by Andrew Gates
“Sorry miss, no one is allowed beyond this point. Only guards or media,” the man said.
“Media! I’m media!” Natalie replied with excitement. “Check my credentials.”
The guard quickly checked her info on the ATG. After a few seconds staring blankly into space, he nodded his head and stepped aside.
“Sorry for the delay, miss. Come on through,” he said, motioning her onward.
What happened? I missed that part, Rina asked. Did the guard say we can’t bring cameras in?
The opposite, actually. He let me right on through. It seems like they’re almost encouraging cameras.
That would be a first for Vexa Corp’s military.
Yeah, you’re telling me. Should we be suspicious?
There will be time to think about that later. For now, get me that footage.
On it.
Now past the guards, the crowd was non-existent. Natalie could move freely along the wide metal floor. She spotted the ship as it powered down. She promptly walked toward it. Several members of the media were already there. Natalie recognized the usual faces. A couple of guards held the reporters at bay, keeping them at least ten feet from the craft. A few more guards were positioned by the rear of the ship. Captain Daltus stood before them all, staring at the vessel, just waiting for the door to open.
I made it, Rina. I’m not too late.
Great, she replied. How does it look?
There are a few cameras here already. We won’t be the only ones with the footage.
At least we’re not missing out, then.
The ship’s aft door slowly opened. Natalie quickly set her optics to the proper settings and zoom, making sure the image looked crisp and perfect. Once everything was ready, she began recording. Everything she saw was now being transmitted directly to Rina in the office and saved onto the TCP servers.
I’m seeing your footage. Shots look great, Rina said.
Thanks.
Once the aft door finally opened all the way, Natalie spotted Milsen and Cutter inside the ship. Their clothes were ancient and full of holes. Their hair was long and unkempt. They looked terrible. Natalie zoomed in to get a better look.
So these are the long-lost saboteurs, Rina commented as she watched the footage.
Alleged saboteurs, Natalie clarified.
Right, good catch. I’ve got to watch my word choice until the court finds them guilty, she replied.
Until the court finds them guilty. Rina spoke as if the outcome were already set in stone.
“Corporal Ellen Milsen, David Cutter, if you two would please come with me,” said Captain Daltus as the two pilots stood in the open doorway.
The pilots seemed nervous, but followed the captain’s orders without debate.
“Gentlemen, if you would be so kind,” the captain continued, this time referring to the soldiers at her back.
The soldiers stepped forward and grabbed hold of both Milsen and Cutter. They immediately placed restraints along their wrists and clasped their hands together behind their backs. The two pilots seemed genuinely confused.
“Hey, what’s this?” Cutter asked.
“Corporal Ellen Milsen and David Cutter, by order of Vexa Corp President Tano, you two are under arrest for sabotaging the terraforming operations of the VCS Euripides,” Captain Daltus declared.
“Under arrest? But there’s got to me some mistake! We didn’t sabotage anything! Our ship failed. We were stranded!” Cutter debated.
“Take them away.” Clearly the captain had no patience to argue with them.
Cutter reluctantly let the guards take him away without a fight, but his fellow pilot was not as kind.
Milsen kicked at the guards and squirmed in her restraints. More guards ran in to grab her, but they only made her fight back harder and faster. Finally, one guard lifted the end of his rifle and smashed it into the back of her skull. Milsen fell to the floor, immediately unconscious. Three guards had to lift her up and drag her after that.
Natalie caught it all in crystal clear video.
Damn, the viewers are going to love this, Rina said.
Imprisoned
Earth Date (Revised Julian Calendar): 04.21.5673
Location: Prisoner Hold, Section 4, VSC Patriot, Outer edge of Thrace System, Vexa Corp Controlled Space
Ellen felt hands on her body as she slowly came to. Her vision was blurry and her hearing was fuzzy. She felt like she was moving, but she knew she wasn’t walking.
“Wha?” she muttered.
“I think she’s waking up,” said a male voice.
Her vision slowly came back. She spotted a long hallway with bleak, grey walls. Several men in uniform dragged her along.
Thank god, you’re awake! Yuri said.
Where am I? What’s happening?
The captain had us arrested.
Us?
You, me, Dave, Gloria.
Ellen slowly recalled the events. She remembered the guards securing her hands behind her back. She remembered fighting them and eventually getting knocked out. It seemed like a dream, but it was real. It was all real.
Oh, yes, I remember now, she said. Ellen let out a deep sigh. That sucks.
That’s putting it mildly, Yuri replied.
“Watch her carefully,” one of the guards ordered. “She’s starting to make noise. I think she’s waking up.”
“I’m awake now, yes,” Ellen said, addressing the guards’ concerns. There was no sense pretending to be unconscious. “But don’t worry, I won’t struggle, not anymore.” She did not even have the strength to struggle if she wanted to.
“Can you walk?” one of the men asked. He did not seem remotely concerned by the fact that she was now awake.
“Yes, I think I can.”
The guards let go of her and let Ellen walk on her own the rest of the way. The first few steps were tougher than she thought, but she got the hang of it after that.
“Don’t try anything,” one man said.
Ellen did not respond. She simply walked along in silence.
The guards stopped a few steps later before a nearby door to the right. One man motioned toward it. Ellen understood what he wanted. She nodded and walked through the open door.
The room was dimly lit and cold. Every surface seemed to be made of a shiny metal, including the two tables on either side of the room that Ellen assumed were supposed to be beds. Dave was already inside, sitting on the table to the right. He stood up as she entered.
“This is your cell. Under the order of Captain Daltus, you two will remain here until further notice,” a guard said as he escorted Ellen in. “Meals will be served three times a day. Bathroom breaks and opportunities to walk around will be given every hour and a half and will last no more than 15 minutes at a time.”
Ellen turned to face the man, but by the time she looked his way, he was already on his way out. The door closed forcefully behind him.
“Well fuck,” Dave said once the guards were clear.
Ellen studied the square room. It was hardly larger than the Windborn. It only took four steps to get from one end to the other. With the door to the hall closed, the only light came from thin LED strips attached to the ceilings and floor.
Ellen could not believe this. She had battled with pirates, sailed through dark waters, risked her life just to get home. And now that she was back in Thrace, with Mateo in sight, home was the one place she just couldn’t get.
“Dammit!” Ellen said as she punched the metal surface of the wall. Her fist did not even cause so much as a dent. She pulled her hand back and noticed that her knuckles were bleeding.
“How did this happen?” Dave asked.
“I… I don’t know,” Ellen replied. She closed her eyes and wiped some sweat from her face. “I don’t understand what’s happening.” She took a deep breath and reopened her eyes, trying to calm herself down. It felt like her heart was about to explode from her chest at any second.
The caption of this ship seem
s to think you two have done something wrong, Gloria explained.
I’m looking up details about the captain now, Yuri added.
“You’re saying we still have ATG access?” Ellen replied as she sat on the table to the left. Somehow sitting seemed to calm her down.
Limited access, but access, Yuri replied.
“What can you find out?” Dave asked.
For one thing, Captain Daltus has a long military career with Vexa Corp. She was born and raised on Mateo and she’s a passionate patriot. She enlisted right out of high school, right as the fighting was getting bad. She has a decorated past. She served in the Lightspeed Wars in defense of Thrace for over 100 years. She has one daughter, no husband. Oh, and she’s close to Vexa Corp President Tano.
“How close?” Ellen asked.
She was the maid of honor at his wedding.
“Does that help us or hurt us?”
It doesn’t help, Yuri replied. A man with that much power and influence in this system is not someone we want as our enemy.
“But Tano isn’t our enemy. Daltus is.”
You heard the captain. Our arrest came from President Tano’s orders. I think Tano and Daltus are on the same side here.
“Crap,” Dave said as he leaned back. He sounded tired, like he just wanted this crazy adventure to end already.
So what do we do now? Gloria eventually said, asking the question on the top of everyone’s mind.
“Can we break out?” Ellen asked.
Unlikely, Yuri replied. With our limited knowledge of this ship and century, I do not expect we would get very far.
Ellen reluctantly nodded her head. Yuri had good points.
“Well then, if we can’t break out, why not just wait? They can’t keep us here forever. Sooner or later, the captain must realize that we are no benefit to her,” Ellen suggested.
“You can’t be serious,” Dave retorted.
“The way I see it, there’s nothing we can do.” Ellen hated admitting it, but she knew the answer was simple. “Yuri is right. We are on a massive warship we know nothing about, accused of a crime by a group of people we do not know, in a millennium where we don’t know the rules. We’re out of our element here. Considering the many variables against our favor, I’m not confident enough to attempt a breakout, or anything brash for that matter.”
“What are you saying, Ellen? Do you seriously suggest we just sit here forever and wait?” Dave asked. He sat back up and stared at her.
“There’s got to be a trial or a questioning or something. The captain can’t just keep us here forever. It’s not in her interest to do that,” Ellen said.
“How do you know it’s not in her interest? You just said we know nothing about her!” Dave shot back.
Ellen paused. She did not know quite how to respond.
Look, Dave, I understand you’re upset. But I agree with Ellen on this one. We’re too far out of our element to try anything stupid, Yuri said.
“Gloria, what do you think?” Dave asked, letting out a deep sigh of frustration.
I think Ellen and Yuri make good points, Gloria replied after a few moments of silence.
Dave lowered his head, as if defeated. Ellen could not help but feel bad. She had always been the one with the grand escape plan. She knew her inaction must have been a lot for him to deal with.
“Alright,” Dave eventually said. His tone was somber. “I guess we wait then.”
“Hopefully it’s a short wait,” Ellen replied. She leaned back on her metal table. “I don’t see myself sleeping very well on this thing.”
***
Knock, knock, knock!
Ellen opened her eyes and sat up like a giddy child on her birthday. Visitors were at the door. After hours of waiting, something was finally happening.
Dave leaned against the far wall, but he turned and faced the door as their guest came knocking.
The door opened without warning. Ellen had to shield her eyes from the bright light of the hallway outside. A man entered, garbed in a clean white uniform. A pistol was holstered to his hip. Upon closer glance, Ellen noticed that this man’s left arm was made of metal and his hand had eight fingers.
“Corporal Ellen Milsen, David Cutter, please follow me,” he said. The man stood as still as a statue.
There’s a warm welcome, Yuri muttered. Ellen was normally fond of his humor, but now did not seem like the time for sarcasm.
Ellen hopped off the metal table and took a few steps toward the modded man. He stared at her for a few moments, then stepped aside to let her pass. Ellen continued along into the hall, where two guards were waiting for her and Dave. The guards stared at them all the while. Their eyes tracked them like a sniper to its target.
They really don’t trust us, do they? Yuri said.
I guess not, Ellen replied.
The modded man stepped out of the cell, making sure to pick up the rear behind Dave.
“Please, continue,” he said, motioning forward.
The guards led them onward as the man followed behind them. Nobody said a word as they walked through the halls.
Where do you think they’re taking us? asked Dave, privately.
I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out. Ellen did not know what else to say. She knew just as much as he did.
Eventually they stopped at door marked Interrogation Room. The two guards stood on either side of the doorway and waited.
“Please,” the man said, “move along.”
Ellen walked through the door with Dave closely behind. Inside, the room was exactly as she expected. A single table stood at the center, with two chairs on one side and one chair on the other. The walls were grey and undecorated. A one-way holo-wall stood on the far side of the room, a light projection meant to look like a solid surface from one vantage point, but transparent from the other. Often these types of visual barriers also utilized sound-cancelling and nano-dampening technology. Ellen guessed there were people standing on the opposite side of it right now, just watching them.
Ellen took a seat on the side of the table with two chairs. Dave did the same. The modded man followed them in and stood by the door as it closed shut.
“Are you here to interrogate us?” Ellen asked. She had never been interrogated two at a time before.
The man shook his head. “Not me,” he replied.
“That would be me,” added a new voice. A woman suddenly emerged through the holo-wall. She wore a dark blue dress with white pearls around her neck. Her brown hair was pulled back in a bun. Her tone was stern, as was her expression. The woman walked to the opposite side of the table and reached out her hand. Ellen and Dave instinctively shook it. “Call me Detective Lyla,” she said.
“Pleased to meet you, Detective Lyla,” Dave replied.
“Gresham is just here to keep an eye on you. We don’t want you trying anything foolish,” the detective explained, motioning to the modded man.
He nodded back to her.
“My, my,” Lyla continued. She stood up straight and eyed them up. “You two are quite the catch. Mateo’s been itching to find you guys for generations. The terraforming disaster on Red One is something no one in this system can forget.”
“I understand the concern,” Ellen said, getting right to it, “but unfortunately, there is no one to blame for that failure but your machinery.”
“I’m not so certain,” Lyla replied. She pulled out the chair and sat down.
“So you think we did something?” Ellen asked.
“Perhaps.”
“That’s a bold accusation. Do you have any evidence to support your claim?”
Lyla stared into Ellen’s eyes, then slowly moved her glance to Dave’s. She stopped a moment longer on Dave, as if she saw something in him she did not expect. Then she recomposed herself and leaned back in the chair.
“I have evidence that you altered your flight record,” Lyla said to Dave. She sent the data over the ATG. Ellen quickly glanced at the files. Everything was a
s she remembered. She had seen the altered record before. “Care to explain this?”
“My flight data has nothing to do with what happened to Red One and the Euripides,” Dave explained. “They are separate events.”
“That doesn’t answer my question. Did you alter your flight record or not?”
“I don’t deny it.”
“So you admit to altering the report?” Lyla asked. She caught him like a fly in a spider’s web. She leaned forward and stared him down.
“I do,” Dave admitted. “I did it to convince Ellen, I mean, Milsen and Yuri to travel to Vexa Prime with me. I didn’t think they would come along unless they thought I was a great pilot.”
And I helped him, added Gloria.
Lyla leaned back in her chair again and smiled. She slowly nodded her head for a few moments and took a quick glance at Dave once more.
“Your heart rate has been stronger than normal since you two walked into this room,” Lyla noted, “but it didn’t spike when I asked you about your flight record just now.”
“So?” Ellen asked. She did not see the relevance.
“So, that means I believe you,” the woman explained. “You admitted to guilt and you did so without apprehension. You’d be surprised how many people come in this room and lie to me from the very start.”
“Actually, I think I can relate,” Ellen responded. “I saw a lot of liars in my time with the SDF.”
“Yes, I suppose you would have,” Lyla replied.
Ellen leaned forward. She had enough of this chit chat. It was time to talk.
“Let’s skip the irrelevancies. The floor is yours, Detective Lyla. Get to it. Ask us what you want to know.”
“Very well, Corporal.” The detective cleared her throat. “Shortly after the failed mission on Red One, Vexa Corp did an extensive investigation at the time. We checked all the manifests, documents, personnel.”
“I’m sure you were missing a few things,” Ellen said.
“We were,” Lyla confirmed. “Four ships newly outfitted with gravitation manipulators, a number of orphaned children, various communications equipment, servitors and other technology.”
That matches the stuff the Governor kept with him on Taspansa, Yuri said, privately.