Chapter 9

TRISTEN

She sat alone in a dark steel-walled cell block. Bars covered the other three sides of her, cold metal to her back, steel floors. Outside this room, more steel. She’d grown tired of steel long ago, but it was all there was on the Gladiator. No others were locked up in her prison block, and it had been entirely silent for the past couple hours.

Her heart was heavy over what had happened, and she felt no guilt for her harmless crime. Not so much a crime as it was insubordination, but the response was still to lock her up to think about it without disturbing everyone around. Her crime, refusing to participate in utter genocide.

The doors to the cell on her left opened and a man was thrown in, falling to the floor. “You’re lucky we still need information from you otherwise you’d be dead,” a guard said walking away. Once the door on the far left closed, she was alone again. Well, except for this new stranger.

He laid down covered in his own blood, silent. She thought he might have passed out. She stood up to look over at him. “Who’s there?” he called out. He was an older man, balding, his beard greying. His skin was a dark tan and his raspy tone was one of defeat. There were bandages covering his eyes.

“The sight will come back after a few days. I assume you’re one of the, uh…”

“Kushan,” he responded sitting up against the cell bars. He had bruises all over his near-naked body. Well built for his age, but that didn’t help here.

“I’m so sorry for what was done to your people,” she said hoping he wouldn’t think of her as an enemy. “It was barbaric.”

“Thank you. Do you have a name?”

“Tristen Alaikiir. I’m a fighter pilot, or at least I was. What’s yours?”

“I don’t need one anymore. Just call me old man,” he said. He attempted a laugh, but coughed hard. “So why’re you in here?”

“I refused to take part in genocide.” She was not the only one who disagreed with the orders, but the only one willing to refuse and speak up about it. “And you, how’d you end up in here?”

“I saw Scaffold get destroyed. I figured if I was gonna do any damage I’d crash my ship into the carrier’s docking bay. My eject didn’t work. It’s for the best, I guess. Now I don’t have to suffocate watching my world burn.” The head bandages were wet from blood and tears.

“Did you have any family?”

“A son. He was on the Mothership, though. He’s a tough kid.”

“Well, good news for you is the Turanics we sent after the jumping vessel failed to destroy the fleet in the system’s outskirts.” She saw him smile.

“Think they’ll let me live if I ask nicely?” They both laughed.

“You should rest. They’ll be coming for you when you wake.” She felt sorry for this man. He lost his entire world and now couldn’t see the face of the enemy who did it. He climbed clumsily into the metal bed, taking her advice.

It was silent for the next hour. She listened to his pained breathing and stared at the metal ceiling running through the past day over and over.

“Do any of you honestly want to take part in this?” she asked her fellow pilots. “It’s insane!”

“It’s also a direct order from the Emperor himself,” came the first reply.

“What, no cease and desist, no warnings of any kind?” Looking around the room, she saw others had the same expression, but remained silent. “Has the Emperor cleared such a thing with the Galactic Council? You’re talking about the extermination of an entire planet of people.”

“That isn’t for you to judge, you’re a pilot, a grunt like the rest of us. I suggest you follow orders and do what you’re told.”

“No,” she said. “I won’t take part in this. None of you should.”

“You’ll be disobeying a direct order.”

“So be it.”

Back in the present, she heard footsteps approaching again. But only one set this time.

“Triss, what’ve you gotten yourself into this time?” It was her wingman. She had a love-hate kind of relationship with him, he always made dirty remarks, even after she kicked his ass for the third time. However, he was more attractive than most of the others on the ship, so it wasn’t a total loss that he kept following her around. “You look like shit, by the way.”

“What do you want? I’m not to be released for another few days.” He didn’t defend her position in the meeting. She wasn’t angry at him, really, but at the whole of the group.

“My uncle’s in charge of the prisons too, remember? I could get you out if you do me a small favour.” She knew the kind of favour he was asking, he often did so in front of others to embarrass her. She would still get together with him on occasion, mainly to satisfy her own cravings. Him being the only remotely likeable member of the crew was only an added bonus. She rolled her eyes.

“Jake, if I suck your dick will you leave me alone? I might bite, though. It’s been a bad day.”

“Hah!” Apparently the old man was awake.

“For you, blondie, it’d be worth it.”

“Pathetic. Go away pig,” she grinned.

“Fine. But in all seriousness, I actually came to tell you that you’ve been taken off the strike force until we get to Hiigara. Captain’s orders, nothing I could say to change his mind.”

“What? That bastard!” She shot to her feet. “You tell that fucker I’ll fight him for it. I can take him, the lazy shit probably hasn’t worked out in a year, and fucking every woman on the ship doesn’t count.”

“Vicious, that’s why I like you. As much as you’re a bitch to me on a daily basis, given I deserve most of it, I do have to give it to you. You’re a far better pilot than I am. From what that guy’s been bragging,” he pointed to the old man, “I hope the captain reconsiders. I’d feel a lot more comfortable out there knowing my squad leader wasn’t gonna be Derek.”

She let out a groan lowering her head to the bars. “He’s worse than you are, what’s the captain on?”

“I don’t know, but when you see him next, please get him to reconsider.” He put his hand through to stroke her hair. “Look, I don’t agree with the shit they pulled either, but it’s out of your hands. Please try to get back on the captain’s good side. We need you out there.”

“How do you propose I do that?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?” he smirked.

“I’m not sleeping with him.”

“Yeah, didn’t think so,” he laughed.

“Hiigara, huh? We haven’t been back there since I joined you Sajuuk-forsaken band of misfits.”

“Yeah, orders are from the Imperial Guard. Apparently they’re preparing for something. I’m not sure what, though. Can’t tell you much more than that.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ll let you rest. I’ll be back to keep you up to speed when we know more.”

“Thanks, Jake.” She lied back down again once he left. Creaks could be heard in the walls. The ship had taken a real beating from the surface missile defences.

“I’m not sure if you’re into him or if you wanna kill him,” the old man chimed in after a few minutes.

“A little of both, I guess.”

“Reminds me of my wife. And don’t apologize, she’s been gone for years.” 

She was glad to have met one of these Kushan. It made her decision feel more justified. It gave a face, even if only one, to the people they slaughtered. She closed her eyes and thought of home. She’d been away far too long. After a short while, she began to fall asleep putting an end to the worst day of her life.

***

She woke up hearing the guards throw the old man to the ground back in his cell. “You’ll break eventually,” the guard grunted. She then noticed the smell. She was still in her flight suit and was in serious need of a shower. “And you, glad you’re awake. The captain wants to see you. Get up.”

She listened, wanting more than anything to walk around for a while. She looked down at the old man, bloody and beaten. He had lash marks across his back. The cell door opened up and she was led out without cuffs.

“Can I at least change first? A shower maybe?”

The guard shrugged. “I’m not authorized to decide that, sorry.”

“Ugh, alright! It’s his nose’s funeral.”

“So listen. Cap’s in a pissy mood right now, so I’d behave.”

“Oh, why’s that?”

“Apparently the Imperial Guard won’t send support to us. We’re low on rations since a missile hit one of the storage cells.” She heard a roar from a deck below and the room shook sending them both to the ground. “What the hell?” Another shake brought down part of the ceiling on his head knocking him unconscious.

When getting back on her feet, she looked back at her cell and to the man still locked up. She made a decision. She wasn’t going to let them torture until they had no more use for him. When she got closer, he was coughing.

She opened his cell with the guard’s keys. “What’s going on?” he asked stumbling along confused.

“I’m not sure, but you’re getting out of here. I know a secret. The walls have hidden maintenance access halls. Mostly it’s wiring and pipes, used when the ship was being built.” She knocked on each panel until she came on the hollow one. It took effort, but she managed to get it to pop open. It probably hadn’t been used for decades. She led him inside and put the panel back in place behind her.

After ten minutes of crawling along, they found a ladder that led to a larger chamber about the size of a prison cell. It’d have to work as his den.

“It’s better than nothing. You’ll stay here for now.” His wounds looked bad. “I’ll be back with food and bandages. Keep quiet and you should be fine, no one ever checks these anymore.”

“I’m a little exhausted, I think I’ll sleep.”

“Okay.”

“And kid, thanks.”

She snuck through the maintenance network to where she assumed was a medical supplies room. She lifted a ceiling tile and peeked in. Empty. She dropped to the floor being as quiet as she could. The cabinets, lucky for her, weren’t locked. It had to be quick so nobody would see. She only needed two bottles. After finding them, she decided next was food. That wouldn’t be as easy, as food was probably being guarded because of the supply shortages. She jumped from the table up to the ceiling vent, but got caught pulling herself up. Her arm slipped and she fell to the floor tearing her flight suit at the leg. A cry of pain couldn’t be stopped, and she hid once able to move. Her leg was torn and she was bleeding.

She held the gash trying to keep quiet. The door opened and footsteps were heard approaching. “Triss? I’ve been looking for you if you’re there.” It was Jake.

“Over here,” she replied. He ran over to her, but was shocked by the blood.

“Hold on, I’ll find something.” He ransacked the drawers and cupboards to find some gauze and medical tape, he also found a suture gun. He grabbed a bottle of disinfectant and a roll of paper towels. “Just stay there, I’ll take care of it. Looks pretty bad.”

“It feels pretty bad,” she said.

He went to work cleaning up the wound. A five-inch vertical cut. “This is gonna hurt, probably a lot considering we’re rushing it, so bite on this.” He handed her the gauze roll and poured disinfectant and cleaned out the wound a final time, then used the gun to seal it up. She passed through the pain after a minute. “At least you picked the right room for this, so mind me asking what’s going on? I was having breakfast with my uncle when he got a call that the hull buckled on your side of the ship a few floors below you, so I went off to check if you were alright. Found a guard unconscious, but you weren’t there so I didn’t report it in.”

She couldn’t lie to him after he’d possibly saved her from bleeding to death. “I’m hiding the Kushan in the maintenance crawls. There’s a large enough room not too far from here. I felt too guilty to leave him there.”

“So you are a traitor, then?” He looked a little shocked.

“Calm down, Jake. We’re the bad guys here, not him. He’s already lost enough. I’d rather kill him myself than let him get tortured any more.”

“Alright but if they find out, I know nothing of this. I guess we’ll make up an alibi for your escape at least. Meet me back in your cell block, it hasn’t been too long. The guard’s probably still out cold.” He handed her phone back. She wasn’t sure where he got it, but remembered his uncle was head of security. She hugged him tight, grateful for helping her. He massaged her neck and kissed her forehead. “I rely on you too, you know. Who else would I pick on?”

She gave him a smile briefly before stepping back. “I’ll have to get food tomorrow, I can’t do much else today. Help me up.”

“Sure thing.”

Once in the ventilation duct, she told him that she’d call if anything was needed. He closed the grate behind her and she headed back to the old man.

He thanked her again for helping him, but she couldn’t stay long. He understood, and went back to sleep. Once returned to the cell block, the guard was indeed still out cold, and Jake was already there waiting.

“Guess we should wake him up,” she said. They nudged him, smacked his cheeks, anything they could think of. “Wonderful. Guess we’ll carry him out,” she said. They each picked a side and dragged him to his feet. It didn’t take long to see an officer, and he rushed over to them.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” he asked.

“The hull breach threw us around a little, he knocked his head pretty hard. Me not so much, just a leg wound,” she said.

“I was able to wake her up, but not him,” Jake added.

“Listen,” she said, “Cap wants to see me, so if you can help take over for me, that’d be great.”

“Best not to keep him waiting then,” he said grabbing the unconscious guard’s arm.

“I’ll call you when I’m done. Gonna need quite a few drinks after all this shit,” she said. Jake nodded.

***

It took fifteen minutes to get over to the bridge sector. The ship was in hyperspace, so the captain would be in his office. She knocked. “Come in,” he said.

“Tristen Alaikiir here on your request.” Captain Valan Corin, simply called ‘Cap’ by the crew, was a larger man who did nothing to maintain his physique or hygiene. She smelled him before she opened the door. His teeth yellowed from the cigars he kept a personal stock of, and his beard full-grown and greasy, as was his light-brown hair. She suddenly didn’t feel the need to shower, she would rather throw this blob into the recreational pool on the second level.

“Right, the pilot. Take a seat,” he said. “Disobeying a direct order and attempting to get others to do the same is enough for a court martial, you know.”

“I am aware.”

“However, we’re currently in a bad way, as you might have guessed by all the damn banging and creaking around the ship. I’ve taken you off the strike force as punishment, however, you will remain on duty as a consultant and strategic planner.”

“With all due respect, I’m the best pilot you have now that Yara’s gone. I think it’s a mistake to take me out of the field because of some personal disagreement we have,” she said trying to keep as calm mannered as she could with him, any slip up and it could go very wrong.

“You didn’t only speak out against my orders, but against the Emperor’s as well.”

“Yes, but you’re short on staff and not getting any support from the Imperial Guard. At least that’s what I’ve heard.”

“This isn’t a negotiation. I’m a generous man, miss Alaikiir. I could make it so you never fly again in as little as five minutes. I won’t do that, because I do see your talent. It’s needed talent, I’ll give you that much. Which is why you’re allowed to remain on duty. I will not, however, accept any further insubordination from you. Do we have an understanding?”

It was better than nothing, she admitted. “I would still recommend Jake Tyral as my squadron’s new leader. He’s better than Derek at quick thinking.”

Growing tired, he rolled his eyes. “I’ll look into it.”

“I know my wingmen, sir.” Impatiently, he repeated: “Do we have an understanding, miss Alaikiir?”

“Yes, I suppose we do.”

***

Once back in her room, Jake was there waiting for her. “How’d it go?” he asked.

“I’m off the force, but remain on duty as a consultant. You can still talk to me while out there, but I won’t be able to have your back. I recommended you be the new squad leader, but he didn’t say much about it. We’ll see, I guess.”

“Damn. Ah well, you tried at least.” he put his arms around her, and she buried her face into his chest.

“Damn him, I hope we don’t make too many pit stops before Hiigara, I’d be so pissed if it takes years to fly again.”

“Let’s hope. It’ll still take us a few months at least. Anyway, listen. You smell absolutely terrible, so how about a shower?” he said hooking the towel around the back of her neck and pulling her close to him.

“Read my mind.”