Broken: A Time Lord's Story (Doctor Who Novel)

Chapter 43 The Trial

The crackle of a transmat beam wrapped around the Doctor and K'nar, leaving them a bit disoriented ‬when they materialised inside the courthouse's conference room. A murmur went through the small crowd of survivors at the arrival of the last two former prisoners of the hated Continuum. The Doctor pulled K'Nar close as he glanced around the conference room filled with a half-dozen species, from human to Banik, all NaV0's victims. Healers moved through group making sure that they were all coping.‭ A conference table laden with a variety of snacks, teas and juices, stood in the middle of the room. Few present took advantage of the offerings. ‬The Doctor kept to the edge of the room with his arm around K'Nar's shoulder.

The two watched the healers work the crowd encouraging the victims to start talking. Four months earlier this same group of healers worked with several of these same victims. K'Nar squeezed the Doctor's hand and glanced nervously at the avian humanoids hoping they would leave them alone. He hugged her gently and kissed the top of her head.

"It's alright. You don't have to talk to the healers if you don't want. Do you want something to drink."

"No, Lord. Why are the healers trying to get everyone to talk?"

"Make them a little less nervous. They are in the same time stream, so for them, the nightmare ended four months ago. We are coming back to this point in time. We've had time to adjust and get past what happened here, they haven't."

"Are you scared, my Lord?" K'Nar squeezed his hand again.

"Yeah, actually," he replied softly, "I am." The Doctor understood; his recovered memories made everything as fresh for him as it did for the others.

"Me too." K'Nar nodded politely when an official walked over to reassure the late arrivals. When the woman offered to walk her over to the table for a snack, she leaned away not wanting to leave the Doctor's side

The woman smiled and walked away. A moment later, two tall officials dressed in long red robes came in to patiently explain what they should expect when each victim took their turn in the witness box. The two men stayed and patiently answered questions. For once, the Doctor found out that he liked the anonymity of being just another face in the group.

"Alright, it's time," the official announced in a deep, firm voice.

K’Nar held his hand so tightly that ‬he half-expected to find bruises when he checked later.‭ For now, he tolerated the discomfort and made sure that he kept a reassuring smile plastered on his face and a snug embrace around her small frame. Keeping a tight rein on his emotions was hard. Just being here  twisted them both in knots. He quickly tightened his protective hug when K’Nar leaned into his side trembling with anticipation of walking in that courtroom.

“‬It will be alright.‭ ‬You’re safe," he reassured her as he planted another kiss the top of her head.‭ ‬"I won’t let anything happen,‭ ‬okay.‭”

K’Nar nodded her head against his chest.‭ “‬I know,‭ ‬my Lord.‭”

o0o

The court room was large with divided spectator seating. A large, ornately carved bench  accommodating four judges dominated the front of the room. ‬Immediately in front of the bench sat a clerk's desk. Chairs stationed behind a half wall lined the left side of the room. Two large desks sat eight feet out from the judges' bench to accommodate the State's Advocate and the Defense Advocates. The witness box sat angled to keep the witness focused on the State's Advocate and away from the prisoners.  The rows of seats directly behind the State’s Advocates tables were reserved for -- ‬as the Doctor termed them -- ‬the survivors.‭ ‬

The witnesses filed in from a side door nervously glancing around the room and murmured sighs of relief when they saw their families were allowed to sit directly behind them.‭ A small smile of relief crossed‬ the Doctor's face when he saw that his little group were allowed the same privilege. ‬ Once the group was comfortably seated,  the court doors were opened to spectators who quickly packed the open seating of the court room. Then began the wait for the trial to start.