In the first aircar, A'ndreas was sitting in the front seat with his hand resting on his growler, his eyes constantly searching for problems.
Meanwhile, in the back of the aircar, S'ean and Ambrosius were holding court so to speak.
"I think we should let D'avid and A'ndreas go ahead of us so they can prepare the Archonate for our presence and start getting things ready for the hearing and Jared's Deposition," Ambrosius explained to S'ean and A'lexii who, instead of sitting on S'ean's lap, was sitting next to him very attentively entering Ambrosius's comments on a Data PADD he had somehow acquired.
"A'lexii what are you doing with that PADD and where did you get it?" Asked Brosius curiously.
"My big brother Kevin gave it to me" 'Lexii replied, as Brosius looked over to Kevin who had a sheepish grin on his face; which made Ambrosius look twice at the Data PADD that 'Lexii was using.
"Kevin that isn't a Civilian or Archonate PADD, is it? And I believe it isn't a Standard Military PADD either, is it?" Ambrosius questioned Kevin.
"No Ambrosius, it is not a Civilian or Standard Military PADD, it is a brand new model that isn't available and is still classified eyes only. It is a creation of Tommy and his team on the '"A" Project'. I will be giving A'lexii a cover for it that will make it look like a Standard Military/Archonate Command PADD. It has a few extra communication capabilities built-in and other things I am still trying to figure out. Now I believe A'lexii still owes you an answer to your question." Kevin's response to Ambrosius was such that he was actually saying, 'Don't ask any more questions'!
A'lexii quickly picked up what Kevin was trying to say and began answering Ambrosius's question.
"Brosius, I am keeping a log of our discussions on any matters that may need to be discussed again later. The question you really wanted to ask is why I was using a PADD when I am linked with S'ean and 'The Companions'. The answer is very simple; if I stayed linked with them all the time, their jobs would become very complicated. I can link with them when necessary but for day-to-day things that would be overkill." A'lexii answered Brosius's question and, hopefully, ended the matter.
While S'ean and the folks in his aircar were making their plans, Barbara had L'ogen cuddled on one side, and C'obi snuggled up on her other, subtly giving them the Third Degree. Barbara was trying to find out as much as she possibly could about her Son's Bond, as A'lexii was going to be a part of her family for hopefully a long, long time.
L'ogen was telling Barbara about A'lexii's first trip to the Winter Solsticeum in Postale/Milita and what S'ean had to do with it.
"What do you mean, A'lexii has been in love with my son for many turnings?" A curious Barbara asked her two new grandsons.
"Grandma, 'Lexi said he fell in love with S'ean as soon as he saw him. Something about a ray of Solarius hitting S'ean's hair and causing S'ean's hair to glow. A'lexii said he felt like a bolt of lightning had hit him." C'obi told his new Grandma as she was gently stroking his hair.
L'ogen and C'obi were just soaking up the love pouring from Barbara and also from D'avid who was sitting across from them watching while having a conversation with Patrick who was busy watching Tommy and Dion question Jared politely.
Jared, of course, had no idea what was going on with the questioning as the questions were going everywhere. He had no idea that both Tommy and Dion's Sub Vocal Microphones were turned on and that all the questions and answers were being transmitted to all of 'The Companions', D'avid, A'ndreas and also to A'lexii's Data PADD. Tommy and Dion were deliberately asking questions with no discernible pattern for very specific reasons. Their job was to more fully determine what kind of knowledge Jared had and his feelings on political and military items. S'ean wanted to know as much as possible about Jared in order to find the proper job or posting for him.
As Tommy and Dion continued their questioning, it became apparent rather quickly that the opinions that had been made as the result of A'lexii's scan were right on target for the most part. What the questions also showed was that Jared had formed quite different opinions than the ones he had previously espoused. Now came the crux of the matter.
"Jared, now that you are out from under the control of that 'person', what are your plans? What do you want to do with your life?" Dion's question totally out of the blue shocked Jared almost as much as the earlier events of the day had.
Jared had to stop and get his thoughts together as he still had no idea why he wasn't in a cell with the Ex-Head of the Collegium.
"I haven't had time to even consider that, as I have no idea what is going to happen to me and where I will live, let alone what my future plans are." Jared cautiously replied, trying to read the body language of the two 'Companions'. He was having a very hard time doing that as both Tommy and Dion's faces were perfectly neutral and their posture was that of a Professional Military Personnel, relaxed yet at poised to react instantly. Since the tone of voice was neutral in itself, Jared had no idea what was behind it.
"Relax Jared, everything will be okay. To answer one of your questions, you will be spending some time at the Castellano Estate with Mistress Barbara and others, helping you to get your head on straight." Dion paused as Jared almost fell over in shock at that answer.
"No Jared, you are not in trouble, we know what happened to you and if things work out the way we want, your record will be spotless. Before you get to do the final part of your recovery, you will be spending a few days with Ambrosius and some of his associates repairing some of the damage that was done to you. To set your mind at ease, you are under the personal protection of the Arcon S'ean Castellano and his Bond A'lexii Castellano as well as that of the Castellano Family. This means you are under my protection as well as that of Tommy and the rest of 'The Companions'..." Dion's last words proved too much for Jared's overtasked brain to handle and he passed out.
Tommy quickly jumped out of his seat and reaching Jared quickly pulled him into a hug and began whispering soothingly into Jared's ear while Dion communicated to S'ean and A'lexii, what had happened.
A'lexii and S'ean in consort reached out with a very gentle probe and quickly scanned Jared's Nervous System, finding nothing to worry about, A'lexii informed Tommy and Dion how to proceed.
"Tommy, you guys are doing just fine and in fact what happened is a good sign; it shows that our perceptions of Jared and what had happened to him were accurate. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. Jared has been programmed to always expect punishment when he fails at assigned tasks. Tommy, just keep doing what you are doing and he will awaken in a few 'mics'." S'ean took over from there.
'Tommy and Dion, go ahead and tell Jared that we know what happened to him and that he is blameless. You may need to hug him tightly and send him all of the love you can when you do that; as he will need some convincing. A'lexii and I will put a slight block around some of his controls but we will need Brosius and his assistants to do any more than that.' Upon receiving positive acknowledgments, S'ean broke the connection and went back to their planning.
While S'ean was communicating with Tommy and Dion, A'lexii was explaining what had happened to Michael and Ambrosius.
"We will have to work very carefully with young Master Jared, if he is going to be able to help us without his fragile mental state crashing completely. I do believe that we can help. I think someone needs to explain where we are headed to him very gently, as otherwise, he will probably freak out." Ambrosius stated his opinion rather softly and casually.
"I agree; if we don't tell him quickly when we arrive at the Archonate and go inside, he will definitely think the worst. I think Mistress Barbara should escort him in, along with Tommy, that way he will be a little more relaxed. I think we need to keep L'ogen, C'obi and A'lexii away from him if at all possible for now. I think they may bring back bad memories." Michael stated and received nodded concurrences from the rest.
A'lexii spoke up very softly, "He is waking up now and A'ndreas, you should be the one to explain to Jared what is going to happen next. I would also sit on the floor and speak up to him; you should speak calmly and quietly to him. That way, he shouldn't feel threatened by you and he will know that you have the authority to back up what you say."
"He is right, A'ndi," Were the words out of both Ambrosius and S'ean's mouths.
"I think I will move back there now and be seated near him on the floor when he fully awakens. S'ean, please inform your mother, so she will be ready when we arrive at the Archonate." A'ndreas requested S'ean.
"She already knows, A'ndreas, and she says it is a great idea." Replied a smirking A'lexii.
"Brat" Mumbled A'ndreas, as he headed towards the rear of the aircar and Jared, now beginning to move slightly in Tommy's arms.
While A'ndreas was moving to the rear of the aircar, A'lexii was reaching his hand out to Brosius who very curiously took his young friend's hand and was instantly brought into their link and conversation.
'Brosius, 'Lexii and I have established a very light link to Jared, and we are sending him very light, calming and loving feelings. We are sending him just enough so he is vaguely aware of them, but not enough that they will impel him to do or say anything untoward.' S'ean explained to Brosius what he and his Bond were attempting.
'All we want is to give him a little calmer atmosphere, so what Tommy and A'ndreas tell him won't cause him undue stress.' A'lexii added to S'ean's explanation.
'Can you show me the link without Jared being aware of me?' Inquired a now very curious Physico.
Although Ambrosius should have known better; he was amazed at how quickly and smoothly A'lexii and S'ean showed him the link they had established to Jared. What totally amazed him was how they showed him; rather than bringing him into the link, they showed him what was essentially a Neural Scan Image of Jared's Brain. Ambrosius was totally stunned at what he was being shown, he could see the very subtle changes that S'ean and A'lexii were causing and they were very, very subtle. The most amazing thing to Ambrosius was the fact that he hadn't taught A'lexii how to do what he and S'ean were doing, or even how to show Ambrosius the way they did. Ambrosius settled back, deciding to just watch while Tommy and A'ndreas did their jobs.
Meanwhile, in the other aircar, Barbara was learning a lot from her two new grandsons and even D'avid was amazed at what he was hearing. 'I need to sit down and have a long hard talk with A'ndreas, Michael and Ambrosius about those two!' D'avid thought to himself.
'Trust me D'av we will do that ASAP but I can tell you now, we won't be able to find very much more than what they have already told us.' A'ndreas sent to his Bond and friend.
What D'avid found so interesting eavesdropping on his wife's conversation with the 'two imps' was not only what they were saying, but how and also what they were not saying. They obviously loved A'lexii very deeply and would definitely do what whatever necessary to protect him and now that included his son. Although they kept calling Ambrosius old and fussy their tone of voice said just the opposite; they loved Ambrosius almost as much as their 'brother'. Although D'avid did not know how they could do it L'ogen and C'obi were definitely bound and determined to protect their 'brother' and his son. The scary thing to D'avid was that even at their age he was sure they could do whatever was necessary. He was definitely glad they loved him.
Alexander was in the shower trying to make sense out of what had happened last night when he was rudely interrupted by Chris joining him.
"Chriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssssssssssssssss!"
"Jeez Alex, I am right here you don't have to wake up the whole college!" Chris calmly responded as he placed his hand over Alex's mouth, praying that Alex wouldn't bite him in shock.
Alex tried muttering "Buuu, Buttt" but he couldn't get the words past Chris's hand.
"Are you going to be quiet and listen to me, or do I have to find something to gag you so I can talk?" Chris asked Alexander without removing his hand.
Alexander was still too stunned to do more than nod his head yes.
"Now listen carefully; I am only going to say and do this once! Like I said last night, you are my best friend and I love you like a brother; if you like guys and want to marry one, I will be your Best Man. I will sleep and cuddle with you whenever you need comforting if Jane isn't around or things change with her." As Chris was speaking, he was gently kneading and massaging Alex's shoulders trying to work some of the kinks and tension out of them.
Alexander was just standing there as if he was shell-shocked; he had never heard of a straight guy acting like Chris before.
Chris stopped his massaging for a few seconds and gently pulled Alexander's head down and towards his and just before kissing Alexander lightly and lovingly on his lips said;
"I will always love you like a brother, no matter what happens." Before Alexander had a chance to respond, Chris quickly turned Alex around so he could get at his shoulders easier. After a few minutes of work, Alexander gave a small sigh and most of the tension disappeared from his shoulders.
Still slightly shocked at everything that had happened, Alex quietly whispered, "Thanks."
Chris just handed Alexander the washcloth and told him to start cleaning himself. While Alexander was washing his front, Chris quickly shampooed both of their hair and lightly shoved Alex out of the way to rinse his head.
"Rinse your hair and then while I am washing up, you can use that conditioner that Jane loves so well on both of our hair. I wanna see if Kim likes it too." Chris then began washing himself trusting Alex to do what he had asked.
Alexander was still partially in shock but beginning to recover, he decided to just go ahead and do whatever Chris asked as Chris seemed to be his normal happy-go-lucky self. While Alexander was applying the conditioner to both of their hair, something about his dreams resonated in his head. 'If what I am understanding about what may be coming to us is correct, we need to redevelop and redesign our Aerospace Industry. I think I need to add a new class or two and change next year's schedule as well.' With that done, Alexander told Chris;
"Okay, we can rinse off and get out of here and head to class."
The two friends quickly rinsed off and surprisingly dried off without embarrassment on Alexander's part. Without asking, Chris grabbed Alex's prized Velour Bathrobe and headed off to his room to get dressed, but not before giving Alexander a quick hug.
Once Chris left, Alexander began dressing for class without paying attention to what he was putting on. At least the colours didn't clash too much. 'Okay, my first class doesn't start for two hours; I have plenty of time to go see my counselor and get my new class. Luckily this semester has just started. I think I will try and get into a beginning Aerospace Engineering class, if not, a Metallurgy Class will work until I get into the Aerospace Program. I will probably have to take that as a Minor and I'll definitely have to start studying Air Dog Fights as well as Surface Battles, if what I got from S'ean is true.' His mind made up, Alexander grabbed a cup of coffee that he had luckily remembered to set the coffeemaker to brew in the morning, before he went to bed the night before.
To say that Alexander's Counselor was taken aback with Alex's request would be putting it mildly, very mildly. Although Alexander had the required prerequisites, his request made no sense. Alexander finally told him that his Uncle was considering buying a company that made Airplane Frames and had asked if Alexander would help him over his breaks. Since there was space in the class Alex's Counselor gave in and made the appropriate entries. Alex did have to run though, because the class started shortly and was on the opposite end of the campus.
Jared had finally woken up and was listening to A'ndreas's explanation of what was going to happen. Jared, at first, was apprehensive as he listened, but slowly he began to relax as both A'ndreas and Tommy kept reassuring him. What finally tipped the balance was Barbara calling Jared on the Aircar's WallComm and telling him that he was definitely wanted at the Estate, to recover and learn the things he needed. She also told him that she would protect him from her husband and 'The Companions' which of course made A'ndreas and Tommy almost fall out of their seats.
As things turned out, it was a very good thing that A'ndreas had explained things the way he did, because there were some uncomfortable surprises coming up that would test the Archonate and the Collegiums very structure.
When the Castellano Caravan arrived at the Archonate, the aircars bypassed the public entrance and headed towards the private entrance. Upon arriving at the Private Entrance, Michael and A'ndreas were the first out of their cars and from the front and back aircar, the Archonate and Castellano Security Teams flowed out. Once Michael and A'ndreas were sure everything was ready, they signaled for S'ean and the rest to exit the aircars. Barbara exited last and then took one side of Jared, as Tommy took the other, Jared smiled slightly when they joined him. Barbara quickly got Patrick's attention and told him that once they were inside and she saw that Jared was going to be okay; she was going to let Tommy and Dion handle him, while she and Patrick headed back to their suites to prepare things for their new guests. Barbara was looking forward to the challenge because the Manager at the Andromeda was a bit stuffy, and acted like he was better than his guests. Barbara just loved dealing with idiots like that and to help matters along, she made sure Patrick was his growler, and his uniform was perfect. To make matters even more interesting, the manager had already made comments about children being seen and not heard referring to 'The Companions', what a fool!
S'ean, with A'lexii in tow, headed back towards the aircar where his mother was standing with Jared and Tommy and gave her a hug and a kiss and said he would see her back at the Hotel Andromeda. S'ean knew he might not have time to say goodbye once things started moving. A'lexii tried to sneak away when S'ean left, but to no avail.
"A'lexii, where do you think you are going? Get back over here and give your mother a hug and a kiss. You are my son you know, and I might just like you better than your Bond." Barbara's response surprised and embarrassed both A'lexii and S'ean.
"Yes, Mother..." Was A'lexii's quiet reply, which of course caused L'ogen and C'obi to start chuckling, until Tommy whispered;
"You two are next."
When everyone was ready to head inside, L'ogen and C'obi quickly got in front of S'ean and A'lexii, fully determined to protect both of their charges. A'ndreas started to say something but Michael moved his head towards the two Archonate Security Officers guarding the entrance. A'ndreas just shook his head in disbelief, then nodded 'okay' to Michael; and A'ndreas signaled 'The Companions' and Castellano Security to move back and let L'ogen and C'obi take the lead with A'lexii and S'ean right behind. Sure enough, the two Archonate Security Officers acted like the idiots they were.
"Where do you two think you are going? No Children are allowed through this entrance!" One of the officers bellowed at the 'two imps'.
"This entrance is for Archons' and their employees only! Not children playing dress-up." Bellowed the other officer. Obviously, neither one of them paid any attention to the adults or to the Archonate and Castellano Security Teams; they were only looking at C'obi and L'ogen.
D'avid started to say something and move forward, when he was stopped by Kevin who had received instructions from Michael. Whispering to D'avid;
"It is under control D'avid, look at A'lexii; he is holding S'ean back as well. Michael has an unpleasant surprise in place for those two idiots. It seems they think they are better than everyone because they get to say who goes in that entrance and who doesn't. Michael and A'ndreas have had problems with them before, and they are going to end those problems now, once and for all."
"We are not CHILDREN we are the bodyguards of Archon S'ean Castellano and his Bond A'lexii Castellano, and, as such, are authorized for admittance through this entrance!" L'ogen stated very forcibly, followed quickly by C'obi.
"Here are our credentials, use your readers to verify them!" Unknowingly L'ogen and C'obi were playing right into Michael and A'ndreas's plan.
L'ogen and C'obi stepped each up to a different officer and handed over their ID Xtals and then took a few steps back and watched in surprise what happened when the Archonate Security Officers followed their thinly veiled demand.
Suddenly Alarm Sirens were pouring out of the Archonate Security Officers' Xtal Readers. At the same time, a flashing red hologram appeared above each reader
was displayed in big bold letters. The two officers started to pale and very quickly became ashen-faced when those words were followed up by the words and sounds of "Insert Security Access Code Now! You have ONE 'mic' to comply, failure to do so properly will result in imprisonment!"
Beating A'ndreas and Michael to the punch, A'lexii and S'ean stepped forward and taking the readers from the Security Officers' hands, quickly entered their own Access Codes, and without a word stepped back in position behind the 'imps'.
Upon reading the information that was displayed on their reader screens, the two Security Officers mumbled: "Their clearance is higher than ours; we don't even have enough clearance to see theirs!" The reality of their situation hit them all at once and they began to collapse. This time though, they were saved by the quick reactions of A'ndreas and Michael, who quickly grabbed them and stopped them from hitting the ground. While D'avid quickly stepped forward and led the party through the now opened door.
As soon as the party was inside, L'ogen and C'obi started asking questions all at the same time!
"What happened? What was on our Xtals? Why did they turn funny colours? What is going to happen to them? To Us?"
Seeing that D'avid was overwhelmed by the 'imps' questions, Kevin signaled to A'lexii and S'ean to each take hold of an 'imp' and comfort them.
"Nothing is going to happen to you two; you did nothing wrong. Those officers just made their last mistake dealing with Michael and A'ndreas is all." Kevin told L'ogen and C'obi while looking directly into their eyes with a slight smirk on his face and a lilt in his voice. He then continued speaking to all of the party.
"It seems Michael decided that not enough had been done to protect L'ogen and C'obi from idiots who would overlook their position because of their age, so with the help of some of his and A'ndreas's contacts and the 'PS'; he had L'ogen and C'obi's Security Clearance set at one level below his. This means that there are very few Geminiian's whose clearances are higher than theirs, and most of those are right here. As to what is going to happen to those idiots, that man moving past us is going to send them back to school and then reassign them to someplace where they won't be able to cause any more problems."
Michael and A'ndreas joined the group inside before they had moved too far from the entrance. As Michael and A'ndreas arrived, the on-duty receptionist also arrived with some other employees as a backup, due to the size of the group. Once everyone had been introduced, the receptionist gave S'ean the directions to the Hearing Room he had requested through A'ndreas earlier. Barbara and Patrick took that as their cue to leave, and with a quick kiss and a goodbye to her husband, they were off. When they were a few steps away, Barbara turned and said to Jared,
"Jared, everything will be fine; you will see, I will see you at dinner, and make sure you are hungry!"
Just as she had turned and started to walk away, there was a slight disturbance as both L'ogen and C'obi dropped their serious masks and went racing off after Barbara to give her a hug and kiss goodbye. When they left her, Barbara had tears in her eyes.
If that wasn't enough of a shock, what the two 'imps' did next endeared them in everyone's hearts for life. On their way back to the front of the group, they ducked between the Security Cordon and stopped directly in front of Jared, who was walking in between Tommy and Dion and chatting easily with them. When L'ogen and C'obi stopped directly in front of him, he started to panic. Before he could say or do anything, C'obi took matters in hand.
"Jared, we are sorry for the way we treated you before, we know now that you acted that way cause of what those bad men did to you. 'Lexii says you be a nice guy, so we want to be your friend too..." C'obi was cut off by his brother.
"You gonna be okay now Jared, Brosius and 'Lexii fix you up good, and we protect you just like we protect 'Lexii." With that, both L'ogen and C'obi gave Jared a quick hug and then ran back towards their position in front of the group.
As they neared their Hearing Room, S'ean stopped the group and told Tommy and Dion to take Jared into the Conference Room to the right of the Hearing Room. While S'ean was doing that, Michael also detailed several of the combined Security Team to assist them in keeping Jared safe. 'Not that they would be needed as Tommy and Dion were probably better than them,' thought Michael.
Once that was done, S'ean started to head towards the door leading into their Hearing Room when they were stopped by a Senior Archon who had stopped and said hello to A'ndreas and D'avid. Everything seemed fine until D'avid reintroduced S'ean and then introduced A'lexii as his Bond.
"What do you mean his Bond!!? Jared was supposed to be his Bond! Where is the Head of The Bondling Collegiums? I want to know what is going on, I will get to the bottom of this or my name isn't Archon Idiamin!" Bellowed the very irate Senior Archon.
As soon as he finished, several things happened simultaneously; first Michael and Kevin quickly grabbed his arms and told him he was under arrest. While that was happening, the Commander in charge of the Archonate Security Team stepped up behind the Archon and in a voice completely devoid of emotion said; "I would shut up if I were you, and I wouldn't move a muscle either! Because if you do and one of them doesn't shoot you, I will. They have the Authority of the full Archonate behind them, which you should have known. Now shut up and listen."
As soon as Commander Ewalk had finished speaking, S'ean spoke very coldly with his arm around A'lexii's shoulder tucked in close. Ambrosius was standing on A'lexii's right with his hand on his shoulder in another show of support. L'ogen and C'obi were directly in front of the trio shooting daggers from their eyes at the Archon.
"Let me complete the introductions that my father, Senior Archon Of Gemini and Grand Marshall of the GSF had started. I am Archon S'ean Castellano; Archon in charge of all The Bondling Collegiums on Gemini. I am also in charge of the investigation concerning the issues regarding the failed Bondings, and I will be responsible for the restructuring of the existing Bondling Procedures and Policies. This is my BOND A'lexii, and the gentleman to his right is the new Head of the Main Bondling Collegium, Senior Physico Ambrosius. As to the Bondling Jared, he is under my protection and that of the House Castellano. Now you will accompany us into the Hearing Room, and as you requested, we 'will get to the bottom of this'!" Without a further word, S'ean reached down and took one of A'lexii's hands and one of L'ogen's and headed inside the hearing room while Ambrosius followed on their heels bringing C'obi by his hand.
While S'ean and his crew were entering the Hearing Room, Commander Ewalk gave the Archon a sharp nudge with the butt of his growler and barked; "Now move, and don't say a word; you have seriously pissed off the wrong person at the wrong time! You have no idea what you have done and who you have messed with; I pity you because you are basically a 'Dead Man Walking'!"
Once inside the Hearing Room, S'ean went directly over to the WallComm, and activating the Privacy Bubble, quickly reached the rest of the members of the Investigating Committee and asked them to assemble in the larger conference room to the left of the Hearing Room and to bring their Bonds and an Official Archonate Recorder. Once that was done, S'ean took his seat on the dais with A'ndreas, A'lexii and Ambrosius. The remaining two seats would be filled by his father and S'ean's Assistant from his committee.
While everyone was taking their seats, Kevin and Commander Ewalk had taken their prisoner and forcibly seated him; taking the seats on either side of him. Michael had gone off with Steve and another Archonate Security Officer to get the ex-head of The Main Bondling Collegium, Michael had the signed order from S'ean as well as one from A'ndreas. When Michael arrived at the secure holding cell, he was stunned to see the array of security outside the cell door and the fact that Major Colinpower was still there.
"Major, I am here on the orders of Archon S'ean Castellano to transport Citizen Chaney to his Tribunal," Michael informed the Major, while handing him the orders and his ID Xtal.
The Major quickly perused the orders and then used his wristcomm to issue a few orders of his own, and then verified with D'avid what Michael had given him. After getting his answers he moved to the door and opened it with his Security Xtal.
"Follow me, Michael, I would like your help." the Major said to Michael.
Michael followed the Major into the cell and was shocked at what he saw; for Citizen Chaney was completely secured in a very special jacket that limited movement completely. But even more amazing was the fact that in addition to the Psi Inhibitor on the ceiling and also outside the door, there was the one on Citizen Chaney's head. Michael was also surprised to see evidence of bruising on Chaney's face. At Michael's raising of his eyebrow, Major Colinpower switched his Sub Vocal Mic Frequency to the standard IF Frequency.
"Michael you wouldn't believe that idiot he was totally uncooperative when we tried to place him in this cell; he sent two of my officers to the infirmary with broken bones and contusions. He was acting totally insane; I had to administer a high dosage tranquilizer and Neuro Inhibitor also, as he was broadcasting very strongly and irritating everyone in the vicinity. He was also mouthing off at everyone nearby and he made the mistake of demeaning Archon S'ean in front of Senior Archon V'ictor, who immediately drew his hand across his mouth meaning to silence him before he disturbed anyone else. So as you can see S'ean and A'ndreas were correct in their reading of the situation." The Major explained what had happened and received an acknowledging nod from Michael.
"Stand up 'Citizen'; it is time for you to attend your Tribunal. You are strongly advised to remain quiet, as anything and everything you say will be used against you! Your slanders against an Archon of Gemini have already earned you at least a long-term on a Prison Planet. The fact that you injured others in the performance of their duties will be taken under advisement. Now move; time is a wasting." Michael ordered the 'Citizen' while the Major's assistants unbuckled his leg restraints.
When the idiot 'Citizen' refused to comply, the Major nodded to his two officers, and they quickly yanked the reluctant 'Citizen' to his feet. When 'Citizen' Chaney started to protest, Major Colinpower slapped a gag over his mouth. The Major then stepped through the doorway, followed by the prisoner and his "helpers" with Michael bringing up the rear. Once through the door, they were surrounded by what seemed to be a whole squad of Archonate Security Officers in Battle Gear. Steve quickly replaced one of the "helpers" and the whole group moved off at a quick pace towards the Hearing Room.
As the solemn group arrived at the door, the door was opened for them by Dion who then stepped inside. Major Colinpower replaced his officer, and then he and Steve manhandled the prisoner inside, quickly followed by Michael. Dion then closed and sealed the door. As they were putting the prisoner into the secure dock, there was an uproar from Archon Idiamin who started bellowing at the top of his lungs and would have jumped across the courtroom, but he was quickly slammed down in his seat by Kevin and Commander Ewalk.
"This is all your fault Chaney, if you had done your job right, none of this would have happened! You are a disgrace of a Geminiian..."
While soon to be Ex-Archon Idiamin was spewing out his tirade, S'ean was checking with his fellow judges in the hearing room and by Sub Vocal Mic with the rest of his committee and seeing the decision was unanimous began to speak, but not before signaling A'lexii to shut Idiamin up.
"This tribunal is over and both prisoners are found guilty of all charges! Sentencing will be held tomorrow morning. The results of this Tribunal are FINAL; there is no appeal as the Majority of the Archonate has reviewed the Mental Testimony from this Tribunal and concurred with our Ruling; and as such, sentencing will be by the whole of the Archonate." S'ean spoke in a powerful and commanding tone, belying his lack of years.
'A'lexii, release his vocal cords,' sent S'ean.
"But... but there hasn't been any evidence!" Muttered Idiamin.
"On the contrary Citizen Idiamin, my Name is A'lexii Castellano, Bond of Archon Castellano, and you yourself gave all the testimony necessary as you confirmed everything we had already found out, and gave the names and motives that we also needed to fill in the gaps. As I am speaking, Archonate and Arconate Security Forces in conjunction with Castellano and GSF Security are rounding up the rest of your ring. For their sakes, they'd better hope that 'PS' doesn't arrive first. For your information, we did not need to scan you as you were broadcasting so loudly that you were probably heard on Lysander. It is also the decision of this tribunal, Citizen Idiamin, that you be stripped of all Rank and Privileges as Archon of Gemini, for you have proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that you have violated your oath beyond repair. It is the further order of this Tribunal that both prisoners be remanded immediately to the Prison Planet Alcatrazia. Furthermore, they shall be remanded there until further sentencing has been passed. This Tribunal is now closed, remove the prisoners." As A'lexii finished pronouncing the verdict, the door into the hearing room slid open and a squad of IF Strike Force Commandos entered and with no orders from anyone, quickly removed the prisoners and then sealed the door behind them.
S'ean was startled as one of the IF Strike Force Commando's flipped him a salute before exiting the hearing room. His father decided to clarify the situation for him.
"S'ean, don't you remember the Commander of the IF Strike Force Commandos who interviewed you and trained you?" D'avid asked his son.
"You mean that was Commodore Skywriter... that means that was the Death Squadron. I didn't know they were here," was S'ean's somewhat startled reply.
"I had a feeling about the results of the Tribunal, so I sent a message requesting transportation on a secure frequency and the Commodore intercepted it as his squadron was inbound for some re-supply and to pick up their new Strike Fighters and MK VII Skinsuits. By the way, he says you owe him and his squadron a round of drinks for your 'Companions' getting theirs first. He said he will collect on Maxellus." Was D'avid's reply to S'ean.
"Thanks, father I will take care of that when I see him again," S'ean informed his father and then turned and directed his next comments to everyone in the room and to the rest of his committee through the now opened partition into their room.
"I would like to thank everyone here for their assistance, even though things didn't progress as expected. I do believe now that we can resolve this issue and return the Bondling Program back to its original purpose. From what we have ascertained, the changes were wrought by Archons and Arcons who for some reason were unable to bond or those who wanted Bonds for their own nefarious purposes. It is my firm belief that once we have repaired the damage they have caused and have also reinstated the safeguards they threw out, then things will slowly return to the way they should be. This has been a very long and tiring day for me and it is time for us to head to our Hotel. Thanks again to everyone, my first day as Archon has been very eventful. I will see everyone I need to tomorrow; have a wonderful afternoon." S'ean took A'lexii's hand, and they nodded goodbye to those who weren't going with them and followed Michael out the door and headed towards the exit and rest, back at the Hotel Andromeda.
Well here, finally, is another chapter finished, I am sorry for the delay but real life and the unexpected expansion of 'The Dragon Earl Universe' delayed the writing of this chapter. I realize that this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I accomplished more than I had planned, so I thought it was a good place to stop. I hope this answered a few unanswered questions. There is no Errata for this chapter as it wasn't necessary. I hope you enjoy this chapter and would love to hear from you.
TSL
What a great chapter. I just love it when some SOB gets his just deserts. (Not desserts, which the good guys should get.) I kept getting into the story and forgetting to edit, so if you found anything I missed it's all TSL's fault. {No Raise for Str8mayb – TSL} Great job, so don't take too long for the next chapter, please. By the way, A'lexii has been talking to Neal who kept pestering me to finish editing. I think we might be in trouble if those two are working together. Just' thinking of the possibilities; our 'Goos' is cooked.
Str8mayb
Yes, it takes Two editors to keep up with the mighty TSL Only he can do battle on more than two planets in one story and keep it all coherent and understandable. Our job as I see it is to place as many commas in his way as possible so you will have to walk around them and enjoy the story. This was a wonderful chapter and we finally get to see justice served. I am still a little worried for Jared and I hope he will be happy. Things are in fact looking good for him and for everyone else that we love and care for. Thanks, TSL for another wonderful chapter of a simply wonderful story.
I also want to apologize for taking so long to get this chapter edited. I am very sorry that I allowed it to fall into the cracks and I promise not to allow that to happen again.
Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher