DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from Guardians of the Galaxy, either in its movie or comic incarnation. I own any OC I can invent, though. I am not making a £ out of this. It is just for shits and giggles.

Thanks to diarmour and for the reviews. Ronan is always sexy, no matter what.

I hope this makes up for the week of waiting.

Warnings: politics, guilt by the bucketload, expiation journey, some language and Drax being Drax.

Enjoy, and please don't shout at me!

The Council has convened in a large hall in the Imperial Palace.
A large table occupies one end of the room, raised on a squattish dais. Emperor J'son is sitting at the centre of the table, dressed in almost full formal regalia, a cloak of purple streaming from his shoulders. To his right sits Majestrix Lilandra of Shi'ar, to his left Nova Prime, and next to her sits High Priestess Derdriyu, with the rest of the heads of state arranged along the length of the table.
At one end, looking none too happy to be there, sits a grey-haired, grey-bearded old man with a golden eyepatch, Odin All-Father. Ronan recognises him from the descriptions Peter and Loki gave of him.

Loki himself is standing on one side, together with Nebula, Drax, Rocket and Groot.
He is proudly displaying his Jothunn heritage, blue skin and all, and his arm is slung affectionately around Nebula's shoulders.
Odin's gaze shifts angrily between the pair and Ronan's little party as they walk into the hall.

A honour guard of the Sacred Batallion bars their way. Ronan dips his head in a sketchy little bow, feeling the scars on his torso stretch a bit, and hands Keenblade over to him for safekeeping. The man bows in turn and clears the way.
With a last look at Peter and Gamora, Ronan advances alone towards the high-backed chair set below the dais and stops next to it, supporting himself with a hand on the top of the backrest.
The eyes of the entire Council are on him. He ignores the stares. It is nothing different from the proceedings of a Kree court, only he is the accused this time, or at least it feels like.

"I hope that you will forgive me for not kneeling before you, o Councillors. - he offers apologetically - I am not sure I'll be able to stand up again, if I do." he adds with a little wry smile. Just a few more days and he'll be back on the battlefield, but at the moment he is still feeling weak and unbalanced.
"It is understandable, given the circumstances. - Emperor J'son declares, nodding in understanding - Please, take a seat. This Council has many questions for you. It might take a while." he adds. He is striving for formal and neutral, but Ronan knows that Peter's father is on his side and wants to help him.

As strange as it might seem, Emperor J'son considers him family.
In the space of less than two years, he has gone from being the last of his House, lonely and isolated, to being part of a messy, complicated, multispecies clan, from being unable to relate to others, to exchanging vows with two amazing, incredible people.
Legal freedom seems hardly important in comparison with the things he has gained from being a haaq.

He sits down, looking straight at the Councillors, one after the other, without any fear. Whatever their questions, he has nothing to hide.

"Ronan, former Accuser of the Kree, - Nova Prime starts - would you tell this Council how did you come to be taken as a haaq by the so-called Guardians of the Galaxy?" she prods haughtily.
Faced with the perspective of having to re-hash the whole story once more, for a moment, Ronan is tempted to respond in the most succint and restricted way to her question, forcing her to work her way through the whole story question by question, but eventually decides against it.
He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. It needs to be done.

"After the peace treaty between my people and Xandar, I rebelled against the Kree Ruling Council together with a cadre of lesser officers of the army. We became rogue agents and put ourselves in service of Thanos, hoping to use him as a threat against Xandar and obtain a re-negotiation of the iniquitous terms of the treaty. - he narrates, forcing himself to stay detached from the facts - Thanos assigned me two aides, his daughters, and sent me on errands to test my loyalty before he intervened on my behalf. Following his orders, I..." his voice suddenly breaks. He takes another deep breath to steady himself, then turns to glance at Drax.
The Destroyer meets his eyes for a fraction of a second and nods.
Ronan nods back at him. He owes this to Drax and to all the other people who perished because of him.

"Following his orders, I have brought death and destruction to entire corners of the Galaxy. - he confesses - I don't remember how many people I have personally killed, and the number of those that have lost their life because of my actions is likely to be in the tens of thousands. It would have been much higher if the Guardians had not stopped me."

"You are not even attempting to give a varnish of virtue to what you did..." Nova Prime comments.
"Why should I? - Ronan retorts, giving her a withering look - There is no virtue in causing the suffering of innocents, no honour in the slaughter of defenceless civilians. I was too blind with anger and desperation to see that what I was doing was not justice. Now I know." he declares.

"You realise this is not helping your cause, don't you, young man?" Dowager Emperess R'tha chimes in, sounding strangely maternal.
"I wasn't aware I was supposed to help any cause but that of justice. - Ronan replies - This Council wants the truth. This is the truth, no matter how I wish it wasn't so." he adds, feeling his eyes sting with tears. He clenches his fists until his fingernails bite into his palms. It helps him keep his composure.

"Are there no extenuating circumstances to your actions?" the Duchess of Gramosia asks quietly.
"Do they matter faced with the consequences of my actions?" Ronan retorts.
"You are a stern judge of yourself." the Duchess comments. She is a gentle soul, like Peter said, and a glib diplomat, a bit like Derdriyu.
"I was a stern judge of others. - Ronan replies - It would defeat the entire purpose of justice if I held double standards."

Emperor Kl'rt chuckles and shakes his head.
"I am still trying to decide if you are totally nuts, or the sanest among us, blue-face. - he comments - Why don't you say it? The Nova blew up your people, you wanted to blow them up as payback. Revenge is an understandable motivation." he adds, scratching his prominent chin.
"Revenge is useless. It does not bring closure, but tears open more wounds and perpetuates itself. - Ronan retorts, shaking his head - I wanted justice, I wanted to see the perpetrators punished according to the law. I wasn't the only one. Tens of thousands of the Kree have lost loved ones in the Great Fires..."

"This is irrelevant! - Nova Prime intevenes shrilly - We are not here to talk about the Great Fires, but to decide whether this man deserves to be freed!"
"Of course this is relevant, sister! - Derdriyu retorts tersely - I was training as an Accuser myself, before I lost my sight in the Fire of the Great Temple of Hala, and I know that the motive is always worth investigating in a trial." she adds.
"I second High Priestess Derdriyu's objection." Majestrix Lilandra declares, feathers ruffling in agitation.
Emperor J'son gives Nova Prime an apologetic look, thern turns back towards Ronan.
"Go on, if you please." he orders.

Ronan nods.
"Thank you, Councillors. - he says - The Great Fires were a terrible trauma for my people, they were the reason why we kept on fighting an otherwise useless war. The treaty denied us any kind of closure. It put the blame of the war on us, made us into scapegoats. The biggest tragedy in the history of the Kree Empire would have been left forever unpunished." he narrates, looking straight at Nova Prime as he speaks.
Her face is almost perfectly inexpressive, but he can see a hint of worry in her pale eyes.

"I couldn't live with this knowledge. - Ronan continues - I let my anger over this consume me. If there was no justice in this Universe, I would make it with my own hands." he concludes, looking down at his hands and imagining them stained with blood.
"So you are trying to justify yourself, after all..." Nova Prime comments.
Ronan shakes his head.

"No, Madam, I am just explaining myself. - he retorts - There is no justification for what I did, or for what I was about to do to your people. Killing innocents wouldn't have brought my family back, it would have just created more people like me, desperate and broken enough to be unable to acknowledge any solution beyond more violence, more destruction..." he explains.
He thinks of Drax, and of how his actions had nearly pushed him on the same path. How many more people like him are out there because of him?
"It would have just given Thanos more toys to play his deadly game with." he concludes. Tears are blurring his vision and tracking down the furrows of his scars. He wipes them away with the back of his hand and takes a deep breath.
He cannot break now. He has to pull it through.
He owes this to the memory of all the victims of this senseless game.

"Yes, right. About this... - Emperor J'son intervenes, sounding a bit embarrassed - During the previous sessions of this Council, several witnesses have given their statements on this point. The Council now knows that Thanos was manipulating all our governments to breed wars and escalate them to genocidal levels." he declares.
"The Council also knows that Thanos is in possession of the Mind Gem. - Majestrix Lilandra takes over from him - We know that he had been using it on Loki and on you to make you do things that you wouldn't have done otherwise." she adds gently.
Ronan keeps quiet, waiting.

"What my fellow Councillors are trying to say, is that the attack on Xandar had likely been in Thanos' plans for years. - Lilandra continues - He deliberately pushed things to create a situation where it was nearly inevitable that someone would... react." she argues.
Ronan frowns at her words. Are those two trying to give him an easy way out? He doesn't know whether to be grateful or irritated with them for dangling in front of him a boon he cannot accept.

"It is almost certain. - Ronan agrees - Even if I had not, sooner or later someone else would have been pushed to the point of no return and set his plan into motion. That doesn't change the fact that it was me." he adds calmly.
Lilandra gives him a perplexed look. J'son frowns.
"What the hell...?!" he mouths.
Only Derdriyu seems placid as usual. She nods. She understands.

"Thanos might have twisted my mind afterwards, but I went to him willingly, and dragged my comrades to damnation with me. - he continues - I could have taken any other path, but I did not. I chose it of my own free will, and I have been living with the consequences of my choices ever since. I will not start hiding behind a convenient excuse now." he declares, looking defiantly at Nova Prime. She stares back at him in silence for a long moment, then looks down at some notes laid down on the table in front of her and starts fiddling with them.

"Do you regret your choice?" the duchess asks quietly.
"I do. - Ronan replies, even more softly - But my repentance doesn't change my actions." he objects.
"And what about the deeds you have done since your capture? - Emperor J'son intervenes - You have saved many people during the battle of the Temple. You have inspired many to fight against Thanos." he adds, a tiny bit desperate now. Why is he so worried?

"I am glad that I did." Ronan replies. He even manages a small smile.
"But as the saying goes, a good deed doesn't erase a bad one." he adds.
"But it balances it, at least." the Emperor insists.
"Perhaps. This is for you Councillors to judge. - Ronan retorts calmly - I didn't act the way I did to gain, what is the word? Ah, yes, brownie points. I have decided to fight against Thanos because it is Ma'at. Using this decision as a bargaining chip would diminish its significance." he explains.
"Won't you speak in your defence at all?! - J'son exclaims - Not even if remaining silent means that you might spend the rest of your life in a prison, apart from your loved ones?" he asks. There is urgency in his voice, and his gaze quickly flicks towards Nova Prime.

Ronan looks at her with astonishment. She is still looking at her notes, but she raises her head for just a fraction of a second and meets his gaze. She nods almost imperceptibly and returns to her notes.
Why is she trying to force the Council's hand on this? Can she really do it?
She must be trying to force him to beg for leniency so that her Nova officers might be allowed the same treatment during the inquest on the Great Fires.
Why is she so set on shielding them?

And more importantly, is he strong enough to accept the risk of a lifetime away from his meryw in exchange for justice?
Ronan feels his heart race at the thought.
He knows that he won't be able to cope without the Guardians, and especially without Peter and Gamora, he'd lose his mind and any will to live, but it would be equally impossible for him to go on with his life with the knowledge that with his selfishness, he'd have ruined once again the chance for his people to obtain justice and closure.
He looks towards Peter and Gamora and tries to make them understand that he is sorry about this, that it breaks his heart, but he doesn't have a choice. Not really.

"No, sir. I can't. - he replies, though his heart aches and his hands shake in anger and worry - I can only ask that this court judges me fairly. I will abide by its verdict, whatever it may be. If it decrees that I should be locked away, I will say my farewells. One cannot follow the parth of justice only when he likes the outcome." he concludes, staring again at Nova Prime, even though she refuses to meet his gaze.

"Bakh-ker! So be it!" shouts someone from the rear of the hall.
Ronan twists in his chair.
It is Morthwyl, one of his lads. He has stepped out from the crowd and is standing alone, a fist raised in the air. His face is streaked with tears.

"Bakh-ker!" Euan calls out in turn, punching the air like it has done something to offend him.
"Bakh-ker!" Shanleigh, one of the few female officers he has ever trained, and one of the best overall, adds her voice to the incipient choir.

One by one, all the Kree in the room raise their fists and their voices, and then Peter does too, shouting defiantly despite the tears, and then Gamora, and Drax.
"I am Groot!" yells little Groot, an angry frown creasing his bark.
"Fuck yeah, buddy!" Rocket shouts, nearly jumping into the air as he raises his fist.

Loki and Nebula follow suit, repeating the words though they don't know what they mean, then Helenai and Gladiator and most of their warriors raise their fists with them, until the back of the hall is full of raised fists and grim faces.
Until Denaarian Dey raises his fist too together with a few other Nova officers. They look straight at their head of state, and Nova Prime finally looks up from her notes and directs an undecyphrable but intense gaze at them.

"That is enough, fellows." Emperor J'son admonishes. He sounds stern and slams his hand on the table, but doesn't quite manage to hide a relieved little smile.
"I think we have seen and heard enough for today. - he adds - I propose that this Council retires for judgement. Unless you have any further questions, that is."
One by one the members of the Council shake their heads or otherwise signal their denial.
"Then it is agreed. - Emperor J'son declares - You are free to return to your lodgings. After what you said, I imagine that there is little risk of you running away, right, young man?" he adds, turning towards Ronan.

"None at all, sir. I will be here tomorrow, come whatever may." Ronan declares.
"Good. - the Emperor comments - The hearing is adjourned until tomorrow at noon." he declares, slamming his hand on the table once more.

Nova Prime stands up and leaves, and, as Peter had told him, the young Kree from the Temple leaves after her, dogging her footsteps like a faithful hound.
The other Councillors start to leave too. Before she walks away, Derdriyu turns his way.
"Bakh-ker." she mouths discreetly.
Ronan feels a bit comforted by her endorsement. He pushes himself out of the chair, but before he can even fully stand, Peter is already wrapping him in a tight, desperate hug.
Ronan cannot do anything but hug him back.

"I am sorry, Peter... - he whispers as he pets his meri's hair - I didn't know it would come to this, but I couldn't..." he tries to say.
"I know. I know... - Peter whispers - I... Fuck, it wasn't fair to stick you in this situation, and without any warning. It just wasn't." he adds.
"Why is Nova Prime raising the bar once more? What is she trying to prove?" Ronan asks.

Gamora appears, looking like thunder is brewing in her chest.
"It's because of the trial for the Great Fires. - she replies, nearly trembling in anger - Derdriyu is trying to have the Council hold it, and use it as an occasion to draw up intergalactic laws on warfare." she explains.
"So that what happened between us and Xandar can never happen again." Ronan concludes for her, a tiny bit awed.
He had thought that a government bereft of the guide of the Ancients, as imposed by the treaty, would never do anything good, but the old collective AI cobbled together from the minds of great people of the past could have never dreamed or endorsed something like this, even though it feels clearly like Ma'at.

"Exactly. - Gamora confirms - The Xandarian government, however, probably sees this as an undue invasion in their sovereignty. They still think they are the good guys, they don't want anyone to tell them what's the limit, so Nova Prime must be trying to sabotage the Council." she reveals.
"She know that my dad and Derdryu care for you too much to want to stick you in jail, and that Kl'rt and Lilandra think that you'll be useful in the fight against Thanos. - Peter adds, still holding on to him for dear life - She must be trying to force them to throw the judgement badly, so that she can demonstrate that they are not impartial, have her own private gig about the trial, and cover as many of her buddies' arses as she can."

Someone clears their throat close to them. The three of them turn in their direction.
"Denaarian Dey... - Ronan greets, politely inclining his head - Thank you for your support earlier."
The Xandarian smiles nervously and nods in turn.
"It's nothing. - he minimises - I kind of overheard you talking about Xandar's stance on the Council..." he adds.
Ronan looks at him expectantly, waiting for him to elaborate.
"Yeah, so what?" Rocket butts in, puffing his chest to look more threatening.
"Well, you weren't very far from the mark in your analysis, Guardians. - Dey admits quietly - I don't know how much of it is due to Madam Rael's own opinion on the matter, though." he adds, somewhat mysteriously.
"What do you mean?" Peter asks.
"Yeah, buddy! What is going on here?" Rocket insists, prodding him in the belly.

Dey looks around nervously.
"I want to tell you everything, but I can't talk about this here. - he says - I can't expose myself too much." he adds.
"What if we find somewhere more quiet?" Gamora asks, quirking a thin eyebrow.
"Then it would be another matter entirely." Dey acquiesces.
Gamora nods solemnly.
"Wait here, pretend you're talking about something else. I'll be right back." she instructs, stalking away towards Helenai and Nebula.

"What?!..." Dey stammers, looking around in confusion.
"Chill, Dey. Do what she said. - Rocket advises, grabbing his arm - Let's talk about smashball." he proposes.
"I don't even like smashball!" Dey protests.
"Are you sure you're not related to Drax?" Rocket teases.
"My great-grandmother married a Xandarian, now that I think of it." Drax chimes in, with his usual blindness for sarcasm.
"Really?" Dey replies, also missing the point. He seems genuinely interested.
Rocket hits his palm against his forehead and shakes his head.

After less then a minute, the conversation between Drax and Dey becomes so mind-boggling to be nearly impossible to follow.
Off to one side, Ronan spots Gamora, deep in conversation with Helenai.
Gamora turns minutely towards them and flashes a discreet signal.
"We have a place." he says quietly.
The conversation pauses for a moment, but Rocket gestures for them to go ahead and talk.
"M... R... 3" Peter says quietly as he decyphers Gamora's and his sister's signals.
"What the hell does it mean?" Rocket asks between gritted teeth.
"Meeting Room 3. - Ronan explains - Where we had our first meeting three weeks ago."
There is general nodding, apart from Dey.
"When you get out of here, second to the left and then the third door on the left. - Peter reveals - Meet us there in ten minutes." he instructs.
Dey nods and takes his leave, resolutely taking to the right as he goes out.
"He is a nice fellow. - Drax comments - We might be third cousins on his mother's side. Isn't it amazing?"