The declaration seemed to make the silence in the room heavier, darker, as all eyes were fixed on Officer Nabil. Behind him, Second Lieutenant Ndao cast a slight glance at his captain, an alarmed gleam in his eyes. It seemed that this was not planned in their strategy. The general's gaze became more piercing as he evaluated the Ndimbelane.
_ A monster, you say?
_ That's right, General.
_ Interesting, the general repeated as the clerk busied himself next to him, very interesting. Out of simple curiosity, what do you mean by "monstrosity"? Are you comparing this child to djinns, these scourges that threaten humanity?
_ No, General, Nabil replied with a slight tremor, he is worse than djinns in my eyes.
Oh wow, he's overdoing it, Jeanne thought as slightly louder murmurs rose in the room. The general tapped the table three times with his gavel, the sound echoing dully in the room.
_ SILENCE!
Silence immediately fell in the room, although the tension, excitement, and shock caused by the declaration still hung in the air. To the right, the military prosecutor raised his hand.
_ General, may I ask the accused questions about the "monstrosity" he fought?
_ Objection, General, the defense lawyer objected, it was the defense's turn to speak, the prosecutor can speak later.
_ Objection overruled, the general replied, this question is important for the upcoming subject. The floor is open to military prosecutor Tafsir Faye.
The lawyer sat back down, looking dejected. The military prosecutor then stood up and walked towards Officer Nabil, smoothing his long suit as he went. His sharp, piercing eyes fixed on Nabil, like an eagle on its prey, as he began to pace back and forth between the accused and the tribunal platform.
_ Soldier Camara, you say that the child you fought was a monster worse than djinns? On what basis do you make such claims?
Officer Nabil gave him a burning look.
_ I know what I fought, sir. That child was human only in appearance, everything else was the work of the devil.
_ I see, very… poetic, if I may say so. Now, let's ask the right questions. Officer Nabil, have you ever fought djinns?
The Ndimbelane's eyes twitched slightly before answering.
_ No.
_ Then, can you tell me on what basis you make this comparison?
_ …
Officer Nabil did not answer immediately, caught off guard. The prosecutor did not wait for an answer.
_ I will not speak further of the audacity of making such a comparison in front of all these new Thiongane recruits behind who have trained hard to fight these menaces, of Captain Gueye present here who has known, and still knows, the horror that djinns represent and even worse, in front of General Traoré, veteran Thiongane who bears the marks of a life of combat. No, I will not speak of that.
His words were followed by a few seconds that the prosecutor deliberately left. Next to her, Jeanne could see El Hadji's eyes cloud over and, opposite, the general distractedly stroked the scar along his cheek, probably the memory of a particularly violent fight if no healing spell could erase it. Officer Nabil seemed visibly irritated.
_ I made this comparison subjectively, sir, it was not to insult the Thionganes' fight.
_ And you deemed it appropriate to share your point of view with us, the prosecutor replied. So these criticisms are valid, but let's admit, he continued, raising a hand to silence the officer who seemed about to retort, let's admit that it's just an exaggeration, a rather clumsy emphasis to describe this child. Is the whole of this situation and the consequences that followed not the result of your own inability to manage an unknown threat with your superiors present?
_ No one could have predicted such a thing, Nabil replied vehemently, Second Lieutenant Ndao is in no way responsible, much less Captain Traoré!
_ In that case, I call Captain Touré to the stand.
The concerned straightened up, surprised by the sudden request. Slowly, he got up, went around his second lieutenant to go to the oath stand. On the way, their lawyer quickly whispered something to him, and he responded with small nods.
_ By Atemit and the old order, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth? the general asked as soon as the second lieutenant set foot on the platform.
_ I swear on the oath that binds me to the nation, the captain replied, revealing the seal of the oath on his right hand.
_ Good, the general replied, prosecutor, you may proceed.
_ Thank you, General, the prosecutor said, tightening his tie a little in a tic, Captain Touré, in the report presented to us by Agent K0029, the ceremony for new recruits in Keur Massar P.A. was interrupted by the population, can you confirm this?
The captain nodded gently.
_ That's correct.
_ Can you explain the reason for this interruption?
_ Well, the captain began in a slightly nervous tone that he bravely tried to control, we heard someone insult us during my welcoming speech. This first act, simple as it was, managed to awaken the resentment of the population and unleash the crowds.
_ What did you do to arrange this situation?
_ I called Second Lieutenant Ndao, the Ndimbelane captain explained, his voice echoing in the silent room. I asked him to find the source of all this chaos and bring him to the center of the courtyard.
_ And why?
The captain took a slight breath.
_ To punish him and make an example of him.
_ … I see, the prosecutor said after a slight silence, I presume that the use of violence and corporal punishment, of such barbaric methods, was approved by the General Staff in these troubled times as a last resort?
_ That's correct.
_ Are you sure it was your last alternative?
_ Yes, I'm sure, the captain firmly affirmed. The population of Keur Massar has become unmanageable since the recent riots.
_ I would like to remind the court that at the same time two other ceremonies were taking place in Keur Massar, in the districts of Yeumbeul and Keur Massar Nord. And, despite the fact that each reported disturbances during the ceremony, none of the other unit captains needed to resort to violence to calm the situation. What should we conclude from this?
_ Objection, General, the defense lawyer objected, the prosecutor is straying greatly from the subject of this trial.
_ General, this is an important context in this story, the prosecutor argued.
General Traoré leaned to the left to listen to the military judge and the civil judge who had been consulting since the beginning of the trial. A few seconds later, the general nodded gravely before resuming:
_ Objection overruled, prosecutor, please quickly develop your line of thought.
_ Very well, General – on the defense side, the lawyer sat down a second time, gritting his teeth – so you naturally sent the second lieutenant to find the source of this noise, and he himself sent Officer Nabil to retrieve the troublemaker, correct?
_ … That's correct.
_ Can you remind the court what age group the individual you apprehended was in?
_ … He was a child, a pre-teenager more precisely, Captain Touré replied.
_ Exactly, a simple child, barely aware of what he can say or do, and can you remind us how you reacted when you learned the news?
The captain sighed with slight annoyance.
_ I let things unfold.
The prosecutor, still pacing back and forth, ardently pointed at the captain with his hands, as if he had just demonstrated something to the assembly.
_ How many blows, he asked in a fierce voice, tell me at least that you kept track of the number of blows?
_ 8 whip lashes, that was the total.
_ On a child, the prosecutor confirmed as slight murmurs were heard. And, according to the report I had in hand, Second Lieutenant Ndao was going to order new blows to be struck, is that correct?
_ …
_ Answer, captain, we don't have all day!
_ Yes, that's correct.
_ Just before the child's intervention, wasn't it?
_ I don't see what you're getting at, the captain exploded.
_ What I'm getting at, captain, is that this child would not have intervened if you had handled this situation differently, the prosecutor retorted fiercely. You rushed to force at the slightest affront, and you want to play the victim?
_ I did what I thought was right, the captain replied, his voice echoing in the room. And I did it under the aegis of the oath of the old order – doing so, he violently showed the mark on his palm. None of my men betrayed the pact that binds us to the nation.
_ So what, because the pact didn't restrict you, you are free to do as you please? Loot, kill, steal, what do I know, all these villainies are allowed to you as long as your pact doesn't act accordingly? Where has your moral sense, your humanity, gone?
The captain looked at him stubbornly.
_ Certain situations require one to lose their humanity, even for a moment.
_ Oh, and I'm sure that was one of those moments, the prosecutor ironized. As long as it's in the name of the oath, you have no other restriction, right?…
The prosecutor let a short silence before continuing, targeting Nabil this time.
_ But now, Officer Nabil , the prosecutor said, tell me, why did you engage in combat against this child, with unknown potential and dangerousness, without the approval of your superiors?
Nabil was momentarily surprised that all the attention returned to him before answering:
_ He had insulted the honor of the Ndimbelanes, sir, and in front of witnesses, the officer replied, reasserting his upright posture. I could not let that pass.
The prosecutor stopped to give him a dubious look.
_ A child insulted the Ndimbelanes after seeing you mistreat his friend with a dozen blows, and you decide to take that as an affront?
_ It was already quite obvious that he was not a mere child, sir.
_ Captain Touré, how many Ndimbelanes were deployed for the ceremony 3 days ago?
The captain took a moment to answer.
_ Not counting the new recruits, 5 squadrons of 5, so 25 Ndimbelanes.
_ And, in your report, you mention that you had considered encircling the ceremony area to capture the child with as little damage as possible, correct?
_ Yes.
_ And everyone clearly heard the child's provocations, I'm not mistaken.
_ That's correct, the captain agreed.
_ So, Officer Nabil, your insubordination not only stopped a military operation, but it was also unfounded. You were not the only Ndimbelane in this ceremony, and yet no one reacted like you, because at no point did the situation require it. It is high time you revealed to the court the reason for your acceptance of the Rag.
_ Again, I don't know what you're talking about, Nabil replied.
_ Your act of insubordination was not born of love for your army corps, because your actions go against the very philosophy of peace it advocates, you chose combat in full knowledge and conscience, without seeking other alternatives, and without taking into account the opinion of your lieutenant or your captain.
The prosecutor approached the platform and placed his hands on the stand, his eyes fixed on the officer like a raptor on its prey.
_ You did it for yourself, he said, emphasizing each word. You did it without worrying about the repercussions on yourself and your army corps. No matter whether you won or lost, whether this child is a monster or not, your choice was only the result of an oversized ego.
_ Objection, General, the prosecutor is disturbing my client, the defense asserted.
_ I know soldiers like you, the prosecutor continued without acknowledging the interruption, people who parade in military attire, basking in a false sense of superiority. People like you do not serve the uniform, but let the uniform serve them; people like you are nothing more than façades, false Ndimbelanes who dishonor their army corps.
_ Objection sustained, the division general cut in, raising his hand, the floor is open to the defense.
_ I had already finished, General, the prosecutor replied, his eyes filled with disdain for the officer as he returned to his seat.
And on his way back, Jeanne wondered how the defense would be able to repair the damage caused by such an attack.