Traitor

by Drew Avera

  "We run. Yes, we've got it." Auden stared up at the captain with her hands on her hips. For a teenage girl, she had enough confidence to stand up for what she believed in. Dickson admired it and wondered what kind of asset someone with her tenacity would be to the Consulate Navy.

  "All right then, let’s go find your parents."

  "I think we should all go," Nata said, startling the captain. He spun on his heels after hearing her voice. He had never heard anything so beautiful, yet so terrifying.

  "So, you are awake," he said, more to distract from his fearful outburst than to make a statement.

  "Obviously," she replied, her voice much softer.

  "I guess there is strength in numbers," Dickson said as he stepped towards the door. The only problem with strength in numbers is whether the numbers are for you, or against you.

  "Are you sure you want to go unarmed?" Chuck asked as he reached into the corner for his rifle.

  Dickson turned and glared at the weapon before setting his eyes to the Grotan. "It's not ideal, but I don't have a weapon."

  Cuck chortled and stepped over to a dresser in the middle of the room. He pulled open the bottom drawer and revealed a small armory perfectly silhouetted in foam cutouts. "You're already wearing my clothes, Captain. It stands to reason that I can at least let you borrow a weapon." He pulled a handgun from the drawer and shoved a magazine into place. He grinned at the metallic click and then handed the sidearm to Dickson.

  "I appreciate your self-confidence. I'm sure it doesn't come easy for you helping someone in the Consulate," Dickson said.

  "I might be an old man, but I can recognize an enemy when I see one. I see the same look in your eyes that I saw in their father's eyes. Hopefully, I haven't misjudged either of you."

  Dickson holstered the weapon and gave a curt nod to the Grotan's show of confidence. "I hope not too."

  With those words, he turned and walked out the door and waited for the others to file out of the hut and lead him to the ship.

  And hopefully the truth.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Kevin woke up, sprawled out on the deck, with one arm shackled to the angle iron framing the interior of the ship. He felt like he was run over by a pack of stampeding gurogs. His teeth chattered as he sat up to assess the situation. Steam escaped his lips with each breath and that was when he remembered what happened.

  He pulled his jacket open and stretched out the collar of his undershirt to see where the probes from the taser had entered his chest. Two entry wounds presented themselves as purple welts the size of plums, one on his upper pec, just below the collarbone, and the other above his navel.

  "That's going to leave a mark," he groaned as his hands fell into his lap and he leaned his head back against the bulkhead. His weakness was overwhelming, and his body ached, not just from the cramps in his legs from spending so much time hanging from his chains, but also as a side effect of six-hundred volts of electricity coursing through his body. He wondered how he endured that much power going through his body without his heart exploding. Perhaps it was mercy. Or, perhaps it was a sick joke from the universe that enjoyed making him suffer.

  He scoffed at the thought.

  With his head pressed against the bulkhead, he heard a range of sounds. The rumble of the environmental control systems was loudest, but he could make out the faint sound of conversation taking place several meters away. He couldn’t make out the words, but it sounded like it was more idle chitchat than the barking of orders as his enemy prepared to execute the next phase of their plan.

  Kevin glanced around the room looking for a clock or anything that would reveal the time of day. He was certain it was past midnight on this planet, but other than that, he didn't have a clue.

  All he knew was that he dreaded the dawn coming.

  It was clear that Admiral Hardak would send his men into the town to retrieve his daughters or have them planted on his ship for when they undoubtedly returned. Kevin muttered a prayer under his breath and hoped for a miracle. He certainly needed one if he was going to get out of the situation alive.

  A crash sounded outside the door and he instinctively flinched. Kevin lowered his body back to the fetal position from which he woke as the door burst open and heavy boots fell upon the deck.

  "Rise and shine, Commander," Kretzschmar growled.

  Kevin slowly opened his eyes, not wanting to give the Heshian lieutenant any reason to think he had been awake for any amount of time.

  The man reached down and placed a taloned hand on Kevin's head, turning the human to face him. "The admiral is losing his patience, Commander. Are you sure you want to maintain the silent treatment, or should we begin persuading your wife to answer his questions?"

  Kevin stiffened defensively. There was no way he could assault the brooding man hovering over him. He lacked the tactical advantage or the strength to maintain a fair fight. Instead, he decided to give in. "How about I make a deal with you?" Kevin whispered, feigning difficulty in speaking. "You let my wife and kids go and I'll tell him anything he wants to know."

  Kretzschmar bared his teeth in a hideous smile. "Counter deal," he uttered. "You tell Admiral Hardak everything he wants to know, and we won’t make you watch us kill your family."

  Kevin's eyes went wide as Kretzschmar reached into his pockets for the key to the cuffs. Kretzschmar snatched Kevin’s wrist and unshackled him before pocketing the key. "Let's go, Commander. Your destiny awaits."

  Kretzschmar grabbed Kevin by the collar and yanked him up from the deck and led him out into the passageway. Members of the extraction team stood on either side of the passageway like side boys as the lieutenant led his prisoner through the gauntlet. With each step, the squad took potshots at Kevin, punching and kicking at him as they chanted “traitor” rhythmically.

  Kevin choked down a sob, not from the pain or the humiliation, but for the first time in his life he felt completely and utterly hopeless.

  The chant continued as the squad filed into ranks and marched behind Kretzschmar. Admiral Hardak awaited at the end of the passageway, a stoic expression on his face as he looked down his nose at the prisoner. "Commander Hoyt," he said indignantly. "Welcome to your tribunal."

  The chanting stopped when Kevin was forced to his knees before the admiral. He glared up at the ranking officer but refused to speak.

  Hardak cleared his throat and ordered that the “female” be led out as a witness to her husband’s demise. The order elicited a series of cheers and catcalls as the men onboard prematurely celebrated their victory of bringing justice.

  Why wouldn’t they, Kevin thought. It was over.

  Hardak stared at him with a smirk as the commander’s heart raced. No amount of time to delay the inevitable was enough and Kevin knew that the worst moment in his life was coming.

  There was no stopping it.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  When they arrived at the ship Chuck stopped and extended his arm to halt the rest of them, and said, "the light emanating from the cargo bay wasn't there the last time we were here."

  Dickson stepped up next to the Grotan man and assessed the situation. "Are you sure?"

  "I'm certain of it. I tripped over your body because it was so dark." Dickson glanced over at him and noticed Chuck smirking. “Sorry about that."

  "Let me see if I remember correctly. The lights from this model ship are manually operated and don't function on motion detection. If the lights are on, then someone's been on the ship." He drew his weapon, glanced over to Chuck, and raised his eyebrows as he continued, "There's only one way to find out."

  Both men approached the ship from the port side, staying out of view of the cargo bay in case there was anyone there. Despite being different species, and having different military training, Dickson noticed how well they worked together. Chuck instinctually followed Dickson’s lead, covering his six as he approached the ramp slowly.

  Dickson kept his ears open for any sound that might mean someone w
as coming towards them.

  Every few steps he glanced back to the perimeter where Nata stood with the girls, her hands resting on their shoulders presumably to comfort them. His mind wanted to drift to the circumstances that led to this moment, aided by two alien beings as he attempted to find the potentially criminal father of two teenagers. He didn’t look forward to having to reveal the truth to them if it came to it.

  What a wild ride this is, he thought before realizing he was distracting himself.

  Dickson shook the cobwebs out of his head and lowered himself to peer up into the cargo bay through a tiny gap at the top of the ramp. There was no one there, nor any sound suggesting someone’s presence, but the ship had several compartments. Someone could be on the other side of the cargo bay and there would be no way of knowing. He looked back to Chuck and motioned with his hand that he was going up. Chuck nodded in affirmation and closed the distance between them with his rifle raised at the ready.

  They crab-walked in unison along the cargo ramp. Chuck kept his barrel aimed inside the ship while Dickson moved up the ramp, careful not to make a sound as his boots touched upon the metal surface.

  The further up the ramp he went the more the cargo bay came into view. Not all the overhead lights were on, but there were enough of them to illuminate the blood pooled on the ramp leading up to the cargo space. Dickson didn't have to wonder whose it was. That much was obvious based on his condition when he woke.

  He stepped over the pool of blood and slunk into the cargo bay using the strapped down containers for cover. He motioned for Chuck to come up the ramp as well. The Grotan complied, taking cover on the starboard side of the cargo bay.

  Dickson motioned his intent to move forward into the narrow passageway leading out of the cargo bay and into the lounge of the scout ship. It was a chokepoint, but he didn't have much choice if he was going to sweep the ship. He didn’t know if anyone was in the lounge, but if there were, and they knew he was coming, it could be a trap.

  “It's a risk I have to take,” he muttered under his breath before coming around his cover and lightly stepping towards the forward bulkhead of the cargo bay. He paused momentarily, eyeing Chuck with the all-clear. The Grotan motioned with a nod of his head and Dickson rounded the corner and moved deeper into passageway while Chuck took his previous position along the forward bulkhead.

  He could hear a man's voice, the all-too-familiar whine of someone in need of having his hand held throughout life. He didn't want to believe his ears, but when he came around the corner his suspicions were proven true. "Harrison?"

  Startled, Harrison nearly fell out onto the deck at the sound of hearing his name.

  "Captain?" He stammered. "You’re alive?"

  "That’s an astute assumption, Lieutenant. Do you care to tell me why you would think otherwise?" Dickson asked as he entered the lounge with his weapon raised.

  "I…I…I"

  "I disobeyed your order, sir," Dickson finished for him. "Is that what you are going to say?"

  "Harrison's jaw went slack and his face grew pale as he looked dumbfounded at his commanding officer. "I didn’t have a choice, Captain"

  "There's always a choice, Lieutenant. What made you lose your ever-loving mind and disobey me?"

  "It was Nesbitt’s idea, sir," he answered.

  "Nesbitt? What the hell does he have to do with this?" Dickson asked.

  Harrison lowered his hands and took a step closer. "I didn't know he was going to shoot you, sir."

  “Shoot me?” This was Nesbitt's doing, he realized as he reflected upon the conversation he had had with the chief after he gave the stand-down order. He recalled the smug expression on the chief’s face that he had presumed was the enlisted man throwing himself a pity party.

  Dickson had no desire to give in to the wiles of a madman who lusted for an opportunity to stack bodies as judge, jury, and executioner. Though, the situation made more sense, now. If Nesbitt shot him, then that meant that Kevin hadn't turned on him.

  "It looks like you have some explaining to do, Lieutenant," he said as he kept the barrel pointed towards the young man’s head. Harrison took a step back, swallowing hard as he fearfully watched the gun draw closer. Dickson directed the man to sit by pointing the barrel towards a row of seats. Harrison shifted and then looked back at the captain questioningly.

  “You don’t have to do this, sir,” he croaked.

  The fear in his voice did little to dissuade the captain as he shifted closer to the lieutenant. “Don’t make the same mistake twice, Harrison.” Dickson continued, "Take a seat and tell me everything."

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  A Heshian led Sarah from the interrogation room and forced her to stand next to Admiral Hardak. Kevin looked up at his wife and noticed the tears streaking down her face. She appeared relatively unharmed, but he knew that if she was that emotionally distraught as her torment did not have to be physical to put her in that position.

  This was all his fault and all he wanted was to hold her and tell her everything would be all right.

  Even if he didn’t believe it himself.

  "Commander Hoyt, you are charged with treason for releasing classified information to the enemy. How do you plead?"

  "Not. Guilty." Kevin said directly. He bit each word as he glared at the admiral. He knew there was no way there was any evidence to support the charges, yet here he sat on his knees facing death.

  "Do you have any means to support your claim of innocence?" Hardak asked, going through the motions set forth by Article Ten of Consulate law.

  "What happened to innocent until proven guilty?" Kevin asked. "Isn’t the burden of proof on you as my accuser?"

  Hardak’s expression turned grim as he clenched his jaw and glowered at the indignant human. His eyes turned to his audience, the extraction team, and his fellow officers. Kevin watched as he scanned the room searching for someone but appeared to come up short.

  "Where's Lieutenant Harrison with my evidence?"

  "He still hasn't returned, sir," a voice called from the back. Kevin recognized it as the murderous Chief Nesbitt. If anyone was a traitor, it was him.

  "I told him to be here ready to present evidence. Is anyone in contact with him?”

  Kevin smirked at the fact that the Chief of Naval Affairs was too inept to even perform a tribunal properly, not that the failure in procedure would do anything to preserve his life. "Might I suggest a short recess, sir?" Kevin said sardonically.

  Hardak growled as his previous question went unanswered and sent him into a rage. He lifted a boot and slammed a forceful kick into Kevin's chest, sending the human commander sprawling across the deck.

  Kevin looked up as he lay on his back to see Kretzschmar staring down at him with a partial frown on his face.

  "Should I send someone to the ship to retrieve Harrison, sir?" Kretzschmar asked as he turned his attention back to the admiral.

  "Yes, send enough people to properly motivate the lieutenant to do as I ordered," he answered. Hardak looked at Sarah and made eye contact with the human woman before he turned his attention back to Kretzschmar. "Secure the prisoners and keep them separated. We will continue with the tribunal once Harrison provides me the evidence I demanded that he present to me hours ago."

  "Yes sir," Kretzschmar replied before turning to Chief Nesbitt and his men. "Chief, dispatch a crew to the scout ship and motivate Lieutenant Harrison to expedite the order."

  Kevin watched a smirk stretch across Nesbitt's face as the chief nodded and said, "Roger that. I was hoping you would let us loose so we can get this party started."

  Nesbitt motioned for his men to muster into ranks to depart the ship. While they formed up, Kretzschmar reached down and took hold of Kevin's shirt and pulled him to his feet. "Looks like we dropped the gun, Commander. Try to savor these extra moments that you have. Perhaps you can count them as a blessing."

  Kevin bit his tongue. He knew they were trying to get under his skin like a cat toying with
a mouse before killing and eating it. He looked over to see his wife being led away by a nameless guard. She mouthed the words “I love you” as she was forced into the interrogation room. It happened too fast for him to be able to respond, and he wished to God that he could have two more seconds in her presence to reply.

  "Do you know why I haven't admitted guilt?" Kevin asked as Kretzschmar led him away.

  "Because you fear the repercussions of your charges," Kretzschmar replied flatly.

  "Listen to reason. You can see the writing on the wall. Hardak is going to have me executed regardless of what evidence Harrison can or cannot provide. This is a ruse to cover-up someone else's wrongdoing."

  "What evidence do you have of that, traitor?"

  Kevin shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I have the same evidence to support my claim as Hardak does to support his. It’s my word against his."

  Kretzschmar opened the door to the space and moved to shackle Kevin back to the bulkhead

  but held short. Kretzschmar looked Kevin dead in the eyes and asked, "Do you expect me to believe that you did not dispatch that information to our enemy?"

  "Of course, I didn’t,” Kevin said. "The insurgents are your people. Humanity gains nothing from a Heshian uprising. Why would I feed them information without benefiting?"

  Kretzschmar paused for a moment and Kevin could see the wheels turning in his head. "Who would benefit from the insurgency?" the Heshian lieutenant asked.

  Kevin stood and eyed the man, measuring his words as carefully as he could. "The only person I know who could benefit from a rising insurrection. Hardak could use the information to weaken the Consulate and allow the extremist factions the power to eradicate their enemies. It would break the treaty and dissolve the Consulate altogether."

  Kretzschmar scoffed. "Why would he do that, he's the Chief of Naval Affairs. He's at the top," Kretzschmar spat.