This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. Captain Vir Stood facing them, as the two Military MPs pulled his hands behind his back locking the energy cuffs around his wrists. Krill stepped in to stop Sunny as she took a step forward eyes wide with confusion and worry.

From where he stood flanked by two massive MPs, the Captain lifted his head, "It'll be alright, Sunny, Krill, this is just a mistake..... It will be alright." Despite the reassuring smile on his face, his single eye was wide with worry, the usually blushed human skin of his face had turned white. Though he did not struggle against the arms that held him, he did struggle against something more internal.

"What are the charges?" Sunny demanded. Looking up, the two MPs stared at her in immense distrust and readiness, "I said, what are the charges?" She demanded her looming height casting a shadow. "Don't you humans have laws for this sort of thing!"

"Sunny, calm down, let them speak." He turned to look at the MPs who had gone from wary to calm and collected.

"Adam Vir, Captain in the USPC Space Corpse, you are hereby charged with the unlawful divulgence of state secrets, the harboring of non-military personnel aboard a military ship, action without order, and the harboring of an enemy agent. Your court martial trial will be held in one month's time to refute this counts before UN representatives and Military council. Your rights, if you do not know them will be read to you at your request."

"I know my rights", Vir whispered before looking to Sunny and Krill, "Contact the crew, tell them what's going on. I'm going to need them, and don't worry about me, I'll be just fine. Keep your heads, and don't get into any trouble. Follow the signs back to the LA Interplanetary terminal and show them your passes that will get you back to the moon. You can call the rest of the crew from there. Please stay safe." They were dragging him off now pulling him in increments to the armored vehicle parked off to the side hovering with its glowing blue power source underneath.

Sunny stepped forward again, and Krill stopped her again, "No Sunny, You'll only make it worse."

Captain Vir was pushed into the back of the truck sitting down with his hands cuffed behind his back. He looked up from where he was sitting, the smile had dropped from his face.

***

The sky above the Martian desert was a misty grey blue. Despite its similarity to earth, it had never lost its more grey than blue horizon. The cities were built upon gravity mats, a task implemented by earth after studying the negative effects upon humans living on a planet with only 38% gravity. Maybe you can terraform, change the atmosphere, but you cannot change an entire planet's gravity.

Krill had been staring out the window of the courtroom until this point. It was a marvelous affair of human engineering specifically designed to intimidate the people who stood on the floor. The viewing gallery sat just behind the desks rising up a good seven or eight rows. At the very front of the room, a massive semi-circular desk took up almost a third of the room framed by the equally massive set of windows looing out on a Martian horizon.

The room was almost full. Many crew members sat in the gallery while Krill and Sunny had been urged to sit as witnesses for the defense. At the head of the room, the semicircle desk was filled to the brim with generals, admirals, commanders, and delegated members of the UN. Sunny shifted in her seat as half of the room collectively glowered at her form the stand.

A lot of these men had been part of the battle with the Drev, and some of them had been part of operation Steel Eye, there was a lot of anger in this room. Additionally, members of the Galactic Assembly were there, and upon seeing Sunny they had gone very stiff and very silent staring at her with fear in their eyes, fear that Sunny had come to loathe.

It was ten that Captain Vir was escorted into the room. He was wearing his uniform dressed up to the nines, the uninform that includes all the ribbons, bars, captains cap, and a tie, it was dark grey in color.

He looked up at them encouragingly from where he stood. Sunny did a double take when she saw his face: the eyepatch was gone replaced by a complete and working eye. Form this distance it almost looked real despite for an odd mechanical shimmer over the iris. Though it looked normal, the captain kept blinking and rubbing at the eye with a horribly uncomfortable look on his face. Tears shimmered on the face of the mechanical eye. Sunny shifted nervously in her seat. He had never traded his eye patch for an eye..... she was beginning to understand just how serious things were shaping up to be.

Krill and Sunny sat through the early portion of the hearing fidgeting and sickened as the groundwork was laid before them. Human politics became clear and evident within the first few minutes. Sunny was stunned and shocked to hear the things the other humans were saying, the things they had said behind the captain's back. She had always assumed that the humans were relatively open and free with each other, helpful and supportive.... But.... But this was something else.

They told a story about a man who looked for every opportunity to go rogue from the army, to disobey orders, and start unauthorized contact with alien races. Because of hi humans were being given a bad rap all over the galaxy. Galactic laws were based primarily on him and his crew all against USPC orders. Not only that, but he had two unauthorized aliens aboard his ship who were unregistered in the USPC, and were likely privy to classified military information which, by itself, was enough to send him to a class B penal colony for the rest of the foreseeable future. This was only made worse by the fact he had allowed an alien raced deemed public enemy number 1 aboard his ship.

A fight broke out in the gallery upon this revelation, and a group of marines had to be dragged from the room yelling and screaming about the unfairness of it all. Captain Vir remained absolutely silent during the entire think looking on in worry for his marines as they were carted away.

"Captain Vir, how do you plea."

He straightened himself up and took a deep breath, "Not guilty, Sir." Up on the stand the group of officers sat back in their chairs. Some seemed angry, others worried, the Galactic assembly members were absolutely baffled but not at the Captain, instead towards behavior of the other humans.

Next to the Captain, another man in similar uniform took to the floor beginning an eloquent speech on behalf of the captain which lasted for many minutes minutely detailing the truth of these matters, "If you look at his spotless military record, you would know that Captain Vir has never done anything that was contrary to the needs of earth. During first contact with the galactic assembly he was essential in the continuance of peaceful negotiations during a tense encounter, after these incidents, he almost gave his life in service during the Drev War, and received a purple heart and a bronze star for his bravery. Even after all of that, he returned to the USPC to continue aiding his planet, and was rewarded, by members of this council I might add, with a ship of his own. Additionally, I am here to remind the court that his original instructions were to and I quote 'Foster feelings of good report between the human race and members of the galactic alliance', as such, he is, in times of need, authorized to act on behalf of the Galactic Assembly." The lawyer paused for a moment looking around the room, "This means that the USPC gave up right to complete control over the captain and his crew, who have saved countless planets, species, and his own crew from destruction, invasion, sickness, and poor diplomatic relations. The laws the galactic assembly have put into place have done nothing but foster good will between our two groups, and ensured the safety of humans. All loss of life detailed in the captain's exploits have been a direct result of self-defense, or the defense of children. These facts alone clearly refute the charge of action without order"

"As for the aliens, I would have Krill of the Vrul take the stand."

Sunny watched with pent up breath as krill scuttled onto the stand openly an aggressively examined and cross examined before the group of humans. He never showed confusion or worry, always stating the facts, always perfectly honest. When asked about the divulgence of state secrets he openly said that he had never been privy to the military Intel of the captain as a medic aboard the ship. In fact, all the information he had could be found on the open crew database of the bridge computers, which anyone of any rank could access. When asked on how he was picked up for the crew he responded with a story about fixing the captain's damaged eye after an unfortunate accident, and the crew's need for a well-versed medic this far out in space with knowledge of alien diseases and pathologies.

"As it seems to me, anyone intent on fostering good will between humans and the galactic community would be wise to allow non-humans aboard his ship especially one with extensive medical knowledge Furthermore allegations of divulging state secrets was immediately refuted, There was no proof the captain had let anything slip that had not previously been declassified. All information Krill had was public knowledge to anyone with access to crew computers, and this included civilian analysts between docking and voyages.

There were no official rulings set in place as to the harboring of aliens aboard a ship other than the arbitrary ones command had come up with in response to the Drev threat they were so intimidated by.

Sunny was called to the stand next and nervously made her way up sitting down in the small, human sized seat in front of all those watching eyes.

"State your name for the court."

"Sunny....."

"Just Sunny?"

"Yes, the Drev only have one name, unless you wish for my military title... Squadron leader Sunny."

"And you fought during the Drev war?"

She nodded, she wasn't sure what to say. She didn't know how to lie, and she had a feeling that any attempt would only make things worse, so she lowered her head, "Yes, I did."

"And during the war, did you hurt humans."

She shuffled in her seat, "Yes...."

"How many." The lawyer demanded eyeing her with his distinctly predatory eyes

"Hundreds.... I cannot be sure how many." The room shifted uncomfortably, and she had trouble looking towards captain Vir, she felt so helpless, she wasn't good with words, she couldn't help him like he needed.

"Do you remember any of those humans that you killed, that you hurt?"

"Objection your honor!" Cried he defense lawyer glowering at the wolfish human as he grinned on with a malicious sneer.

A hand was raised, "Let him speak."

"Yes.... I remember them....." She shad softly ringing two sets of her hands together. She didn't remember picking that up from the humans

"Do you know any by name?"

"Yes." She sunk further into her chair

The layer seemed surprised, but he continued on with a shrug, "Who?"

...., "Adam Vir."

There was a gasp about the courtroom, as the groups stared on in shock and disbelief at her as she looked down at her hands. The voices rose for a long moment before something hard and loud was slammed against the counter, "SILENCE!" It died down.

"How did you hurt him?" The man wondered.

Sunny hunched further into her seat, "I.... I tore off his leg." The court room was dead silent now as the humans looked on in horror and confusion.

The grinning, wolfish layer turned to the judge, "As you can see, Sir. A killer, no man in his right mind would let the creature that tore his leg apart aboard his ship. If anything this calls his sanity into question, and at worst it calls into question his loyalty."

"Objection your honor!"

"Go on."

"This act proves nothing about honor, or loyalty. This proves a man who has an amazing capacity to forgive. As I have been told, Sunny approached Captain Vir seeking forgiveness and a desire to learn from the humans. He did not bring her on board with full trust, and spent months as we are now, skeptical, but she has proven her loyalty, has visited earth, and not once in that time has she caused injury. I must hereby remind the court that this is not a trial for the Drev. Humans have warred with each other for centuries, we make war personal, but the Drev do not. Like the south and the north, Europe and America, the allies and the axis, we have fought and we can forgive. The prosecution has no proof my client has divulged state secrets, harbored unlawful passengers, or acted without order."

The room rumbled again.

The prosecutor was smiling, Sunny didn't like that smile, "Isn't it true, that the Drev are not members of the Galactic Assembly."

A horrible silence.

The grin on the face of the prosecutor grew larger, "If anything, by your own logic this Drev's presence aboard the ship is NOT to 'foster good will in the galactic community' she is, in fact, ostracized from the community, proving that the captain acted in his own self-interest, and against the outstanding orders of the USPC and the galactic assembly. This Drev does not belong aboard a Galactic Assembly or USPC ship especially not without express acceptance from either organization."

Captain Vir went white, the court room erupted, and the defense lawyer demanded an immediate recess. He was granted his request and Sunny was hurried from the stand in shock and horror. She wanted to scream, to rip something apart. She watched as the captain was hurried away both real and fake eye wide with worry and sickness. She milled with the others for a good half hour huddled with the marines, and the flight crew all looking on in horror.

Then the court was called back into session, and the two men came walking back into the room. They were sparingly calm for the situation standing behind their desk. Sunny sat nervously expecting a horrible verdict, but she was immediately called back to the stand. In confusion, she went back up.

The defense attorney stood, "Sunny, are the Drev tribal?"

"Um... yes, I suppose in human terms, we are."

"And you often war with one another for power?"

"Yes, very often, sometimes for power, status, or resources."

"Do you ever integrate a member of another clan into your own?" The man wondered. To the side the other lawyer was looking on in suspicion. He didn't know where this was going.

"Yes, sometimes."

"How is this done?"

"A gift is usually offered, one to make the person one with the tribe. When they wear it, they are immediately adopted into our lineages, they have full rights in our clan and government. They may duel upon request, and can become reconciler if they so wish."

The man then turned to the judge, "And you know the ruling of Dawson V Cybercorp?"

The judge furrowed his eyebrows, "The case that ruled body modifications, implantations, and prosthetics were considered part of a person, and if tampered with constituted as assault rather than property damage?"

A smile, "In that case." He turned looking at the captain, who, stepped forward onto the floor. Placed his foot on a nearby chair, and pulled up the pant leg on his uniform.

The light that cut through the room was bright blue and metallic. It hand an unusually inhuman set of joints, and Sunny recognized it immediately.

He was wearing the prosthetic.

"In accordance with Dawson V Cybercorp and the traditions of the Drev tribal law. That leg is part of Captain Vir, it includes armor taken From Sunny's own person. This was a gift to him from Sunny to integrate him into her tribe. Therefor as a member of the Drev, that means that the Drev, or Sunny's tribe is part of the Galactic Assembly by default."