Once he’s out of sight, he silently sighs. His heart is racing. He’s no stranger to the politics that go on in the military, and he’s gotten more doses of it as an officer than ever before. He knew Chief -Sergeant at the time- Grey often found himself in a battle of verbal swords with officers over technicalities and trivialities, and Grey would clash with the rough and unforgiving broadness of a greatsword, while the officers tended to use precise, subtle jabs like a rapier. Sergeant Grey didn’t have an uptight image to preserve. He was a Marine’s Marine. He said what he thought, and he meant it. Officers often don’t in many cases.
This was Hancock’s first real political trial as both an officer and as a Marine. Like his first time in real combat, he was afraid, letting his instincts guide him. Unlike then, though, he didn’t have anyone else to rely on. He was the only other one in that room, and were he less careful, he would be an easy target for Hitch to reverse what’s about to occur.
But, Hancock has one final move to make. A finishing blow, as it were.
He heads to Admiral Long’s room, evident by the noise of several girls laughing and speaking jovially.
Sure enough, Little Bird, Vivi, Melody, and Jessica are in the room, as well as a hulking monster of a being looming in the corner as the little girls hang from his folded arms like a jungle gym. Though Admiral Long is a tad nervous about the girls playing on the giant, Dzor is as icy still as a glacier, showing no emotion as the little girls play on him and try to apparently get him to join their games while Jessica stands back a bit. The room is crowded already, but accommodates the group well enough.
Hancock knocks on the door, asking as he steps in and salutes, “Permission to enter, Admiral?”
Dzor’s growl isn’t his most ferocious, but a low rumble fills the room. Cold, suspicious eyes are staring into Hancock’s very soul, and he quickly adds, “I can definitely explain, Yarjen. I know you heard.”
Not picking up the cues right away, Vivi and Melody both squeal excitedly, “Hanky!” He smiles at them, in spite of the situation. He may feel some kind of way about the one meeting that had very little to do with anything other than talking about Vivi’s growth and her appetite letting her eat an entire cookie, but he’s often the one sneaking the two little squid girls some of his dessert rations.
“Heard what?” asks the admiral. Hancock, still saluting, looks at her, but says nothing. She states, “Enter and speak, Ensign.” She salutes with a kind smile.
“Thank you, Admiral. I suspect Yarjen Jor accurately overheard the conversation I just partook in with Commander Hitch.”
“Ah, I received a preliminary report, but apparently the investigation has become… complicated?”
Hancock nods. He states sincerely, “I believe Commander Hitch is working with the protestors.” Both of the Long sisters’ jaws drop, and Dzor’s position shifts. The rookie Ensign looks to Dzor, explaining, “That was why I was speaking as I did, Yarjen. I wanted to earn his trust so he would speak a little more candidly with me.”
Admiral Long frowns, murmuring, “I’m not a lawyer, but by the sounds of it, you may have convinced him to try the same on you, Hancock.”
“H-Hitch is… bad?” asks Little Bird nervously.
Hancock kneels to her level, saying, “We make no assumptions like that without proper evidence, Little Bird. I have some evidence, but I need to check one more thing before I have enough. So, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt until then. Make sense? Good until proven bad.”
She nods nervously, looking at Jessica, and then Angelica.
Admiral Long sits up, asking coldly, “What do you want to check?”
Hancock stands back up, replying sincerely, “Whether or not Vivi recognizes him, Ma’am.”
A cold chill fills the room. Hancock nods.
Knowing how it could look, though, he states, “I encourage that I be accompanied by anyone you see fit and loyal, Admiral, that Vivi not come to harm. I only need about five seconds of initial entry.”
Long stares at him, and Jessica murmurs, “B-... He’s… This…” Vivi squeaks nervously, “Meemee?”
Dzor stops her from jumping to Jessica, gripping the small alien girl gently with his humongous hand. He lifts her to his head level, and he states quietly, though with his deep and rumbling voice, “Vivi have responsibility. If Vivi help find bad… mmm… humans, not harm again.”
Vivi whimpers as she clutches his finger with her comparatively tiny tendrils, “What Vivi haff do?”
Hancock explains, “All you have to do is walk into the room with me and see if he looks like one of the people you saw.”
She looks at Jessica, who nervously watches Dzor and Vivi. Admiral Long says gently, but rather sternly, “He’s right. Vivi, if you would, for me, go with Hancock and just see who it is. You don’t have to be scared. Hancock won’t let anything happen to you. And Jor will be right here. All you have to do is call.”
The tiny squid girl fidgets with her ‘hands’, murmuring, “V-... Vivi get tweat?”
The adults all chuckle, and Hancock replies, “Of course. But, only if you tell the truth, not what you think I want to hear, okay? The truth.”
Vivi nods emphatically, “Vivi tell troof! Hanky give Vivi coogie, otay?”
“Deal. Are you ready?”
The small girl nods, and Dzor gently hands her to Hancock. She wraps her legs around his fingers, hugging his thumb for stability.
Hancock looks at Jessica and the Admiral, “We’ll return in just a minute.”
He carries Vivi to Hitch’s room, keeping her hidden at first as he knocks and enters, “Commander, I had one last thought I wanted to run by you.” He presents Vivi in his hand, watching the TEAU Commander like a hawk.
Hitch has many more years experience over Hancock; being questioned, being judged, being betrayed.
However, all three in the same simple motion are tricky to hold a facade against, and Hancock is watching intensely for a cue.
Hitch doesn’t make a sound, but his face says it all -more than Hancock expected-. His face freezes as the realization comes that a relative infant might be a useful witness. Hitch isn’t acquainted very much with Vivi, and she was little more than a terrified animal during the moment.
But, she’s actually a child capable of rather elaborate communication.
Vivi, for her part, grips Hancock’s hand tightly, nearly crushing his bones as well. She whimpers unintelligibly, and Hancock, still playing his own game, states, “Vivi was there, too, so you both kind of share that, right? Maybe she saw when Zeeannssii broke your arm and bit your palm. Oh... I never asked about that, did I?”
Hitch is silent for a long time as his intense gaze sticks to alien squid girl, and the latter is frozen in terror, trying to squeak out words. Hancock scratches his helmet’s cheek as he chuckles, “I’m terrible at this. I should stick to what I’m good at.”
He matches Hitch inch for inch. Someone snuck it to the Commander, and Hancock backed a serpent into a corner. Fortunately, his instincts were right.
Hancock pivoted around, placing Vivi behind his left side as his right faces Hitch with a sidearm drawn and aimed at the wounded Commander aiming a sidearm right back at him. Neither fires due to the pistol aiming back, and Hitch is visibly surprised, angry, desperate, and thinking.
Hancock muses, “I’m good at reading the room, Sir.”
“Your words incriminate you more than mine incriminate me, Hancock. I was merely trying to expose you.”
“Admiral Long said you’d say that. But then, the official report has everything Vivi told first responders; that she bit someone’s hand -which I can vouch, hurts like hell and has a one hundred percent chance of drawing blood-.” Vivi murmurs apologetically as she cries, “Sowwyyyyy…” The Rookie officer can’t comfort her yet, as he must not look away from Hitch. He adds as Hitch weighs the escape routes he has, “I also know Vivi has the strength in her tentacles to break a femur. We discovered that when she accidentally pulled a bolt straight out of its hole because she smelled something interesting. So, a wrist would be nothing to her.”
“Back out of the room, Hancock.”
Hancock doesn’t budge. He continues on his own tangent, “I already looked at Zeeannssii’s containment as well. I know she wasn’t released by the protestors, though I’m sure they’ll love to use the incident to exactly the end you suggested. Dumb luck that she ran into you while you were distracted with Vivi, huh?”
“I said, back out of the room, Hancock.” Hitch is currently extracting himself from the monitors and intravenous connections so he can rise from the bed.
“Sir.”
Hitch freezes, and Hancock repeats, “I think you mean, ‘Sir’. I suspect I’m going to outrank you after today.”
The cornered commander tenses, trying to almost shove his pistol closer to Hancock as if to will it through the young officer.
Marines outside of the room ask, “Hancock?”
He states sternly, “STAY IN COVER. Suspect armed.”
A distinct Grodrrn growl rumbles the hallway, and Hancock asks, “Yarjen, if that’s you, take Vivi for me.” Hancock holds the small alien girl out into the hallway, ensuring Hitch’s line of fire never intersects with her. He’s not sure if the armor will hold up, but he’s prepared for that. For now, Hitch is deadlocked with him.
The rookie officer can feel the massive hand bump his, collecting the tiny alien with ease as Dzor growls, “Make room.” He then snarls into the room, “I reep traitor apart. Move, Hancock.”
“Stay back, Yarjen. Protect the others. Hitch isn’t going anywhere.”
Sergeant Grey’s voice calls out, “Rookie, back out slowly, and we’ll-...”
“I got this, Chief.”
Hitch growls at him, “You’re siding with animals, Hancock. They’re not human. They’re monsters. Do you feel NOTHING for Earth?”
Hancock’s gaze pierces into the Commander. “I was on the ground for it, Commander. I saw it first hand. I feel everything for the people I lost. But, we weren’t fighting monsters. We were fighting soldiers. Those soldiers have seen what they cost us. One of them is standing right around the corner behind me. He could strike me down at any moment, and yet I fear him less than I fear you.” Hancock flexes his fingers on his pistol, never moving his aim. Honestly, he had a white-knuckle grip on the weapon, which would cost him accuracy, but Hitch doesn’t need to know that. Hancock adds with the same ice in his voice, “I watched a desperate and terrified alien mother trying to save her children, and I regularly feed snacks to children of a world I never thought even existed, let alone that I of all people would see. I’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with alien soldiers mightier than a Super-Saiyan King Kong and I’ve shared jokes with an extraterrestrial Queen Bee who likes dad jokes. The way I’ve experienced everything so far, humans are the only ones killing their own in the name of ‘liberating them’ or ‘honoring our fallen’.” Hancock pivots more fully to face Hitch, in spite of his heart racing in his chest. “I’ll never be good at anything else, but I’m glad I’m good at being a soldier, Sir.”
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Two hybrid sidearms thunder in the room, echoing far through the ship. Sensitive ears cause cries, particularly from Vivi and Melody, while orders and combat responses engage in a flash.
Two hybrid sidearms fired. Two new wounds have formed. A sidearm falls to the floor as its former owner curses and cries out.
Hancock holds his pistol firmly, continuing to aim at Hitch in spite of the impact to his chin. The injury burns, but he’s rather confident his jaw is intact. He can hear the shattered bullet fragments rattling in the back of his helmet, but he keeps his gaze on Hitch. He knows enough to know that he’s in tunnel vision, and that he’s likely partially going into shock, as he only barely registers being pulled back as other soldiers storm into the room. He can only hear ringing at the moment, which is kind of surprising to him. He survived Earth without going into shock and all of the missions in the fleet, including his and Lopez’s mission on the aux bridge.
The ringing persists for a long time, and his vision is still foggy.
Finally, a knocking on his helmet. He tries to shake his head, but he can hear Grey’s voice calling out to him, drowned out mostly by the obnoxious ringing. Grey knocks again, and Hancock shouts, “I’m hearing a ringing, Chief!”
Grey’s voice is muffled and drowned out, and Hancock tries again, “I can’t hear, Chief!”
The rookie officer is suddenly wrestled by multiple people, forced into a stoop as his helmet is ripped off.
The ringing follows his helmet.
Hancock looks at Grey, and the grizzled Chief smirks. “I know, Rookie. That’s what I was trying to tell you.”
Hancock chuckles, asking, “D-... Did we…?”
“Hitch is secured. Good work. We’ll secure him in lockup and see if we can get anything out of him.”
Tachibana watches Hitch being escorted out by Moody and Brown as Brown nurses the Commander’s wounded hand, “I… I can’t believe it. I… Did anyone suspect…?”
Grey shakes his head, “No. And I’m suspicious of everyone. I knew Hitch was a typical pants-stuffer, but not a full-on traitor.”
Hancock touches his jaw, recoiling when it burns. He finds blood on his glove, but remarks, “I don’t think the protestors are outright traitors, Chief.”
Grey pivots the rookie towards Fisher, and points at Fisher’s visor. “One of those protestors just tried to scoop your head off with a hybrid round, Rookie.”
Hancock’s jaw is slashed with a large red streak. He suspects it looks worse than it is, since he can still move his jaw, but there is a lot of blood. Grey adds, “Fisher, patch him up.”
Fisher chuckles, joking, “No kissing for you this week, Rookie.” He begins gingerly cleaning Hancock’s injury with some wipes from the counter.
Hancock chuckles as well, and Grey asks Tachibana, “Any thoughts on an interrogator, Senior Chief? Hitch knows me too well. He won’t give up… who was it, Cynthia?”
Tachibana replies, “Cynthia Brock.” She nods. “I’ll check with some of our colleagues.”
Fisher asks, “Anyone seen Master Chief Clements lately? If I recall correctly, he broke the Zaborea Bloodless in like an hour.”
Grey replies bluntly, “Welder on the Providence.”
“What!? Clements?”
Tachibana asks, “What about a Grodurn? They’re natural lie detectors.”
Grey answers, “No good. Grodurns are the hottest point of contention to the antis. I don’t think Hitch will cave because he knows we need him alive.”
Dumas jokes as he walks up, “Should just let Mr. Right talk his ear off. He’ll want us to kill him then.”
The group chuckles, and Grey starts to ask, “Anyone interested in what just happened, Dumas?”
“Why wouldn’t that work?” Everyone looks at Hancock, who asked seriously. “I mean, it’s a little mean, but… Hitch is ready for us now. He’s not ready for a full dose of Mr. Right.”
Grey and Tachibana laugh, and Tachibana replies, “I suppose you would know, Sir. Does Mr. Right have interviewing experience?”
“Not that I know of. But, he also has no shame when he wants to be funny. We happily co-mingle with aliens. Mr. Right will marry one… at least he’ll say it.” He nods appreciatively at Fisher when the Petty Officer finishes. “He might get nothing. But, he might also trigger someone.”
There’s a pause as the two Chiefs consider it. Fisher jokes, “A dirty joke to interrogate someone? I see nothing wrong with it.”
Tachibana murmurs, “It’s unprofessional and amateurish… but it might actually work. At least while we formulate a more effective plan if it doesn’t.”
Grey nods, “We’ve done crazier. That’s for sure. And, we haven’t been able to identify her any other way yet.”
Long squeaks from the hallway as she holds Vivi, “We have one more advantage, Chief.”
The group looks at her, and she adds nervously, “Not that I’m happy about it, but… I think Vivi saw her…”
Vivi is whimpering as her legs clutch tightly to the young spacer’s shirt. Dzor nods, however, stating, “Most effective way of capturing prey; never let on is being hunted.”
Fisher counters politely, “I think Miss Brock knows she’s being hunted, Yarjen.”
“Mmm… Boot, she know not how close hunters are.”
Grey adds, “And it stays that way.” He looks around carefully, saying, “That fact doesn’t leave this group. God knows who else is on their side at this point.”
Thinking out loud after Grey finishes, Hancock states, “I think Zeeannssii saw her, too. Might be worth amnesty if you ask me.” He winks at Grey and Tachibana.
Surprisingly, Tachibana remarks on it first, “Mm-hmm. Win-win. We’ll give her a ship. I’ll run it by Admiral Long.”
Hancock nods, and Grey murmurs, “It might help if Kenzie asks someone on the mess decks if amnesty is a common practice. And, we might need to…"
"Just don't let them hang me, Chief." Hancock smirks. Kenzie finding out would mean someone told her, and her asking innocently on the mess decks wouldn't necessarily be her fault, but fleet security is on the line.
That said, Tachibana murmurs, "A little morally ambiguous, though, risking Zeeannssii's safety with this plan."
Fisher shrugs, "Paint Syretia white and ask her to do it, then. Most of us are okay actually giving her amnesty anyways."
The group stares at him, thinking. Long squeaks, "Not many people actually know what the Void Queen looks like… S-Senior Chief.”
Tachibana asks as she looks around at the others, “Would… Queen Syretia do it?”
Dzor states confidently and bluntly, “Yes.” He crosses his arms and looks away, “She eager to please.”
Grey nods, “Alright. Sounds like a plan. Remember; no one discuss any of this once we leave here. Especially you, Rookie. We cannot let anyone know Zeeannssii knows who Cynthia Brock is. Once we get it out of her, we may be able to track down any other members leading the antis. Clear?”
“Yes Chief!” confirm the soldiers present. He nods, stating, “Good work. Dismissed.”
Jessica carries Vivi back to the room containing the Admiral and Melody, while Dzor stays behind a moment longer. Hancock looks up at him, finding the eyes with asymmetrical pupils looking back at him.
The roads intersecting Hancock and Dzor are long and winding, but this is the first time Hancock has noticed this atmosphere with the Baskylla Jardzen. He asks politely, “Something else, Yarjen?”
The reptilian commandant stares at him a moment longer. “You were lie.”
Hancock cocks his head, genuinely confused. Dzor adds to clarify, “When speak with traitor. You false being cocky, and false being traitor. I did not understand why heart racing first time. I understand now.”
“You thought I was afraid of getting caught by others, rather than breaking my facade with Hitch? Fair assumption. W-... What do you think, now? If you don’t mind my asking. Am I a traitor or a coward?”
Dzor snorts in amusement. “I see humans in combat many times now, remember. Even in fear, humans defeat enemy many times superior.” He chuckles, adding, “Humans still strange, using deceit so readily. Boot, I understand intimidation not as effective against such a race.” He nods, “Not coward by far, and not traitor.”
“Thank you, Yarjen. I mean that.”
The Jarden states more seriously, though, “Humans forgeev easily, though. Eef so ready to deceive in pursuit of truth, what will this traitor do to sorvive and succeed?” The giant adds nothing else, turning without a word to head back to Long’s room, leaving Hancock to think on what he just said.
Hancock knows the Jardzen’s statement is a fair assessment of human nature and the imbalance of justice. Even some rather heinous crimes have been overlooked in history because the offender was able to sell a sob story. Hancock himself defended the anti-alien protestors moments ago because he doesn’t want to believe civilians, particularly, are evil. They’re just scared and angry.
But, so readily do they forget who actually destroyed Earth.
While the Grodrrns very much could have, they had only just invaded, and the human militaries hadn’t even started to learn how to fight them. Could the militaries of the world have succeeded? Maybe, maybe not.
The point of Dzor’s statement is, though, that Cynthia Brock is already using deception, just as Hancock did to draw out the truth from Hitch. And, Cynthia Brock has proven that she doesn’t care how precariously the fleet is holding together as it stands. She will have her followers attempt anything to demoralize and discredit the alien sympathizers on the ships.
What Dzor is also saying is his broken record statement; that traitors should be outright killed, no matter how minor the offense. While the Jardzen acknowledges that a form of treason is the reason anyone in the fleet is alive at all, from the humans betraying the late president to the Grodrrns betraying the Fievegal, to Syretia betraying the Horde. The only possible non-traitor in the fleet, other than children, would probably be the Cave Queen, as she had no one to betray by joining the fleet.
That said, Dzor is more serious about caution being taken with Cynthia. Whoever this woman is, she’s orchestrating a coup in the deadliest environment humans have ever inhabited. And if she is granted leeway, can use her words to rally new warriors in her misled army.
Hancock doesn’t want to be an outright murderer, but he’s pretty sure he sees the importance of what Dzor just told him.
In the present, though, two young women jog in; Doctor Levine Lopez and Kenzie. Kenzie is the first to panic when she seeks his face; “REX! Oh my God! Are you okay!?” She jogs over, inspecting the blood-stained bandages on his cheek. He smiles, in spite of the pain, and replies, “Of course. Did anyone tell you what happened?” He looks at Lopez, whose eyes are watering as she hugs her laptop. The scientist murmurs with a trembling voice, “Fisher said you were shot…”
Again, Hancock smiles to reassure them. “Ah, ‘tis but a scratch.”
“REX!” scolds the young waitress. She hugs him, murmuring, “It’s not funny…”
Hancock coos, “Heyyy, it’s fine, alright? Levi, the helmet saved my life. A little tougher, and I wouldn’t even have this scratch. Thank you.” She tenses, hurt that the helmet she had a hand in designing nearly killed her first and closest friend.
“What were you doing that you got shot at?” asks Kenzie. “It was just supposed to be an investigation, wasn’t it?”
The ensign nods. “Yep. But, my nose led me down a rabbit hole, and it wasn’t Bugs waiting for me.”
Both girls scoff, still worried sick for him. He adds, “Seriously, it’s going to pay off. No one else got hurt. You know, other than the other guy.”
“Wh-Who was it?” asks Kenzie nervously.
“Just a fairly high-ranking anti, we think. That said;” He looks around, murmuring to them, “We’re getting close to the main leader. Apparently, the Void Queen saw her and is prepared to identify her in exchange for amnesty. I think the Brass are seriously considering it.”
Both girls gasp, and Kenzie whispers, “Wait… Seriously?”
Hancock nods, and he whispers, “Yeah, I think so.”
“Can they do that? I mean… She’s… She’s not like the Grodrrns or the others, is she? I’ve heard she’s merciless, narcissistic.”
Hancock shrugs, “I guess. I don’t know, and…” He scratches his uninjured cheek nervously, “It’s kinda embarrassing to ask, since I’m supposed to be an officer… But, look, I’m sure it’s not an easy decision. Trading to an enemy to catch a traitor... I don’t know. Above my paygrade.”
“Sheesh. Did you know any of this back when you signed up, Rex?”
He chuckles. “No. I was surprised when they shoved a rifle into my hands and said ‘clean this’. They left out the part about politics with alien prisoners and traitors.”
He stretches, saying, “Well, I think my part’s done either way. Should probably head back to Providence.” He presents the helmet, “Levi’s work is cut out for her.”
The young scientist gingerly touches the spider-cracked visor, which fogged over when the automatic polarization system failed. The battery is almost dead, but the alarm can still be heard ringing continuously inside from where the sound conditioning system was shorted out. Lopez murmurs softly, “I’m sorry…”
“Hey, live and learn, right? This is why I keep asking for deflector shields.” He grins playfully at her, and she finally smiles a little, though she’s still concerned.
“I don’t know how to do that yet…”
The ensign grins at Kenzie, who smiles. He states, “I like ‘yet’. ‘Yet’ is good. Means its a goal.”
Lopez blushes, whimpering, “Of course it is… U-Um… W-What about a… drone? Wouldn’t that be…?”
Kenzie perks up at that idea, but Hancock refuses, “No. Some things, you have to be there to really understand. I’m sorry. I know you both want me to be safe, but I’m a soldier. It’s my job. And, I’m good with that. Come what may, I hope you remember moments like this; where we smile.” He grins again, joking, “Man, this hurts my cheek.”
Both girls can’t help but scoff and laugh together, and Hancock laughs as well.
He feels a little bad, deep down, that he lied to Kenzie, but her not knowing the truth gives her both plausible deniability and sincerity. He knows she’s not a compulsive gossip, but he was careful to word how and what he told her, so that she thinks that he’s just as curious about the legitimacy of offering amnesty to an unrepentant enemy in exchange for someone who, on paper at least, is only trying to force the aliens out of the fleet. She may feel betrayed if she finds out, but it’s the nature of the monster. If the antis know she’s not an innocent pawn but an actual player, they won’t show her mercy. This way, they should only hear what they need from her and leave her alone otherwise.
‘Should’, however, is all too often just that.
***