Asking for justice

28th November 5000

From the deck where he was on guard, Jack saw a little group approach the ship. He quickly counted 7 guards, 5 prisoners and 2 persons opening the way. He cursed in his beard. It didn't take him long to understand what was going on. Besides the Green Rat, there wasn't anything on this side of the shore... and no one important enough to be escorted. Someone would however consider himself important enough to need a personal guard.... As they came closer, his eyes inadvertently met those of the leader. He cursed louder. There was nowhere to hide now. Leaving his position, he ran to the cabin : "Captain ! Captain ! Someone is here to see you !"

Enuri, to whom Rameldin was walking close, chatting, stopped before getting under the aircraft. Lifting his eyes to the ship, he called : "Padoka ! my old friend ! Won't you come and salute me ? Don't be shy and come here. We have things to discuss".

Meanwhile, Jack had managed to find the Captain and drag him out of his studies. He leaned over the railing and forcing a smile acknowledged Enuri. "Enuri ! What are you doing here ?"

The prisoners didn't miss the accusatory look, of course it was their fault that Enuri came to learn of his presence. Sighing, Padoka gestured for the crew to unfold the rope ladder and letting them climb. Rameldin was first, followed by Enuri and Takira. The prisoners followed under the solid watch of their guards. On the deck, the mood was dark, except for Enuri who clearly had the upper hand. Soon everybody was made aware of some sort of business left unfinished between the inn owner and the Captain.

There were talks of debts, of responsibility, of guilt even, accusations, explanations and then a mention of trial. Unfortunately, all those talks were done without the prisoners. Every time one of them tried to say something, Takira, Captain of the guard, would toward him and hit with either the butt of her gun, a good kick or a strong push. Gustavius soon ended up on the floor, biting dust, refusing to listen to Mulchanor or Erleothir advices to shut up. Yesnarel and even Alast tried to intercede at get through to Enuri, to no avail. The pouting - whining of Rameldin, to whom her father couldn't refuse anything, wasn't helping them at help. She knew when to cry to catch his attention.

In the end, seeing the conversation wasn't going anywhere, it was suggested to go on trial. The company was actually at first enthusiastic: being innocent, they would for sure win. They quickly discovered the trap though. Being in Valerion, they would have to be judged according to its law and by its judge. They were however just out of the Boari jungle, far from any Valeran institution. They would have to travel to its capital city, Kelis, and would thus waste a precious time on their way to Shotia. In all that, none of the companions had forgotten their original mission.

Rameldin on the other hand was over excited and kept trying to push her dad in that direction to the point that Enuri was seriously considering this option. Since he hadn't been there in a while, he could make use of the trip for some shopping. Erleothir then spontaneously suggested to ask Halukel to be the judge: he was a Father of the Truth after all, wasn't he ? Both parties looked pleased with the idea except Rameldin who was now pouting.

Having found the judge, it was easier to select the attorneys. For some mysterious reasons, Enuri trusted Padoka with this role and the young Yesnarel was chosen to represent his companions on the idea that his knowledge of court and diplomacy would be a bonus. Each group took a while to discuss their strategy. From the side, one could see that Padoka wasn't discussing much but agreeing a lot. What kind of history did the Captain and the inn owner had ? No time to wonder about that. The audience - taking place in the kitche, was about to start.

Halukel was obviously taking the situation very seriously. He opened the trial with a long and inspired speech.

Padoka opened the session by telling his version of the fact as seen by Enuri. Yesnarel countered with a few selected questions about the inn security and focusing on how a bomb could be introduced in the main room. There were talks about a certain "Mister K." : regular visitor and guest. his quire was also mentioned, a good lad from Summerlund. Conclusion : Mister K was beyond suspicion.

Rameldin came to testify after her father. She got all emotional clearly trying to get the heart of the judge, repeating over and over again that her mother was dead and that they killed her. Between sobs, she also talked about the fight and how killing the pirate was a diversion, so that the bag could be left behind and the poor Xcéphia would die. To her, it was clearly all planned, it had been a trap. She couldn't figure the motive but she was convinced that those foreigners came in looking for a fight. Once more, Yesnarel tried his bast to weaken the accusation and was actually doing a pretty good job.

During the break, Padoka and Enuri worked on negotiation. They started the session with their offer : they would die if they were proven guilty, but they could pay for the inn damages all at once ( 30 000 gold coins, how hard could it be ? ) or pay 1000 Gold a month with only a 20% penalty for unpaid months. They didn't even consider those options, Erleothir even laughed out loud at something so "ridiculous". That was before Alast was called to testify ... before he confirmed that yes Mulchanor and Gustavius had been seen carrying and even crafting bombs... yes, they laughed before, when they thought they were winning.

Seeing how Halukel was changing his mind and not willing to lose the money ( who would pay if they received the death sentence ? ). Halukel would be satisfied and Enuri would have to use his savings to rebuilt the inn which had already burnt too many times and was getting really expensive.

Using a second break, Enuri widened his offers, hoping that this time they wouldn't be too foolish to refuse. The session reopened and Padoka started right away :

" Let's say you are innocent ... then Karnelian would be the culprit. And to prove that, we will have to find him first. So, here is the deal. You'll pay 200 gold coins a month until the debt is paid or you bring Karnelian back. If you manage that, then I'll repay you 25% of the sum received. Of course, just like before, if you miss a payment, you'll have a 20% penalty the following month. How does that sound ? "

Yesnarel knew this was the last offer and before anyone could ruin it, he motioned for everyone to shut up. He then thanked Enuri for the offer and asked for a few minutes with his friends to take their decision. He of course returned with a positive answer and details were quickly discussed : Rameldin would travel with them and would make sure the money would be paid on time and properly delivered.

Though they did manage to avoid death, there was little celebration that night. Indeed, Rameldin wasn't exactly who they would pick as "adventure partner number 1". To sum it up : they had lost a warrior and were now gaining a spoiled whining brat... But who could tell what talents she had in store for them ?