He came awake in a large, white room.\u00a0 It was all straight lines and right angles, and stank of disinfectant.\u00a0 Funny how the infidels of this galaxy seemed to use the same basic chemicals for that purpose.\u00a0 Even they made use of the gifts of Yun-Yuuzhan; infidels they were, truly, to not see the truth written right in front of them.<\/p>\n
And with that thought, Hul Matuul’a realized that he was captured.<\/p>\n
He lay in a metal room, held fast to a metal bed.\u00a0 They had not tied him down; he could move his head just enough to see the heavy bars that ran across his arms and chest, and across both legs.\u00a0 There were varies bits of… technology<\/i> taped to his chest and stuck into his veins, and clamped around his genitals and anus, cables and wires from which led to some sort of machinery.<\/p>\n
Which likely explained the beeping sound, which was timed to his heart beat.\u00a0 Some sort of monitoring equipment.\u00a0 So they would not let him die.\u00a0 Interesting.<\/p>\n
The door opened, and one of the aliens walked in.\u00a0 Non-human, though he wore the black-and-silver of the Golgan III Defense Force.\u00a0 Hul took a moment to identify the species:\u00a0 Devaronian, from the horns.\u00a0 Which, if he remembered his briefing on the local forces (and all glory to Nom Anor and the other advanced scouts for getting them that<\/i> sort of information), meant that this was Commodore Drax.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood evening, Shipmaster Matuul’a,\u201d the Devaronian said, in Basic, as he leaned against a far wall.<\/p>\n
Despite the use of his name, Hul stared dully at the Devaronian, as if he had not understood a single word the man said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not bother, Shipmaster,\u201d Drax said.\u00a0 \u201cI know your name, I know what your position was on the…\u201d He checked something on some piece of technology he carried.\u00a0 A datapad, that was it.\u00a0 \u201c…the Yamma’ka Ko<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0 His accent made hash of the name.\u00a0 \u201cI am also aware that you speak fluent Basic.\u00a0 So let us dispense with the charade, shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hul said nothing.\u00a0 The Devaronian sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery well.\u00a0 I feel I must apologize to you for knowing that, Shipmaster.\u00a0 You were badly injured when the Marines pulled you off of the Ko<\/i>, and the stun effect wore off before we got you into surgery.\u00a0 It turns out that our standard anesthetics have an… idiosyncratic reaction with your physiology.\u00a0 Whether that would be the case for your entire species or is unique to you, I cannot say.\u00a0 You… babbled.\u00a0 A lot.\u00a0 Quite a lot, before we got you settled down and ready for surgery.\u00a0 Again, my apologies.\u00a0 I would prefer not to gain such information \u2013 your name, for instance \u2013 by subterfuge.\u00a0 However unintentional.\u201d<\/p>\n
He shrugged, again.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou likely as not already have this information, given some of the other<\/i> things you babbled, but to ensure that we are square… I am Commdore Drax, commander of the GDF Second Squadron, and Chief of Intelligence of the GDF command staff.\u00a0 Head spook, as it were.\u00a0 They gave me two hats, one for each horn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hul did not laugh.\u00a0 But not because he did not find the joke funny.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn any case, you will be questioned again.\u00a0 Several times a day, in fact.\u00a0 We will feed you, we will let you rest until you regain your strength.\u00a0 But\u00a0 you will be questioned, and you will, eventually, talk.\u00a0 To alleviate the boredom, if nothing else, but you will talk.\u00a0 Though, before you get your hopes up, let me reassure<\/i> you that you will not be put to torture.\u00a0 For one thing, given scarification already present on your body, and what little we know of your native culture, I suspect you would treat the whole thing as some of sort of ecstatic experience, which would defeat the point of the exercise.\u00a0 Furthermore, the Old\u00a0 Man has A Thing about torturing prisoners.\u201d\u00a0 Hul could hear the capital letters.\u00a0 \u201cI think he was under the knife himself, a few times in the past.\u00a0 Will not stand for it, now.\u201d\u00a0 The Devaronian shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI disagree, but he is my commander.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again, Hul said nothing.\u00a0 The Devaronian stared at him, for several long minutes.\u00a0 Then he shook his head and headed for the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery well, Shipmaster.\u00a0 We will meet again.\u00a0 You will find no sharp edges upon either your bed or your restraints, so you cannot cut yourself.\u00a0 You are connected to both automatic feeders and waste collection and processing systems, so you cannot kill yourself by starvation.\u00a0 Be assured<\/i>, Shipmaster, that we will not let you die.\u201d<\/p>\n
He reached the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy crew?\u00a0 My warriors?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hul had not meant to say anything to this infidel, but the words… crept out of him in harsh, guttural croak.\u00a0 He even said them in Basic.\u00a0 The Devaronian stopped, just short of the door, and turned back to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not know if I should apologize for this or not, Shipmaster.\u00a0 But they are all dead.\u00a0 You are the last surviving crewmember of the Yamma’ka Ko<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, Hul’s control slipped, and he closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they die well?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what I have heard, they fought quite fiercely.\u00a0 We lost several of our own, clearing your ship.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may wish to apologize for many things, Commodore Drax, but I will not apologize for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI would not expect you to.\u00a0 So long as we are honest, know that I am not really all that sorry for your own losses, but among us it is the courteous thing to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hul snorted, and told Drax what he could do with his courtesy.\u00a0 The Devaronian bared his \u2013 sharp \u2013 teeth in what Hul recognized as a grin.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince we are speaking, now, Shipmaster, I must ask.\u00a0 Our Marines found several of your crew \u2013 and not just warriors \u2013 with their throats slit, or their bellies opened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is… shameful, for one of us to be captured.\u00a0 To die by one’s on hand, or by the hand of a trusted comrade, is an honorable thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many cultures in our galaxy that would agree with you.\u00a0 Primarily among the humans, but not exclusively.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd do you, Commodore?\u00a0 Agree?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTimes in my life, I have seen the appeal,\u201d the Devaronian said with a chuckle.\u00a0 \u201cBut not.\u00a0 It is better, I would say, to live another day, even as a prisoner.\u00a0 After all, one may be free again.\u201d<\/p>\n
He tapped a code onto the door’s control pad; Hul could not see what it was.\u00a0 The door swished open.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will leave you with that thought, Shipmaster.\u00a0 Until next time.\u201d<\/p>\n
One thing she really enjoyed about these occasional meetings with the contractors, Commodore Tara d’Avignon reflected, was that not a one of them felt the need to stand up and salute whenever she entered the room.\u00a0 Oh, she understood the reasons for and needs of military courtesy and protocol, but the formality of it all did tend to grate on her.\u00a0 And, as Chief Engineer for the entire Golgan III Defense Force \u2013 and good God<\/i> she wished her old high school counselor could see her now \u2013 she was not only deserving of all the saluting and bracing, but had quite thoroughly earned it.<\/p>\n
Which was why the five men and three women \u2013 or nearest analogue thereof \u2013 seated around\u00a0 the table greeted her arrival with mostly genuine warmth.\u00a0 She, after all, was the one who made the final recommendations to the Old Man \u2013 and thereby to Parliament \u2013 as to which company would get which contract.\u00a0 Each of them had a steady, if not exactly booming, business outside of government and military contracts, but they knew where the credits were.<\/p>\n
Greedy-ass sumbitches, the lot of them<\/i>, she thought cheerfully.\u00a0 But mostly <\/i>trustworthy greedy-ass sumbitches, so I’m glad to have ’em.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cThank you all for coming at such short notice,\u201d she said, her lips not quite twitched into a wry smile.\u00a0 \u201cI see you’ve already started in on the snacks.\u201d\u00a0 She joined them at the table.\u00a0 \u201cSo I’ll just ahead and start.\u00a0 Two weeks ago, the First Squadron engaged a Yuuzhan Vong raider force at Aten-Re…\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
– Wes<\/p>\n