Doors opened. I left my cabin and went into a great chamber. All the others arrived. There were the girls, Napoleon, Robert, Ulysses and the 4 crew members.
A woman behind a glass screen addressed us.
"I am Gloria, and we are the Matriarchal League. Some of you will have heard the inaccurate and trivialized term 'petticoat pirates'. We have take the freighter U27 in the name of the Coming Age. You men should know that most of you will see a time when on all the Worlds inhabited by humankind, males will accept a dependent status..."
All the men except Holford laughed. It was a nervous laugh. I just listened to the mind blowing lecture.
"Robert E. Lee Anthony - you are guilty of repeated acts of violence against womankind. We have taken into account the society you have come from. We have taken into account your age. We have taken into account your background. But we stil find you guilty as charged. Ulysses Pankhurst - you are guilty of contributing to inter-species war. You were ignorant of your boss's part of an arms smuggling plot, but that was because you chose to look the other way. You are also guilty of attempting to sell your own sister into a marriage you know would be deeply oppressive."
No one was laughing any more.