"Let the trial commence!"
The Grand hall of the Star Union tribunal never felt as cold to Cassian as it did today. That was because a hearing was being held just for him.
High above, holographic banners of the Union were shining brightly, but down on the floor, Cassian felt only isolation.
He stood alone before the council, facing a line of stern-faced officials in white uniforms. In the center was Valerius, the Vice Admiral of the Star Union.
Although the Star Union wasn't the strongest space union across the galaxy, it was often considered to be within the top three. Many wanted to join the union, but only a few were allowed as the criteria for the selection was so rough.
Vice Admiral Valerius had a permanent frown as he glared down at Cassian. His long elvian ears stood out from the rest of the council members.
"Cassian," Valerius' voice echoed across the silent hall. "You were given a simple task. Were you not?"
Cassian silently nodded.
Valerius looked down at the screen before him, which held all the details of the mission.
"You were to escort the diplomatic envoy through the Crimson Nebula." He paused and observed the expressions of the Councilors. "And you failed. The envoy's ship was attacked. The peace talks collapsed with the envoy's death."
"It wasn't my fault!" Cassian protested, although still keeping his voice low.
"Nebula's radiation messed with our sensors. Soon after, a fleet of pirates ambushed us, as if expecting us. My ship also took heavy damage protecting the envoy! Someone must have leake-"
An old councilwoman scoffed, interrupting Cassian's testimony.
"Your ship," she said, as if the name left a bad taste in her mouth. "That old piece of junk should have been retired years ago. Just because it belonged to your father, you insisted on using it!"
"Your insistence on flying that rust bucket is what endangered the mission. You were outmatched because your ship is obsolete."
"It's not-" Cassian tried speaking, but Valerius cut him off.
"Enough of your excuses!" he roared. "The council has made its decision. Your actions have brought shame to the Star Union. For your failure, you are hereby stripped of your rank."
He slowly stood up.
"Your commission is revoked. You are kicked out of the Star Union. Take your ship and be gone from our territory by tomorrow."
The old Councilwoman clicked her tongue, and stood up as well. "Tch, we should've done this long ago. No, we shouldn't have accepted him in the first place."
Another councilor joined. "Just because his grandfather was a founding member of our union, we allowed his descendants to continue working with us. But enough is enough."
The verdict hit Cassian like a physical blow straight into his gut. Just like that, his life's work and his family's legacy was gone.
His grandfather was one of founding members in this union and brought it into prominence. He even held the position of the Admiral in the union, which was a higher position than Valerius currently enjoyed.
Their family was even called a noble family at that time. Everything changed after his grandfather went missing. His father took the reins of the ship and continued fighting for the union until his death.
Cassian couldn't believe that everything came crashing down like this. Just like this, he was homeless and had no place where he belonged.
"No, this is not the end. I still have my crew and Talia. I can still do something about it. At worst, I can try approaching the weaker unions to join them!"
Cassian still had some hope. Even though he wouldn't have the same prestige, at least he wouldn't starve. He could at least gain some funds for future ship maintenance.
The news spread like wildfire. By the time he got back to the docking bay where his ship was docked, his crew was already packing their bags.
"What are you doing?"
Cassian already had a rough idea, but his heart still trembled at the sight. Most of his crew members involved people that he had saved from one planet or another throughout his missions.
He had even paid for the training of some of them out of his own pocket, and now they were leaving?
"Sorry, Cass." A man, barely thirty years old, placed a hand on Cassian's shoulder. Even though he was saying that he was sorry, there was not a shred of guilt in his eyes.
"We have families to think about. We can't serve on a ship with no future. We already received some recruitment offers."
They walked past him. Let alone feeling guilty, they felt a little relieved for some reason.
"They already received recruitment offers, huh."
Cassian was left alone, talking to himself. Even though the temperature of this entire area was controlled, the surroundings felt oddly cold.
The worst was yet to come. A young elvian woman was waiting for him at the ship's ramp.
Her arms were crossed, and her beautiful face looked extremely cold. "Cassian!"
"Talia," he said with a sliver of hope in his heart.
He didn't find her cold face strange. It was how she normally looked. Even after his many attempts, he had never seen her smile, so he started believing that it was normal for her.
"Were you waiting for me?" His mind was already a mess, but he still maintained a smile on his lips when facing the girl.
"You were kicked out of the union?"
Talia didn't answer his questions. Instead, she asked a question of her own, her voice appearing colder than usual.
"The entire planet knows about it already, don't they?" Cassian scratched the back of his head. "But you don't have to worry. I will be fine."
Talia held another identity, other than being his fiancee. She was also the granddaughter of another founding member of the union. The only difference was that her Grandfather was still alive, and enjoyed the rank of an Admiral.
If her grandfather wanted, then his single word could stop his expulsion. But he didn't want to be burdened with a debt like this, especially to his fiance's family.
It was a different matter if he didn't ask though. If she offered help, without being asked, then he could at least save the little amount of dignity that he had.
Deep down, Cassian wondered if she was really here to help. Was she going to tell him that she had asked her grandfather for help?
"Take this." The girl extended her hand, and handed an encrypted chip to Cassian.