[hr][color=009496][center][h1]Tahlia Spade[/h1][/center][/color][hr]

The next couple of weeks dragged by.  Boredom had become Tahlia's arch enemy in that time.  With very little contact with anything past her room, and being stuck with Owen, she was anything but ready for their trial when the time came.  Their captors spared no expense to ensure their comfort in the meantime, but after that first day of captivity was over and she had a day of virtually no threat and nothing to do to process what had been happening, it finally hit her how much shit they were in.  She'd done a good job to keep her cool when under constant scrutiny and facing countless unknowns; he had taken everything one problem at a time. but it wasn't until that morning, with no problems to face and nothing but time, that she really considered the full gravity of the situation.

That wasn't to say that she still didn't handle it (reasonably) well, but until then she had concentrated only on the ground below her feet and everything she could see and hear.  Now that her mind had room to wander and explore the implications, if she was being honest with herself, she was way in over her head.  To add to that, despite their comfortable accommodations, she couldn't get over that they were still captives.  Despite her training, one can never say how one will respond in such a situation.  This was, of course, exacerbated by the fact that her training didn't cover being captured by fucking aliens, and as the days wore on, Tahlia became more anxious, stir-crazy, and fidgety, and while anyone would have noticed that, Owen would have likely noticed on top of that some subtle symptoms of PTSD.  It was the first time in years that she had felt so vulnerable.

It didn't at all help that the day of their trial began with as jarring a start as when the aliens first boarded the Artemis.  Falling asleep in one place and waking up somewhere else was something Tahlia would likely never get used to.  The prospect of forward momentum did calm Tahlia somewhat, though that didn't help her restlessness at all.  Her and Owen had discussed how they would approach the situation, and now the moment of truth was close at hand.  They had spent some time solidifying their case, and not a moment too soon.  They were brought before the Council, confident in what they had to say, though Tahlia seemed as though she was worse off than she was when her face got slammed into the floor of the Artemis's cockpit.  [color=009496]"I just want to get back to the ship,"[/color] she muttered to Owen at one point.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if Rend was even still alive throughout this whole debacle, and with no sign of Benji either, she wondered what these aliens had to gain from withholding so much information.  Like how there was a sixth throne in a council of five species.  She supposed either one had been banned, exiled, whatever, or they had recently gained a new one.  Humans?  Were these beings so generous as to offer a seat to Humanity?  It certainly would have been an indication of good faith, but with anywhere between only 4 and 6 members of their species left that they knew of, that seemed cruelly ironic.

Naturally, Pseudo was there to facilitate communication and to advise the two.  He kneeled before the Council.  Tahlia followed suit, and hoped no one else was stupid enough not to.  Pseudo rose a moment later, followed by everyone else.  He turned to Tahlia and Owen.  [color=B0E0E6]"Before discussion is made of your crime, King Owen and Queen Tahlia..."[/color]  The idea of being called Queen made Tahlia uncomfortable, but not nearly as uncomfortable as what Pseudo was about to say.

[color=B0E0E6]"the Principality is not convinced that you are truly the monarchs of Humanity.  No, another member of your colony has instead claimed role of king..."[/color]

[color=009496]"What the hell?"[/color] Tahlia uttered before seeing a figure emerge by the sixth throne, and when that figure resolved itself into the shape of a certain man that she had nearly killed several days ago, Tahlia's eyes ignited with a fire that could have melted steel.  [color=009496]"That fucking piece of shit!"[/color]  She lost the restraint it would have required not to say that aloud, but retained enough not to say it any louder than the level of a disbelieving murmur.  Her stance visibly shifted.  Any concerns, reservations, or worries she had before was replaced with visible hostility.  She only hoped that his encounter with the aliens had humbled him enough to actually be of help in this situation, though she had a distinct feeling that he would spare no mercy for her in particular, regardless.

Their brief encounter that one time was succinct in revealing Rend's overall character, but hardly his peculiarities, and Rend's tendency towards the melodramatic quickly got under Tahlia's skin.  That was nothing compared to how he regarded everyone else.  Her head and eyes twitched at the word "usurpers" and she pinned her clenched fists to her thighs.

[color=009496]"You can't stop me next time,"[/color]  She said to Owen, deadly seriously.  Unfortunately for him, she was likely not going to be a good source for calm discussion in the coming moments.