Task Force Mars - Kevin Dockery [43]
Maybe. Maybe not. Jackson articulated the thought bluntly, watching the savant for a reaction. But those almost-black eyes remained cold and expressionless.
“You said you took us prisoners because you’re curious. Why are you curious about mere fleas?”
Tezlac Catal regarded Jackson coolly. Once again, the officer had the sense that his whole being had been laid open before this strange and admittedly frightening captor.
It was, as usual, Zaro who did the talking. “You humans have demonstrated a certain…vigor. When your system was abandoned ten thousand years ago, you were naked savages, beating each other with clubs and stones. And yet here you are now, sending out ships—pathetic little craft, it is true—of exploration to another planet in your system. There are those among my people who believe that you are worthy of study.”
“You say we are vigorous? Do you want us to remain that way when you bring us to your planet? Or would it please you if we all perished, wasted away?”
“It is not an important concern to me, really. Why do you ask?”
“Because if you want us to survive—and I am guessing that you do—we’ll need some more space. We need to keep physically active or we will atrophy and eventually die.” Jackson lied boldly, keeping in mind that it was really more of an exaggeration. It was a strange and unsettling thing to wonder if the person he was talking to could actually perceive his inner thoughts, but he was becoming more and more confident that that wasn’t the case.
“You wish us to give you a compartment simply for activity?” Professor Zaro asked in some surprise.
“Yes. It’s important to us—and to you, if you intend to deliver us in our natural state.”
“Tezlac Catal will consider your request. For now, you will return to your fellow humans.”
“How long will we be traveling? Where are you taking us?” the lieutenant pressed.
“It is enough for you to know that we are moving quickly,” Zaro said dismissively.
Tezlac Catal gestured to the viewing screen, which showed an image of space dominated by a single bright speck of light in the center of the image.
Zaro asked the question: “You see that bright star there?”
“Yes,” the officer answered guardedly.
“That is your sun. It looks faint because we are already passing the orbit of the planet you call Jupiter. Soon we will be far enough from your system’s sun to engage our interstellar drive. And then we will be gone, farther from your world than you have ever imagined. Look well, human, and watch it blink to nothingness. In another hour, it will simply be one more star in the galaxy of the sky.”
Eight: Through the Void
The captives from MS1—twelve SEALS, Director Parker, and Dr. Sulati—had started referring to themselves, inevitably, as the Earthlings. They had been left alone for the twenty-four hours or so since Jackson had been interviewed by Tezlac Catal. True to Catal’s word, Jackson had watched the sun vanish, the whole vista of space turning dark as the ship accelerated far beyond the speed of light. Even so, the travel through the vastness of interstellar space had little effect on the sensations aboard the ship. They still felt as though they were under a pressure of about 1 G and had no sensation of either great movement or standing still.
Familiarizing themselves with their small prison, they had discovered a kitchen and galley attached to their wardroom and a head with toilet facilities and a shower in a small alcove at the other end of the room. The kitchen was furnished with a variety of dehydrated food that, while not gourmet quality, looked like it might possess the basic nutrients needed to keep them alive.
Now all fourteen Earthlings were conversing quietly in a corner of the barracks room that was their prison on this interstellar flight. They had gone over the walls, floor, and ceiling with careful scrutiny. Though they had not found any indications of surveillance equipment such as concealed cameras