"You brought this all the way from Earth!?" yelled Jahv. "To do this to it all?! WHY!?"
Pol grinned. "Couldn't very well leave advanced technology behind to be found by some other pathetic primitive, now could we?"
"Screw him." snarled Keith. "He did it out of pure meanness."
The Magistrate brought his gavel down hard upon the podium. "Jahv and Keyro — sons of Amshat, son of Lemoy, son of Dekel, son of Gershon," intoned Varek, "you stand accused of family abandonment and technological treason — you may now explain yourselves to this court."
Jahv stepped forward. "My parents had never treated either myself or my brother with anything other than indifference. On every world we visited as traveling techno-traders, I saw families that openly cared for each other and shared their feelings for one another. In comparison, my brother and I were downright ignored by our parents."
"If they fed, housed, educated, and when necessary, clothed you, was that not the extent of their responsibility towards you?" demanded the Magistrate.
"As we traveled to world upon world in my parents' dealings, I saw more and more family units where that was NOT the extent of what took place." said Jahv. "I saw genuine affection between adults and children. These people didn't just live in proximity towards one another, with the adults providing only what was needed. They cared for one another and they weren't ashamed to show it! When I tried to demonstrate that towards my parents, I was rebuffed. When Keyro and I began to demonstrate it towards each other, we were treated with even greater indifference by our parents than before!"
"The affection you cite is not part of Botaran society." said Varek. "Ours is the more efficient and practical way, and you had no right to try to contaminate your own family with alien ways! And NONE of that is germane to the fact that you subsequently abandoned your family, as did later your brother!"
"My parents had already abandoned us!" yelled Jahv, tears forming in his immense eyes. "I don't care how efficient or practical the emotionless raising of children in Botaran society is, it's WRONG! So yes, I left, because I just couldn't stand it anymore. I figured that wherever I ended up, it had to be better. I tried to get Keyro to join me at that time, but he wouldn't. Only when he was even more poorly treated by our parents for my having run away did he finally join me!" Jahv reached over and took Keyro in a fierce hug. "This is my brother and I love him, and I'm neither ashamed to admit that or demonstrate it. As for our parents — they are no longer part of MY family. These others standing here WITH me are my family."
The Magistrate stood, his face the personification of sheer fury. For a generally emotionless race, they certainly seemed capable of getting angry when it suited them. He brought his gavel down to the surface with a bang that would've broken any windows in the chamber if it had had any. "This disgraceful display will NOT be tolerated in this court. You have attempted to explain yourself and have only succeeded in condemning yourselves. This court will not allow this sort of conduct to be perpetrated in Botaran society!"
"Jeez, and I thought we had it rough." remarked Davy, within earshot of Niklas and Martin, the latter of which was clutching Davy's arm so tight that Davy's arm was nearly numb.
"It is the judgment of this court," said the Magistrate, seating himself and regaining some composure, "that Jahv and Keyro — sons of Amshat, son of Lemoy, son of Dekel, son of Gershon — along with their human allies and the Dorrian known as Morik, be remanded to the Procyon Youth Institute for corrective education immediately following our departure from this station! Guards, take them back to their holding cell. This court is adjourned."
Toben's ship hadn't looked much better than the station at which it was parked. It was huge, though, much larger than the shuttle Arion had flown to Earth in with Jahv and the others. The ship was a fairly simplistic design. Large oval central area, which Toben explained was the engineering section and cargo holds, a smaller half-oval at the front which was the bridge and Toben's quarters, which smelled like dirty socks just walking past them, and two long engine nacelles sticking out of either side. If Arion had been able to make the comparison, he probably would've said that it looked a fair bit like the Starship Defiant from Star Trek Deep Space Nine, but was in as rough shape as the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars.
Toben had contacted the homeworld, bluffing his way through a bit as to why a child was using the comm stations, and explained where he was and exactly who was out here — that is, Magistrate Varek. He didn't say a word about Jahv and Keyro. Given the severity of Varek's crimes, and the coordinates and confirmations Toben supplied, the authorities were inclined to not worry about the source and be more concerned about the results.
Toben finished the comm and then turned towards Arion. "You a good shot?"
"I can pick off quarry at five thousand feet. Why?"
"Good." said Toben. "Come on, we need to head to the armory."
"But you just called the authorities!" countered Arion, following Toben into the cargo section of the ship.
"That's right, but we still need to get Jahv, Keyro, and your other friends out of there before they show up." explained Toben, expertly working his way through corridors of stacked cargo containers. "Technically, they ARE guilty of certain social crimes on the homeworld. If we don't get them out and get gone before the authorities show up, they'll arrest EVERYbody."
Toben pried open several containers. Within were long belts of small silver spheres. "Stun grenades. Won't kill anybody, but it'll put 'em out of commission for a few hours."
Arion smiled slightly. "Do you know the specific directions to the holding cells from the airlock once we get on board?"
"Yes, why?" asked Toben.
"I watched this history program back on Earth — about how large mechanized aircraft used to make bombing runs along a preassigned route. I have an idea…"
Several minutes later, Arion and Toben used the ship's transmat to beam directly to the airlock of the renegade Magistrate vessel. Toben carried a backpack of equipment, which even for one of the famed Botaran backpacks was looking a little overstuffed. Arion was wearing several long belts of stun grenades. "I still don't understand how this Magistrate kept his crew after he went renegade!" exclaimed Arion.
"Magistrate crews tend to be fiercely loyal to their commanders." remarked Toben. "Either that, or some of them might not even know. I'm really not sure." Toben walked up to the airlock door and pounded on it.
A few seconds later, an armed guard opened the door. "What the —?!" was all he managed to say before Toben slammed him in the gut with both fists and then bashed him on the back of the head. The guard crumpled.
"You've done that before." remarked Arion.
Toben grinned. "This isn't my first time on Garboris. And there's worse places, too. I believe it's your turn."
"You'll be right behind, but not too closely, right?" asked Arion.
"Don't want to get stunned myself, and somebody might need a little extra persuasion to stay down." replied Toben. "You've got the route memorized?"
"Yep. Easier than navigating a mountain pass." stated Arion.
"Then go for it!" said Toben, stepping out of the doorway as Arion went airborne and soared down the corridors of the Magistrate vessels, dropping stun grenades every few yards.
"We're never gonna see home again!" bawled Martin. The seven boys were once again in the holding cell.
"I'm sorry I got you all involved in this." Jahv was close to tears himself.