Shoshone Station: The Galactic Consortium season 2

Episode One: Not a Good Day to Die #9

Shannon Otterdance and Emma Fox were on the main lift when Lannister and Grandma Fox got there. Shannon greeted them, giving grandma a conflicted look. Lannister read it to say that she really wanted to do Grandma a favor, but felt she had no choice.

The station had three security stations with holding cells but only the upper most was currently in use. The main holding room was round, with a half dozen cells on one side and an equal number of conference rooms and interview rooms on the far side. Fox greeted them there with his second in command, Kellii at his side.

Kellii was a big man, broad shouldered and well muscled. He had a thick neck and wore his hair short. He moved with a confident grace that made Lannister think this wasn't a man you wanted to tangle with.

"Sir," Fox said, giving him the fist to chest salute that the consortium used.

Lannister returned it, wondering for a moment if they had gone native already.

"I would like to speak with you, a moment, sir," Fox said.

Lannister nodded his agreement and followed Fox to a side room. Kellii followed behind.

"Sir, yesterday, I was so mad at him," Fox said when they were alone.

Yesterday Fox had been of the same mind as Shannon. Kick Ray off the station. Send him to the authorities below and wash his hands of the boy.

"Now you've slept on it," Lannister commented.

Fox swallowed hard.

"Don't worry. Peeta gave me some good advice. We're going to throw the book at him, consortium style. A few years of deep space won't do him no harm and might teach him some discipline."

"I agree," Kellii put in. "And can do you one better. I've a cousin in penal. Did more than a few years himself when he was young. Now its his passion, turning kids around. He captains one of the supply ships for the Martian colony. I'll drop your kid's name, see he picks him up for his crew. What about the others?"

Lannister looked at Fox.

"After the incident we did a sweep, with data's help. Found a couple others with the equipment and chemicals to manufacture. Maybe a dozen with meth, small amounts mostly," Fox said.

"Bringing dangerous chemicals onto a station is a fairly routine offense," Kellii said. "A few weeks of TPC. On my last station we used to make them scrub dirty aquaculture tanks for a couple weeks."

Temporary penal colony, the consortium equivalent to community service. "Sounds fair to me," Lannister said.

As Lannister had said to Grandma Fox, the matter was dealt with quickly. He indicated that he intended to keep Ray and others on the station and subject them to consortium justice. The legal department said they'd send some people right over.

Two legal advisors came and spoke to Ray. The judge, an elderly Hanuman male was there ten minutes later.

Ray was pale, his cheeks streaked as though he'd been crying. He was apologetic. "I'm sorry. My uncle was right, I just didn't think," he said after they had reviewed the video.

When Lannister spoke up, as Peeta had told him, the judge merely nodded knowingly. Ray's legal advisor smiled and nodded along.

"Before your sentence even begins," the judge said sternly. "You should have at least level one space certification training. You should know the hazards, realize what could have happened if we'd had a decompression accident." He then pronounced the sentence in hours, over twenty three thousand.

"That's a lot of hours," Ray muttered when the judge had left.

"If you are lazy," the legal advisor lectured him, "it's nearly fifteen years."

Ray blanched. "Is there parole? Time off for good behavior?"

"It's done in hours," Lannister told him, "so you can work extra and work it off faster if you want."

"Will I have to be locked up that long, though?"

"No, only violent criminals are locked up," the legal advisor told him. "Your family can visit you and there will be times when you can visit here. It will depend on your work assignment."

"What will that be?"

"You have a friend here," the legal advisor said, gesturing at Lannister. Ray gave him a puzzled look. "You think the station really cares about getting paid? The energy this station produces, they'll make ten times in a day what you'll pay them for your whole sentence. Everything he said, it was to force us to educate you, find you skilled work, was it not?"

"It was," Lannister admitted. "Though I must say, it wasn't my idea. I am still figuring your legal system out myself." He turned his attention to Ray. "But yes, I know this sentence might seem harsh today. But in time you'll see. The space certification alone will open many doors when you are out. Training for a technical job, whatever job you choose, could mean a good career later on."

"What they are telling you," Fox added from the doorway. "Is that you have a choice. You can see this as a punishment for what you did. Or you can see this as an opportunity to prove yourself better."

Ray nodded. "Thanks," he said as security led him out. 

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