Jace quickly closed the package before tucking it into his locker. There was no way in hell he was going to open it while everyone was in the room. When he turned back and Holcum was smirking at him Jace stuck his tongue at him. When several questions were directed his way he completely ignored them. Instead he changed the subject. "What did you mean by your mother being angry? For the most part she sounded fairly reasonable."
Holcum snorted. "Normally my mother is a reasonably relaxed person and not a great deal gets her worked up. In this case what really points out just how angry she is was the last bit, you know, where she gave the Williamsons her sympathy. That was so relaxed and civil I could tell she was twisting the screws in and with a great deal of evil intent." He stopped talking and waited.
Nacy's eyebrows beetled as she was trying to think about how it could come across that way. "I don't understand Holcum. What she said is something any normal and reasonable person might. What happened to his family was horrible and a criminal is a criminal. How could it be a poke in their direction?" Now she was nibbling on a finger nail.
*Do you want to explain it Mila?* When she sent him a no he lightly nipped one ear. "Think about it Nacy, what do the Williamson's despise beyond all else based on what you know?" He wanted a number of people to think about it. It wasn't to make his mother look mean but this was something he had been taught. Sometimes kindness and civility would reap rewards in spades if applied correctly.
Nacy was seriously thinking about it as was Jace. When he finally had an answer he replied instead of Nacy. "Um, I am going out on a limb here but I would say non-humans would be close to the top of the list if not the top." He was still trying to connect the dots but it just wasn't gelling.
Holcum gave them a tight smile. "Correct and now what could be one of the worst things they could imagine getting from a sub-human as they put it?" He figured that would prod their thoughts.
Larry suddenly sat up and groaned. "Oh god, the worst would be sympathy from a supernatural for the loss of their family. Since the supernatural killed most of their family to have one give them sympathy would be a slap in the face. It would be seen as adding insult to injury."
The other Cadets sitting around and listening twitched. Their expressions were a mixture of horror and appreciation for the skilled work. Holcum gave Larry a slight nod. "Exactly, it wasn't just the sympathy and condolences but the entire interview. Mom and Dad deliberately came across as sympathetic and wishing for a civil resolution. They, the sub-human's," his face tensed at that term, "beat them at their own game. The Williamson's have been playing the whole they destroyed our family not to mention the freedom of speech and thought. My parents slapped them down by being firm but conciliatory towards them. The vast majority of the world is going to be on their side. The final statement was designed to rub their noses in the entire interview."
Holcum had to chuckle. "I just had an image of when I was little and made a mess. Mom would rub my muzzle in it and bop me with a rolled up newspaper. I almost had a vision of her doing that to... Well I am not going to say anything else and time for a shower."
Mila snickered at him when he said that. "I resisted the urge to do that since I just knew I was going to let you chase me when you were of age." Not really since she had disciplined him more than a few times over the years.
Everyone laughed before they started going to get ready for the shower. When they did Holcum stood and stretched. *Mila don't keep things from me. It will cause me more stress than my choosing to ignore what is going on dirt side.* He wasn't going to yell or scream at the moment since it would change anything. He was going to need to think about it before he said anything else. When he did step into the shower with her Holcum didn't let his irritation stop him from helping her get clean. Both of them needed the contact at the moment.
Mila moved so Holcum could stand up. *I will decide what I am going to mention to you to an extent. I don't wish to pull rank but this is for your own good. I understand but you are my mate and I will do what I need to help protect you.* When they started showering Mila was pleased Holcum didn't give her the cold shoulder.
~~~
The following morning Williamson was escorted to an interview room where his lawyer was waiting for him. "Sit Williamson, we need to talk. I have finally worked through all the evidence, video footage, and statements given to me. I have also been contacted by the Admiral and there is going to be a video call to your step-mother in just a few moments." As he was talking he was pulling his tablet out and some files.
Williamson grunted. "Would it be possible to talk to someone other than my step-mother? We do not get along and I don't wish to talk to her." To her she might have been trying to soften what his father had been teaching him. To him she had been trying to win him away from his father. She wasn't his mother, his mother had simply left one day and was never been seen again. His step-mother was an arranged marriage and he knew it. His father had made that known to him when he was younger.
The lawyer looked up at him. "She is the first on your emergency contact list and since she is married to your father currently she is your guardian. Till such time as your father wakes and changes that or his lawyer indicates someone else has been designated no. If you do not wish to speak to her I will make a note of it and contact your father's lawyer and see what he might have." As of right now neither knew Williamson's father and lawyer had dissolved their relationship.
Williamson curled his lip in disgust. "Fine I will speak to that woman. I want you to contact his lawyer and ensure that you are being given the best information on my father possible. What can you tell me about what is going on?" He was not very happy and wished he was on earth with his father. Even though he knew nothing about the interview with the Whitewater's, Williamson knew they were at fault somehow.
"I will do that but before I say anything else I would prefer to have you talk to your mother. Once you are done I will tell you what I know and we can compare it once you are done. Then we can discuss your case." He waited for Williamson to say something before he pointed at a screen on the wall and placed the call. When it was answered he was out of the pick-ups view so the child could talk to his mother.
Williamson gave him a slight nod before clearing his face as best possible. He had long since learned to be as neutral around her as possible. When the view cleared and showed the hospital room he almost cried. He could see his father in the background with machines and things hooked up to him. His step-mother was sitting in a chair next to the bed and she was looking like a proper concerned wife. Williamson knew better but for the moment he was going to be as civil as possible. "Good morning mother, how is my father doing?"
When the screen cleared she tucked a book mark to save her page and looked up at the boy. "Good morning Herman. Right now he is in guarded condition and in an induced coma. The doctors have been working around the clock to do what they can for your father. In several days they are going to take him for FMRI to see what parts of his brain might have been damaged by the stroke. Untill then they are not able to say much since with the coma his brain functions are suppressed. As soon as I have some additional information I will contact your lawyer. Oh, so you know the military has sent a Liaison to work with the doctors."
Herman, he was the third with that name, was not happy though what his step-mother had said matched what the Admiral had said. "Do they have any idea how long it might take to get more information? I am very upset and worried about my father. Not being able to come home makes it even worse." He knew asking his step-mother to try and do something to get him released for even a short time was pointless. She despised her husband had also made her opinion of Williamson known as well. Chances were good she would enjoy telling him she had tried while not doing anything.
"At the moment the soonest they will have any information is Friday or Saturday. It depends on what the tests show. If they decide after doing the FMRI to eliminate the chemicals used to induce a coma there is no telling when he might wake." That was assuming he would wake and she might have to do something about that. For now she was going to wait. "I understand you would like to come home but we don't have any control over what the military chooses to do. Since they have their own rules and regulations they are not constrained by civilian rules and laws." She actually sounded sympathetic as she spoke. Then again having him come home and seeing his father this way might be rather enjoyable as well.
Yup, that put the nail in that coffin, Williamson thought. She wouldn't do anything to try and get him home. "Thank you mother and as soon as you do get further information please tell my lawyer. I need to let you go since I need to discuss my case with my lawyer." He looked at the lawyer who cut the connection. Once he was sure the call was finished he snarled. "Fucking bitch wouldn't help me if I was the last person on earth. Talk to dad's lawyer and have him get someone else assigned as my guardian. Someone I can trust to actually give a damn."
Mentally the lawyer wanted to slap the boy since it was obvious he was not well taught in controlling his mouth and reactions. That was quite possibly going to end up coming back to stab them in the back. If the prosecutor managed to work Williamson up enough chances were good he would shoot his mouth off. It would mostly likely end up being about something which would make him look bad which was not good at all. "Once we are done here I will contact Mr. Eichenberg and see what he has to say. As far as what your step-mother said about your father it matches what I have been told. For the moment we will need to deal with her for your father's medical status. Now on to the case..." He started with the first day and carefully walked his client through it.
~~~
Once done Dick Sarnow settled down in his hotel room and set his computer to generating a transcript of the interview. It would insert links to other documents and files based on notes he took while recording the interview. While that was working he looked up Eichenberg's office number. Once he had it he dialed the number and waited. When a young woman picked up he gave her a nod. "Good afternoon and this is Dick Sarnow, Herman Williamson the third's attorney. I need to speak with Mr. Eichenberg if possible." Just because he had made a name representing some of the most vilified criminals in the last twenty years didn't mean he wasn't civil.
She glanced at her monitor. "Right now Mr. Eichenberg is with a client. He will have fifteen minutes available in about two hours if that will work Mr. Sarnow. If it urgent I can send him a message to let him know you are on the line." She was familiar with the case since her boss had made a point of giving her orders related to this issue.
He lightly scratched an eyebrow for a brief moment. "No, that is fine and it isn't urgent. I have been asked by Mr. Williamson's son to touch base with him on some issues. I do not wish to mention them till I am on a secure link with him." Since it mostly concerned Mr. Williamson's medical status and changing guardian's which was not something which would be done overnight.
"In that case sir I will schedule a video conference for 1300 your time. I have created the appointment and will send confirmation of that to your tablet. I have your contact information unless you wish to be contacted elsewhere?" She tapped on the keyboard as she was talking.
"That is fine and I will be here before the call. Thank you for your help." He disconnected the call and checked his computer. It was done though he would still need to review and edit the document. For now he was going to review several other cases he was working with.
Since Dick had decided to eat in his room he was ready when the call came in. Since he had a file on Eichenberg he recognized the man. After putting the current file down he gave the other lawyer a professional smile. "Good afternoon Mr. Eichenberg and please just call me Dick. I was calling about some questions I have in reference to your client Mr. Williamson the Second."
Adelbert returned the professional smile. "And please call me Adelbert if you wish. As far as Mr. Herman Williamson he is no longer a client of mine. I chose to sever the relationship since I felt I could no longer serve his needs. As of now I do not know who might be. I would recommend contacting his wife and see what she might know. I wish I could help you further but without being able to talk to Mr. Williamson I cannot divulge any information."
Dick had to mentally sigh. Having talked to Prisoner Williamson a few times as well as his father he could understand. "I am sorry to hear that and thank you for your time. If needed send me a bill and I will take care of it. Have a good day." He severed the connection and turned back to his files. He was going to need to think about this before he made any calls.
~~~
Daichi was sitting in his office along with his mate. He was looking up what might be done to get the cats some hunting though he wasn't holding his breath. There wasn't anywhere on the station that would work since they would have to secure the area. Getting them down to the surface wasn't going to happen either. It would look like favoritism which was not good and especially at this time. Even with a detailed explanation the other side would take exception and run with it.
The ones supporting the Williamson's or even saying the supernatural was given too much leeway would use this as ammunition. The supporters would use it to make it look like the supernatural were being given preferential treatment while Williamson was locked up. It would really make the freedom of speech argument look better not to mention the conspiracy theorists would go nuts. They would be saying this showed that the supernaturals were actually in control of the military and government. The world was already polarized enough at the moment over this, or parts of it were, and they didn't need even more reactions.
He finally leaned back from the terminal and sighed. "I can't find anything that would allow me to get them a hunt. The station isn't designed for it and to remove them from training just to go kill and eat something won't work well for us. I can have a few more raw steaks added to their meals which should help some but I just can't work in a hunt." Daichi looked over at Ayaka.
She hadn't expected him to be able to find any way to do it but they had to look. "I hadn't expected you to find anything. I can work in some extra time for private time for them though it would have to be carefully done. I could feel you worrying about anything we do for the Whitewater as being used as favoritism. You and I know better but we do need to think about it. I think what I am going to do is schedule them to have a night watch at the same time. This will allow them several hours to be together outside of the weekend. I am simply going to mark it as a special watch and send a note to Sgt Miller."
Daichi stroked one ear since he was currently in his mid-form as he contemplated that. "That is a good idea and classifying it as a special watch could mean almost anything. It might make a few suspicious but as you said as long as it doesn't happen too often it shouldn't be a problem. From the reports I have been sent by Sgt Miller and the other instructors both are well liked for the most part. Those who aren't close to them don't seem to have a problem with them being in the same berthing and section."
Ayaka turned back to her terminal. "I will schedule a watch this evening from 2200-0200 for them. It should help. I will remain in touch with Mila to see if they might need a few more watches while the court martial is going on. I don't want them to get the idea they can complain and get a nooky watch but I also don't want Holcum losing it." It only took a few minutes to schedule the watch and sent a message to Sgt Miller.
~~~
Sarnow had finally contacted Mrs. Williamson to see if Herman had arranged for a lawyer once Adelbert had quite. That had been a most interesting conversation. "Good morning Mrs. Williamson, as you know I am Herman's son's lawyer. I was asked by my client to contact anyone representing your family legally. Do you have a lawyer I can contact?"
Jacqueline accepted the call and was again in the hospital room reading a book. She gave the man an inscrutable look before answering. "I normally am not involved with my husband's business. It was long since decided that it was his area to deal with. Now if you are asking in reference to what his son is being accused of and on trial for I do believe the answer is no. Once Adelbert chose to dissolve the relationship Herman started looking but hadn't found one before his stroke. I will look into it and see what I can find. I might be able to hire Adelbert short term so we can find out what might be in progress. It will have to wait till such time as the doctors are done with the tests."
Sarnow carefully evaluated her body language and how she spoke. It was very polite and precise without much emotion. Between her demeanor and what Williamson had said earlier it was definitely a marriage only on paper. "Mrs. Williamson please do me a favor and keep me updated on the medical status of your husband. Once you know what his status is let me know if you are going to hire him even temporarily. I will let you go back to what you were doing. Have a good day ma'am." He disconnected the call.
Jacqueline gave him a polite nod before he disconnected. Once he had she sat there looking at the wall as she wondered how to handle this. Herman knew she had a lover but she knew for a fact he didn't know who it was. Adelbert was a rather nice man when he wasn't being a lawyer and the affair had been going on for a number of years. Since Adelbert was so close to Herman he knew when he was going to try and locate her lover again. One thing she had been very careful with was to not ask any questions about Herman and what he might be doing. For that she had other sources including a number of the staff who he had dealt badly with.
She finally made a decision and placed the call. "Adelbert they are taking Herman for some tests tomorrow or Saturday morning. Depending on the results I might need to hire you temporarily to do whatever legal turn over might be needed. Depending on what the tests show his family might take over and find a new lawyer. I will need a smooth turnover of any power of attorney and other legal issues."
~~~
The FMRI for Herman ended up being done on Saturday since the doctors had decided to stop the medications for the induced coma for the best results. They had been stopped the night before since it would take some time for enough of them to be filtered out. This was especially true since his liver was seriously impacted by his drinking. It would take longer for it to break down and eliminate the medications. Added to that his heart was not functioning as well as it should due to his sedentary life style and fatty diet. To be honest a number of his bodily systems were somewhat compromised based on reports from his personal physician.
Nothing had been said as of yet but the general consensuses was even if he did wake he wouldn't ever be able to fully function any more. Even if he did wake with the number of medical issues he had chances were he wasn't going to survive much longer even with major changes to his lifestyle. When they finally rolled him down to the FMRI scanner she remained in the room. There was no need for her to be in the room while they were doing it and several other tests they had decided to do.
The tests included a CT with Dye, PET scan, and SPECT scan. From what she had been told it was going to take most of the morning to perform the tests. Due to this once they had taken him she left the room and headed home. There were some things she needed to locate and either destroy or move for her own purposes. That was going to take most of the morning but she didn't mind. If it took most of the day the time still wouldn't be wasted. With a slight smile she walked out of the hospital and climbed into her Jaguar before pulling away. She drove the Jaguar since it annoyed Herman since it wasn't German.
~~~
By the time she was back at the hospital most of the results were back. It wasn't looking good for her husband since they had been forced to do some additional tests. The stroke had been bad and even if he woke up chances were good he wouldn't be able to take care of himself. Also based on some additional tests they had been forced to do he needed a bypass surgery and a new liver. Now she had to figure out what she might want to do. If he died she could wash her hands of him but if he didn't and there wasn't anything specifying who took over the business... She could see the uses of his being alive for even a few months.
When she finally spoke she was aiming for a distressed sound. "Do what you can to keep him alive please. There are things we need to take care of for the sake of the company and his son. I don't want him to suffer but if he doesn't wake up I don't know what we will do." She even managed to make her eyes water some as she was pleading with them. On Monday she was going to see about calling his son and inform him of his father's status. For that call she would call up all of her acting skills to look sad and upset.
~~~
Sunday evening Holcum was lying on the bed with his head in Mila's lap. Normally he would be holding her but even though he was feeling less stressed he had decided he wanted some pampering. The watch the two of them had helped a great deal even though he had blushed when Sgt Miller had spoken to them. Frankly he had wanted to go and find somewhere to hide for a while. It wasn't that he didn't like discussing sex or how much they enjoyed it. It was the simple fact that she made him think of his mother at times.
As he was relaxing Mila smiled down at him. "So Holcum are you going to ever open the package? It is from your mother you know." Her expression was relaxed and simply curious.
Holcum knew better since it had arrived shortly after the whole skirt and apron incident. "Not right now. I could smell it didn't have any food in it so I decided it can wait. I don't need anything else on my plate right now. I did send her a thank you note though." His eyes remained closed as he was talking and he was enjoying the contact. At the moment she was stroking his hair and he was purring in enjoyment.
Nacy looked at Jace. "So are you ever going to open yours again? I didn't get a chance to see what was in it." Her expression was almost identical to Mila's.
Jace looked at Nacy and shook her head. "Nope, not this week at least, maybe next week though it might be the week after. It isn't urgent that I open it since there isn't any food in it either." He hadn't even mentioned what he had seen of the contents to Holcum since he was paranoid enough Jace knew someone would hear. Some things were just too wrong to show even if it was a joke. How the hell could someone even contemplate something like that? What was worse was he had to wonder if Holcum's package was the same or different.
Nacy pouted at him before bumping him with a shoulder. She turned and whispered something in his ear which made him blush deeply.
"Not happening and even for that incentive. I am not opening it for the time being and that is final." Before she could whisper anything else in his ear he stood, pulled out his shower gear and headed to the shower section.
~~~
Monday morning as usual the two of them reported to legal for their weekly meeting with Lt Truthbinder. Holcum really hoped that he would have some good news for them since the longer the trial carried on the more stress the two of them had. They were quickly escorted into the office and he waved them to the chairs. "Please sit Cadet's. I have good news for you, the court martial is going to be starting this week on Wednesday. As of now Williamson's lawyer has reviewed all documents and has his defense ready. According to him prisoner Williamson has accepted the court martial date." From what he understood it hadn't been that willingly but he hadn't been given much choice.
Holcum closed his eyes and a vicious smile crossed his face. "Good, my cat and I want satisfaction and closure. This will hopefully put it all behind Mila and me. Do you have any further information on how much we will be involved or an estimate of how long it might take?" He wanted to ask about the status of Williamson's father but decided not to. The only reason to know was to gloat.
Keovin had a feeling the satisfaction would only be complete with the total destruction of Williamson. Then again he did understand since the Fey were not always the nicest of people. Due to their extremely long lives grudges became a way of keeping track of what had happened over the years. Lycan's didn't live nearly as long but they were almost rabid when it came to protecting pack and pride. "It is going to depend on the day and what is being presented each day. The first day is mostly going to be the defense and prosecutor presenting their case. For that you will need to be there. For the most part the court martial will only take part of each day simply because there are other cases. How long it will take is harder to say. It depends on how many witnesses the defense calls and what their defense is. We are expecting five or so days for the actual trial though once it goes to the officers for adjunction you will be released to class till they return a verdict."
As of now it appeared that Williamson wasn't going to demand any of the Cadets be on the board. Until the court martial started that wasn't a foregone conclusion. He could request it when the officers were selected for the panel. That would cause two of the Cadets to be selected to the panel and in this case Keovin's experiences weighted against him. He was well over 500 years old and though he knew better asking an eighteen or nineteen year old to rule on this was wrong. It was like asking a little child to make a decision on an adult matter. Until a Fey was about one hundred years old they were considered a child. He knew better with humans but his years as an elf had its influence.
Mila spoke this time. "We are both worried about how this might impact on our training as we have expressed before. I know I have settled into our intake section and so has Holcum. Trying to fit in with another would be stressful and difficult and especially with this issue however it ends up resolved. It will prejudge us before they arrived. We would eventually hopefully be able to fit in as best possible but it does bring concern to us." If the other class didn't accept them it would cause problems since their type of cats weren't loners.
By now Mila had accepted that their intake had in a way become what their cats would classify as a pride. They fit in and were learning their position in the barracks. Yes due to who they were they were pretty much at the top in their section. That didn't mean they had any special benefits from that, simply the others tended to listen to them more than some of the others.
Keovin had to agree with what she had to say. "We are looking at ways to deal with that including allowing you to study as time permits. Believe me in no way do we want you handicapped by what a misguided Cadet caused. We are going to do our best to minimize that. Do you have any other questions? If not then I will dismiss you to your class."
Holcum felt his cat wanting to come forward but he kept him back. "No sir, or not about the court martial, any other questions are not important. My cat wants other information but it is not relevant to the case. If you will excuse us we do need to get to class and get as much training as we can. Thank you for your time sir." Both stood and left the room.
~~~
Tuesday night both had received a message that the court martial was scheduled to start the next morning. Holcum ended up on the bed leaning back against the headboard with his eyes closed. To be totally honest he was struggling to deal with his emotions and it was hard. His face was hard and the muscles in his neck and jaw were twitching. Even holding Mila wasn't helping much since Holcum could feel her tension as well.
Mila was leaning against him and her eyes were closed as well and she was looking as tense as her mate was. In her case she was taking slow deep breathes, in through her nose and out her mouth. Neither was talking to anyone and everyone could see just how tense they were. Over the last week most of the Cadets had started checking the news feeds and what was going on. Due to Herman Williamson not being available some of the more strident followers of his had quieted down some. Based on what she had over heard them saying most of them were at the very least somewhat sympathetic to them. It wasn't so much pro supernatural so much as they were disgusted by what Williamson had to say.
Jace was looking at them and a very slight smile crossed his face. Part of the reason he hadn't opened his package and shown people what was in it was because he was waiting. He wanted the best timing for it so he could make people smile and even laugh. Jace hoped that this would help the two relax after a good laugh. He figured this wasn't quite what Mila had intended but he was going to run with it. He turned and walked over to his locker and pulled the package out.
With a rather artful expression he opened it again he pulled out what was inside. When he spoke his voice was artfully horrified. "Oh my god, who would send me a MLP work kilt?" He changed his expression into one of absolute disgust as he spoke.
Everyone in the room looked over at him and stared at him in horror as he held the damn thing up. It had Twilight Sparkle in her current incarnation on it and the kilt was sparkly and purple and pink... Holcum's eyes shot up and his mouth dropped open as he stared at it.
A/N: The picture at the top is Holcum when he was a little kitten... I have a feeling I am going to annoy any number of people with this chapter. Please read, enjoy, vote, and scream at me in the comments. I would like to know opinions on Herman's wife not to mention on Williamson (the son) himself. Do they seem realistic and believable?