markdown-everyday-life-with-raptors/chapters/part_09.md

# Part 9

“I don’t like this Alpha…” Charlie muttered, squirming in her suit. It had been a chore just to convince her to put on her dress blues for court. It wasn’t an easy decision to determine which raptor to bring in besides Blue, but Blue had actually recommended Charlie. Delta was a definite bad ideas…she wasn’t good with authority on the best of days, so being in a court room would likely cause more problems. Echo was more mature and levelheaded, but had an intense fear of crowds and being judged. She likely would have a panic attack on the stand. Charlie was immature and wild, but was able to handle scrutiny better than the other two. She was the only one who might be able to handle the stand. So, while Charlie was brought to the city for court, Delta and Echo had remained at the camp until further notice. However, looking professional was not easy for her…considering Owen knew there was nothing at all professional about Charlie.
“Just deal with it a little longer, Charlie.” Blue explained. She was already in her attired and wearing it very well. She had buttoned on her coat and had on the skirt that fell down to her reptilian knees. They didn’t bother with their shoes…in fact the girls never wore shoes. There was no point. Their raptor claws were too large and sharp to handle any form of foot ware. Their tails were allowed to slide out of their skirts. The rear of their skirts were cut up the middle to allow for their tails to slide out. Owen had even talked Blue into wearing basic make up, though Charlie was still adamantly against the notion.
“You both look good.” Owen assured them. From behind, hobbling on his cane, was Mr. Hammond, smiling broadly at the two girls. “This is Mr. John Hammond. He’s representing you today.”
“Attention!” Blue shouted, causing both her and Charlie to jump to attention and salute Mr. Hammond, who just chuckled.
“My, what quick reflexes. I’m afraid there’s no need for such formalities. Please, relax girls…it will look a lot better for you in the courtroom.” Both Charlie and Blue relaxed some and Hammond indicated a few chairs around the room where they could sit. Charlie and Blue hurried to their own chairs and sat down, careful not to sit on their tails. Hammond sat across from them while Owen stood by the door.

“I’m going to level with you both,” Hammond explained, “but the fate of this trail hinges heavily on the two of you.”
“What do you need from us?” Blue asked.
“I need you both to relax and be yourselves.” He answered warmly. There was a childish cheerfulness that seemed to radiate from Hammond that made both Owen and Blue seem to relax, and made Charlie seem more invested in him. “The court is going to try to determine your competency. To the eyes of the Navy, you and your sisters are just weapons; tools to be used. If the Navy feels this way, then the one responsible for the events last week will fall under Officer Grady…or Alpha, as you know him.”
“It wasn’t his fault though!” Charlie cried, losing her disposition. “He wasn’t even there!”
“I know that dear, but if the Navy sees you as his weapons, then he is responsible for the lives you took. The Navy needs to recognize that you are thinking and feeling creatures. That you are sentient. If they see you as soldiers and not as weapons, then your actions were your own responsibility, and thus it can be seen as self defense.”
“If our actions are seen as self-defense, will Alpha be okay?” Blue asked.
“Yes. You and Owen will both be free to go about your usual business.” Hammond laughed. “But I’m afraid that depends entirely on you both.”
“What happens if we can’t?” Charlie asked. Hammond didn’t answer but just coughed uncomfortably. Charlie’s eyes flew to Owen. “What would happen?”
“Well…you’d have to-”
“It doesn’t matter what would happen.” Hammond answered, reaching out and placing a hand on Charlies clawed fingers. “Because you both will do just fine.” Charlie beamed happily and looked at Owen and Hammond excitedly. Blue, though smiling, looked much more concerned.
“What do we have to do to prove our sentience?” Blue asked.
“Well you’ll be required to answer a few questions from myself and the prosecution.” Hammond answered. “That’s what we’re going to talk about here before we go in.” Hammond reached into a briefcase sitting by his chair and pulled out a notepad and a pen. “So let me go through what kind of things we’re going to talk about in the trial.”
“We’re ready for anything.” Blue assured him.
“I’m sure you are. I promise that nothing I ask you will be difficult or hard for you.” He smiled. “I’ll simply ask you questions about your daily routine and how much of it is controlled by Mr. Grady.” He pointed towards Owen. “However, what the prosecution will say will be much more hurtful, I fear.”
“How so?” Charlie asked.
“For starters, they won’t be as polite. They’ll likely make inferences and suggestions about your relationship with Owen that are simply not true.” Hammond sighed. “They will be trying to tempt a reaction out of you to defend him…or to make yourselves look prone to violence.”
“We’re not scared of questions.” Blue assured him.
“…Maybe you should be.” Owen grumbled.
“Why don’t we practice a little? I’m going to pretend to be the prosecution and you pretend you’re on the stand? It will help you understand what you’re confronting.” Hammond offered. Blue and Charlie nodded and thus a long and difficult afternoon of trial prep began. But nothing could have prepared them for what came in only a few days when the trial began.

The courtroom was packed on the day of the trial. There were dozens of people there, many not even military, who were only there to get a look at the raptor girls that were sitting in behind the defendant table. The prosecutor was a short man with a fine trimmed beard and cold eyes that made Charlie and Blue uncomfortable, so they felt it best not to look at him. Owen sat next to them, smiling encouragingly. When the judge walked in, he too let his eyes rest on the raptors, taking them in a moment in awe before sitting down himself.
The trial moved slowly and it was hard to follow everything at first. Owen didn’t fully follow all that was said, as he was busy trying to keep Charlie from squirming or moving around in her chair. She was ADHD in a meth pipe…there was no convincing her of keeping still or steady. Finally, the fateful words were said that Owen dreaded to hear.
“Would the raptor designated ‘Blue’ please take the stand?” Blue stood up quickly and marched around the table causing a bunch of oo’s and aaah’s from the crowd. She climbed onto the stage and sat down, her feral eyes darting around to take in the setting around her. Hammond walked toward her first and gave a polite grin.
“Hello, Blue. How are you today?” He asked.
“I’m fine, thank you.” She answered. Owen beamed. She was being professional and polite. Everything she was supposed to be.
“How would you say you feel being here?” Hammond asked.
“I feel a bit uncomfortable.” She answered. “I don’t like being put on the spot like this.”
“So you would say you feel conscious of all of us here?”
“Of course I am.” She growled in frustration.
“Blue, do you understand why you are on the stand today?” Hammond asked.
“You want to know if I’m a sentient creature. If I am capable of thinking for myself.” She replied forcefully.
“How does that make you feel, Blue?” Hammond asked.
“With all due respect? Pissed off.” Blue snapped. “From the moment I was hatched, my sisters and I have made our own choices, forcing ourselves to make difficult and harsh decisions just to stay alive. Do you even know what we went through?” Owen shot her a dangerous look. Blue was losing her cool. But with a single sigh, Blue began to breathe again and calm herself. This was good…and what Hammond had taught her to do. Getting upset would only hurt their case by making Blue and the raptors look highly strung and emotional…showing they were prone to violence. It was vital that they maintained calm.
“So you make difficult choices regularly?”
“That’s what it means to be a leader.” Blue answered. “My sisters need me.”
“Because they can’t make decisions themselves?” Hammond asked, curious.
“No…because I’m their older sibling…and because it’s an older siblings job to take care of their younger siblings.” This got a soft hum from the crowd…a good sign. Hammond smiled and walked away.
“No more questions.” The prosecutor stood up after him and adjusted his tie, smiling at Blue, though his grin had no warmth or friendliness in it…more of a smoldering arrogance.

“So you make the big decisions for your sisters?” He asked.
“Yes.” Blue answered.
“Was that always the case?” He asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Who made the decisions before you were their leader?”
“No one…we chose the leader out of the four of us.” The prosecutor reached for a notebook on his table and looked over it a moment and then smiled again. That smile was starting to piss off Owen.
“The second oldest of your sisters…Echo, right?” He asked.
“What about her?”
“She has a long scar on her face, doesn’t she?” Blue stiffened and even Charlie trembled and lowered her head solemnly. “How’d she get that?”
“Objection!” Hammond called. “This question isn’t relevant.”
“If you give me a moment, your honor, I will reveal the relevance.” The prosecutor assured the judge. The judge looked him over a moment and then sighed.
“I’ll allow it…but tread carefully.” He cautioned. The prosecutor turned back to Blue.
“Well? How did Echo get her scar?” Blue sneered and looked towards her feet.
“…We got into a fight when we were younger…this was before we met Alph-um…Owen.” She grumbled.
“What was the fight about?” He asked.
“…To determine who would be the Alpha of our pack.” Blue answered.
“So you fight to decide leadership? Seems a bit…excessive.”
“OBJECTION!” Hammond shouted.
“Sustained.” The judge replied. The prosecutor nodded and returned to his questions.
“So what made Echo unfit to be the leader?”
“That’s not important.” Blue answered.
“It is to this court.” Was the fierce reply. Blue tensed up and the judge looked at her curiously.
“Do you need a moment?” He asked.
“…Echo is my sister. I love her…but…she was arrogant and hot headed. She was more in love with personal strength than she was leading our pack. I told her not to challenge me for leadership…and she didn’t listen… so we fought.”
“And you won?”
“Obviously.”
“So you put her back in her place?” He asked.
“No! That’s not it at all!”
“It isn’t? Your subordinate was out of line and you put her back into it, didn’t you?”
“THAT’S NOT TRUE!”
“I think her scar might say otherwise.”
“OBJECTION!” Hammond roared.
“Withdrawn.” The prosecutor sighed, turning away. “I have no more questions.” The room was deathly silent and Blue only sat in defeat, looking like she’d lost at a battle or game of some sort. I tried to show encouragement towards her, but she wouldn’t even meet my gaze. The knowledge of how she and Echo had been rivals in the past and how she’d hurt her the way she had…it was still a point of contention for her. How could the prosecutor had known this though? Owen himself hadn’t known about that scar and the reason for it until Echo and Blue had told him about it. Who told him? How did he know about the scar? Hammond smiled and pat Blue on the back as she came back to sit down, but he too looked a bit nervous.
“Your honor, may I request a 10 minute recess?” Hammond asked.
“Granted.” The judge answered, as everyone began to rise, Hammond leaned over to Owen, a look of anger and frustration on his face.
“How does the prosecution know this information?” He asked.
“I don’t know…but I’m gonna find out.” Owen grumbled.