Avrin Sygin, former commanding general of the Earth Federation's Third Fleet, let out a soft sigh. The upper section of his disheveled, worn military uniform was ripped, where every medal he earned in his service once were.
His gaze was strong and firm, yet empty of any future that may await him, for he was being punished for a major crime. Besides, the only thing he could see was the metal walls of his rotten cell. Avrin had cleansed an entire planet due to a biological disease created by those with ill intentions. The disease itself had wreaked so much havoc that the war between the Earth Federation and the Rebel Union had intensified, with the Federation spending nearly all its resources to quarantine.
Ultimately, after decades of conflict and billions of lives lost, the last bastion of the Rebel Union was the planet Avrin had destroyed. The situation had not been as dangerous at first; he was to wait for the other fleets after arriving with his own, but he received reports that the planet was equipped with warp gates. Avrin, still in his reluctance, sent ground troops and even bombarded the planet with precision from above. Though it did little due to the depth of the Union's underground chambers.
With the warp gate signatures building up, for Avrin, it was a simple but cold decision to make, especially after he received groundside information about what the Union intended to do. If he let those warp gates charge up, several plague-infested freighters would launch into the heart of the Earth Federation's territory, potentially leading to tens of billions more dying. The second choice was to use the main weapon of his ship, a flagship vessel at the heart of every fleet. The weapon, more for show of force than use, was a deterrent akin to the modern era's nuclear bomb: a variable wave convergent antimatter cannon.
He chose the deterrent.
It melted the planet's crust, the surface a molten, unstable hell of stone and fire. Both enemy and friendly forces, good men and women fighting for his side, died, not even their ashes remained. Nothing remained, not even the warp signatures, the Rebel Union attempt foiled. It was a heavy decision with the weight of countless lives, the lives of his allies the heaviest. Those of his fleet were on his side, despite some reluctance; many knowing the consequences of each choice. But once news broke out, those who knew not the horrors of war and interested in political profit used Avrin as a scapegoat, causing internal strife within the Federation. The result - the public demanded Avrin's public execution.
The sound of military boots hitting the floor grew closer until two armed guards stood in front of Avrin's cell with stern miens.
"Get up, it's time for the trial," one uttered while the other input the code to open the specialized cell. Avrin inwardly sneered, forcing a bitter smile. Reluctantly standing and approaching them, his hands extended out. All his years of service down the drain; he gave his all to the Federation. Born and given to an orphanage, he had dreamed of becoming… someone, a man that can change the world, make a difference, but all he learned while growing up was that humans were too susceptible to corruption. If there was anything of value, it could be weaponized and used against others.
The cuffs tightly clicked onto Avrin's wrists, then the guards then led him down a hallway. From an intersection, on the left, Avrin heard running boots and the roar of an angry man. A male soldier was rushing at Avrin with a knife with pure hatred in his eyes. The two escorts moved swiftly and struck the man down with their nonlethal stun batons, incapacitating him.
On the floor, he glared at Avrin with deep hatred in his eyes.
"FUCKING BASTARD!!! YOU KILLED MY SONS and WIFE!!!" Indignation in his bloodshot eyes as Avrin nonchalantly continued onward with the guards. Four guards followed the man, most likely trying to catch up to him knowing his intentions.
"An unfortunate price…" Avrin mumbled under his breath as two extra guards were added to his security.
Eventually, Avrin was led to an open chamber. Seated up high, judges of the Earth Federation who were either former politicians or ambitious high-ranking military members aiming to climb the ladder gazed at Avrin. Above those judges were many floating drones with recording devices. These drones were broadcasting the trial to the entirety of the Federation.
Avrin was pushed in by a guard to the center of the chamber, a large lit circle, surrounded by unlit areas. Silence prevailed momentarily before a man in a fine black gown and a jabot around his neck, sitting at the center of the judges, spoke up.
"Avrin Sygin. You are here on charges for severe war crimes. Seven million civilians and twenty thousand military personnel, vaporized by the anti-matter weapon that you were not authorized to use without proper clearance."
Avrin, looking at the man, didn't speak. He knew this man, Dere Milligan, a former military general turned politician. He was always on Avrin's case because he had taken the position of fleet head, instead of his son. He could see the glee in that man's eyes relishing the position, one of absolute power over Avrin.
With Avrin not making another word, Dere sneered.
"I see you are using your right to remain silent. Do you have anything to say for yourself? You denied the choice of legal representation."
Avrin tilted his head a bit.
"Let's see… is your wife doing well? She seems to be looking more closely at other men than you lately if I heard correctly."
Holding in a mocking look, Avrin remembered the promotion ceremony-how Dere's wife fawned over him a bit, compared to her useless son and uptight husband. It put Dere in an awkward position.
Deep anger in his eyes, Dere slammed his fist on the surface of where he stood.
"Bastard, how dare you!"
Another judge interjected, a female with average looks yet a cold gaze.
"Enough, Dere."
Causing him to relax with annoyance, the woman looked back to Avrin.
"We have looked over the evidence and witness testimonies of the fleet under your command. Your actions have wide-reaching effects, trauma that will cause your former crew to live their lives in suffering, the family of those lost who demand justice. If all you want to do is provoke a judge, your outlook is grim."
Avrin laughed quietly.
"It was an ultimatum. Either, I do nothing and let the Rebel Union escape through the Warp Gates, carrying plagues to other sectors… or I stop them there and then. There was no time for better alternatives. If I let those freighters leave, they would have landed on populated worlds and endanger, possibly kill trillions! You know how the disease works! For many years, humanity has asked the question, would you kill one to save three? This is the same, only a million times heavier than back then."
There was considerable debate among the jury and the guests watching from the spectator benches, Avrin could hear them.
"Order, order!" An elderly man banged his gavel to quiet the mutterings.
"I understand your position as a commander and military officer. There are times where one must make hard decisions in times of war, but even then, we must make sure if such decisions are validated and just. The Federation's defenses are state of the art security that protects our systems from such threats which you spoke of. Is there a reason you consider that such defenses aren't enough to stop a single freighter from reaching a planet after exiting the warp gate?"
"I'm sure you are all aware of the Juniper Satellite incident. Rebel Union personnel had infiltrated many defense positions on the military planet, Mercy's Reach. When the Rebel Union caused the satellite loaded with the biologically engineered virus to descend orbit and crash, the planet's defenses were disabled from within because of that. I'm sure you are all aware that not a single living human made it off that planet after it was quarantined. If a single gram of that bio-weapon reaches the atmosphere, it will spread, resistant to heat, cold, and every form of biotics; it even clogs up and attacks medical nanites. Again, I made the best decision I could with what I understood at the time."
Dere, who had been silent up until then, spoke up.
"There is a critical error in your argument. While the Juniper Satellite Incident is a good example of our failures, I believe you have downplayed the adjustments the Earth Federation made. The flaw you spoke of should've been rectified. An unfounded fear."
Avrin looked mockingly at him.
"I have evidence to consider otherwise. I speak from my experience in my service. I believe even now there are terrorist attacks carried out by remnant supporters of the Rebel Union. Wasn't the latest one an attack at the space facility where our flagships are made? What explanation is there that allows our enemies to breach our lines so deeply if not that our security and information networks are still flawed? No one took responsibility for that error, and there was not a single explanation as to how they infiltrated our lines. I, speaking as a captain that led my men to many frontiers, still stand strong by my choice to sacrifice, am forced to bear this responsibility due to the ineptitude of my betters."
The court was silent after Avrin made his case. A curtain of light shone from above, shrouding them from Avrin's sight behind a wall of light. He could not hear anything from the judges, the light also blocks sound, used by the judges to privately debate among themselves.
At
that moment, the female judge input a command, causing the recording drones to not record sound. When the energy-like curtain lowered to reveal the judges, she spoke up.
"We understand that the decision you made is most likely the best course of action. You have made your case splendidly. We will not deny your argument about the movements of the Rebel Unions and their frightening capabilities. However, we must act for the benefit of the people around the galaxy."
"By that argument, didn't I make a sacrifice for the people as well? If I know military law, according to the circumstances and clauses, the worst punishment I should receive is a demotion and probation at worst, with some unpaid military service, the kind that even I don't want to take due to the risks. If this trial is but a farce to get me executed in the end despite all I have presented, then this trial would be nothing but a farce to gather popular support for those on top to promote themselves. Or is it that your verdict is so absolute that it wouldn't change even if God were to vouch for me?"
Avrin had spoken his piece. He firmly believed his case was correct, more than one hundred and ten percent.
Clearing her throat, the female activated the sound recording feature on the drones again.
"After much discussion, we have decided to carry our verdict. Your argument will put this trial into debate for centuries to come in the history books. However, by vote of the entirety of the Earth Federation, by the DNA metric identification of every citizen that wanted your punishment… we declare your execution. For the crime of mass genocide of seven million civilians and twenty thousand military lives, and those unaccounted for, Avrin Sygin, former general of the Earth Federation's 3rd Fleet, you are to be executed by de-atomization."
Avrin sneered, a mocking look.
"Still being so precise with their numbers, even rounding it up. How quaint," he sarcastically muttered. What Avrin and the judges couldn't see was the people of the Earth Federation cheering happily, especially those who lost loved ones during the chaos, after all, the civilian population was unaware that their planet housed the Rebel Union main headquarters.
The circle under Avrin began to light up softly, emitting gentle pulses at first. Avrin felt a little vertigo; after all, death was still death. Dere looked at Avrin smugly.
"Any last words before we send you to meet the devil?"
When Avrin heard this, he gave a wide, cruel smile, locking his gaze with Dere's, who suddenly shook with an uneasy sense of worry.
"I'll save you a seat at his table," Avrin's words coldly.
The circle beneath Avrin suddenly formed several spheres of blue light that became strings. Suddenly they shot upwards, as if space and time had warped. In that fleeting second, Avrin's very atoms had disconnected, and his very being became one with that light until he was completely gone, nothing but a memory for those living.
Yet he had not once, even at the very end, left eye contact with Dere, leaving him with chills he would no doubt have nightmares from.
For Avrin Sygin, this was the end...
But ends are also beginnings…