Lieutenant Wilfara waved him away and nodded at the guards. "Let him through."
Without a word, one of the guards entered the code into the shield’s access panel.
Wilfara grumbled as Taza drew away. "I shouldn’t need to remind someone with your experience to be careful. Don’t forget. This prisoner of yours likes to play dirty."
Taza’s hand rubbed the side of his jaw where the prisoner had slashed him before his departure for Loth. "I won’t be forgetting how dangerous the bastard is anytime soon."
He walked under the archway and entered the holding area, running his eyes over the three cells on his left. The prisoner in the first, a Zaqaran in yellow overalls, sat on the edge of his cot and watched Taza through narrowed eyes as he passed. The Zaqaran in the second banged on the orange-tinged kinetic barrier, the resulting thuds seemingly dull and distant. The third cell stood empty.
Despite most of the Orinmore’s interior having the feel of a sickbay, there was no mistaking the brig for anything other than what it was, at least for Taza. It was a far-cry from high-security facilities like the Brink, but Taza had spent too much of his life around holding cells and being around them caused him to tense.
He was about to make a right turn at the junction when he caught movement out of the corner of his left eye.
Clio appeared from the secondary holding area and almost passed by without so much as a glance, Booster riding on her shoulder.
"Clio," Taza all but fumbled with the word. "What are you doing here?"
The kid jumped with a fright and turned. "Sorry, Taza. I didn’t see you there."
She gave him a half-smile, her eyes glazed, her mind was elsewhere.
She seemed smaller than he remembered, and it had nothing to do with her being out of her TEK. Standing a little over five and a half feet, Clio was hardly tall, but her fiery personality usually made up for her lack of physical stature. She looked tired and had possibly lost weight, though Taza knew better than to point out as much. Booster’s lack of insults also unnerved Taza a little.
"Is everything okay?" It felt like a strange thing to say since they hadn’t seen each other in so long.
A tear rolled down Clio’s left cheek and without a word she threw her arms around him.
Taza embraced her as she broke into sobs.
"What’s wrong, Clio?"
Between shallow breaths, she mumbled inaudible words into his breast-plate.
Taza looked to Booster for answers but the Puck merely shrugged. Taza shot Booster a look he hoped would communicate that he wasn’t being very helpful, but the creature didn’t seem to register.
Dumb-ass monkey.
Taza rubbed Clio’s back, letting her cry it out. He wondered what might have caused such a reaction, his mind offering several horrible scenarios. Did something happen to Grimshaw? Or perhaps Zora? He and the damn woman may have parted ways, but Taza couldn’t deny he missed her.
Taza couldn’t think of a way to distract the kid without knowing what was bothering her.
Clio drew several deep breaths and regained a semblance of control. She looked up with puffy, red eyes, tears streaking her cheeks. She sniffed and drew another deep breath before wiping her face with her sleeve. "It’s Swigger."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She wriggled free and took a step back, her tears darkening her gray sleeve as she wiped her face again. "Sorry. I didn’t mean to cry. I didn’t expect to bump into you…I’ve been holding it all in. Seeing you tipped me over the edge."
"No need to apologize." Taza rubbed the back of his neck. "Take your time."
"Thank…you." She drew several sharp breaths before exhaling deeply. "A lot has happened since you left."
"What happened to Swigger?" He looked to the cells on the left. A warm orange glow showed that the furthest was occupied. "Did he hurt someone?"
Clio shook her head and wiped her face again. "No…but he almost killed Grimshaw…"
"Why?" Taza tried not to sound shocked.
"A brain bug," Booster said, pointing at Taza’s head.
He cocked an eyebrow and gestured to Clio. "It’s clearly no time for insults, you damn monk—"
"What Booster means to say is that Swigger has an infection in his brain." Clio looked back to Swigger’s cell then back to Taza. "Chimera have been controlling him. Doctor Roshi isn’t sure yet, but he thinks Swigger got the infection on Colony 115. Some kind of parasite that controls the mind."
Taza felt his eyes widen. "Swigger’s been a Chimera mole the whole time?"
"Not quite," she quickly explained. "Even if he was infected on 115, we don’t think it started using him until later. Swigger doesn’t know either. The medical staff are still looking for answers, but they think the parasite can only take over Swigger’s consciousness while he sleeps. While Swigger’s awake, it’s still him in there."
"Damn," Taza muttered without thinking. "Not to seem insensitive, but does he have any info we can use?"
"He doesn’t remember much from the times the parasite took control," she said, slowly shaking her head. "I knew he’d changed…He clearly hadn’t been sleeping, but…"
Taza reached out and wiped a tear Clio had missed. "Don’t blame yourself, kid. I’m sure the doctors will take care of him."
"It’s bad, Taza." She looked him dead in the eyes. "The parasite is feeding on him…growing. They say he’ll die soon if they don’t find a way to fix him.” She stifled a sob with another deep breath.
"I see." The words hung in the air like some terrible sentence, but Taza didn’t know what else to say. The revelation had caught him off guard. Several thoughts poked above the reeling fog in his head. Swigger being under Chimera’s control explained how they had inside information. Looking at Clio, Taza thought it best not to question her too much about specifics. "Can’t Doctor Roshi or the Omnion do anything?"
"The Omnion medical officers haven’t left their vats in a while. The retrovirus is taking its toll." She wiped her nose. "As for Swigger’s parasite, they say it has spread too far. Trying to take it out will kill him."
Taza tried to look concerned. "I hope they can work it out."
"Sorry you had to see me like this when you’ve just returned." She attempted to fix her tangled red hair. "I don’t know what’s come over me. The crew’s reaction doesn’t help either."
"What did the crew do?"
"Most mind their own business, but one or two…Never mind…Sorry."
Booster purred as he stroked Clio’s head.
Taza reached forward and lifted her chin. "Keep looking up, kid. Like I said, you’ve got nothing to apologize for. I’m your…friend. I’m here any time you need to talk. Hell, we’ve all been through the ringer lately. You’ve done well holding it together so long. If I’m honest, I’ve been struggling to do the same. Not that telling you my problems fixes yours." He ran a hand through his greasy hair.
A smirk slowly crept onto Clio’s face, and she looked at him the way she always did when he got awkward. "Thank you, Taza. It always feels better when you’re around. You didn’t come here to console me, though. I’ll let you get back to work."
"The Omnion are sending me back out soon, but we’ll catch up properly before then."
Clio nodded. "I’d like that. You left so suddenly last time."
"Our Omnion overlords sent me out on short notice," he lied, not wanting to admit to storming off because of Zora.
Clio’s eyes told him that she understood the truth. She had an uncanny way of reading him. "Next time you’re back, we can schedule dinner."
To his relief, she didn’t bring Zora up. For that, he was grateful. "I’d like that."
"Dinner," Booster squeaked in agreement.
Taza reached out to scratch the Puck behind the ears. Booster reluctantly offered his head before pushing into Taza’s hand. He looked to the interrogation room on his right. The Omnion would be looking for a report soon and he wanted to question the Quamat first. "I was on m
y way to speak with a prisoner. I’ll send you a message after and we can work out the details."
"I look forward to it," Clio said.
"Are they allowing visitors to see Swigger?"
"The Zaqaran doctors have just been. They gave him medicine to see if it will slow the parasite’s growth. He’ll be out for a while. Maybe you can stop by later," she added hopefully.
"Sure. How is Grimshaw taking it?"
"Not good. We would never have known if it wasn’t for the Captain. Swigger…or the parasite…bypassed Omnion security and opened a quantum comms link to Chimera late at night. Grimshaw was having trouble sleeping and followed Swigger to the comms room and caught him in the act."
"It’s a good thing he found out what was going on. Those medical scans the Omnion put us through before letting us on board took days. It’s a wonder they didn’t pick it up then."
Clio’s expression changed as though she suddenly remembered the recent tests. "The parasite adapts to the host, mimicking its bio-signature and masking its presence. Doctor Roshi has worked out a way to detect it since. Sickbay will want to scan you. They’re checking everyone. Grimshaw said a second parasite crawled out of Swigger’s ear and escaped. They’re afraid it’ll take a new host and keep spreading."
Taza looked around the corridor. "They haven’t found it?"
"They’re still searching."
"I see." His eyes darted about the ceiling as he imagined the creature she described dropping on them from above.
Clio stepped closer and squeezed him again. "See you later, Taza."
"Take care, kid."
She withdrew and headed for the security archway, Booster’s tail swinging from side to side over her shoulder.
Taza had never seen Clio so worried. She’d always seemed so stubborn and…immovable. He wished he’d known what to say…wished he could help. He suddenly remembered the gift he’d brought her from Loth and cursed himself for not remembering to give it to her. She was already on the other side of the security shield.
It wouldn’t have been appropriate given the situation anyway. I’ll give it to her later.
He drew a deep breath and steeled his resolve. He couldn’t let the bad news create a chink in his armor while interrogating a prisoner, especially a prisoner like Tarrig. The Quamat had a sneaky way with words and an uncanny ability at reading moods and intentions.
He glanced left, sparing Swigger a thought before turning right and approaching the interrogation room.
He looked into the camera above the door while holding his SIG before the scanner panel.
The door melted, and the panels peeled away, admitting him to the cool room. Security had left the room temperature low to further inhibit the cold-blooded Quamat’s movements. Light-gray, featureless walls highlighted the cold. A chair and table rested several feet before a white suspension ring. Arlon Tarrig hung inside the circle, the magnetic fetters on his wrists, ankles, and tail splaying him like a giant lizard ready for carving.
Dark-green scales covered the Quamat’s naked body. Though having the appearance of armor, the scales were soft and supple, not much harder than human skin. Also like humans, Quamat were agile with little natural armored. Unlike humans, however, they possessed natural weapons. Taza allowed himself a glance at Tarrig’s partially-retracted black claws. Hailing from a jungle planet beyond the reaches of Varg space, the Quamat body had evolved incredible speed and flexibility. Double-jointed hips allowed them to move upright or on all fours. In the latter position, they ran faster than any other sapient species.
Paler scales covered Tarrig’s face. Yellow eyes with black slits mounted either side of a snout where nose and mouth joined, and a long tongue slithered between his lips as he licked the air.
Tarrig slowly lifted his head as Taza approached.
"If it isn’t Taza Arkona," Tarrig said with the lisp characteristic of his species. "Enjoy your little trip to Loth?" His tongue flopped wildly as he cackled.
Taza pulled out the chair, allowing the Quamat to finish. "Can’t say I was a fan of Loth, but I do like a prisoner with a sense of humor."
"Not that a sense of humor gets one far when trapped in one of these." He nodded to the suspension ring. "Isn’t it illegal to hold prisoners using such devices?"
Taza shrugged. "In Sentinel space, containment rings are frowned upon. But we aren’t in Sentinel space…and even if we were, the Quamat are not protected by the Galactic Alliance Charter."
"We don’t want to join your pathetic alliance. You’re all high and mighty. Every species in the Galactic Alliance believes they are more important than all others. You would have the Quamat bend the knee to your ridiculous terms. But soon you will learn your lesson. These Omnion and Zaqaran, however. They are fair people."
"More so than I, unfortunately for you."
"Well, the legendary Ghost isn’t exactly known for his loving caress," Tarrig hissed.
Thoughts of Zora came to Taza unbidden. He hoped his consternation didn’t show. "I have been known to have a gentler touch on the rare occasion."
"So, you won’t mind releasing me…and accepting my challenge for hand-to-hand combat?"
Taza took his turn to laugh. "You do tell a good joke, Tarrig."
The Quamat stared at him in silence, his serpent-like eyes unblinking.
Taza fingered the hilt of his knife.
"Only a coward cuts someone while they’re trapped like cattle," the Quamat spat, craning his neck as he tried to look at his tail.
"Even the Galactic Council sanctions the use of such measures under certain circumstances." Taza flashed Tarrig a smile. "Where do you think I learned my ways?"
Taza’s hands left his knife-hilt and moved to the cautery unit on his belt. He pulled it free and switched it on, a small plasma arc erupting from the tip.
"Going to cut more off my tail? What you took before has already re-grown. You can’t take anything from me that I won’t get back eventually."
"I haven’t decided which piece I’ll cut next, but I have decided to use this little tool I got on Loth." He twisted the cautery unit in his hands as though examining it. "I’m not sure if I told you this already, but I questioned one of your people before…a long time ago. Back when I worked for the Sentinel Intelligence Agency. He wasn’t too bothered about losing a limb or two either. When we worked out that bits stopped regrowing once they were cauterized using a certain kind of plasma…well, let’s just say his tune quickly changed."
"Burns don’t stop us from healing," Tarrig said, unfazed by the threat.
"Burns work fine when they’re hot enough." Taza adjusted the cauterizer and the arc extended another inch, the resulting plasma burning a blinding white.
"Nonsense," Tarrig bluffed.
Taza pushed the chair away as he stood. "I guess we’re about to find out. How about that tongue. You do use it an awful lot."
The Quamat’s laugh betrayed a nervous edge. "Another joke."
"Perhaps…" Taza closed in on the suspension ring. "Then again, you don’t want to speak, so you won’t be needing your tongue anyway.”
Tarrig smiled and opened his mouth wide.
Taza squinted, wondering what he was doing. Liquid glinted in the Quamat’s throat. Taza ducked as a stream of fluid shot from the prisoner’s mouth. The ejection narrowly missed as it sailed over his shoulder.
Tarrig coughed and choked.
Taza swore. The Zaqarans were supposed to neutralize Tarrig’s acid glands. Sloppy bastards almost cost me my face.
Taza looked back as the fluid melted a smoking hole in the table. Some acid had made it onto his shoulder pad, causing the black paint to bubble. He turned his attention back to Tarrig and activated his helmet. Building up enough acid for another stream would take time, but Taza wasn’t taking any chances.
Tarrig giggled.
Taza brought the sizzling cauterizer up and his laughter turned to a snort.
"B…But you promised no more cutting if I gave you inf
ormation."
"I promised no more cutting if you gave me accurate information."
Genuine surprise cut through the Quamat’s horrified expression for a moment. "But I gave you the coordinates we were given. The location of my team—"
"Then you’ll have to explain why your team had cleared out by the time I got there and why I spent weeks tracking them only to lose the trail." Taza held the plasma arc inches from the Quamat’s lipless mouth.
"I don’t know," Tarrig squealed, squeezing his eyes shut as Taza brought the plasma arc closer. "They were told to keep moving if I didn’t return. I swear, I don’t know where they went!"
"How did you get into the Shroud?"
"I already told you," he squeaked. "They blindfolded us on Claracia. A few hours later, they let us see and put us on a ship."
"Where did they put you on the ship?"
"I already told you. I don’t know."
Taza held the plasma arc closer. "Maybe this will remind you."
Tarrig tried to pull away in vain. "They loaded us onto the ship before I could see. It was like we were inside…a dome."
That was new. But, Taza suspected Tarrig was merely trying to feed more bogus info.
"Tell me more about this dome."
Tarrig panted. "It was big. Yes…very big. And gray. A blinding light hung from the ceiling, like a yellow sun burning in the sky. A giant cube building was under the sun. They stuffed us inside a shuttle before I could see anything else. Gave us a flask containing their virus and told us what to do with it. The ship’s windows were blacked out. We must have been on there for days. Next thing I remember Zarkla and I were on board this dreadnaught. We loaded the container in the moisture reclamation system like we were told. Zarkla and I got caught. The others fled."
"They fled to Loth?"
"That’s where they told us to go if anything went wrong."
"How many of you are there?"
"I told you. Six…I mean five, after your friends shot Zarkla."
"Where were the others supposed to go after Loth?"
Taza held the plasma arc an inch away from Tarrig’s skin. A narrow bubbling line slowly darkened across the prisoner’s lips. A pitiful squeak sounded in his throat.
The Galactic Sentinel: Ultimate Edition: 4 Books with 2000+ Pages of Highly Entertaining Sci-Fi Space Adventure Page 74