“Is there a Jaylen Voss in the Federation?” he asked. A small man at the front with a screen did a quick search and then shook his head, no.
Jolo ran over to the man, but he was stopped before he got there by two Federation guards.
“There was a Jaylen Voss” he screamed. “I'm sure of that. I remember her.”
“So let's see,” said the BG emperor, “you only know two men from your former command, and I think the crew number is around fifteen. And yet you remember one person who was not even there. Where were you born and what is your father's name?”
“I don't know.”
The BG Emperor turned to address the crowd. “This man is not Jolo Vargas. Vargas was your war hero, but he was my bitter enemy as well. That one man did more damage to my people than any one man in history. And this thing here is nothing more than a deluded humanoid. And we have more important business to discuss.”
The emperor nodded slightly to the president and sat down. “So we have a dead man,” said the president, “who has come back to life, ostensibly. He returned in a relic Racellian escape pod capable of traveling 8 jumps from the beyond into Federation space. He could have come from anywhere. At this time I'd like for everyone to consider for a moment the testimony that you have heard, and when you are ready, place your vote.”
And just like that the inquiry was over and Jolo was taken to a holding cell two levels down. There were guards at the entrance of the holding cells, each with short-range energy weapons. Each cell had concrete floors, smooth white walls and a clear energy field wall closest to the corridor.
Jolo laid down on the cot and stared up at the white ceiling wondering what to do next. Wondering what awaited him on a BG prison planet. How could he have come so far to end up here? This was worse than the escape pod, he decided. At least in the escape pod he had some recourse. He could take some action. He could die trying to save himself. But this was something different altogether.
He couldn't sleep. And it pained him to think of the girl. If he couldn't escape this how could he find her? And why wasn’t she in the Fed records?
Jail
Federation Home Word: Sol.
Hall of Justice, Holding Facility, sub-level B.
That night Jolo drifted in and out of sleep. It was cold and there was no blanket, and nothing but a hole in the floor for a toilet. There were no sounds coming from any of the other cells, so he figured he was alone. He thought to query the computer, but what would he ask: Who am I? Where am I?
In the early morning he finally fell into a fitful sleep. His mind was full of fear and worry, and this crept into his dreams as well. He dreamed Jaylen was held by the BG in a prison. She was tired and pale, her lips a thin, tight line across her face instead of her usual smile. She looked skinny and frail and he wanted to help her. And then his dreams got all crazy because suddenly there were hundreds of Jaylen's walking around at the prison facility. Those big, shiny black, BG monsters were there carrying long poles. And they prodded the prisoners, shocks of energy flowing through their bodies, and they fell to the ground, writhing in pain. And then the dream changed and there were other creatures there. The BG were corralling tall, green humanoids into a large place surrounded by an energy field fence. It was dark at night there, with the funny trees again that he'd seen before, the ones with the three large leaves. They might have been nice in another situation, and another time.
Jolo woke up because someone had grabbed his shoulder and was shaking him violently. He opened his eyes and there was a large dark figure standing in front of him. For a moment he couldn't tell who it was, but then he realized it was Captain Barthelme.
“How did you get here?”
“No time for that. I'm the captain of a Federation boat. I have at least a few friends.”
“Why are you here?”
“Because you going to escape right now.”
“Jolo sat upright in bed and tried to clear his head. How did you get past the guards?”
“There’s no time for that. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes,” Jolo blurted out. “But what about this collar?”
“I'm going to cut it,” said Barthelme.
“But then everyone's going to know, right?”
“Yeah, that's the tricky part. When I cut this thing you've only got about two minutes before the dogs of hell rain down on you. It'll probably be the patrol in the Plaza. They're all regulars, they don't have any experience like you have. You should be able to get through them with no problems. They're all green.”
“Uh. How my supposed to get through them?”
“You are Jolo Vargas. Figure it out.”
“No. I'm just some guy who can't remember anything. And they tell me that I'm Jolo Vargas, some guy who is a hero. But I'm just a guy who doesn't remember anything.”
“Look at me right now,” said Barthelme. He grabbed Jolo's shirt with both hands and pulled him close. The old man's face was red and he had a wild look in his eyes. “I'm putting my life on the line for you. I'm putting my career on the line for you. I have a family.”
“Well, then go. Don't risk it for me.”
“You don't understand. You have to survive. This is bigger than either of us. You have to live. You have to be Jolo Vargas. You have to do it for the Federation. Things aren't going as well as they seem on the core worlds. And I fear something larger and far
