All he could see was a giant pendulum glowing with a cold white light in a pitch‑black room.
It swung back and forth in a steady rhythm, yet at times its motion fractured into unpredictability, drifting upward or downward as though gravity had forgotten its role.
The strangest moments were those in which its viewer could no longer discern its direction, or whether it was moving at all.
The purpose of this illusion was to remind a defendant that their mind was under external influence, and that within the confines of the courtroom, lying was impossible.
Oddly enough, they were also meant to understand that silence remained within their control, a fact that offered little comfort if the defendant mistakenly assumed their thoughts were being read.
"I never hated the dark. But knowing so many people are staring at me through it makes me… sort of uncomfortable," Cosmo muttered aloud.
The handcuffs designed to forcibly suppress his Authority were once again locked around his wrists, but he didn't need to sense their presence to know that at least six judges circled above him.
"Knowing how this is going to go, I see why you never bother providing a lawyer. Anyone who could get you a proper verdict probably costs a fortune these days, so why even bother, am I right?"
BANG!
What was apparently a gavel, but sounded far more like a gunshot, cut through Cosmo's rambling and signaled the beginning of his trial.
"We shall proceed with the retrial of Cosmo ■■■■■■. Last name voided," an encrypted voice declared, understandably so, as the identities of any individual capable of prosecuting a Captain were required to remain secret. Preferably forever.
Vindictive actions could never be fully predicted, regardless of a Judge's true level of power or influence.
"As the panel was previously unable to reach the required verdict," the leading Judge continued, "the prosecution was ordered to proceed with a retrial. Additionally, this case must be decided solely on all present information and evidence."
"""We shall begin.""" they intoned in unison.
All six served as both judges and jury.
Their voices carried almost no distinction or direction. They echoed inside his skull, and Cosmo simply had to speak for all of them to hear.
"Former Ward of the Nebula," one began, "there are six charges brought against you. You shall be given a chance to clear your name before us as we bring them forward. You are afforded the privilege to remain silent without implication. However, we make no promises that your silence will not contribute to the final verdict. We can only affirm that it will not be deemed an admission of guilt. Is that clear?"
"Sure, but I count two more than last time. Is that appropriate?"
"For the first charge…"
He could only assume that ignoring his question was a deliberate means of stripping away any sense of standing he might have held.
"According to the records available to this organization, you were raised with an Authority limited to simply moving objects in your surroundings. Telekinesis, if you will. Yet despite the requirement that such an Authority be properly documented, no corresponding designation was ever registered in VEIL's catalog. Furthermore, your subsequent achievements, which ultimately resulted in your appointment as the Nebula's third‑generation Captain, appear to demonstrate capabilities exceeding those ordinarily associated with your documented ability."
'I guess that's one of the new charges against me.' Cosmo thought as he listened.
He wanted to be wrong, but it seemed they were trying their hardest to secure a guilty verdict this time, likely to save face.
The more crimes they could pin on him, the greater their ability to sentence him to a harsher punishment. Or even execution.
Every branch of VEIL sought to elevate its standing, and the Judicial branch was no exception.
The more relevant a case became in their hands, the higher their authority within VEIL would rise.
"So I will ask you directly. Did you, or did your former guardians, acting in your name, deliberately falsify or conceal the true nature and extent of your abilities in violation of VEIL policy?"
Being unable to lie would have been a problem for anyone else in such a situation.
But the one silver lining Cosmo had always despised was that nothing in his life was ever simple.
He had no reason to lie.
"Of course not. The fact that I was born with a telekinetic Authority is the truth."
He gave a straightforward answer.
"Do not play games with us, child. You are fully aware that the answer is insufficient in clearing any reasonable doubt regarding your honesty."
"What? Do you expect me to name my Authority here like an idiot?" Cosmo asked with a shrug. "That, along with the question itself, proves that whoever formulated it knows very little about fighting as an Eminent."
"You were nothing but a sniveling, frightened child the last time you were brought here, yet it seems you have only grown conceited with time. Do not think for a moment that–"
"Be silent."
The arguing judge was immediately cut off by another before the exchange could escalate. "Do not forget your role so easily."
"…My apologies. Let us resume."
The judge conceded, ending his questioning there.
Cosmo understood their frustration.
An answer that felt entirely dishonest in nature could only be accepted as truth. He would be irritated too.
But Cosmo had come with the intention of answering them truthfully, and only truthfully.
"According to VEIL records, from September 13 of 12 A.C.D. through April 19 of 17 A.C.D., your whereabouts and well‑being were unaccounted for," another Judge began. Cosmo recognized this as the second new charge. "During that period, were you intentionally concealing yourself from VEIL's monitoring and oversight? If your absence was not intentional, then how do you explain the fact that your whereabouts remained unknown to this organization for nearly five years? And if you were intentionally avoiding VEIL's monitoring, were you, at any point during that period, acting against the interests of VEIL or any faction aligned with this organization?"
"No, it was not my intention to remain hidden. In fact, I'd go as far as to say I was as conspicuous as possible. Before the aforementioned date, I contributed a significant number of merit points to the Nebula in the absence of my guardians. Meaning I lawfully obtained the privilege to leave my duty for that period, and I was never told otherwise. During that time, I took no action that would conflict with my obligations as an officer of the Nebula."
"I did not address you in your capacity as an officer of the Nebula. I addressed you as an officer of VEIL, which, first and foremost, is the capacity in which you are accountable to this organization. Do not evade the question by framing your answer around your position within the Nebula. Answer directly, and do not provide an answer that further implicates you through unnecessary qualification or omission."
"With all due respect, do not mistake my position for that of any prior defendant. Each generation of the Nebula is created for a purpose known only to its members and the Head Captain. You cannot hold me to the same standard as a typical officer because, quite frankly, you lack the qualifications to do so. The only one who knows whether I have gone against my obligation is me alone. And have I not given you a clear answer?"
Cosmo argued without faltering.
And without the leverage or evidence to doubt him any further, the case would have to proceed, leaving the first two charges surprisingly easy to pass.
This now left the last four.
Those final four he hadn't been able to answer the last time, and the reason for that had nothing to do with the Judges themselves, but with the events he would have been forced to confront in conjunction with his answers.
That day, Nithya and Maria had stormed into the court and interrupted the proceedings before a verdict could be issued. And the Head Captain at the time had commanded an end to the trial by invoking Earth's laws, which made the standard for holding an adolescent Eminent accountable vastly different from that of an adult.
Now, however, he could not escape the questions they had been waiting years to pose. And they wasted no time getting to them.
"It has been established that, on the day of the Nebula's dispatch to the Boundary of Bane, you were placed in the care of the former Lieutenant, now Head Captain, Lucien the Colluminator," the next Judge began. "Cosmo, did you have express authorization, whether granted by a guardian or by an officer legally empowered to grant it, to cross the borders of Bane through the portal while the Nebula was engaged in a mission of the utmost importance? If you did have such authorization, identify who granted it and under what authority. If you did not, then confirm that you entered the Boundary of Bane without authorization."
It had come.
Cosmo took a silent but deep breath as he felt his heart begin to race, while buried memories surged back with merciless clarity.
Then, he looked up and answered.
"While I was not granted permission to accompany the Nebula to Bane, I was officially permitted to enter the boundary along with a squad of carriers from Captain Lambert's branch to fulfill an order through the crossroads in the name of a recipient named Oliver Borison. I'd assume evidence of that would have been submitted to the court."
"You would be correct," the Judge responded. "However, I find it difficult to accept that an attendant would so readily authorize the registration of a child to accompany a delivery of such significance, particularly when that delivery was destined for a sensitive location already scheduled for evacuation. On what grounds was your registration approved?"
"That has nothing to do with me. I simply applied for a joint mission as an officer of VEIL. I am not to blame for what is later to be considered an oversight. I have answered your question to the best of my ability. If you could not obtain the necessary information from the subject, that is a failure beyond my influence." Cosmo concluded, unwilling to share further.
"Very well." Another Judge spoke once it was clear Cosmo was finished. "Did you, at any point, tamper with or otherwise desecrate an ancient monumental relic regarded as a symbol of pride by the people of Bane and the Badgers? And in doing so, did you knowingly exceed the authority afforded to you as a foreigner within their territory, thereby placing VEIL's longstanding relationship with a population of considerable importance at risk?"
He calmed his mind.
He would not allow his composure to scurry off.
"I did not desecrate or tamper with anything I was not allowed to as a foreigner or as an officer of VEIL."
"Were you responsible for the failure of the Nebula's covert mission and, as a direct consequence of that failure, for the disappearance of seven valued officers who, but for your actions, would otherwise have returned safely? Do you accept responsibility for the events that resulted in those seven officers failing to return?"
The fifth Judge wasted no time before posing their question.
This one took Cosmo a moment.
Still, he had to speak, and not through gritted teeth, either.
He did not deserve such a moment of weakness.
"No," he answered. "The disappearance of my guardians was not a result of my actions."
The Judges were now the ones who had to stop and contemplate.
Whether he was somehow resisting the mechanism that forced the truth, something that should have been impossible.
Or whether he had never been under its effects at all.
Or, even more absurd, that they weren't interrogating the real Cosmo.
They considered everything except the possibility that he was telling the truth.
After all, this information had been received through transmitted recordings, witness accounts, and physical evidence.
There was no logical way to refute the truth they had concluded from their sources.
Yet he had somehow denied what they believed to be the blatant truth.
Still, they weren't finished.
There was one more fact he would have to face. And this was the one they were certain he would not be able to deny, as that charge was the center of the case.
The final Judge, the one who had called the beginning of the trial, now spoke with clear and concise intention.
"Cosmo ■■■■■■. Former ward, now Captain of the Nebula's fourth generation.
VEIL does not tolerate the demeaning of lives, even through the words used to describe them. Accordingly, unlike in the previous proceeding, I will restrict this question to a single, narrow response. You will answer with one word only. Any response exceeding that limitation will be deemed inadmissible before this court. My reasoning for imposing this restriction is my own, and any objection to it will not alter the terms of the question."
This Judge boldly turned the proceedings on their head without a second thought. And oddly, none expressed the will to argue.
"Were you responsible for the destruction of Bane, the three solar boundaries surrounding it, and the eradication of the Badgers from the Conmundia?"
Steel, light, and souls.
The voice of the sky.
The sound of the Earth.
The screams of the damned.
Those noises played through his head for what felt like an eternity.
He became unable to ignore the pain coursing through his unbandaged hands, and the heat of his jacket began to feel unbearable.
"No," he answered.
It all became quiet once again. And this wasn't a simple pause between turns.
He stood in the shadows for an hour.
The hour turned to two.
Two turned to three.
And despite how long he was left in the dark, he didn't utter a word of complaint.
Not because he had conceded, but because he knew they were in the middle of their deliberation.
BANG!
Soon, the gavel sounded once again.
"A verdict has been reached. Speak, how do we find the defendant?"
"The first charge… guilty."
The first Judge declared, apparently unconvinced by Cosmo's reason for secrecy, which went against the organization's policies.
"Second charge?"
"Not guilty."
This one surprised Cosmo, as a decision based on insufficient knowledge was not something he thought any Judge would accept.
"Third charge?"
"No verdict."
"Fourth charge?"
"Guilty."
Just like that, the Judges expressed their decision without further explanation.
"Fifth charge?"
"No verdict."
"I see," the leading Judge said calmly. "As for the sixth and final charge… no verdict."