Threshold part 3

Even before the marshal reached him his eyes flicked open and he contained the reflex to act; remembering the collar round his neck.
“We’re landing at Lunar one Commander.” The marshal sat back down in his seat; if he was at all surprised by Kyr’s acute senses he showed no sign of it.
Kyr rubbed a freshly shaven chin and found himself automatically checking the lie of his uniform as he felt the slight jolt of the shuttle touching down. With a hiss of equalizing pressure the hatch opened and Kyr tensed but there was no in rush of armed men, instead one of the marshals stood and stepped through the hatch, the second motioned for Kyr to follow. He stood easily, showing none of the wariness he felt and moved toward the hatch then for the first time in nearly over six years stepped foot on ground that wasn’t Martian. He looked around and realised immediately that they were in the military enclave of Lunar one’s dockyards. He looked upward at the clear dome and through it saw the earth shining bright. He felt the tenseness leave his body and for the first time he began to accept the possibility that Munro hadn’t been conning him; there really was going to be a retrial.
“Commander?”
Kyr came to himself and nodded at the marshal tearing his eyes from the glorious sight above him.
They moved through the enclave past the grounded fleet clippers and the personnel working on them; the first marshal leading, Kyr behind and then the second marshal with Munro taking up the rear. They reached the doorway into the main complex without incident but when the door slid open they were confronted with a young ensign; her eyes found Kyr and the insignia on his shoulders and she quickly snapped off a salute. To his surprise his own answering salute came automatically. The ensign moved wordlessly past them on whatever errand she was on but Kyr turned to follow her with his eyes.
“Felt good?” He turned to see Munro smiling at him and for the first time a smile touched his own lips
“You have no idea.”
“I have to report in so I’ll see you in the courtroom, remember not long now.”
He turned left down the corridor, hurrying on his way while Kyr, still escorted by his marshals turned right. If Munro was true to his word and he was facing a fair tribunal there was no reason his name shouldn’t be cleared; he’d followed regs the memories of that faithful day were still as clear in his mind as if they had happened only yesterday. The marshal’s halted; there was a bench against the wall of the corridor and one of the marshals indicated that Kyr should sit. He did so without comment; his mind back in the events of seven years previously.

The sleek cigar shape of the frigate cruised silently through the blackness of outer-system space its silvery hull, catching the faint glow of the far distant sun, was unmarked save for the Alliance fleet badge emblazoned on its sides. Ahead, barely visible was the vast wasteland of rock and ice that was the Kuiper belt and the AFV Palamino’s destination.
In the Captain’s ready room three men stood watching the view screen and the slightly grainy image of another man’s face on it.
“Once again General, I feel it necessary to voice my reservations about this mission; the notion that one of the Freebooters would sell out their own kind is hard to believe.” The oldest of the three present said quietly addressing the screen. There was a pause as the message was relayed across the vastness between the outer edge of the solar system and earth.
“Your reservations are noted, Captain Luytens. Never-the-less you will carry out your orders. I have the information from the most trustworthy of sources; in return for the cargo you’re carrying, Brinn Argent will supply you with detailed files on the rest of the smuggler scum. The information within will enable fleet to deal with them once and for all.”
“Can I expect any reinforcements before I enter the Kuiper region?”
Another pause.
“You’re in command of a fully armed frigate of the line Captain and this isn’t a battle; it’s a covert operation; the more ships the more likely that the meeting will be discovered.”
Luytens glanced at Kyr.
“That would be a no then?” He said to the screen.
After the pause the general’s face became hard.
“Carry out your orders captain, or I’ll have you replaced with someone who will.” The General’s eyes strayed meaningfully toward the third man in the room.
“Central command out.” The screen went blank.