I lean slightly closer despite restraints.
“Who benefits from immediate mobilization?” I ask quietly.
His gaze sharpens.
“You suggest Alliance involvement?”
“I suggest this was designed.”
“For what?”
“For extermination.”
The word settles heavily in sterile air.
Several officers exchange uneasy glances.
“You are paranoid,” the captain says flatly.
“No,” I reply. “I am observant.”
He studies me for a long moment.
“Move,” he orders finally.
We resume walking.
I keep my voice steady.
“I formally demand League arbitration,” I say clearly. “Under neutral charter and treaty law.”
“You are in no position to demand anything.”
“I am precisely in that position.”
He says nothing.
“Execution of a diplomatic delegation without League review constitutes breach of interstellar treaty,” I continue. “If you kill me without arbitration, you hand my people justification.”
Varek murmurs beside me, “You speak boldly for a prisoner.”
“I speak strategically.”
The captain exhales sharply through his nose.
“You will have your hearing,” he says finally. “But do not mistake delay for mercy.”
“I do not,” I answer.
The corridor doors seal behind us with a heavy metallic thud.
The containment cuffs hum.
Fleet engines roar faintly through distant structure.
The trap is visible now.
Alliance hardware.
