14 Chapter 14 :

Low Orbit, Maradisaè I, Moon, 3rd of March 2119.

UNS Adjudicator, Brig, Captain Wells's Cell.

Time, 16:57

Captain Alex Wells

Wells woke with a start. The first thing he noted was his blaring headache. He grunted and held his head for a while. After a few seconds, the pain subsided and he was able to think.

Then he panicked.

He stood, looking around quickly, taking in his surroundings. What happened? Then he remembered.

The man, Bentham, Anne, Ara. They were attacked. Humans. Who were they? Why were they here?

He looked around his quaters, then paused. He tilted his head slightly, looking behind a nice clock. There was a number there, 27. He wasn't in his, or anybody else's quaters. This was a not-so-cleverly disguised brig cell. There was no way to escape. Well mabye there was but he wasn't willing to try it. If these were humans, which he doubted they wern't, he would be relativly safe. Just in case though, he tested the door. Locked, as he'd predicted. So he contented himself by sitting there quietly for a few minutes thinking.

Then he realised, there was a tapping sound. He listned a bit more. Yes that was definitly something. Boots? Probably. He went over to the door, opening his door's viewscreen. No one. That was strange. Must be his imagination. But as he turned to go back there was a almighty thump.

Wait a minute, was it coming from the next door cell.

Then he heard a muffled voice shouting.

He couldn't make any words out, so he listned closer, pressing his ear to the adjacent wall. That guy's got some lungs on him, he thought. These walls were designed to be at least partially sound absorbant. It was amazing he could hear him at all.

Then he heard something that let him know without the shadow of a doubt who it was.

"Let me out!" the voice was full of intense panic and fear.

Bentham.

Wells felt such immesuable guilt and empathy for the engineer he nearly broke down. Magnler was claustrophobic. That poor kid must be going mad in there. He wished he could do something, however due to his imprisonnment there was very little he could do.

So he just sat there, slightly awkwardly, trying not to listen to the young man's anguished yells. It was painful to him to hear his fellow in such distress. It was all he could do to start banging as well, but he knew it would get him nowhere.

After a half hour though, there came the sound of footsteps. Wells rushed over to the viewscreen. He saw soldiers marching down to corridor, openning the occasionnal cell. He stepped back as they passed, and heard the beeb of a lock being disengaged. He stepped forward. The two soldiers smiled at him warmly.

"Are you feeling better?" one of them asked.

Wells was surprised.

"Uh, yeah." he answered.

"Exellent. Would you like to follow me sir."

A couple of cells down, he could see Xeing being treated in the same mannor. Two other soldiers beside him disengaged the lock on Bentham's door, and the door swung open as the young engineer launched himself at it again. He flew out of the cell and was caught by one of the guards.

"Hey man, you okay?" he asked concerned.

Bentham staggered to his feet. As he did so, his eyes locked with Wells's. Wells tried to send the feeling of calm and cautiousness with all his willpower through his eyes. Bentham's own panicked eyes softned slightly, and shone with intelligence.

Wells thought he might have just made things worse. If Magnler had continued to use his meagre strength to resist, he would have beed easily subdued. But now the UNSF Navy was going to have to deal with an extremely cunning engineer who was desperate to escape. Not only because of his fear of enclosed spaces, of which cells were a definite part, but because Wells had never seen him more awed by anything than he was by the Alien technology. He resolved to talk to him later, in private, if possible to disuade him from doing anything stupid. Or heavens forbid, clever.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just slipped."

The guard seemed wary. He'd probably been briefed on Magnler, "Ok, cool." he held out his hand.

Magnler stood without it.

"We're gonna wait here for the others to bring the other senior officers, and we're gonna take you to the Admiral. Ok?"

They all aquiesced.

"Good, good."

They waited another minute to be joined by Regala, Parker and FTL. The latter's guards were laughing, oviously at something he'd just said. Typical, thought the captain, smiling dispite himself.

"Okay, exellent," said the lead guard, "Follow me everyone."

He led them through the ship and up a couple of decks, up to a closed door with the words Fleet Admiral Brander Thraile printed over the top of it. He knocked firmly.

A couple of seconds later, the door was opened by an armored security guard. He glared down at the group menacingly.

"I have brought the senior officers from the New Horizon." said the group's guard, saluting.

The security guard turned and muttered something behind him, then he nodded and turned around, "The senior officers may enter."

Their guard nodded and stepped aside.

Wells hesitantly moved forwards.

Inside was standing the Admiral himself, dressed in resplendant white navy uniform, a host of medals flashing on his chest.

"Ah, the senior officers of the New Horizon. If memory serves, Captain Alex Wells, Commander Anne Xeing, Lieutenant Josh Flitztrauerlingh, Commander Bentham Magnler, Lieutenant Lauren Regala and Lieutenant Imogen Parker." pointing to each in turn, "I hope you are all well?"

"As well as we could be." answered Wells respectfully.

"Why'd you kidnap us?" asked FTL.

"I beg your pardon." said the Admiral, "I believe we freed you."

Bentham opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"And we are very grateful for it." interrupted Wells, glaring at him. "It's just, we didn't ask for rescuing."

"And nor would you have to. We lost contact with you. It has never happened before, so we knew something was amiss. And we were right. It took all of my rather formidable reputation to be allowed to bring the ships I have. You should consider yourselves lucky. I lost three destroyers and a cruiser rescuing you. Five other destroyers took heavy damage."

Bentham muttered something, Wells paid him no mind.

"The fact is, sir, I don't believe they were hostile. They treated us well. I assure you we were not harmed in any way."

"I will have a doctor check on you and your crew. But I'm afraid I can't trust your jugement at the moment. You are showing many signs of the Stockholm Syndrome."

"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Xeing, "We're telling the truth. They didn't hurt a hair on our heads. Ask the crew, they'll say exactly the same thing."

"We did." answered Thraile, "And they did. But when we asked if they had imbibed any chemicals offered by the aliens, without exeption they said one was waiting for them at the foot of their beds. I am sure you found the same."

"Yes..." said Wells cautiously, remembering the delicious beverage.

"Well until we know for sure that you haven't been affected by any drugs, we cannot trust anything you say. I'm sorry."

"Wait!" interrupted Magnler, "I didn't have any."

"I'm sure you did, do not worry, we'll clear your system soon enough."

"No," assured the engineer, "I checked it with my synthesiser, it was clean. But I didn't drink it because I don't drink alcohol."

The Admiral hesitated, then said, "Your efforts are commendable, but you will still be sent to medical now. We must make sure. As for me, I must get a comms signal back to Earth. I will see you soon."

He dismissed them with a wave of his hand. His guards ushered everyone out and the brig guards took them down to the medical bay.