Recruit

Chapter 15: Punishment

You fall asleep on your way back to the Steadfast. You tried, desperately, to stay awake, anxiety for Master's punishment fueling you. But your head started falling onto Ap'lek's shoulder, and eventually, it stopped bobbing back up.

You're jerked awake by a rough, gloved hand on your upper arm, dragging you out of your seat. You stumble along behind your master, heart pounding. He shoves your helmet into your hands at the ramp, and you thrust it on your head, hurrying down the ramp into the hanger. Sound echoes around you, but you hear none of it.

You have to run to keep up with his long, quick strides, his cape billowing behind him and crowds parting as you rush down the busy corridors. Then you're in a lift with him. Alone. It goes incredibly slow. Down, and down into the depths of the ship, so it seems. He stands perfectly still, perfectly silent. There's only a small amount of anger in his energy. Eventually, the lift opens and he struts off, only to get back on another one. But this lift is different. It's small and bare, just grey metal. Like a service lift.

He steps out into a dark, narrow corridor, only lit from lights in the ceiling every 20 feet or so. It's eerily silent down here. You can almost hear the electricity of the lights. Master struts off down the long corridor, past door after door. He looks ominous, the red in his helmet calling out for your own blood to join the red rivers.

Finally, he stops in his tracks at a door. It looks just like all the others, only the number labels changing. He punches the sensor on the wall, and the blast door slides up. He steps back, half turning to you, waiting for you to go in. Holding your breath, willing your pounding heart to slow, you step inside.

Before you is a grey room, metal floor, walls, and ceiling. There's two light sources, high up on the wall on opposite sides of the tiny room. There's chains connected to the floor in a few places, an elevated square in the center of the floor, and a shower head jetting out the corner above a drain. Master steps in the room behind you, slamming the door.

You spin around looking through your visor into his visor.

"Take off your helmet."

You pull it up, revealing your nervous face.

"Shoes, socks, outer pants, jacket."

Your hands tremble as you comply. He gives you no inkling of where this is going. Why are you taking off your outer layers? Are the inner ones next? Do you want that? Before the mission, you might have said yes, but here in this...cell? Torture room? You aren't so sure. You step out of your pants, trembling in your tight shorts and long sleeve shirt.

"Stand there on the raised part."

You move to the center of the room, standing between the shackles on the floor. He seems so calm. So unlike the turbulent, energy filled master you've started to know. He walks toward you, and you flinch.

He reaches down, pulling cuffs up off the floor. He straps it tight to your wrist, careful not to touch your skin more than necessary. He does the other side, then steps back, appraising you with his piercing gaze behind his cold mask.

"Why are you being punished, Recruit?" his voice betrays nothing. His energy betrays nothing. He's as lifeless as his mask.

You swallow, turning your wrists to feel the heavy weight of the shackles. "I disobeyed orders."

Your heart pounds, your voice small and shaking with nerves. The cold floor bites at your bare feet.

"Do not make me ask again." A tiny bit of anger starts to seep through.

"I- I didn't listen to Kuruk. I compromised his position. I joined the fight..." you finish weakly.

"Why was that a mistake?"