"The data corroborates that assumption. And in appealing to the highest power in Auburn, you will address the law on how people are punished and how they are treated despite their status."
"In a town hell-bent on exacting vengeance on those who wronged them, finding a way to give people justice instead feels like the best path."
"And yet you have reservations?"
“Well, obviously. I don't know if Mayor Jones was involved in the lynching, but he certainly did nothing to stop them. It means he was either a participant or he doesn't have the power to stop them himself."
Mini paused and the processors’ usage spiked for a second. "I now understand your reservations."
But it was like he said. They didn't have a choice in the matter. What could a girl in a mech do against a whole fucking town?
She opened the hatch, climbed out, and took a deep breath to calm her nerves before she walked into the small tent Jones had used as an office. He did spend most of his time out and about the town, but it was good to have a location where people could talk to him and discuss the various issues that confronted him.
Which was what she needed to find him for.
When she entered, she immediately realized that the man was in the middle of a conversation with the leader of the militia, a tall, powerfully built man with a bushy red beard and long hair.
Both stopped talking immediately when they saw her. In the silence, she could hear construction happening behind the tent. Or maybe it was behind the nearby building since she hadn't seen anything like that on the other side of the small shelter.
"Jessica13.” The mayor stood from his stool as the other man pushed away from the beam he had been leaning on. "How pleasant to see you again."
The militiaman looked considerably less pleased. "Should I…"
"Why don't you check on the progress outside? I have the feeling Jessica13 wants to speak to me in private."
The militiaman made no further comment but walked out of the tent and glared at her the whole way.
Once the flap dropped again, the mayor settled onto his stool.
"Would you like to sit?"
"I think I'll stand, thanks."
"Suit yourself. How may I help you?"
Jessica13 steeled herself and gritted her teeth. She wasn't used to these kinds of conversations and certainly not while outside her mech. "I don't suppose you knew about what was happening out there with people being lynched for presumed crimes."
"I do know now. That's what Wilbur had come to report on, actually. I could not be more ashamed by the actions of my fellow Auburnites. In the rush to rebuild after we deposed our oppressors, we have failed to institute a justice system that would properly address the crimes committed during their oppression. I will admit some responsibility. My inaction was based on the hope that the townsfolk would be willing to wait. They were not and now, extreme measures must be taken for that."
She sighed. "I think that trials should be instituted—a process that would prevent people from being strung up with no way to defend themselves. And you should probably find a way to punish the guilty that doesn’t involve simply killing them. As you continually tell us, there's considerable work to do. Having them work to make up for their crimes does seem more productive than outright killing them."
"That is true, but for the moment, the people of Auburn need to see a more solid form of justice in action to calm their nerves and help them settle into their work. That means examples need to be made, and those examples need to be large, loud, and to the point. Here, allow me to show you."
He stood again and gestured for her to follow him as he moved out of the tent and circled toward the back of the building behind it. She had heard the sound of construction but had assumed it was merely people working on the buildings and the temporary living locations that were so desperately needed. They all faced an enormous challenge in order to have everyone under a roof before the weather turned foul.
Although without the balloons, there was no telling how long it would be until it rained.
When they reached the other side, Jessica13 realized how wrong her assumption had been. They weren't focused on housing at all.
The structures were elevated above the ground by a solid meter and a half, although the tallest parts extended well above that. Most of it was merely a scaffold propped on six wooden beams. Rising above it by about two and a half meters, two parallel beams supported a crossbeam over which five ropes had been slung with nooses tied at the ends.
Across from the gallows, an open area had been created to make space for a large table and three chairs.
Mayor Jones seemed proud of what he looked at. "Of course, as Auburn is still in a state of war, it precludes the use of juries. There will instead be a tribunal, which will enable crimes to be detailed and justice taken swiftly. I will sit as one of the members of the justice tribunal, together with a member of Auburn's populace and Wilbur, the head of our militia. As such, we will be able to listen to all sides of the argument, including those who are on trial, before we determine their guilt. We are not barbarians, not like Lady Hoot's raiders. We will have justice."
Jessica13 swallowed against the bile that rose in the back of her throat. She felt nauseous, not only from watching the workers putting the finishing touches on the gallows but also from hearing the pride Jones appeared to take in their work and the system he had created.
Mini had walked the Minato around with them, and she retreated slowly to the comforting confines of the mech.
"Are you all right, Jessica13?" he asked as she slipped
