Litigation ||

Second Quadrant.

Liberator Garu.

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The soldiers, fitted with earplugs that prevented them being affected by this frequency (but not others) rushed in, just in time to save no one.

The siren had ended, but it felt like it was still clinging to the insides people's ears. Slowly, the crowd looked around for some kind of explanation.

"Hollet 3.2, you are in violation of Statute 4. You are in violation of Statute 6.1. You are in violation of Covenant 456. Hollet 1 has been advised."

"System," said a voice over the arena speakers, "this is Hollet 1. Request privacy ruling, internal Hollet family affair."

"Request granted," said System, like it was just another request.

New troops arrived, wearing Hollet colours. They escorted him out of the arena.

Point-Two was left confused. An internal family matter? How? The other families were clearly involved, but their furious requests for access to the adjudication process were denied.

After asking for things to be made public, as he'd been instructed by Hollet 1, everything was made private, by Hollet 1. A family matter — the one mitigating circumstance that would prevent the full weight of the covenant breach from affecting Hollet 1.

Point-Two sat in his quarters, Hollet soldiers guarding the door, more for the sake of appearances than anything else, and perhaps to prevent the other families from sending someone to talk to him.

He thought about it and then asked the empty room, "System, what was the original designation of my victim?"

"Victim designation Hollet 0.1."

A Hollet. He had killed his own illegitimate brother.

He didn't feel particularly remorseful about it, he didn't know Walter, their genetic connection didn't cause him any tears. That wink, though, it weighed on Point-Two's mind.

What disturbed him even more was the thought that Hollet 1 had arranged for them to hire a Hollet without knowing it.

It wasn't unusual for people to hide their origins. The Reservation was full of people who had no use for their true designations. Everyone had to come from somewhere, but they didn't need to hang on to a name once it became of no practical use, or a burden.

His sister came to him first, upset and enraged. At him, for what he'd done, and at them, whoever they were, for questioning the legitimacy of the child in her stomach. A Joliet child.

"Did you take the test?" he asked her.

"Yes, of course. Hollet 1 insisted, even though the results were obvious."

A DNA test before the child was born, by several doctors, made it impossible for them to use System to spread false allegations. Assuming that was what they were planning and not something Hollet 1 and Walter had cooked up between them. In any case, his sister's reputation was protected. She didn't need to know any more than that. He was beginning to think like his brother.

Hollet 1 came later in the day.

"You sacrificed him."

"Who, Walter? No, not really. Most of it was his idea, to tell you the truth. He had a devious mind, took after the old man in that regard. And we came to an arrangement. He needed me to do some things for him that I'd rather not go into. It was a fair trade, let me assure you. Speaking of sacrificing people, you're next."

Even though it was an internal matter, Point-Two had to be punished, and severely. He was. He was exiled.

Why that particular penalty, how the decision had been reached, the details about the accusations of the conspiracy, all of it was sealed behind the sanctity of a private family matter. When people heard the sentence, it felt suitably harsh, that was all they needed to know.

His sister was remarkably sanguine about it. She knew how close he'd come to a much worse fate. Her attitude was almost as though she had expected it to come to this one day, which Point-Two found a bit galling. He didn't correct her, though.

Hollet's position was still safe but he'd had to sacrifice his brother to do it, or so it appeared. The true reason for getting Point-Two off the ship was still not known to their enemies. There was no need to look any further than a Hollet doing what was necessary to hold onto power.

Point-Two was given provisions and a set of locations to choose for his new home, none of which he intended to visit. To anyone paying attention, the Hollet's had lost a valuable asset and Hollet 3.2 would be lost in the wilderness of the second quadrant.

Geezy came to see him off, the only chance he'd had to speak to anyone outside of the family. His father hadn't contacted him once.

"I could come with you," said Geezy, distraught at the severity of the sentence. "We could explore the quadrant together."

Point-Two turned down the offer. "I'll be fine. It's only a temporary expulsion. I can come back in ten years."

Geezy raged and ranted on his friend's behalf. Promised revenge and a shrine to his memory. He even gave him his precious G-tag promotion pin, the one Point-Two had helped him win when they first met ten years ago.

The shuttle would drop him off on the busy port planet of Lenworth. From there, the rest of the quadrant was open to him. Getting to his true destination would take a little more time and effort.

He watched the Liberator Garu move away from him, or he from it. It rotated and then stopped, and then rotated again. Was he spinning or was the Garu? Both in different directions? Hollet 1 would have been able to tell him, and then shown him the calculations to be able to predict what would happen next. For Point-Two, it was enough to watch his home for the last twenty three-years perform a strange dance of farewell against the abyss of space.

***

"Are you sure there isn't something more to it?" asked Admiral Joliet.

"Yes, sir," said Geezy. "He doesn't even know where he's going himself."

"I don't like it. It was all too neatly handled. This was planned."

"I've been watching him for the last ten years," said Geezy. "I know him. I assure you, Admiral, he won't be coming back. I think he might even be happy to be leaving. He never really fitted in."

"I know," said the admiral, "that's what was interesting about him. I want him followed."

"Yes, sir. I placed a tracking device on him. I don't think there's anything to worry about, but we'll know exactly where he is."