Irisis shivered and said no more.

'. . , therefore,' Ghorr was going on, 'before I pronounce sentence, I call upon the assembled witnesses to confirm the guilt of the prisoners. Witnesses, should any one of you disagree with the verdict, you must come down and state your case for the prisoner, after which the other witnesses shall vote on the merits of the case. The scrutators will, of course, abstain from the vote. Should the vote be for the prisoner, that prisoner will be freed. If the vote goes against the prisoner, guilt is confirmed and the sentence will be carried out as soon as the remaining trials are finished.'

Ghorr motioned to the master of the executions who, with a flourish, presented him with a scroll and bowed low.

'No, man, that's your job!' Ghorr's low voice carried as far as Irisis. 'Get on with it! We've a war to win.'

The master of the executions dropped the scroll and scrabbled on the canvas for it, looking uncomfortable. He held the scroll out in front of him. 'Pilot Inouye,' he said in a nervous whine, 'the Council of Scrutators, in formal assembly, has found you guilty of treason. Does any witness disagree with the verdict?'

'I beg leave—' Flydd began.

'Denied,' said Ghorr.

No one else spoke. After a lengthy pause, during which the master of the executions scanned the rows of witnesses, he turned to Ghorr and said, 'Since no witness has come forward to oppose the verdict, the sentence is confirmed.'

'Say it to the witnesses,' hissed Ghorr, 'not to me, you damn fool! The scrutators must appear impartial.'

Turning to the witnesses in front of him, the master of the executions said, rather more loudly than was necessary, 'Pilot Inouye has been found guilty of treason. Take her to the place of execution to await her fate.'

The little pilot was dragged away to a pen surrounded by barbed ropes, plus at least twenty guards, weapons at the ready.

'Sergeant Flangers,' said the master of the executions. 'The Council of Scrutators, in formal assembly, has found you guilty of treason. Does any witness disagree with the verdict?'

After another lengthy pause there was a stir in the crowd and someone shouted, 'Sergeant Flangers is a war hero, awarded the Star of Valour for heroism beyond the call of duty during the Siege of Plimes. I contest the verdict.'

Ghorr scowled. 'Come down, witness. State your case for the defence.'

A soldier moved down through the ranks, wearing the uniform of a high officer. 'My name is General Galliman, and I was the commanding officer of the garrison at Plimes during the onslaught by the enemy two years ago. Sergeant Flangers was instrumental in saving the city. Ten times he fought off an attacking force of lyrinx, slaying nine of them and fighting alone for more than two hours when the remainder of his squad was dead. Though sorely wounded, he held the breach against the enemy for most of the day, and remained at his post until reinforcements broke through the enemy lines to relieve him. His Star of Valour was confirmed by the full Council, and it is not the only instance of his heroism, which should be an example to us all.'

The master of the executions turned to Ghorr for the rebuttal.

Ghorr smiled thinly. 'I am well aware of the case, for I personally awarded Sergeant Flangers the Star of Valour. But not even the greatest hero can be exempt from the justice of the scrutators. Sergeant Flangers has since turned on his own kind, conspiring in the escapes of Irisis Stirm and Fyn-Mah, and later, Xervish Flydd and the detestable Cryl-Nish Hlar. He fired on a Council air-floater and destroyed it, causing the deaths of many men and grievous injuries to Scrutator Klarm.

here.' Ghorr indicated a big-headed dwarf of a man sitting to his left, one little leg supported by metal calipers. 'Scrutator Klarm only escaped death by a miracle. And Flangers committed this treasonous act even after his air-floater had been ordered to surrender.'

'As I understand it, surr' said General Galliman, 'Sergeant Flangers was obeying a legitimate order from his superior, Perquisitor Fyn-Mah.'

And as I understand it, General Galliman, Sergeant Flangers was aware that Perquisitor Fyn-Mah had been ordered to surrender her air-floater by a representative of her lawful superior, Acting Scrutator Jal-Nish Hlar, and that she had wilfully and treasonously disobeyed that order. Master of the Executions, put the judgment to the witnesses.' 'I beg leave to defend Sergeant Flangers,' said Flydd. 'Denied!' snapped Ghorr.

'I appeal to the witnesses,' said Flydd, turning to face them. 'Sergeant Flangers is a soldier with a perfect record. The Siege of Plimes was not the only battle where he displayed courage far beyond the call of duty. I can name a dozen other struggles, not least the fall of Thurkad, and the first battle for Nilkerrand, where he was equally bold, equally heroic. What say you, witnesses, may I speak for my man? Yea or nay?' After a brief hesitation, there came a great roar of 'Yea!' Ghorr was furious, but there was little he could do. He signalled to the master of the executions.

'You may speak,' said the master of the executions, 'but you have only one minute. Make it to the point.'

'One minute.' Flydd licked dry lips; he'd prepared a case but there was not the time to put it. 'My argument is simply this: Sergeant Flangers obeyed a direct order from Perquisitor Fyn-Mah, who was following written orders I had given her while scrutator and commander-in-chief of the army at Snizort. These orders took precedence over any orders from Acting Scrutator Jal-Nish, or Scrutator Klarm, whom I outranked. Equally, Flangers had no option but to follow her legitimate orders, for he is a man who loves his country and always does his duty, no matter the cost to himself. His action in shooting down the air-floater was correct in military law and therefore he is innocent.'

Indeed it was not,' said Ghorr. 'You had been stripped of your rights and privileges the previous day, and therefore every order you had made was void.'

'Perquisitor Fyn-Mah cannot have known that,' Flydd said, and so my orders still held.'

'The law has been changed,' Ghorr said hastily. 'Ignorance is no longer an excuse—'

'When was the law changed?' Flydd thundered. 'Show us the chapter, the page, the line.'

'How dare you, a non-citizen, question me! It is as I have said. Besides, Fyn-Mah had been told of your fall and still disobeyed the representative of Jal-Nish, and subsequently Scrutator Klarm, who was in command of the air-floater she ordered to be shot down. Was that not so, Perquisitor Fyn-Mah?'

After a hesitation, she said, 'It was so.'

'I cannot—' Flydd began.

Ghorr cut him off. 'You've had your say, more than you were entitled to. Be silent or I'll have you silenced.'

Flydd met Flangers's eyes. Flangers gave a single shake of the head. Flydd bowed his own. He could do no more.

Ghorr motioned to the master of the executions to get on with it.

'Witnesses,' yelled the master of the executions, 'you have heard arguments for the defence by General Galliman, and the chief scrutator's telling rebuttal. You have heard Flydd's appeal dismissed. Raise your right hand if you disagree with the chief scrutator, and therefore deny the verdict:

A considerable number of hands rose. 'The clerk of the executions will tally those who disagree,' said the master of the executions. Out of the corner of his mouth he added, 'Clerk, get their names.'

Once the clerk had done, the master said, 'Witnesses, raise your right hand if you agree with the chief scrutator and therefore confirm the verdict.'

A forest of hands rose. The clerk tallied them and handed his slate to the master of the executions.

He scanned the list, then said, 'The verdict is confirmed.

three hundred and eighty-one votes to two hundred and forty-four. Sergeant Flangers has been found guilty of treason. Take him to the place of execution to await his fate.'