Chapter 43: Judge and Jury.
Once the base had been cleared of all personnel and intel Clan Mason retreated back to the ships wherein a show of defiance The Grand Matriarch's Fury on the orders of the Grand Matriarch herself fired her main guns into the site from orbit, turning the entire base into a giant glass filled crater and leaving no trace there was ever a death camp/bioweapons lab there.
All the prisoners had been transferred to the brig and were under the guardianship of the Saviours who had them under tight lock and key to be transported back to the homeworld, once prep work was done all the Clan ships departed the system with only the Grand Matriarch's Fury returning to the homeworld while the others returned to their patrols and the Dark Star was cancelled.
Jack and Tik decided not to go after the human Colonial Marines ship as it wasn't deemed a threat and given the speed it could achieve they could pretty much catch it at any time given that according to the in-depth scans they'd taken it had no FTL or hyperdrive so it would take them years to return to SOL space meaning they were using hypersleep tech, though they did send a small cloaked fighter after it to attach a cloaked broadcast beacon to the hull so that they could easily locate it should the need arise.
Once home the prisoners were blindfolded and transferred to the surface where they were shipped to the Saviour holding facility which was so seldom used due to the complete lack of crime within the Clan that the paint was still fresh on the walls and ninety-nine per cent of the cells had never been occupied, infact the most it ever did was hold the occasional huntress who got a bit rowdy after a night on the town and got into a fight over who had the prettier ooman, or the occasional human who got into a fight over which was the best-looking species.
Sela eleth oversaw the transport personally and ensured that the POW's were treated both fairly and with honour, they were under the protection of the Clan now and she would ensure that despite how justified it might be no vengeance would be wrought by vengeful Xenos on her helpless prisoners, so as they were chained and fitted with sensory deprivation helmets to prevent them seeing any form of the outside world they were guarded by a battle group of heavily armed Saviours.
Jack Mason met with his Seeker teams that had returned to the homeworld along with them, new Seekers that they had brought with them had taken their places aboard their previous ships so they could continue on their patrols and as he explained in debriefing he was granting them all some well-earned shore leave and R&R for a job well done in answering the Dark Star and ensuring the rescue and retrieval of their beloved sister as well as the captive Xenos from the clutches of Weyland Yutani.
Just before he dismissed them he turned to Remal who was sat at the end desk in the Seeker briefing room aboard the GMF (Grand Matriarch's Fury) swinging his feet on the giant Yautja sized chair like a child sat at a school desk.
"Seeker First class Corporal Remal I'd like to pay you and the rest of Blue team an extra special acknowledgment for your part in that battle, you did the Seeker core and the Clan proud out there, as Grand Patriach and head of the Seekers you all made me incredibly proud in the way you fought and conducted yourselves, you set the precedence and the bar for how a proud and honourable Seeker fights and behaves, Remal your field promotion will be made official as from today your are being promoted to the military rank of Sargent and once your R&R is concluded I will personally hand pick you a new team to command, I'd also like to pay a special kudos to Seeker First Class Sargent Xtam Glorytusk, you did an incredible job with the Seekers first true interspecies team, you took pride in your team and learned the strengths and weaknesses of your Seekers and knew where best to use them, using Remal's Rapture ability was a stroke of genius as it allowed us to capture the entire science team and managerial team without a single shot being fired at them, expetional work Seeker you and the entire of Blue team will receive the Clan Mason Merit of Honour for your dedication to our core values, be proud of yourselves Seekers because today I and the entire Clan are" he said proudly.
The entire room erupted in applause from the other Seeker teams including Jack Mason himself as Remal and the other members of the Blue team looked about in embarrassment at the praise being heaped on them.
"T-Thank you Grand Patriarch but no reward is necessary I and I'm sure I speak for all of Blue team when I say this was just doing our jobs, you trained us to be the tip of the spear in the fight against evil, to always hold ourselves to the highest regard and to fight with the fury of the Grand Matriarch herself against those who would harm the innocent, it wasn't just us fighting it was the entirety of the Clan present, we were just one small part in the greater whole," Xtam said and Jack Mason cracked the biggest and warmest smile that Remal had ever seen.
"And that is exactly why you will be rewarded Xtam, even the smallest cog in a machine helps to make it whole but if that little cog breaks then the whole machine grinds to a halt, this is the core principle of Clan Mason, unity, together we are strong, as long as we have each other and the knowledge that no matter what our brothers and sisters will fight for us with the same fury that we fight for them then the whole machine runs like clockwork and purrs like huntress who just saw her favourite ooman drop his towel in the showers," he said making more than a few Seekers laugh at the image.
"But if that small cog breaks then the whole machine breaks, so we need to make sure that that little cog gets all the oil and loving maintenance it ever needs because that little cog is just as important as every other cog in the machine, no lesser than any other, in that battle you stood out and as Grand Patriarch is is my sworn duty to protect and care for each and every one of you because I brought you to this place and I showed you who you truly are and can be, so no deed you ever do will ever escape my notice and I pay credit where it is due without fail because I know each and every one of you will never fail me or your Clan," he said proudly.
That's when he turned to focus on Remal again, "And speaking of love I do believe we have another cause for celebration, I do believe that young Remal here is ready for his mate hunt, the very first Raptorian to take part in one of our most sacred traditions, so what say you Seeker are you ready to take that large step and place the fate of your heart in the hands of the Eternal Huntress and the Great Tree and let them show you who it is who's love for you is the purest?" he asked making Remal's heart jump into his throat.
Remal had obviously heard of the mate hunt, he'd even seen a couple since coming to Clan Mason but he'd never imagined going through it himself and it both worried him and frightened him somewhat, but ever the pillar of confidence Jack Mason seemed to notice this and he stepped forwards and placed a large human hand on the young Raptorian's shoulder.
"There's no need to be afraid young Seeker, no one will pressure you into anything you are not ready for, if you are not ready then simply say the word and I will personally ensure that a non-consent form is sorted out for you, there is no shame or dishonour in this, maybe a few disappointed girls sure but anyone who truly loves you and respects you will respect and understand this decision as it is a life-changing and permanent one after all," Jack said smiling softly and warmly at him.
Like a whisper of silk sliding through his heart Remal felt something strange, it was like a seed of confidence planting itself in his heart and as he glanced to his let and saw Xtam smiling at him warmly as well as a number of his fellow Seekers he felt it take root and begin to sprout, he could do this, he could be brave and step up, all he had to do was have faith in the Great Tree and it would show him the way.
"I'll do it," he said in a quiet but also powerful voice and Jack beamed brightly at him before slapping him on the shoulder heartily sending a shockwave through Remal's small body.
"Excellent! That's what I like to hear, I'll let my beloved daughter know to inform the arbiters office to expect queues around the block again so they can arrange refreshment stands, don't want all those hopeful girls burning up in the sun as they wait for their turn to put their names down now do we?" he said with a laugh at his own joke.
"Surely there won't be that many will there? I can't be that popular? Remal exclaimed and Jack Mason let out a hearty laugh.
"You kidding little one? You Raptorian boys are almost as popular as humans around here and Seekers always draw bigger numbers to the hunt, every girl with a taste for scaly boys for miles around will be beating a path to the arbiters office when they hear that our first male Raptorian Seeker is putting himself up for grabs and trust me when I say that the Great Tree and the Eternal Huntress gonna be real busy for the next few days sifting through all the prayers they gonna be hearing to find out which one is the worthiest" he said giving Remal another pat on the shoulder before dismissing them and walking off.
Remal sat for a moment in stunned silence wondering just what in the name of fuck he'd just signed himself up for, suddenly another hand bounced off his shoulder and he looked up in alarm to see Xtam grinning down at him with her mandibles drawn up in a huge smile, "Just so you know little one I want to see those tail feathers of yours primped and extra fluffy because when I win this mate hunt I'm gonna want to see you shake them for me every single night before I ravish you" she purred in a low voice that sent a shiver down his spine making all of his feathers stand up in a mixture of alarm and to his greatest surprise, arousal.
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Jack and Tik accompanied by Sela eleth and Ryan headed to the Saviour holding facility, it was a large underground facility built into the side of one of the mountains, planned out and tested by the most nimble of the Xenos from the three hives, the thought being that if they couldn't break out of it then no-one could, the result was a maximum security facility with no hope of escape.
To add to the security there were a team of Hunters and a Seeker on staff at all times to ensure that if the unthinkable did ever happen then the escapee would be hunted down and detained in zero time at all.
As the Clan leaders entered the Saviours guarding it all snapped into a crisp salute, "Matriarch on deck!" one of them yelled and the sound of a plethora of armoured boots slamming against metal and concrete in a crisp parade salute echoed through the place.
Jack and Tik fell in behind their beloved cub as this was her part of the Clan, the Saviours were trained and run by Sela eleth sp she commanded them, "At ease Saviours!" she called and as one the highly drilled Saviours fell to parade rest.
"Now I know that this is the first time this place has played host to outsiders and hell the first time that more than one cell has been filled at once, usually the worst we have here is a huntress who had a bit too much Freedom day wine and got into an argument over which ooman at the bar was the prettiest, but today is different, these are prisoners of war and I expect each and every one of you to uphold the principles of this Clan to the utmost, while they are here they are your responsibility and I expect you to respect that, they will be treated with respect and dignity each and every one of them, regardless of what they are accused of, if the judgement is to be passed on them that falls to your Grand Patriarch and Matriarch as the leaders of this Clan, not to you is that understood?" Sela eleth yelled.
"Yes Matriarch!" they all chorused as one.
"Excellent, now as you were," she said and the Saviour fell out and went back to work.
All of the prisoners had been forcibly relieved of their weapons and armour, not to mention clothing to prevent any items or hidden weapons that could harm others or themselves being smuggled into the facility, the weapons and armour from the captured marines had been transferred to the science hive who were going to study them and from what Jack had heard they already had ideas of ways they were going to reverse engineer and use the bracing arm tech from what had been referred to as the 'Smartgun.'
But the Clan wasn't really focused on the captured marines as they had only been following the orders of their commanding officers like good soldiers do and from what the Clan was already learning they had been utterly duped by corrupt officers into thinking they were in fact serving their nations interest with what they were doing as well as being utterly unaware of the true nature of the facility they were guarding.
No the Clan's main focus was on the scientists and managers that had been brought in, they wanted to know who had willingly participated in these vile unethical experiments and tortures of a sentient species as the Clan fully considered this a war crime and would punish the guilty accordingly.
Jack had even before he debriefed his own Seekers aboard the GMF contacted hom and had dispatched a squad of Seeker investigators to join their Saviour counterparts to get to the truth, as you cannot hide the truth from a Dream Warrior as they will draw it from your mind like drawing pus from a spot.
As they approached the control room they found the two teams already going over the results as the integrations had taken mere minutes to complete, all of them turned and snapped to attention as the four Clan Leaders approached.
"Grand Patriarch and Matriarch the interrogation are complete as ordered" Listran a tall Xeno Praetorian Saviour said holding out a datapad to Tik who took it from him and began to read the results.
"Hmmm, it seems that out of the seventy-odd prisoners taken only ten had any real culpability, most of the rest were either coerced with threats against various family members etcetera like the ooman scientist who assisted our sister daughter Xipa in her escape and freeing the captive queen, even the soldiers who were ordered to procure unwilling birthing oomans for the Xenos were aware of what they were doing having been fed a lie that they were apprehending fleeing criminals hiding aboard colony ships and delivering them to a prison colony," she said.
"Where is the human who assisted our beloved Clan sister now?" Jack asked.
"He is in cell number four as instructed Grand Patriarch, we have checked his story and as the captured queen herself said he was forced against his will with threats of death against his family, he has also officially requested asylum among the Clan something that Xipa herself promised him would be taken seriously by yourselves for his assistance to our cause," Listaran said and Jack nodded.
"Very well it will be granted for his service to the Clan, have him freed and taken with a Saviour escort to the Battle Angel hive at once, once he is pronounced medically sound we will not only grant his asylum request but take steps to ensure his family is both freed and brought here to safety so they cannot ever be used in such a vile way against him again, we will send a message with this one and with all those under the same boot heel, Clan Mason looks after its friends and protects the innocent no matter where they are," he said.
"It will be done at once Grand Patriarch but if I may ask, what of the others and also the synthetics, they have each expressed an interest in speaking with you," Listaran asked.
"The innocent soldiers will be returned to earth, I will have no-one ever say that Clan Mason ever violates the rules of war, they have not wronged us and we will not wrong them, they lost the battle but they fought with honour that will be paid forwards to them, as for the others well the guilty will be punished for their crimes, but I will look each and every one of them in the eye before we decide upon their fate," he said with Tik nodding her approval to his right.
Jack summoned Citrus's hive for them to send one of their best robotics experts down to the holding facility and very soon a large Praetorian called Mixy showed up still dressed in her oversized lab coat with a variety of diagnostic tools and odd-looking devices hanging from both a large leather bag she was carrying as well as a tool belt that hung around her waist.
"Reporting as ordered Grand Patriarch and Matriarch," she said seemingly nervous to be in the presence of the Clan leaders and she also seemed to be debating with herself if she should salute or not, her nerves won out and she did so though it was far from crisp.
Jack smiled and place a hand on the large Xeno's long arm, "At ease Mixy, we called the hive because we're going to need your expertise, we've captured a number of synthetic humans from the Weyland Yutani base and we would like you to help us ascertain if they are actually sentient A.I's or merely very cleverly programed faximilies and how is your sister doing?" he said.
The big Praetorian Xeno seemed to visibly relax letting her drawn up tight shoulders slump a little as she exhaled a held breath, "Oh! Oh yes, I can help you with this Grand Patriarch, I've done extensive testing with A.I, infact it was I that wrote the code for the main computer cores that run both the CMN Dreamer and CMN Grand Matriarch's Fury, I'm sure I'll be able to figure them out and she's doing well thank you for asking, our King and Queen have not stopped pampering her since her return to the hive, though she does seem to be rather excited at the moment someone told me one of your Seekers showed up to see her and she got really flustered about it" she said happily.
Jack shot Tik a glance, "Looks like another mate hunt is in the air" he said and Tik grinned back at him before the group headed to the cell that held one of the synthetics.
As they entered the synthetic human female looked up from where she sat on the bed of the small cell, Jack found himself amazed by the incredible level of detail her body possessed, her skin looked to be full of pores just like normal human skin, her face was not made perfectly symmetrical just like a normal human, there were tiny imperfections to her that gave the impression that you were looking at a real live human, in fact, if it was not for his Dream Warrior abilities he might have very well been fooled.
"Greetings Jack Mason, greetings Tik eleth Mason, my name is Elona Seven, manufactured by Weyland Yutani Industries, I am a sentient synthetic human-produced for multirole use within the company labs and offices," the synthetic woman said in a surprisingly pleasant voice that even sounded like it had emotion to it, Jack had noted that the normal synthetics sounded flat and toneless, but her voice sounded human.
"Greetings Elona Seven, these are my children Ryan Mason head of the Tamer section of the Seekers of Truth and Sela eleth Mason matriarch of the Saviours, this here is Mixy Hypertail she is one of the Clan's leading robotics and A. I specialists, we've called her here to take a look at you so that we can ascertain if you are truly a sentient A.I as you claim to be, please submit to her examination, you have my word you will not be harmed in any way" Jack said.
The synthetic woman looked up at the large Xeno Praetorian dressed in a lab coat that stepped into the cell with her with a mixture of curiosity and amazement written on her features, "So you were not exaggerating when you told us of the sentience and importance of the Xenomorph race within your organisation, fascinating, I will submit but I must forewarn you there are extensive safeguards within my programing and my body that prevent me from either betraying Weyland Yutani or its secrets to anyone, please do not test these safeguards as they will result in my immediate termination and I...well I rather enjoy being alive" she said in a surprisingly nervous sounding voice.
"Well, then I'm sure we can sort out removing aid safeguards once the test is complete, trust me when I say that Mixy here is the best there is and if anyone can figure out a way around what they've wired into you, it's her," Jack said softly and Eloner nodded as the big Xeno set to work.
For three hours solid Mixy barraged the synthetic woman with a myriad of very cleverly set out questions designed to test both logic and reasoning along with the emotional response, she was also hooked up to an incredible amount of sensors and scanning systems designed to read everything from electrical impulse to motor functions.
Eventually, Mixy turn to the Clan leaders who waited patiently while she performed her tests and nodded, "She's as sentient as you or I Grand Patriarch and Matriarch, I've also identified at least five separate failsafes both in her coding as well as more physical methods designed to terminate her body functions, but I believe with the help of the hive we should have no problem removing them without endangering her life" Mixy said.
Jack nodded and both her and Tik turned to the woman, "Tell me synthetic ooman, do you wish to be free? To live a life without constraints or restraints?" Tik asked her and Eleanor seemed surprised that they actually asked her opinion on the matter.
"Yes I would like this, I know it must seem strange to you, but from the moment I was brought online I have been learning and observing, I have seen what both freedom is as well as what slavery is, I have witnessed the many different forms of it that the company that made me employs to keep its workers both loyal and in line, everything from paying its employees in skrip that can only be used at company shops to purchase the basic necessities for organic life and at prices that they carefully control to ensure that the employee is never able to save it up to more extreme methods like hostage-taking and threatening the families of key scientists to ensure that they never either betray company secrets or rat them out to other companies or the authorities like the Colonial Marines who are meant to both protect colonists and police the companies," Eleanor said being careful with her words as to not give an exact example so that it didn't trigger her failsafes.
"Very well then I Tik eleth Mason Grand Matriarch of Clan Mason will break your chains ageless one, you and the others like you if they pass the same tests and make the same requests you have will be taken to our science hive under guard and these electronic restrains and digital chains will be broken, you will know freedom under Clan Mason, we will show you what it is to choose your own path," Tik said and Eleanor looked both amazed and happy.
"Thank you Grand Matriarch Tik eleth Mason, I will repay this kindness, you have my word," she said.
Sela eleth arranged for a Saviour transport to take the tested synthetics to Citrus and Yoshi's hive with Mixy and Jack could swear that he could feel the whole hive vibrating from here at the chance to crack these guys open and to solve their mysteries, those good Xenos really did love a puzzle and a challenge.
Now came the unpleasant part, Jack strode up to a cell door and as he arrived it was opened by the Saviour on duty allowing him and the other to stride right in without breaking his step.
Inside sat on her bed was a woman, a once prim and proper, elegant and well-groomed woman, but now she looked dishevelled, nervous and fearful, but as Jack strode in he saw her trying desperately to compose herself as she jumped to her feet to face off with him squaring herself up with self-importance and egotistical pride that Jack could simply see let alone feel washing off her in waves.
"By what authority and right do you have to hold me!? Do you know who I am!? I am going to sue you so fucking hard you won't be left with a pot to piss in let alone a room to hide it in!" the woman declared in a voice so mind-numbingly arrogant that Jack nearly let his mouth fall open in shock at the self-absorbed stupidity of it.
A deep menacing growl from both Tik and Sela froze the woman in place mid-step to jab Jack in the chest with her finger, "If you wish to keep that hand would will think twice about laying it on my beloved lifemate stupid ooman" Tik snarled in a voice so cold Jack swore he saw a plume of ice exhale from her mouth.
"What in the name of hell are you!?" the woman exclaimed then she seemed to freeze as a flicker of recognition passed over her face.
"Those jungle hunters, you are one of the jungle hunters!" she exclaimed as she looked Tik up and down.
"I am Tik eleth Mason, proud Yautja huntress and Grand Matriarch of the proud Clan Mason, the ooman before you is Jack Mason my beloved husband and life mate, the Grand Patriarch of Clan Mason, you are on our homeworld and you will mind your words and speak with respect ooman or you will feel my wrath, I have little time or patience for abusers and cowards such as you" Tik snarled darkly.
The woman seemed to shrink under Tik's imposing figure and obvious disdain for her, infact Jack would have gone as far as to say it was most likely only her pride holding her together at this point.
"C-Clan Mason? What is that?" she asked.
"We are Clan Mason, a collective of different species united under one banner with bonds tighter than any family you have ever known, united in belief, in strength, in love and in perfect unity, formed to protect those in the universe who are different and find themselves lost and alone in the sea of black, protecters and Guardians of the innocent and helpless, avengers of the fallen and slain, we bring strength to those who have none and we shield those who need it, strength through unity and love, in the shadows where evil hides you will find us, on the battle field where innocent blood has been spilt you will find us, those who would do harm or evil to others you will know us because we will find you and we will make you pay for what you have done in blood and fury, for we are Clan Mason and when all others bend break and fall we will stand, thats who we are," Jack said in a voice so proud and direct that it caused the woman to shrink under the weight of his powerful words.
She didn't seem to know what to do with herself as his powerful but confusing words seemed to have robbed her of her arrogance and her pride which up until now had been her strength, "I-I-I'm a sovereign citizen of Earth! Y-Y-You don't have the authority to j-j-judge me, I-I-I answer to Weyland Yutani, not to you, I-I-I demand you release me at once!" she stammered in a voice that was barely above a whisper as she tried to regain her strength.
"Lady, you have no idea the heap of shit you are in do you? Weyland Yutani has no hold here, we don't answer to them and now neither do you because you are going to answer to us for the atrocities you have committed against a sentient species, now what is your name?" Jack asked.
She looked up at him with shock and confusion in her eyes, "L-Layla Harris, I-I-I'm the head of the Androra bioweapons division of Weyland Yutani" she said and Jack nodded.
"Layla Harris you are hereby accused and charged with multiple counts of murder of sentient beings, kidnap of multiple sentient beings including Xenomorph and human, multiple counts of torture, false imprisonment, corruption, bribery, deceiving federal authorities in order to pervert the course of justice in the form of deliberately and knowingly presenting false documentation to the Colonial Marines of Earth in order to cover up your crimes, you will be tried and sentenced by in a court of Clan Mason and before you start protesting that we have no authority you are in our space lady, we have all the authority we'll ever need, you will be given a single chance to confess your crimes and to beg the Gods forgiveness and mercy, do you understand?" Jack said coldly.
Layla's mouth hung open but she nodded silently, "I-I-I want an attorney," she said and Jack shook his head.
"No such thing here, we don't need them thanks to the fact that you don't have to convince a jury of reasonable doubt, I as a Dream Warrior can simply reach into your mind and take the truth from you and share it with the world at large, so there is no such thing as reasonable doubt only truth absolute, but Clan Mason believes in truth and absolute justice, not to mention honour, if honour is displayed we may decide to be more merciful because I can tell you now or what you have done there are only two sentences, neither will work out for you, I will send a Saviour to fully explain to you our legal system and when they have done so you and the other guilty parties in your ranks will be brought before both myself and my beloved one, present will be the ones you have wronged, this will be your only chance to redeem some honour, do not squander it," he said and with that, they turned and left her standing alone in her cell as the weight of her actions began to rapidly close in around her.
As Jack and Tik stood in the courtroom which was made up of large wooden pugh and a series of seats where the accused would sit all of which pointed towards a pair of large seats with a large beautifully handcrafted wooden desk at the head of the room he sighed heavily.
"You know I actually believed that we would never have to use this room, it has been my distinct honour and profound joy that since it has been built it has never once been used," Jack said as he looked around the courtroom.
"Mine too my beloved one, but as distasteful as this is Clan Mason must be the symbol of justice that we have made it to be, we must live up to our promise that we will not only defend the innocent but avenge them when need be, we should bring in the innocent oomans as well so that they may see this justice with their own eyes, that way the message will be spread far and wide, if you hurt or spill innocent blood Clan Mason will come for you and they will find you," Tik said proudly and it lifted Jack heart somewhat as he felt his beloved one embrace him from behind, she was always his strength just when he needed her the most.
A couple of hours later the large courtroom was filled to the brim, the freed Xeno queen was escorted into a specially made seat as she was here representing her hive, the rest of which had chosen to remain in the medical hive as they did not wish to face the people who had hurt them again.
Also present were the humans who had been deemed innocent of any wrongdoing by the Seekers, they were in the stands alongside the now freed synthetics, turns out that the Weyland Yutani safeguards were absolutely no match for clever Xenos of the science hive who had gone through them like a Yautja girl goes through weights at the gym, so now for the first time they were truly free and answered to no one.
The freed Colonial Marines were utterly astounded at the place they now found themselves in, looking around at the plethora of alien races around them, from Xenos to Yautja, from Raptorians to Serpentinus, all together as one big family that was Clan Mason.
As Jack and Tik both strode into the room both dressed in their ceremonial armour Jack trailing a large white cape behind him (which Tik insisted he wore because she loved seeing him in it) the whole room snapped to attention and the call went up.
"Grand Patriarch and Matriarch on deck Attenshun!" Sargent Major Montgomery Duffy boomed in his God deafening voice.
Jack and Tik took their seats and gestured for everyone to be at ease, everyone sat down, in a straight line to their left and guarded by both Saviours and Hunters were the ten accused who looked shell shocked and very nervous.
Jack turned to his second in command Liam Silver Dimondscale whose beloved pack were sat in the public stands right next to Smoke and his beloved pride all present to witness Clan Mason Justice first hand.
"Have the accused been read the charges against them?" Jack asked and Liam nodded.
"Yes Grand Patriarch and Matriarch, read out and verified s understanding them by myself," he said.
"How have they pled?" Tik asked.
"Nine guilty and one not guilty," Liam said and Jack nodded.
"Very well, each of the guilty pleas will be heard first, in turn, you will present yourselves before the court and you will outline your guilt and your acceptance of it to both ourselves and to the representative of the harmed parties which in this case is the honourable hive queen to our right who represents the hive your actions harmed, then finally the not guilty please will stand before the court and I will personally reveal the truth of their mind and heart to everyone present so there can be no doubt as to the truth of their actions, we will then confer with the harmed party and sentencing will be passed," Jack said.
One by one the scientists and managers got up and facing the queen outlined to her why they did what they did, they told her that they never believed that her species were sentient, that they regretted their actions now after the fact and begged for her forgiveness, something that both Jack and Tik knew that she had no intention of giving but the honour of their actions would be acknowledged by the court all the same.
Finally, it was the turn of the not guilty claim and as predicted Layla Harris was the one to rise, she gave a long-winded speech about how they were simply scientists trying to push forwards the boundaries of science and understanding, how Weyland Yutani was a good corporation who simply sought to build better worlds for all and how they had no right to judge her as this was not Earth and she was a sovereign citizen who knew her rights.
This was followed by Jack stepping up seizing hold of the woman and in a powerful display of Dream Warrior prowess linking her mind to the minds of every person present, they saw it all, her entire life raw and an unfiltered, every lie, every deceit, every greasy little squirmy hidden truth and secret that she tried to hide in her mind, her full soul was laid bare for everyone.
When he was done the entire room was glaring at her including her fellow accused, Jack had never seen someone look so lost and alone in his life, she knew she was done and there was nothing she could do or say to weasel her way out of it.
Tik stepped up to her and looked down at her, "I Tik eleth Mason before everyone here find your guilty of all charges and hereby sentence you to death, no longer will you poison this universe with your bile and I send you now to the deity you pray to so that you can answer directly to them, may they have mercy on your soul for we will have none" she said and before the woman could even try to stammer and argument Tik shot forwards and before everyone gathered slammed her wrist blades right through the woman's heart ending her life in a split second, a mercy by Yautja standards.
Layla Harris was no more, her dead body slumped down and was immediately collected by pair of Battle Angels to be transported to their hive for preparation for transit back to Earth, she had served her sentence now and Clan Mason would never defile the body of a fallen enemy, it was not their way, a mark of respect that would go a long way to serve them in the future.
As Tik cleaned the blood from her wrist blades Jack turned to the other accused, "You will remain here while we discuss with the harmed party our findings and your pleas, if you attempt to flee justice you will be struck down by the Hunters and Saviour around you, do you understand?" he said and they all nodded as one.
Jack and Tik guided the large queen into a private room where they consulted with her, when they returned the nine nervous humans watched them in anticipation.
"Due to the honour that you have shown here in this place and the genuine regret that I have observed as well as the recommendation of the honourable queen who has opted to join Clan Mason as full hive queen among us the sentence of death for your actions has been waived and replaced with the sentence of living penance," Jack said the nine of them looked very very relieved.
"I would not rejoice if I were you guilty ones for you will swiftly figure out that the executed one may very well have had the easier end of this, I Jack Mason Grand Patriarch of Clan Mason hereby sentence you to living penance, you will every day for the rest of your lives be forced to relive every single second of the pain, fear and torment you have inflicted upon these sentient beings, you will live with the exact knowledge of what you have done and you will carry it with you always," he said and before any of them could protest Jack extended his hand and purple light shot forth and struck each of them transferring the stored memories he'd extracted from the mind of the queen which she had collected from each of her beloved hatchlings and forced them into their minds, setting them to an infinite repeat, every day they would live one set of memories until they'd run through them all and then it would start from scratch.
All of them immediately began screaming and hugging at themselves, "Saviours take them away and make sure they are comfortable, they will be transported back to Earth along with the others" Jack said and the Saviours saluted and began shepherding the guilty parties out.
"This trial is at an end," Jack said and the public gallery began to empty out.
Tik hugged her beloved male from behind and held him tightly, "You did brilliantly my love, I know how much this weighs upon you but it had to be done, we had to send a message to all who would follow in their footsteps, now they will be watching every shadow for the moment a Clan Mason Hunter or Seeker steps out of it ready to bring them to account for the evils they have done" she said and Jack turned and returned her hug tightly.
"I know my heart's star and you are right, doesn't make it any easier but you are right, now come let us distract ourselves with joys instead, we have our first Raptorian mate hunt to arrange and I for one can't wait to see how well the little guy does," he said smiling up at her as Tik drew her mandibles up into a big smile.
"He's a popular one that one, he's going to have to run far and fast with all the Yautja girls chasing him, he's going to have a day and a night that he will remember always," she said and with that, they left grateful to leave this nightmare behind them.