Neutral Space(2)

The light was thrown on, and I was hit on the back of the head. My vision blurred but I didn’t pass out. They rolled me off the Kelsairan and stared. Stan was drug out, and Dan and Jim were thrown unceremoniously onto their mattresses. I understood very little Kelsairan. From what I did know the guards weren’t happy. Whether it was arranged or not at that point I did not know but the Kelsairans were removed, and our door was locked and double checked.

The next morning we were awakened by a dreadful siren that gave me a headache for the rest of the day. We were served some slop before being handed tools and sent to the mines to dig. A guard pulled me out of the pits before lunch, and I was taken to an office of some sort where I was slammed into a chair and told to wait.

A Kelsairan officer entered with a folder under his arm and dismissed the guard. “State your name and rank.” He had a translator which meant he needed the information.

“What makes you think I’m military?”

“For one, you single-handedly knocked out a Kelsairan last night and two it says in your processing paperwork that you were picked up on Cemes after a failed reconnaissance mission. So again, please state your name and rank.”

“Lieutenant Jackson Peterson, 1651123 United Human Army.”

“What were you doing on Cemes?”

“You just told me what I was doing on Cemes.”

“Who was your commanding officer?” The officer stared down at me.

“I was,” I looked up into opaque, brown eyes.

“Then why were you captured?” He seemed confused by that fact.

“Because I stayed behind to get my men out.” I shrugged.

“Do you know Major Trekes?” He paced around the small office.

Trekes, why was he asking me about Trekes? “Everyone knows Trekes.”

“I want to know if you know her personally?” He stopped pacing and got in my face.

“Her?” I couldn’t help but laugh. The Kelsairans’ built Trekes up as a hero. A legendary fighter that most human troops didn’t dare say her name. It was considered bad luck. It wasn’t that I thought a woman couldn’t fight, I was just surprised. When someone said Trekes, an eight-foot-tall Kelsairan man with huge muscles came to mind. “Not a woman,” I said the last part out loud without meaning to. The officer didn’t take it so well. He beat me pretty severely before calling for his guards. I was taken to the hospital ward if you could call it that. Steve was not there, and I figured that was a bad sign. This man wanted information from me. I hoped it would keep me safe for the moment.

I was in a lot of pain, and the meds the nurse gave me knocked me out. When I woke up, I was worried I’d be stuck in here until that officer got an answer he liked. I didn’t know Trekes though. That meant my sentence would be indefinite. My highest priority besides staying alive was learning to speak Kelsairan.

None of the prisoners were going to teach me their language. I would have to learn as I went. I used trying to flirt with the nurse as an excuse. She didn’t seem to mind even though she didn’t return the favor. She laughed at my feeble attempt and corrected my pronunciations. I must have annoyed her. The nurse kicked me out of the ward a day or two early, in my opinion at least.





Chapter 2





I



hoped the fact that I had information would keep me safe. I was wrong. Kelsairans and humans alike started trouble over one matter, or another and I had plenty of opportunities to practice flirting with the nurse. Over the course of five months, though, I began winning more fights than I lost. Even the Kelsairans began leaving me alone.

The guards left me alone, too, as long as I never started the fights. They were a lazy lot that acted more like babysitters than guards. The Kelsairan Army official remained absent as well which was fine with me. I didn’t expect to get out anytime soon, and I didn’t need the kind of trouble he brought.

“Jack, look at the monitors. What’s going on? The guards have everyone on.” Dan didn’t speak Kelsairan. I looked up from my morning slop to the monitors that were usually blank while we ate. It was a Kelsairan news brief. I listened for a moment.

“Something about trying one of their officers. Why do you care about Kelsairan affairs.” I was grumpy until I caught the name. “No way.”

“Who is it?” Jim wanted to know.

“Trekes.”

“But they showed a woman.”

“The official said she was a woman,” I thought aloud, looking away from the monitor.

“There, they are showing her again.”

I looked up and didn’t believe my own eyes. I dropped my spoon and got up from my seat. “I can’t believe it.”

“What’s wrong?”

I stared at the screen at the woman I’d met nearly a year ago. “I saved her life.” I sank back into my chair and asked them to keep quiet. I’d watch the trial when I could and fill them in at night. But for now, I had to avoid drawing attention. The charges were unbelievable but straightforward ‘failure to obey orders.’ I watched until they marched us into the mines.

“Is it really Trekes then?” Jim couldn’t believe it either.

“Yeah, that’s her. Art is apparently short for Artemis.” I nearly laughed at the irony of the name she’d adopted; goddess of the hunt indeed.