Chapter Thirty-Six (2/2)

Nervously, she looked up and did her best to smile.

”May I, may I help you?” She asked.

Six lawsuits were filed on her behalf regarding unpaid overtime, lack of ergonomic seating, missed breaks, and possible allergies to the perfumes and colognes and other scents that visiting beings may war due to the lack of particle screens. An unsafe workplace lawsuit was filed over the lack of sterile field generator to protect her from any infectious disease a visitor who approached her desk may be carrying.

”We require directions to the meeting and discussion chamber of Dreams of Something More,” one said. His voice was cold, dead, emotionless. Perfectly intoned in Unified Galactic Standard without a trace of an accent.

”I shall see if she's in,” The Secretary said.

”Excellent. She is expecting us,” Another of the gray men intoned.

When she picked up her com-link multiple lawsuits were filed regarding the safety of the com-link headset's aural ranges, its lack of ergonomics, the amount of digit pressure that had to be used on the touch-screen, and a pain and suffering lawsuit regarding the fit of the headset.

The Judiciary Computer groaned under the weight of the lawsuits, all according to Unified Legal Code. It accessed other AI's, which only generated more lawsuits on those AI's behalf.

”Please, follow the blue line,” The Secretary said.

Lawsuits were filed for pain and suffering on everyone who had been exposed to the blue line who, racially, might have been reminded of venomous creatures and thus suffered pain and anguish, both individual lawsuits and class action lawsuits.

The Judicial AI's felt like lawsuits were raining from the sky.

The gray men entered the elevator, which generated more lawsuits when one of the gray men noted that the dataplate stated it was 22 minutes overdue for inspection.

Every lawsuit was in the Unified Judicial Code.

The elevator came to a halt with a minute jerk (Pain and suffering, emotional trauma) and the gray men filed out, moving as one according to some unknown rank structure. When they reached Dreams meeting room, after only filing just under a half million more lawsuits on behalf of every being they passed, every office worker who's nameplate they saw, and two cleaning robots, one reached forward and pressed the inquiry button. The texture of the button generated more lawsuits.

The door slid open to reveal the little gold mantis sitting comfortably in a chair, at one end of a table that had enough seats for the men and women who had exited the vessel and traveled to see her. They filed into the room, seating themselves according to some unseen and unknowable rank structure.

Dreams watched them all sit down and make themselves comfortable.

Eight thousand lawsuits were filed regarding unsanctioned and illegal surveillance on behalf of Dreams, the Confederacy, the Mantid Free Worlds, and anyone else who used the room, including a janitor who, 2,000 years past, had been recorded dancing with a mop and had it uploaded to the video viewing service, which caused him to be mocked by others, asking for just under 2.2 billion credits for his descendants.

Dreams waited until she could tell they were finished.

”Welcome, esteemed barristers of the Terran Confederate Legal Offices,” Dreams said, cleaning her bladearms with a feeling of dark glee.

They all nodded as one.

”Despite your amusements with this legal code, I have brought you here for more than just judicial warfare,” Dreams told them.

The AI performing surveillance on the room suddenly felt there was more predator DNA in the room that could possibly fit in the amount of beings present. It felt queasy as it disconnected, then was startled to find nearly 200 lawsuits filed on its behalf.

Dreams signified pleasure and the gray beings waited.

”You, gentlebeings, will be taking up the legal fight to abolish slavery, debt peonage, hereditary debtor obligations, and indentured servitude,” Dreams told them. ”Not on a species case,” She paused, folding her bladearms and her antenna stilling in anticipation.

The gray beings seemed to inhale and lean closer without moving or breaking their perfect stillness. A watching security officer was sure that even molecular motion was ceased within those gray beings.

”You will seek the abolishment of those practices, the return of planetary systems to their proper owners under the Terran Code of Uniform Justice, and the reparations due to those species who's homeworlds were exploited, sometimes for eons, by the members of this government.”

Slowly, smiles spread across the faces of each being. The some security systems showed sharp serrated teeth, others showed normal teeth, and still others showed blood beginning to leak from the gray beings mouths.

The security systems in the building crashed, leaving nothing behind but scorched and smoking molecular circuitry blocks.

The lawyers had arrived.