Trial II

"In the opinion of the defense there is the matter of the defendant's character to consider," Roy said. "Curro has been nothing but reliable, dependable, and efficient. He has been an outstanding officer on the ship and we would not be alive had it not been for him and his actions."

Roy took out his notes and read, "I will go over the defendant's achievements and actions. He saved Brigham's life from suffocation, he took control of the propulsion and stopped the ship from hitting the sun, he saved Ljubiša's life on NB011 and he relieved the pressure from me and you Ana, he was also instrumental in our victory against the neo-Nazis. All of this is worth medals and congratulations. Clearly, Curro is not rotten to the core, there is good in him and he deserves a path to redemption."

Ana wrote down all of Roy's examples in her notes and said, "Okay I will go point by point, the prosecution obviously rejects any of these actions as done out of some kindness from the heart and I will counter each of these claims. Firstly, stopping the ship from hitting the sun, was an act of self-preservation, if he hadn't intervened he would have died along with all of us."

"Objection!" Roy yelled out, "Not true, if self-preservation was what he cared about he could have run to an escape pod!"

Ana shook her head, "No, he has an attachment to the captain but don't worry I will get to that point, it relates to the door hacking. For now, I will just say, that the prosecution is of the opinion that it was an act of self-preservation and his selfish desires directed towards our captain. The next point was saving Ljubiša's life. Curro saved him, again, out of self-preservation. Ljubiša was needed to operate the pumping station so we could have water to drink, if he let him die on NB011, no water for any of us, including the defendant."

"Objection!" Roy yelled out once more, "Not true, he saved you and me too! We were not necessary for the pumping station and yet he fired missiles that saved us!"

"I object to your objection," Ana frowned, "to jog your memory, Roy. Curro didn't save us. We would have made it out with or without his missiles. Curro merely let off the pressure, not something I consider worthy of any praise, he did what was expected of him in that job. Not helping us would've brought suspicion onto him."

"Whatever the case," Roy said, "I think it works in favor of his character for helping the two of us."

Ana shrugged, "The prosecution disagrees but let's move on to your next point. The battle with the neo-Nazis, I don't want to sound like a broken record but it is again self-preservation. If he hadn't fired the weapons he would have died, he was following the captain's orders, the bare minimum expected of a soldier. Finally, the hacking of the engine door to save Brigham is his selfish desire to keep his friend alive at any cost. While you might find it cute or heartwarming, I find it selfish and sick. Even from the perspective of the cultists, he is a dangerously selfish individual."

Ana paced around the room and spoke, "He sacrificed 21 lives for Brigham, he potentially even sacrificed his own family and group for Brigham by altering the plan. In the military, we are supposed to be a team, we are supposed to take care of each other first and foremost, and we should always do what's best for the crew and the mission. It's what we were trained for and is the expected behavior of us."

Roy smirked, "The prosecution isn't doing itself any favors with this argument, Curro had in all situations contributed to the team and to the wellbeing of others."

"I wasn't done!" Ana snapped, "As I was saying, the importance is what you do for the collective. To get back to the earlier point, even from the perspective of the cultists, Curro is a failure. He put Brigham above everyone and everything else, his mission, and his family, in different circumstances I assume Curro would sacrifice the nation for his dear Brigham. Is such an individual worthy of any kind of praise? No, the prosecution argues that he has a sick attachment to Brigham and he is willing to walk over corpses for him."

"The defense would argue that his devotion to Brigham is exactly why he has a chance for redemption," Roy put his notes in his pocket. "If Curro was as unfeeling and vile as his parents, who by the way would send their own son on a mass murder mission, his family has no regard for human life. Not for their own, but Curro does, he had a line that he wouldn't cross, he couldn't hurt a friend. With that, Curro would be a normal, well-adjusted person, had he had people in his upbringing that weren't lunatics. The defense argues that there is good in him that never had a chance to bloom!"

Ana took a step closer to Brigham, "Since the defense has been leading this discussion, the prosecution would like to offer an argument. The crew is well aware of the closeness between the captain and the defendant. If you were to acquit him, that could be perceived as biased favoritism, you saving your friend's life and all that, especially since he saved yours. Lupus could be revolted by your decision, you might even face a mutiny and you might get killed along with Curro in that mutiny. I'm sure everyone wants to see him dead."

"Objection!" Roy pointed his finger at Ana, "The opinions of the majority have no bearing on justice and the court! The majority was in favor of your lynching, was that something the Captain should have allowed just because everyone wanted it!? The court and judge have no obligation to the people and their opinions!

"Not to their opinions," Ana crossed her arms, "But the courts have a duty to maintain the perception of impartiality and fairness in their conduct. Their friendship and a possible acquittal would be perceived as biased and unfair."

"The prosecution is out of line!" Brigham yelled standing up from his seat, his voice cracking. "My friendship with the defendant has no bearing on this case or will it have on my decision!"

Ana raised her arms and shrugged, "If the defense has no more point of contention to introduce, the prosecution suggests we move on to closing arguments."

Brigham agreed and they soon put an end to the trial and sat back into his seat.

Roy nodded in agreement, "The defense would reaffirm its request to spare the life of the young Curro. While the criminal justice system exists to punish bad decisions, how can it punish a decision that wasn't his to make? The young Curro never had an opportunity to become his own living in a household with such parents. Growing up in a cult would make 99.9% of people also part of that cult and they would have done the same. 

"Curro choosing his friend over his cult shows he is a conflicted individual and has the potential to be on the right path. Time can't be turned back, but we can at least ensure a better future, Curro has so much potential, to become many great things, he is a victim of his family and a victim of the place he was born. While he should receive some form of punishment when we get back home, death is too harsh. Allow the chance for his mind to be molded with the right values and give him a chance to thrive later in life. We plead for mercy and a chance for redemption. "

Ana rubbed her nose and prepared herself, "The prosecution will only reiterate what it has said before. Redemption and rehabilitation sound nice, but it rings hollow. If there is no retribution or punishment, then the court is saying that his behavior was something that's okay. Something we should all accept and see as normal. Curro killed 21 people, an undisputed fact, he could have made a different choice but he didn't. Him being conflicted only works against him, it means he thought this through with a clear head and told himself that his behavior was okay. 

"The prosecution sees no other proper resolution than death, there is nothing here to redeem, and even if there was, how? Should Curro go to the same school as the kids he killed and should he walk the same streets as the families that will grieve? The defense talks about punishment when we get back home but there is no legal alternative. If we acquit, it means he is free and cleared of any wrongdoing, unless you can get the system to keep him in a basement for 30 to 40 years. We plead for swift and immediate execution."

Brigham bowed his head slightly, "Thank you, honorable prosecution and defense. I will take a moment to contemplate and will declare my decision."