Choice (Part 1)

Cresswell cried, his face covered in tears.

The young sergeant still couldn't break free from the betrayal.

To him, the betrayal of the old captain was like a thorn, piercing deeply, hurting all his beliefs and loyalty.

He couldn't understand why such a thing would happen, couldn't believe that the brave captain he admired could do such a thing, but everything that happened didn't allow him to doubt or deny it.

He lived in agony because of it.

Perhaps it wasn't just him, but many others on the Abradhi.

Like him, they couldn't believe why such a thing would happen.

"Tell me about the specifics of the betrayal," Hill said.

Cresswell cried for a while, finally breaking free from the nightmare-like scene. He recounted, "After returning to the ship, Reno came out of the mech. The Silver Angel was almost blown apart, but he was unharmed. Not only him, but the Target Zero was also fine, just the box had a big hole in it. Unfortunately, we still couldn't see what was inside, just a bright light. Reno handed the box to the captain. Shortly after that, Captain Jeram suddenly called for an emergency meeting with all the officers. I was outside the meeting room... I heard them arguing loudly."

"What were they arguing about?"

"I couldn't hear clearly, but it seemed like Captain Jeram proposed a plan, which was opposed by the officers. The captain was furious. Then it suddenly quieted down, and after a while, I heard gunshots."

The sergeant's face turned pale, his voice trembling again. "Intense gunfire. Then the door suddenly opened, and several officers rushed out. They had just run out when several lasers shot out... grazing my face, piercing Lieutenant Rafael and Major Ambrazi's bodies, blood everywhere."

The sergeant's eyes were piercing.

"Was it Captain Jeram who fired the shots?" Hill asked.

The sergeant nodded. "I saw the captain coming out of the meeting room, holding a gun, covered in blood, with some other officers beside him. They were like a bunch of madmen, killing anyone they saw. Vice Captain Albert gave me a gun, and a laser shot through my body. I fell to the ground, watching him. That look, cold, ruthless, nothing like him..."

The sergeant pointed to his chest. "It went through here, Claire said if it had been a little higher, I would have died on the spot. In fact, I should have died anyway, because Captain Jeram planned to put another bullet in my head."

"How did you survive?"

"Reno saved me. He rushed out of the meeting room and shot Captain Jeram."

"You mean he also attended the meeting?"

"Yes, he hit Captain Jeram, but Captain Jeram didn't die. They exchanged fire, those officers were like madmen, shooting at every soldier who came rushing, even trying to destroy the starship..." At this point, the sergeant breathed out a sigh. "You know the rest, Mr. Hill. We started to resist and eventually killed them. It wasn't a mutiny, just a resistance for self-preservation."

Hill nodded. "I'm sorry I used such words to describe you back then."

"It's okay, you just wanted to know the truth."

"The question is, why did they do this?"

"I don't know. Tychus said it was because Captain Jeram got scared, but I don't believe it. Claire said it was because Captain Jeram and the others suffered from immense pressure, which could make them lose their minds, which is possible. Everyone has their own opinion, but none of them make sense."

"Why didn't you speak out about this later?" Hill asked.

"It was Reno's idea. He said Captain Jeram has two children, and the other officers also have children, most of whom are still young. If this matter became known to the Federation, they wouldn't be considered martyrs. That means their children wouldn't receive care. So we couldn't reveal this... we couldn't let those children become homeless, let alone be ashamed of their parents."

Hill fell silent.

If everything Cresswell said was true, it could indeed explain Reno's actions earlier.

A captain betraying his country, for the nation, for humanity, Reno had to stop him. Similarly, he couldn't let the federal government know this news, after all, the children were innocent. Therefore, hiding it from him was also justifiable.

But why did Hill always feel something strange about this?

He looked at Cresswell and said, "Do you think Captain Jeram would be the kind of person to betray out of fear of death?"

Cresswell shook his head. "The Captain Jeram I know is wise, brave, has experienced countless dangerous battles, but has never compromised with death. I can't believe it, and I don't want to believe it. That's why I'm here."

"Why didn't you express your doubts to the federal government? Just for the children?"

"After all, I believe in Reno too. The Reno I know is not someone who would kill a superior for his own sake... I believe in him as well." With that, Cresswell lowered his head and wept softly. "I don't know what's going on, these things trouble me, I can't make sense of it. So, Mr. Hill, I had to come to you, maybe you can give me a reasonable answer."

...

After seeing off Cresswell, Hill fell into deep thought.

The instinct of a seasoned investigator made him realize that Captain Jeram's betrayal was not simple, there was probably a deeper secret behind it.

He didn't know what it was, but Hill was determined to uncover all the hidden truths.

So he began his investigation again.

Just like he did on Earth.

He visited every Heart of Freedom soldier, asking them about what had happened, trying to recreate the scene.

He even went to the former meeting room to search for clues.

Unfortunately, Reno had already changed the layout here for the sake of the deception, and later renovations had made the meeting room different from before.

But Hill didn't give up.

During his investigation on Earth, he had been here before and retained some memories of this place. He also brought in some soldiers familiar with the area, and based on their descriptions, tried to recreate the situation.

"So... Captain Jeram usually stood in this position during meetings, right?" Standing in one corner of the hall, Hill asked a soldier.

"Yes, he was the captain, so he stood at the front," the soldier replied.

"What about Captain Reno? Was he here?" Hill walked to the opposite side, continually questioning the soldiers.

The soldiers were getting impatient. "Yes, Captain Reno's rank was the lowest at the time, so he could only be at the door. Why are you asking these questions?"

"Just getting a sense of the situation," Russell Hill replied casually.

He stood where Reno had once stood, looked at the distance to the door, then turned around, his gaze resting on a small alcove not far away.

The alcove was empty, with nothing inside.

He asked, "Has it always been empty there?"

The soldier replied, "That's where the star chart instrument was placed."

The universe was vast, and even if a planet was simulated to the size of a ping-pong ball, it was difficult to recreate a complete starry sky. Therefore, starship star charts were released using special instruments that could continuously adjust their position and angle.

"But I didn't see the machine."

"It was removed," the soldier replied. "It was moved before the meeting started, and the table was used for something else."

"What else?"

"The relic," the soldier shrugged. "That was the Target Zero, our mission at the time."

"You mean when the mutiny happened, the relic was also here?" Hill asked urgently.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"How would I know?" The soldier shrugged. "It seemed like they were going to have a meeting related to it... the whole battle was related to it."

Hill's eyes narrowed.

After a moment, he said, "I want to see the relic you obtained from the research institute."

"I can't allow you to see it," the soldier shook his head.

"Let him see it." A voice suddenly sounded at the door.

It was Claire.

She stood at the door with her arms crossed, her gaze coldly fixed on Hill.

She said, "Mr. Hill, I hope you understand what you're doing. The closer you get to the truth, the further you are from freedom. From the moment you stepped in there, you are destined to never return to your old life."

"Of course, I've made my choice," Hill replied.