He had just wanted to be understood. Councillor Esik seemed to do so. But did his mother? She was the one who would judge him ultimately. He searched her face.
Her eyes met his, but then they drifted to his father, Thadden Voor, who stood behind Khoth. His mother was High Councillor. In many ways, she stood alone. But his father had always been her touchstone. His father had urged his mother to recuse herself from this Tribunal. Khoth had hidden and watched them decide part of his fate.
“You think that my emotions will cloud my judgment?” She had asked his father as she had paced the length of their communal room in their home.
“I am saying that it does not matter. Whatever you do, whatever punishment you give, it will never be thought neutral,” his father had patiently explained as he stood still in the very center of the circular space. “Punish Khoth too harshly and there will be those who say that you are doing so not for his bad judgment, but for grief over our daughter’s loss. Punish him too lightly and they will think you are protecting him.”
“My punishment will neither be too hard or too light.” She stopped pacing. She crossed her arms at the wrists behind her back and stood stiffly, almost as if to attention even though she had been his father’s Commander when they met.
“I do not doubt that. But others will always believe that no matter what punishment you give that it is wrong,” his father had answered her smoothly. “That is why you must recuse yourself so that Khoth is not only justly judged but that there is a perception that he was.”
His mother had gone silent, but then she lifted her chin and said, “You know I cannot. Because to recuse myself is to show weakness. It is to say that I care more for what others think than my own judgment. I will lose face and we will lose control of the Council.”
His father had sighed and Khoth had wondered if his father believed they already had due to Khoth’s actions. Now, here they were, with his mother about to pronounce judgment upon him.
“Councillor Esik,” his mother stated without looking at the man to her left, “your words are wise as always. You see Commander Khoth’s motivations quite clearly.”
Councillor Ardath let out a sharp laugh. “Found a way to pardon your boy, High Councillor Nova?”
I just want you to understand, Mother, that I did not do this to dishonor you or Daesah or The Illumen Alliance. I did this to save us, Khoth thought.
His mother though ignored Councillor Ardath’s sneering comment and continued on as if nothing had been said, “But…”
Khoth tensed. But?
“But you still broke the Rule.” She lifted a hand, anticipating that he was about to speak, “For a good reason. And, maybe, you had to break it.”
Khoth blinked. Did she understand? Could she forgive him?
She continued, “But…”
But?
He leaned forward. It felt like every cell of his being was waiting for her judgment.
“Everything you’ve said is true, Commander Khoth. If the Khul had managed to assimilate her, they would have known things that would have crippled us,” his mother said. “They would have been able to anticipate our every move. And we would have been scrambling, back-footed, and in great danger.”
His eyes flickered over her face. She understood! She knew he had not betrayed the Alliance! He had not broken the Rule simply out of grief or love or any of those trifling emotions.
“You did this thing for us all,” she said with a nod. But then she met his gaze. “Which is why you will not be exiled.”
Khoth let out a breath even as Councillor Ardath hissed coldly.
“But there is no question… my son…,” she paused then and he froze. “There is no question that you broke our most sacred Rule and there must be consequences. For if there are not, others might do the same for reasons as good and not as good as yours. If one infected gets back to one of the Illumen’s worlds… it would be disastrous.”
He knew that. Before the Rule had been instituted people had brought their loved ones home and had hidden it from the authorities. Whole worlds had been lost this way. But after the Rule, the spread had thought.
“Your punishment, therefore, is to go to Earth,” she stated.
He stared at her. He couldn’t quite believe what she was saying and he was hearing.
Earth?!
Earth…
That was the name of the human homeworld.
“That cannot be…” Khoth stated. “There are no Khul anywhere near Earth. Not since that single ship malfunctioned and crashed there!”
