The legislators from Pruessia arrived on a cool, breezy day.

She slipped the wristcom into the inner pocket of her coveralls, having removed it from its hiding place the night before.

Fru Haeveka fetched her after the drill, with four drivers following in close formation.

"Lily Fairpoole. Come with me, please."

"Is it time for the trial?"

The caretaker nodded. "Much is at stake today. I'm coming along, to endorse you before the council."

A large transport van waited outside the dorm. They climbed in the back seat, and the robots sprinted alongside.

It was her first time visiting the administrative zone, with its lofty buildings and teeming squares.

The transport parked before an expansive terrace.

They scaled the wide concrete steps. A peculiar bronze sculpture of fused geometric columns decorated the middle of the circular pavilion. Crowds of officers, troopers, and robots went about their business. All of them wore the black uniform and red symbol of the Kaezer, with each unique style denoting their role and rank.

The bureaucratic hall was called Polneitenzal. It rose in an imposing edifice of concrete and reflective glass. At twenty stories, it occupied most of the plaza.

The few buildings which survived Black Sky Day had been redeveloped for the Kaezer. She wondered what Polneitenzal was previously. Perhaps it had been a city hall, a business headquarters, or a hotel. Regardless of its past, it was now the seat of all that controlled her life.

She felt small as she passed through the arched doors, and into the hectic foyer. The security guards scanned her at the chamber entrance, then led her inside.

The huge room seemed chilly, though warm sunlight poured through the elongated windows. All around, on banners and murals, the fist of the homeland upheld a brandished sword, and a bold-toothed gear wheel. Proud portraits of Hir Wilhauf Kaezer, and his father, Hir Anzelvik Kaezer, gloated from above.

A round dais was positioned at the center, with gleaming steps trimmed in brass surrounding it. Upon it stood a monolithic stone desk, formed of unadorned black marble slabs. Three uniformed men sat there, with dour expressions and stiff postures.

A panel of at least twenty screens towered over the room, with a stern, unfriendly face displayed in each. These men and women were all connected live via the great leader's satellite network, staring in a way that seemed to already condemn.

Lily sat next to Fru Haeveka on a hard, uncomfortable bench.

Daddy hunched nearby, the chrome and brass components of his visual aid agleam in the morning light. The detached man beside him was his warden.

The hearing began promptly with the tick of the hour, and the thud of the gavel.

There were many names to remember, and everyone spoke rapid Pruessian. She had to concentrate to understand.

The chairman called each attending officer and council member to recite their credentials, a process which lasted over an hour.

She felt restless, after sitting for so long.

They called Daddy to witness first.

He stood with his head and shoulders thrown back, undaunted.

The presiding chairman had several layers of chin, tufted silver brows, and an assertive waxed mustache. "Civilian, state your full name and age," he said.

"Isaac Woodrow Fairpoole. Thirty-six years old."

"And what is your profession?"

"Robotics technician, sir."

For the next hour, they pressed Daddy with endless questions. He kept his composure, even when the interrogation became oppressive.

"The evidence shows you were asleep, and awoke to assault Hir Jerik Weingert. Tell us why you took this action."

Daddy's voice was strong, for all to hear. "He was about to rape my daughter. I did what any parent would. I protected my child."

A murmur went through the assembly.

"What did you see, to determine that it was an attempted rape?"

"He'd restrained her with two drivers across a workbench, face down. Her clothing was stripped to her knees. When I drew near, I saw that he was fully exposed, with obvious intent to violate her."

"And what was your response?"

"I hit him, twice. Then I shoved him to the floor, and continued to beat the hell out of him."

"You were also recorded, via the drivers present, as saying that you were going to kill him. Was this indeed your intent?"

"Yes, sir."

An uproar followed, as people tried to speak all at once. Some stood, and shook their fists.

The chairman struck his gavel upon the the desk, ushering silence.

"Order, please. Your testimony has been recorded, Civilian. Thank you for serving your purpose. You may be seated."

When the Pruessians thanked someone for serving their purpose, it indicated a grave and finalizing moment. Lily swallowed, dreading the inevitable.

"We will now present the evidence," the chairman said.

Three giant screens descended from the ceiling, and everyone in the forum beheld the shocking event. When it revealed the killing blow with the wrench, Lily cowered against the resentful glares she received.

Across the floor, in one of the seats of honor, sat an officer with drawn features and a prominent jaw. His oversized smile never reached his devious, murky eyes.

The chairman called Lily forward. She tried to stand tall and unafraid, like Daddy.

"Korenzdit, state your full name and age."

"Lily Mayla Fairpoole. Thirteen years old."

Another hour passed, and she withstood a session as grueling as Daddy's had been. She grew tired and thirsty, and her head ached.

"What do you believe motivated Hir Weingert's behavior?" the chairman asked.

"I don't know. He always harassed me. I think he just liked to belittle people."

Dumbfounded silence fell over the room.

The officer with the unnerving grin stood, and glided crossed the floor.

"Hir Thulsbek," the chairman said, with an awed expression.

There was a voracious quality about this man, which sucked the vital cheer from the air. On his upturned collar, he wore two silver emblem pins. They resembled arrows, with one side of the point cast in shiny metal, and the other layered in reflective black.

"I have a few questions to ask the defendant, Esteemed Chairman," he said.

"Of course. Proceed as necessary."

"Korenzdit Fairpoole, I was a colleague of the late Hir Weingert," Hir Thulsbek said. "The security footage clearly showed what happened. It appears to me, that your father neutralized the situation. Then, out of sheer irrationality, you killed an accomplished Pruessian youth with one swing. The only crime which I beheld was that wielded by your own hand. All else was an attempt."

She felt trapped by his cadaverous stare, and shivered. "I didn't mean to kill him, just injure him. I was scared, and I didn't want him to hurt us anymore."

"Regret serves no purpose, Korenzdit. Only the results of our actions matter. I have one more thing to ask. What was in the envelope that he took from you?"

"It was a set of plans from my co-worker, Hir Volbergh, regarding our prototype."

"For the robot. Of course." Hir Thulsbek faced the council. "There's something else, which wasn't apparent on the footage, a treachery which might have slipped past untrained eyes." He reached into his pocket, and produced an envelope with a triumphant sneer.

"What I hold, is the evidence which Hir Weingert sought to procure that night, from Korenzdit Fairpoole. He was only following his orders, as an officer of Myrktilhet, a witness and guardian of our great leader. This girl, her father, and several others still at large in this settlement, are conspirators in a most vile scheme. Hir Weingert was assigned to this camp, to watch and listen for any sort of treason. He found it, and obviously had to take it by force. I believe this wasn't an attempted rape, but a struggle to conceal their hidden plot."

He handed the envelope to the chairman.

"And just what sort of plot is this?" the chairman asked, as he opened it.

"Most Esteemed Chairman, we of Myrktilhet have followed this group of scoundrels for some time. The fist and star is the symbol of their subtle poison. They seek to unite the space colonies, and the revolutionaries. What you now hold is a detailed plan for an assault on this facility."

A collective gasp stirred through the chamber, and Hir Thulsbek strode back to his honored position.

She cringed beneath his incriminating gaze.

"You may return to your seat, Korenzdit Fairpoole," the chairman said, and he called an emergency break.

The council and Hir Thulsbek conferred across the monumental desk.

Lily leaned closer to Fru Haeveka, and whispered. "Is Hir Thulsbek of higher rank than the council?"

"Yes, he's one of the three presiding officers of Myrktilhet," Fru Haeveka said, close to Lily's ear. "Our plans change, now. I'll contact the others, and you'll hear from us soon."

Lily's world tilted again, much as it had the night Plumgrove was destroyed, or when they fled Weathermann's Stand in darkness. She could only ride the current, the same which always drove her life along.

The haughty old men in the center of the room discussed her fate over their grasping hands, so assured in their power over others.

She wanted to see it all crumble down—the great leader, his society of oppression, and the elevation of people like Hir Weingert to respect and power. It took all of her strength to resist shouting her own worth, her rights as a living person, that she was as important as Hir Thulsbek, or even the Kaezer.

The chairman finally pounded his gavel. "We'll adjourn for today. Take both defendants into custody, and apprehend all remaining suspects. The hearing resumes tomorrow, at the appointed time."

She and Daddy were sent to a detention center, across the plaza from Polneitenzal.

To her surprise, they were placed in the same cell. Once the restraints were removed, and the door locked, she rushed into his arms.

Usually she was the one to cry, but it was Daddy who wept.

She held him tight. "We're going to escape..."

He squeezed her arm and whispered. "Don't talk about it aloud. They've put us together to monitor us."

She nodded, and fell silent.

Anxiety plagued her through the night. The walls seemed to grow thicker and taller around them. She felt like one of the robots, a walking shell with hollow innards of cold and coiled metal. Her weary, addled mind quieted sometime before dawn, and she found a few precious hours of sleep.