Alyssa decided to let John focus on the situation at hand and stayed quiet. She matched his pace as they stormed out of the medical facility, then walked briskly to the Station Commander’s office in the main Terran Federation militarypound at the Star port. Alyssa tuned in to John’s inner voice, and was pleased when he calmed down, finally deciding against shooting the Station Commander. John swiped his ID at the entrance to thepound, and the guards waved him inside.


    They travelled through a number of corridors in the base until they finally reached the Commander’s office. John opened the door without knocking, and strode purposefully into the reception area.


    A pinch faced man in a naval uniform looked up, and saw that two civilians had entered his office. “Yes, what do you want?” he said, making no attempt to hide his irritation.


    “My name’s John ke. I’m here to see Commander Grant, about Cra Fernandez,” John informed the adjutant through clenched teeth.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    The man tutted in annoyance, before pressing a button on a console. “There’s a John ke here to see you about Lieutenant Fernandez, Sir,” he said obsequiously.


    There was a few moments pause before a voice on the inte said “Send him in.”


    John and Alyssa walked towards the door, only for Alyssa to be stopped by the adjutant’s raised hand. “Not you miss, you can wait there,” he sneered, pointing at a nearby chair. She was relieved John didn’t carry through with his fleeting desire to break the man’s arm. Well a bit, anyway.


    “I won’t be long,” John said to Alyssa, before he turned back and opened the door on the other side of the office, before walking in.


    Alyssa watched John enter the room, and saw a portly man in his 50’s slouched behind a desk.


    “Ahh, the irrepressible Mr ke. I read about your exploits in Lieutenant Fernandez’s report, but I’m surprised to find you aren’t eight foot tall and breathing fire. What can I do for you?” Commander Grant sneered.


    “Shut the fuck up and scan this,” John demanded in a tone that brooked no argument, as he tossed his military ID on to the Station Commander’s desk. He closed the door behind him, cutting off Alyssa’s view.


    They were in there for what seemed like forever to the impatient teenager, who desperately wanted to know what was happening. She found that she was too far away to listen in to John’s thoughts, so the silence was maddening. The adjutant kept throwing scious nces her way, and she suddenly realised the reason why he had asked her to wait behind. She deliberately ignored him and tried her best to wait for John’s return.


    Eventually the Station Commander’s door was thrown open, and John strolled out. Alyssa nced inside the room as she got up to join him, and saw the corpulent Rupert Grant slumped in his chair, his face a mask of fear and dread. The couple walked away quickly, eager to escape from the horrible men.


    “I’ve sorted it out,” John said to a relieved Alyssa. “We just need to speak to Cra, and find out what she wants to do.”


    They walked back to the medical facility, eager to bring the good news to the troubled young woman.


    ***


    Meanwhile back at the medical facility, Cra thrashed around violently on her bed, gripped in a terrifying nightmare.


    It had been such a relief to see her two saviours again, and she had felt safe and protected when in their presence. When they had gone, she found herself fighting off waves of exhaustion, and had curled up on the bed to try to get some sleep.


    The nightmare started as it normally did. The horrific screams gurgled to a halt as the second crewmate died horribly at the hands of the Largath.


    “It’s all my fault!”, Cra berated herself. “Those women, and all the other crew died because of me!”


    The twisted faces of the surrounding pirates loomedrge before her dazed eyes, leering at her and baying for blood. A crude spear was thrust into her hand, and she was dropped awkwardly into the pit to face the hideous creature. Her back was a sheet of agony from where she had been flogged by that demented cyborg, and she struggled to find her footing again as the Largath approached.


    She waved the metal pole in front of her, desperate to keep the rampant beast at bay. It was deceptively fast for something so huge, and she had to work hard to keep out of its grasp, as it lunged at her time and again. She misjudged one strike, and the Largath whipped it’s arm to the side, catching her in the chest. There was a sickening crunch as her ribs broke, and she sailed through the air beforending on her back, the wind knocked out of her. Frantically trying to regain her breath, she struggled to her feet as the creature came forward, roaring to the cheering pirates, showboating for them…


    “Bzzzzt!”