A Few Good Men
Three tea cups sat at the great Kiramman table, only two of them filled with liquid. A single decorative teapot was placed between them, with a small pot of milk and bowl of sugar accompanying it. The rest of the room was empty, silent.
Caitlyn sat across from Vi, sipping quietly from her mug, gaze flittering around the room and fingernails rapping against the china surface of her cup. She still wore her makeshift eyepatch, bandages wound tightly across her left eye.
Vi still hadn’t seen the extent of Caitlyn’s injury; whenever she had to change her dressing or apply more wound ointment, the captain faced away so the other officer couldn’t see, shrouding any glimpse that Vi may have caught of the gaping hole where her left eye had once been.
There was a part of Vi that wanted to see it. Wanted to see what Noxus, what Ambessa had taken from her, the unwavering curiosity of what was hiding beneath the layers and layers of white covering.
But Vi didn’t pry. Not once. It was Caitlyn’s shot to call, and she knew she’d show her when she felt ready, if she ever felt ready.
And if that was never, then so be it.
As she drank from her own mug, Vi realised just how much the taste of tea was growing on her and her tastebuds. At her first couple of cups, she thought the flavour to be too earthy, too leafy, like she was drinking straight grass water. But when Caitlyn prepared it, with just the perfect amount of milk and sugar, it was a rather pleasant experience – both the taste itself and the ritual around preparing a cup whenever people came around or they needed to discuss something important.
A sudden knock echoed through the great dining hall. Caitlyn placed her cup down elegantly and her eye flickered to the entrance. “That will be our lawyer,” she stated firmly.
Before Vi could get up to open the door, the sound of heels clicking on marble drifted towards them, and a moment later a figure emerged into the room.
A gorgeous young lady stepped into the dining room, vibrant red hair bouncing as she walked. Piercing green eyes met the pair and her lips twisted into a smile, flashing perfectly white teeth. “Caitlyn,” the lady exhaled, making her way over to the captain.
Caitlyn met her halfway and pulled her into a quick hug. She squeezed her shoulders lightly before pulling away. “Miss Fortune. You’re looking well.”
“As are you, all things considered,” Miss Fortune replied sweetly. She took one last glance at Caitlyn before her gaze drifted over to Vi. “This is your pilot, I’m assuming?”
Vi shot out of her seat and extended a hand to shake. “Vi Vanderson, ma’am,” she droned.
Fortune batted the hand out of the way and placed two flickering kisses either side of Vi’s cheeks. A shade of red slowly crept up the pilot’s neck. “Please, call me Sarah,” she said in a sultry tone, eyeing Vi up and down like she were a piece of meat. “My, my, Caitlyn, you do pick them well.”
“Thank you, Sarah,” Caitlyn huffed as Vi just glanced at her with confusion, taking her seat again and gesturing for the rest of them to sit down. “And thank you for taking our case on such short notice.”
“Anything for an old friend.” Sarah sat at the head of the table, swinging a single briefcase around and smacking it down on the surface. She unclicked the locks and began removing various sheets and brown files from within. “I must let you know, I did specialise in military law, but most of my cases revolve around getting squaddies off of drunk and disorderly charges on base. This is new for me, too. Anyway, my firm practically leapt at the opportunity to represent the Shimmer Six, they-“
“The what, sorry?” Vi interjected.
“The Shimmer Six,” Sarah repeated, smoothly placing some of the files out in front of them. “You’re all the rage in the law world at the moment, everyone’s talking about you.” After another confused look from both Vi and Caitlyn, she added, “There’s six of you. And you dismantled Shimmer. Does what it says on the tin.”
“Six?” The pilot shook her head, even more bewildered than before. “But there’s only f-“
Oh.
Oh.
Vi closed her mouth as quickly as she opened it. There had been six of them. And the civilian world had given them a stupid dance troupe nickname.
Sarah dropped her tone an octave. She leant in, locking eyes with Vi, eyebrows upturned. “Vi, there’s a very strong possibility your last mission with Ekko will be brought up,” she explained sympathetically. “Is that something you’re comfortable talking about?”
The mention of her wingman’s name stabbed at Vi’s heartstrings. She licked her lips and frowned, grunting, “I’ve done it before. I can do it again.”
“Good.” Sarah cleared her throat and looked down at the stacks of paperwork spread out across from them. “Caitlyn, you sent over all of the mission briefs Commander Heimerdinger gave to you across your time after assembling your strike team; thank you for that. And I do agree with your main point, that there’s a significant lack of emphasis on safe extraction plans.” She reached down with elegant fingers, plucking up a specific record which had been marked up with red pen. “This is the main piece of evidence they’re going to be putting forward, though.” She slid the paper across to Caitlyn, and Vi could read the header upside down: DOOMSDAY PROTOCOL.
Caitlyn lifted the sheet up, eye fluttering across the page as she read. “This isn’t the original document,” she grumbled lowly.
“No.” Sarah knitted her fingers together and placed her elbows on the table. “Not according to your recollection. But it’s the document currently stored in the military’s emergency cloudshare, and it’s the document they’re going to claim you read and disobeyed.”
Cait passed the paper over to Vi, who read through it as well, still listening in on the conversation happening across the table. “We aren’t the only ones who read it, though,” she flustered, voice rising. “Viktor’s seen it too. He was on the other line navigating us across the compound.”
“Yes, I still need to talk to the scientist. And the rest of your team; God, I can’t wait to see Pretty Boy again,” Sarah added as an afterthought. “It’s going to be a lot of he-said she-said. That file is what the judge will take as the final piece, though.” She inhaled slowly before continuing. “Regardless of what other evidence you can bring up, and no matter how hard we fight, I’m sorry but you’re both looking at doing time.”
Vi’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. She lowered the paper back down to the table, hands shaking. “What are the charges?” she asked, her voice barely an octave above a whisper.
Sarah cleared her throat again. She picked up a different record and read aloud to them both. “Disobeying direct orders from high command, conspiracy to utilise a weapon of mass destruction, possession of a weapon of mass destruction, possession of a controlled substance, utilisation of a weapon of mass destruction, destruction of government property, going away without leave.”
Caitlyn gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth. Vi dragged her palms over her face, pulling the skin along with it. “Jesus fucking Christ,” she muttered.
“Yes.” Sarah’s lips pressed into a thin line as she stayed silent for a beat, allowing the gravity of the situation to sink in. “I still need to talk to the rest of your team; I’ve got Claggor, Jayce, Viktor, and Marcus still left to visit. Is there anyone else you can think of that could be of help?”
Vi shook her head, but Caitlyn added, “Perhaps my mother? She’s on the council.”
Sarah sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “She wouldn’t be allowed to testify for you because of the family relationship.” She thought for a moment before asking, “Do you still speak to Mel?”
Caitlyn’s eyes lit up. “Yes!” she exclaimed excitedly before settling down. “Sorry, yes. We went to her house when we were planning Doomsday. She was there for most of it.”
Pulling a pen out of her briefcase, Sarah jotted down a few notes on the back of one of the papers. “I’ll add her to the list. Best case scenario, we find someone who has a copy of the original protocol paperwork, or we enter a plea deal if we can produce enough evidence of Heimerdinger’s neglect for the safety of his troops.”
“And the worst case?” Vi sat up, eyes blown wide with fear.
Sarah smiled thinly. The humour didn’t reach her eyes. “I sure hope you both like prison food.”
Caitlyn didn’t respond. She took an unsteady sip of her tea; the drink had gone stone cold.
***
For what could be the last time in her life, Vi buttoned up her dress blues, slotting her beret neatly into her back pocket before checking her outfit in the mirror.
As sharp as she looked, Vi hated wearing her dress blues. Not because of how uncomfortable they were, or how tight the seams dug in no matter how many times she got them resized and adjusted, or because of how sweaty she got wearing them.
She hated wearing them because in most situations she had to dig them out, it was never for a good reason. Last time she put them on was for Ekko’s funeral; now, it was Vi’s outfit for finding out if she’d ever get back into the army or if she’d be carted off to Stillwater forever.
Caitlyn had been up and dressed hours before Vi. She sat on the edge of her bed, shifting through court documents one last time, drilling down into the minute details as she went.
Despite the fact they were wearing the same outfit, Caitlyn’s looked significantly smarter than Vi’s, and not just because of the extra strip of gold ribbon on her cuffs. The fabric was ironed flush, smoothed to perfection, creases sharp enough to cut glass, not a stray thread or hair in sight.
She stood up from the bed and walked over to Vi in front of the mirror, using her good arm to brush the edges of Vi’s dress shirt beneath down and straighten her tie. Her other arm was in a sling; a common occurrence nowadays if she had to walk further than ten feet from her bed. “I’m surprised your wearing your number ones,” said Cait curtly as her fingertips grazed the base of Vi’s neck.
Vi hummed as she ran her hands down the full length of her front. “It’s still a military trial, no?” she retorted, making contact with Cait’s eye in the reflection. The captain was still wearing her eye bandage. She’d been offered alternatives, but dismissed any proposal of changing to a proper eyepatch or covering. That was a bridge to cross another time.
“Are you still okay with driving?” Caitlyn asked, stepping back to retrieve her car keys from the bedside table and offering them to the pilot.
“’Course.” Vi took the keys from her hand and shoved them into her pocket, making her way out of Caitlyn’s bedroom with the captain following close behind. “Are you parents not coming?”
“They weren’t allowed,” she sighed. “Something about swaying the jury’s decision. Bureaucratic bullshit.”
Vi held the front door of the Kiramman mansion open for Cait with a smile as they made their way to her SUV. Vi popped the passenger door again and waited for her captain to slide in before going back around to the driver’s seat. “It’s still funny hearing you swear,” she commented as the engine roared into life.
“Of course it is,” Caitlyn muttered sarcastically without bite. She clicked her seatbelt into place, wincing as the band brushed against her shoulder, and Vi peeled the car off of the drive.
They made the journey to the courthouse in silence. Their trial was being held at a civilian court, as opposed to the military one Vi had been in before, after the Noxus bombings left it in ruins. Sarah had informed them that the jury was to be a mix of military and civilians too, not just army personnel – a strategy choice Vi detested.
Both officers stayed lost in their own thoughts, the reality of their situation and the possible outcomes of the trial weighing about in their heads. If it was just a question of whether or not Vi could serve again, she wouldn’t have really minded; at least then she could go back to school, or pick up a shitty mechanic’s job, move back with her family, anything but have to serve under a sociopathic maniac like Heimerdinger again.
But that wasn’t the only thing at stake here. There was also the strong likelihood of them both exiting the courtroom in handcuffs and never seeing the light of day again.
Caitlyn was worried too. Not for herself, but for the stain she’d put on the Kiramman family’s record. Her whole life, she’d been the perfect daughter, perfect student, perfect officer, presenting herself in the public eye as the model government official’s daughter. But depending on how things went today, it would be a stark tarnish on all of their reputations, a mark you couldn’t scrub out.
Vi pulled the SUV around the back of the courthouse and parked up. She inhaled a long, shaky breath, shutting her eyes briefly, before hopping out of the door.
***
Whispers fluttered up and down the courtroom between spectators and jury members alike, hushing instantaneously when Caitlyn and Vi entered. The officers glanced around the room nervously, the hairs on the back of their neck sticking up to attention.
The room was near identical to the one back at base. Someone had even done the courtesy of hanging up the ensign of the Army of Piltover, an indication that this was in fact a military trial.
Heimerdinger was already sat at the plaintiff’s table. He didn’t bother to glance around when Caitlyn and Vi walked in. The commander had certainly seen better days; his hair was unkept, grey strands sprouting up from his roots, his uniform unironed and dark creases showing.
A young male lawyer with sharp features and slick-back blond hair sat beside him, turning his head to the pair and smirking callously. He wore a very expensive-looking suit and an even more pricey-looking watch flashed on his wrist. Heimerdinger had spared no pennies hiring this one.
Sarah was already sat at their defendants’ table, sifting through paperwork as they sat either side of her. She shot them a thin smile before turning her attention back to the files before her.
A boom rippled through the courtroom as the judge’s door swung open. Everyone jumped to their feet. A short, stocky man swanned through the doorway, looking out at the faces within the room before taking his seat at the judge’s bench. Leaning forward, he tapped the microphone centred on the bench and spoke in a deep voice.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Please take your seats,” he droned, voice echoing through the silent room. The sounds of chairs scraping and boots flicking against the floor filled the air before simmering down again. “My name is Judge Hoskel, and I will be overseeing the case at hand today: Commander Heimerdinger and the Army of Piltover versus Caitlyn Kiramman and Violet Vanderson.”
Cait swallowed a lump in her throat. She leant forward to look at Vi, who refused to meet her eye.
Judge Hoskel continued his speech. “Miss Kiramman and Miss Vanderson, I assume you’re aware of the charges before you, no?”
Before either of them could answer, Sarah shot up, her turn to finally speak. “Both defendants are aware and understanding of their charges, Your Honour,” she answered obediently before sitting down again.
Hoskel hummed and nodded his great head. His eyes fluttered over to Heimerdinger and his lawyer. “Mr Salo, I now open the floor to you to greet the jury and commence the trial.”
“Thank you, Your Honour.” Heimerdinger’s lawyer – Salo – stood up, quietly walking over to the assembled jury and standing in front of them. He brought his shoulders back and spoke fluidly and confidently. “We are gathered here today because of the lack of discipline and respect for the safety of others displayed by two women in positions of power,” he explained, walking up and down and making eye contact with each juror as he spoke. “This disregard for senior command’s direct orders let to the detonation of one of the most formidable weapons of mass destruction on foreign soil, causing countless casualties and the destruction of multiple properties of the Government. Miss Kiramman and Miss Vanderson are dangerous war criminals; it is up to you all to decide whether they should be allowed to roam the streets again.”
With his final closing statement, Salo glanced up to the judge. “I’d like to call Miss Kiramman up to the stand first please, Your Honour.”
Caitlyn took herself up to the witness stand, clutching the hem of her dress blues tunic to stop her hands from shaking. She took her seat and looked dead straight at Salo, who stared back, emotion unreadable.
“Miss Kiramman, do you love your country?” was Salo’s first question.
“Objection, relevance!” Sarah shouted from the defendants’ table before Cait could answer.
“Sustained.” Judge Hoskel flicked his wrist at Salo.
The lawyer cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully. “Miss Kiramman, would you consider yourself loyal to the Army of Piltover and its regime?”
The question took Caitlyn off guard. She licked her lips, leaning forward into the microphone. “I took an oath. Of course I’m loyal to the army. It’s how we got here in the first place.”
Salo nodded, looking down at the floor as he walked up and down in front of her, a weak attempt at an intimidation tactic. “Would you obey direct orders from the chain of command, no matter what or how much they disagree with your personal beliefs?”
“Like I said, I took an oath,” Caitlyn spat. “Whatever they told me to do, whatever Heimerdinger told me to do, I did with pride.”
“Then why did you elect to disobey the orders detailed within the Doomsday Plan?” Salo exclaimed with falsetto shock.
“Those weren’t the original orders!” Caitlyn shot back, her voice rising. Beads of sweat began dripping down the nape of her neck.
Salo shook his head as if he were scolding a child. He retreated back to the defendant’s table momentarily to retrieve a piece of paper and handed it up to the judge. “You have no proof of your claims, Miss Kiramman,” he said as the judge read through the finalised copy of the Doomsday Protocol.
Cait’s eye fluttered to Vi, who was watching intently, nerves sprawled across her face for everyone to see. “That wasn’t the original plan. We were told to eliminate Ambessa and parties loyal to her, and dismantle Shimmer, at my discretion. Then Heimerdinger decided to leave us out to dry.”
Salo’s steely eyes settled on hers. “No further questions, Your Honour,” he chirped before stepping back to sit next to Heimerdinger once again.
Caitlyn went to exit the witness stand, but Sarah waved her down, strutting over confidently. “Miss Kiramman, as reiterated by Mr Salo, you’re a loyal officer to the Army of Piltover,” she drilled. “If the Doomsday Protocol told you to dismantle the Shimmer bomb, do you believe you have done so effectively?”
Salo rose from his seat, barking, “Objection: leading!”
“Dismissed,” Judge Hoskel grunted before allowing the questioning to continue.
“Yes, ma’am,” Caitlyn replied.
“And would you have detonated the Shimmer bomb if your orders were different?”
She scoffed. “Not at all, ma’am.”
Sarah hummed, eyeing Cait one last time before turning to the jury. “Caitlyn Kiramman is a decorated and respected officer of the Army of Piltover. She has no motivation to turn her back on the framework which has given her so much. Whatever course of action she took on that fateful day, she did so with purpose.” She let her statement settle with the jurors before adding, “No further questions, Your Honour.”
Sarah stayed on the floor and waited for Vi to trundle over, shoulders hunched, fists balled as if she were ready to fling them at the first person who said the wrong thing. Grunting as she dropped into her seat, she shot a dagger-filled glare at Heimerdinger before looking at Miss Fortune.
“Miss Vanderson,” Sarah said slowly, “prior to your embarkment on the Doomsday Protocol, you were ordered to scan and map the same Noxian facility with your later wingman, Ekko Lanes. Is this correct?”
There it was. She’d dropped the bomb Vi was hoping no-one would drag up again.
Vi’s jaw feathered as she ground her molars. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And on that mission, you were shot down by enemy forces, and Mr Lanes unfortunately lost his life.”
“Yes.”
“Were you aware of the level of resistance that the Noxian forces were prepared to target you with?”
Vi stared straight at Heimerdinger as she spoke. “We were assured that we’d be safe as long as we kept below a certain altitude. Which we did.”
“Did Heimerdinger ever assure you of the danger you’d face?” Sarah asked.
Salo jolted up once again. “Objection, leading!”
“Sustained,” Hoskel grumbled.
Sarah cleared her throat. “Would you say that Heimerdinger performed his duty of care as best as possible when preparing your mission for you?”
“Not at all, ma’am,” Vi replied confidently. “The details of Noxian firepower were vague to say the least.”
Sarah nodded, clearly satisfied with her answer. “No further questions.”
As Sarah left the floor, Salo practically leapt up to ask Vi more questions, running a hand through his hair. “Miss Vanderson, I’m aware that after you were captured you engaged in a physical confrontation with Ambessa Medarda. Is this true?”
“Yes.”
“Under whose authority did you fight her?”
Vi’s lips curled into a snarl. “She told me if I didn’t fight, she’d kill Ekko. Which she did anyway, might I add.”
The lawyer tutted, turning his attention to the jury as he strolled casually back to the plaintiff’s table. “There you have it, folks, yet another blatant disregard for authority,” he said over his shoulder. “No further questions.”
Vi slammed her palms against the wooden bench as she stormed back to the defendant’s table, avoiding Caitlyn’s concerned look.
Sarah shuffled a few pages on her desk, lifting a single file up and moving back to the floor. “I’d like to call Viktor Volkov to the stand, Your Honour.”
A shuffle at the back of the courtroom. Moments later, Viktor hobbled down the aisle, supported by his cane as he went. That was the first thing Caitlyn noticed; he was back on his crutch, which meant he was in pain again or really trying to lay on the innocent scientist look.
Viktor limped up to the witness stand, leaning his cane against the wooden panel. Pressing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, he smiled briefly at Sarah as she came closer.
Vi’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. And judging by the gobsmacked looks on both Salo and Heimerdinger’s face, they had no idea Sarah was going to pull this stunt either.
Miss Fortune smiled back at Viktor sweetly. “Mr Volkov, could you please tell the court your role in the Army of Piltover?” she said slyly.
Viktor leant in. “I was the lead scientist on the Shimmer case, ma’am. A case Heimerdinger had taken a particular noticeable interest in. But on paper, I am classed as a civilian contractor.”
“I see.” Sarah tapped a long slender finger against her chin. “And as a civilian contractor, I’m sure there are some rules and regulations you must follow, no? Particularly revolving around digital communications between yourself and enlisted officers and soldiers?”
Viktor nodded briskly. “All communications between myself and members of the regular army are to be recorded for monitoring and auditing purposes. That’s what we have been told.”
“I’m assuming this was no different during the Doomsday Protocol?”
The smallest of smiles tugged at the corner of Viktor’s lip. “No, ma’am, it was not.”
Sarah finally handed over the paper she’d been holding to Judge Hoskel. He took the sheet carefully, eyes grazing the words as he continued to listen into the questioning.
“Judge Hoskel holds a transcript of Heimerdinger’s conversation with Miss Kiramman and Miss Vanderson during the Doomsday Protocol. It demonstrates a clear disregard for his troops’ safety on Heimerdinger’s side, and a blatant admission of the protocol being changed mid-mission. That’s not all I have for you, though,” she added, her gaze flickering to the jury.
Sarah rounded on Viktor again. “Mr Volkov, did you ever see the Doomsday Protocol paperwork?”
“Yes, Miss Fortune, I did.”
“And did it detail what Miss Kiramman and Miss Vanderson describe it as?”
Vi could see the steam rising from Heimerdinger’s ears as the conversation continued.
“Yes.” Viktor licked his bottom lip.
Sarah hummed and plucked two more pages from the plaintiff desk. “Did you have access to the Doomsday Protocol, Viktor?”
“Yes.”
“And what did you do with it?”
Viktor could no longer resist the smirk tugging at his lips. “You hold the remnants of that in your hands, ma’am.”
Sarah tilted her head to the side. She shot one last gotcha smile at Heimerdinger and his lawyer before handing the pages up to Judge Hoskel.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the judge now holds in his hands a copy of the original Doomsday Protocol documentation as well as the file’s logged change history.”