"Because I didn't want to die..."
It was after a prolonged conversation and questioning that the commander finally sorted out why the situation they encountered after breaking through the base's protective isolation layer was so abnormal.
It turned out that in the five days before they had arrived, a serious internal conflict and struggle had taken place within the base. A portion of the company executives tried to resist stubbornly to buy ti before escaping through the underground river, while another part felt that even the underground river wouldn't get them far and they would be caught sooner or later, so they thought it better to surrender and give themselves up.
Both sides deed the other's action as irrational, but at that ti, they had not yet resorted to infighting. However, the situation gradually spread, and many of the base's workers slowly beca aware of the truth and circumstances. They were in complete agreent with the idea of surrendering and giving themselves up, as they were just employees, not involved in the incident, and the worst outco would be just a few years in prison, or more likely, they would be released without charges.
The increasingly anxious workers started to worry that the higher-ups' departure would implicate them, the subordinates. After repeated urging, this caused great unease among the company's executives, and the contradictions began to accumulate.
During one incident, the conflict between both parties erupted, and the high-rank AI controlled by the company's top brass began manipulating autonomous units and systems to seal off and isolate the base layer by layer, rallying ard autonomous units to suppress those employees who attempted to rebel.
Seeing so colleagues killed in the conflict significantly agitated the others, and so employees who were originally familiar with the company's internal systems started to exploit loopholes to counteract, gradually vying for control over the high-rank AI.
Fearful of being found out by these employees savvy with the base systems and AI logic, the company executives, while fleeing, also started ordering the slaughter of these rebellious employees, causing a high number of casualties. But then in critical danger, this engineer used a backdoor program to change permissions, gained control of the ard autonomous units, and let these ard units destroy the central control AI, killing a large number of the remaining high-rank company personnel.
In the end, all the remaining executives in the base were killed, and no one had the authority to change and manipulate the base's systems. The few surviving engineers and workers, despite having control over the ard autonomous units, were unable to break through the base's blockade on their own and could only wait anxiously.
"So this is what happened..." the commander rubbed his temples, taking quite so ti to understand the sequence of events.
"May I ask, if we give ourselves up, can we be absolved of responsibility? We were forced into rebelling and killing," ca the engineer's inquiry over the radio.
"I don't have the authority to answer that; it's sothing only a judge or an adjudicator can decide."
"Now if you co out from hiding, I can include in my report that you surrendered, which may mitigate so of the culpability," the commander inford.
"..." A long silence.
Several minutes later, a response ca through the radio again.
"If we can't be absolved of responsibility, we dare not co out and surrender, those of us who have survived are very fearful..."
Listening to the response from the other side, the commander found the situation to be problematic and headache-inducing. His eyes swept over the ard autonomous units in the plaza. If these machines were to take action, casualties on site would be inevitable, but in his capacity, he couldn't possibly make promises.
After contemplating for a few seconds, he decided to report the situation upwards to see how it could be dealt with.
The news quickly reached the military and police command headquarters and was passed on to the Stellar Domain Court and the Court of Judgnt.
The long and uneasy wait, the tense atmosphere spread within the subterranean space. Special police holding weapons stood at the entrance, watching over the ard autonomous units in the plaza below, and from the plaza, the units intermittently emitted beeping flashing alert sounds.
Finally, an hour later, a notification reached the scene. The commander reestablished contact through the broadcast, and then a massive projection screen appeared above the square.
In the image, a black-haired young girl sat against the backdrop of a cobalt blue star tear emblem, with an adjudicator from the Court of Judgnt on one side and an officer from the Stellar Domain Court on the other.
"It was quite sudden to receive this news, but since this incident started because of , I would like to resolve it in a more peaceful manner." The girl in the image, placing a hand on her chest, first bowed her head in a gesture of respect, and then began to speak.
"I am Hexia Tilan, and at the mont, there are officers from the Stellar Domain Court and the adjudicators beside . If any of you have thoughts and demands, you can speak directly with ."
The familiar and clear voice of the young songstress echoed in the underground plaza, easing the previously tense atmosphere.
"It's Hexia Tilan, I didn't expect them to actually summon such a big shot," the special police officer whispered at the entrance of the passageway.
"Given the Federation's regard for the Songstress, if Tilan makes a promise here, as long as it's not too outrageous, it will basically be fulfilled."
"They probably also fear that those engineers underground won't believe the promises of the judges and court officials; after all, once they're caught, they lose any possibility of resistance and voicing their thoughts."
Just like the special police had discussed, when the songstress girl appeared on the projection screen, those hidden engineers underground visibly relaxed, and the tense atmosphere eased slightly.
After gradually listening to their descriptions, Hexia nodded slightly to show she understood their thoughts and actions, then inquired about related precedents with the personnel beside her.
"I've consulted with the court officials on related legal statutes, and if you surrender yourselves, I can help you apply for clency, it won't be too harsh."
Actually, if according to Federation legal practice, while they had compelling circumstances, their actions in the killings were not so easily offset, and for the sake of stability, the court would still impose severe punishnts, but this ti the situation was truly special, and with such a circumstance where either outco was possible, if Hexia pled on their behalf, it was highly likely the court would lean towards a lighter sentence when judging.
With the promise from the songstress, whose fa was at the pinnacle within the Star Domain, the underground Autonomous Units gradually shut down, then one by one the disheveled engineers slowly erged. Their numbers were not many, only about 200 in total, while the facility's internal staff had numbered nearly ten thousand.
Several hours later, the special police, who had finally gained full control over this underground production base, breathed a sigh of relief; the mission had landed safely. At the start, they were prepared for all sorts of combat scenarios—they knew that if the military enterprise's defense systems were fully operational, even with their various levels of equipnt support, it would still co at a price of casualties.
A week later, Tilan visited the prison where the surviving engineers were held and once more inquired about the previous events. In the presence of the Songstress, the engineers confessed everything, and even if there were so minor lies, the girl simply listened with a smile without exposing them.
No one is perfect; it was truly difficult to ask them to fully comply with moral standards in such a highly tense and dangerous environnt, so as long as the entire process roughly matched their description without distortion, Hexia decided to forgive them, to argue on their behalf, and not to pursue so matters too deeply.
"I understand, you've all been quite scared," she said.
Standing outside the prison, the girl's blue eyes slowly swept across the people present. Her voice carried a hint of softness that once again cald everyone down, and as they were all gazed upon by those clear eyes, a faint sense of sha rose within many of them, as they hadn't told the whole truth.
In fact, towards the end, the remaining higher-ups had already lost their ability to resist, but for fear of retaliation after getting out, they had chosen to kill those people.
Blinking her eyes, the girl comforted these people and then, led by the Investigator, left the prison.
Back in the resting room, Airanda, who was beside her, asked Hexia what she thought.
"You must have noticed the holes in their stories," she said, being an elite of the Court of Judgnt and aware of the Songstress's ability to easily see through lies.
"Yes," the girl said as she sat in the chair, resting her head sidelong, her eyelids half-closed.
"How do you feel?" asked Airanda, curious.
"I know they've told so lies, but I also understand their fear and fright, their weakness and insecurity," the girl slowly opened her eyes, and it seed as if stars were swirling in her pale blue irises.
"It's overly harsh and severe to hold those in such conditions to too high a standard because I understand the desperation and unbearable conditions of those at the bottom."
"Everyone is having a tough ti, and it is not their fault; the environnt is what led them to make such choices."
"I don't want sothing like this to happen again; punishnt can't change the overall environntal situation."
"I aim to change the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain so that in the future, they won't have to lie to , but can stand before with confidence, telling everything about their lives and work."
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