The first moment Captain Elim met me, his twenty guards and he appeared uneasy each time I came close, treating me like some plague which could infect them.
That's when I knew without them saying they received the warnings from the higher ups about the Kamuy legendary penchant to explode.
They rounded Trey and me like special livestock while loading their weapons in front of us.
Captain Elim tried sizing me up by staring me down, the same way certain shady mercenaries in the notorious Narakan black markets acted when they wanted to start shit.
Most species still keep their primitive animalistic instincts to establish an invisible dominance through strange behaviours, like sustained eye contact.
Had I backed down, been the first to blink or flinched, he might not be so polite.
In a staring game, my optical implants enhanced my ability to maintain sustained eye contact for longer periods of time by controlling my automatic blinking response.
The staring competition ended when he gritted his teeth and pretended to have something to chat with the guards.
Trey failed the test, which made his treatment more miserable. Or maybe it's the fact that he wasn't Kamuy. They threw an occasional insult or barked their orders at Trey, but never violently.
None of them dared to mention anything to me unless it pertained to the necessary, like standing far behind while they entered the security codes into the door.
I willingly obliged, keeping my words to the bare minimum.
In all fairness, Trey noticed the difference in treatment. Yet he feigned a cheerful, talkative ignorance which annoyed the fuck out of everyone, including myself, in the group during our long walk through the forcefield reinforced metal windowless passageway from the main holding center of the space station.
I could hear the echoes of our boots with the swishing sound of the air ventilation running through each partitioned passageway.
The way the passageway sloped and the angle of the door told me that one large spiral decline led to the main prison below.
Each security door, made of astronium, laid about 50 paces away from the other. Astronium is a virtually impenetrable, and tougher than a rock carbon composite diamond.
Each security door opened after another door closed and Trey, who finally shut the heck up, figured out his good idea of strutting like some gung-ho suicidal warrior to the front in his ill-fitting grey prison overalls.
None of the accompanying guards stopped him until they reached the security doors, where they beckon at him to stay back.
Unknown to Trey, I knew they reinforced his behavior to move up front by playing nicer and nicer at each opening door, even chatting to him. The reinforcement worked beautifully for them when Trey walked with an overconfident swagger with his chest puffed, head up and those large, confident strides.
In his mind, he probably thought he entered some game portion of a big mission without realizing that the danger was real and present.
No matter how amusing his bravado was, Trey's ignorance would get him into trouble in an Ultramax prison without the help of his Iktomin controller.
If I had no use for him, I would continue letting the guards continue with their plan to use Trey as a willing shield when the final door opened.
I could smell the tension in the air and the lingering scent of hormonal aggression growing stronger each time we went through a door. The twelfth solid astronium sliding door shut behind me.
"Before we proceed, the top only instructed us to protect you and not your friend from the prisoners," Captain Elim muttered a warning to me beyond the earshot of his guards, who continued walking in front.
He knew his guards well, including their intentions to use Trey as a shield.
I didn't spend my hundreds of galactic cycle, surviving in the galactic quadrant mingling with shady characters, and not expect to be attacked the moment I drop my guard.
Shoah Ultramax would be about a hundred times worse than Narakan's worst spots.
"Trey, wait," I raised my voice.
"Huh, why?"
"I need to talk to you," I replied.
The guards turned and narrowed their eyes at me. Captain Elim said nothing, but only gestured for them to move along, much to their chagrin.
Better the guards as shields than someone of use to me. Besides, the guards can use their weapons against the prisoners. My optical implant already noticed not so well hidden canisters they held behind their body armor, aside from their stun rifles.
Those canisters are stun grenades, which release a sudden blinding flash of light enough to stun most within a certain radius.
"Now?" Trey asked.
"Yes, now?!"
Like an innocent child oblivious to the now irate guards, he skipped to me. None of the guards made a move to stop him.
They assumed Trey was well acquainted with me based on their observation of our interaction and continued dragging their feet to the final yard.
"Sir, thirteenth door requires your authorization," a guard in front called out.
Captain Elim went ahead, leaving Trey and me with five soldiers, while the bulk of the fifteen stood in front.
"Have you prepared your weapon from trigger off to stun?"
"Yeah."
"Standby stun grenades."
"Deep breath, we are about to enter the gates of hell."
"That's not news. We do that every day."
My cochlear implants caught wind of the guards' banal discussion while the Captain made his way towards the front.
Really now? Was the main prison so bad? I could hear some muffled noises beyond the door.
"TEN TO THE VANGUARD!"
A guard in front shouted and the loud sound of boots followed. Those are the frontline guards.
"LOCK AND LOAD CHARGES!"
I could hear the clicking and the shrill high pitch sound of weapons around us charging up in synchronized discipline.
"HOLD FOR DOUBLE CHECKS!"
"STANDARD RIOT FORMATION."
"What the hell is going on?" Trey nudged me. "Are they rioting inside?"
I shrugged. Fuck if I know.
His face paled and his lips trembling at the sheer terror which was about to come. Now he finally recognized the peril of entering an Ultramax.
"Alert: Doors to the Ultramax Section 8Q will be opening in 10… 9… 8…"
The automated warning system announced.
"Why does it sound as though they are launching a nuke from a silo?" Trey asked me while gripping my sleeve tightly as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead at the commencement of the countdown.
"7… 6… 5… 4…"
"Nuke?" I frowned at the word.
"Nuclear weapon."
Ah. The warning system sounded similar to that of some automated weapons launching systems.
"3… 2… 1."
"GET THEM BOYS!" A deluge of roaring voices flooded from the other side. "PUSH!"
Great, we have an absolute riot of a pandemoniac shit show, a welcome party wagon from the scum of the universe. Actually, more of a hi and bye scenario if their intent is to escape.
Trey hid behind me while shivering from the fear, muttering nonsensically to himself.
Captain Elim shouted, "HOLD POSITIONS!"
"SIR, FORCEFIELDS HOLDING! 85%!"
"CALLING FOR ASSISTANCE! SECTOR 9Q ARRIVING!"
A wailing siren screamed through the area, adding to the panicking voices with the moving bodies of the guards taking positions. I didn't see any arrival or hear any sounds of additional personnel.
So there's another back door to this place.
"Load up guys. And you two… stay behind with the other four and keep your heads down," the guard behind said. "There's going to be a bit of a mess."
I noticed the stun grenade in his hand as he affixed it quickly to a small launching device on his rifle while moving past us.
Far behind the guards, I could barely make out anything in front, but it looks like a fun ride with the fireworks from the stun grenade.