Murder on a Moon Trek

Chapter 20: Lashing Out

I changed into my black security uniform, picked up the stacks of uniforms, and left Pika behind in my quarters. I felt nothing. No enthusiasm for being on the ship, no pride in a job well done, no determination to prove I belonged. I was empty.

Two of the little green men who had confronted me yesterday morning passed me in the hallway. I kept my eyes forward and my gravity boots walking one foot in front of the other. Their voices floated to me from behind. "First one Plunian, now two. What's next? Little purple babies?"

"That one seems like a real handful. Bet that's why her dad took off with space pirates and screwed over their whole planet. Worthless trash."

I dropped the uniforms in the hall, a dark gray pile on top of the orange industrial carpet. I turned around and watched the Martians as they walked away, totally unaware that I'd overheard them. Or maybe they were aware. Maybe they'd wanted me to hear. Maybe this was how life was going to be from now on.

Rage burned like a supernova. I ran toward the Martians. The carpet silenced my footsteps, and by the time they realized I was right behind them, I had jumped on the back of one and knocked him to the ground. He writhed underneath me, but I was bigger, stronger, and madder than he was. I was too far gone to stop or realize what I was doing. I slapped at him, pummeled him, and a strange scream I never knew I could make came from my throat.

The other man tried to pull me off. I flung him away. He staggered backward and stumbled into the wall. He regained his footing and took off down the hall.

The man beneath me cowered and held up his arms. "Don't hurt me!" he cried out.

"Take it back! My mother was not trash!" I yelled.

"I take it back! I take it all back! Stop hitting me!"

The only fighting I knew was what they'd taught us at the space academy in Security Section Maneuvers. They were defensive moves, not offensive ones. But there was no way to pretend my assault on the communication officer in the hallway was anything other than offensive. Unless someone had overheard what they'd said.

Two strong tawny arms wrapped themselves around me from behind and lifted me off the little green man. I was in the air. I raised my legs and made contact with the wall and pushed off as hard as I could. The arms tightened around me, and I felt like I was in a compressor.

"Get ahold of yourself," said a voice in my ear.

The mass behind me was Neptune. How did he know—oh. The chip in the security uniform.

A wave of unwanted heat washed over me. It was so strong I knew without looking that my skin color had intensified. Neptune was the one person on this ship who knew why I was angry. And somehow, that knowledge was like a release valve for my rage. My legs went limp against the wall and, because he was applying a counter pressure, I got squished. He must have realized the fight had left me because he took a step back and held on until my feet found the ground. I expected him to let go of me, but he didn't. Not right away.

The two of us stood facing the wall. I didn't want to make eye contact with him, or the Martian on the ground, or the other Moon Unit 5 crew that had come out of their quarters and the employee lounge to see who was making all the ruckus. I looked up at the lights on the top of the hallway. They were flashing white; two flashes close together. Code White: general crew disturbance. Protocol: evacuate quadrant.

The elevator doors slid open, and a team of medical officers got off. Doc Edison was in front. The expression on his face wasn't as understanding as it had been yesterday when he'd given me a sugar pop in the holding cell.

Doc and his team moved past me and assessed the officer on the ground. He was sitting up and scowling at me. I looked away, only to see Captain Swift heading down the hallway toward us.

"Do what I say," Neptune said quietly.

I turned my head ever so slightly toward him. "I still don't know if I trust you."

"I accept that." Without missing a beat, he continued. "Request a private audience. Do not apologize. It is your only acceptable course of action." He dropped his arms and took a step backward.

"Captain Swift, may I request a private audience to discuss my actions here?" I said. I hated doing what Neptune instructed me to do, but I didn't have any better ideas.

The Martian's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, which made the request worth it. Captain Swift's expression remained completely unreadable. I suspected that came in handy when he was forced to deal with unpleasantries like this. He raised his radio to his lips. "Yeoman D'Nar, your charge, Lt. Sylvia Stryker, has just requested a private audience in Council Chambers."

Her voice came back pinched and whiny. "Lt. Stryker has done nothing but violate protocol since this ship departed."

"Meet us in Council Chambers, Yeoman. We'll discuss Lt. Stryker's behavior there."

"I will not be held accountable for her actions," Yeoman D'Nar said.

"Act professionally, Yeoman D'Nar," Captain Swift admonished. I wished I could see the expression on her face.

Neptune did his arm-crossing thing. "For reasons that will become evident when we convene in Council Chamber, I will accompany you."

I'd spent most of my time on Moon Unit 5 in the uniform ward, the holding cell, and my quarters. The time I spent in engineering had a hallucinogenic cloud cast over it thanks to the gas leak, and even the brief time spent at The Space Bar had faded to a memory I wasn't certain I hadn't dreamed up. But even though I hadn't been through the main corridors of the ship, I had studied it so thoroughly that I didn't hesitate. I still had adrenaline to burn, and if Captain and Neptune couldn't keep up, that was their problem.

Council Chambers was a soundproof and magnetically sealed meeting space located at the front of the Moon Unit. Every one of the four preceding Moon Units had had them—well, I still didn't know for sure about the Moon Unit 4, but I assumed it had met the same overall requirements of the previous three. The room was intended for confidential discussions of intergalactic importance. I was humbled to know that my behavior had put me into that category.

I led the procession in the direction I knew to be correct. The assorted crew members who had appeared after my attack on the Martians had returned to their quarters as was protocol when the flashing lights were active. That's when it hit me. I was the risk. I didn't want or need a private audience with Council Chambers, but it was too late.

Neptunehad a master plan. Too bad I had no idea what it entailed.