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Lieutenant Crestor collected David and Sarah early the next morning and then drove over to pick up Lantana from her father`s house. Then, Lieutenant Crestor took them all back into Plakara and finally to the space headquarters building where the four of them entered the building through a large ornate doorway. His manner was different from the day before, he was slightly standoffish, but David and Sarah decided to ignore it as a case of bad manners. Even Lantana seemed ill at ease with them, and was very much quieter than the previous day. It was obvious that she wanted to say something to them, for she had tried to just before they had left her house, but Lieutenant Crestor, who had had to make a pit stop returned, and Lantana looking anxiously at the two of them decided to get into their vehicle. Why the lieutenant`s presence was stopping her from speaking to them they couldn`t guess, but they noticed that the lieutenant ensured that they were never left alone with her. Yesterday there had been no such reluctance to speak in front of the lieutenant, and the day had been much freer. Putting the mystery aside they entered into a large reception area that was very peaceful and quiet after the bustle of the main street, David could see that the people there were all military men, even the receptionist at the large curved desk. But they didn`t go near to the desk, instead Lieutenant Crestor guided them over to a small but ever growing queue that lined up alongside the outer wall. They waited there for just a few minutes, before being taken along a short corridor that finally opened into the space museum of Mazere. David and Sarah could feel the eyes of everyone upon them, this was even more so than the day before, when they had noticed a small amount of interest in them, today though it was almost intimidating. David surreptitiously pressed the send button on his smart phone to tell Steve that they were inside of the space headquarters. He then attempted to forget about both the new mystery and their quest, as he tried to settle down and enjoy the tour. The walls of the museum were filled with pictures of various spacecraft that went from the earliest days of the Mazeren space adventure up until the modern day. The inside of the room was filled with scale models of antique spacecraft and space suits. There were various computers all showing different parts of the Mazeren history in space, its successes and its disasters. The most interesting program was the one that showed detailed star charts of the area of space around Mazere, and of the other explored solar systems that even included the sol system and Earth. This had been hastily added to the exhibition as soon as Admiral Stator had decided to upgrade the meeting between the two civilisations.
“Lieutenant, we seem to be attracting quite a lot of attention this morning, some of it seems to be bordering on hatred while the rest of it is mainly fear, what is going on?” David asked, he was just a little concerned for moments before a Mazeren male had barged into him almost knocking him over, and then the man had departed with a sneer on his face.
“But surely Captain Charlton you must have expected this reaction, I was a little surprised when you didn`t ask to cancel today`s trip, or at least come alone and leave Ms Hardin safe inside your starship.” Lieutenant Crestor replied just a little angrily. Sarah turned towards him and looked him squarely in the eye.
“Lieutenant what are you talking about, why should we have cancelled today`s trip and why have you and the other people taken such an extreme dislike to us?” Sarah demanded to know.
“Surely you must have expected some reaction to that television stunt that you pulled yesterday evening, if not from that then surely from the murder of the television executive?” Crestor said in a slightly raised and angry voice that brought everyone’s immediate attention back to them.
“What television stunt, and what’s this about our being involved in a murder?” David asked in an even louder voice that brought the museum guards rushing over to them. Lantana was just about to enter the conversation when a senior officer from the Mazeren space corps made his attention known; with him were two armed security men.
“It is alright Lieutenant; the admiral is ready for them now.” The officer then turned to David and Sarah. “Captain Charlton, Ms Hardin, if you would kindly follow me please. Ms Lantana, your father asks if you will permit Lieutenant Crestor to escort you home, your father says that he will speak to you this evening.” Lantana looked across at her two new friends, but she knew what her father wanted to speak to them about, and so she allowed Crestor to lead her away. Lantana offered Sarah a weak smile but then she was lost amongst the other visitors in the museum.
“Follow you where, and just who are you?” David demanded to know.
“I`m Lieutenant Commander Mercator, I`m attached to the admiral`s staff and I have been asked to escort you both to see him.”
Mercator was an inch taller than David was, although a lot older. He was much heavier in build though and looked very fit for a man of his years. His attire was much smarter than David`s, who only wore his normal casual clothes. Mercator was dressed in the dark blue uniform of the space department, and David could see that he ensured that it was always ironed and spotlessly clean. Mercator had brown hair that as usual was hidden beneath his peaked cap, but his grey eyes weren`t hidden, and they blazed a dislike that David almost physically felt. David knew that they were in serious trouble, trouble that John Blazer had warned him about, and now it was here in spades. They followed Mercator out of the museum and along a wide corridor with the two security men bringing up the rear; it was obvious to both David and Sarah that they were under arrest. They stopped before a set of double doors that had armed sentries on either side. Once here Mercator knocked, and then opening one of the doors, he popped his head through to ask if he should bring the two prisoners in. The question was in the Mazeren language of course, and so David and Sarah could only guess at what he said. After a minute of waiting outside, they were then ushered in to find that they were in the presence of Admiral Stator who was seated with a group of five other senior looking officers. They were all sitting behind a long expensive looking desk, déjà vu, thought David thinking back to his interview with Ambassador Kennedy. As soon as David saw Admiral Stator, he launched a protest.
“Admiral, I must protest at the way Sarah and I are being treated, surely you know that we couldn`t be behind this television stunt that Lieutenant Crestor accused us of, and a murder, just who do you think we are Admiral, assassins?” David asked angrily. He immediately thought back to Earth and the assassins who had tried to kill his father, and couldn`t help silently adding, like your own people Admiral?”
“Captain Charlton, after I brought you to my house as a guest, and even introduced you to my daughter, I would have liked to think that you were incapable of such an act, but the evidence is too strong to argue against.” Admiral Stator said angrily. “And your denying it only makes you look the worse in my eyes and those of my colleagues here about this table.”
“What evidence, there can be no evidence, for we have done nothing.” Sarah cried out, joining in their protests.
“Perhaps Captain Charlton, you would like to look at this recording taken yesterday while you were in our science museum, and then maybe you could explain to us just what you were doing” Stator replied. “It should be very interesting if you can provide us with an answer that will allow us to release you both.”
Stator looked across at the far wall that had a gigantic viewing screen set upon it. The recording that was made in the science museum of Mazere began; David could see himself and Sarah being escorted by Lantana and Crestor through a large throng of people. As they approached an exhibit displaying the first flight by the Mazeren people, a man bumped into David, it had appeared to him at the time as an accident for the man had turned to him and apologised, Admiral Stator stopped the recording for a moment while he spoke to them.
“Both of you look closely at the hands of the man who has just bumped into you Captain Charlton, you will see a package appear in his hands, the man in question works as a producer for the television studio where the trouble occurred, and he was present th
ere yesterday evening.” David and Sarah looked as instructed. The recording started again and they both watched as the man turned to apologise to David and then turn back and hurry off, all very innocent. That is until they saw that a small package had suddenly appeared in the man`s hands, and the smile upon his face seemed to cry espionage on their part.
“Unfortunately the relevance of what we just saw was only realised after the event when the recording was checked, unfortunately it was too late to stop the producer from using the recording.” Stator said sadly. “If we had been able to stop it, it would have saved a man`s life.”
“This is madness, that video has been doctored, even I could do it if I had a mind too. And just why did you look through this recording, surely it isn`t normal for you to do so?” David asked, his anger and his fear for Sarah`s safety both growing as the interrogation proceeded. “Have you spoken to this man Admiral, he will clear us.” David said in a desperate attempt to find a way to save them from a murder charge.
“We are seeking him even now, but he has gone into hiding. As regarding our checking this particular recording, well normally no Captain Charlton, but as you were the star of the television program we decided to go over all of the recordings made that would show us your actions of yesterday.” Admiral Stator replied disdainfully. The Admiral had arranged for Delong to be hidden away until needed, hidden away from questions whose answers would throw a very different light on the situation.
“Admiral it is obvious to me that we are being deliberately framed, surely you can see that? And just what did this television recording show that was so terrible?” David demanded to know.
“It was innocent enough by itself, but it was the voice over that was also part of it that has angered us most. It made unfair and ridiculous comparisons between Earth and Mazere, and with Mazere being cast in a very bad light. Many lies were told on the recording by someone who sounded exactly as you do Captain Charlton. A small section showed your starship and its crew. You were the star of the show Captain Charlton, along with Ms Hardin here, at the end of the recording you were heard to state that the people of Mazere should rise up and protest against the treatment of not only the Non Citizens of Mazere, but of it women as well.” Stator said; his voice showing the anger and contempt that he felt toward David for doing such a terrible thing. Then he continued with his angry tirade.
“The recording ran for twenty minutes, luckily for you the death of the studio manager distracted everyone away from the recording, and it was only after a senior government official brought it to the attention of the state police that they were able to hurry to the television studios, and then to try and stop it airing. Unfortunately, by then it was too late to do anything about it, for the recording had finished and its message spread across Mazere. The telephones have been red hot with the citizens of our planet demanding to know what action we are taking to apprehend those responsible for all of your malicious lies. Now that we have you in custody, hopefully we can persuade you to tell us if there are any others in on this foul plot against our planet and its people?” Admiral Stator said. He for one found it hard to keep from smiling, for his plan was moving along splendidly.
“Well at least you can show us this recording so that we can see what evidence you have against us.” David demanded.
“Of course Captain.” Admiral Stator agreed and promptly ran the recording, which first showed the Galactic Traveller and its crew on New Mars, it then switched to views of Earth, views that in all likelihood came from the android device that David had presented to the admiral. The voice over was supposed to be his own but David soon heard enough to spot the many differences between his own and the recording. David could only suppose that someone had listened to a taped recording of his voice, probably one made during his and Sarah`s visit to the Sentinel, and had attempted to copy it.
“Having seen and heard both of your pieces of evidence I can only repeat what I said earlier, that we are being very expertly framed, and it is by some one who has a hidden agenda. Your evidence would be ridiculed in court; any specialist worth his salt would soon prove that the voice we heard on the tape was not my own. He would also easily prove that the earlier tape had been doctored.” David stated angrily.
“You now abuse our hospitality even further by accusing us of such a crime, Captain. I am almost afraid to ask, who is it that you think may have been behind these monstrous and ludicrous accusations of yours?” Stator said in a suitable shocked and angry voice.
“If I had to make a guess on the limited data that I have to hand Admiral, I would have to say that it is the same person who ensured our presence here on Mazere. I would also like to ask how I managed to arrange all of this, for I don`t speak your language, and even if I did I could hardly have gone around asking each Mazeren that I met whether or not they would like to betray their planet and its people, now could I?” David replied angrily, his self-control slipping for just a minute.
Admiral Stator took this moment to turn to the other officers present, they had been following everything via headsets that translated all of the English spoken into Mazeren, he obviously asked them a question, that David could tell, but what it was, and what replies he got he didn`t know, unfortunately he soon found out. Stator gave a pre-arranged signal to a guard by the door, the guard quickly opened the door and moments later, he ushered in a Mazeren youth who seemed awed to be amongst such powerful people. The security people on New Mars had discovered Saranac playing on his tablet and had taken him directly to Admiral Stator. On hearing as to how the youth had obtained the tablet Admiral Stator had sworn everyone there to secrecy about the matter. Stator now turned to David and Sarah and explained why this young man was there.
“In reply to the former part of your question Captain Charlton, Saranac here was one of the many workers on the planet where we met. He was approached by one of your crewman, Steve is the crewman`s name, and he persuaded Saranac to give him one of our English Mazeren electronic dictionary`s. Now this in itself is not serious, but it does tell us that you had a way of knowing our language. As to how you met up with a reactionary, I agree of course you didn`t go around asking if anyone knew of a reactionary that you could speak to. No, I believe that someone approached you or one of your crewmen and broached the subject, and then when your invitation to join us on Mazere was given to you, you saw how you could use our hospitality against us.” Stator said. His voice had slowly hardened through the interrogation until now it could have cut through diamonds.
“This is all a complete fabrication Admiral, as David said earlier it is a tissue of lies designed to conceal an agenda that we cannot even guess at. I thought that you were a man of principle, but I see that I was wrong, I demand that you release us immediately.” Sarah`s voice matched the tone of Stator`s and he could see that had she been armed then she would have been very dangerous at this point in time.
“We had already decided to release you both as you are here on a diplomatic mission, however you will all be confined to your ship and hold yourselves ready to answer further questions as and when they arise.” Stator then turned to Mercator.
“Commander, you will see these two people back to their ship, and you will then set up a guard around the ship to ensure that no one leaves it without my express permission.” Admiral Stator then rose and with the other senior officers left the room.