Ilise started walking without waiting for Sisyphus, forcing the man to take longer steps to catch up to her until he was walking beside her once more. They walked in silence past a simple metal gate and near the prison exercise area. The crowded area was below them giving her a clear view of the evildoers of society. It smelled of mildew and the humidity was crawling on her skin. A ping pong table was set up with the safety air net with doubles being played. Shouting echoed in the room.

A woman with slightly translucent blue skin was being dragged away. Her orange prison uniform was rolled down to her waist and the undershirt showed her collarbones and bare arms, revealing glowing white bones and bright red organs. With every swear she called out, her translucent skin became clearer and clearer until Ilise could see her intestines. The guards dragged her by her shoulders. She was shouting and pointing at the table. A prisoner ran over and snipped the piece of paper she was holding. The prisoners cheered as she left. Ilise recognized the gambling Alice anywhere. The unfair advantage being a gambler and a telepath. By the time Alice was out of view, her translucent appearance had taken on a darker hue and both the red organs and white bones faded under pale blue skin.

The chief officer stopped in front of a small room. The boring Arial text on a screen declared it “Interview Room One”. There were only two metal chairs around essentially an end table in size. The yellow lighting did nothing for anyone’s complexion. “You have twenty minutes. With each prisoner. Good luck.” The guard left her with the door open. 

Sisyphus, who got distracted by the prisoners, caught up to her without an escort. The room shrunk in size with his overbearing frame. He tried to stuff himself in the corner doing an invisible chair wall sit. Never stopping to rest his muscles. At least most of the rain on his skin had dried and he didn’t look like he had gone a hundred rounds with the barbells. The two guards shoved Alice into the room and chained her hands to the table. As they left, they closed the door behind them. A fresh bruise was forming on her eye, the pastel blue of her skin taking on a sickly purple hue even as it was solid enough to hide what was beneath it. The bright copper bars in her ear were engraved with her prisoner number and declared her of the telepathic alien race Nereus.

Ilise went for the good cop approach. “Alice, may I call you Alice? I’m Captain Posey and this is my second in command, Sisyphus.” He did not say a word but did his best to scowl. His eyebrows dropped the weight of his forehead to cast shadows on his dark eyes. “We are here to ask you for some information.”

Alice tried to grimace back but winced at the pain. “Fuck you and the whole Cadoon government.”

Ilise ignored the jab. She needed this information if she was to capture the pirates who stole the stealth technology. She pulled up the Exec Pirates’ information that had been collected in the last week. Their name was half spelled in purple and orange dripped down the side. It looked like a half put together FRX Fighter with a Oi-Torn delivery storage attached on the back where the engines should be. “You might get that wish. With the weapon they have, the Exec may attack Cadoon at any moment. Maybe even Aegean. Tell us where these pirates are before it gets to that.” As far as Ilise knew, the Exec had no reason at all to attack the system of Aegean, Alice’s home based on her species, but it was a good threat anyway. 

Alice dropped her head on the table, breaking all eye contact. Two minutes passed and nothing changed. Sisyphus stood up and grabbed her collar. “We want to offer a trade.”

“Giving me five extra minutes? That was my last free play. I bid everything just there.”

Ilise raised the docupad up to be in Alice’s sight view. She pointed at the ship again. “More than that. The government is willing to give you a pardon in exchange for the information of where their base might be. Wasn’t it you talking in this video?” The short video of the trashed mess hall on the Darkstorm played for Alice.

The Nereus’ navy blue eyes lit up as they watered, revealing an even darker iris. She was looking at her old crew. The veins around her neckline appeared. “Can I save them instead?”

Why would anyone want to save the crew mates who got her in this shit hole in the first place? Ilise constantly had to grab at any loose threads to climb up the ladder by herself. No crew. No friends. It was harder but it also meant fewer chances of being backstabbed just as she reached the next rung. She even tried signing up for multiple scientific studies to prove her bravery, one of which left her both mentally and physically scarred. 

“Only one. We might be able to talk about two.” Ilise said. Shaking her head at Sisyphus to let go of her collar. She knew when a fish was starting to nibble. Now would begin the tease bait before the fish lost interest.

Alice said nothing. The tears gently dripped down her cheeks as she studied the frozen video frame again. Two fingers stuck out from her chained hand. “It has to be two.”

Ilise pulled up the list of the pirates. Multiple murders, destruction of civilian and military property, stealing, general mayhem, illegal weapons trading… The list did not get better for the collection of crimes. Most were listed under the Pirate Captain Charyd. Viscous commander who would have ruined the Darkstorm if he had it a moment longer. A strategist, but only one man could not outsmart the government. Another typical man who tried to cheat and grant himself the rank of Captain. “Two and yourself included if you lead me to your leader Charyd as well.”

Alice’s eyes were locked on the docupad searching for someone. Alice had bit the hook, and now all that was left was reeling her in. It was a no-brainer, to turn in the location of the man who abandoned you the moment there was trouble. He tricked her into doing the crime of stealing the Darkstorm in the first place.

The door to the interrogation room opened as Charyd came in with Boil. “Here’s the weapons as promised!” The flight officer said with a big grin as he swung his weight on the door handle. His face fell for a moment and he peeked back out into the hallway. “I swear the sign glowed the word ‘Armory’ a moment ago.”