Chapter 158: [ Book 2 ] Chapter 18: Interrogation

Carnen stood at the procedure table beside the traitor’s head, Supervisor Eptus on the opposite side. At the foot of the bed, the Sentinel team medtech worked on his datapad. The diagnostics equipment chirped a warning, which the medtech overrode. The detainee’s vital signs ticked up a notch as he stirred from unconsciousness.

His eyelids cracked open. The Pree’s dark pupils shifted to the outer boundaries of his field of vision as he took in his surroundings. His sweep came to a stop when he met Carnen’s face.

The traitor studied the operative with an academic inclination. Carnen stared back into the eyes of the elderly Pree. He did not yet understand what was to become of him. He would receive no tribunal in front of his colleagues, no hearing from a magistrate. When reality set in, the traitor’s demeanor would change to reflect his sudden understanding of his dwindling lifespan

“Welcome back,” Eptus said, speaking with a neutral tone.

Carnen settled in. He'd take part when the time was right.

“I'm an operations team supervisor for the Ministry of Security. You've been detained for smuggling confidential materials from the Theocracy research vessel where you were stationed. Before we begin questioning, please confirm your identity as Vrun’sh Kordut, Senior Scientist of the Ministry of Science and Technology.”

The detainee gave a slow blink, still staring at Carnen. “Who are you?”

“I’m a contractor advising Supervisor Eptus and his team,” Carnen said. In reality, Carnen made the final call. That was the arrangement Cosmogenic had insisted on. Their creds and scientists made Project Fidelity a reality, and they wanted the final word on how things went down.

Carnen might not have taken the assignment if it weren’t that way. The Ministry of Security’s covert ops teams were capable, but didn’t have the experience he did.

“No need to be coy, Human. You’re from Cosmogenic, here to ensure your little Project Fidelity succeeds.”

Carnen said nothing.

“Your health is fragile. We don’t have much time and we have many questions for you,” Eptus said.

“Then you better get to it,” Kordut said.

“Do you remember what happened aboard Sanctum?”

“I recall being shot.” Kordut struggled to lift his head and look down at his body. “More than once, by the looks of it.”

“There was an engagement with Acculturation operatives. You were injured in the crossfire.”

“If you say so,” Kordut said. “I was out for a stroll.”

The supervisor leaned in closer, an edge creeping into his voice. “Don’t mock me to my face. You were meeting with Acculturation agents. There is no point in trying to deny it. You left your shipboard laboratory with stolen material. You’ve evaded capture on your way here to deliver the material to couriers. Whatever your motivation was, your mission failed. We recovered all that you took.”

The scientist’s vitals fluctuated for a moment, but his expression remained defiant. “You woke me from a medical-induced coma to gloat?”

“We want information about the couriers. Where were they going next?”

“Even if I had done what you accuse me of, why would I be privy to such information? Seems like it would be a bad idea for me to possess such knowledge in the event that I was captured,” Kordut said, and grimaced.

Carnen and the supervisor glanced at the medtech. “He doesn’t have much longer before I have to sedate him.”

“What was in the injector?” Carnen asked.

“Treatment for the injuries you inflicted on me,” Kordut said after a slight pause.

“Bullshit. You were out of it as soon as you were shot. We know the injector was used once. Who did you inject?”

Kordut glanced between the supervisor and Carnen with a sudden clarity. “What happened to the couriers?”

“They were killed in the engagement,” the supervisor said.

Carnen clenched his jaw, wishing the supervisor had kept his mouth shut.

Kordut continued to study them, his eyes filled with doubt. His face tightened then released in a moment of epiphany. “If that were true, you would’ve scanned the bodies, collected blood samples, and found what you seek. But if you truly don’t know, that tells me at least one of them got away.”

The traitor smiled at the realization that his victory was still in play.

“It doesn’t matter if any of them escaped. We have all the stolen material,” the supervisor lied.

“Then you should have no concerns that you didn’t catch them all,” Kordut replied with a chuckle before a weak cough interrupted it.

“Enough games,” Carnen said. He leaned in close to Kordut. “You’re right. A few got lucky and were able to escape. We know you injected one of them. And we know who they are. Sisters Celescia.”

Kordut’s eyes went flat, then refocused. “Is that so? The pretty females with the flashy shows and anti-Theocracy tirades? Who would’ve thought I was in the presence of such celebrity? You stole my chance at a pictograph with them.”

“I think you know where the couriers are headed. The question is, are you going to help us so we can help you?” Carnen ran a hand along the IV lines and devices attached to the wounded Pree. “There’s no reason you must be uncomfortable while in custody.”

The detainee studied the operative’s face, the strong jaw line, the nose with a slight bend from one too many breaks. “Why do you serve Cosmogenic?” His head lifted off the table. “What did the Commonwealth do to you?”

“My circumstances are of no importance here. Tell us where the couriers are going.”

Kordut studied “I think you’re old enough. You were a warrior in your Human Coalition's Fleet when the Reconciliation happened, weren’t you?

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Memories of another lifetime flooded Carnen’s thoughts. All those boarding ops, danger lurking around every corner. The scum he removed from this universe, the comrades he lost in the process. The red-hot anger he felt at the destroyed Ferullian colony ship, and the miscarriage of justice in its wake.

Kordut peered at Carnen as if he could see through the operative. “I see it now. Your Fleet downsized with the end of all major conflicts. Discharged, you felt robbed of your life’s purpose, ashamed at the perception that your mighty military bowed down to a collective of alien diplomats.”

Truth was, Carnen was lucky to be discharged. The opposing witness testimony and lack of clear vid evidence resulted in a hung jury. The Fleet prosecutor settled for a general discharge. The five people he killed might’ve been innocent at that moment, but he knew they were traffickers. They deserved their fates.

Carnen said nothing. The elder Pree had read him perfectly.

“Two decades is a long time to think about revenge. But we must challenge our viewpoints in order to ensure we’re on the right path. I was so certain that the Preservationists were correct, that the Theocracy was the shepherd of our race. That Project Fidelity was vital to ensuring that future. I was foolish and arrogant. Truth often stands there in broad daylight, yet we’re blinded to it by the distorted reality we’ve constructed within our minds. It wasn’t until I injected myself that I saw errors of my ways.”

The Pree operatives shifted in discomfort beside Carnen, casting wary glances at the traitor.

“You used the compound on yourself?” Kemp asked. “But it didn’t appear on my scans.”

“My version is a prototype. We were running short of time. I needed to experience it myself. I purged it, but my thinking did not revert to its former state.”

“You were a hardcore Preservationist? How could this compound change your mind?” Eptus asked, earning a furious stare from Kemp.

“That information is irrelevant for you to do your job,” she said.

Kordut gave a weak laugh. “Cosmogenic and the Theocracy keep their own in the dark. How predictable.”

“Enough of this,” Kemp said. “Tell us where the couriers went!”

The diagnostic equipment chirped an alarm. Kordut’s eyes rolled back. The diagnostic warning turned into an alarm.

“Step back!” the medtech said and began to work on the traitor.

The others watched while the medtech hovered over the now unconscious traitor, checking vitals and working the diagnostics equipment.

Carmen stepped away with the rest of Warden team and supervisor Eptus. Kemp spun around and pointed a thin finger at Eptus. "Project Fidelity is confidential. That comes straight from the Theocracy and Cosmogenic. Do that again and I’ll have you removed from this operation.”

The supervisor’s nasal slits flared as he faced off with Kemp. Carnen stood ready to intervene. “Understood,” Eptus said and stormed out of the hold.

“We didn’t get a lead about the couriers. Shit never goes according to plan. What do we do now, boss?” Stevson asked. Kemp scowled like she might lash out at the pilot but then thought better of it.

“I need to think,” Carnen said. He pointed at Kemp. “First, I’d like a word with you.”

---

Carnen led Kemp into the small hold that had been converted to an interrogation compartment. He shut the door and locked it. Kemp wasn’t trapped. She could override it in a few seconds. But that wasn’t the point. Only the two of them would be in the compartment, and she wasn’t leaving until he allowed her to go.

Her eyes rose to meet his as he faced her. “Supervisor Eptus was out of line, and everyone knows it. He deserved what he got.”

“True,” Carnen said, “but he’s not entirely wrong.”

Kemp gave Carnen a challenging look, but uncertainty had crept into the edges of her face. “I’m not telling you.”

“That’s okay, for now.” Carnen moved closer to her, stopping once within arm’s reach. “There might be a point where I need to know the truth. When that point is reached, I will ask you and I will not accept no for an answer. Is that understood?”

Kemp’s eyes scanned his face like she was combing data for a pattern. Her neck muscles tightened as she swallowed over a knot in her throat. The man before her was deadly serious about his promise.

She gave a weak nod. Seeing that his message had been received, Carnen pressed a hand on the panel, unlocking the door. Kemp stepped around him and slipped out of the compartment without another word.

---

Carnen returned to his quarters and collapsed onto the bunk. Their superior—a faceless liaison to the Theocracy—was expecting a report. Carnen needed to offer solutions, not problems.

He checked in with the Sentinel medtech. The detainee was stable but needed full medical care in a hospital. Waking him again would be risky. Carnen told the medtech to keep the detainee sedated. They would drop him off to the Theocracy when given the opportunity.

His mind drifted back to the interrogation, unable to let it go. He’d run into types like that before. People who decided they were on the wrong side and needed to do something about it. Kordut hadn’t offered them anything but grandiose justifications. Carnen recalled the Pree’s words. Truth often stands there in broad daylight, yet we’re blinded to it by the distorted reality we’ve constructed within our minds.

Considering the escaped couriers, Carnen wondered if the Pree's pompous statement had any merit. Had the teams missed an obvious clue?

He opened the system map on the bunk display, and highlighted various points of interest where the couriers might go. Nothing stood out to him. Next, he scrolled through the vid streams of the courier's deserted ship, starting with the hold and its performance stage. He zoomed in on different parts of the compartments, examining the fine details. He noticed the lighting racks attached to the crane, allowing for movement. A clever configuration.

The galley followed. The food was a mixture of Pree sustenance and Commonwealth generics. He noticed one of the bulkhead displays had activated with their presence in the galley. Digital hand-drawn scribblings marred its surface. Routines and choreography as far as he could tell. And a smiley face next to a plate of food. Written beneath was one word—Tulio’s.

Carnen examined the system map again. Opened the infohubs for the three nearest stations. He queried their vendors on the term ‘Tulio’s’ and came back with one result: Tulio’s Fine Dining, located on Aurora Station.

The tightness in his chest dissipated. The partially-obscured face of the savior appeared in his mind. They’d meet again soon enough.

He now had the update he wanted for the liaison. First, he opened the ship’s comm.

“I know where they’re going. Stevson, set a course for Aurora station.”

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