The trial of the Provincial Army officer, Skur Meklen, shifted from his previous calm and restraint to a sharp and incisive rhetoric:
"So, Major Felter, please tell me, and the jury citizens present here—why would an active officer of the Provincial Army appear in Palatu, and in the Newly Reclaimed Land, and be present at this trial?"
Alder Felter lifted his withered head, met with countless instinctual glances of suspicion, dislike, and rejection, feeling a wave of desolation simply because he was an "outsider."
"I'm sorry." Major Felter lowered his head again, "I have nothing to say."
"Watch your tongue, Major Felter." Skur Meklen issued a friendly warning, "The one questioning you now is not some 'Military Disciplinary Committee' convened just yesterday, but the 'Freemen's Special Tribunal' established under the authority granted by the Alliance Charter. Choose your answers carefully, because every jury member in this hall will decide your fate."
