Gabatrix: The Pirates of Palora

Chapter 10: Interrogation

Ioren stirred in her bed again. Her scaly hand stretched out to feel that Stone wasn't present. The Itrean woman's reptilian eyes slowly slipped open to see that the man was wide awake. He sat naked on the bed, his rigid back aimed at her.

The day's battle had been etched into their minds while the two resided in their quarters. Valradena had proven to be a battlefield even if no war had ever been declared.

Ioren, also naked, stretched out to Stone. Finally, she shifted and moved her body up before gently grabbing Stone's shoulder.

"You fought well today," he said. He glanced over to her so he could see her sign language.

"You too," she signed back. "Are you ok?"

Stone nodded. "It's nothing...."

"Tell me."

The master sergeant seemed to think. "What you said to the Captain. Is it true? About your parents?"

She nodded her head again.

"All true," she signed.

"Hmph.....the Itreans are cowards toward the life they produce, just to abandon them."

"Yes and no. Different for each parent. Sometimes, a choice. Sometimes, no choice. My parents choose life."

"Eugenics....," Stone cringed. "So perfect, but any deviation and the choice is death. The children we found today wouldn't agree to the life of being in that container."

"I know."

"Are you sure you're not a member of Kinto'Lin?"

That question was an understatement for Ioren to hear. It was both annoying and severe at the same time. It was aggravating because it was a question asked by so many individuals above and below her. The terrorist group was no joke. Their goal was to fight for freedom and equality for all Golarren by almost whatever means necessary. However, they were hunted and persecuted for their violent crimes. At the same time, Ioren knew what Stone asked wasn't an attempt to insult her in any way. It was merely a question of curiosity. Even if it was uncommon, there were a few Golarren sympathizers in T'rintar clan space. Some of these individuals wouldn't hesitate to offer their support to the Kinto'Lin.

Ioren shook her head no.

"I would understand why you would," Stone said as he stood up. He walked over to a locker and put in the key code. Ioren wondered what the man was doing as he opened the door and pulled out a moderate-sized rectangular flat wooden box.

"I learned a little bit more about you, and now it's time to learn a little bit more about me," Stone explained as he sat back down on the bed. He opened up the box and revealed a bowie knife. The blade measured well over 9 inches long and carried a black wooden grip. However, neatly crafted on the handle was one word on it: "Arondight."

"A knife?" Ioren asked in her sign language. "I saw you carry this at Valradena."

"It belonged to my family," he explained. "Passed down through their generations." The master sergeant pulled the knife out and looked closely at it. "Used by my ancestor back on Earth who etched his name onto the knife he used to gut his greatest enemies. To him, it wasn't about concealment. It was about terror. He was a man who didn't care what got in his way. He did what was necessary, and, in the end, he got what he wished for." He flipped the blade and looked at the name. "I admit that I didn't want to use it for fear of damaging a priceless heirloom, but.....this will be my knife from now on. No more concealing. No more thinking like it's the 24th century. We fight our enemies, bringing everything from our past into the front lines. This is about the survival of our races. No mercy. No holding back."