A Spaceman

Chapter 10--Saving First Lt Starr

"Lt Starr didn't do it," I say, sitting in an interview room. I am getting interviewed because I was a bad boy for going on the Ulyssess to look at all my friend's bodies, and because Major General Tom picked me to go with her and saved my life. Clarisse is with me because she had her life saved too, and because I am responsible for her.

"His body was not found on the ship, nor was the body of Commander Thorn," the internal affairs guy in his neat suit and crew cut says. I like him very little. He went to psychology classes and never spent a day in space in his life, I can just feel it. "All other personnel are accounted for, therefore the assumption is that they did cooperate with Titus Card."

"He would never have done that. he trained me, I know him, really well," I insist, "He would never, ever, betray us."

"That is not for you to decide," the IA guy says, as he sits across from me, pretending to take notes but probably doodling.

"Are you going to look for him?" I ask, "Major General Card—"

"You are not to refer to him by his title," he says, looking up sharply.

"We don't even know if he's guilty or not. This could be a trick by the Isylgyns. For all we know, Maj. Card and Lt. Starr and Commander Thorn are all being held prisoner or are already dead, and this is just to divide us amongst ourselves," I say, Clarisse looks at me nervously. Her eyes are red from crying. "And what about Lt. Starr's cadet? He was far too green to be in on it, how do you explain his disappearance?"

"All avenues are being observed, if this is the only reason you have requested this meeting---?" he says, standing up.

"You said to contact you if I thought of anything," I say.

"Not thought of anything we should be thinking about---thought about anything that you might have seen or heard," the IA guy sputters.

"So you aren't going to do any hostage negotiations to get Lt. Starr back?" I ask, standing up. Again, I am surprised at how weak I suddenly feel. I've been in space for over two years, and despite exercising, my muscles don't want to respond to gravity.

"Considering that we have no substantial evidence that he is actually a hostage, no we are not," the IA guy says, supremely annoyed that I have asked for an interview so that I can question him.

"You're just going to abandon him then?" I ask, as Clarisse stands up as well.

"Please leave," the man says, opening the door for us.

"Fine," I say. Even if they are going to abandon Starr, I won't.

**

I wake up chained to the wall of a room, a very small room, with very large chains attaching me to the wall. I look down, groggily at my arms. They are bandaged where Titus inserted the needles. I study the veins on my wrist. If I am not much mistaken, they are much more black than blue. My stomach turns as the memory washed over me. he has put the Isylgyn blood in my veins. In place of my own, wonderful, blood. God. I wish I'd died along with Tony. Poor, sweet Tony. Tony who asked me to protect him. gone to be with Terrance and all the other dead.

I resist a sob escaping from my lips. No time for that now. No time to cry for the dead. If I cry, if I care, if I think about all of them, then I will be depressed, my brain functions will slow, and I will not be able kill the bastard who did all this. If I remain angry, that will release more adrenaline into my system, I will be awake longer, and think more. And I need to think. I am not ever going back to Kepler. Not with Isylgyn blood in my veins. Not without Terrance there waiting for me. No, this is the beginning of my death. But it is going to be slow in coming, apparently. I am not going to die until I have murdered Titus Card.