False Perception

ALIEN MAGISTRATE : Bring in the prisoner.

(The audience in the galleries stand, and Ben being brought to stand in the middle of the room, under a spotlight. The Ultimatrix is covered with a metal clamp.)

ALIEN MAGISTRATE: You stand accused of. How do you respond?

BEN: I'm not guilty.

ALIEN MAGISTRATE: When the hearings begin tomorrow, you will be given a chance to prove your innocence. If you cannot, then there is only one punishment.

---

(The Rustbucket 3 orbits a familiar sandy planet. Inside the craft, Gwen and Kevin observe Ben's response in the galleries.)

BEN: I'm not guilty.

ALIEN MAGISTRATE: ''When the hearings begin tomorrow, you will be given a chance to prove your innocence. If you cannot, then there is only one punishment.''

KEVIN: There's no way he should be there. There's no way any of us should be here! He might as well break out of there and we can get moving!

GWEN: That'll just make things worse. Ben said he'll go along with everything, remember?

KEVIN: They aren't going to listen to him! If their generals were so corrupt and stupid. Their justice system might be worse! We can't sit here and do nothing!

GWEN: We'll see how things go. Ben said so himself he didn't want us to act unless it was absolutely necessary.

[ALIEN PRISON]

(Ben sits in a bare, empty chamber. A firm man with pink skin, wearing elegant clothing enters the cell.)

LANAS: I am Lanas, your advocate.

BEN: Ben Tennyson.

LANAS: The trial is about to begin.

 (Lanas walks out, and Ben follows him.)

BEN: Hold on, we haven't even talked what happened.

LANAS: I know the charges.

BEN: Well, I don't know how your justice system works.

LANAS: Now that you've been charged, the evidence against you will be presented. I will handle your defense.

BEN: How can you do that when you don't know what really happened?

LANAS: I know what happened. You must not speak during the trial. I will speak for you.

(Ben and Lanas head inside the court room. Another figure enters, from the other side of the room, wearing similar clothing as Lanas.)

BEN: Who's that?

LANAS: Prosecutor Guon. His success is well known.

BEN: What's your success rate?

KOLOS: I've performed my duty.

 (Ben takes his place in the middle of the room. The Alien Magistrate enters.)

MAGISTRATE: Prosecutor Guon, you may proceed.

GUON: I call in the esteemed general, who encountered the accused during the incident.

 (A short, stub man, dressed in a vibrant red military uniform, enters the room.)

BEN: He's here?

GUON: General, explain your encounter with the accused.

RED GENERAL: Gladly.

--

[ALIEN PLANET. MADE UP FLASHBACK.]

(On the standy battlefield, the red and blue armies are in dissary. Waybig trashes the troops, using his cosmic rays to wreck dozens of military tanks. Both sides have taken heavy losses. Waybig notices the red and blue generals, and intercepts them.

RED GENERAL: What's going on here?

WAYBIG: The great generals. Men of integrity and principal. Defenders of their people. Well, your people need you, now more than ever.

BLUE GENERAL: What do you want from us?

WAYBIG: Tell your forces to stand down,

(The Red General turns to his blue counterpart.)

RED GENERAL: I understand what he wants. Even ground, fair resources. The same thing I want. We could of ended this on our own, peacefully. But what do you want? Why are you doing this to us?

WAYBIG: Spoken like true men. I have to admit, you're very brave. But are you so proud...that you'd let your people suffer before you'd humble yourself?

BLUE GENERAL: You see that? That is a statue of Zabin. The greatest leader in our worlds history. He represents our strength, how far we have achieved against forces such as yourself.

RED GENERAL: No matter what happens, we will always prevail.

WAYBIG: Well, if this statue means so much to you, then I'd just have to do a little remodeling.

(Waybig smacks the statue down with his hands. The large chunks of debris slam against the surface.)

WAYBIG: Surrender.

RED GENERAL: No!

BLUE GENERAL: We will stop you!

WAYBIG: Ah, well. You guys could of avoided all of this if you'd just listened to me.

(Waybig lifts his foot up against the defeated Generals. Suddenly, Waybig is hit by numerous missiles, coming from both the Red and Blue tanks, with their armies not far behind.)

---

[PRESENT TIME. ALIEN COURTROOM.]

BEN: I didn't do any of those things. Can't you object?

LANAS: It's not important.

BEN: You're not going to question him?

LANAS: He'd say nothing that would help you.

MAGISTRATE: Do you have any further evidence to present, Prosecutor Guon?

GUON: No. The general has been very clear with his statements. Ben Tennyson deliberately attacked our armies for the sake of starting a war that would deplete our resources, barely supporting our daily lives. The only reason we stand here today is because of brave me like the general, fought against the accused. There can be no doubt that this boy is our enemy. He claims to be innocent. Innocent of what? This court has already been too tolerant. I demand that he be held responsible for the crimes he has committed, and receive the most severe punishment our laws decree!

MAGISTRATE: Then I will consider the evidence and deliver my verdict.

BEN: I'd like a chance to defend myself. He's lying about the whole thing!

MAGISTRATE: Be silent! You have been warned.

BEN: I wasn't trying to start a war. I'm not your enemy!

 (The metal clamp shocks Ben in multiple bursts, stunning him.)

[ALIEN PRISON]

LANAS: I told you to remain quiet. You should have listened to me. My strategy may spare your life.

BEN: From what I've seen, you're all perfectly happy to ignore what you don't want to hear.

LANAS: Don't accuse me of agreeing with their views of the law.

BEN: What's your view then?

LANAS: Many years ago, the courts were more willing to listen. I know those generals, when I knew they were fighting against each other I realized something was wrong, they demanded food and money for their war effort. They made up a civil war because they were afraid they would be blamed for our worlds problems. They're willing to starve their own people and send their soldiers to die for nothing. If you're declared guilty, those generals will win a fight that will only benefit themselves.

BEN: And if I'm found not guilty?

LANAS: Then there's a possibility the generals could be questioned. I wouldn't count on it though.

BEN: Then maybe you should let me explain what really happened. Who knows, you might change things around here.

(Ben and Kolos head inside the court room. Ben takes his place in the middle of the room.)

MAGISTRATE: Advocate Lanas, what has your client decided?

LANAS: He wishes to testify for himself.

GUON: I object! The time for testimony is over.

LANAS: I'm within my rights to allow him to present himself.

MAGISTRATE: Very well. Proceed.

 (Prosecutor Guon turns to Ben.)

GUON: Ben Tennyson, do you admit harassing and declaring war against our people?

BEN: I was answering a message from one of your people, Probity, a little girl who asked me to stop your war.

LANAS: Explain your recollection of the events.

 (Ben explains in great detail about the incident, being attacked by both generals, trying to settle down what seemed to be a civil war, then finding out they were only fighting to protect themselves from being blamed for their worlds problems. And accidentally knocking down the statue of Zabin when waiting for the two armies to stop fighting each other.)

LANAS: You said the generals attacked first.

BEN: That's right.

LANAS: And you tried to settle down the conflict, in which you say they escalated ever since you arrived here the first time.

BEN: Yes, they weren't willing to listen.

LANAS: You could of defeated them by yourself. Why didn't you?

BEN: Because they aren't my enemy.

LANAS: Not your enemy. I declare that Ben Tennyson...is not guilty. This young man was acting under the request of a young girl, only wanting peace between our people. If Ben Tennyson is guilty, then he is guilty of nothing more than someone trying to do the right thing. If he is punished, then all I ask is to let the punishment fit that crime.

 (A few moments later, the Magistrate begins to announce the verdict.)

MAGISTRATE: I have weighed the evidence carefully. Prosecutor Guon has stated that Ben Tennyson must be held accountable for his actions that led to start of the war. Advocate Lanas has made an impressive case. Based upon his arguments, I believe that the accused was a victim of his own foolishness. With that said, I therefore find the accused...not guilty. Ben Tennyson, you are hereby relieved of all charges.

GUON: I protest!

MAGISTRATE: I wouldn't protest too loudly, Prosecutor. The trial is over.

 (As the prosecutor and the Magistrate argue. The guards remove Ben's metal clamp.)

GUON: I haven't wasted my time, only to have this criminal walk free! I won't allow it!

 (Guon hastily grabs a pistol from his side and points it directly at Ben. As he pulls the trigger, Lanas rushes in front of Ben.)

* BANG*

(The guards tackle Guon, slamming him against the ground. Ben rushes towards Lanas, who was fatally shot in the heart.)

BEN: Lanas, hold on. Maybe I can...

 (Ben cycles though his aliens on the Ultimatrix, trying to find a proper alien to turn into to save Lanas.)

LANAS: No, leave me be. It's...it's too late for me.

BEN: Don't be like that!

LANAS: I've been an advocate for thirdy years, I've played my part, and all the while, people were being sent to places like this without a proper defense. And then I was assigned your case. What you just did, showed me that just a single person can make a difference in the world. After what's happened today, our people might learn for their mistakes. Our military might be more stern after your display. I think you've made our entire world re-think our lives, and for that...I thank...you...

== Noteworthy Events ==

Major Events

 * Ben is brought to trial, and is found not guilty.
 * Advocate Lanas is killed.

Minor Events

 * The Alien Generals make their appearances.

Characters

 * Ben Tennyson
 * Gwen Tennyson
 * Kevin Levin
 * Advocate Lanas
 * Prosecutor Guon
 * Magistrate

Villains

 * Red General (Present and made up flashback)
 * Blue General (Made up flashback)

Aliens Used

 * Lodestar (Made up flashback)
 * Way Big (Made up flashback)