Chapter 10
Jeffrey followed behind the alien female, struggling to keep up in his condition. He’d assumed they were going to the bridge, but instead she made the turn to the brig.
“Where are we headed? You said we were going to find out our current course.”
“I will,” she replied without turning back to look at him. “But first you’re going back to your cell.”
“What!” he shouted, jogging to catch up with her. “Haven’t I proved myself to you yet?” he asked, grabbing her shoulder to stop her.
“That’s not what’s going on,” she said, turning around. “You’re hurt. There is a human doctor in your cell. She’s going to check you out.”
“It can wait,” he growled. “We need to figure out what’s happening on the bridge.”
“And I will. But you’re going back to your cell.”
Jeffrey frowned. “You need my help.”
“You’re wrong,” she said, pulling his hand off her shoulder. “You’ll be a distraction. I might trust you, but my men won’t.”
She’s shutting me out.
The realization hurt worse than any blow the Hareema had landed.She got what she needed, and now she’s done with me.
They reached the cell and she opened the membrane, motioning for him to go inside. He looked at her, his gaze searching her features, but her expression was blank.
It seems the fight is over.He stepped through the membrane.
There were four beings in the cell, two human and two Zantharians. His fellow crewmembers were seated on the floor across the room from their Zantharian guards. Both groups seemed to be studiously ignoring each other.
“Lieutenant Cheerful!” Chao shouted, jumping to her feet and rushing to him. “What happened to you?”
“I gave those aliens what for,” he said with a laugh, watching the faces of the Zantharian guards. “You might want to go check on your first officer,” he said, his tone serious. “She’s going to need all the help she can get.”
“Our orders are to remain here,” one of the guards replied.
“Suit yourself,” he said, limping forward.
“What did they do to you?” Dr. Tan was already examining him, touching his bruises and causing him to grimace.
“You should see the other guy,” he said. “He lost his head completely. Well, his head and the rest of his body, I guess you could say. Except he doesn’t exactly have a body.”
“He’s lost it,” Chao said to her companion. “He’s talking gibberish.”
Jeffrey laughed. It was good to be back with his crew. “I assure you, I’m not.” He started to tell them about the interrogation, leaving out the parts where he and the Zantharian lieutenant had explored each other’s bodies with abandon.
Even though those times were the best part.
“We discovered that the man calling himself Major Ontarii was actually a Hareema plant.”
The Zantharian guards were no longer able to fake disinterest. “What are you saying?” one of them asked.
“Your lieutenant ran a charge through him, causing his shape to destabilize and proving that he was a Hareema agent.”
“Did she kill it?” the other demanded.
“No,” Jeffrey explained. “I convinced her to keep it under charge until we can get it back to your home world.”
“That’s too dangerous!” the first guard shouted. “Protocol demands that we—“
