Gabatrix: The Violet Wave

Chapter 11: May 14th, 2350

It was a grueling two days. Two days of being held prisoner and two days of being tested by every psychologist out there. Javier had enough. He was tired of being tested to see if he had post-traumatic stress disorder or being checked to see if he was being manipulated or even if he was drugged. All the tests proved negative.

All except for one thing. Javier was still rattled after the recent events. Nightmares and pleasant dreams were constant as he was held in the Martian hospitals. It was as if it was another prison sentence in itself.

It was as if heaven and hell were fighting in Javier's brain. Surprisingly, one thing stuck out in his mind, and it was what had been so agonizing for him. Where was Shira?

Only one doctor had an exact answer. Shira was being held in prison pending trial. No further information was given to him. He couldn't persist too much as he knew that it might prolong his suffering and condition more.

The adjustment to being on the bed in the Martian hospitals was a unique one. The gravity was less than Aphadus, being a quarter less than now. Even the Shal'rein ship managed to generate a good state of gravity by centripetal force. Whenever he walked, it felt like he could jump higher than anybody.

For the most part, Javier was truly at peace with himself. Even if it wasn't Aphadus, the relief of being home was still monumental.

Finally, on May 14th, the news was given to him. He was summoned to serve as a witness to a trial or hearing that was going to take place.....a military trial. The two days were used wisely; even his dirtied-up uniform was cleaned up and given to him. It was optional, of course, if he wanted to be on this trial, but he didn't want to miss it. He knew the importance he would have to play in it. He felt fine and demanded to serve as a witness. The hospitals and the chain of command agreed to let him show up.

He stood in his uniform in a prim and proper state as he looked at the large doors ahead of him. Javier was to serve as a witness for the military trial of Lesser Adjunct Shira. Her life was on the line, and anything could happen to her. Even serving as a witness, he may very well tip the scales on her ultimate fate.

A part of him longed to see her again. The memory of the last several days and her loomed in his very soul. He would get to see her again.

Javier felt nervous and scared. It would be a military-style tribunal. Typically, such trials were rare. It had seemed that numerous admirals would serve as the judges. Even Javier knew that the big brass was going to decide what was going to happen to her.

The man gripped his hand as he looked at it. He stood in a passageway underground in the canyons of Mars. The artificial lights and atmosphere were unique. Shades of blue and red covered the passageway alone. The symbolic colors of the UHN were everywhere.

Javier could see the sheer importance of this room alone. It was a red carpet combined with the UHN emblem seal. Rumors were always told that to step on the seal was to bring bad luck to you or warrant the anger of the admirals. The sliding doors appeared to be made of thick, opaque glass. He could barely see what was inside as his mind tried to put it all together.

It was quiet where he was. All personnel except the summoned were told to vacate the grand stateroom of the highest officials of the UHN. If you were brought here, then you did something monumentally good or something horribly wrong. Usually, it served as a trial room, but it also had other uses.

It was so quiet that the tiniest footsteps on the carpet could be heard. On the one hand, Javier was ready to face the series of events, but he felt apprehensive about other things. On the other hand, he felt ready to walk into the room.

"Ugh.....I have been here for two minutes, and it felt like it was twenty," Javier quietly commented.

He turned his head to see what appeared to be a Yutilian. She seemed to be possibly young and wore a white, red, and green dress. She had blue and green scales that glimmered from the overhead lights, along with long green and yellow feathers that protruded from her head. The Itrean almost walked past Javier, but she paused in her walk. Her clawed feet gripped the carpet as her feathery-like tail swung back and forth. She tilted her head up towards him.