The Last Matryoshka: The Wolfpire Saga: Book 4

By Raymond Van Zleer

THE LAST MATRYOSHKA

The Wolfpire Saga

VOLUME IV

Books 7 & 8

Yang : Unveilings

In a Moskva courtroom, the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
In order to give permanence to the Dream, Ilyana Yurievna Kirakova must be convicted, then put to death for her crimes.
There is only one major problem: The ones who must condemn her are her most loyal followers. Those who turned the Dream into a living reality.
They want to spare her, unaware that doing so will destroy the Dream and more.
It will unleash Hell, for if the Dream dies, the antichrists conquest of the world will then be total and complete.
Equally a concern is Petr, the CIA man who knows who Ilyana really is.
He too will do everything he can to save her, including reveal her.
A revelation that could also potentially destroy the Dream.
Thus, this has become a time of trial and struggle, love, fear, and loss, unleashed amidst the uncompromising final battle.
A battle the wolfpire desperately needs to win even though victory will likely cost her everything she personally wants and loves.
It could even cost her, her actual life.

Yin : The Ultimate Gift

The Tragic, Joyful, Uplifting Conclusion.

Bonus Material

The Constitution of the Federatsiya Narodov.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Apr 10, 2008
• ISBN: 9781490748627

Raymond Van Zleer

Raymond Van Zleer, the author of THE ANTICHRIST WHOM CHRIST DECLARED, now turns his hand to a work of fantasy, tackling the theme of good versus evil, in the world as it currently is.

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Copyright 2007, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2016 Raymond Van Zleer.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4251-4964-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-4862-7 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Trafford rev. 08/03/2016

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THE WOLFPIRE SAGA VOLUME IV

THE LAST MATRYOSHKA

Yang : Unveilings

1 : Procedural Motions

2 : Initial Encounters

3 : Legal Slowdowns & An Unexpected Trial

4 : Jury Selection

5 : Courtroom Battles

6 : Ancient Games

7 : Oval Office Revelations

8 : Shanghaiing The Kids

9 : Deepening Mysteries

10 : A Different Kind Of Welcome

11 : The June 9, 2022, Meeting

12 : Eyewitness Accounts

13 : The Ultimate Trap

14 : Unwanted Redeeming Testimony

15 : Personal Crisis

16 : Back In Court

17 : Closing Summations

Yin : The Ultimate Gift

1 : The Verdict

2 : Now What?

3 : A Timely Phone Call

4 : Loose Ends

5 : Words & Requests

6 : Blowing Dust In Everyone’s Eyes

7 : A Revealing Visit

8 : Yaroslavskiy Station

9 : Mere Documentation

10 : Courtroom Revelations

11 : Sweet Memories

12 : Ultimate Gifts

EPILOGUE: Five Events Of 2023

EPILOGUE: What Came To Pass

Appendix:

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERATSIYA NARODOV

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Part I: Founding Principles & Laws

ZAKON O ZASHCHITE ZHENSHCHIN – ZZZ

Part II: Wpa Preamble & Founding Laws

Part II: Wpa Text Of The Law

Part III: Courtroom Rules & Procedures

Part III: Legal Classifications & Mandates

Part III: Legal Citation Documents

Part IV: The Village

Commemorative Wording

DEDICATION

To Impossible Dreams and

those who make them happen

in this world

BECAUSE:

Impossible Dreams are Possible!

THE LAST MATRYOSHKA

Book 7

Yang : Unveilings

1 : Procedural Motions

On May 7, 2022, the fireworks within the Federatsiya Narodov’s Moskva Courthouse began before the handcuffed young woman was escorted through the ubiquitous set of double doors that took one from the street, directly into the courtroom.

Constitutional procedure mandated taking the accused to the courtroom rather than to prison, so the initial criminal charges could be immediately assessed, in full public view, as would incarceration or bail arrangements.

Along with everyone in the nation, the judge had been watching the televised speech by the first counselor, and she had become so caught up in its unexpected revelations, that only after live coverage showed Ilyana and the militsi entering Red Square, did she come to herself and realize that they were heading towards the courthouse.

Hurriedly exiting her courtroom office, she seated herself at the judicial bench, but she was still felt like a cow trapped on slippery ice.

This made it next to impossible to think, let alone consider what needed to be done, and only after the court’s media staff rushed in and began readying their equipment, did she realize that she had forgotten her briefcase.

One of the prison’s woman guards kindly fetched the briefcase, but its swift retrieval did nothing to tame the chaos and in truth, this mayhem was justifiable for Ilyana’s stunning confession had rocked everyone to their roots.

The end result was that Ilyana was ushered into the courtroom just as the judge was beginning to open her briefcase.

Distracted by the entry, she accidentally dumped some of her files and papers onto her desk, inadvertently knocking over her name plate.

Here again, the thoughtful guard picked up the fallen name plate and set it properly on the judicial bench so everyone could read this judge’s name.

Marina Danevna Porovskaya.

Concurrently, the courtroom’s news media crews were still wrestling with their equipment, and unlike the flustered judge, their focus was not on the details, but on the whole.

Since their cameras and microphones were already on, this made for a few unique panoramic sweeps and a collage of visual and auditory images.

The end result was a candid portrayal of the courtroom’s initial chaos, which shifted its focus to Ilyana and the arresting militsi, further documenting the news media personnel, some counselors, and the horde of spectators, who comprised the impromptu Kremlin to Courthouse procession.

Once inside the courtroom, the former first counselor of the Federatsiya was escorted down the gallery’s main isle.

Despite having her arms handcuffed behind her back, she approached the bench looking more like a dignitary than a criminal thanks in large part to the way the militsi and everyone else was treating her.

At the arresting officer’s request, Ilyana raised her arms, making it easier for the officer to remove the handcuffs.

By then, the chaos was beginning to moderate, due solely to being constrained within four walls.

The same could not be said for those involved.

Forlornly, the judge looked at the defendant: Ilyanochka! Please! Say it is not true!

"I am sorry, Marochka, but it is. I am Natalia Petrovna Ivanova, Major, KGB, Second Directorate. Officer, the documents please. Thank you.

"Here are my KGB identification cards and papers. This card, as you already know from past KGB trials was the one used only for internal purposes which has my real name, Ilyana Yurievna Kirakova. Also, you will find documented herein that my formal KGB name is Natalia, but that I informally asked to be called Natasha. Evidence gathered in prior WPA-KGB trials verifies this fact.

"In this envelope are the medals I earned including four Orders of Lenin.

"Next is the envelope containing KGB letters of commendation, including the one that informally granted me, the coveted in-house title of Chekist… given only to ultra loyalists.

"This folder contains the KGB records kept under my real name.

"These are the Natalia working files, including documentation for the disguises I wore during my KGB undercover work, and of course the KGB’s documentation of what I did to whom and when.

"As you know, this fancy red folder is the professional file… listing all of the citations, commendations, and medals awarded, salary, bonuses, and perks.

"The arresting militsi have in their possession as recorded by the news media, my badge wallet, which has the ID card with my official KGB name.

"They also have my gun, handcuffs, and related paraphernalia.

"Next, this blue file contains the legal summation I have written. It outlines all of my crimes, major and minor, including when they were committed and the circumstances. You will find therein, a copy of the most recent list of charges that the WPA investigation committees have leveled against me.

"Included is my signed confession of guilt and an official copy of the warrant for my arrest, along with copies of the previous court issued twenty eight confirmed WPA grievances… each of them classified as crimes against humanity and deliberate acts of evil… mandating a WPA courtroom trial.

"Since this needs to be stated for the record… each separate crime alone, if confirmed… mandates no less than the death penalty.

"Finally, because I deliberately concealed my identity and all of the documents that would have proven my KGB identity and the crimes I committed… I must now be formally charged with knowingly violating the Federatsiya Narodov’s constitution. In this instance, the secrecy to perpetrate or conceal crimes provision… which as you know, is Part I, Section 17a.

"This too is documented and noted in my confession of guilt.

As for my formal courtroom plea. Given the preponderance of evidence and my own knowledge of these events, I am entering a plea of guilty to all charges… including the one just noted.

The judge exploded: Stop! Ilyana Yurievna! You cannot do this to me!

What?

Ilyanochka! You trained and coached me in the law! You taught me everything I know! …so you cannot expect me to be the judge at your trial!

Yes I can, Mara. I know your level of legal expertise and I know that you will see to it that I get a thorough and fair trial, then be sentenced or not, in accordance with the law. What more can I ask for?

I am unfit to preside as judge in any trial involving you!

Marina Danevna Porovskaya! You know the law! Please state the formal justification for your unfitness in accordance with Part III, Section CR-2f’s intent.

I know you too well…

Really? The last I heard, everyone in the Federatsiya Narodov knows what I have eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every single day for the past month, as well as the color of all my panties and bras and which ones I am wearing now! Now please give me a real justification… or enter my plea.

Very well, Ilyana Yurievna Kirakova. I accept your plea… but I am going to ask you to please reconsider my request before the trial.

That will not be necessary, thank you. Now… given that I have provided a legal summation against myself, as well as the initial evidence, I have met the constitutional standard of proof necessary to request my appointment to the prosecution. Therefore…

You intend to prosecute yourself?

"Who better? I know the law. I am more intimately familiar with all of my crimes than anyone else, and I have a vested interest in seeing to it that justice is served.

Now, does or does not Part III, Section CR-5a, of the constitution, give me the right as a defendant to assist with the prosecution since my motive is solely and genuinely to prosecute?

It does… and since everyone can confirm your qualifications, your motion to serve the prosecution is approved… though as judge, I reserve the right to revoke your appointment if merited. Naturally you have the right to change your legal stance from prosecutorial to defense, if you request it.

Thank you again, Mara.

You are welcome, Ilyana. Any other prosecutorial motions?

Just the usual. No bail since I have committed crimes deemed deliberate acts of evil by the constitution. Formal acceptance of the initial charges, including all WPA warrants. Confirmation and documentation of the evidence and the charges. Verification of the defendant, the prosecution, and the defense. An official call for jurors and witnesses, and the formal impaneling of the court. Finally, full security for all aspects of this proceeding and its evidence to assure no accidental transgressions of the law that would mandate WPA prosecution against anyone other than the defendant.

That does seem to cover it all… the judge sighed, but before she could say more, Yussik stepped forward: Judge. May I address the court?

You may, second counselor.

I wish to file a motion to dismiss all charges.

Yussik. What legal basis do you have for this request?

Objection! Ilyana quietly thundered: Since the defense has not been verified or impaneled, defense and dismissal motions are not permissible at this time. Also, defense motions are inadmissible until after verification and documentation of the evidence and charges has been completed.

Objection sustained. Yussik?

This case is atypical of our laws and the principles of justice that underlie it. Therefore, Judge Marina Danevna Porovskaya, I must request a pretrial hearing to determine the merits of this case based upon the intent of the law as to whether it should even proceed.

Ilyana forcefully countered: "Objection! The special merit clause is only valid when the evidence is insufficient or the crime indeterminate. Neither condition exists here, thereby necessitating the court’s impanelment prior to any procedural motions or hearings.

Instead, as legally permissible during this phase of these proceedings, I motion on behalf of the prosecution… that if the evidentiary review provides verification of three or more WPA violations, that these crimes be considered sufficient to mandate mandatory WPA protocols due to excessive criminal conduct.

Yussik was not about to stand for that: Objection! Since the evidence in question has yet to be…

Will you both please shut up for a minute! Thank you. Mara requested, then decreed: Ilyana. Your last objection is sustained. Your last motion is on hold pending judicial review. Yussik. Your insistence upon raising defense motions leads me to believe that you feel qualified to serve on the defense?

Yussik paused, suddenly realizing what he was getting into: "My only legal experience, Mara, was during the communist period before I became a chef.

I worked for several years as a clerk typist dealing solely with personal disputes. I have never participated in court cases, nor have I any knowledge beyond what I have gained during my service as second counselor.

That is acceptable Yussik. Ilyana has the same never-been-in-court background and since your counselor rank documents your understanding of the dream’s principles and the constitution, your appointment to the defense has been approved. That is, assuming there are no prosecution council objections based upon legalities?

None.

But, Mara, I am not capable or trained…

As Yussik faltered, at a loss for words, Mara smoothly took over: Permission is granted to assemble a defense committee. Since there are no grounds for additional motions or procedural issues at this time, no further motions will be accepted.

The judge took a moment to collect her thoughts, then issued the only formal legal statement she could: "Ilyana Yurievna Kirakova. Initial evidence and your own confession indicates that you were a member of the KGB and that you committed crimes that must be reviewed and if necessary, tried in court. Therefore you will now be incarcerated without bail as mandated by law.

"Guards, this defendant is to be held in confinement. Due to defendant’s admitted desire to flee, full security measures are to be enforced during this incarceration. These security measures may be relaxed within this courtroom only when militsi presence is sufficient to prevent the defendant from fleeing.

"Because she is an admitted member of the KGB, the defendant is to be considered dangerous and must be handled accordingly. Since her cooperation with the law, this court, and its procedures, has been fully documented by all of the foregoing events, shackling is not mandated at this time.

This court session is adjourned.

As the still flustered judge took time to reestablish order to her notes, briefcase, and desk, several courtroom aides came forward to move the mountain of evidence into the judge’s office and begin the laborious work of assessing this evidence and the many charges leveled against this KGB agent.

Concurrently, four guards came forward to escort Ilyana through the indoor windowless corridor that ran from the courtroom to the prison.

At the end of this hallway were two thick metal doors, one brown and the other yellow. The brown door led to the woman’s section of the prison, the yellow one to the men’s section.

The sophisticated locking mechanisms on these doors required the combined efforts of two guards, one escorting the prisoner and the other in a secure room housed deep within this building’s police station, in order to unlock these doors.

Seeing the female guards approach, Ilyana readied herself to comply, knowing that a strip search by these guards and an equally invasive physical examination by the prison’s woman doctor, were about to be implemented as mandated for all dangerous to society prison inmates.

Still, as the escorted walk commenced, the young woman turned for a moment towards Yussik with a resigned knowing smile: See you in court.

2 : Initial Encounters

Even those who had stoically ignored the WPA trials that had been part of the Federatsiya Narodov’s formal beginning, could not ignore this trial.

It immediately became the topic of conversation and within the hour all agreed that this trial would be different.

Given Ilyana’s Old Baba theatrics and the unquestionable brilliance with which she had given birth to the dream, then taught the nation how to implement it – both before and after her unveiling – the general consensus was: How can it be otherwise?

This assessment turned out to be correct in a manner no one in the Federatsiya could have ever predicted.

Not even Ilyana herself.

However initially, everyone had to wait, and when court was not in session, all Ilyana could do was sit in her jail cell which for the most part she enjoyed.

For the first time in her adult life, she had real chunks of free time.

Living the triple lives of Ilyana, Natasha, and Old Baba – each of which had been a full time job – then serving as the nation’s first ever, first counselor, she had only rarely had time for herself.

Hence, she used every spare moment to read the books she had longed to indulge in, and also to listen to the classical music recordings the prison library just happened to have.

At first, this was easy for the selections were manageable until word of her personal pursuits were revealed and the prison library was suddenly swamped with almost more books and music than even a wolfpire could plow through.

Also not unexpected was that the prison guards were more than willing to indulge her and not just because of who she was.

They, like everyone else, expected her to be put to death.

Thus, without bending the prison’s rules in the slightest, Ilyana found herself being escorted to the prisoner’s exercise yard every morning and evening so she could practice Tai Chi.

The food was suspiciously better than the usual prison fare and the guards often permitted her to bath and groom when it was convenient for her.

Since the jail-courtroom complex had been designed so that a simple walk down the long hallway led straight into the courtroom, this made life even easier and were it not for the fact that so much was riding on the unpredictable outcome, this would have been a vacation despite the rough moments she could not avoid.

Because she was on trial for the crimes she had committed, her freedoms had been stripped from her including her right to chose who could or could not visit her.

Thankfully and wisely, the judge ruled that all visitors had to be screened by the court least pretrial and trial proceedings become bogged down and justice thwarted, due to Ilyana’s inability to prepare for her courtroom endeavors.

Mara then imposed court invitation seating for the proceedings.

Most entry tickets were reserved for those who had vested interests in either the prosecution or the defense.

A portion of the remaining seats were reserved for whomever might need to be called to give testimony and what little seating was left would be given to additional members of the news media whose around the clock coverage assured that not a single public facet of this story would be missed.

This news coverage included events outside the courtroom, including within the jail, which translated into interviews Ilyana found easy to live with.

As a former reporter, she knew what the journalists needed and as the primary architect of the constitution, she knew when she had the right to keep her mouth shut.

However, her family was free to visit her and since the doctor was deemed to have vested interest in the case, and a personal relationship that had been publicly documented, she could not prevent him from visiting.

Thus, late on the afternoon of her arrest, in the prison’s visiting room, Ilyana’s disgruntled father angrily snapped: Had I even suspected what you were really up to, I would have never let you leave home!

Ilyana limited herself to an acknowledging shrug as her mother sighed: That would have changed nothing, Yurochka. We have never lived in a building whose windows were high enough to stop her!

In the ensuing silence, there was nothing either parent or the grandmothers and many relatives who had accompanied them, could say.

Their young one’s KGB records were undeniable and her confession that she had willingly and loyally committed the documented atrocities listed in her written legal assessment merely thickened the ice.

Only a few crimes on her list did not match the accusations leveled against her during the formal investigation conducted by the new government though to be truthful, those discrepancies did not really matter.

First, because they were incidental, not omissions, and ultimately because KGB agents who had done less, had all been executed for those crimes.

Therefore if justice in the Federatsiya was truly fair, then her death was as certain as the rising of the sun.

As the family sat in awkward silence struggling to think of what to say next, the visiting room’s television began replaying the major news story of the day.

The arrest of Ilyana.

That story swiftly moved from her public confession in the Senate to her meeting with Mikhail.

This was when mother turned to one of the prison guards: Please, turn it off.

The guard gladly obtained the remote and did as asked, since neither prisoners nor their visitors were permitted to access the plastic shielded television. But by then, Ilyana had gained the needed opening: Given what I did to Mikhail’s brother, should I have knowingly dated him the way you repeatedly demanded? Deepening his feelings more than they already were… then subjected him to this?

After a long moment, she mused philosophically: That is the fabric of the coat… is it not?

For once, mother chose not to answer which was just as well for Ilyana and the doctor had already talked.

After their Palace conversation Mikhail had silently followed her to the Courthouse where he sat and listened to the legal proceedings.

He was the first to ask if he could visit her and his request had been granted.

The visit had commenced within minutes after the incarceration procedures had been completed, and their meeting occurred in the same room Ilyana and her parents were now in.

The only visiting room in the women’s section jail.

The doctor had instantly voiced his dilemma: Why in the name of God did it have to be you?

She could smell how perplexed and betrayed he felt, for her role in his brother’s death infuriated him, yet his caring was undiminished.

Her words did nothing to ease his burden: "During my Old Baba meeting with you, I told you that I would gladly pull the trigger on some of those traitors and your brother was precisely the one I had in mind when I spoke.

"His spying was so indiscriminate that had the Amerikanski gotten what he tried to deliver, there might not even be a Federatsiya today! …and I can tell you now, that I knew back then what was in the Internal Operations Manual he photographed… and even when planning the dream’s takeover, I refused to use it because doing so would have made us vulnerable to foreign domination from which the people could never have freed themselves.

"Now… if I as a mere KGB trainee, knew that! …then your brother was either a very stupid ignorant fool… or he was knowingly betraying his own people in the most vile and deliberate manner possible… and believe me… had I been offered the opportunity, I would have done more than just pull the trigger. I would have taught him the meaning of the word… Interrogation!"

Ilyana’s fury did not quite match the intensity she had unleashed during their confrontation after Old Baba’s unveiling, but it came very close.

Close enough that she had to make sure that her fangs were still tucked up.

After giving him a moment to absorb her message and how she felt, she asked: Should I have taken advantage of you in your innocence? Knowing how you feel? Knowing how I feel!

Mikhail took a deep breath.

Not trusting himself to speak, he walked over to the tiny window and looked through its bars into the cell-like exercise yard.

Finally he turned to her: I cannot answer your question… just yet. Even now… you mean too much to me. I just wish that he had been discovered by someone other than you… or that he had never joined in the first place…

May I please remind you of something?

Please.

"The KGB was candid and bluntly honest with its recruits. I know this from direct experience, as well as from reading the Recruitment Procedures Manual.

Like me, he knew precisely what he was committing himself to… and he definitely knew precisely what the price of betrayal would be.

Dah… I suppose he did.

There is no suppose about it! …and that is final!

Abruptly, the silence had taken hold, followed by a quiet leave taking whose stiffness was nearly matched later, when her mother, father, and her family members, left the jail.

The only difference was that for Mikhail, the young woman’s iron-willed iciness made it easier for him to keep his distance.

The same could not be said of the parents and child and family members.

All of them wanted to be close, but given the newness of this painfully grim situation and the tumult of their unsettled emotions – agitated by the sterile confines of the cell-like visiting room – this was asking too much.

After they left, Ilyana could only pray that future visits would not be as nerve-racking as this one had been.

Thankfully they were not, even though the first weeks of Ilyana’s trial became the most chaotic legal affair likely ever to be seen in the history of the Federatsiya.

Normally, the judge, prosecution, and defense, would have combed through the initial evidence and been fully impaneled in under two days, especially since the evidence in Ilyana’s files was so orderly and thoroughly documented.

Instead, by the end of the second day, the only one who was ready was the prosecution.

Initially, the defense committee was in total disarray because so many people were demanding to be part of it.

A few even publicly debated requesting WPA protocols if they were not selected.

In order to get this pesky matter out of the way, the judge announced that the defense would be limited to three people.

She then appointed from the thousands who had applied, the individual most knowledgeable in courtroom law and procedures, and another whose expertise in the constitution was deemed second only to Ilyana’s.

Next, in desperation, the judge appointed a judicial committee of legal experts to cope with an unexpected procedural issue which momentarily made it impossible to proceed.

The retraction of all WPA grievances against Natasha.

Never before had such a thing been done and since Ilyana was presumed to have a vested interest in maintaining these charges, she could not initially be consulted, resulting in a period of frenzied interaction between the courts, the counselors, and the voting public.

By the time the wind stopped blowing dust into everyone’s eyes, the six voter proposed constitutional amendments, along with one hundred and thirty eight referendums, all turned out to be superfluous and unnecessary and were never voted on.

The one who enabled everyone to reach this conclusion was Ilyana.

Three days after Ilyana’s public confession, the judge summoned her to the courtroom. Marina Porovskaya began by sticking to formalities: A three member defense committee has been established and you will be the only prosecutor. No one has submitted a request to assist you in this matter.

The young woman’s smile radiated quiet bemusement: I read the list of names you sent to me and I certainly have no issues with their appointments. As for being the only prosecutor, Mara, I think I can live with that.

"I figured as much, which was why I did not issue a proclamation of need.

The last item we need to formally discuss today, concerns the WPA grievances previously filed against you. Those who submitted them have formally requested that all of them be withdrawn.

What? Ilyana needed a moment to adjust to this completely unexpected twist in her case: Even the ones I submitted as first counselor?

Those were issued on behalf of the people by the counselors. When the voters overwhelmingly chose to annul them, the counselors had no choice but to request their withdrawal.

After taking several minutes to ponder this unexpected and unwanted development, Ilyana sighed: This appears to completely eliminate those charges… though I must ask, Mara, that the court not to remove any of the paperwork related to them until after I have had a chance to consider my legal options.

Granted. Does this mean you are going to appeal those withdrawals?

Nyet. That is impossible, but there are other alternatives I wish to consider.

Ilyanochka, may I ask your legal reasoning as to why you consider such an appeal to be impossible?

"Certainly, Marochka. The right to file a grievance by its nature includes the right to determine the extent of the complaint, hence the right to modify it which includes its complete withdrawal.

"Also mandating that someone must file a WPA grievance would be a WPA offense against those forcing an individual to file it against their personal wishes. However, what I now realized I can do, is request the resubmission of these grievances on behalf of the prosecution.

Besides, for the court to be aware of this kind of criminal activity and not include it, would be a WPA violation.

You are right… however I cannot treat your WPA charges with the same consideration that I could the originals.

"Objection. Part I, Section 14, states that under the constitution, a crime is a crime and must be tried. This mandates a full legal examination of all evidence regardless of its source.

"In addition, Part III, Section CR-7, confirms that any attempt to manipulate or subvert the judicial or legal system in a manner that undermines its legal mandate to determine the truth, is itself a WPA violation.

Therefore, any WPA charges leveled against me must be fully examined regardless of the source.

Agreed and correction! Judicial right, as mandated by Part III, Section CR-3b. You as the prosecution have a vested interest in the prosecutorial outcome of this case. When you make motions that slant the case in your favor, it is my duty as judge to determine the impact these motions have on assessing the truth. Since the WPA violations are already documented by the evidence, your WPA grievances… whether personal or prosecutorial… become redundant, allowing me to exercise my judicial prerogative.

Absolutely Mara, unless it violates my prerogative as prosecutor to request that WPA investigation procedures and protocols be implemented.

"If you do, Ilyana Yurievna, I tell you now that I will overrule those motions based upon two rationales.

"First… you have already negated any reasons for implementing WPA procedures. You voluntarily surrendered and you voluntarily provided the incriminating evidence. Also, you have chosen to prosecute. All of these action indicate the willingness to reveal the truth and assure justice based upon the facts which is the ultimate intent of the WPA.

"This completely nullifies the need to use other procedures and protocols unless future evidence indicates otherwise.

"Second… relates to the case itself. Your role as the founder of our nation mandates that we look at all of the lawfully admissible evidence before casting judgment. All of the evidence means more than just the criminal actions. It includes motivations, circumstances, benefits, sacrifices, and anything else that must be considered in order to validate a verdict based upon the truth… not just convenient legalities.

These are things that no amount of truth serum can reveal and these were the exact same issues that were reviewed when merited in all previous trials regardless of WPA protocol implementation. Therefore, I will settle for nothing less now… especially in this courtroom.

It appears, Mara, that you have more than exceeded my expectations regarding your judicial expertise… and even more, your skill when it comes to wielding it. In response, I will not request WPA procedural implementation at this time. However, I still request the resubmission of all WPA grievances on behalf of the prosecution. For the sake of simplifying the court’s paperwork, I request permission to submit one grievance in support of all the others.

Thank you, teacher mine for that flattering compliment! Your motion is approved pending any defense motions to the contrary. Here is the form. You may complete it before you return to your cell. Any other motions you wish to present at this time?

Thank you, Mara. I will wait until the defense is present before submitting any further motions. How goes everything else so far?

Not bad if you like counting crows. Finding a jury has been as successful as fishing in a city sidewalk puddle. No one has been willing to step forward. The defense still needs two days or more to prepare… and I think my little Annochka is coming down with a head cold…

A cold at this time of year? How old is she now… two?

She will turn two on May twenty third, and I will be as furious as a hungry wolf if this trial messes up the birthday outing I have planned for her.

If it comes to that, remind me and I will request a one day adjournment.

Appreciated, thank you. Now, Ilyanochka… how are you being treated? Is everything satisfactory?

No complaints, Marochka, though I may need to request additional restraints on visiting if it begins to adversely impacts my ability to prosecute my case.

Just file the motion if you need to… and I almost forgot! As defendant, do you want to meet with your defense councils?

Not unless they need to speak with me.

Then we will burn that boat later… if it comes to that.

Ilyana acknowledged those words a smile, then took a moment to casually look around. Seeing the horde in the gallery, she decided: Given the circumstances, it would be better if I complete this grievance form in the privacy of my cell and have the guards bring it to your office.

Very well. Guards, return the prisoner to her cell… and please Ilyana Yurievna… let us know if you need anything.

For Ilyana, the events that had just occurred were a little disappointing though in retrospect, not totally unexpected.

With the exception of a formal public appeal by the prosecution for the reinstatement of at least some of the WPA grievances by their initiators, this turned out to be the sum of all court actions for the next several days.

Concurrently, those now involved in the defense and the judicial aspects of this case continued studying the incriminating Natasha files.

Then came jury selection which turned out to be notably slower and more complex than what had ever come before.

That is, when they were finally able to get around to it.

3 : Legal Slowdowns & An Unexpected Trial

Due to the fact that not one single person had contacted the court and requested to serve as a juror, the official attempt to find and impanel a jury commenced on May ninth and went nowhere.

However, during this time, a series of decidedly different courtroom battles took place.

These began when Yussik requested to formally speak with judge Marina Porovskaya, and prosecution counsel Ilyana Kirakova.

Since this request was known prior to its occurrence, the gallery was packed and the nation was watching.

Once all were in readiness Yussik began: "Judge, prosecutor. The counselors have handed me the results of a voter initiated referendum.

"It requests that all charges against the defendant Ilyana Yurievna Kirakova, be dismissed and that the trial be stopped immediately. The vote was ninety seven percent in favor, one percent against, and two percent write-ins.

"The total number who voters was ninety nine point eight percent.

Written comments ranged from the minority view: ‘Who needs a trial? If she wants to pay for her crimes, just take her out and shot her, to the most often repeated refrain: ‘This trial should never even have been allowed!’

Here is a copy of the confirmation sheet the counselors were given late yesterday evening.

Ilyana had been totally unaware of this ballot. Since she was no longer had the right to vote, her access to computers was only for legal purposes.

In addition, the television had been off whenever she had been in the visitor’s room since she made no secret that she preferred it this way.

After all, the last thing she wanted to hear, was more about herself.

While she considered how to deal with this unexpected turn of events, she watched the judge’s reaction.

Mara, of course, was not the least bit surprised