The Hague was cold that morning, washed in rain and the color of steel. The limousine hummed quietly down the narrow street, wipers scraping back and forth like tired metronomes. Hermes sat by the window, watching droplets race each other down the glass.
Across from him was Shani and Raphael.
"So." Hermes began, breaking the silence. "This is it. The Soyuz trial by the International Criminal Court."
"Pre-trial," Shani corrected without looking up. His tone was light, almost teasing. "They're just deciding whether to have a real trial later. Think of it as a dress rehearsal."
Raphael nodded. "A prologue. An overture."
"That's one way to put it," Shani said. He finally looked up from the file, his rusty eyes with silver rings calm but sharp. "Russia insists they can't be tried at all. They're not part of the ICC, so technically the Court has no jurisdiction."
"Then why go through with it?" Hermes asked.
