The first part of the session, which is catered towards helping the Swansongs to understand the attributes discovered in Dixon, which led to his adoption by the Foundation. It is a tedious part as it took the most of the time allocated for their negotiations.
Their session started off with Skystrider & Pixar presenting their findings obtained from the medical checks & the energy sample analysis done upon Dixon when he was admitted to the medical deck of the Orbital Assault Ship after the energy rampage he had yesterday.
Progress of the session is rather slow as there are many technical terms which must be explained to Dixon’s parents before they could progress with the details of their findings which are divided into several parts. At the same time, they cannot be too specific as the allocated time they had is not much.
The Swansongs find it hard to accept that their first born are one of those who have extra ordinary abilities, which had met the criteria for the foundation schooling program for children with abilities.
“This is all horseshit!!! You are putting up nonsense just to take my son away.” Elvis reacted to what has been present to them, while his wife is in tears sitting at the table.
Both parents of Dixon rejected the notion that their son may not be what as they had perceived to be since birth. Deep in their heart, they know that he is a very different from any other children around his age. For their child to be taken away for such reasons, it is something which is hard for them to take.
Husband & wife tried hard to raise him with what they think it is best for him. There is however some bias on how it is done from their side, where they had raised him to be the ideal person they think he should be with disastrous results.
The outcome was terrible, causing them to stop everything they had planned for him as advised by the school councillor of the grade school which the couple had enrolled him to attend that time.
“Elvis, you & Anna both know this well deep in your heart. Furthermore, both of you did witness some strange things happening around the boy, right?” Mason responded to his reaction.
Elvis & Anna was silent when Mason brought up some of the incident regarding to Dixon when he was still a toddler, as there is one supernatural event which had happens back in the past which they had witness it in person with their very own eyes, it is however dismissed it as an imagination of their own as they do not believe in supernatural things.
“Who are you to question about my family matters you cradle thief?!” Elvis shot back at Mason.
“A man who had concluded that he & his family’s fate are intertwined with this child, I would say.” Mason replied back.
Elvis is taken back by his response, as he did not expect that to come from him. He is expecting that Mason will be unable to respond as a sign that he is in agreement that he is an outsider who has no right to meddle with the matters in his family.
But Mason came prepared, as both he & his wife had taken the initiative years in advance to look for the sincere & genuine reasons to take Dixon in as a child of their own as who he is, not clouded by delusion or attachment to what they had lost in the past, the is their very own son who is no longer with them.
“Ladies & Gentlemen, I think it is time for a recess now.” Captain McDonald informed everyone, breaking the standoff between the two men.
Pressing a button at his side of the table, the door opens to allow several food trays to bring their meals to them. Meal time is a quiet one, as everyone are being carried away by their very own thoughts while eating.
While the civilians take a longer time to finish their meal, the foundation service members had theirs in a quick & quiet manner to prepare for the next session of the negotiation. Briefing time is over & it is time for a closure for the matter at hand.
Dixon is now sitting to have his meal with his birth family, as they hardly get the time to get together as a family onboard the ship. This brought some relieve to husband & wife of Swansongs who is now stressed out for thinking of their future without their son which will be happening soon.
“Big brother Dixon, what is going on with ma & pa?” Cally asks him.
“They are worried of the coming days without me little sis.”
“Big brother, why do you have to leave us?” John interrupted.
“I am affected with a condition that needs a long term treatment. Furthermore the place that I will be going to have it treated is somewhere far.” Dixon explained to his siblings as advised by his foster parents in advance.
Dixon’s parents could only watch in silent as their children talked among each other. Elvis held his wife’s hand as firm as he can as they have their meal slowly, realising that they both has to face the fact that fate has come to bring their son away to a better place alive instead of being dead.
“I’m afraid that we have to let Dixon go dear.” Elvis said to his wife.
Anna said nothing, but hugged her husband & buried her face into his chest as she knows that those words are too painful to be heard. It is not easy for him to come to this decision as it requires a lot of thinking & consideration within a short period.
This is further complicated with the revelations they had about their son & the reasons they have to give up their first born under their care. Worst of all, Anna knows that it hurt her husband even more as he had to let go of his pride for the sake of his son’s life, that is under threat from a condition which he could understand so little within a short time frame.
Dixon watches what that has transpired between his birth parents, realizing that they are going through a hard time. He felt a hand touches his shoulder, causing him to turn to see who is the one trying to get his attention, who is Mason.
“Dad, am I being horrible?” He asks his foster father.
“No, you are not. You make the right call, thinking what is best for you.” Mason assured him.
“But why did I feel bad?”
“Bonds boy, bonds. They work both ways, pushing you up or pulling you down, the outcome of its effects are influenced by the cause & conditions around you.”
“I see…...”
“One day you will be facing the same thing with your love ones like your mom & me Dixon. For now, keep learning & be better.”
“I will.”
Some documents have been brought into the wardroom & its presence could hardly go unnoticed by everyone who is present there. With the issue they are facing at hand, it didn’t take them long to guess the contents of those documents are. Knowing that break time is now over, everyone went back to the seats in the wardroom.
Everyone from Earth is tense, where their minds spontaneously speculated with the contents of those documents will be. For the foreigners from other worlds, especially for those who have been involve in handling the affairs for the wards of the foundation, it is just another case of adoption which will requires the consent of the birth parents should the ward in question are under their care.
“Ladies & Gentlemen, we will now review the clauses for the adoption agreement between both parties. Those who are holding the copies of the agreement, you may take a look now.” Captain McDonald informed all who are present of their current session.
Seeing that everything is now set, Captain McDonald allows the meeting to continue into the next phase of the adoption, where their meeting begins by attending to the details of the adoption.
Dixon’s parents trembled as they flipped the cover of their copy of the document in front of them, not knowing what the contents have installed for them. Their dreadful feeling was observed & noted by the captain, which smiled reminiscing the moments he had the last time handling the similar event that is happening now.
All parties went through the detail stated in the documents, which outlines the clauses that will address the grievances & challenges that will be faced by both parties till Dixon reaches adulthood by both Foundation & Earth standards.
At every passing moment now, how it is being arranged is still unknown to Elvis & Anna Swansong, who both are now shrouded in dread by an challenging event which is total unprecedented in their lives.
