Denied - 53. Chapter 53

Captain went rigid, and I stepped in close to support him but didn’t touch him. His breaths came sharp and his jaw was clenched. “Quarters. Now.” He marched through the ship and we followed in his wake, drawn along silently.

Deke’s hand stayed next to his belt and his weapons. The traitors, whoever they were, must really have him on edge.

“Are we secure?” Captain asked in the lift.

“No. Not even close.” Deke was grim. “I couldn’t arrest those named without alerting some who were unnamed.”

I frowned. “If they’re unnamed, how do you know who they are and that they’d find out?”

“If you are part of a conspiracy, wouldn’t you know your conspirators? Especially once some of them have been caught for questioning?” Deke growled. “I think a few got off the ship.”

“Onto Mackinack?” Captain smirked. “Won’t do them any good without an in with those who guard the portals.”

“But they might find passage off the planet and reveal our location.” Deke locked Captain’s door behind us as we entered his quarters.

“Won’t do them any good. We’re not gonna be on this ship much longer. I sold it. We’ll transfer over to Freska’s ship, and I authorized her to do a few makeovers. Just in case and all that.” Captain went over and created a few drinks. “Thirsty?” He offered one to me and then asked Deke what he’d like.

He refused, settling on the chair in the sitting quarters. Captain paced from side to side. “Report. Don’t draw this out.”

“It’s not your fault there are traitors on the crew.”

“They’re my crew. Of course it’s on me—I’m the captain.”

“No, they’re not. You didn’t put them on this ship.”

Captain sagged, turning to lean against the wall. “So they’re not original crew members?”

Deke shook his head. “Not from the beginning, no. But they’ve been here a while. And it’s more than I’m comfortable with. Little cells. We broke their code, so we know them all, but they don’t all know each other. Not even Lakshou knew who else on the ship was dirty.”

“Really?” I scrunched my eyebrows down. “Don’t you think he would’ve sensed it?”

“He had a narrower focus than that, remember? And there’s a lot of emotion on this ship, especially after we do a rescue mission.” He spat out the words, his disgust clear.

“Oh, right.” It felt like forever ago, but it hadn’t been that long when Captain and Deke had opened my cell.

“Names, Deke. Who is it?”

“Basma Kada, Aparoe’s assistant is the one who did the poisoning back when we stopped to resupply. Vlassil, Kressisida, Berilyn, and Taxxii from Environmentals, which means we’re vulnerable to manipulation there. Worse, SaARALA MaDAreda from communications.”

“That’s it?” I asked when Deke stopped talking.

“Isn’t that enough? A medic with access to medicine that can also be poison, four people who can get into our food, water, even our fucking air, plus one of the few people not only rated to handle our communications but repair them which means they can also destroy them?”

“When you put it like that….” That was six people too many. “What did you do to them?”

“Do? Nothing. I have security watching them. Captain has to make that call.”

Captain pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. I stood, going over to him. “It’s going to be okay.”

“No, it’s not. I’m just fucking done. When did our side, the side that’s supposed to be the good guys, become as bad as the fucking bad guys?”

Deke snorted. “When did you become so naïve that you thought there was a good guys and bad guys side? Politicians are bad guys doing the wrong thing while trying to pretend they’re doing the right things. Soldiers are often forced to do the wrong things while trying to fight for the right things. It’s a shitty fucking universe, but it’s the one we got. So buck the fuck up and give me an order, Captain.” Deke was barking by the time he was done speaking, and Captain had gone from slumped with his hand over his face to standing rigid, nearly at attention.

He glared at Deke. “You want an order? I can give you a damn order. Terminate the threats to this crew and the people we rescued. Happy now?”

“No?” Deke shook his head. “Makes it a little easier to share the blame when the nightmares come though.” He stood and stalked out of the room while we stared after him.

“Shit.” All the anger had drained out of Captain. “Just when I think I hate him, he goes and shows he’s still got a heart in there under that ruthless exterior.”

“I think Deke needs a vacation too,” I said.

“I think you’re right.”

Those six crew members went missing in the shifts to the shuttles, but the only one who really noticed was Aparoe. They were informed by Captain, who awkwardly patted their back while they cried until Captain escorted them to a tiny bunk room. There were twenty bunk rooms, with five bunks each. There were two pilots quarters with room for four pilots total. Then the Captain’s quarters, which were tiny compared to the ship but still twice as big as my cell.

“If there are fifteen shuttles, why cram this one so full?” We had all the rescued members plus at least twice that in crew. There was maybe one or two beds free and that was sleeping in shifts for the crew.

“Because,” Captain said. “We’re not going with everyone else. This is my original crew, Kohen, and the people I will save this time. It’s time to make our move.”

“We’re just abandoning everyone else? Finding a new planet to hide one? Vacation?”

“No vacation yet. But I will see this through with only those I know I can trust. Freska will meet us soon.”