POV David
May 21st 913 (2016)
"Amidala Colberd, former regent of Centuria. Under preview of your trail, I acting as judge I find you guilty of seven confirmed charges of corruption, two counts of refusal to surrender power to an appointed regent. I find you guilty, your sentence is to be carried out immediately, You are hereby stripped of all titles, your lands and assets forfeited and to be hung by the neck till dead." I pronounced.
"You'll never get away with this! You bastards!" She shouted as several soldiers muscled her up a crude scaffold and tightened the noose from her neck. I didn't even turn to watch as the next one for me to judge was brought before me.
"Lady Gilmia. You stand before the court today accused of bribing judge of a court of law. Thirteen accounts of bribing a government official, three accounts of sex trafficking, and eleven counts of premeditated murder. What say you in your defense?"
"I've been framed! I've never done any of that!" She protested hotly, trying to break free of the guards holding her.
I grabbed a few sheets of paper and held them up. "Lady Gilmia, according to the documents of the Lobau trading company, of which you were a majority stake holder. These are merely the crimes that we have confirmed. We can also lay several other charges at your feet for the charges of the company as well…"
I waited but she didn't say anything, so I grabbed the small hammer on the desk and slammed it against the table. "Very well, Lady Golmia, I find you guilty of all charges, you're sentence will be carried out immediately. You are hereby stripped of your title, land, and assets, and to be hung by the neck till dead."
"No! You can't do that! Do you even know who I am?" I ignored the cries and stared into the sky. A light fluffy cloud flitting across my vision as the clerks changed some paperwork on my desk. A light breeze ruffled my hair. I smiled wryly and looked back down at the documents, skimming through them again.
Smith should be handling the military trails over in front of the barracks, a lot, a surprising amount of the soldiers had flipped on their command when the crowds came barging in. Smith and I were cautious, but they were at least 'on our side' for now. We'd also contracted several adventurers to help with public order as waves of reprisals swept the city.
I looked down, a sigh escaping my lips as I scanned the documents. I glanced up at the morbidly obese woman glaring defiantly at me. Her gaudy attire did little to flatter her.
"Niema, you stand accused of eighty six counts of bribery, eleven counts of trafficking, sixty four counts of smuggling illegal drugs, twenty four counts of smuggling illegal arms. What say you in your defense and the defense of your company, Niem Trading?"
"Guilty." She replied with a snarl.
I paused, hand half extended to grab the hammer. Did I? "May the accused repeat themselves?"
"Guilty, as charged." She growled.
"Very well. The accused has pled guilty to all counts…" I gave her a slightly puzzled look as I slammed the hammer down.
"Niema, this court finds you guilty of all charges, your sentence will be carried out immediately. Your assets, the Niem Trading Company, Lobau barge company, and Lodi tannery will be confiscated, you are being levied a fine of thirty thousand silvers, unless paid by noon tomorrow your remaining assets will be liquidated to fulfill your obligations. You will be imprisoned in the Lodi dungeon for thirteen years."
I wondered what she'd hoped to gain by pleading guilty? I watched her getting dragged off, several soldiers struggling to drag her now uncooperative weight with them.
I proceeded to go through as many of these trails as I could, more often than not the accused were sent to the gallows. The work was mentally exhausting, but it needed to be done. If it wasn't and someone slipped through the cracks, they'd undoubtedly start a counter coup. I shouldered on, the people crying out for harsher punishments, demanding blood. I continued to issue punishment by the letter of the law, those that easily admitted their crimes were not sent to the gallows, instead given hefty fines and sent to the dungeon.
The trails finished in the late evening, soldiers were still carrying in dozens of crates of stolen, smuggled, and elicit goods into the manor, chests of gold and silver were carried into the treasury under Smith's watchful eyes. Several clerks counted the money that was filling the treasury.
One of my assistants from earlier came up to me with several documents. "Lord regent, these documents present an unfavorable light of Lobau. You may have to personally intervene with this much corruption."
I started looking through the documents and sighed. "I'll leave in a few days, find a few trusted bailiffs to leave immediately and begin compiling evidence."
"How bad is it?" Smith asked.
"Sex trafficking and an amount of smuggling that would make it seem like what we confiscated here was childs play… at least by comparison." I replied with a tired voice.
"You want me to delay the military stuff I want to do?" he offered.
I shook my head. "We don't have to imagine how the nobles back at the court will see this." I gestured at all the wealth we'd taken from those corrupt elites.
"Fair. you gonna be alright on your own?" he asked.
"I'll hire some adventurers to act as a bodyguard while I'm down there, should be fine otherwise." I replied. Looking at the hussle of activity going on around us.
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord." Smith said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice as he stared at me. I nodded, not remembering my brother to be one to quote scripture lightly.