Page 72 of The Darkest Parts of Me

Renn huffs out a laugh. “I don’t care about what happens to me. My crew is all that matters.”

The admiral seamlessly ignores Renn’s response as he speaks through clenched teeth. “Locke and his team will be arresting you and Lieutenant Hayden for treason, and upon my arrival, you will both be escorted to my ship”

Nate was right. Locke, of course, is the mystery informant corresponding with someone off the ship. Damn him.

“And what about my crew?”

The admiral leans in closer from his side of the hologram. “This crew no longer reports to you. You are no longer captain. If you play along nicely, then I will spare the crew. Do we have an agreement?”

Renn calculates the possibilities in his head of how he can fix this—how he can save everyone and expose the treachery, but he can’t see any options that won’t result in the death of his crew. It’s clear from the images he saw that they are capable of anything.

“Yes, we have an agreement.”

“Very good. You will remain where you are and await further instructions.”

Renn nods once in response.

“It really didn’t have to be this way, Renn. I hope you can live with the choice you’ve made.”

Renn stands, never faltering as he stares the admiral down. “The only mistake I’ve made, Thomas, is that I trusted you.”

“We shall see, won’t we.”

The admiral’s face dissolves as the hologram disappears. Then the tone of an incoming message sounds throughout the entire ship.

“Attention: Crew of the Seraphim. This is Admiral Thomas Grey. I come to you with an announcement that bears some troubling news. Your captain, Aldrenn Anton, and first officer, Nathan Hayden have been found conspiring against the association and have been charged with treason. They will be arrested and detained upon my arrival, and they will be transferred off the Seraphim immediately. You are in no danger as long as you follow orders. Until my arrival, please follow instructions from Lieutenant Locke and his team. This is a direct order from your commanding officer. I apologize for this shocking news. Thank you for your time.”

Renn walks over to the window. He can almost feel the panic buzzing throughout the ship. He plays the events of the last twelve hours over and over, still in utter disbelief that this is happening. How many planets has he unknowingly handed over to these monsters? Has he wasted thirteen years of his life to come to this? What kind of a man is he now?

He does the only thing that he can think of that will maybe give some hope, he pulls up a new video to add to his captain’s log. He straightens his uniform once more and hits the record button.

“Captain’s Log, Earth date five-seven, year twenty-two sixty-four. This is Captain Aldrenn Anton. Whoever sees this message, there is a real possibility that I am dead. Please listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. Classified files were discovered by a member of my crew. These files contain proof of illegal activities happening across the galaxy. Primitive planets are being targeted and taken over by members within the Star Exploration Association. At this time, I do not know who is all involved, but I know these orders have been approved by Admiral Thomas Grey and involve information provided by Lieutenant Colin Locke while he has been under my command. It is my hope that the rest of the traitors will be uncovered and receive judgment for their crimes against humanity. For those of you who were unknowingly involved as I have been, I hope that you will not stand for this treachery. I hope that the integrity of this association is not lost. Godspeed. Anton out.”

Aldrenn saves the message and hopes that someone will find it eventually. A sharp rap sounds from the door, and he doesn’t have to guess who it is. He grabs a stun gun from the desk drawer, but then sets it down on the desk. It won’t do any good to cause a panic, and he will be outnumbered. He walks toward the door and presses the button to open. He is not at all surprised that Locke’s face is the first one he sees as it slides open.

“Well, Captain. Are we doing this the easy way or the hard way?”

“You can go to hell,” Renn replies flatly.

Locke smiles, pure evil delight flashing in his eyes. “The hard way. Got it.” He punches Aldrenn hard in the stomach, and before he hits the ground, members of Locke’s team catch him. “Captain Aldrenn Anton, you are under arrest for treason.” Renn gasps for air as his arms are placed behind his back and cuffed. “Take him to the bridge,” Locke commands, and Renn is dragged down the hall without a word.

Once on the bridge, Renn is forced to his knees. To his left, Nate is already there in the same position, only, his nose drips with blood. There are no other members of the crew on the bridge besides Locke’s team.

“Renn, I . . .”

“Shut up!” Locke rages. “You’ve already said enough.” Locke stands in front of them while the rest of his team is behind. “I had safeguards in place in case anyone came snooping around. I should have figured it would be you, Hayden. Did you really think you could uncover all that information and there wouldn’t be consequences? You are not the only one with brains in that department.”

“I beg to differ,” Nate says, followed by Locke’s knee colliding with his face. He falls backward, his body in an uncomfortable angle thanks to the cuffs securing his hands.

“The admiral should be here any minute, so don’t worry, your suffering won’t be long,” Locke says, pacing back and forth.

“So, what do you get out of this, Colin? Money? Prestige?” Renn asks. He prepares for a violent blow like Nate, but instead, Locke sqauts down in front of him.

“All of it, actually. Including a few planets all to myself. There’s plenty to go around.” The dark pits of his eyes are nothing but cold voids of unfeeling as Renn stares back.

“You’re sick,” Renn says.

Before Locke can respond, an explosion near the entrance to the bridge engulfs the room. Smoke and debris fly through the air, hitting some and scattering the others. Renn and Nate try their best to look around to see what’s going on. Guns fire and men fall, then a pair of hands grab Renn and pull him away from the chaos. The smoke fills in his lungs, causing him to cough uncontrollably.

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