“I have told you and the other officers three times now. Are you really going to make me repeat myself yet again?”
Teekay Theanon was in quite a bit of pain. He’d been chained up since Monday, accused of causing all sorts of trouble. Which would have been fair if he had done so, but Teekay’s job was to serve the Vice General, he spent 99% of his time by the Vice General’s side, he barely had the time to catch up on the latest electronic game news, let alone organize a rebellion among members of a completely different species. And really, was it his fault that Kalsa Warriors wanted to be like him?
“No, Ksa. Instead, why not tell us about your opinions on the Threavok Split?”
That was a new one. The officers had been asking about all sorts, particularly political issues, but that was the first time this had come up.
“How about you explain why you have locked me up in this stupid cell with no option of even a phone call so I can tell the Vice General why I haven’t turned up for work since Monday morning?” Teekay spat.
“Unfortunately for you, kid, the High General’s orders override those of your master. Now please answer the question.”
Teekay tried kicking his legs in frustration, but they were chained to his chair. His arms were chained behind him. “My opinion on the Threavok Split is that it’s fucking retarded and fucking let me go, you have no fucking right to hold me here!”
The two officers leaped back, drawing their gunstaffs. In a blast of telekinetic energy, Teekay had snapped his chains.
“Get down, now, Ksa!” one of the officers shouted.
Teekay glanced at his hands, then complied. “Sorry about that, I underestimate my own strength sometimes.”
“No, that’s fine…” the other officer sighed. “My bad. Didn’t make them tight enough.” He smiled at Teekay. He’d done that a few times. His friendliness suggested to Teekay that he didn’t feel comfortable interrogating him like this. As the officer cuffed Teekay to the table, there was a knock on the heavy steel door behind them. The door swung open to reveal the High General himself, carrying a tray of food and drink.
“Stand down, vok, I’d like to talk to this one.”
The friendly officer backed down as asked, but the more aggressive officer wasn’t willing to. “High General, ser, this Rethan just broke his chains. He is dangerous.”
“I know what Teekay Theanon is capable of. He assisted me just the other week. May I have the room for a few moments?”
The two officers promptly left, leaving the Ksa and the High General alone.
“Ser, if you don’t mind me asking, what is going on?” Teekay asked hesitantly as the High General removed his handcuffs.
Photeianos gently placed the food tray in front of Teekay. The Ksa hesitated. It didn’t look like normal food, but he hadn’t eaten in a day or so. The drink was even more off-putting. A formerly carbonated lemonitsa. Smelled off, as if someone has put something in it. Teekay decided to avoid that and just have the food. Was incredibly over-spiced for some reason. Probably to compensate for cheap meat.
“You heard what is going on around Kolasi, yes?”
Teekay nodded. “The Kalsa Warriors are rebelling. I do not blame them, they get treated horribly, not like us… Although clearly the last few days are an exception. Why does everyone think I have something to do with all of this?”
Photeianos pulled up a chair next to Teekay. “To be fair to them, we weren’t clear enough. I arranged it so every Ksa was put into protection. For your own safety.”
“I do not feel particularly safe. I’d feel more safe if I was protecting the Vice General as I should be right now.”
“I have the best protecting both him and myself.”
“I thought us Ksa were the best,” Teekay sneered. “After all, I was literally designed to protect others, no matter what.”
The High General sighed. “You do not understand. A lot of the tech that goes into making Ksa… also goes into making Kalsa Warriors. With the Warriors rebelling, there are many fears that the Ksa could be compromised…”
The stew was barely edible, but at least it was food. Still seemed a bit… weird though. Teekay’s stomach could finally stop growling. “So you are locking us away? Without our consent?”
“You would have never agreed. No Ksa would. We’ve prepared a facility to keep you all comfy while things are sorted out.”
“That is good and all, but…” Teekay paused. He realised why the food tasted weird. It was filled with drugs. That’s why it was so overly spiced. And he had completely fallen for it. There was nothing Teekay could do before he blacked out completely.