Chapter 31

Dusty asked Zeke to tell them why he had called them.

So, Zeke had to retell the story of how Baraz and Lou tried to board his ship. How he rescued them, and why he refused to let an UNSEC ship board him.

At one stage, the Suit went to interrupt him, but Dusty intervened. She told the others that questions would follow once they had the basic story. She asked Zeke to continue. So, Zeke reiterated the previous couple of days.

Then the grilling started, and the accusations started to fly. After ignoring the accusations and answering the same questions thrice, Zeke stopped talking.

They badgered and demanded answers. He sat back and drank his now cold coffee. Finally, they worked out he was not happy.

Dusty asked, “What is wrong, Zeke?”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “So, what do you plan to charge me with?”

“Why, what do you think you have done wrong?”

Zeke rolled his eyes, put down his cup and stood up. “Enough. If you want someone to grill, I’ll go and get Lou for you. I have to go check on Baraz. Isn’t one you supposed to be a doctor?”

They looked at him in surprise.

“Crickey, Dusty. I told you that both men had gotten concussions. Lou’s better, but the Auto-Doc said to keep Baraz sedated. I would have thought you people would be more interested in my other guests. I’m just the poor sap they tried to rob and kill.”

That said, he headed for the door. As soon as he opened it, the guards stood to block his exit. He just stood there and waited.

Dusty finally stood and said, “Zeke, we have a few more questions.”

Zeke didn’t turn or acknowledge her. He just looked at the now nervous guards. He heard the Captain complain to Dusty that she had told them that Zeke was cooperative. The Suit snorted and then insinuated that everything Zeke had said was a pack of lies.

Zeke sub-vocalised to Freya to play the footage of Baraz firing the missile at them. The MC screen that took up most of the wall behind where Zeke had been sitting lit up. Baraz’s snarling face appeared. His bellowing voice demanded that Zeke drop his shields, or he would blow him into atoms.

As the guards and everyone else fixated on the screen, Zeke blinked. He reappeared outside Lou’s door. He knocked and then entered.

“Lou, you need to dress and come with me.”

Lou nodded, and after Zeke found a suit and got him dressed, he let him out of the room. He directed a nervous Lou to the rec room. Zeke whistled to attract the guards’ attention. The female turned and looked at Zeke in shock.

“Escort him in. He is called Lou Chong. They want to ask him some questions,” Zeke told her.

Leaving Lou with the bemused guard, Zeke walked away.

Zeke went to check on Baraz.

“How is he?” he asked as he looked at the screen displaying Baraz’s vitals.

“Much improved. The sedatives wore off a couple of hours ago. He will probably wake when you remove the medical treatment cuff,” Freya replied.

“Thanks, Freya,” Zeke responded.

He washed his hands before he undid the cuff and gently slipped the needle out. He found the antiseptic solution, wiped the spot clean and then put a bandage on it. He disposed of the trash and washed his hands again. Hearing a rattling from the bed, he turned to see Baraz pulling on the straps that held his wrists locked down.

“Let me go,” Baraz snarled.

“Sure thing. The sooner the guards come to get you, the happier I will be to see the back of you.”

“Ha, the joke is on you, freighter boy. As soon as my friends turn up, it will be you behind bars.”

“Let me guess, your story will be that Raul, Sofia and I set you up, and it was us stealing from you.”

“You got it, freighter trash. Since you fucked up my ship, I’ll just claim yours. Everyone will think it was your ship that got hulled. It has a launcher in it, after all.”

Baraz looked around the immaculate room. “I’m gunna love this ship. How much trash did you collect to pay for this ship?”

Zeke looked at Baraz in amusement. “None. This is our first trip out here. Didn’t Armid tell you what I was hauling to Morpheus Station from Mars over the last few years?”

“No, he just told me he had seen one of your receipts, which was huge. He was going to kidnap and torture you to find out who you worked for.”

Zeke chuckled, “Well, I’ll tell you for free. Ever heard of Z.Crystal Corp.?”

“Yeah, a mob on Mars. The people who own it must be mega-rich,” Baraz replied with avarice in his eyes.

“Not quite. I always seem to find some new venture to invest in. This ship wasn’t cheap,” Zeke replied as he waved to the room.

Baraz looked at Zeke oddly before saying, “No way!”

“Yep, I’ve been prospecting on Mars since I was eight. Found the Crystal Caverns not long after I turned eighteen. I had to use my small trust fund to buy my parents’ company out of the shit my stepdad got it into. So, I needed some capital.”