Tarric, who kept glaring at me said,” You have tonight to rest. Tomorrow you’ll be judged. I suggest you take tonight to rest.”

“W-where c-can I-i f-find s-some f-food?” I asked wincing when his glare intensified.

“Dinner’s over,” he said guiding us to our rooms. I nodded and headed in, locking the door and plopping down on my bed. What a fucking mess! My crew and in consequence I was likely to be judged unfairly. I had nothing to barter with this time. We were at their mercy and Jude? Jude was on a timeline.

I didn’t know what to do. What was there to be done but bear and grin it? Jude had earned his sentence and Bartholomew and Lana as well. I was the only innocent and I’d probably be blamed for everything. Such was the life of a Captain. You got blamed for everything your subordinates pulled. At least I did.

Rolling around in the bed for a while, sleep never came and when Andromeda came to get me early the next morning, I was anxiously awaiting her or Tarric’s arrival; I was starving but I let nothing show. I was led to the round council chambers which were lit from within with a heady bonfire making it uncomfortably hot within the chambers. I faced a straight-faced Reynolds who was smoothing over his beard.

Beside him, Wanda had her hawk-like nose in a book uncaring of his arrival. Machi stood at attention near the back. Cho sat nearest the front with her thin frame propped on a few pillows and the curvy form of Vivianna rested within the cushioned chair beside Cho. She looked contrite and amused. She even waved at me from her spot. I gave a tiny wave back and faced Reynolds who unnerved me with his deep black eyes staring into me as if he could drill inside me and yank all my secrets from me.

We stood staring at each other. If he wanted me to break he needed to try harder. I had been trained by Starfleet Command and it was brutal to trainees. It also took nothing but the best.

Reynolds sighed and nodded blinking and opening his mouth to speak.

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“Well, it seems that you and yours have spit on our hospitality. Two days here and already you have put two of my best in danger of the symbiotes.”

I nodded in agreement. It was the truth. Andromeda and Tarric had fought those bug eye things that seemed more monster than anything to save us and we still disobeyed them putting ourselves at risk. Well, Jude did. I went along tho. I could have asserted dominance but I didn’t. I was too used to folding against Jude’s say-so. It would cost us now, I didn’t know how much.

Reynolds steepled his hands in front of him. “If you want to escape so badly then we won’t stop you. You are hereby banished from Tierra Ond…”

I broke my silence. “P-ple-please. I-is there a-anything t-that c-can ch-change y-your m-minds? M-my crew was-was o-only s-scared o-of be-being trapped h-here w-with n-nothing to do. T-they a-are y-young a-and…”

“Aren’t you the youngest among them?” asked Vivianna a smile on her pert lips.

“Yes, but I-I c-consider my-myself mentally more m-mature,” I muttered, blushing and making Machi and Cho chuckle. Wanda turned a page in her book.

Reynolds tapped a long finger on his chin. “There isn’t anything you have that we want…”

Wanda coughed and Reynolds looked at her. “Your ship,” she said and I felt a bolt of despair spear my chest.

“E-excuse me?” I asked not quite sure I heard right.

Wanda put her book down. “The ship you came in. We want it and your continued work on our satellite. Those two things.”

I paled. “B-but we n-need our s-ship t-to g-get h-home.”

“Earth is your home now,” said Machi with a grin and a nod.

I wanted to cry out at the injustice but if I and the crew wanted to survive then we had to play their game. Besides I had just said I was mentally more mature than my crew members and that is what Jude would have done. Kick up a fuss.

“I I thought t-the s-symbiotes h-had our s-ship?” I asked. To be clear that was what I understood from them from before.

“You don’t worry about that. Is it a deal?” asked Wanda as she put her nose back into her book. Good, I didn’t want to see that long poker right now. It was always her who damned me and my crew to hell. Without the ship, we could kiss going home goodbye as that was the strongest ship for a black hole.

We were stuck here indefinitely without it. But I had no choice! It was that or banishment and we wouldn’t survive a day out there as we were. I doubt they’d give us supplies or weapons. We’d have to rough it in the dark with nothing but the supplies on our ship. They weren’t made for this place.

“Vv-very w-well I-I a-as C-Ca Captain of the R-Rider model X-XP 256 t-thus give i-it in consort w-with l-law 234 of the G-Galactic L-Laws of the S-Starfleet, hand over said vehicle to the Council of Tierra Onda.” Keys materialized in my hands and I felt an unlocking from deep within my soul as I handed the keys over to the council. I was a pilot no more.