AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll inform the security officers who are closest to Deck Twenty, and we’ll meet them there,” I say.
We take the three young males who’d worked as security officers into custody first, and I watch with satisfaction as they’re led away in manacles. I approach the door of Angelo and his mother’s quarters with six Darrvason officers and a handful of human security officers, expecting the final arrests to occur without incident.
But as soon as I ring the doorbell, the rarely used ship-wide speaker makes a static noise, then a familiar voice fills the corridors. It’s Jenny’s voice, and she’s singing a rebellious song. But it must be a recording. Someone must’ve recorded her while she sang in the illegal bar one night.
I exchange a worried look with my fellow officers, and I bang on the door. “Open up, or we’ll blast the door down!” I shout, though I’m not certain they can hear me through the thick door. The rooms in the upper decks are sturdy and many contain soundproof walls. I bang on the door again, alarm filling me as Jenny’s song continues.
I sense her worry through the bond. She’s afraid someone will recognize her voice. But when I glance over my shoulder and glimpse a nearby info screen, my stomach bottoms out. It’s a video of Jenny on stage.Fluxx.
Suddenly, she disappears, and a face fills the screen. Angelo. His eyes are wide and he’s perspiring heavily, and I can see his mother in the background. Rage boils my blood.
He’sbehind this, and I suspect he’s making a live appearance on the info screen. How he hacked the computer systems from his quarters, I am uncertain.
“Citizens of the Jansonna,” he says. “Rise up. Fight back. Follow the words of Captain Warren’s niece. Rise up and fight back. Do whatever you can to keep our females. Do whatever you can to break the alliance with the Darrvasons. Kill the Darrvasons if you can.” He lifts a fist in the air. “Resistance!” He staggers back, and I notice his mother abruptly falls on the floor.
A moment later, Jenny’s performance resumes on the info screen and blares through the corridor.
Star Gods, no. I’m two decks away from my mate, and I fear other security officers might get to her first. Captain Warren or a member of his command team very well might attempt to arrest her.
I nod at my comrades. “Blast the door down and take the final two rebels into custody.” I glance at Officer Furrlis. “Please do what you can to stop this video feed.”
I take off for Deck Twenty-Two.
* * *
JENNY
I’m dead.I’m so fucking dead.
At any second, I expect security officers to burst through the door and take me into custody. A chill rushes through me. The brig. I’ll be taken to the brig.
I’ll be sent to trial, and then what?
Could I be executed for singing a rebellious song?
Maybe. If the judge suspects I was attempting to incite violence and inspire rebels.
I stare at the info screen, aghast. The audio is somehow coming from the ship-wide speaker system, not that which is connected to the info screens. Which means everyone aboard the worldship is listening to me sing a rebellious rock ‘n’ roll song from late twentieth century Earth. Even if someone’s not near an info screen, they’ll still hear the song loud and clear.
Mom comes to stand next to me, and she places a hand on my shoulder. I peer at her with a remorseful look.
“Jenny,” she says, and her voice is so sad, it breaks my heart. “Jenny, this isn’t good. We need to hide you. At least until Officer Brute can help. Who knows where he is on theJansonnaright now?”
“Hide? Where am I supposed to hide?”
She straightens and drags me into her bedroom. Then, to my astonishment, she opens a hidden hatch on the floor to reveal a space that’s large enough for four, maybe five, people. My eyes go wide.
“Who built this?”
“Your grandfather. He had it secretly installed decades ago when Captain Warren, his own son, started rising to power. Get in.” She practically pushes me into the hole. I crouch inside the space and reach for her, but to my horror, she shakes her head. “It’s you they’ll want. Not me. I’ll say I haven’t seen you in hours. I’ll say you told me you were going tothe gym.” She emphasizes the last two words, obviously having figured out that I haven’t always been truthful with her.
Guilt pangs in my heart. “Mom, I’m so sorry. I-I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to get people riled up against the current command structure. I just sang the kind of songs people liked to hear. No one ever cared about love songs, and every time I sang a rebellious rock ‘n’ roll song, people always cheered, so it’s what I started signing all the time.” Tears blur my vision. Is Mom disappointed?
Her visage softens and she blows me a kiss, then she starts to shut the hatch.
“No! Wait! You need to get down here with me. Just in case. We’ll stay hidden until we hear Brute’s voice.”
She shakes her head and manages to push the hatch down, and I soon hear a loud clicking noise. My heart races. She’s locked me inside. I lift my fist to bang on the floor above my head, but I stop when I hear a sudden barrage of footsteps.
