The Trial of the Century (*Content Warning*)

Posted on Thu Jan 6th, 2022 @ 7:51pm by Captain Natacha Patani
Edited on on Thu Jan 6th, 2022 @ 9:11pm

Mission: Tales from the other side of the Mirror
Location: Heramandi, Randeer System
Timeline: Somewhen
1084 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

The courts on Heramandi were among the fairest, most honest and incorruptible in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.

Considering the amount the justices of Heramandi were bribed to remain honest, this was no surprise.

When the Randeer system was rediscovered, the initial attraction to the galaxy without were the games being played on Randeer Three itself. The sporting events on the planet, used to settle conflicts among various regions and diffuse social tensions in the planet's cities, were some of the bloodiest in the known galaxy.

Naturally there was a market in the entertainment industry to have these games rebroadcast throughout the quadrants. For a fee, of course. So various entities began migrating into the system and setting up shop in Hermandi, the largest domed city on Rander Three's largest moon. Up until this point, Heramandi's only claim to fame was that it played host to planetary championships for certain games.

As the entertainment industries moved in, other gaming "powers" began recruiting Randeerian gladiators for their own events. Some gladiators went willingly, seeking their fame and fortune beyond the system limits. Others went...not so willingly, sold to off world buyers by despots who discovered there was a market for their political enemies and surplus populations. And even those Randeerians who weren't particularly skilled at any of the blood sports Randeer Three was known for had value to off worlders. The humans from Randeer Three were known for their strength and endurance. Perfect for those jobs that would kill most other sentients and which you wouldn't want to risk valuable machinery on.

So a slave market emerged on Heramandi, exporting Randeerians and importing exotic combatants, both sentient and otherwise, to battle in the games on Randeer Three. The viewing audiences across the quadrants couldn't get enough of Randeerian gladiators battling new monsters. As the ratings went up, so did the demands of the Heramandian slave markets.

As the slave market expanded, other commercial interests set up shop on Heramandi, and soon the domed city gained the reputation where anything could be had, for the right price.

As can be imagined, friction arose between the various merchants and consortiums on Heramandi, with most of the differences being settled in an unofficial and very violent fashion. Occasionally though, an arbiter, an honest arbiter, was useful in settling differences between warring merchant houses, especially when it was in no one's financial interests for a war to continue. So the jurists of Heramandi were well subsidized to be impartial. Those same jurists met with untimely and painful deaths when it was discovered that they weren't remaining impartial.

Smaller merchanting ventures and private individuals across the Randeer system availed themselves of the benefits of this honest judicial systems. Which was another reason for the larger powers to keep Heramandian courts free of corruption.

Apparently there was a market for court room drama. Viewing and broadcasting rights of certain trials were worth their weight in gold pressed latinum. Who knew sentient beings would pay to watch legal proceedings that would have absolutely no impact on their own lives?

Of course, Randeerian jurists were known to render verdicts that could be particularly bloody, so there was that marketing benefit.

The most anticipated legal battle of recent years (and certainly the most profitable for those with the broadcasting rights) was Jemmem Trading House versus Hekal aur Jaateey LLC. The defendant in this case, Hekal aur Jaateey LLC, had a number of interests, but their primary asset was the gladiator known as Nataacha Aparaajey.

Natacha the Undefeatable.

Natacha was billed as the most dangerous warrior in the galaxy, and very few disbelieved that claim. The ratings of her battle against, and defeat of, four trained Taurus II anthropoids had yet to be surpassed.

The fact that Natacha was a beautiful woman didn't hurt her marketability either. There were all sorts or rumors about her sexual escapades as well. Some said she bedded all her opponents before the battle, and achieved another climax upon defeating them in the arena. Others said that she was still a virgin, and would only surrender herself to someone who could defeat her in battle.

This was where the Jemmem Trading House came in. One of the sons of a senior partner of the trading house, Takir Ramev, the self-styled Prince, was known for his lavish and degenerate lifestyle (degenerate even by the standards of the Mirror Universe; Caligula didn't have anything on Prince Takir). And like many of Natacha's fans, he wanted to bed her. Bed her and break her.

The two owners of Hekal aur Jaateey LLC warned Prince Takir that this was a particularly bad idea. While trying to be as polite as possible, they warned the Prince that Natacha was not going to want to have sex with him and frankly, outside of the prince killing Natacha and having sex with her corpse, there was no way the Prince could force the issue.

But after the Prince brought pressure to bear against them, Hekal and Jaateey LLC agreed to accept a hefty fee, along with a large security deposit, for which they granted the prince a twenty four hour window to attempt to have sex with Natacha.

The Prince had brought a retinue of highly trained well armed mercenaries, advanced restraining technology and one of the most advanced brain altering devices in the known galaxy to the party.

At the end of the party, only Natacha and the Prince were still alive. Natacha was unphased and untouched. The prince had had a number of extremities cut off, one of which had been anally reinserted into his body.

Fortunately for Prince Takir, he had access to top notch regenerative medical technology.


All this set into the motion one of the most anticipated lawsuits in viewing history. Hekal aur Jaateey LLC had thought that if they offered the Prince a sufficient payoff, he wouldn't press the matter. After all. Randeerian contract law appeared to be on their side.

But the Prince wanted more. He wanted Natacha dead, and then the Prince wanted to try his hand at necrophilia.

The lawsuit had drawn Judge Naggapan Pavar, the jurist most popular among legal fans of the Randeeran courts. The episode where Judge Pavar ordered the public neutering of a bovine sentient was still the most downloaded.

And so crowds and camera crews alike watched in anticipation as the armored vehicle holding Natacha Aparaajey approached the court building for the trial that promised to be the biggest revenue generator ever.