consider any circumstances regarding Lieutenant Payvan as being ‘normal.’ As skilled as she is, it would be far too easy for her to fall off the radar, resulting in a vast amount of wasted time for all of us. Keeping her detained is the most logical way to prevent that from happening.”
Jaroon crossed his arms, his eyes dark in the shadow cast by his furrowed eyebrows. “Still, why bother keeping her alive at all? She’s clearly guilty, so why wait?”
Emeri had never been able to fathom how Njo could view his own step-daughter in such a harsh way, and Ziva had never elaborated on her complicated family background. He knew her real father had been killed by Sardons in the Fringe War and that she had run away from Haphor as a child, but nothing more. “You know the laws of due process, General. In the grace period before they are convicted and executed, a capital criminal has the right to petition associates for help in building a case that could prove their innocence. It’s only fair that we give Ziva the same chance, even if it’s while she’s rotting in that prison.”
“I know this looks bad, Emeri,” said the director from the Mairo office, “but are you sure you want to execute Payvan? She’s done a lot for this agency over the past eight years. What if she could somehow be proven innocent?”
“Then that information will be presented at her hearing,” Luko Zona reminded them, as calm and collected as ever.
“ Regardless of whether she’s guilty or innocent, I’m not going to make any exceptions to the law, not even for Ziva,” Emeri said. “For now she’ll be given the death penalty, just like anyone else who has done what she’s accused of. Innocent people sometimes lose their lives, and that’s unfortunate.” His mind wandered briefly to the incident with Soren Tarbic two years earlier. “But it’s the price we pay for peace here, and everyone realizes that. You’ve all seen the crime rate statistics from the past few decades. An intelligent person isn’t going to commit a capital crime if they know they’ll be killed for it, and they’ll take care to steer clear of any situations in which they might be falsely implicated. If we were to give Ziva any special treatment, what kind of example would we be setting?”
“Why are we even discussing the possibility that she could be innocent?” Jaroon protested, his voice becoming louder and more abrasive as the conversation progressed. “You saw the evidence – we all saw the evidence! Fingerprints and DNA don’t lie, Director. As a high-ranking member of your precious spec ops division, she has the skills to back it up; if you ask me, that makes for an indestructible case against her.”
Emeri was growing weary of the Royal General’s personal opinions. He suddenly felt a small need to defend Ziva, at least a little, if for no other reason than to agitate Njo. “That doesn’t mean she isn’t entitled to her rights.”
“I agree with the General,” Brychon Zinck piped in. “If Payvan is as good as everyone makes her out to be, what’s to keep her from breaking out of the prison? By bringing her to Haphor, we’re presenting a danger to everyone in the city, including myself and General Jaroon. Think of the King!”
“We will take every precaution to make sure nothing like that happens,” Emeri reassured them. “I don’t think we’re dealing with any sort of psychotic break here. She hasn’t come completely unhinged.”
“You never know, Director,” one of the other regional directors said. “You know as well as I do that it isn’t unheard of for spec ops agents to snap and begin spree-killing. It wouldn’t be the first time it has happened.”
The discussion was getting out of hand. “This isn’t about—” Emeri stopped when his office door opened. He turned to find Diago Dasaro waiting just inside the doorway, his demeanor calm but his eyes frantic. Grateful for the interruption, Emeri looked back to the
Jaroon crossed his arms, his eyes dark in the shadow cast by his furrowed eyebrows. “Still, why bother keeping her alive at all? She’s clearly guilty, so why wait?”
Emeri had never been able to fathom how Njo could view his own step-daughter in such a harsh way, and Ziva had never elaborated on her complicated family background. He knew her real father had been killed by Sardons in the Fringe War and that she had run away from Haphor as a child, but nothing more. “You know the laws of due process, General. In the grace period before they are convicted and executed, a capital criminal has the right to petition associates for help in building a case that could prove their innocence. It’s only fair that we give Ziva the same chance, even if it’s while she’s rotting in that prison.”
“I know this looks bad, Emeri,” said the director from the Mairo office, “but are you sure you want to execute Payvan? She’s done a lot for this agency over the past eight years. What if she could somehow be proven innocent?”
“Then that information will be presented at her hearing,” Luko Zona reminded them, as calm and collected as ever.
“ Regardless of whether she’s guilty or innocent, I’m not going to make any exceptions to the law, not even for Ziva,” Emeri said. “For now she’ll be given the death penalty, just like anyone else who has done what she’s accused of. Innocent people sometimes lose their lives, and that’s unfortunate.” His mind wandered briefly to the incident with Soren Tarbic two years earlier. “But it’s the price we pay for peace here, and everyone realizes that. You’ve all seen the crime rate statistics from the past few decades. An intelligent person isn’t going to commit a capital crime if they know they’ll be killed for it, and they’ll take care to steer clear of any situations in which they might be falsely implicated. If we were to give Ziva any special treatment, what kind of example would we be setting?”
“Why are we even discussing the possibility that she could be innocent?” Jaroon protested, his voice becoming louder and more abrasive as the conversation progressed. “You saw the evidence – we all saw the evidence! Fingerprints and DNA don’t lie, Director. As a high-ranking member of your precious spec ops division, she has the skills to back it up; if you ask me, that makes for an indestructible case against her.”
Emeri was growing weary of the Royal General’s personal opinions. He suddenly felt a small need to defend Ziva, at least a little, if for no other reason than to agitate Njo. “That doesn’t mean she isn’t entitled to her rights.”
“I agree with the General,” Brychon Zinck piped in. “If Payvan is as good as everyone makes her out to be, what’s to keep her from breaking out of the prison? By bringing her to Haphor, we’re presenting a danger to everyone in the city, including myself and General Jaroon. Think of the King!”
“We will take every precaution to make sure nothing like that happens,” Emeri reassured them. “I don’t think we’re dealing with any sort of psychotic break here. She hasn’t come completely unhinged.”
“You never know, Director,” one of the other regional directors said. “You know as well as I do that it isn’t unheard of for spec ops agents to snap and begin spree-killing. It wouldn’t be the first time it has happened.”
The discussion was getting out of hand. “This isn’t about—” Emeri stopped when his office door opened. He turned to find Diago Dasaro waiting just inside the doorway, his demeanor calm but his eyes frantic. Grateful for the interruption, Emeri looked back to the
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