The table gleamed; the crystal goblets and plates with the titanium utensils shone brightly in the lamplight which had been specifically chosen to highlight the colors of the food currently being eaten. Gaderion was past wondering about it or even noticing it; his mother had always liked to put on a show, after all—even for the monthly family meal.
They sat there quietly eating and Gaderion searched his mind for a conversation starter. There had already been the the polite talk about how their careers were going and how well her grandchildren were doing when Gaderion remembered something. "Have you been watching the news feeds, Mother? It's said that the Army picked up Father along with a planetary warlord of some type."
"Hmph. I suppose that he was collaborating with him; it did involve his favorite planet, after all." Severan helped himself to another roll.
"Actually, he turned this 'Warlord' person in." Maxil sawed his knife at a particularly tough piece of meat. "Possibly hopes that the Council will grant some sort of leniency because of that." He snorted. "Unlikely."
"Still doesn't mean that he wasn't in on this whole plan" Severan pointed out. "They could've had a falling out."
"Did any of you hear what happened to Susan? The news feeds don't mention her" Poppea asked worriedly as she reached for the salad.
"He refuses to say" Maxil replied. "Claims not to remember exactly due to his regeneration. I think he's lying."
"Of course he's lying" interrupted Linnea. "Sometimes I wonder if he ever told me the truth about anything."
"He told me the truth several times" laughed Severan. Everyone looked at him. Severan rarely laughed about anything. "I remember asking him about the weather every so often." There was a general round of laughter at the table. When he actually made jokes, Severan could be quite funny.
"The problem is" Maxil resumed. "He's had so many people wandering in and out of his TARDIS along with going to so many places that it would take too large an effort to go through the logs that the authorities don't want to bother. It's not helping anything that his TARDIS refuses to cooperate, either. It should've been broken up for parts long before he got his hands on it."
"Probably counting on that to hide her effectively. You should have realized by now, Poppea, that she's gone completely. Good riddance. She was turning out to be just like him" Severan remarked.
Poppea looked at him angrily. "Like your children, perhaps? They may not have turned out like Father, but they haven't been as successful as you, either."
"His TARDIS could still be broken up if he's sent to jail as everyone expects" pointed out Gaderion, trying to forestall an argument by going back to a slightly earlier topic. "After all, look what he's done: theft, kidnapping, and worst of all; interfering."
"Your Father always fancied himself as some sort of bizarre do-gooder" said Linnea. "It was one of the things I hated about him. Always worrying about 'injustices' going on among the other races. There's a reason that we stay out of their lives, but he refused to listen. Said that we had a responsibility to the universe to see that the other races were guided towards happiness or some such rot. He would've been a better person if he'd just concentrated and applied himself to his work here." She took a sip of her wine. "I was glad that he gave me the opportunity to disavow him."
"Yes, I remember" said Severan. "The moment that you heard that he'd kidnapped Susan and stolen a TARDIS you were at the registrars' office signing the paperwork. Didn't even want the authorities to use the TARDIS Recall, even for the sake of your granddaughter."
She sniffed. "They used it anyway. Apparently one of the first things he'd done was to disable it."
"I wonder what will happen to this Warlord person" said Gaderion. "He did somehow manage to get hold of several TARDIS's after all. If Father wasn't helping him, someone had to be. The news feeds don't mention him either."
"If they don't mention him, then he's probably CIA" pointed out Maxil. "He'll get his. They take care of their own." Everyone shuddered.
"Did any of you get a message from Father?" asked Poppea. "I got one asking to see me."
Severan snorted. "Probably just wants to use you to speak for him with the judges. I got one. I ignored it."
"I was thinking of going" said Gaderion. "I always liked him; even though he was a bit eccentric."
"If you do, don't expect your status to improve" said Maxil. "Consorting with criminals tends to be frowned upon."
"My advice to you all, if it still counts for something" said Linnea. "Is don't go. He wants to be eccentric, let him be that alone. Now let's change topics. I'm sick of hearing about him."
Her children dutifully stopped talking about him and silence reigned once again.