Mendacium
Chapter 1: A bad moon rising.
Bedivere Linger chuckled as warm purple blood spat from his subject onto his uniform. The subtle chortle bounced off the metal walls of the interrogation chamber and as it did it served to remind all present of their confines. Before Bedivere sat a Grazellion, cut and beaten; the alien was near death. Spinning his FSF blade in his right hand Bedivere stared at his subject, “It is amazing how quickly your people can produce blood”, Bedivere commented.
The Grazellion raised its head, locking its six eyes with Bedivere’s two: “It’s true, a human would have died hours ago”
“A Human never would be in this situation” quickly retorted Bedivere.
The Grazellion managed a wheeze of laughter, coughing as it did: “Did I touch a Copulatrix?”
Before the Grazellion could continue his insult Bedivere was on top of him and with a quick flick of his wrist stabbed the alien deep in its chest. The Grazellion screamed with its four voice boxes and as it did Bedivere felt another warm pop of blood dash onto him. “To answer your question piglet, no, you did not touch a Copulatrix because I don't have a Copulatrix. I have a stomach” With his response Bedivere twisted his blade, eliciting another howl of pain. Still leant over the Grazellion Bedivere continued. “Tell me where your training camps are and I’ll remove this blade”
The Grazellion grunted, and met Bedivere’s eyes once more: “No”
Bedivere paused, his blade still embedded in the animal, then a wicked half smile broke onto his lips: “Thank you”. With a sharp pull Bedivere ripped his knife down across the chest of the Grazellion. Bone and sinew crushed under Bedivere’s enhanced strength and with a single motion the Grazellion was ripped in two.
“Interview terminated. Cause; lawful termination of a sub-human class undesirable. A shame really …”
Bedivere rolled his eyes as the voice of his commandeering officer, Colonel Xenan Reed, lampooned him over the chamber’s speaker system. “The pig was never going to divulge the information sir, I’d suggest …”
“Report to Operations Deck Captain, understood?”
“Received sir”
At the command Bedivere’s attentions returned to the irritation the smell of the Grazellion blood was causing him. Hearing the speaker system shut down he reached into his breast pocket. From inside his coat Bedivere removed a small translucent vial; filled with a purple liquid. Bedivere popped the cap and sprayed the aerosol onto the bloodstains on his uniform. Upon contact the Grazellion blood sizzled then evaporated away returning his FSF coat to is original burgundy. With an empty acknowledgment Bedivere then unsealed the interrogation chamber, opening the hatch onto the prison deck of the UFS Vitiate. Bedivere had to squint as the massive luminous ceiling lights assaulted his eyes. The constant light was to give prisoners a sense of timelessness but even with his knowledge of the fact Bedivere could feel the surgical florescent beams itch at the back of his eyes. With a quick pace he made for the elevator hatch, rubbing his eyes every so often as he did. His synth-leather jackboots echoed out but they were met with the moans and the occasional screams from the numerous cellblocks around Bedivere. Catwalks connected the various cellblocks above him and for ten stories aliens of every kind were interred. All the prisoners were sub-human class undesirables and as Bedivere caught the stalked eyes of a Zissi below him that knowledge gave him pause.
Bedivere stood for a brief second meeting the black orbs of the Zissi with his own burning amber pupils. Bedivere walked from the raised central path of the prison deck down its tiered edges so as to be within reach of the shellfish-like alien. Bedivere studied the Zissi for another moment, showing no emotion as he did. With both his arms folded behind his back Bedivere noted the three spindly legs of the beast, the long braided antennae clusters that hung from its carapace and with total revulsion Bedivere watched the Zissi’s mandibles run over themselves.
Bedivere stepped closer to the cell, and waited. The Zissi kept looking at Bedivere, making no sound and then after a pause it moved its eyestalk’s towards its cell bars. Just as the beast’s bulbous excuse for eyes reached between the bars a brutal series of lightning bolts crackled in a net formation across the cell. The Zissi screamed and as the cell activated its shock field Bedivere turned his back. The guard staff within earshot turned their attention but upon seeing the standard daily operations of any UHA prison they returned to their duties. The croaks of the Zissi were a delicious slave for Bedivere’s wounded pride and as he reached the elevator doors and heard their familiar opening hiss he allowed himself a smile.
Bedivere felt his eyes release as the elevator doors opened onto the Operations Deck, the softer lighting allowing him to let go of his squint. Bedivere kept his arms folded as he exited the elevator, noting the familiar FSF support officers whom calmly but purposefully conducted their duties. Promptly Bedivere made his way to Colonel Reed who was hunched over a console displaying, holographically, various intelligence feeds. Bedivere came to a halt and salute Colonel Reed, “Sir”
Colonel Reed tossed a glace of his right shoulder at Bedivere before he responded: “At ease” Bedivere moved slowly to the other side of the console, catching snippets of the data streams as he did. “The teams on the Gloag and Corsair haven’t been able to extract any workable intelligence from their Grazellion prisoners either” Reed paused, locking his hazel eyes onto Bedivere’s as he did. The various holographic representations hovering before Reed caught his silver Colonel’s insignia on his collar adding heavily to the flare of his pause. “Their interrogators’ also eliminated their subjects”
Bedivere remained expressionless upon hearing the news. “I assume the party has approved it?”
Reed turned his eyes back to his studies before he continued, “the HAC representative was watching in real time, she referred to it as: irrelevant but entertaining”
Bedivere felt a familiar relief inside him, but kept the emotion from his face. “What’s our next move then?”
Reed sighed and pulled himself up from the console pausing the data streams. “We wait until the FSF Captain from the Matthias reports in and hope they had the weak link”
“Captain Nielson is stationed to the Matthias isn’t he?” Bedivere asked.
“Yes, you’ve worked with him during that business on Zulot’Narr didn’t you?”
“Nielson did the heavy lifting” responded Bedivere, more on reflex then anything else.
Xenan scoffed at Bedivere’s response. “Where’s Nielson’s medal then?”
Bedivere knew what Colonel Reed was inferring, but even the mention of Zulot’Narr made Bedivere’s left breast feel heavy. His Federation Cross gaining mass as the memories simmered in the shadows of his mind. “Rest assured sir; Nielson will extract what, if anything the piglet knows”
“We can only hope so, the sooner we find the Commune training camp the sooner we can return to a more civilised sector of the Federation”
“Agreed sir”
Returning his hands to the console Xenan took his eyes from Bedivere and resumed the data streams. “For now do as you want, just be ready for anything that comes in”
“Yes sir” responded Bedivere.
“Dismissed Captain”
Bedivere felt a niggling annoyance within him as he left Colonel Reed. Bedivere would have preferred to not be reminded of Zulot’Narr and now that he had been it tickled his thoughts. Bedivere had thought he’d return to his workstation on the Operations Deck but with the lack of actionable intelligence there was little point. Even so without really intending to Bedivere found himself taking a right hand turn before the elevator bank and sitting at his desk. The Operations Deck was allocated a sizeable amount of room and luckily because of his rank some of that space was Bedivere’s. As a FSF captain he was given an office from which to work from, along with other essential officers.
Bedivere activated his terminal and began to review his intelligence reports, even as he did however he felt a edginess; a sense that action was what was needed now. Whether that was because he felt anxious about the mention of Zulot’Narr he didn’t know but it was a feeling be couldn’t shake.