‘And why would you do that?’
There was a brief pause before Te’rnu replied. Only Pr’atu and I could know that this was because he was inventing a new version of the story.
‘Because we needed a third. We though Pr’atu was young, and impressionable - so we encouraged them to join us.’
The Elders remained silent for a few moments, and then Ra’ntu turned to focus on me.
‘Is that correct, off-worlder?’
I stood up to address the council. ‘Yep! That’s right! We convinced Pr’atu to join us. They were resistant at first, but we told them that it was important for the village that they come too.’
I hoped my lying was up to snuff; I could feel the words coming out of my mouth become stilted, unnatural. Elder Ra’ntu nodded in response to this testimony.
‘We have one more question for you. Did you hurt the Iyr? Or cause harm to them in any other way?’
Te’rnu shook his head.
‘No,’ I lied, remembering the damage that we had caused to the outpost and the computer system. ‘None at all.’
‘Can you confirm this for us, please, Te’rnu.’
He looked at me for a moment, pain in his eyes, and then turned back to the Elders.
‘That is correct. No harm was done.’
‘Thank you,’ Ra’ntu replied. ‘I think you three have answered every question we have. We will return momentarily to rule on your punishments.’
The three Elders left the building, and Te’rnu and I sat back down.
‘What sort of punishments are normally given out in these?’ I asked.
Te’rnu took a moment to respond.
‘These are rare, so my experience with punishments are few. Some are assigned work to do, to benefit the community, and others…’
Te’rnu paused.
‘Others… what?’ I prompted, dreading the answer.
‘Exile.’
‘Oh. That’s not that bad. I was thinking, like, death or something.’
Te’rnu looked outraged. ‘Death? What good would that do anyone? That would be an awful punishment.’
‘Yeah. I guess,’ I replied. ‘I was being paranoid, maybe.’
‘Do not think exile is “not bad”, however, Syl Raynor,’ Te’rnu continued, his voice solemn. ‘Imagine being cast out of the only world you have ever known. Imagine being thrown out there, into the great unknown, and knowing nobody and nothing. You would have to start your whole life again - because your last had ended. In a way, it is not wholly different from death.’
Point taken.
‘Well,’ I said. ‘If it comes to that - and I’m sure it won’t - at least you’ll know me.’
Te’rnu smiled at the idea. ‘It is nice to know this.’
We waited in silence - me unphased, Te’rnu worried, and Pr’atu practically soiling himself. I turned to the young one.
‘It’s OK, Pr’atu, they won’t come down hard on you.’
‘How do you know?’ Pr’atu responded.
‘We told them we coerced you into it, didn’t we?’
‘Yes,’ the young Arellian replied, ‘But how do you, as an off-worlder, know whether that will be enough?’
‘It would be a terrible justice system if it didn’t,’ I answered.
The Elders didn’t take long to deliberate, and returned to the room within a couple of minutes. This, I suspected, was not a good sign.
It was Elder Ra’ntu who stood to deliver the verdict - and the smirk on their face made it seem like they took great pleasure in doing so.
‘We have reached a conclusion,’ Ra’ntu announced, and what little murmuring was still taking place in the building came to an immediate halt. All eyes were on Ra’ntu.
Exactly as they liked it - all attention on them. Couldn’t have anyone else upstaging them, could we?
‘The off-worlder brought disquiet to our village. She brought with her rage, and an unwillingness to let us live our lives as we wish for them to be lived. She has disrespected the great Tradition, and so a punishment will be assigned to her.’
I laughed. What a ridiculous idea this was. ‘I mean, there’s not a huge amount you can make me do, is there? I could always just… walk away.’
‘Then why haven’t you?’ the third Elder asked.
I shrugged. ‘Guess I was curious.’
‘And it has nothing to do with ensuring that Te’rnu is not punished too severely?’ Ra’ntu asked, knowing eyes staring deep into mine. This wiped the smile from my face.
I couldn’t formulate a smart retort in a reasonable time, and the absence of one was telling.
‘Te’rnu,’ Ra’ntu continued, ‘Has again and again sought to undermine the fragile ecosystem of our village. Te’rnu cares little for the arrangement we have with the Iyr; the very generous deal by which the Iyr relieve us of our pain. If Te’rnu were to have their way, we would all end our lives in agony. It is my personal belief that if Te’rnu’s presence in this village is continued to be tolerated, it would spell an end for Te’r’ok. For Te’rnu’s crimes, a punishment will be given.’
I looked at my friend. His mouth hung agape, his skin pale.
‘And, finally,’ Ra’ntu went on, ‘There is Pr’atu.’
Pr’atu rose from their seat for their verdict.
‘The testimony given by both Te’rnu and the off-worlder seem to clear you of any wrongdoing.’
Pr’atu looked immediately relieved.
‘However!’ Ra’ntu continued. ‘Should the given testimony ever be proven to be false, or otherwise inaccurate, we shall have to re-visit this decision. We will be keeping a close watch on your behaviour, young Arellian. For now, however, with your guilt unproven, you will receive no punishment.’
Pr’atu nodded. ‘Thank you, Elder.’
‘You may leave,’ Elder Or’ane instructed Pr’atu.
This left just Te’rnu and I at the front bench.
‘We have deemed that equal crimes deserve equal punishment,’ Elder Ra’ntu announced. ‘And with that in mind, we rule that you both shall be punished with exile.’
This sentence was uttered without any pause or emphasis, as though giving such a damning punishment meant nothing to Ra’ntu. Te’rnu shrank into his seat, his face turning white.
‘How the… fuck… is that an equal punishment?’ I asked, astounded.
I’m
