>>5203661Sathriel's enforcers immediately paused their further objections by the Arbiter motioning her hand to silence the two. Sathriel for her part stood up from her seat and looked at the courtroom gallery honing in on the offenders before somehow *warping* to the gallery with a single step. Her sudden appearance in the gallery eliciting a jump scare and several shrieks as the Arbiter leaned forward with gritted teeth atop a false smile.
"Never. Ever. Compare my court to that toxic sludge of a judicial system that my home country is seeped in." Sathriel softly hissed.
"I have taken many, many, measures to ensure that due process and impartiality are observed, procedures are followed whenever possible, and above all else do my best to seek out evidence, to leave no stone unturned, and to hand down and execute an exacting and fitting sentence to the guilty should one be found. My verdicts will not be bought or sold like cheap commodities, nor swayed by political or personal favors. To stoop to that level like my homeland is to bring INJUSTICE to the title that I hold dear. What I care about and crave for is true JUSTICE. Nothing else can sate my hunger more than weighing the measures of a case and equalizing the scale."
Seeing that she now commanded the audience's entire attention, the Arbiter leaned back.
"I can't deny the validity of your questioning the judicial system that I use to operate the court. In the world we currently live in, law and order is a fragile but powerful system that ensures humanity's survival and a degree of peace on a societal level. And as much as I would like to hold a jurist court system for this case, the system in question would result in a biased jury given how integral the defendant has been for the community in this current case. So for the sake of impartiality and a fair verdict this court system will be trial-by-Judge."
"Open your lips and question my dedication to law and order one more time, and I will have you executed, not held, EXECUTED in contempt of court. All other discussion among yourselves is permissible otherwise. Do all of you understand?"
She received a synchronized motion of slow nods from the gallery. Sathriel deemed it a sufficient answer before turning around.
"Prosecutor Yan, your opening statement if you will." The Arbiter called out, warping back to her spot in the Judge's seat.
(cont.)
