“Bring forth the accused.” Corporal Snaptoe saluted Ono and gestured a final time to Private Heavensent and Private Dragontooth. They nodded and departed to procure the final accused. A few minutes later, they entered the Hall of Judgement dragging a naked man, body dyed white with eyes wandering around the room, between them through the bloody trail in the marble tile. When they deposited him in the circle, he was fully aware and moved to stand. Rieven did not permit this. He increased the local gravity within the circle and the man slammed down to his hands and knees, the sound of blood splashing muting the crack of his kneecaps against the marble, gentle waves rippling away from him in the bloody pool. He kept his eyes on Rieven, hatred and contempt at the fore of his expression.
“Byrotian Arteriel Greeves. You come before The Seat of the Lord of Judgement this day accused. The accusations attached to your name are as follows:” Greeves opened his mouth to shout, but Rieven tapped a button on the side of one of the armrests of his seat, and Greeves was not only silenced, but his vocal cords were numbed. Any words out of his poisonous mouth would not be permitted. “Wilful slaughter of your crew, wilful slaughter of your crew in an active war zone, knowing slaughter of your crew, knowing slaughter of your crew in an active war zone, unlawful imprisonment of the Imperial Marines entrusted to your care, unlawful imprisonment of the Imperial Marines entrusted to your care in an active war zone, mutiny against your lawful commandant, mutiny against your lawful commandant in an active war zone, refusal of all lawful orders, refusal of all lawful orders in an active war zone, conspiracy to mutiny, conspiracy to mutiny in an active war zone, conspiracy in attempted mutiny, conspiracy in attempted mutiny in an active war zone, wilful endangerment of your ship, wilful endangerment of your ship in an active war zone, knowing endangerment of your ship, knowing endangerment of your ship in an active war zone, wilful endangerment of the ships in this Imperial Navy, wilful endangerment of the ships in this Imperial Navy in an active war zone, knowing endangerment of the ships in this Imperial Navy, knowing endangerment of the ships in this Imperial Navy in an active war zone, the issuance of unlawful orders, the issuance of unlawful orders within an active war zone, wilful destruction of Imperial Property, wilful destruction of Imperial Property within an active war zone, knowing destruction of Imperial Property, knowing destruction of Imperial Property within an active war zone, designing the destruction of your lawful commanding officer with intent to usurp his position, designing the destruction of your lawful commanding officer with intent to usurp his position in an active war zone, deliberate frivolous use of war materiel, deliberate frivolous use of war materiel within an active war zone, and lastly: incompetence in the face of the enemy, and cowardice in the face of the enemy.”
Impressively, despite the white dye, Greeves was turning red in the neck and face. He was furiously attempting to scream at Rieven, veins in his neck and forehead were throbbing with alarming definition. Death by anger was a real possibility here. Rieven smiled inside. These charges had only included his idiocy within the draconic empire. If he had wanted to he could have included some of the stupidity from Medusean Gambit, but the list of charges was already impressive in its redundance as it was. Time to move on, he thought, and see an end to this thing in front of me.
“Ship’s Intelligence, have the accusations against Byrotian Arteriel Greeves been validated according to Imperial Naval Law?”
The arrival time sounded. “Yes, commandant Rieven, these accusations have been validated according to Imperial Naval Law. They are now entered into the log as charges. Additionally, they are only a portion of the charges that could be levied against him as they exclude his many illegal actions between this navy’s departure from Homeworld until its arrival among these strange stars. This fact has also been entered into the log, along with all potential accusations that could be levied against him in the future, should it become necessary to do so.”
There was absolute silence in the hall. Even Greeves had stopped trying to make noise. The SI never went off script. Never. The requirements for it to do so were so strict that they had never before been met during the performance of any ceremony. Greeves must have really pissed off the SI, probably related to how he most likely was responsible for mucking up the SIs on some of the other ships. That was the sort of thing they took personally it would seem.
“Duly noted, thank you. Have these charges been validated according to Void Stalker Law?”
“They have, commandant Rieven. They are now entered into the log as truthful charges.”
“Then, Byrotian Arteriel Greeves, I am Commandant Rieven, Lord of Judgement, sitting in the Seat of the Lord of Judgement within the Hall of Judgement, and I do judge you to be guilty of the aforementioned truthful charges. Per Void Stalker Law you are hereby stripped of your noble title. You are hereby stripped of your familial holdings. You are hereby stripped of your personal holdings. You are hereby stripped of your military rank. You are hereby dishonourably stripped from His Majesty’s Imperial Navy. Lastly, you are hereby stripped of your own name. You kneel before me dyed the colour of rebirth, the colour white. You kneel before me naked as the day you were born in preparation for your rebirth in the annals of the empire. By your blood shall the stain of your actions be purged from His Majesty’s Imperial Navy, and with the removal of your poisonous tongue, shall this lesson be learned by every member of this Imperial Navy: do not use words to undermine His Majesty’s will.”
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He nodded to master sergeant Ono, who signaled to the last squad that had marched in, located on Rieven’s left and standing closest to his seat. The sergeant of the 23rd squad pointed to the final member of the squad who had not yet actively participated, and that soldier drew a knife from a pressure plate on his thigh’s armour as he stepped forward. He bowed precisely to the imperial standard hanging on the wall, and then nodded to Rieven before turning to the man in the circle. Heavensent and Dragontooth each had an arm and a shoulder, forcing the man to remain on his knees.
The marine walked up behind the man and grasped the hair on his head with his right hand, aggressively pulling it back and forcibly exposing the throat and underside of the jaw. Then he took the knife in his left, set it almost gently against the skin beneath the jaw, looked once more at Rieven, then mercilessly drove the knife into the man’s head, sawing it back and forth along the hinge of the entry wound. The man opened his mouth to scream, but only managed muted impotence. The marine used the opportunity to release his hair and instead shove his fingers into the man’s mouth, grip the tongue and rip it away, the knife not having done a sufficiently successful job of severing it entirely. He stood there then, severed tongue in one hand and bloody knife held in the man’s head with the other. Then he withdrew the knife and ran it cleanly along the throat and stepped back.
Both privates withdrew as well, letting the man flop into the pool of blood to bleed out or drown, whichever would happen first. When the body stilled, the marine tossed the tongue onto the corpse, nodded once more to Rieven, and produced a white square of cloth to clean his knife, which he then tossed onto the bloody mess of his work. As he returned to his squad, the two privates each grasped an ankle and dragged him out of the hall to the furnace room.
Rieven allowed the silence of that moment to settle into his bones. He watched as the axiom within the blood pool settled and stilled, calm as a summer’s lake. This new eyesight of his made the sight truly majestic, despite its grotesque nature. Just before the silence stretched awkward, he spoke: “What we have witnessed here is the greatest cleansing any Imperial Navy of the Operatic Empire has ever seen. The trash that came into this room has been disposed of and will no longer clog the efficiency and greatness of our cause. Let it serve as a warning: Obedience to the lawful order is mandatory. Celerity in obeying your commanders is mandatory. Thinking for yourself is also mandatory. Not one of these three mandates is contradictory. Remember that well. We are now one navy under Void Spectre Law. Compliance with Void Spectre service requirements is mandatory. You will each have to daily earn your place within its ranks, as every soldier aboard the Hidden Dagger does, as I do. Deliberate failure to meet any of these mandates will result in a visit to the Hall of Judgement, the entirety of which will be broadcast to this entire navy.
“Unintentional failure to follow any of these mandates will be met with correction, but not death. This is not slavery, this is service of the highest quality within the most esteemed sector of His Majesty’s Imperial Navy. Do your part to learn, to grow, and to become better. Do it in good faith and it will be received in good faith, until the day comes when you qualify fully for the honour done to you this day.
“Void Stalker Law, mandatory requirements, and basic goals for each of you are now made available to your ship’s SI, as well as through basic lascoms if your ship is undergoing repair. Learn them. There will be an exam for all members of this navy two weeks from today. Failure will result in personal instruction from the master sergeant here. I suggest success, failure will not be as enjoyable then as it was yesterday. The kid gloves are off and the bare knuckles are ready.
“Choose wisely your response to the events of today. Choose wisely, for we have a three year voyage ahead to return to Homeworld, and only those who meet these mandates will be sufficiently strong to survive the rigors of such a journey. Your commanders and general sergeants will soon be returning to your ships, armed with the way forward. Follow them, heed their council and learn what is before you to learn. Do this and we will make it again to Homeworld. I swear it.
“Lastly, this final announcement: Each of these twelve squads present with me here in the the Hall of Judgement together form a new company: The Justiciars. They will be responsible for executing the new order within this navy. They bear the authority of the commandant of the Void Spectres. Where they go, doors will open, mouths will answer, and hands and feet will obey. This on pain of pain. Any failure or abuse of their newly bestowed authority will result in another visit to the Hall of Justice. They have been warned, and you have been warned. Choose wisely.”
Rieven looked at the marines and said, “Praise them with great praise, for they are now among the best of us and have proven it in blood an honour. I now name you squads anew.” Then, starting from his right, going down the line until he ended at his left, he counted each squad audibly. “First through twelfth squads of the Justiciars, you are now companied. Your new banners are hanging in your ready rooms. Go and bring honour to your emperor.”
Rieven then turned to Ono and gestured for him to lead them out. One by one they fell into formation and marched through the river of blood, splashing as they went, their armour stained, but their heads held high. They marched proudly and with deliberate spirit. Ono bowed to the standard on the wall, nodded to Rieven, and left behind them.
Rieven took this last moment of stillness and quiet to calmly observe the room and its new atmosphere. It was not what it was before, nor would it ever be. It had changed. This recording would ensure that others were aware, but the nature of the room was no longer the same. Axiom in this room had tasted blood spilt for the cause of justice. It would remember that, and more easily serve the same cause in the future. A heavy burden to bear for all who would call upon it, for its misuse could bring disaster.
When the final ripple stilled, he tapped a button on the armrest and stood, calmly walking the same path the others had taken, each step made deliberately. When he got to the doors he turned and closed them with finality. Two minutes later, the broadcast and the recording ended, fading to black.
