Archath walked up the stairs to stand on the podium, where she would be exposed to the judges as well as to those who had taken the time to watch her downfall in person.  Upon her wrists were slender bands of a golden metal, linked by a chain.  The shackles were symbolic rather than real restraints.  The real restraint was in a narrow band around her neck.  Within that was a tracking device as well as a remote controlled electrical shock device.  Should she try to flee, they could easily follow her anywhere she went on the planet, and deliver debilitating shocks at will, or enough to kill.  Should she be acquitted, the golden shackles would be removed.  Later, when she was actually set free, the neckband would come off.

Bright light shone down upon her as she stood there, making the shackles gleam in comparison to her drab, green colored prison jumpsuit.  Deliberately, she was not able to see the panel of judges before her, hidden in shadows outside the cone of light shining down upon her.  She also could not see the spectators gathered off to her right, but sensed that a few people were there.  She had to wonder who had come to watch, and were they eager to see her punished or perhaps friends who hoped in their hearts that the court would understand the nature of her crime and show mercy upon her actions.  The later hope was only a dim possibility, for this was a military court, and the military was the power upon Borrilea.  She had gone against their plans, and done damage to major military project.  For that, she would pay; there was little question on that issue.

“Archath Procature a’Borm Millecant,” came a deep voice from the shadows, “Borrilea citizen number 4459-2242-4333-1001, administrator-scientist first class, you are accused of having, on Dom 45-222, deliberately sabotaged Defense Forces Project 2455, causing considerable physical damage to DF equipment and resources.  More importantly, you have set back the development of that important project by many years.”

She wondered which of those dark shapes beyond the bright light was the one speaking.  Not that it mattered.

“This is a most serious crime against the Borrilean Empire.  It is treason most high.”  There came a pause, then, “This court has debated greatly upon a proper punishment for such treason.”

Archath felt a shiver race down her spine.  She was well aware of what she had done, and well aware that the penalty had to be death.  She could not conceive of the court doing anything else.  She had come to accept that on an intellectual level, but as the sentence was about to be passed, it was coming to her in a strongly emotional way that her life was soon to end.  She felt herself go cold and her knees weaken.  Perhaps there had been a little hope, however illogical, that the domineering government might not put her to death.  It had been a foolish notion.  There was no way they could do that.  Many had been put to death for lesser crimes than hers.  Without fail.

Taking in a deep breath, she braced herself and firmly told herself that she would not cry.  What she did, she did for a very good reason.  She was not sorry that she did it, and she would do it again.

Fine logic, but hard to face when a death sentence is about to be passed upon you.

“A simple death sentence would be too quick and easy on one guilty of such a level of treason.  It is therefore the judgment of this court that you be condemned to exile from all worlds of the Borrilean Empire.  You will be placed upon a class 5 world, there to live out the reminder of your life.”

Archath frowned.  Was this the unexpected: official mercy?  Or what?

“The world chosen for your exile is MSC 34533-3323-99334.  It is a world scheduled for cleansing.”

So it was the death penalty after all!

“You will not be told when this world is scheduled for cleansing,” the voice continued.  “You will be allowed to keep your universal translator.  You may communicate with the indigenous population.  But since it is a primitive world, it is unlikely that they will believe you, and, even should you be believed by those creatures, there will be nothing they can do to prevent the cleansing.  You will only be causing them to feel the terror, just as you will feel it.

“This court finds it appropriate that you spend an unknown amount of time on a primitive world awaiting cleansing, since that is what you attempted to prevent.”

Suddenly, a strong hand gripped her arm.  There was a guard standing beside her.

“You will be taken from this court and your exile will begin immediately.”

Her arm was jerked roughly, pulling her back down the stairs and out of the bright light.  Within her mind there was confusion.  Was this really a fate worse than death?  No, it was only a delay.  She would die.  Only now she would not know the day of its coming.

Events after that came as a blur to the condemned woman.  The symbolic court chains were taken from her wrists, then the collar from around her neck.  She was placed in a seat in a lab and technician tested the universal translator implanted in her skull.  Guards with expressionless faces then took her to another lab where she was pushed down onto an examining table.  It depressed her to think that she would not be allowed to say goodbye to her friends and family.  The last thing she remembered was two flat probes being placed upon her temples.  Then the suspended animation probes sent electrical commands into her brain, and all went black.