“Let us begin,” the court president, a bald-headed and pudgy fleet admiral, said with fitting solemnity. “Let the trial open, let justice be done with utmost dispatch, and the prisoner found guilty and shot.”
“I object,” O’Brien said, springing to his feet. “These remarks are prejudical toward the accused, who is. innocent until proven guilty-”
“Objection overruled.” The president’s gavel banged. “Counsel for the defense is fined fifty bucks for unwarranted interruption. The accused is guilty, the evidence will prove it, and he will be shot. Justice will be served.”
“So that’s the way. they are going to play it,” O’Brien murmured to Bill through half-closed lips. “I can play them any way as long as I know the ground rules.”
The trial judge advocate had already begun his opening statement in a monotonous voice.
“… therefore we shall prove that Fuse Tender First Class Bill did willfully overstay his officially granted leave by a period of nine days and thereafter resist arrest and flee from the arresting officers and successfully elude pursuit, where upon he absented himself for the period of over one standard year, so is therefore guilty of desertion …”
“Guilty as hell!” one of the court officers shouted, a redfaced cavalry major with a black monocle, springing to his feet and knocking over his chair. “I vote guilty-shoot the buggery”
“I agree, Sam,” the president drawled, tapping lightly with his gavel, “but we have to shoot him by the book, take a little while yet”
“That’s not true,” Bill hissed to his lawyer. “The facts are-”
“Don’t worry about facts, Bill, no one else here-does. Facts can’t alter this case.”
“… and we will therefore ask the supreme penalty, death,” the trial judge advocate said, finally dragging to a close.
“Are you going to waste our time with an opening statement, Captain?” the president asked, glaring at O’Brien.
“Just a few words, if the court pleases … “
There was a sudden stir among the spectators, and a ragged woman with a shawl over her head, clutching a blanketwrapped bundle to her bosom, rushed forward to the edge of the table.
“Your honors-” she gasped, “don’t take away me Bill, the light of me life. He’s a good man, and whatever he did was only for me and the little one.” She held out the bundle, and a weak crying could be h_ eard. “Every day he wanted to leave, to return to duty, but I was sick and the wee one was sick and I begged him with tears in my eyes to stay …”
“Get her out of here!” The gavel banged loudly.
“… and he would stay, all the time swearing it would be just for one more day, and all the time the darlin’ knowing that if he left us we would die of starvation.” Her voice was muffled by the bulk of the dress-uniformed MPs who carried her, struggling, toward the exit. “… and a blessing on your honors for freeing him, but if you condemn him, you blackhearted scuts, may you die and rot in hell …” The doors swung shut, and her voice was cut off.
“Strike all this from the records,” the president said, and glowered at the counsel for the defense. “And if I thought you had anything to do with it I would have you shot right alongside your client.”
O’Brien was looking his most guileless, fingers on chest and head back, and just beginning an innocent statement when there was another interruption. An old man climbed onto one of the spectator’s benches and waved his arms for attention.
“Listen to me, one and all. Justice must be served, and I am its instrument. I had meant to keep my silence and allow an innocent man to be executed, but I cannot. Bill is my son, my only son, and I begged him to go over the hill to aid me; dying as I was of cancer, I wanted to see him ne last time, but he stayed to nurse me …” There was a struggle as the MPs grabbed the man and found he was chained to the bench. “Yes he did, cooked porridge for me and made me eat, and he did so well that bit by bit I rallied until you see me today, a cured man, cured by porridge from his son’s loyal hands. Now my boy shall die because he saved me, but it shall not be. Take my poor old worthless life instead of his … ” An atomic wire cutter hummed, and the old man was thrown out the back door.