Chapter 854 854 Jump Start
While Wolfe held the remainder of the trial, now that there were only a few people left with testimony to new crimes, the forces from the Grand Dutchies, Gormana and their allied nations along the Eastern Coast had already begun to move.
Entire flights of helicopters carrying special forces teams from the Demon and Fae Realms, cargo planes full of human paratroopers, and a naval group of long-range battleships, moved through a portal for good measure, had already engaged the holdouts from the Morgana Rebels.
The consensus in the Grand Dutchies was that if they could set right the wrongs of their recent past, they might earn a reprieve from their neighbours, most of whom still had them fully embargoed.
The only trade goods that they had managed to get in had come through their guardians, and that was severely limited. Even the trade flights that had been coming from the cities in Morgana Territory had nearly stopped, after they had been intercepted by Gormana, and later by the Gormana allied villages of the territory.
This was rapidly becoming a life or death matter to them, as even with the help of Fae magic, they were still not doing well. There weren’t enough Fae around to cast charms everywhere, and the Grand Dutchies had always been an arid region, which was currently in the deepest drought that they had faced in decades, and that was without factoring in the number of their mines and oil wells that had run dry.
So, when the Guardian Council had proposed that they send out a full expedition to set things right, they had jumped on the very real chance that this might be enough to get the Magi Saint to forgive their actions and send some help their way.
If it wasn’t, they might have to change tactics and start helping their people flee into Gormana and the Frozen Wastes, where they could try to integrate into the towns which had enough resources to keep them alive.
Unaware of the sort of hell that was about to arrive in the towns that were still holding to their oppressive ways, Wolfe prepared to finish with the trial and call the first group of villages integrated.
“If there are no other charges to put forward, I will move on to the sentencing. Every defendant in this room has indicated their intentions to plead guilty and place their fates on the mercy of the courts.
Now, does anyone have anything to say on the matter of sentencing? I will consider the opinions of those present in the courtroom at this moment.” Wolfe announced.
The locals were unsure quite what they should say to that. Most of the charges were only going to have one outcome, but there were a few here who were actually decent people, other than the fact that they had looked the other way to the crimes of their people.
One Elder came forward to speak, moving slowly with age. The defendants waited patiently as she approached, not saying anything. She had the respect of everyone in town, and she had often mediated disputes after their arrival, so they knew her personality was a fair one.
“Please introduce yourself for those outside who can’t see you.” Wolfe requested with a smile as the General placed a cushion on the chair at the witness stand for her.
“I am Elder Morgan, born and raised right here in town. My family is a branch of the Morgana Coven Leaders, separated since the end of the war when we chose to move here. Once upon a time, I was mayor here, but it has been seventy years since I retired for my granddaughter to take over.”
She was rambling, but nobody in the room seemed to mind, so Wolfe didn’t say anything.
“Now, this has been a bad year for us, but we have had bad years before. I remember ten years back when the Rebels from the Fortress City first approached us, and the threats they made. They killed as many in a day as the men here in this room have in a year.
That doesn’t excuse their behaviour, but I think that we should consider compassion for the desperate. Ten years ago, we were desperate, and worked with the Rebels, until we realized how awful their chances of actually winning were. Then there was that young Reiko girl. Rank Two, imagine that? But that’s not the point. Where was I?
Oh, yes. Compassion. The senior officers here have skills in running a city and a military unit. I don’t trust them any more than I trust a fart at my age, but their knowledge is valuable.
So, I would ask that the court doesn’t kill them, but imprison them. The prisoner chain would allow them to work under the supervision of trusted members of the city, so we can use their skills without fear that they would return to their misbehaving ways.”
There was a fine line between the prisoner chains and the slave collars, but Wolfe could tell that most of the people agreed with her determination. The witches were used to being isolated, while these soldiers and nobles knew about international trade. But not everyone was on board.
“Surely, you don’t mean all of them, Elder.” One of the other older witches asked.
The old woman silently thought for a moment, then smiled. “I have an idea. If there is someone in leadership that is willing to take responsibility for one of the prisoners, they can ask our new Guardian to grant them custody on a day work release. Those who aren’t trusted can rot in jail, and those the leadership trusts can work and use their skills.”
Work programs for prisoners, where they could get out of their cells and work in exchange for either time off their sentence or better living conditions, were a normal thing in the Demon Realms, and in both Fortress Cities.
Wolfe nodded. “I don’t have an objection to that. If the new Guardian agrees, a qualified person might be able to take a prisoner out for day work. There should already be regulations for it within the law.”
The crowd murmured, but nobody objected, so Wolfe finished the trial in the simplest way he could.
“Then I hereby find all defendants guilty of all charges and sentence them to be imprisoned for the duration of their natural lives, with the chance of parole at the unanimous discretion of the city Guardian and Elder Council. Bailiffs, please escort the convicts to their cells.”
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