motion for trial was registered?"
"To the day!"
There came a knock on the door.  Both looked up and The Judge looked across at Isulu.  Isulu went to the door and peered out.  She spoke a few words to the person outside and then closed the door.  "I took the liberty of employing Adjudicator Epra for this trial."
Judge Gaitlin looked at Isulu, her eyes widening in surprise.  "Epra?  That seems a very radical decision considering the politics of Arrivers, at the moment?"
"I know, Judge.  You may choose not to use him if you wish.  It seemed to me that in this particular case we needed as much help as possible."
"It won't be welcomed in Bakha!"
"No.  But there is no law yet against using Arrivers!"
Gaitlin then smiled.  "You're right, Isulu.  Let's irritate Bakha as much as we can and see if we can't also get a satisfactory trial and possible conviction against this rogue, Parvenu!"
The two put together their documents, placed them in their cases and left the room for the temporary courtroom downstairs.
The courtroom was packed and already a heavy musty smell of bodies was beginning to grow and undulate around the room. The windows and doors were all open to the outside and even there more bodies crowded to hope to hear the trial in progress.  Parvenu sat at the front of the audience, turning and openly laughing with his associates.  It would not have been possible to guess that the trial might end his business and political career.  Parvenu exuded confidence.  Next to him sat his lawyer.  The lawyer was another big man, not as stocky as Parvenu and more tending towards fat.  He had two large chins, neither of which was his real one, as that was hidden in the rolls around his neck.  He was feeling the heat and mopping at his forehead regularly.  Alongside him sat another man, thin and tall and unrecognised by any other than Parvenu and his lawyer.  The prosecution lawyer sat apart from his opponents.  He was alone and indeed looked nervous as if it were he on trial.  Parvenu glanced across at him regularly, trying to catch his eye, but the prosecutor kept his eyes averted.
When the staircase door swung open and Judge Gaitlin appeared, a hush fell sharply on the room.  Everyone stood to a loud scraping of many chairs, then the Judge moved to her presiding table and sat down.  The scraping was repeated and Isulu and the Adjudicator took their places at the front of The Judge's table.
Judge Gaitlin introduced herself and Adjudicator Epra.  The inclusion of an Arriver in the courtroom brought a gasp from many and Parvenu narrowed his eyes suspiciously, as if this were a very unexpected development.
The court went through the preliminaries of ensuring that the correct defendant was on trial and that the charges being brought matched those supplied to the Judge. Gaitlin then turned to Parvenu.
"Burl Parvenu."  The Judge waited a moment, the Isusu addressed the defendant.
"You will stand when addressed by The Judge!"
Burl Parvenu looked at Isusu, then slowly across at The Judge.  Slowly and deliberately Parvenu got to his feet."
Judge Gaitlin felt anger growing, "Mr Parvenu.  This is a court of law and will be treated as such.  If you choose to behave with any sort of contempt, be it verbal or physical, then I shall punish you accordingly, irrespective of the case you are defending.  Is that clear?"
"Yes!"  The reply was given grudgingly.
"You will refer to The Judge as "Your Honour," interrupted Isusu.
Parvenu looked again at her, hesitated deliberately.  "Yes, Your Honour."
Judge Gaitlin again felt the sleight, but chose to ignore it for the moment.
"Burl Parvenu, you are charged with threatening behaviour and inciting threatening behaviour against the owners and patrons of the Kalulu Bar and The Kumpoto Hotel.  How do you plead. Guilty or Not Guilty?"
"Not Guilty to all charges!"  Parvenu's answers was fast and definite.  A murmur of disapproval moved in a wave around the audience.  They disliked his arrogance, and every one outside his own circle saw him as a guilty party.
"You are further charged with inciting violence towards the owners of the said establishments and eliciting their businesses under threats of violence.  How do you plead?"
"Not Guilty to all charges!"
Again a murmur arose and this time several voices were heard shouting out at Parvenu.
"Before we proceed with the trial, I wish to use the services of Adjudicator Epra, a registered adjudicator for this district.  Adjudicator Epra is an Arriver with the proven ability to read minds.
The sudience again reacted but then the noise subsided as the Defence Lawyer rose cumbersomely to his feet.
"Judge Gaitlin!"  His voice was deep and thick and showed the years of experience he had in dealing with tiresome cases.  "You will be aware that the district of Muyaya, as led by the city of Bakha is opposed to the use of Arrivers in any official capacity.  It believes them to be suspect and above the law of the land.  Therefore I object to the use of an Adjudicator in this case!"
"On the contrary," replied Gaitlin in a level and firm voice, the Law of Muyaya allows for the use of Arrivers in whatever capacity they have been accredited with.  There is a move to change that, but it has not yet been implemented. No new law has been passed.  Your objection is noted but over-ruled!  Adjudicator Epra please stand."
As the Adjudicator rose so did the third man at the defendant's table.
"Your Honour. May I have a word?"
"You may not!  This is a court of law in session.  You are not registered to speak and therefore any communication must come through the lawyers registered here."
"Your Honour, I am from Bakhra and am recognised by Lord Mool and empowered to intervene here, if necessary!"
Neither Lord Mool, nor his government has the power to intervene in a court room case.  Be seated and be still.  I will run this court in a fit and proper manner. I will not be dictated to on matters of precedence!"
The audience loved it all.  They were enraptured by the dressing down of what looked like an important official.  Yet when they looked at the defendant's table, they saw no sign of anguish, and even greater arrogance.
"Adjudicator, please proceed!"  Gaitlin's voice cut through the murmurs.
The Adjudicator looked for several moments at Burl Parvenu.  A chilling silence rested over the room.  Then the Adjudicator relaxed.
The Judge addressed him.  "Are you ready to make a recommendation on this case?"
The Adjudicator nodded.  "I am!"
Judge Gaitlin addressed the audience.  "As is compliant with the laws of this land, the adjudicator has looked into the mind of the defendant and verified his thoughts regarding the aforementioned case.  He will now relate the facts according to those thoughts.  Should they agree completely with Burl Parvenu's pleas of "Not Guilty" then the case will be discontinued.  Should the finding show that Parvenu's involvement is more than his plea suggests, then the case will continue."  The Judge paused for a moment, then once again addressed the Adjudicator.
"Is there any evidence that Mr Parvenu is guilty of intimidation of the Patrons of the Kalulu Bar and Kumpoto Hotel?"
The Adjudicator looked directly at Parvenu.  "The defendant's thought show that he is complicit in every detail and organised the acts of intimidation.  He has also implicitly connected five other men, who are present here today, with the acts."
The court went wild.  Accusations and counter accusations rallied back and for across the room.  It took ushers several moments to calm everyone down.  Normally Judge Gaitlin would have threatened to clear the court if such outbursts were to be repeated, but she wondered if she were to need all the possible witnesses before this day was finished.
"Adjudicator, continue.  What is the defendant's thinking about the threats of violence against the owners and the intimidation to procure their premises at low values?"
The Adjudicator did not need any hesitation.  "The defendant's thoughts clearly find him guilty on these counts and there are further relevant issues he has revealed.  Should I continue?"
"Please do?"
"The Defendant has knowledge of the death of one of the owners and the place where the body rests.  He charged two men, again present here, to see to the murder and further ordered them to murder the other owner, though they have yet been unsuccessful."  The court room became silent as it realised there were more relevations.
"Further related are the burning of another small establishment from four years previously and..."
The court erupted again, "The Bridge Inn!" "He burnt down The Bridge" were screamed out at the Judge.  Now the room threatened chaos and the ushers had to restrain members of the audience.  The Judge repeatedly called for order and when it arrived it came on unsteady feet.  More unrest threatened to spill from the crowd's anger.  The one thing that disturbed Gaitlin most, though was the uncaring nature of the three men at the defendant's table.
"Very well," shouted Gaitln above the continuing noise.  I shall call a halt to proceedings for today and continue tomorrow.  However, it has become very clear to me that Mr Parvenu will need to be held for this trial to face the growing serious charges against him!  Ushers, remove Mr Parvenu to the cells!"
At this point the unknown man stood again.  "Miss Gaitlin, I'm afraid I cannot allow that!"  This brought the silence again to the room.
"You cannot allow?  You have no jurisdiction here and if I hear one more word, then you will accompany Mr Parvenu to the cells for contempt."
The man smiled and snorted quietly in amusement, then made his way, without rush, to the door.  Gaitlin watched suspiciously throughout.  The eyes of all watched the confident walk.
The man opened the door, spoke a few quiet words and in marched a small group of heavily armed soldiers, their swords drawn.
"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Gaitlin.  No other sound was heard.
"You are relieved of your duty as Judge in this court!"
You don't have such power!"
"Indeed I do.  Remove the judge!"
Two soldiers walked up to her table and pointing their sword points at her chest, indicated for her to go with them.
"I have no intention..." Her attention was drawn to the face of the Adjudicator who was staring at the soldiers and shaking his head in seeming disbelief.
She stared back at them in fear, just as one thrust his word forward, deep into her chest.
Judge Gaitlin sucked in a deep breathe and started to rise.  Isusu turned in shock and stared in horror, the beginnings of a scream issuing from her.  The second soldier turned to her and drove his sword through the upper side of her chest, cutting short the scream and let her drop swiftly to the floor.  Gaitlin took longer.  She stood for several moments staring incomprehensively at the sword hanging and quivering from her chest, then a flood of red blood and gore sprang from her mouth and she crashed onto the desk, then with a thud to the floor.
No-one in the audience had moved.  The man turned to face them.  "This court session is closed.  Mr Parvenu is not guilty and is free to go.  Adjudicator Epra, you will accompany my men. You will be executed this afternoon as a warning to all other Arrivers who seek to further their careers at the expense of ordinary citizens.  Let this be a warning to all!"