Captivity

by Maureen Toonkel

  Officer Greene slowly rose and shuffled the papers lying in front of him on the table. He glided his fingers over the rows of raised dots and began to speak. Officer. Greene was totally blind. When he was just a toddler he had become ill, and it was then discovered that he had bilateral retinoblastoma, cancer of the eyes. Both his eyes were promptly removed and prosthetic eyes put in their place. His blindness had not stopped him from attending college and the Space Academy. With some minor adaptations, good compensatory skills, and fierce determination, he was able to do an efficient job as a computer officer. Modern technology had come quite a long way, and there were all sorts of reading, writing, and traveling aids for the blind, but Greene preferred the old-fashioned skills of Braille and a long white cane. Still it took a lot of luck and hard work to break down the barriers keeping the blind from competing equally with their sighted peers.

  Greene recalled how nervous he was just a short while ago when he arrived upon the U.S.S. Gladiator and reported for duty for the first time. Captain Stoner had introduced him to the crew and proceeded to give a speech about the rookie officer. Greene had thought, Oh, no this is going to be demeaning. Instead Captain Stoner had surprised him.

  “Chief Warrant Officer Greene, as most of you have probably noticed,” the Captain had begun, “is blind. However, I expect you all to treat him with the proper respect he deserves. That means you are to be helpful, friendly, and pleasant to him. It also means that he is not to be treated as an invalid or helpless person. He will have the same responsibilities as the rest of you. I do not want to see him getting away with anything because he’s blind, and I don’t want him getting assistance that he doesn’t really need. Just remember that all of us have our differences. That’s what makes us unique. I have blue eyes, Lieutenant Pearson has red hair, Dr. Loring has big feet, Nurse Rugan wears hearing aids, and Officer Greene is blind. No matter, we are all officers of the U.S.S. Gladiator, and we are all here to do our jobs.” The Captain then turned toward Greene, shook his hand, and said, “Welcome aboard, Officer.”

  “Brisula,” began Officer Greene, “is a small planet consisting of one lake, some large rock formations, and dense forest land. Until recently, it was assumed that Brisula was a vacant planet, uninhabited, and unexplored. The original landing party that explored the planet’s surface found that Brisula was suited for human life. The water, air, and vegetation are all compatible with man’s needs.” He went on to report the actual statistics of the various environmental factors such as oxygen, CO2, and H2O contents.

  Andrews followed with a discussion on the Tradians. “The Tradians are a small humanoid race of nomads. They originally came from a tiny planet known as Dogus. Nearly three hundred years ago the planet was rocked by a fierce earthquake which altered the planet’s axis. Dogus began dying. Their rivers and lakes dried up. The land became parched. The Tradians could not farm. They could not plant crops to feed their livestock. The Tradians were forced to flee their planet. They emigrated to other planets, dispersing their race over several galaxies in the universe.

  ”They prefer to drift from planet to planet. Despite their nomadic nature, the Tradians have maintained a close knit interplanetary network. The Tradians have the unique ability to assimilate into any culture they join. That ability allows them to gather secrets and other classified information. Once they have secured this confidential knowledge they pass it on to the Tradian hierarchy known as the Council. Then they either continue their assimilation or move on to another culture. The Council oversees an army of Tradians who keep track of the activities of Tradians everywhere, and they coordinate the transmittance of information. As the United States of America is a main target of the Tradian underground they have designated English as the official Tradian language. During the last fifty years a small sect of Tradians have rose to power on planets with weak leadership. One such planet is Imp. The Tradians have taken over Imp, and one day they hope that all Tradians throughout the universe will make a pilgrimage to Imp. The United Galaxy Command has maintained ongoing surveillance of all Tradian activities.“

  ”If the Tradians are a humanoid type race, is there a way to distinguish them from other humanoids?“ asked Dennis Pearson.

  ”Since they assimilate so easily into other humanoid cultures, they are not readily recognized. The only way to positively identify a Tradian is by checking the position of the stomach. The Tradian anatomy is almost identical to the human system except that the Tradian stomach is found on the right side of the body. As Dr. Loring can attest to, the stomach is located on the left side in all other known humanoid races.“

  ”You are correct,“ agreed Paul Loring. ”Your assessment would also indicate that unless a Tradian is subject to x-rays, surgery or an autopsy, they are nearly impossible to spot.“

  Dave Andrews proceeded to the last topic that he and Officer Greene had researched. ”There is very little information readily available on the drug Xanthommatin. It is classified as a restricted narcotic drug. It is rumored to be a mind control drug. The drug has been developed by pharmaceutical scientists employed by United Galaxy Command. The drug, its side effects, and its implications are still being researched. In recent months UGC has been exploring uninhabited planets in hopes of finding one suitable for a research center for further study of Xanthommatin. Scientists hope to refine the drug so that it can be used for clinical practice. As you can imagine, if Xanthommatin were to find its way into the hands of the wrong people it could be put to dangerous use.“

  ”That’s all fine and mighty,“ said Pearson, ”but how does all of this relate to our current problem?“

  ”Before, we go any further,“ stated Andrews, ”I think we need to thank Officer Greene for his assistance on preparing this dossier.“

  ”Uh, yes,“ responded Pearson. ”Officer Greene, your help has been appreciated. You are dismissed from the rest of this meeting.“ Jackson Greene collected his Braille notes, grabbed his white cane, and exited the Conference Room.

  ”So,“ continued Pearson, ”how does all this connect?“

  ”That is a good question,“ responded Andrews. ”At first glance I did not see how any of this was going to help us locate the Captain.“

  Here we go, thought Dennis Pearson to himself. Andrews is going to humiliate me with a lecture on how dimwitted my idea was. However, Andrews surprised him.

  ”The information we have gathered leads me to believe that Brisula is not an uninhabited planet. It also is reasonable to guess that the Tradians are present somewhere on Brisula. I also suspect that the Tradians were aware of our imminent arrival on Brisula, and they were awaiting our presence. I further think that the Tradians themselves have come to Brisula in anticipation of United Galaxy Command’s intentions to use Brisula for a research center.“

  ”If I understand you correctly,“ said Pearson, ”you are suggesting that the Tradians were already on Brisula before we got there. That would mean they have camouflaged their presence in such a way that our ship’s sensors cannot penetrate it.“

  ”Yes,“ agreed Andrews, ”if our assumptions are correct it would be fair to conclude that the Tradians have information on the design of our ship’s sensors.“

  ”Wait a minute,“ interjected Dr. Loring. ”The design of our sensors is top-secret information. It is doubtful that the Tradians would have access to that information.“

  ”It would appear,“ responded Andrews, ”that the Tradians have access to a lot of information that they shouldn’t.“

  ”With that being the case,“ said Pearson, ”where do we go from here?“

  ”I suggest that you and I try to modify the composition of the ship’s sensors so it can penetrate the camouflage. We can use Officer Greene’s assistance as well. Dr. Loring, you have the command.“

  Captain Stoner awoke with a start. The steel cage doors clanged open, and several dozen bedraggled looking men and women shuffled into the cage. Their leg irons clinked as they came to a halt. A platoon of six guards worke
d diligently to unlock the clamps of the leg irons. One by one the slaves were locked into the leg chains attached to the bars of the cage. The guards exited, and the steel cage door closed with a crash. He didn’t even recognize them at first. He was watching the slaves as they plopped down on the straw laden floor. They were all so scrubby looking with dirty faces and hands and straggly hair. Most of them looked tired and sad. As he continued to scrutinize the slaves and to wonder about his own fate, his gaze rested on a young woman with some specks of platinum blonde hair shinning through the dirt.

  ”Ensign Glenna,“ shouted Captain Stoner. He jumped up and took off toward the Ensign, but after he had gone about twenty feet his leg chains were stretched to their limit, and they caused him to recoil. Then he felt an electric shock travel through his right leg. When he looked over his shoulder he saw that a guard had inserted a long cattle prod through the bars of the cage using it to apply electricity to his leg. He looked back at Lieutenant Glenna. She winked at him and held her index finger over her lips.

  There was total silence for the next half hour as the slaves napped. Then just like caged animals which seem to have internal clocks, the slaves rose to their feet and assembled along the perimeter of the cage holding their hands out through the bars. Within minutes, the guards appeared and tossed raw fish into the outstretched hands. Captain Stoner watched amazingly as Ensign Glenna grabbed for the fish. It was then that he noticed Lieutenant Hampton. Keith had so much mud streaked across his face that Josh hadn’t recognized him at first.

  Lieutenant Hampton and Ensign Glenna worked their way over to Captain Stoner and offered him some of their fish. Josh opened his mouth to say something, but Ensign Glenna quickly placed her hand over his mouth. Josh took a piece of fish from Hampton. He scrunched up his nose as he bit into the bitter tasting raw fish. A few minutes later some wooden buckets filled with water were lowered through the roof of the cage on thick braided ropes. The slaves scurried over to the buckets and gulped water from dented metal cups chained to the buckets. When the empty buckets were hauled back up through the roof, a buzz exploded in the cage.

  ”We can talk now,” said Ensign Glenna. “Gosh, it’s good to see you. Do you have a plan to get us out of here?”

  The air was filled with noisy chatter. Josh was glad for all the noise. It would allow him and his officers to talk without worry of being overheard.

  “Uh, not exactly,” answered Josh. “Lieutenant Shasta and I sort of stumbled into this place.”

  “Is Wayne OK?” asked Lieutenant Hampton. Wayne Shasta was lying on the floor. His eyes were closed, and his usually well combed chestnut brown hair was rumpled. He had passed out shortly after he and Stoner had been locked in the cage.

  “I think he’ll be fine,” responded Josh. “He got pretty roughed up by the welcoming committee. But I’m glad to see that you two are holding up well. These conditions are horrid.”

  “I kept telling Keith that you would be sending a search party for us. I just knew you wouldn’t leave us stranded in this miserable place.”

  “We thought Keith had killed the two of you.”

  “What?” exclaimed Keith.

  “After Ensign Glenna screamed, we rushed over to your location, and we found your bodies. It had appeared that you had stabbed Beverly and then killed yourself. We completed our mission and headed for Lexter. Then we got a call from Admiral Wilcox informing us that the Tradians had received secret information regarding Brisula. It was then that we discovered that the bodies were fake. We turned the ship around and returned to Brisula. Wayne and I were searching near the site where your bodies were discovered when we literally stumbled into this hidden complex. We were taken prisoner and questioned. Unfortunately Wayne took the brunt of the torture. I am very proud of him. He withstood the pain admirably and never cracked. We did not divulge any information.”

  That was meant for me, thought Keith. Stoner is letting me know that I was a weakling and a traitor. Keith averted his eyes away from Stoner.

  “We were questioned also,” Beverly was telling Captain Stoner. “It was awful. Those electric shocks were gruesome. Keith says that I jumped in my sleep for days afterward.”

  “You were tortured?” questioned Josh.

  “Yes,” answered Beverly. “We were strapped into huge chairs. General Platt kept asking Keith questions about our mission. Whenever Keith refused to answer I got bolted. Gosh, it was awful!”

  Oh, Bev, why did you have to tell Stoner that? Keith thought to himself. I can just imagine what is going through the Captain’s mind now.

  “Did you pass out?” Stoner inquired of Beverly. Keith looked up at Beverly as she began to answer the question.

  “No. Keith gave them some of the answers they were looking for and the torture ceased.”

  There it goes, Keith thought. My career is over. Oh, Beverly, do you know what you’ve done? He glanced at Stoner and their eyes met. Then Keith quickly looked down at the ground.

  “Was that the only time you were questioned?”

  “Yes,” answered Beverly.

  “Well, I am glad that neither of you were seriously hurt. Keith, what —”

  “Captain,” interrupted Ensign Glenna. “The talking hour has just ended. You’d better get some sleep. Work begins in six hours.”

  Dr. Loring put down the book he was reading. It was no use. He couldn’t concentrate. He had hoped that if he were to lie down in bed with a good mystery book, it would take his mind off of Brisula and the Captain. The thought that he might never see Joshua Stoner again was frightening. Paul remembered how he and Josh had met. They were enrolled in the same freshman biology class at Ohio State University. So many of the students were taking the course only to fulfill their science requirements. They weren’t serious and they made a joke out of the dissection labs. But there was one student who was serious. Josh Stoner had an enthusiasm for knowledge. He hungered to learn everything he could. He attacked his assignments with a vengeance. Joshua Stoner was just the type of student that Paul could relate to. They became lab partners, then dormitory roommates, and then best friends. Later they became fellow Space Academy Cadets. Paul had been thrilled two years ago when Josh had been promoted to Captain and assigned to the U.S.S. Gladiator where Paul had been practicing medicine since completing his residency on Mars. Paul picked up the mystery book and stared at the words on the pages before slamming the book down on the floor.

  “This is not working,” he said out loud. He got up and left his quarters. He rode the elevator down to the Bridge. Everything seemed under control. Diane Pearson was sitting at her post on the communications bank.

  “Diane,” said Paul Loring coming up behind her. “Have you been able to intercept any other communication from Brisula?”

  “No, doctor,” answered Diane. “Actually we haven’t established that the transmission I picked up yesterday was actually from Brisula. Commander Andrews says there is a possibility that the transmission was from another planet. I’ve been sending out requests to neighboring planets asking for their assistance in determining where the interception originated from.”

  “I think Commander Andrews is probably right. The transmission you intercepted is probably from another planet. I doubt there is intelligent life on Brisula. Frankly, Diane, if I were you I wouldn’t waste too much time determining the source of that transmission.” Paul did not wait for a response. Instead he pressed the up elevator button and stepped in when the door slid open.

  Diane watched him as he left the Bridge. What an odd conversation! she thought to herself. Denny had told her that it was extremely important that they pinpoint the origin of the transmission. He said that he, Dave and Paul were all certain that it had come from Brisula. However, Andrews felt that they needed to face the remote possibility that the transmission came from somewhere else. There was something else bothering Diane about the conversation with Paul, however, she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. It’s like I’m forgetting something that I s
houldn’t. It will come to me sometime, she thought. She swirled around to again face the control panel and continued her work to isolate the source of the transmission.

  Josh locked his hands together and placed them behind his head as he lay on the lumpy straw. His thoughts flipped back to the message from Admiral Wilcox. Someone in the landing party was an informant. But who could it be? It certainly wasn’t Dave Andrews. Dave was totally dedicated to the United Galaxy Command. He loved the Navy. It was his whole life. He would never jeopardize his career. And of course it wasn’t Dr. Loring. Paul was his best friend. The person he could confide all his secrets to. There was no one he trusted more than Paul. It was hard to imagine Wayne Shasta was a traitor. He was a bright young officer with a brilliant career in front of him. He was someone that was loyal and dependable to his superiors. Josh swiveled his head and stared at Lieutenant Hampton and Ensign Glenna. They were sound asleep, snuggled up against each other. Could Keith be the traitor? It sounded like Hampton had given the Brisulans some information, but Josh didn’t know what. However, the Brisulans were still digging for more, so what they received from Keith must not have been enough of what they were looking for. Besides he was actually quite fond of Keith, and like Shasta, Hampton was a very intelligent and competent young naval officer. Now Ensign Glenna’s behavior was bothering him. She had sure been eager to throw Keith to the lions. Why was she so quick to let out that Keith gave confidential information to the Brisulans? She’s been keeping herself wrapped around Keith. Is she playing him for a fool? Josh wondered if she was trying to throw suspicion away from herself. Glenna was new to the Gladiator. No one really knew much about her. Maybe Glenna was the spy. Josh turned back to look up at the guards over head. He shut his eyes. He’d better get some sleep if he was to join the slave crews in a couple of hours.