DIRE STRAITS – PART THREE

Simon’s knees began to ache from kneeling on the uneven ground and as he shifted to get comfortable he glanced around at the others. They mostly wore looks of fear and surprise, only River seemed exempt. She was staring at their captor Samuelson with an almost rapt expression of wonder. Something about the man had obviously intrigued her.

As Samuelson finished talking with his officer, Inara approached from the main house, shadowed on either side by a bodyguard. Her face was pale and drawn, but she didn’t seem surprised to find the crew kneeling on the ground in front of the ship. She advanced on Samuelson and he looked her up and down in a suggestive manner as she drew near.

“What is going to happen to the crew and myself?” she asked, not wasting any time. Samuelson gave Inara an amused smile at being challenged so boldly but decided to play along.

“You’re all going to be placed under arrest, charged and probably executed for your crimes against the Alliance,” he replied calmly. “The system might be lenient on a woman of your standing, but I expect the rest will get the needle.”

“What are we to be charged with?” Inara persisted.

Something changed in Samuelson’s posture and the men around him noticed, taking an involuntary step backwards. Simon suddenly realised how tall the man was as he towered over Inara and she had to crane her neck to look at his face. Despite the tide of anger boiling behind his eyes, Inara did not back down and courageously stood her ground. Samuelson grunted and looked mildly surprised.

He began to tick off the charges on his fingers. “Murder of Alliance personnel, theft of Alliance equipment and medical supplies, harbouring known fugitives, arson, smuggling, and war crimes against the Alliance. Will that suffice?” he asked rhetorically. “I won’t ask you to kneel beside the others, I expect you’re worn out from doing too much of that in your day job,” he snapped. The final veneer of his false charm fell away, revealing a harsh and merciless man wh