Danger Magellan's Invasion of Earth

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Cascade, Raquel, and I quickly found Arthur and Tanaquil, as well as Danger's parents, in the courthouse. I immediately took a seat between Arthur and Raquel and listened to Blaze as she translated the proceedings for us.

"Would the defendant please rise?" the judge said. She appeared to be quite elderly, and she glanced towards Danger through thick glasses. Danger sighed and stood up. "Are you the defendant in this case?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Danger said.

"What is your name and age?" the judge asked.

"Danger Magellan," he said. "I'm twenty eight years old."

The judge looked at Danger suspiciously. "He's fifteen," Officer Upthrust said.

"Well, I'd be twenty eight in Fei Lian years!" Danger argued. "I'd probably have a pilot's license too if I was there, but I can't go to Fei Lian because it's gone now, and none of you are doing anything about it! What if the Ink destroys Gwydion because of you?"

The judge ignored him and continued to speak. "Mr. Magellan, you have been charged with the theft of the PZS Eclipse, property of the Penrhyn Zone Navy. The offense is alleged to have occurred during the night of August 3rd, and the ship is valued at approximately two hundred million dollars. You have also been charged with a violation of the Treaty of Polochika, through the exposure of your identity as an extraterrestrial to a group of Earthlings earlier this month and transporting them off of Earth. Finally, you have been charged with flying the PZS Eclipse without a pilot's license, as discovered by Officer Ember Upthrust when she asked you for identification shortly before your arrest," the judge said. "Do you understand what you have been charged with?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Danger said.

"How do you plead?" the judge asked.

"Guilty," Danger said. Despite the situation that he was in, Danger didn't appear nervous at all. Instead, he looked as if he was looking for even more trouble to get into as he looked around the courtroom.

"Mr. Magellan, I'm going to accept your guilty plea," the judge said. "You are sentenced to serve one year in a juvenile detention facility, as well as mandatory counseling and one hundred hours of community service."

"Seriously?" Danger said. "That's ridiculous! How am I supposed to stop the Ink if I'm in jail?"

"Danger, stay quiet," Officer Upthrust said. "She's being light on you."

"The Ink has already destroyed Eshu and Gluskap!" Danger shouted. "I don't have a merfludzing year to wait!"

The judge banged her gavel and then said, "Mr. Magellan, please remain quiet, or I will add 'contempt of court' to your list of charges."

"Your Honor, it may be useful to hear what the defendant has to say regarding the Ink," another court official said. "If Mr. Magellan knows something about this menace, it may be worth hearing so that the proper authorities can more effectively destroy it."

"I doubt it," Officer Upthrust said. "He probably doesn't know anything, and he's just bluffing all of us again."

"It's still worth hearing him out," the court official said.

"Mr. Magellan, please present any information you may have on the Ink," the judge said. "This will most likely not reduce your sentence, but it will be helpful to know before you are transferred to a detention center."

"I was searching for the Ink on Earth as part of my Quest," Danger explained. "The Ink isn't on Earth, but I met a Yellow boy living there who told me that there was a Purple woman on Sidhe who knew how to destroy it."