Betrayal 07

Barovos started spouting off names of people that were involved and Mykal sent a data pack to the security computer, while he pulled a roster of everyone on the ship. Most of the names that he was given were people that had died on Orphus III and he winced when Freddy's name was mentioned. According to Barovos, he had joined the 'rebellion' of his own free will, while the navigator Nomoro was in fact telling the truth in that he had been coerced into his betrayal, by threat of his daughter being kidnapped and killed. There were only two more people from the list still on board that had not been arrested. Sending orders through the computer, to have the two siezed immediately and brought in to be questioned, Mykal picked up the saber, re-sheathed it at his hip and clipped the baton to his belt.

Pushing the injector close enough that Barovos could reach out and pick it up, he stepped back. "Seems that the people you gave up are mostly the same as what the other two prisoners gave us. A deal is a deal, Trenton. You have two minutes to inject yourself in the neck with that. Any last words?"

Picking up the hydrosyringe with a shaking hand, he looked up at Mykal and swallowed, his eyes narrowing. "You will never be able to stop Marcus. He is smarter than you can imagine. I hope he kills you slowly and painfully." Jerking his hand up, he pressed the injector to his neck and triggered the injection.

Mykal looked him in the eyes and let a large smile spread over his face. "Enjoy the saline solution. I'll see you after we land."

Trenton's eyes got huge. "You lied to me; you said I could die peacefully! You gave your word!"

"You are right in that I gave my word. I gave my word that I would let you inject yourself with what was in the injector. I never said it was poison. Did you really think I would give a piece of shit like you the easy way out?" Mykal barked harshly. "No, you get to face your family and die the death you deserve."

Mykal ignored the yells of rage directed at him as he walked out the door.

*****

Walking back into the control room, Mykal handed the shock baton back to the Marine captain who was looking at him in awed respect. "Sir, you are one cruel and devious som'bitch . I'm really glad you are on our side."

Hans chuckled, "I'd agree with the captain, but knowing what I do, that particular term of endearment may get me in trouble in the future." Looking back to the monitor showing a raging Barovos, he nodded. "How did you know that he'd go for the injection thing?"

Mykal shrugged. "He's a coward. Was born a coward, raised a coward and even as an officer in the pilot corps, he was a coward and boot licker. The injection is the most painless and peaceful. A coward's way out. There is no way he would have faced a violent end if there was another option. Just having the injector there, gave his mind options he imagined for himself. I didn't have to even suggest it as an option."

"And to think Elaine was worried about you in the court." Hans snorted.

Mykal shook his head, as he watched Freddy ignore the questioner that was trying to interrogate him. "I figured out she's not worried about me being able to survive court. She's afraid of what I'll do to them if I treat them like I do everyone else." To emphasize his point, he pointed at the image of the still raging Barovos. "A court full of that, when I get done with them wouldn't be very effective for getting things done."

Hans laughed out loud. "Oh, I don't know; it could be pretty entertaining."

"Sir, it's my job to keep people from wanting and trying to kill you. Not increase the number. Not to mention it would tick off your wife." Mykal gave him a tight lipped smile. "And I'm more afraid of her than I am of you. No offense."

The Marine captain made a choking sound as he heard this, and Mykal would have sworn he heard a cough covering up a laugh, from one of the body guards at the door.

"Elaine was absolutely right. You are pretty quick." was Hans' laughing reply.

Mykal turned his attention back to the monitors. The two new prisoners were being locked into their interrogation rooms amidst yells and protests. Grimacing at one of the monitors, Mykal groaned. "Master Chief Brockton is going to be pissed." he mumbled.

"Why's that, Commander?" The marine asked him.

"Because he's going to have to go over every one of the 'Mechs on board with a fine tooth comb." He pointed at the younger of the two new prisoners. "That's one of the senior technicians down in the hanger."

"Hmm. That's weird; we just released this guy this morning. How did we not catch that?" the Marine Captain mumbled, looking over the information scrolling under the picture of the other prisoner that had just been brought in.

"Davis Jacobies? Yeah, that one kind of surprised me a bit, and the fact that he has had direct and uncontrolled access to Prince Jason and Princess Brigit kind of pisses me off to no end." Mykal said. "He was in here because of a little confrontation I had with him yesterday." Something clicked in his head. "Freddy was meeting with him yesterday. That's why he was leaving the Med Lab when I ran into him. He let slip about our destination when we talked in the corridor. Jacobies gave me a hard time and tried to deny me access to the Prince and Princess. That's why he was down here. I put in a report yesterday evening after I had calmed down, to have him released this morning, not knowing he had anything to do with this."

"What should we do with the prisoner Davidson? He refuses to talk." the captain asked.

Mykal took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Truth serum and force. I want names." He looked at the monitor again. "After, I talk to him."

Unclipping his sheath from his belt, he handed it to the king. "Its better I don't go in there with a weapon. Don't want to be tempted, depending on what he says."

*****

As he walked into the room, he let the doors slide shut and mentally keyed the lock.

Freddy smiled as Mykal sat down in front of him. "I was wondering when you were going to come down here."

"I wasn't going to, but I changed my mind."

"It was you that clued them into the two of us, weren't it?" Freddy asked. Mykal nodded once. "It was the planet thing, wasn't it?" Again Mykal nodded once. "Damn, I figured you would have known where we were heading since you started shacking up with the princess."

Mykal took a deep breath to calm himself, clenching his fists until the knuckles cracked.

"Oh yeah, not a good idea for me to insult the pure and beautiful Princess, now is it?" Fred snorted. "Hell, like you would do anything to me; I'm a bound prisoner. You'd never hit a guy that couldn't fight back. So tell me, how is she in the sack? All that red hair, I bet she's a freak, isn't she?"

The slam and sickening crunch of Mykal smashing the hand Fred had sitting on the table, came out of nowhere. Fred let out a bellow as he cradled his smashed appendage to his chest.

Catching his breath, he yelled at Mykal. "You fucking assaulted a bound prisoner! You are going to go down for that, you stupid ass. I hope you enjoy not having a career."

"You are the second person to try and threaten my career today. I figured you had more imagination than Barovos." Mykal said calmly, as he sat back down. "I can do anything I want to you. His Majesty has declared war on the rebels led by his disowned son, Marcus, and his associates. You are a captured spy and saboteur. We can legally use any method to get information out of you that we want."

Freddy's eyes went the size of tea plates and the color drained from his face. "Thankfully for you, I am not going to be the one interrogating you. That is unless you don't cooperate with the nice marine captain that will be in here to talk with you in a bit." Mykal said calmly, his voice dripping malice.

"I just want to know one thing, Fred. Why?" Mykal whispered; the pain his friend had caused leaking through into his voice, despite his best efforts.

Fred looked at Mykal for a long moment, and finally sighed with a shrug. "I guess I owe you that much. Marcus promised me money and power. I was never destined for greatness. Not like you were. Well, at least until you got all righteous on Barovos. I never did like that prick." Freddy said, muttering the last part.

He looked Mykal in the eyes. "I was supposed to try and recruit you. Marcus wanted you bad, but after that thing with Barovos, he knew that you would never turn on the family and help him with a coup. That's why your career got trashed and Trenton's continued, with none the wiser as to what really went down. He was going to have you taken out, but I convinced him that we would be able to make sure you died on the battlefield; that you deserved better than shot in the dark or a knife in the back." Freddy chuckled. "Boy did I fuck that one up. If not for you and your damn in-ability to die, I'd be sitting pretty right now."

Mykal was silent for a moment before he nodded and stood. "You are going to be tortured for information and you are going to scream in pain until you give us everything we ask for. Then, when we have no more use for you, we will execute you and dump you in an unmarked grave or some incinerator somewhere. Your mother is going to receive a copy of everything you just told me and I will tell her you died a traitor's death. I will comfort her when her heart breaks, after she finds out what you did to your family, kingdom and best friend. Your little sister, Samantha, will curse your name and your father will disown you. You will be purged from the memories of everyone that ever cared for you. You will have caused all of that pain for absolutely no reason."

Mykal's eyes darkened and his face hardened. Freddy was certain he was looking at death personified when he spoke again, "I tell you this because I want you to know with certainty that I will put an end to this; Marcus will be brought to kneel before his king and made to pay for his treason. Know in your heart that your betrayal and deceit did nothing, but make this kingdom stronger in spite of you. Good bye Fred, you will never see me again. I hope your death is at least as painful, as your betrayal was to everyone you hurt." The last time he looked on his former friend's face, it was ashen, wet with the chilled sweat of fear and trembling. At that moment, his friend was dead to him.