38: Smoking Gun
-.....We......have seen enough.
It was Dyka who finally spoke. Her voice was shaky, and it was obvious that she had not seen the tape beforehand either. All others were silent.
-....So..... Dyka tried to find herself. -This.....this is what the robbers failed to get.
-That is correct!
Poena's expression had not changed. She simply smiled, her hat in her hands.
-So...... Dyka looked down. -Poenag....Poena.
-Yes?
-Do your superiors have any idea who may have stolen....the other tape?
I looked down at the scene below. I saw Kepe shaking nervously, and behind her, Bora. I could tell that Bora was angry, as opposed to being frightened.
-Well... Poena sighed. -My superiors believed that it was a sailor soldier with the proper clearance.
-A sailor soldier?
-Yes. Poena cheerfully took out a large file of paper. -Actually, there were several sailor soldiers. This is the entire file on the case that my office drew up.
She put it in front of Dyka, who took it up and read through it. The soldier gave a nod.
-I see. Dyka smiled. -So, a sailor soldier in the Seemarin was believed to have taken it?
Another gasp came from the crowd. Slowly, very slowly, thoughts began to form in my mind as to the possibilities. Of course, Dyka was hateful of Kepe. Perhaps this was to be Kepe's humiliation, and Dyka's triumph, more so if the possibilities I was thinking of were true...
-Yes, miss! Poena nodded. -They had to have had cards of clearance. Anyone who is a part of the Seemarin has a clearance cards. To use that card is the only possible way to not trigger the alarm. Otherwise, we would have not had the situation to begin with!
(I never got one of these cards. Though I was Dyka's lawyer, I did not have a clearance card, since I was not a true seema-ship, just an honorary one for the Great Matter. But I digress.)
-One moment! Kepe suddenly stood up again in a burst of desperate bravado. Her face was white. -How is this so, Miss Poena?
-Because that is the only way.
-Do you know if that's the only way? What if you are just lying about this entire affair! Kepe glared. -How can we be sure that you are not in this for some materialistic reason - perhaps my fair sister here paid you to do this!
-ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!!!
For the first - and perhaps last - time in my life, I saw a very angry Maggai, whose happy expression never changed. Her face became so dark that it was almost black. Maggai, I suppose, are very defensive when they are accused of lying, especially when they had nothing to hide. It certainly seemed that way when I saw it.
-Without any doubt, seema-ship!!!!!!!! Poena looked at Kepe with a flash o. -There is no doubt in my mind and there was no doubt that.......say......wait a minute....
Suddenly, Poena's face changed again, and the blackness disappeared. The eyes squinted right at Kepe's, as if her stare could shoot into her and blow her apart. Kepe's stand, for that matter, fell apart at the sight of it.
-Why.......!!! Poena finally gave a cry! -I know your voice!!!
-Wh-what?! Kepe's voice squeaked. -I....have never....
-Your voice!!! Poena's face lit up with complete realization, in such a way that it was impossible that she could have lied or known what to say beforehand. -You're the one who told me to put my fat ass on the ground!
The crowd, which had been silent, all gave cries, and soon the entire place was in an uproar. Everyone but myself - and Tsukino Usagi and Dyka and the Three - were screaming. Tsukino Usagi just looked at Kepe with an expression of surprise. I couldn't see Dyka's face, but I'm sure she was quite satisfied with what had been revealed - even if she didn't know of all of it.
-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!
The Three, on their part, brought the observers to order with a single cry. Yet, though order was restored, everyone was looking at Kepe. Sailor Kepe, the hero of the Seemarin, whom everyone had been cheering when she had appeared at the first hearing of the Great Matter. Now, everyone was silent, and they looked at her with shock and betrayal. The very idea that she could do such a thing to them...!
-........Thank you, Poena. Dyka nodded. -You can leave now.
With a nod, Poena stood up and left the podium. I saw Kepe shake violently, frightened, as Dyka turned to her.
-Sailor Kepe.
-........I.......... Kepe's voice trembled pitifully. -I didn't! It's a liiiie!!
-I call Sailor Kepe up.
-I didn't do it!
-Please get in the witness box.
-I DIDN'T DO it!!!!!!!
-Get in the witness box.
-I'm innocent!!!!!!!! Everyone is lying!!!!!
-Sailor Kepe! Sailor Savitri's voice suddenly boomed. -Soldier, you shall testify.
Everyone suddenly laughed at the soldier as she was forced by guards into the box. The golden girl of the Seemarin, Sailor Kepe. She who had been the most famous name in the galaxy, a champion of justice, was reduced to a laughingstock, well on her way to a pariah now, because of a fat old bag who had the evidence that would save Sailor Moon....in her coccyx.
I couldn't have thought the Great Matter would end end like it seemed to be ending. Yet then, I saw that that was how it would end. Sailor Kepe bowing down to Dyka, Dyka having her selfish victory, Kepe banished from civilization in disgrace - only one other soldier known had that punishment in history - and Tsukino Usagi free, hopefully, to return to Earth to live her life out in some sort of obscurity with everyone she cared about. And I, I would return to what I had known before. For it was the end of it all; the Great Matter was over.
Of course, what I had known before was that Tsukino Usagi was guilty. What I had known before was that Brutus and Tsukino Usagi were most assuredly lovers. What I had known before was that the World Crushers were surely going to kill me and eat my appendages while doing so.
What I had known before will never apply to the Great Matter. One thing I see, looking back, was that truly vital events only happened when violence of some sort happened to occur. Somehow, with all I had learned, only an utter fool like me could think it would end so peacefully.
-Sailor Kepe.
Dyka looked into her eyes, or so it seemed from where I sat. I looked at Kepe's reaction, which was one of desperation. Then I saw Bora's expression, which was full of anger, and no doubt her mind was full of dark thoughts. I couldn't help but silently laugh at Bora; all of her strange cryptics seemed to hollow at that moment.
-You showed us that tape of Sailor Moon, which came directly from GCS, some time ago. Dyka was pacing again, this time more excitedly. -Yet, this other tape was stolen a year and a half ago, as my witness just told us. If this is so, then how did you come into possession of this tape? You must have stolen it, correct? For you have been identified postiviely as a robber of that tape.
There was a long, long silence. I could see the fear in Kepe's eyes, and the flaming hatred in Bora's as the silence stretched out. The prosecution were cornered, with nowhere to go. The seeds of suspiscion had been sown, and not only that, I knew full well that the Judges could see something as well - that there was more to the story.
-Sailor Kepe?
-....I........ Kepe turned away. -Yom.......yomokei.......
-Sailor Kepe. Dyka repeated her name. -I didn't hear you. How did you get this tape? Did you steal it? And if you did, what else is on there that we weren't shown? And if it wasn't you, who stole this tape for you?
The silence became more glaring. I was fixed on Dyka, everyone was. No one, including myself, noticed Sailor Bora standing up from her chair.
-I.....
Kepe turned, her eyes wide. She squealed like a child, with little sign of the cool and confident soldier of before.
Suddenly, she pointed. Her court etiquette forgotten, her accent came through
-I....didn't......She MADE us do't!!!!! !!!
-Who??
-I-
Suddenly, Sailor Moon gave a scream. Everyone in the room quickly looked at her, as her face paled and she leaped up from her seat. She was pointing, pointing to the prosecutor's seat, but none of us got it through our heads why she was pointing.
That was, not until the shots rang out.
*BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM*
I gave a scream as Dyka shuddered. Blood began to pour from holes in her shoulder and her chest as she fell to the ground. The other three shots went into Kepe, and she slumped in her seat.
-BORA! To our shock, it was Allecto who roared out the name of the traitor. -YOU!
Bora didn't even look at the Three Judges as she brought the strange gun down. I knew it to be a gun of some sort, later, from what I would read about the Vika galaxies, what kind. It was a small and silver, or at least it looked like it was from the angle I was at. The reason I know is because the type of gun it was is banned from the civilized galaxies. But I digress again.
Instead, she jumped onto the table of the defense, flipped onto the floor, and with a mighty punch, shattered the glass surrounding Tsukino Usagi and took her by the hair. I gave a shout, and went to jump down for her, but she was lifted up off of the ground and thrown over Bora's shoulder.
-USAGI!!!!!!
I do not know why I thought to say her name that way. It simply came to me as I went for her. But I tripped. I screamed as I fell on the table.
And yet as Sailor Bora leaped up and jumped out of the window, I still did not connect it all. Not until Bora's appearance changed, and she glowed like a kindled golden ember as she changed. So I saw her as she fell through the window with her hostage in hand. The woman who had attacked me in the alley, whom Sailor Moon called Galaxia.
-STOP HER!!! The judges stood up in their full fury and power. -This traitor, this evil! We see now what has happened; our eyes have been fully uncovered. THEMIS!!!
I froze with some fear as I heard my name. I knew what they wanted of me, and at first, I did not want to go. I did not want to obey. But then I remembered Usagi's words to me.
-It was always for my friends.
It was in that moment I understood why she had done it. For no matter what I wanted, no matter what I wished, Usagi was my friend. I would go, not because I had been told to by the Three, but because of the simple fact that, perhaps, Usagi had been right. The Seemarin was wrong.
It was for friends that a soldier fought; not for titles, or for fame, or for wealth or security. Sometimes, not even for one's own world mattered, for worlds could be rebuilt; the cycles of civilizations could allow for it, and people repopulate themselves. Life, the status quo of duty that I had been bred to cherish more, that could return, and go on as if no great thing had happened. That was easy to defend.
Friends are not so easy, not for a sailor soldier, for memories and feelings were - are - destroyed forever when a soldier is reborn. Even if a reborn soldier regained her former life, it would not truly be them, but an unbearable shadow. To ignore a friend, to buy into such an idea that a friend's death is nothing, was against what a sailor soldier truly was.
Usagi resurrected them not because she had to prove a point, but without those that she loved - there was no point. I saw her sorrow when she had been all alone, and what did she think of? The sorrow of her friends. It was for that. And it was for that, then, that Galaxia would gladly have seen her disappear for, then to let any others be impacted by such a truth, for that truth was Galaxia's downfall - and perhaps, all of ours, too. So we thought. Such a feeling of closeness that Usagi must have felt for those she considered her friends...
I suddenly felt my chest almost EXPLODE with heat. Never had I felt my sailor crystal react the way it had. In that moment, I felt as if the very thought made me stronger, better than I was. I stood up and began my way.
-........Th...themis.......!!!! Dyka gasped as she held her wounds. She was bleeding profusely. -.........Go........!!!!!!!!!
So I went. Towards Kepe. I was there, anyways. Before I could save Usagi, I had one other duty to perform..
-You.
She was dying; whatever had been shot at her would ensure her death. But I would not let her off so easily. I carefully picked the pirate fighter up by her collar so I could have her look me in the eye.
-You knew the truth. I glared at her. -You knew.
-I...........
Kepe did not even look directly at me in those last moments; I knew why. She didn't dare face me. Yet still I could see the light fading from her eyes as she opened her mouth to answer.
-She......gave me........ She croaked. -she.............
-What?!
-...................ev...............r..........y................th.......................ng....................................
She slumped in my hands. Kepe, who owed everything she had been in life given to her assistant, became limp, her soul reaping the final benefit of Bora's gifts to her. As always, she had gotten it easy.
