by. Kaytai

The following takes place after the season four finale.

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Part One

It seldom rained on Ceti Prime, and when it did, it was an awesome occurrence. Lili turned down the acoustic dampeners, and listened to the water pelt the house, its song taking her back to another life time. Normally she would be eager to block the storm - and the memory - but today, she needed the comfort of a familiar feeling.

She heard soft foot falls approaching from behind, and a hint of uneasy breath floating through her hair. Ever since she had come to Jaridia she had become more acutely aware of her surroundings.

"You should go to sleep I'lia," she said quietly. "You need your rest."

Lili turned around and resisted the urge to take the woman by the hand, and lead her to bed. Instead she saw her looking down at her sadly her deep brown eyes sinking into darkening circles. "It is you who should be resting." She replied, as she tossed a strand of dark hair from her eye.

Lili considered I'lia for a moment, and scrutinized her. She was young, she realized, younger than herself. She was by caste, a "Ne'ti", something that had been described to her as a cross between some sort of nanny, and a hired companion. She had been employed by Vorjak a little after they had returned to Jaridia with Are'il, to stay with Lili and the child.

Somewhere in between, she had become a friend, an anchor in a swirling ocean of changing loyalties. Now she was paid with nothing - what did she have to compensate her with? Vorjak had left for Earth months before, and his fail to return was no doubt a result of his death.

He had left her alone.

"You've been staring out that window all night," I'lia continued, concern mounting in her exhausted voice. "Tomorrow's a big day."

"I know." Lili said abruptly, trying to quell her need to strike out at someone. "I just...couldn't sleep that's all." She said, her mind growing distant from the conversation.

"Vorjak could be coming back. Maybe he found a way to revive his crew..."

Lili glared at I'lia, and stopped the girl cold in her tracks. I'lia had always been unusual in a way, Lili thought. She seemed almost human.

"I'm thinking about bringing Are'il tomorrow Lili."

"Absolutely not." Lili said. "I want you both to stay here, and wait for me."

She watched as brown eyes in conflict stared at her with determination. "We have the right to be there."

Lili leaned forward and touched I'lia's knee in a breif attempt to comfort her. "It's not about having the right. I don't want you both to be exposed...to that."

Lili sat back again, and saw Vorjak in her mind, his words of comfort still echoing in her ears. You'll be safe here on Jaridia. You're the planet's savior.

"He didn't know that Jaridia's "savior" would become a Judas in a matter of a few months." She wondered out loud.

"Judas?" I'lia asked in confusion.

Lili shifted uncomfortably in her chair and glared out the window again. "On earth, a Judas is the worst sort of betrayer."

"I see." The girl answered.

A soft moaning cry came from the bedroom. Lili launched out of her chair, and held I'lia by the shoulder, preventing her from leaving. "I'll take care of it." She said with a manufactured smile. "You get your rest. I want my daughter taken care of while I'm gone."

Lili quickened her pace on her way out of the room, and picked up Are'il from her bed. She had obviously been awakened by a small dream, because the child drifted asleep again as soon as she was in Lili's arms. Everything she knew told her that she should lay her back down, and let her sleep naturally. Even so, every bone in her body ached to hold her, and never let go.

So she took her back to her own bedroom, the one she had once shared with Vorjak. Sitting on the bed she held her tiny daughter, and rocked her gently, as she contemplated the uncertain comings of the day to come.

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The Court of Magistrates was one of the largest structures on Jaridia, a monstrosity of almost theatrical grandeur. Lili had been lead up to her podium by Sel'vek, who would be the closest thing to council that she would be allowed. In normal circumstances, she would not be even allowed his advisement.

The podium was actually a floating platform, that stayed centered in the gargantuan "court" which loosely resembled a battling arena.

It many ways, it might have well been just that.

She stood quietly and waited for the roar of crowd to die down. Jaridian's were all around her. They had packed them in, from stadium ceiling to stadium floor, filling all three hundred and sixty degrees of seating.

"This session of the Magistrates of Jaridia will now commence." A voice boomed.

Lili craned her neck upwards, to see five spotlights growing stronger, each one illuminating a single magistrate.

"Jaridian high court is now in session." The lead magistrate, Mi'zan, said quietly, his steady voice bringing utter silence to the room. "Lili Marquette. Please step forward."

Lili moved as closely to the balcony bar as possible, and gripped it with force she didn't know she had.

"Major Lili Marquette. You have been accused of crimes against the Jaridian race, the highest form of treason on your adopted world. Have you been informed of these accusations?"

She swallowed, and felt the piping beneath her fingers getting hotter from her grip. "I have."

The room began to fill again with mumbled voices.

"Then it is done." Mi'zan said firmly. "These rulings shall now begin."

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Part Two

Lili had been told about the justice system of Jaridia before, and the grand cases that came before the Court of Magistrates. Never had she once imagined that she would one of the accused.

“Did you or did you not conspire with the enemy Captain Marquette?”

It had been the same question, asked a hundred times, simply re-ordered into another form. Hours of trial, and she hadn’t been able to defend one charge.

“No!” She responded sharply, doing the best she could to hold her tongue. A touch of disrespect aimed at a Magistrate would mean certain death.

“Then you deny,” the head judge, continued, “that you were responsible for sending secret communiqués to the Taelons on more than one occasion?”

Lili felt Sel’vek’s hand pulling on her shoulder and she turned. “You must speak as we planned!” He hissed in her ear.

“Speak as we planned?” She asked incredulously. “These people are out there to crucify me! They haven’t given me an opportunity to defend myself.”

“They will never give you that chance Lili!” He responded. “Their whole goal is to prove that you are guilty of these charges.”

“What ever happened to ‘innocent until proven guilty’?” She asked.

Sel’vek shook his head. “Whatever that is, that has never been the case in a Jaridian court!”

“You have not answered the question Lili Marquette!” The voice boomed again.

Lili glared at Sel’vek once more, hoping to find some sort of reassurance in his eyes. All she found there, was the look of a man who had already lost.

Spinning around to face the council and a milling group of noisy Jaridians, she stood as upright as possible on the ever-tilting podium. “I wasn’t conspiring with the Taelons.”

Another council member stood, and held up a small data pad which was glowing yellow. “Then how do you explain this message which was intercepted in part on the way to your home planet? If you were not communicating with the Taelons, than who was?”

Lili held her breath, and fought to expel it slowly. “I sent that message.”

The room grew silent.

The woman continued, “the defendant has now made an admission of guilt, after long denying these charges -”

“I am not guilty!” Lili yelled interrupting the Magistrate. “You have accused me of conspiring with the enemy, and that is a lie!” Lili spat. “That message was sent to a friend - “

“Then you say that the recipient of this message - a Taelon - is your friend? You admit that the greatest enemy of our world is your friend!”

Sel’vek stood and leaned over, nearly pressing Lili into the metal bars. “If you don’t end this line of questioning, you will be proclaimed guilty!”

Lili closed her eyes, and imagined the days that had been before the trial. She had believed that proving innocence was possible. Now she knew the truth; she had been guilty the moment she stepped onto that podium.

“I sent the message to Da’an, a being that has proved his willingness to cooperate with the Jaridian Empire!”

“Cooperate?” The female said. “Da’an has long been one of our most aggressive opponents!”

Chaos broke out in the auditorium. Lili watched in disbelief as Jaridians climbed onto their benches and started screaming madly.

“They demand a decision.” Sel’vek whispered into her ear. “They are tired of the questioning.”

The head Magistrate rose from his chair, and spread his arms out. “Enough!” He roared over the voices.

People started sitting back down.

“Evidence has been brought forth regarding the guilt of Lili Marquette. The defendant has admitted to these crimes. Now our council will convene. Final commentary and sentencing will commence tomorrow morning.”

The lights that had been illuminating the council slowly grew dim, leaving only a dark stretch of seats. Lili gripped the podium as she felt it descending towards ground level. “I’ve already lost, haven’t I?”

Sel’vek said nothing for a moment, his soft eyes bearing off into nowhere. “Only tomorrow will tell.” He said quietly.

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