"Captain Turner here," he said after rushing into his office. He had been helping with the repair efforts when the priority call came in.
"Captain Andrew Turner," said a cold feminine voice. She looked at his disheveled and dirty uniform with disgust. "So good of you to take my call."
"Councilwoman Lydia Reed," he answered coolly. "To what do I owe the honor?"
"I know the cargo you carry," she said cryptically. "I'm sending you an encrypted message with coordinates for delivery of your cargo. You will follow every order of the station commander."
"I am at the Council's disposal," Andrew stated, knowing full well that few in the Council would know about what and who he had found. Councilwoman Reed must have understood his subtle prod. Her features hardened even further.
"We will have a specialized inspection team present to fully debrief you and your crew," she stated icily. "You and your crew will command your crew to obey their every command."
"Councilwoman Reed," Captain Turner hesitated for a moment before continuing, "It is obvious what you trying to say, so I'll just come out as say it. You want me and my crew confined to make sure that news of Jack's return a secret. I'm sure my presence will be missed, but my absence will be noted, especially if it is a prolonged absence." He continued before she could reply. "From the time I spoke up to save the Vengeance, we have been bitter enemies. There is no use in denying it. I just want you to know that I agree on the need for silence until an assessment can be made. The last thing either of us need is this blowing up in our faces."
Though outwardly she seemed composed, Captain Turner had angered her enough times to know when she was angry. This time, she was livid. "Thank you for your candor. Report without delay." The transmission abruptly ended.
Captain Turner made his way to the bridge, wondering just how long they planned on "evaluating" his crew. Councilwoman Reed would be more than pleased to see him disappear.
"Captain, I thought you were assisting with repairs," Ensign Ortiz said as he entered the bridge.
"Just got a message from Councilwoman Reed," Captain Turner started to say.
"Please tell me you played nice with the devil," Lieutenant Nelson stated. "As much as I love my current post, I have plans for my career."
"Don't worry, I'm playing nicely.this time. I have new coordinates for you. We are transporting our cargo to a secret facility."
"Our cargo?" Lieutenant asked.
"You will hear this eventually, so I won't hurt to tell you now. Any information regarding this expedition is now classified. Until we get clearance from The Council, we will have no communications with anybody outside this hull."
***
Two days of solitary confinement is enough to drive anyone to the brink of madness. It also left ample time for reflection. We were traveling somewhere quickly. The frequency and intensity of the jumps were enough to tell me that much. For reasons I couldn't explain, the uncomfortable feeling of the jumps was strangely comforting. The paradox of feelings aside, I just couldn't wrap my mind around what was going on. That time had passed was evident. I ran countless scenarios through my mind, including the possibility that this was all an elaborate hoax by the Zrynt. The odds of that were so farfetched it was ridiculous, but it still ran through my mind.
