The Grand Colosseum of Mega-City 07 was a tiered arena of tiered silver-steel and prestressed concrete, designed to hold sixty thousand spectators.
On this cold, sunlit morning, every single seat was occupied.
The upper tiers were packed with thousands of commoner foundry workers, trench miners, and cadet families. Their weathered faces glowed with rock-steady pride as they waved green-and-black banners bearing the crossed razor knife-and-fang emblem of the commoner vanguard. In the VIP boxes along the private central concourse sat the high-born elite of the capital—oligarchs, corporate directors from ApexBio, and senior military commanders in gold-trimmed dress capes—their expressions tight, pale, and defensive.
Hovering twenty meters above the sand of the arena floor were twelve massive broadcast holoscreens, transmitting the proceedings live to four hundred million citizens across every mega-city in the Federation.
Seated at the raised trial dais was Premier Alistair Sterling, Supreme Head of the Federal Vanguard Council. A stern, iron-haired statesman of sixty with cold gray eyes and a flawless record of wartime service, Sterling sat behind a heavy oak bench flanked by four High Judges.
“Bring forward the accused,” Premier Sterling’s voice echoed through the stadium, amplified by the central sound arrays.
From the southern security gate, a squad of armed commoner guards escorted eight men into the center of the arena.
