Olmed tuned out. He didn't want or need to hear the lecture. He had heard it all his life. He knew doctrine. The Kantenan way of life. It never changed.
As long as one was believable. Truth was a construct, but it was also a tool. If one could wield it in their own way, one could pave their path.
Raw, unrefined truth, though, was not as believable.
Unfortunately.
His gaze ran over the council. He knew where this was going. It was the same.
He would be given punishment, and he would do as required. An assignment of unimportance or something that no one else wanted to do. Last time it was--
"You will board the ship."
Olmed blinked.
Ship? What ship?
"Considering your past actions, we have not taken this verdict lightly, and our choices were limited.” The councilman sighed. For a moment their eyes met, and Olmed wondered if he would say something.
This was going to go badly, Olmed thought.
“It is the decision of this body that you are no longer Kantenan, and you are not welcome on this planet's soil. "
Olmed stared at the central councilman. "You banish me."
Soft gasps came from the room.
His gut roiled, and he hoped his mother was not aware of this. It would destroy her. She'd been through enough.
The lead council member hit his hand on the table, bringing silence to the room. "The people do not need your disruptions and chaos. Our society has no use for you. You have one standard hour to get off this planet, or you will be killed."
At least they were giving him an hour to get out, rather than killing him where anyone would see.
"So, you release me on the galaxy?" Olmed asked. An interesting choice if they thought he was a liar and a thief.
"You are no longer Kantenan. We do not want or need you here," the council leader said. "Go before we change our decision."
Olmed didn’t speak as he turned to walk out. Guards made sure he made it through the crowds without any contact, though it would not have been hard.
All the observers gave him a wide berth.
Like his rebellious nature would infect them. That just touching him would make them want to tear down society and break as many laws as possible.
As if he were the only Kantenan to—
He wasn’t Kantenan anymore, was he?
Just another homeless humanoid, he supposed. One guard pulled the door open, and he stepped out of the chamber into the hallway.
It could be worth it. He glanced at the roof, seeing the buzzing camera that filmed him walking through. He looked straight at it and nodded. He hoped his mother would see it, and would know he meant that for her. To assure her that he would be well.
He had little faith, but he didn't want his mother to think he was fearful.
She would have told him to be strong.
So, he was.
Even in the wake of this. Not a soul around him showed any sympathy, though. If anything, those eyes on him were all cold and dead. Some spouted curses and other nasty words at him as he moved through, but none had the strength of character to get in his face and say those things.
