by G. P. Hudson
“I’m ok,” Kevin gasped. He tried to move but the guard clubbed him again sending voltage through his body like a burning pitchfork. He fell back down onto the floor, his teeth clenched together, body convulsing.
“Leave him alone, you son of a bitch,” yelled Henderson, his powerful hands gripping the bars of his cell.
The guard swung at Henderson, but Henderson pulled his hands back and the baton harmlessly hit the cell’s bars. He growled at Henderson, baring his teeth. He looked down at Kevin and said, “Get up.”
Kevin lay on the floor trying to catch his breath, but was winded and could barely move. The guard swung a powerful kick into his ribs.
“Get up,” the guard snarled.
This time Kevin moved his arms quicker, trying to avoid another heavy boot to the ribs. He pushed himself to get up until he stood at his full height. He looked down at the guard who threatened to hit him with the baton again, and wondered how much pressure he would need to snap his neck.
He resumed shuffling along until he reached his cell. The guard touched his belt and the door opened. He shoved Kevin from behind causing him to fall to the floor again. He hit the ground hard, the restraints preventing him from getting his hands up to break his fall. He did manage to turn his face and avoided losing any teeth, or breaking his nose again. Closing the door, the guard touched his belt and the restraints slackened, allowing Kevin to free his arms and legs. Kevin forced himself to stand up, walked to the bars and watched the guard as he left. He rubbed his wrists and reminded himself to be patient. The right opportunity would present itself soon enough.
Chapter 11
Kevin was actually allowed to sleep for the first time in days. It wasn’t a full night’s sleep, but it was something. When he finally woke he went over the previous day in his mind. The Kemmar weren’t going to stop until they got what they wanted. They were changing tactics. He feared he would have to endure the slaughter of another of his men.
The guard showed up again that morning with another Kemmar who Kevin started referring to as the doctor. He would pump Kevin full of drugs every morning. If he was a smart doctor he would’ve realized his drugs weren’t having any effect on Kevin. But he was clearly complacent and just assumed that they worked. Kevin was human, just like the Reivers, and the drugs worked on them without a problem. Same species, same results. Only the Reivers didn’t have a bloodstream full of Space Force counter agents.
Kevin played the role of the drugged prisoner convincingly enough. That was part of the trick. The counter agents allowed him to feel enough of the drug’s effects to modify his behavior appropriately. He played the role, and the Kemmar bought the act.
The guard escorted him back to the interrogation room. Walking down the hall he made eye contact with each Marine as he passed their cell. They all nodded at him, letting him know that they were ready to follow his lead. When they reached the end of the hall the guard touched his belt and the door opened. Kevin wondered how many doors that belt opened.
They arrived at the interrogation room, and the door opened. As they walked in, Kevin noticed the interrogator first, but what he saw next stopped him in his tracks. Sitting in a chair in front of the interrogator was Chief Engineer Singh.
The interrogator looked at Kevin and bared his teeth in a way that Kevin recognized. He was happy. The interrogator said, “The most remarkable thing has happened since we spoke yesterday. One of our ships arrived and delivered a surprising visitor.” The interrogator turned to Singh. “What is your rank and name?”
“Chief Engineer Rajneesh Singh.”
“What is the name of your ship?”
“The Hermes.”
“And where is the Hermes now?”
“The Hermes was destroyed.”
Destroyed? The word hit Kevin like a kick to the stomach. How could that be possible?
“Where are the rest of your crew?”
“I don’t know. The lifeboats all scattered in different directions.”
So the crew might still be alive. But they could be anywhere.
“How did the Hermes travel such enormous distances?”
“It used an experimental propulsion system that allowed it to fold space.”
“Singh!” said Kevin. The guard hit him with his baton and Kevin went down. The guard bludgeoned him two more times. Kevin convulsed as the electricity surged through him.
Singh stared back at him, expressionless. He showed no sign of empathy whatsoever. What happened to him?
“What planet are you from?” said the interrogator.
“Earth,” said Singh.
“Will you show us where this Earth is?”
“Yes.”
“And will you show us how to build this propulsion system?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because they must pay. They all must pay.”
Chapter 12
“Are you crazy?” said Seiben, the vein in his temple bulging so much Jon thought the man might have a stroke. “Do you have any idea who these people are? They could’ve killed all of us without a second thought.”
“They didn’t,” said Jon, wishing his translator was malfunctioning.
“They could have,” yelled Seiben. “You’re a stranger here. You don’t know anything about us. All the raiders wanted was their ransom. Once they got it they would have let us go.”
“Well, I saved you some money.”
“You didn’t save me anything. I wasn’t going to pay their ransom, Mr. Jansen was. The only thing I could’ve lost was my life.”
Jon glanced over at the twins who were cleaning up the blood in the hangar bay. “Who is this Mr. Jansen?”
“Mr. Jansen owns this ship.”
“So you all work for him?” said Jon.
“Most people work for him. He would’ve paid the ransom, so you risked our lives for nothing.”
“The raiders were an unacceptable threat,” said Jon, looking at Breeah who stood silently behind him.
“Yes, of course. And when were you going to tell me that you weren’t alone?”
“It wasn’t your concern.” Seiben’s tone was starting grate on Jon’s nerve.
“This is my ship!”
“This is Mr. Jansen’s ship. You said so yourself.”
Seiben glared at Jon. “I should never have rescued your vessel. Is there anybody else with you?”
Jon looked at Breeah again who nodded yes. “There is a little girl with us. Breeah’s daughter.”
Seiben’s face softened. “You have a child with you?”
“Yes.”
“Is that all? No pets I should know about?”
“Funny.” At least sarcasm was an improvement.
Seiben sighed and some of the tension in his shoulders eased.
“Why wouldn’t you tell me you had a child on board?”
“Again, not your concern.”
“That vessel is no place for a child. Hell, this freighter is no place for a child. But until we get to the station it’s all we have, so you might as well let the girl out. Let her run around a bit.”
Jon frowned at Seiben, but didn’t respond.
“Look, I’m not going to condemn someone for protecting a child. You should’ve been honest with us.”
“I don’t know you.”
“Of course. I understand. But really, you should let the child come out of that tiny vessel. There’s lots of room here in the hangar bay and even the rest of the ship.”
Seiben seemed to be sincere. Regardless, he wasn’t a threat. He was also right. Anki did need to get out of the lifeboat and get some exercise.
“You’re right. Just remember, Breeah and I are very protective when it comes to the child.”
“I don’t think anybody will question that here.”
Jon gestured to Breeah and she called her daughter. Anki stepped out of the lifeboat and came to Breeah’s side. Instantly a smile spread across Seiben’s face.
“Hello litt
le one,” said Seiben. “What’s your name?”
“Anki.”
“That’s a pretty name. How old are you, Anki?”
“Seven.”
“Seven! You’re a big girl, aren’t you?”
Anki nodded yes.
Seiben let out a loud belly laugh. “I bet you want to stretch out and have some fun. There’s lots of room in here to play. Just don’t touch any of the equipment.”
Anki looked up at Breeah, silently asking her if she could explore the hanger bay. Breeah nodded yes. Anki took off like a tornado.
Seiben looked back at Jon and Breeah, still smiling, and said, “She’s ok to play in here. She can even explore the ship if she likes. Some areas will have to be off limits, but most of the ship is safe enough.” Seiben’s eyes moistened as he watched Anki playing. “I have two girls myself, one the same age as Anki. I can’t wait to see them again.”
Jon thought of his own two little girls. One had been Anki’s age when they died. Ancient, buried pain tried to surface, but Jon caught it in time and suppressed it.
“It must be hard to leave them for such long periods of time,” said Breeah.
“It is,” said Seiben. He looked at Jon and said, “I don’t know what you people have been through, and it looks like a lot. But you’re lucky that you are all together. There’s nothing more important than family.”
Jon nodded but wanted to change the subject. “Tell me more about this station you are taking us to.”
“Ah yes, the station. For us the station is home.”
“You live in a space station?”
“Yes, we all do. There are close to a million people living there.”
“So this station is more of a city than a space station.”
“Yes, that’s right. Why? What did you think it was?”
“I assumed it was some sort of commercial facility.”
“Oh, it’s that too. The station is a major trading hub for this sector.”
Jon nodded slowly, “It sounds like an interesting place.”
“That’s one way of describing it.” Seiben looked back at Anki playing, “She’s having fun. She’ll like it at the station. There are lots of things for her to do there.”
Chapter 13
“Do you think these are the lost colonies your people have been looking for?” said Breeah. She wanted to understand where they were and what would happen next.
“I don’t know. Most of the information we had on the colonies was lost during the Juttari occupation. Up until I was assigned to the Hermes, I thought it was all just a legend. Something you told children when they were scared.” Jon’s eyes took on a faraway look, like he was lost in some distant memory. “The idea that there were humans somewhere in the galaxy who weren’t subject to alien rule was a great bedtime story.”
“What did the legend say?”
Her question seemed to pull him back to the present. He looked back at her, his dark eyes calm. “There were many versions of the legend,” he said. “The most popular described a powerful human empire that would come back to Earth one day and liberate humanity.”
She liked the idea of a human empire. After what the Kemmar had done to her people, she wanted to believe that there was a human empire capable of righting the wrongs committed against humankind. “Do you think there is any truth to the legend?”
Jon shrugged. “I’m not sure. I can see how the stories developed. The Earth was in ruins. People needed something to believe in. Whether there was any truth to it? I don’t know. My guess is we’re dealing with more of a diaspora of human colonies, rather than one central power.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Just a hunch, really. While we don’t have much data left about the colonies, I would think that the central authority would have been Sol. When the Juttari invaded Sol and the colonies shut down their gate, there would have been no central power left. While the different colonies might have created a central government to replace Sol, I think it was more likely that each colony just looked after their own affairs.”
“You don’t think the colonies would have united?”
Jon smirked. “They might have. If they had enough shared interests for it to make sense it could’ve happened. It’s more likely that they traded with each other, but stayed independent.” Jon paused, his face serious again. “What’s curious is I haven’t heard any talk of authorities, even after the incident with the raiders.”
“Maybe they don’t want the authorities involved? They might be carrying contraband.”
“Could be.”
“But you don’t think so.” It had taken some time, but she was starting to read his expressions.
“It’s the way the Captain talks about this Mr. Jansen.”
“His employer?”
“Yes, although I get the impression he is more than an employer.”
“Do you think he is some sort of governor?”
“I don’t know. There’s more to this Mr. Jansen than we’ve been told.”
Breeah looked over at Anki who hadn’t stopped running and dancing since they set her free in the hangar bay. Anki’s resilience always amazed her. She looked back at Jon who smiled as he watched Anki dance. “What do you think about this station?” said Breeah.
“It sounds interesting. I’ve seen space stations like this before. Some even bigger, with several million people living there. All were alien though. I’ve never seen a human station that size. I think it’ll be a good opportunity to get our bearings. Find out where we are and what’s next.”
“Ok, just promise me you will try not to kill anybody,” she said playfully.
Jon laughed. “I promise.”
Chapter 14
The long, dimly lit corridor stretched out ahead like a long winding snake. Doorways and dark nooks flanked it on both sides. Hostile aliens could be hiding behind any one of them. She needed to be cautious, and quiet. If she didn’t make a sound she might be able to pass without being noticed. If the lights were brighter she could better see where they were hiding. But then they might see her too. That wouldn’t be good. Anki decided that she liked the dim lighting after all and stayed close to the walls, moving slowly, silently.
The ship had an awful smell. A chemical smell. It wasn’t familiar, and she hoped she wouldn’t have to smell it again. She was sure it had clung to her by now. Her mom would have to send her for another shower to get rid of the stink. It was great to finally have a shower after all that time in the lifeboat. How long were they in the lifeboat? She had lost count of the days, but knew it was several weeks at least.
Weeks with no shower and no real food on a tiny ship. They had to eat some ridiculous paste every day. Jon had told her that it was filled with nutrients and that they could live on a little bit a day for years if they had to. The thought horrified her. Years in that cramped space with no shower and only some gross paste for food. The food on the freighter was nothing special, but at least it was real food. She never thought that she would miss chewing her meal so much.
The paste had no taste. None. She thought they must have made it that way on purpose, so that anyone could eat it without saying they didn’t like the flavor. The food on the freighter was simple, but it actually tasted like something. When she first bit into it the sensation had surprised her. Her taste buds came alive and sent waves of pleasure through her. Her mother had to tell her to slow down and not eat so fast. But she couldn’t help herself. Then Captain Seiben brought her some cookies. He said his wife had made them and that his little girls ate them all the time. She understood why. They were so sweet they made her want to spin and dance. Her mother didn’t have to tell her to slow down then. She savored every wonderful crumb.
Anki continued to creep down the corridor, stealthily peaking around each bulkhead. A consistent hum reverberated throughout the ship, but otherwise there was total silence. It struck her how little actually happened on the freighter. On the Hermes there was always something going o
n. You couldn’t walk down a corridor like this without passing an endless stream of people. She missed it.
Her mother explained that they had to leave the Hermes because of the Kemmar. That Jon had tried to rescue their people from the Kemmar, but in the end the aliens were too powerful. She told her that Jon was a good man. That anybody else would have left their people to their fate. She didn’t understand it all, but she liked Jon. She felt safe around him. She saw how other people were afraid of him, but he didn’t scare her. He showed the world his hard side, like her mother did, but deep inside they were both soft, like Captain Seiben’s cookies, and that is the side they showed her. She did miss the Hermes, but so long as her mother and Jon were with her she knew she could deal with any hardship.
Suddenly there was a sound up ahead. An alien. It came from just around the corner in front of her. She heard it again. Her pulse quickened and the tiny muscles in her arm flexed. Don’t be afraid, she thought. Her mother wouldn’t be afraid. Neither would Jon. She had to be brave, like them. Jon told her to believe in herself. So she did. She believed in her ability to deal with whatever creature lurked around that corner. She crouched as low as she could and stepped forward, slowly advancing on the noise. She stayed close to the wall and raised her weapon. As she drew closer she held her breath. Could she really do it? Could she beat an alien? She had to believe in herself. She had to move. There was no turning back. She decided to go on the count of three. She took a deep breath, calmed herself and counted.
One.
Two.
Three.
She jumped out of her hiding spot like a panther striking at its prey. Her hand came up and she pointed her fingers and yelled, “Zap, zap, zap, zap.”
“Hello,” said the man standing there. “Off fighting raiders, are you?”
“You’re an alien! And I shot you.”
The man put a hand to his heart and groaned. “You got me. I’m a goner.”
Anki fired again, “Zap, zap, zap!”
The man stumbled backward, his hand still clutching at his heart. He fell onto the floor and lay there with his eyes closed. Anki stared at him, worried. “Are you dead?”