Free Judgment at Proteus by Timothy Zahn

gray-and-black jumpsuits as the ones who’d hauled me out of the entry bay four hours ago. “Uh-oh,” Bayta muttered.
    “Steady,” I cautioned her. I stood still, keeping my arms at my sides, as they came up to us. “I greet you, Logra Emikai,” I said, nodding to him. “I’m rather surprised to see you still here. I’d have thought that having delivered Ms. German safely to Proteus you’d be on your way elsewhere.”
    “My way is now here,” he said. “My contract has been bought by Chinzro Hchchu. I will remain until he dismisses me.”
    I cocked an eyebrow. “And you don’t like that?”
    “I was an enforcement officer,” he reminded me. “My personal preferences are of no account.” He gestured to the Jumpsuits still grouped behind him. “But that is of no account. I have come to tell you that you are summoned. The preliminary hearing on your trial is about to begin.”
    I frowned. “That was quick.”
    “The law as practiced aboard Kuzyatru Station requires justice to be meted out in a timely fashion,” he explained.
    Something with cold feet took a walk up my back. “Not so timely that the defense won’t have a chance to prepare its own case, I hope?”
    “Have no fear,” he assured me. “This is merely a preliminary hearing.” One of the Jumpsuits muttered something under his breath. “And we must leave at once,” Emikai added. “The hour is rapidly approaching, and we have some distance to travel.”
    “How much distance?”
    “The hearing will take place in Sector 16-J,” he said. “That is the core administrative area nearest where we entered the station.”
    I suppressed a grimace. Which would put us a quarter of the way around the station just when Terese was due to be released. How very convenient for someone.
    But there was obviously nothing I could do about it. Emikai might be cajoled or otherwise bargained with, but I very much doubted Hchchu could. “Fine,” I said with a sigh as I took Bayta’s arm. “I presume my attorney’s been notified?”
    “Your pardon,” Emikai said, holding a hand up in front of Bayta. “She will not be permitted to attend.”
    The cold-footed thing on my back broke into a gallop. “That’s absurd,” I insisted. “She’s my assistant.”
    “You have a right to an attorney,” Emikai said. “But I do not think your assistant has any such rights.”
    “You don’t think ?” I asked. “You’re an ex-cop. Don’t you know ?”
    “ Kuzyatru Station currently operates on different rules of law from those I am familiar with,” Emikai said, sounding a bit defensive. “Director Usantra Nstroo and Assistant Director Chinzro Hchchu have chosen to reinstitute the ancient protocols of Slisst.” He cocked his head. “That is why Chinzro Hchchu will be prosecuting you himself. Under the Slisst Protocols, that role falls to a friend or acquaintance of the injured party.”
    “And he was a friend of the Filiaelians I’m supposed to have murdered?” I asked.
    “Not a friend, precisely, but I am told he was acquainted with all of them,” Emikai said.
    “I see,” I said, wondering uneasily if Minnario had even heard of this Slisst Protocol stuff, let alone knew his way around it. “All very interesting, but I’m still a non-Filiaelian accused of a crime in non-Filiaelian territory. My situation still comes under the jurisdiction of cross-empire law.”
    “I believe Chinzro Hchchu is still studying that question,” Emikai said, looking a little uncomfortable. “A final ruling is expected soon. Until then, you must still appear at the hearing.”
    “ With my assistant,” I said firmly.
    One of the Jumpsuits stirred. {Why do we waste time?} he demanded. {We’re many. He’s one. Bring him and be done with it.}
    {I hear and obey,} Emikai said reluctantly. “Mr. Compton—”
    “Tell you what,” I put in quickly. “If the big legal minds are still wrestling with this, it’s certainly nothing the two of us are going to solve on