Shi Lang was called to testify in front of the judges after his team did not reveal anything. This was done to reduce the risk of loopholes and stuff.
Shi Lang sat down on the chair and Kai said, “Please state your identity to the judges.”
“Captain Ace, Secret Divisions, federal army.”, said Shi Lang in a calm voice.
Kai gazed at him and asked, “May I ask if Ace is your real name or the code name.”
Shi Lang replied, “Code.”
Kai could tell that this guy will not speak any more than necessary. He asked, “What is your real name?”
Shi Lang gazed at the barrister in front of him and said, “Ace.”
Kai asked, “You just said that Ace is your code name, do you mean to say that it is also your real name?”
Shi Lang said, “When I am on duty, Ace is my identity, whether you consider it a code name or a real name.”
Kai said, “I want to know the name that you use when you are off-duty.”
Shi Lang asked, “May I ask you a few questions before I answer you?”
Kai nodded and Shi Lang asked, “Galactic Council is a military organization or a civilian organization?”
Kai was surprised and so were the judges. Kai replied, “Military organization but we deal with the civilian matters as well.”
Shi Lang nodded and asked, “Then please tell me if this hearing is for a military issue or is it a civilian issue?”
Kai was once again stumped. He did not know what to say, so he turned to the screen and a judge said, “This hearing is about the actions taken by the alliance of Terran and Neomonian Military personnel on Acradian grounds.”
Shi Lang replied, “Thank you, since this hearing is classified as a military one, then I exercise my right to stay silent about my Civilian identity.”
His answer shocked everyone in the room. They did not expect him to go to such a tricky angle to shoot the barrister in his knee. Kai was an experienced barrister and he seemed to have seen a lot of tricky people in his career. He nodded and asked, “When would you like to tell me why did you take action on the Arcadian land without any authorization from the galactic council?”
Shi Lang replied, “It was an act of vengeance.”
Kai caught on to it and asked, “What were you trying to avenge?”
Shi Lang replied, “Twenty thousand one hundred and sixty casualties on our side when the Arcadians invaded.”
Kai was shocked, he was aware of this number from the reports submitted by the Terrans. He said, “If I remember it correctly, then this is the number matching with your killings on Arcadia, are you trying to say, that you counted each and every person you killed?”
Shi Lang replied, “The communicator on my wrist can count how many people I have killed. I also have the footage from the suited cam, and we can also pull up the data from the Arcadian satellite feed storage. So, yes, I did count every life I took.”
Kai did not know what to say but then it came to him and he said, “When the Arcadians invaded the territories, they also suffered huge casualties. What is your reply to that?”
Shi Lang replied, “When you step into war and you are the one who takes initiative to attack, you should not be the one to cry as every general is aware that sending troops into war can lead to their deaths, they must have known it. Yet they attacked, so they are served well.”
The people were shocked they did not expect him to say such a thing. Kai asked, “Then let me ask you, this space is Neomonian territory. Why did the Terran fleet appear here?”
“If you share the same wall with your neighbor and you know that this wall is weak and might fall apart, then you need to come together to strengthen the wall. Also, when we got this information, the two empires, The Federation and The Neomons were amidst a friendly exchange. So the alliance was not forced but already determined. Arcadians only acted as a catalyst.”, replied Shi Lang without batting an eyelid.
Stevenson and Rosa smiled faintly, and so were the people on the witness stand. Shi Lang was the best debate candidate in their school, and he was showing his edge once again.
Kai nodded and asked, “Then why is the strike team only formed with Terrans and only one Neomonian.”
Shi Lang replied, “Did, Her Highness Nexa not declare her identity? Do I need to emphasize the weight she carries?”
Kai gnawed his teeth and after calming down he asked, “I would like to ask you, in the coup that you planned did you really need to kill so many people? Please explain why your actions are not in line with initiating a war?”
Shi Lang said, “The thing we did was to infiltrate a planet and not a building. The place was guarded to achieve the goal. It was not easy to get inside the palace. So, to draw attention I took down a patrol team. They kept sending more people, and I kept fighting. If you look at the satellite feeds, you will see that I only acted in self-defense.
I did not take the initiative to kill all those people, only when they tried using heavy weaponry against me, and only then did the toll of casualties increase. I had spared a lot of enemies by just leaving them unconscious.
As for the so-called act of war, we only acted on the capital and dealt with the forces that approached us. Also, it was six against tens of thousand, in which my team did not act much, if this is classified as an act of war then I have nothing to say. Another I would like to mention here is, according to the definition of the Galactic Council when a fleet attacks your territory, which was something done by the Arcadians, and not a small team deployed to take the commission from a benefactor and pay off the debt.”
Kai grit his teeth and said, “What is it that Cara paid you with in return for this attack since you have mentioned the word commission.”
Shi Lang replied, “She provided us crucial information to stop the attack from the enemy. I guess nothing can top off the favor of saving my home. Can it?”
Kai could not find any loopholes to execute a critical strike. The ones Shi Lang exposed earlier were to lead him into the pit. Shi Lang was pissed to think that this guy came and started to act as if he owns them.
Kai tried to ask more questions but there was no point to it. The grumpy judge said, “I declare them to be innocent. Thousands could not stop six? Shameful, it is good that they died.”
The other judges also discussed and then said, “The panel has come to the conclusion that you are all innocent. However, next time such a situation arises, inform the council first. Also, since Cara is the last living descendant left from the royal family, she is instated to be the new ruler of Arcadia, she can choose one aid and report the name to the council within a week.”
Shi Lang stood up and bowed to the judges. The screen went blank a few seconds later, Kai said, “Congratulations on getting away with it.”
Shi Lang took a deep look at the man and turned around to leave with his team. He did not say a word, because it was not necessary for him to entertain a clown jumping on the beam.
…
The team returned to Nestia and Nexalia wanted to hold a big feast in their honor, however, the idea was scrubbed when Shi Lang said, “War brings death and in my eyes, it is not something to be celebrated.”
The people realized the intensity of what has happened in the past few weeks. The people needed rest, it was nighttime when Cara came to Shi Lang and Amelia’s room. She knocked on the door and asked, “Captain Ace, are you there?”
Shi Lang opened the door and asked, “What happened?”
Cara hesitated and then asked, “Can I talk to you and Sister Amelia?”
Shi Lang nodded and invited her inside. According to what he knew, the girl will be going back to Arcadia tomorrow and she will begin her new journey there.
Cara sat down on the couch and looked at the two people. Amelia caught the sight of her ears flickering. She smiled and asked in a soft voice, “What is it, Cara? You can tell me.”
Cara raised her head and asked, “The galactic council asked about an aid that can help me with the administration of the empire. I wanted to ask if the two of you would like to come over? You see, I cannot trust anyone else, but you two are different. Can you think about it?”
Amelia was shocked but Shi Lang was just surprised, after all, he was longing for the spiritual energy. He said, “I have a few conditions, if you can fulfill them, then we will agree.”
Cara asked, “Can you tell me?”