Interstellar Age



Once Erich and the others had regrouped at the cave, Mirage began building a fire, while Mala went out to hunt. They had little field rations with them, and would need food and fresh water to sustain their captive. 

As species that were genetically engineered for the purpose of combat, Erich and his comrades would not need to eat, drink, or sleep for an extended period of time before it began to negatively affect their health. 

But the Elves had rarely experimented with their own genome. It was considered taboo by many societies for a plethora of reasons to embrace the ideas of genetic augmentation and eugenics. Thus, an elven sage still required regular nourishment to survive. 

Meanwhile, Erich unfastened the bindings of his captive so he could strip the man out of his clothes. After all, wearing clothes that were soaked by a frozen rainstorm was not exactly a wise idea if one wished to survive. Erich then pulled out his emergency kit and applied a heat pack to the sage's chest. 

The heat pack stuck to the chest like an adhesive, and rapidly rose to the man's body temperature. It was a vital piece of medical supplies in survival situations where one could easily die from hyperthermia. 

Knowing that he could not fight his way out, the sage complied with Erich's actions. And after Erich had ensured that his captive's body temperature had recovered, he once more stunned the man, before binding him again, where Erich then laid the sage by the fire so he could dry up. 

Mirage simply scoffed and shook her head, as she took her helmet off, before commenting on the naked man tied up in front of her. 

"You know, if someone were to stumble upon this scene, they might think we were a group of perverts..."

Erich also took off his helmet, where he chuckled at the woman's remarks. His rifle was still in his hands as he kept a watchful eye on his prisoner. He then made a comment that made Mirage concerned. 

"Eh, that should be the least of our worries. We have no idea how long storms typically last on this planet. We might be trapped here for weeks. Maybe even months."

However, Mirage shook her head, before mentioning something to Erich which he hadn't thought about. 

"If it really turns out to be that bad, we could always contact Tia and have her land the fucking frigate. She would be able to dispatch a tempest to pick us all up. Of course, I'd rather not get rescued by the fucking robot...."

It was at this moment that Erich heard Tia's new alluring voice resound in his head, as she commented on Mirage's attitude. 

"Oh my? Does Tia detect a hint of jealousy from the harlot? You know what, just for that remark, the next time she dies, Tia is going to have her consciousness download into a new body that resembles the one that Master first met her in. Let's see how the bitch likes it when she's a mutant for the rest of her life!'

Erich chuckled as he shook his head. Tia had grown up to become quite the vindictive bitch, and he found that amusing. As for Mirage, she had no idea what the man was laughing at, but decided not to ask. 

In order to shift the awkward atmosphere, Erich walked over to the prisoner and pointed the barrel of his rifle in the man's face, before explaining what was going to happen. 

"Alright, I'm going to take that gag out of your mouth, and if I even detect a hint of you trying to bite your own tongue, I'm going to shoot you again. The stun is set to maximum settings, so you won't even be able to move a muscle. You will be completely petrified, you understand me?"

The sage nodded his head, showing that he acknowledged Erich's words, which Erich then pulled the gag out of the man's mouth before asking some simple questions. 

"Normally I'd wait to begin this interrogation until we got back to the ship, but since we have fuck all to do for the next few days, I figured I'd ask you a few questions. Answer them correctly, and you will be rewarded with food and water. Lie to me, or refuse to answer, and you will only be fed the minimum amount to keep your dumb ass alive, you understand? So, what is the capital of the Alfheim Dominion?"

The sage rolled his eyes before answering the obvious question.

"Obviously it would be the world of Alfheim... What kind of questions are these?" 

Erich had started off his interrogation with a series of questions that were designed to observe the man's vital functions with his NeuroLink. These questions were to provide a baseline for the man's heartbeat, eye movement, etc. 

Once Erich had confirmed how the man reacted to telling the truth, he began the real interrogation. 

"What is your name and rank?" 

Upon hearing this, the sage sighed heavily before revealing his identity to his captors." 

"Felenar Coldbreath, Prophet Second Class..."

Erich had watched the man's vitals the entire time he had said that, and they matched the numbers he got when Felenar spoke the truth. Thus, he made a mental note of this before asking the next question on his mind. 

"What is your purpose for hiding on this primitive world?"

Felenar sighed once more before answering the question honestly, he knew that he was not in a position to lie. Especially since he had figured out Erich's goal with his first few questions, even if it was a little bit late.

"My objective, was to hide in Asuran Space, until a time where it was safe to re-enter civilized society. From there, I was supposed to monitor your movements and report them to my superiors. As for any other questions you might have, I will not be answering them, even if you torture me. So you might as well not waste either of our time...." 

Erich smirked and nodded his head as he heard this. He then tossed the man the bag of beef strips before mocking him. 

"Sure, whatever you say pal.... Soon enough, you will be chirping like a songbird. And when you do, I will know all the secrets you hide in that brain of yours. But for now, you should get some rest...." 

After Felenar had devoured the beef strips, Erich shot him with the rifle once more, stunning him into a petrified state, where Erich then bound and gagged the man for the third time on this day. Once he had done so, he looked outside the cave entrance and noticed that the star was setting, where he then made a comment about his missing wife. 

"I sure hope Mala is alright out there...."

Mirage simply rolled her eyes before making an offhand comment about what she thought was an absurd situation. 

"You worry too much... There is nothing on this world that can possibly harm that woman...."