NO PLANET

'ROOM 1AC-B' (Chapter 2)

"He's in room 1AC-b, Sir."

"Good. Walk with me."

The two men proceeded to walk down the long metallic corridor. A cluster of guards marched behind clad from head to foot in jet black armour.

"You've searched him, yes?"

"Yes Sir."

"You've checked the chain links, yes?

"All secure Sir."

"He was carrying?"

"One pack of cigarettes. One metal pistol-

"Synthetic, no?"

"No Sir. It's loaded to fire a form of metal charge."

The grey haired commander clenched his jaw. The lieutenant continued.

"One data chip-

"Details on the subversives?"

"No, Sir. Old news reports dating back to the time of The Galactic Order. No data on Sector 12 or The Front. One deceased energy key. And one of our energy keys, Sir."

The commander kept his wrinkled lips pursed together as they walked on in silence nearing the end of the corridor. He held open his palm to the Lieutenant.

"The deceased key."

The Lieutenant bustled around in the pockets of his uniform until he withdrew a crystal tied to a black string. The Commander took it off him, weighing it in his palm as they walked. He held it up to the light. The energy key had been decayed for quite some time. All he could see inside that small crystal were the black tendrils that now autonomously ruled over its every expanse. Once an energy key had decayed it was done, useless. Yet this one was without dents or dust. It was the most immaculate energy key he had seen.

He peeled back his badge and slid the key into his pocket.

"Do you wish to see our Federation energy key that he was carrying, sir?"

"No, I know what they look like." the Commander grunted.

"I do assume he used our energy key, Sir, to power one of our ships, enabling him to get on board undetected."

The commander stopped. The cluster behind him halted immediately. The foremost guard raised his synthetic charge pistol and levelled it at the lieutenant's head.

Silence wracked the corridor like a tsunami wave. The Lieutenant could feel every visor faced at him, boring into him. At that precise moment the Lieutenant was sure that the single drop of a pin would have sounded like the crash of a cymbal, in the long corridor.

"Is it your job to assume Lieutenant?" barked the Commander.

The Lieutenant began to colour like a ripe tomato. He strained not to glance over at the Enlisted with the pistol, the object where his imminent death could be coming from at any second.

"N-No Sir." He stumbled.

"When it is your job to assume lieutenant, I'll bother to listen."

"...Yes, yes Sir!" He said enthusiastically, relieved as he saw the Enlisted soundlessly lower his pistol out of the corner of his eye.

The commander resumed walking. The cluster followed ever silently behind, their every movement seamlessly synchronised, all helmets facing directly ahead. The lieutenant stood composing himself for a few seconds before realising he was being left behind. He caught up with a hectic irregular pacing, that clattered against the marble floor and had him huffing and puffing.