Close Nemesis

Chapter Seven: Lygor's Imprisonment

LYGOR:

I have been locked inside a marble cell for what seems to have been several days, but deep down, I know that I've only been here for one Podplanatan day. I haven't seen my traitorous first mate Idaj since she handed me over to the authorities. However, I presume she's using my arrest as an excuse to talk to the prime ministers in an attempt to open negotiations between the three planets.

Idaj is ruining everything. She's taking a grave risk in using me as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Podplanatans. It should be the other way around. If the prime minister of Podplanata III discovers that I have not broken my parole, then this mission to stop an impending civil war will fail. However, if I had succeeded in apprehending Idaj and giving her to the authorities, they would believe me because of the fact that she did actually break her parole.

Though, now that I think about it, even I succeeded in turning in Idaj, the overall success of the mission would still be a long shot. In fact, the logic of my plan is severely flawed. How in the Aurega Galaxy would the tensions between the three planets defuse if their respective governments didn't want to talk to each other?

I don't think I thought out this plan very well.

It doesn't matter now. I just have to break out of my cell. It's impossible, because of how these holocrete cell doors work. Only certain people are physically able to pass through the cell door, it, and I am not one of those people.  The only way I can possibly escape is if someone deactivates the holocrete door. But I'd doubt someone would do so.

Still, I have to break out of my cell. Despite Idaj's betrayal, I still want to stop the looming Podplanatan war.

For now, I'm forced to sit in solitude. I can't see anything outside the silver holocrete door, which just seems like solid steel to those who aren't permitted entry. There's a plasma light floating at the top of the ceiling, glowing a bright blue. It resembles a white dwarf star, and I've seen many in my lifetime.

There is a toilet located opposite by steel bed, although I won't need it. Islatopians excrete their waste through their glands, like a tree expelling oxygen for Namuhsolians.

The fact that Islatopians can do this creates confusion for non-Islatopians. Some people assume that we are a tree-like species, but that is not the case. We bear minimal similarities with trees. The only other similarity I can think of at the moment is that age is distinguished by the proximity of the rings on our wooden skin. I have few rings around my body, indicating that I'm fairly young for an Islatopian: around thirty-five years old.

Islatopians still require food to survive, but we don't really have a stomach. I mean, we do, but not like other species. Our food drops into an empty cavity where our stomach should be, and our recently eaten food lies there for day, and our body slowly absorbs it. It's hard to comprehend. I don't fully understand Islatopian anatomy myself. But the gist is that Islatopians are unique. Like a lot of other species in the Aurega Galaxy.

Anyway, my mind is running rampant, due to being trapped in this cell for too long. And yes, one day is too long. I preferred being exiled to this. I just want to escape. Of course, I could try to negotiate my release through my interrogation. But I'm too careful. I'm not one to risk further consequences if the interrogator finds me too snarky.

Suddenly, a chain armoured Podplanatan guard, whose light sulfur skin is covered in tiny, close together boils, enters the plasma cell, and cuffs me in plasma handcuffs. He drags me out of the cell, into the stone floored lobby. I look out row of tall and wide windows look out towards the parliament building, past the curved bridge going over the river.

The guard places their slimy hand on the shoulder of my burgundy coat, and leads me through the lobby towards a triangle shaped silver door. Based on the fact this door has a doorknob, I doubt it is one of those holocrete security doors.