said in a
commanding tone from her highchair in the direction of the United
Nation’s Chief of Lawyers. ‘You’re alleging the plaintiff is guilty
of murder because she forced the captain of the magno-chopper to
shoot the rest of the crew?’
Oahn Kim was on her feet as she addressed the
court. ‘There were not enough jetpacks to go around, Your Honor.
Stamford TF must of course bear partial responsibility for this.
Nonetheless, it was Mas’s direct assault on the vessel that
precipitated the murders. The United Nations contests she has
primary responsibility for the incident.’
Judge Furtle pulled a face. ‘An interesting
legal argument is lurking there but that is a side issue for us
today.’
‘Regrettably so,’ replied Kim, having rushed
into court at such short notice, she had not had sufficient time to
read up on the subject.
Judge Furtle glanced at the wall clock. ‘I
realise the situation must be grave to bring you out at this hour.
The United Nations are usually such good sleepers.’ She read
through the disposition on her desk once again. Then she looked up
to the crowded room of drawn out faces. ‘No doubt the matter lends
itself to lawyers quoting precedents at one another; fortunately,
we are here to consider a more tangible issue: should the
involvement of the Hurt World be warranted?’ She scanned the back
pews and sure enough there was Gwen Renaissance sitting quietly
with a calm concentration. She was there virtually without
exception whenever the Hurt World had an application before the
court. It was a signal for a presiding judge to consider the matter
carefully, for if provoked, Renaissance was on good speaking terms
with most the Presidents of the free world. Having the United
Nation’s Chief of Lawyers present the application was another
useful ally in her corner. Not quite in the same class as the
highest paid corporate lawyers, but not someone to micro-sleep in
front of either. Judge Furtle delivered her ruling looking Kim
square in the eye.
‘I’m not convinced that the world we live in
is such a dangerous place that the fate of an entire population may
be jeapordised by the transfer of a single metal canister from a
scientist of dubious integrity to a poacher without any known
associates or affiliations. If it is a disease, there are cures. If
it is a poison, there are antidotes. Weaponry might be another
matter, but Dr Gustavo is not known to dabble in such areas. And
besides, world threatening bombs are far larger. I do understand,
however, the Hurt World Agency wanting clearance to assign its best
operatives against Mas considering its past failures in this
regard.’ She looked to Renaissance to see if she had chipped any of
that calmness from her face. Disappointingly, no. ‘Unfortunately,
there are simply not enough grounds to assign Hurt World Level Five
to this incident. I must wonder, in fact, if the local police
should not be in charge of the case. That being said, the smuggling
of animals is no doubt one of the most serious crimes facing
humankind today. With more and more species being exploited and
pushed to the brink of extinction, those most involved and, dare I
say it, most skilled in exploiting this precious resource are
certainly creating pain on a global scale. The prospect, therefore,
of once again being on the trail of Mas, the notorious poacher, is
too important to ignore. The court thus grants Hurt World Level One
permission to pursue this case. The specific terms of reference are
that the signature dog named Blast is to be recovered and kept
alive at all cost and then used to locate and bring to justice the
poacher Mas. That completes the matter of 4009HW.’ Judge Furtle
stood up and the court rose in turn.
The Chief of Lawyers bowed deeper than anyone
else. She found it the best position to be in when she pulled one
of the contorted, twitching faces she couldn’t much control when a
verdict went against her. She had to move quickly to catch up
commanding tone from her highchair in the direction of the United
Nation’s Chief of Lawyers. ‘You’re alleging the plaintiff is guilty
of murder because she forced the captain of the magno-chopper to
shoot the rest of the crew?’
Oahn Kim was on her feet as she addressed the
court. ‘There were not enough jetpacks to go around, Your Honor.
Stamford TF must of course bear partial responsibility for this.
Nonetheless, it was Mas’s direct assault on the vessel that
precipitated the murders. The United Nations contests she has
primary responsibility for the incident.’
Judge Furtle pulled a face. ‘An interesting
legal argument is lurking there but that is a side issue for us
today.’
‘Regrettably so,’ replied Kim, having rushed
into court at such short notice, she had not had sufficient time to
read up on the subject.
Judge Furtle glanced at the wall clock. ‘I
realise the situation must be grave to bring you out at this hour.
The United Nations are usually such good sleepers.’ She read
through the disposition on her desk once again. Then she looked up
to the crowded room of drawn out faces. ‘No doubt the matter lends
itself to lawyers quoting precedents at one another; fortunately,
we are here to consider a more tangible issue: should the
involvement of the Hurt World be warranted?’ She scanned the back
pews and sure enough there was Gwen Renaissance sitting quietly
with a calm concentration. She was there virtually without
exception whenever the Hurt World had an application before the
court. It was a signal for a presiding judge to consider the matter
carefully, for if provoked, Renaissance was on good speaking terms
with most the Presidents of the free world. Having the United
Nation’s Chief of Lawyers present the application was another
useful ally in her corner. Not quite in the same class as the
highest paid corporate lawyers, but not someone to micro-sleep in
front of either. Judge Furtle delivered her ruling looking Kim
square in the eye.
‘I’m not convinced that the world we live in
is such a dangerous place that the fate of an entire population may
be jeapordised by the transfer of a single metal canister from a
scientist of dubious integrity to a poacher without any known
associates or affiliations. If it is a disease, there are cures. If
it is a poison, there are antidotes. Weaponry might be another
matter, but Dr Gustavo is not known to dabble in such areas. And
besides, world threatening bombs are far larger. I do understand,
however, the Hurt World Agency wanting clearance to assign its best
operatives against Mas considering its past failures in this
regard.’ She looked to Renaissance to see if she had chipped any of
that calmness from her face. Disappointingly, no. ‘Unfortunately,
there are simply not enough grounds to assign Hurt World Level Five
to this incident. I must wonder, in fact, if the local police
should not be in charge of the case. That being said, the smuggling
of animals is no doubt one of the most serious crimes facing
humankind today. With more and more species being exploited and
pushed to the brink of extinction, those most involved and, dare I
say it, most skilled in exploiting this precious resource are
certainly creating pain on a global scale. The prospect, therefore,
of once again being on the trail of Mas, the notorious poacher, is
too important to ignore. The court thus grants Hurt World Level One
permission to pursue this case. The specific terms of reference are
that the signature dog named Blast is to be recovered and kept
alive at all cost and then used to locate and bring to justice the
poacher Mas. That completes the matter of 4009HW.’ Judge Furtle
stood up and the court rose in turn.
The Chief of Lawyers bowed deeper than anyone
else. She found it the best position to be in when she pulled one
of the contorted, twitching faces she couldn’t much control when a
verdict went against her. She had to move quickly to catch up
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