Captivity

by Maureen Toonkel

  Dave Andrews sat at the Conference Room table staring at the same wood paneled walls he had been looking at for the past week. He was growing tired of this room. What were they missing? Surely there was something that they were overlooking. Some clue that would lead them to the Captain.

  Andrews looked away from the wall and addressed Paul Loring and Dennis Pearson. “I know you are just as tired as I am of going over the facts again and again, but I am certain there is something that we are missing. So let’s go over everything again.”

  Loring and Pearson groaned as Andrews began reading his notes again. Two hours went by, and they had not developed any new theories or thought of additional ways to proceed. Dennis leaned back in his chair and yawned. It was only 0900 hours, but he felt lethargic and restless. This sitting around and constantly rehashing the same material over and over was growing monotonous especially since they were not making any headway. Suddenly he had an idea.

  “Dave,” Pearson said interrupting Andrews as he read through the loudspeaker transmissions they had received.

  “Yes, Lieutenant Commander,” said Andrews, obviously annoyed at being interrupted. “What is it now?”

  “I was just thinking,” began Pearson. “Maybe we need some fresh minds. You know some other crew members who can give us new perspectives. The three of us are stuck.”

  “That is not a bad idea,” agreed Andrews. “But, the trouble is, who can we trust? We still do not know for sure who the traitor is?”

  “Interesting,” remarked Dennis. “Does that mean that you do not think Diane is the traitor?”

  “Dennis, to be honest I have never thought that Diane is the informant, but protocol dictates that she must be detained until we can clear her officially. We need to determine how the messages to the Tradians got onto her computer.”

  “At this point who the hell cares about protocol!” shouted Dennis. “Diane’s expertise as a communications officer is being wasted. If you don’t believe she is guilty then why can’t we release her and put her skills to work?”

  “I suppose he has a point,” piped in Paul. “Finding the source of the loudspeaker transmissions is a key element of locating the Captain. And you would have to admit that there is no one better aboard the Gladiator at communications then Lieutenant Pearson.”

  Dave felt like he was being ganged up upon. It was not a feeling that he favored, but he had to acknowledge that Pearson and Loring were right. Under the circumstances it made little sense to not make use of Diane’s expertise.

  “We could place her under a sort of house arrest,” said Andrews rubbing his chin. “We would need to know where she is and what she is doing at all times.”

  “She can stay with me,” stated Dennis.

  “No,” said Andrews. “We still do not want her to know that the Captain and the others are alive.“ Andrews continued rubbing his chin. “Diane can be released for eight hours of work a day. When not at work she will continue to be detained in the Brig. I will assign Ensign Benjamin Rubin to be with her while she is working.” He turned to Paul Loring. “Who do you think we can trust?”

  After a bit of thought Paul answered, “Amanda Rugan. She helped me do the autopsies, so she knows all the bodies were fake. I had ordered her not to reveal to anyone the truth about the bodies. I believe she has obeyed those orders.”

  “OK,” said Dave. “Let’s bring Nurse Rugan into our circle along with Officer Jackson Greene.” He pushed back his chair and rose. “Paul, please bring Nurse Rugan up to speed. I will do the same with Officer Greene. Dennis, you can instruct Diane and Ensign Rubin on their orders. We will reconvene at 1300 hours.

  “Break time. Break time,” yelled several guards. The slaves dropped their shovels and plopped down on the ground. It was good to have a few minutes to get off their feet.

  Josh coded a question to Keith Hampton, “whats nu”

  “tlkd 2 1188 he is nu of no hlp srry,” coded back Keith.

  “2 nite try 1187,” tapped out Josh. There has to be a way to escape, thought Josh while he wiggled his toes in an attempt to get some feeling back in them. I am getting very tired of digging and of eating raw fish. Fish. How do the guards get all that fish? There must be a passage that leads to a fish hatchery of some type. But could a fish hatchery produce mature fish of that much quantity? Maybe the passageway led to the lake on the planet’s surface. The landing crew’s initial research led them to believe that there was no fish in the lake. Perhaps they were wrong. If he could locate the tunnel that led to the lake, it could be a way to escape. But how was he going to get out of the cage? Joban talked about being rented out. Could I get myself rented to a Wealthy?

  Josh sent another message to Keith, “whr ds fish cm frm”

  To his surprise Keith coded back, “frm undrgrnd lke”

  “hw do u no”

  “hrd grds”

  “whr is lke”

  “in ne prt”

  “whr r we”

  “cgs r sw”

  Josh was amazed at all the information that Keith had amassed from listening to the guards that were stationed above his bedding.

  “kp ur ears opn,” Josh coded just as the guards started prodding the slaves to get back to work.

  Josh grabbed his shovel and began digging. Underground lake. Wow. Unfortunately that was not going to lead them to the planet’s surface. They were going to have to locate the tunnel that he and Shasta had emerged from. There had to be a way to open that entrance from the inside.

  “Ugh!” cried out Josh reeling from an electric shock to his backside.

  “Stop daydreaming,” ordered the guard holding the cattle prod. “That’s a warning. Next time it will be off to the Punishment Center.”

  Dennis raced down to the Brig. He explained to the seaman on guard that Diane was going to be on a work release program. The seaman slid open Diane’s cell door and Dennis tiptoed in. Diane was lying on her cot with her eyes closed. Dennis leaned over the cot and placed his wet lips on Diane’s closed mouth. Without opening her eyes she put her arms around Dennis’ neck and kissed him passionately.

  “How did you know it was me?” he asked.

  “I’d recognize your lips anywhere,” she answered.

  He was pleased to see her in such better spirits. He ran his fingers through her silky red hair. “I’ve got some good news.”

  Diane sat up straight. “I can use some good news.”

  “You are going to be allowed to go back to work. You will—“

  “Are you kidding?” Diane was up on her feet. “Can I go right now?”

  “Yes, but let me finish. Please sit down.”

  Diane lowered herself back onto the bed, and Dennis continued. “You will still be confined to the Brig when you are not working.”

  “OK,” said Diane. “I can handle that.”

  “I’ve asked Ensign Rubin to meet us here. He should be arriving in about fifteen minutes. He is being assigned to be with you at work.”

  “Oh. He is going to make sure I don’t send any messages to the Tradians.”

  “I guess so. Hopefully he will be of assistance to you in trying to pinpoint the location of the loudspeaker transmissions.”

  “So, no one has done that yet?”

  “No. Although Jackson has intercepted some more transmissions. Here.” He handed her a backpack that contained her green lieutenant’s uniform. “Why don’t you get changed before Ben gets here.”

  Diane could hardly contain her excitement as she stripped off the orange jumpsuit. While she wasn’t completely free, at least she could get out of this cell for several hours a day. And she was going to be able to be of some assistance. Maybe that would help her prove that she was innocent.

  Ensign Benjamin Rubin stood at attention waiting for Dennis and Diane in the Brig’s receiving area. He was a very young communications officer with sandy blonde hair and a dimpled chin.

  “At ease, Ensign,” commanded Dennis.

  “Yes, sir,” answ
ered Rubin as he relaxed his stance.

  Dennis explained to the Ensign that he was being assigned to stay with Lieutenant Pearson while she was at work. He would need to come to the Brig each morning to collect her and then return her to the Brig after their shift. In addition he was to assist Diane with her work. If he saw any inappropriate behavior particularly suspicious computer activities, he was ordered to report his observations to Commander Andrews.

  “Oh, and Ben, one other thing,” said Dennis as they were getting ready to leave the Brig. Ensign Rubin turned and faced Dennis. “Do not forget that Diane is my wife.” Dennis winked at Diane.

  Ben’s face broke out in a bright pink blush as he muttered, “Of course, sir.”

  Amanda Rugan was straightening out the many bottles in the medicine cabinet. It made Dr. Loring angry when the bottles were all scattered about. He preferred to have them orderly and organized. She made sure to check the cabinet often. Amanda loved working with Paul Loring. Aside from his drop dead gorgeous looks, he had a great sense of humor and he was always nice to her. Actually he was more than nice. Sometimes Amanda had the feeling that Dr. Loring had a crush on her. Privately she hoped her feelings were accurate as she certainly had a thing for him. She had enjoyed countless daydreams where Paul showed up and swept her off her feet. They always ended up under the covers in one of the Sick Bay beds. But lately she was worried about the doctor. He seemed tense and distracted. She knew he wasn’t sleeping. The evidence was clear. In addition to the bags under his eyes, she could tell by the disorder of his desk in the mornings that he had spent time in his office at night. Paul usually kept his desk in an impeccable fashion, but lately his desk was overrun with papers and writing instruments. Amanda tidied up the desk at the end of her shift each evening only to find the desk in disarray when she came in to work in the mornings.

  Paul Loring came up from behind and whispered in her ear, “Boo.” She whipped around and found herself nose to nose with Paul. “Gotcha,” he laughed.

  “You scared me,” she laughed back. “I wasn’t expecting you this afternoon.”

  Paul smiled. He wished that someday he could tell Amanda how he felt about her. But that would probably never happen. A love life was just not in the cards for him. He had too much else that he needed to accomplish.

  “Amanda, as you know the autopsies we performed on the Captain and the others revealed that those four bodies were fakes. I asked you not to tell anyone about that.” Amanda nodded. “I really appreciate it that you have done as I instructed. Since then Dave Andrews, Dennis Pearson, and myself have been working to try and figure out what happened to Josh. You are the only other person aboard ship who knows that the bodies were fakes. Everyone else thinks the Captain is dead. We are at a stalemate and need some fresh ideas. I’ve recommended that you join in on our efforts to find Josh.”

  “I’m not sure that I can add anything of value,” said Amanda, “but I am honored to be included. I will help in any way I can.”

  “Your presence alone will be of great help to me.” Paul reached out and squeezed her hand. “I’ll summon Nurse Mann to relieve you. Once she arrives you can proceed to the Conference Room. See you then.” He let go of her hand and headed into his office to call Jill Mann.

  Dave Andrews knocked on Chief Warrant Officer Jackson Greene’s door. There was a gold plaque nailed on the door with some Braille characters. It was the room number. Dave reached up and ran his fingers over the Braille dots. I wonder how he can possibly read those dots. With all the technology available these days, it seemed strange that anyone would still bother with an ancient system like Braille. Oh well, that wasn’t really any of his business.

  Jackson opened the door. “Who is it?” he asked.

  “Commander Andrews. May I come in?”

  “Certainly, sir.”

  Dave entered the quarters. There was a large Braille book open on the desk alongside a computer. Jackson’s Braille devices were on another table. His long white cane hung on a hook alongside the door.

  “Please have a seat,” said Jackson. “Can I make you some coffee?”

  “That would be very nice,” said Dave. He watched as Jackson opened a small door above his desk and removed an electric coffee maker. He got some water from the bathroom sink and measured out some scoops of ground coffee. They made some small talk while waiting for the coffee to percolate. Jackson poured out two cups of coffee.

  “Thanks,” said Dave. He blew on the hot liquid and drank some. “As you know Dr. Loring, Dennis Pearson, and myself have been working diligently on learning as much as we can about the Planet Brisula. We suspect that there is intelligent life on the planet. You and Lieutenant Pearson have intercepted several loudspeaker transmissions. We’ve been trying to determine where on the planet those transmissions are coming from.” Andrews stopped to drink some more coffee. “There are some things that you do not know. What I am about to tell you, is highly confidential. You cannot tell anyone else. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir. I understand,” responded Jackson.

  “The Captain, Keith Hampton, Wayne Shasta, and Beverly Glenna may not be dead. The bodies that we recovered from Brisula were fakes.”

  “Are you serious?” asked Jackson. His hazel prosthetic eyes popped wide open and his reddish brown hair almost stood on end.

  “Yes. We are trying to locate where on Brisula the Captain and the others might be. As you know, the planet’s surface appears to be uninhabited. The loudspeaker transmissions would seem to indicate that there is life on the planet. Until we can determine what it is we are facing, I cannot risk sending anyone else down to the planet. We have run out of ideas. I would like to have you join us as we continue to brainstorm.”

  “Sir, I am glad to be of service. I actually have some ideas that I would like to share.”

  “We will be meeting in the Conference Room at 1300 hours. You can present any ideas you have at that time. My notes are available in my personal computer files under “Brisula.” I have given you access to that file. You may want to review it before the meeting.”

  Dave Andrews drank the last of the coffee in his cup. “Thank you for the coffee and remember this is all top secret.” He got up and departed.

  “Thank you all for being here.” Dave Andrews addressed the group of crew members assembled in the Conference Room. “I need to stress that everything that we say in this room, remains in this room. Our work is highly confidential. You are the only ones aboard ship who know that the Captain and the other three officers are most likely still alive. Not even United Galaxy Command is fully aware of our situation. We have less than seventy-two hours to locate Captain Stoner and the others. If we are not successful, UGC will be taking over command of the Gladiator. I have asked Lieutenant Diane Pearson and Ensign Benjamin Rubin to join us. They will be working on tracing the source of the loudspeaker interceptions that we have been receiving. Neither of them is privileged to know the actual mission of this committee. It needs to remain that way.” Andrews glanced over at Dennis Pearson.

  Dennis nodded obediently, but he was furious. That was totally uncalled for. He hated it when Andrews threw his weight around, especially at him.

  There was a tap on the door and Diane Pearson and Ben Rubin entered the Conference Room. Dave gestured for them to take seats around the oval shaped mahogany table. Diane took the empty seat next to Paul Loring. Dennis flashed her a smile.

  “Lieutenant Pearson and Ensign Rubin, thank you for joining us. I was just telling everyone that we have less than seventy-two hours to carry out our mission. Part of that mission is to determine the location of the inhabitants on the planet below. Diane, as you know we have intercepted several transmissions from Brisula. We’ve determined that the transmissions are coming from a public address system. If we can pinpoint the location of the PA system it may lead us to the center of the Brisulan world. Officer Greene has continued to monitor the transmissions while you were absent.” Andrews turned his head to look at
Officer Greene. “Jackson, please make your notes available to Diane.”

  “Yes, sir,” responded Jackson. He held out a small silver USB drive. Diane rose and walked over to Jackson. She thanked him and took the drive.

  “Any questions?” Dave asked giving his attention to Diane.

  “No, sir,” she answered.

  “Good, “said Andrews nodding his head. “It is good to have you back, Diane.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “OK. Lieutenant Pearson and Ensign Rubin, you may both leave. Please get started with your task.” The room remained quiet until the two officers took their leave.

  Andrews then addressed the group. “Has everyone reviewed my notes?” There was a collective “yes” murmur. “Great. Officer Greene, I believe you have some ideas that you wanted to share with the group?”

  “Um, yes, sir. I do.”

  “Fine. You have the floor.”

  “Well, I’ve been thinking about the initial findings about Brisula’s suitability for human habitation. I did review that report, and I think some of the conclusions may be wrong.” He stopped. This was one of those times when not having his sight was a disadvantage. He could not see the faces of those in the room. What were they thinking? Did they think that as a rookie aboard the ship that I should know my place? Who am I to question a report prepared by my superiors?

  “Go on, Officer,” directed Andrews.

  “Well, um.” Jackson took a deep breathe. Just spit it out, he told himself. The worse that can happen is you’ll be told to sit down and keep your thoughts to yourself. “As you all know Ensign Glenna was the fishery and wildlife expert on the original landing party, but unfortunately she was unable to complete a full report. Commander Andrews prepared the section on the Brisula Lake. He reported that the lake was viable with water that was safe for human consumption and other living organisms. The lake is circular and is approximately fourteen miles or 22.5 kilometers wide with an average depth of 134 feet or 40.8 meters. We only examined the north end of the lake so the depth may be deceiving as some lakes can be deeper in some parts. I noticed something odd in the report that Commander Andrews submitted. There is only one lake on the planet’s surface. It contains algae and other protozoa. However, it does not have any fish. This is quite unusual. From what I have read in limnology journals, pretty much all lakes contain fish. Even man-made lakes will have fish. Usually man-made lakes will be stocked with fish for the purpose of food or sportsmanship. Small man-made lakes have no outflow, so the fauna and flora they contain will be different from natural lakes. The algae in the Brisula Lake are consistent with the algae found in man-made lakes on Earth. The conclusion being that the Brisula Lake is not natural. This would mean that the lake was built by humans or humanoids and most likely was stocked with fish.”