Version 2006 - Ch 56

INTERLUDE

Duke Donheer found himself in a featureless white and bright lit room. He had not imagined things, there stood a Y'All at the door both his arm pairs crossed before his chest. He tried to move but found himself fixed to a diagnostic chair like contraption. A helmet like thing hung over his head and he was certain he knew what it was. A Saresii Mind Dump. Every memory and every secret stored in his brain would be downloaded on a file and could be analyzed. The most efficient interrogation method ever invented and only the Saresii ever perfected it and made it work. He would have given lots of money for one of these. There were special techniques and Implants one could obtain to prevent a mind dump, but these were as impossible to get as these mind dump machines. To see a live Y'All was even more amazing. Even in his situation he wondered how a Y'All would have fought in his arena. Only now he realized the Y'All was wearing Union uniform! Could it be? Could the Y'All be secretly Union members? A sliding door opened and another no less massive figure came in making the floor vibrate. It was the Terror Hammer, but he wore the Uniform of a Union Lieutenant. A woman with short cropped hair and cold features stepped from behind him into view holding a File Chip. They did not pay any attention to him. "Hey I am awake! What is going on here! You are Union and have no business here on Sin 4." A female voice behind him said." Dealing with Union Mil tech makes you our business!" the woman came into view. She wore a Sojonit Mask and pink hair, but she too wore Fleet black and a Lieutenant bar on her collar and took the data chip from the other woman." Your compound is destroyed and we recovered all weapons. We got your complete mind on file now and it will take our Computronic very little time to shift through all of it. You are welcome to make a statement but it is not necessary." "What are you going to do with me?" "You know the penalty of dealing with Union Mil Tech!" "I am not Union. You can't do that! " "Oh we could but our Captain had a better idea. You are released to the local authorities!" He laughed."That's more like it. I am the local authority around here!" Then he saw three Stick walk into the room. All clean and in full feather and leather regalia and he blinked. "You can't be serious. That scum is lower than dirt!" Three hours later, Duke Donheer the Patriarch of the once powerful Donheer family changed his mind. He pleaded with the stick standing behind him." Can we not come to an agreement? I even have food flown out and nice feathers as much as you want!" An old Stick said." You have killed thousands of our kind. You and your kind came to our world took away everything, dirtied the Waters and lands. Your kind brought horrors to our world we never seen or known. You will die now devoured by one of your gifts to our world." He was pushed and fell into a pit full of wiggling tentacles and the Stick did not look away as he screamed and was torn into pieces. ________________________________________ I tugged at my completely black uniform. No patches, no ribbons. Except for the three golden rings on my sleeves. What I had to do was something I did not want to do but I could not delegate it. It was my duty alone as it would be on my consciousness alone. I straightened my posture and walked into the bare A hangar. All but the bridge duty crew was assembled. Two Marines brought in Wintsun. He blinked and looked around. He recognized Krabbel and now without his flashy armor and helmet he recognized Hans. His face went pale as he saw Narth. then his eyes found me and he spat on the floor." I have nothing to do with your fleet anymore. I quit and go my own way!" I said." Tell me why? Limbur, Galmy, Olia, Narth and I were your friends what made you change?" He squinted his eyes." is that you Olafson? I thought the Kermac got you. What's with the chick outfit did the Kermac turn your mind or something?" "Yes it is me. We have your mind dump on file but I wanted to hear it from you." He shrugged." It all started on Perryton in the Data Head shop. A guy approached me and we made a deal. he offered me a prestige spot at Newport, fast promotion and lots of money. Looking back it might not have been the best decision I made but it was fun. Now I know my rights. We are in Freespace and you have no right to arrest me here or even be here with a warship and in uniforms on Union business." "You are a deserter. You have been found guilty in absence of treason and murder by a Military Court. You escaped Newport stealing a military transport, murdering two officers and four enlisted and selling Union Military Technology. In your short criminal career you really outdid some who do that their entire life." I held up his memory chip. "Now I know it was you who volunteered to whip me at the post. I promised you then justice will prevail and it has." He laughed." Yes it was me and I enjoyed it. You screamed like a little pig at the end!" I nodded and the entire crew put their hoods and gloves on as did I. " The masks of the executioners are all you see before you die. No hand shall be soiled by the task of exterminating you from our society." Wintsun stopped laughing as the Marines started the drum roll and he was dragged to the scaffold and up the four steps. I followed and said to the Marine Sergeant and echoed Stahl's words." You may stand back, Sarge. I must do my own dirty work." "Aye Captain!" Wintsun now saw the noose hanging down and his face changed, his hateful expression changed and for a moment he looked just like I saw him the very first time. "Please, don't do it. You always knew a solution to a problem. Can we not talk about it?" "I would have tried to find another way but not since I know it was you who shot Narth. The time to talk has passed. You are now paying for your crimes according to our laws and traditions . You shall be hung from your neck until death." He struggled but the Marines manhandled him without problems and I said." Do you want a blindfold?" He nodded with tearful eyes and I placed a black hood over his head and then the rope. His breath was moving the fabric of the hood. I knew this image would follow me for the rest of my life ." May whatever God you worship have mercy on you!" I pressed the release for the trapdoor. ________________________________________