Traitor

by Drew Avera

  "What does that mean?" Tara asked as she stepped out from behind her sister.

  Chuck shrugged his shoulders and then replied, "I'm not sure. This Captain Dickson had a helmet so perhaps he had a weapon as well. I don’t see it laying around. Maybe your daddy got the upper hand when the captain came, and he shot him."

  Auden jumped to her feet, stepped over the body, and approached the old, lizard-faced man. "Father would never kill a man like that," she spat as she shoved her finger in Chuck's direction. "You don't know him. You don’t know him like we do."

  "You're right, kid. I don't know him. But I do know the Consulate, and I know that they train people to do whatever it takes to survive. If this man was after your family, then your father had no choice but to neutralize the threat. If that meant killing him, then that is what any officer in the Consulate would do."

  Auden gasped for air, as her world spun around her. Could her father kill someone?

  "If he didn’t shoot him," Tara said, "then where are our parents now?"

  Chuck shouldered his weapon and gazed out into the distance until his eyes fixated to the south where the manufactured storm had been prior. "Well, I think that's the million-dollar question."

  "Wait a minute, how do we know he’s dead? Did you check?" Auden asked after a moment of silence.

  Chuck peered down at the Consulate Captain and shrugged. "I didn’t think to check. He looked pretty dead to me."

  "What if he isn’t?" Auden asked, unable to mask the desperation of hope in her voice. She could not accept that her father would kill another person.

  “I guess there’s only one way to find out,” Chuck mumbled as he handed her his rifle and knelt next to the dead man. He put his fingers to the side of Dickson’s neck to feel for a pulse and then flinched back unexpectedly.

  “What’s wrong?” Tara asked.

  Chuck stammered a moment before responding. “He has a pulse.”

  “Then he isn’t dead,” Auden chimed in with a bit of elation to her voice.

  “He will be if we don’t do something soon.” Chuck slowly approached the body once more but hesitated to touch it again.

  “What can we do?” Tara asked.

  “I know someone who can help,” Chuck shot back, taking hold of the critical, fading captain and cradling the body in his arms as he rose to his feet. "If he isn’t too far gone," Chuck said solemnly. "then perhaps we have enough time to save him."

  "Who do you know that can do that?" Tara asked.

  Chuck marched back towards the town and didn’t look back as he said, "you'll see."

  Chapter Seventeen

  The interrogation room was uncomfortably hot as Kevin and Sarah sat with their wrists cuffed to the table. They had spent the last hour alone, keeping quiet in case anyone was listening in. Before Dickson approached their ship, they made a pact that if they were captured, that they would do whatever it took to protect their children, no matter the cost to themselves. But the longer they sat waiting for the inevitable, the more uncomfortable the commander grew knowing that his girls were on an alien world all by themselves.

  He shifted his weight in the seat, and the sound of chains rattling against the table reverberated off the tight bulkheads of the interrogation room. Sarah glanced up at him, tears welled in her eyes that betrayed the stoic expression on her face. She was a strong woman, one that was willing to endure more than anyone could ever ask of another person, but Kevin could see in her eyes just how afraid she was.

  He leaned in close to her, his lips nearly touching her ear as he whispered, "Remember the plan. We won’t say anything about the girls no matter how much they threaten us."

  Sarah gasped and sucked in several short breaths, fighting back tears until she settled down and nodded her acknowledgment.

  There was no doubt in Kevin’s mind that time was running out. Admiral Hardak had just ordered the execution of Captain Dickson based purely on an emotional response to the human officer not following a direct order. This wasn't an order dictated by war, this was a misunderstanding where the captain had acted in good faith, yet bullets were already flying.

  I have grossly underestimated the situation, he thought as he bit his bottom lip to prove that he was not dreaming.

  He wasn’t, but this was a nightmare.

  The sound of footsteps echoed down the passageway and Kevin heard whispers on the other side of the door. He knew the room was guarded, but the revelation did much to justify his unwillingness to speak openly with his wife while they were alone. What he wouldn't give to say all the things on his mind, but that was not for anyone else's ears but hers.

  A heavy hand grabbed hold of the door and shoved it open violently. Sarah shrieked reflexively but choked down the sound as she straightened up in her seat to stare boldly at the Heshian officer as he confidently walked in, his swagger a taunt of sorts.

  Kevin clenched his jaw, biting back his anger as he knew the only reason that they seated her close to the door was to torture her with fear and not allow Kevin the opportunity to protect his wife.

  "Commander Hoyt," Kretzschmar, a Consulate lieutenant, said. His voice rumbled with spite and indignancy. "Have you considered the admiral's generous offer to confess to your guilt?"

  Kevin ground his teeth, not wanting to spit the flurry of vulgarities floating through his mind. Instead, he settled on a simple reply, "I'm not guilty of the charges. Why would I admit to them?"

  The guard’s cocky smirk faded, and he swooped around the table and slammed both fists against the metal surface. The loud clatter of the now dented metal erupted in the room, startling Sarah, but Kevin didn't flinch. He had seen this act before on Camden.

  “Don’t throw a hissy fit just because you thought a confession was imminent. I’ve told you countless times that I’m not guilty. You don’t have evidence to prove the charges, so you’re trying to coax me into revealing it for you. I’m not stupid.”

  The Heshian growled as he lowered his face towards the human. A guttural groan emanated from the blood-lusting killer. "I think you know you're not innocent, Commander Hoyt. You’re just afraid of the repercussions of your actions," he shot back.

  Kevin stared up at the man defiantly. "Then tell me what evidence do you have that I’m the traitor that Admiral Hardak says I am?"

  "We have digital evidence that confidential information was dispatched from your ship to the enemy. I believe your people call that espionage."

  Kretzschmar drooled as he stared down his nose at the commander, but Hoyt would not be swayed.

  "Captain Dickson said that the details regarding my charges were not released until several days later. Perhaps, these are fraudulent charges that someone is building against me, and that information was planted. The only way to know if those allegations are true is to verify the logs on my ship’s computer system, which I locked as soon as I saw Captain Dickson approaching," he replied with smug confidence. It was his own act, but he hoped the lieutenant wouldn’t pick up on any of the tells that a human was lying. They weren’t the most adept at reading human expression.

  That might be part of the reason that his old friend lay dead in the desert filled him with trepidation. It didn’t matter if he was innocent, the Chief of Naval Affairs did not act logically, he acted with emotion and that was the travesty of his dire circumstances. He knew what would happen if Hardak determined that he was guilty. Rumor had it, that the new Chief of Naval affairs was not one for negotiation.

  Kevin feared that his defiance only served to delay the inevitable; a feeling that resonated much deeper as he glanced over to his wife.

  "Don't be ridiculous, Commander. No one even knew who you were until the charges were filed. Your wholly unspectacular human existence is not worth the time and energy the Consulate has used to pursue you," the lieutenant said.

  Kevin tilted his head as he glared at the Heshian. Cold, yellow eyes stared back at him mercilessly. "If I was such a waste of time and resources, then why go through all
the trouble of tracking me down, and then killing Captain Dickson?"

  The lieutenant backed away slightly as an exasperated sigh left his tight lips.

  "You don't have any answers do you?" Kevin asked, fighting back the smirk forming on his face. His satisfaction waned from winning a battle of wits with the Heshian because he knew inevitably that if this strategy to openly defy his captors went wrong, then he would surely lose the war.

  And his family.

  Kretzschmar stood tall, still glowering at the human with disgust before turning to stomp out of the room.

  “Why are you trying so hard to get under his skin?” Sarah asked with a whisper.

  Kevin glanced over to her and said, “It’s the only power I have at this point.”

  It was a truth that made him feel all the weaker for having said it out loud.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chuck set the Consulate captain onto a cot and collapsed onto his knees. He gasped from the exertion of carrying the man’s unconscious body for so long and at such a quick pace. Despite his age, he was able to continue without stopping and even the young human girls had trouble keeping up. But he was paying for it now as his muscles spasmed angrily, chastising him for thinking he was as strong as he had been as a younger man.

  "Is he still alive?" Auden asked as she leaned against the wall trying to catch her breath. Sweat poured down her face as she wiped it away from her eyes to keep it from stinging, but it was a losing battle. She squinted as she glanced at the small room which was little more than a hut constructed from recycled material. It hardly seemed like anything at all but was significant enough for Chuck to keep it secret.

  There was a lot of mystery to the Grotan who came across as a nice person, but she sensed something mysterious about him that she couldn’t quite grasp.

  Chuck checked for a pulse once more and sighed with relief as he nodded his head. "I don't know how, but he is still alive. This guy must have a strong will, but I’m not sure how much longer he can hold on."

  "You said you knew someone that can help," Auden said between deep breaths. She used her cloak to wipe away the pouring sweat and continued, “Maybe we still have time?”

  "I do know someone, but I need you two to go get her," he replied flatly.

  "Why is that?" Tara asked, less out of breath than her older sister, but just as sweaty. She had pulled her hair back in a ponytail at some point when Auden was too distracted to notice.

  Chuck rose and peered down his nose at them. "Nata has a love-hate relationship with me," he said, "I'm afraid that if I go, then she will refuse to help."

  "She doesn't sound like a very nice person to me if that’s the case," Auden said skeptically.

  "Don’t take this the wrong way, kid, but if you knew our history, you would probably take her side." He turned his attention to the small sink in the corner of the room and ran cold water into a couple of empty glasses before handing them to the girls.

  "What happened?" Auden asked after taking a sip. It tasted funny, but she didn’t mention it. She just had faith that if Chuck could live off of it, then there was nothing in it that would harm her.

  She hoped.

  "That's a story for a different time, kid.” He ran his hands under the water and splashed some onto his face. “I need you to go to the Blue District which is two kilometers away. You’re going to a bar where you will see a Grotan with one arm serving. His name is Naegele, and he can put you in contact with Nata. Just a word of warning, don’t be taken aback when you see her."

  "Why would you say that?" Auden asked with puzzlement on her face.

  Chuck shrugged as a smirk flashed towards her. "Have you ever seen a Nepham before?" Both humans shook their heads in response. "Well, humans have a way of reacting when they see those different than themselves. Let alone the tumultuous past your kind had with theirs. It can set a mood if you catch my drift."

  "So, you want to send us to retrieve someone who might not get along with humans and for us to go into the Blue District where we’ll stand out in a crowd?" Auden asked. "All they’ll see is a couple of human kids who don’t belong in a bar on Karnack. It’s inviting trouble."

  Chuck chuckled under his breath as he reached for a towel and dabbed it at his face. "Kid, everybody in the Blue District stands out one way or another. If anything, you're just two more refugees to add to the mix."

  “Refugees?” Tara asked.

  “You don’t know?” Chuck replied. “Karnack lacks the identity it once had. This world is nothing more than a wasteland of people fighting to survive on the outskirts of empirical civilization. You might see more of your kind there than you think.”

  Auden swallowed back her surprise and then asked, "Should I take this with me?" She lifted the rifle she carried back from the desert.

  "No," he said. "That would draw the wrong kind of attention. Instead, take this with you." He lumbered over to the other side of the room and opened a drawer before pulling out two karambits and handing them to the girls. "I wouldn’t be flashing these around if I were you, but if you run into trouble, this will help get you out."

  They took the weapons and concealed them under their cloaks.

  “Where did you get these?” Auden asked.

  He smirked and continued to wipe at his face. “You’re not the first humans I came in contact with because of the Consulate. Sometimes you pick up a few things when you encounter dangerous men.” He stopped talking and had an expression like he wanted to say something else but couldn’t find the words. “I think you better go before it gets too late,” he said after a long pause.

  "Do you think he will make it?" Auden asked as she glanced over her shoulder to Captain Dickson. Genuine concern furrowed her brow. She didn’t want her father to be a killer. But even if this man lived, she wondered if she could ever look at her father the same way again.

  Chuck looked back at the man before turning his attention back to her. "Time is running out, kid. I think it all depends on how long it takes you to find Nata and whether she'll come to help."

  Auden nodded and turned to Tara. "Let’s go," she said as she led her sister out of Chuck's home and set out into the unknown.

  The Blue District boomed with activity as Auden and Tara approached. They had never seen a city that slept during the day and then bustled with activity at night in the way the Blue District did now. Their home on Valara was known as a place that never slept, so activity at night was just as raucous as during the day, though it lacked the aesthetic that the Blue District had.

  Auden was surprised to see more races than just the Grotans ambling about. The fact that humans lived here away from the centers where most humans thrived made her wonder why they would not return on Tyre, the place humans once called Earth or another suitable world for their class.

  She shook the thought from her head as quickly as it came, ashamed that the way the society she was raised held themselves in higher esteem than the people here. It was wrong and she could see that now that she was here, yet it did little to calm her nerves.

  "There are so many people here," Tara said as she drew closer to her sister. "I thought this was a ghost town."

  "Evidently not," Auden replied as she led Tara towards the outer perimeter of the square. They hugged the walls as they strolled around the Blue District, which drew its name from the overhead lights shining above them. It reminded her of being on her father’s ship and sitting next to him on the bridge as he practiced flying at night.

  Simpler times, she thought ruefully.

  "Is that the bar?" Tara asked as she pointed to the far side of the square. The loud sounds that Auden could only believe represented music on this world came from the place and grew louder as they approached. Even the windows vibrated with each dull thud of the bass.

  "If not, perhaps someone can direct us where to go." They pushed through the crowd with Auden tightly holding Tara's hand to prevent them from being separated. Everyone in the crowd was taller than them, rega
rdless of race, and it was difficult for her not to feel exposed and an easy target for trouble. She shifted her free hand under her cloak and took solace in the fact that she was at least armed if she needed to get out of a hairy situation.

  Auden had never attacked anyone before, not even for self-defense, but she knew she could do it if she had too.

  At least she thought she could.

  Dozens of eyes followed them as they shoved their way past the crowd, and no one approached them, but that did little to settle Auden’s nerves as she frequently glanced back just in case.

  They entered the bar through the front door and Tara covered her ears to protect them against the pulsating sounds coming from the overhead speaker system. She had a sensitivity to sound that was unmatched by Auden, but even her older sister winced as the bass felt like a punch in the gut.

  Auden couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would find this noise entertaining. Then again, knowing what she knew about Grotan anatomy, she speculated that the increased volume was simply to allow them to hear better since they did not have ears like humans.

  Lucky them, she thought as another thump churned her stomach.

  "Look over there," Auden shouted over the racket. She nodded with her head to point out the one-armed man serving drinks.

  "That has to be him," Tara replied, her voice nearly drowned out by the music. "Are you going to do all the talking?"

  "Do I have a choice?" she peered down at Tara and watched as her young sister shook her head. "Fine."

  She walked to the bar and the bartender locked eyes with her as she drew closer. There was a skeptical look on his face, and she questioned if he would be willing to talk or if he simply looked at the teenage humans as an unwanted distraction from his business.

  Not that it mattered. She was here for a reason and she had to try and get help for Captain Dickson.

  "Are you Naegele?" She asked. He nodded but said nothing. "We’re looking for someone name Nata. Can you point us in the right direction?"