Out There
14 May 2011 Leave a Comment
in Court Business, High Court, Mini-story Tags: Cianal, Joram
Joram frowned faintly as he watched the people moving around in the market square. There had been a time when he’d been able to walk around with them. Then, no one knew him. He was just like anyone else. That wasn’t the case anymore.
Now, he was a member of the High Court. More than that, he was the Head of the High Court, because he’d been serving the longest. Now, everywhere he went, people knew him. He couldn’t go anywhere without an escort.
“I sort of miss it,” he murmured.
“What’s that?”
Joram looked over his shoulder at Cianal and smiled. Nodding at the market square, he said, “Walking around out there, like a normal person.” He turned away from the window and shook his head. “They talk about rank granting duties and privileges. They never mention what it costs.”
Equal Under the Law
31 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in High Court, Mini-story, NLFT, Tales of the High Court, Team Epsilon Tags: Aidan, Joram, Keenan, Thom
Prompt: the esthetic of lostness
“So,” Keenan said, looking at Joram, Aidan and Thom, “that’s where things stand. We know that Lord Haffley killed Cass.”
“But he won’t say who else on either council is part of the splinter movement,” Aidan said, nodding. “It’s not like we can take all the republicans out of public office. They were duly elected, after all.”
“The same is true of the other members of the High Court,” Joram said, shaking his head. “Without any sort of proof showing that a person was involved, our hands are tied.”
Keenan nodded. “We’ll just have to be careful,” he said. “We’ll watch out for laws that might infringe on the rights of citizens who are from other ethnic backgrounds. We’ll keep an eye out for instances when they’re being unfairly excluded.”
“We caught the guy,” Thom said, sounding upset. “So, why does it seem like we’ve lost?”
“Because,” Keenan said, “the fight goes on.” He smiled faintly and said, “But that was just one battle. We haven’t won the war yet, but we’ve made a good start.”
After Two Months
18 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in High Court, Mini-story, Tales of the High Court Tags: Cianal, Joram
Prompt: Quarter moon better than none
“It’s so very dark,” Joram said, frowning. He looked over his shoulder at Cianal. “It’s never this dark in Himulai.”
“More street lights there,” Cianal said. He looked up at the sky and smiled. “It could be worse, though. At least there’s a sliver of moon to shed some light on us.”
Joram looked up at the sky and frowned. It had been the same when Cassidy had died – just a sliver of moon hung in the sky. It had been two months ago. How many more such nights would come and go before her killer was brought to justice?
What is home?
17 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in High Court, Mini-story, Tales of the High Court Tags: Cianal, Joram
Prompt: curse of the gypsy blood
Joram lifted his head off Cianal’s chest and looked at him. “Do you ever think of settling down?” he said, tilting his head to one side.
Cianal frowned. “Whatever do you mean?” he asked, shaking his head. “I’m settled well enough. I live with you, don’t I?”
“You travel back and forth with me,” Joram said. His gaze drifted to the window. For a moment, he watched the scenery in silence. “We spend half our time at one home and half our time at the other. The constant traveling back and forth doesn’t bother you?”
“Not at all,” Cianal said, laughing. He shrugged and shook his head. “I think I’d get bored staying in one city all the time. Much more fun this way.” He looked intently at Joram, “Does it bother you?”
Joram smiled. “My home is wherever you are,” he said, his voice faint.
Bells at Sea
16 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in High Court, Mini-story, Tales of the High Court Tags: Henry
Prompt: can you hear the distance
Henry looked across the waves at the shore. They were nearly to South Cove now. He was nearly home. He tilted his head to one side and frowned. “What’s the bell for?” he mused. It seemed so faint and very far away.
“It’s how we keep time, your honor,” one of the sailors said, as he hurried by.
Henry blinked. So, that meant the bell was somewhere on board the ship. He wondered then, why it sounded like it had come from far away. In his mind, it was as though the tolling bell somehow marked the distance, not just the time.
At Sea, But Not Adrift
15 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in High Court, Mini-story, Tales of the High Court Tags: Henry
Prompt: trusting strangers
Henry stood on the deck of the ship and stared at the line of tan that was the coast. They were following it southward, towards his home. For the first time since Cassidy’s death, he felt safe.
It was odd, he thought. Why should he feel safer on a ship full of people he didn’t know than he had in the familiar surroundings of the city where he worked? How could he trust these people? Somehow, though, he did. A faint smile touched his lips. Perhaps it was naive, but he felt like he could trust these strangers. They would see him safely home.
Regrets
13 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in High Court, Mini-story, Tales of the High Court, Team Epsilon Tags: Aidan, Eishi
Prompt: life is short and the world is wide
“You and Cassidy Reinsch were together on the morning of her death?” Aidan said, his voice soft. He was seated at a table in what they called a conference room, across from Eishi Sakamoto.
Eishi nodded. He sniffled softly and fussed with the soft cotton handkerchief that was twisted between his fingers.
Aidan sighed softly. “I know this is difficult, your honor,” he said, “but we’re trying to establish a timeline. The more we know about what led up to her death, the more likely we are to catch the person responsible.”
“I know,” Eishi said, his voice cracking. He shrugged and shook his head. “I just… we thought we had all this time and – and now she’s gone?”
“I’m afraid that’s… not uncommon, sir,” he said, his voice soft. He chewed his lip for a moment and then plowed ahead with the questions he needed answered. He felt horrible – like he was kicking a wounded puppy – but they needed as much information as possible. Somewhere in the great wide world, there lurked a killer and it was his job to find out who it was and why they’d targeted Judge Reinsch in the first place.
Paying Due Diligence
11 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in High Court, Mini-story, Tales of the High Court, Team Beta Tags: Bertram, Joram, Keenan
Prompt: all cities were the same
“Murdered?” Keenan said, his voice soft. He looked from Bertram to Joram and back again. “What team was assigned to the investigation?”
“None, yet,” Bertram said, shaking his head. “Thom’s team is gathering what evidence there is. At the moment, the directors felt it could remain in the hands of a forensics team.”
Keenan’s brows twitched and he bit his lip, a clear sign he was fighting the urge to turn the air blue with curses. “Right,” he said, at last. “I’m assigning Danny’s team to assist them.”
“Haruko’s not going to like it,” Bertram said.
Cursing, Keenan flopped into his chair. “I don’t much care what he likes. I’m the Grand High Commander of Intelligence, aren’t I? That means I can override whatever any of the directors might want.”
“Are you sure that’s necessary, Keenan?” Joram asked, his brows furrowing. “I… don’t want to stir up trouble for you.”
Shaking his head, Keenan said, “It’s not because of you, Jorey. It’s this: until we know if this was a random attack, an attack specifically on Cass or a political assassination, there’s no way to know if the rest of you are safe. Many hands make light work.”
“Too many cooks spoil the broth,” Bertram quipped, earning a glare. He shrugged. “Just saying… throwing more agents at a problem might not solve it faster.”
“If they’ve got different focuses it does,” Keenan replied. He looked at Joram and smiled. “No reason to panic yet. All cities have their crazies and that may be what this was. I just want to be sure.”
“I appreciate your diligence,” Joram said, giving him a wan smile. They’d all sleep easier knowing that Keenan had his best people on the case.
