Excerpt from The Culling Dark by Bettyann Craddock, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

He felt suddenly guilty for being a spy. But now he was a victor over human souls, what did that matter? He would make it up. To everyone. He regretted his earlier thoughts. He had lost faith in the system. The thoughts made him feel helpless. He hadn't known then that a great man existed in his breast.

Felipé watched the commander's back, saw the shoulders pull down and the back straighten. He cleared his expression and stole a glance at Rogers.

Rogers hadn't moved. A deep crease drew his brows together as he continued to watch Felipé, confusion all over his face. Shame was there too, they both knew it. It was Rogers Felipé sat with in the mess hall boldly discussing TERRA's failure to return.

They regarded one another.

Sadness began to cloud Rogers's face. He looked at Felipé on his knee, then back to his eyes. It seemed the spirit drained out of him. Felipé could almost hear the question on his lips.

Stessel whipped around, "You may stay at ease, but rise, my son." He motioned him up with his hand.

Felipé stood but his shoulders drooped. In a forlorn voice he said, "Thank you, sir."

Rogers dropped the recorder from his lap. It clapped to the floor and the side popped off. He scrambled to pick it up and put it back together.

Stessel shrieked.

"It'll…I'll just…" he fumbled with it and dropped it again.

"You idiot! You moron! You sniveling, useless, incompetent fool" Stessel stomped his feet, "What have you done!"

Rogers held it up with shaking hands, "Ah, I think it's broken. Sir."

Stessel snatched it from him, fiddling with it. He held it out, "You broke it!"

"Sorry, sir."

Stessel bored holes into him, "Yes, you are a sorry excuse for a man."

"Yessir."

He turned to Felipé, "Perez, please accept my deepest apologies for the idiocy of my assistant," he tossed the broken recorder onto the desk and went to his console.

Rogers looked at Felipé mournfully.

Felipé winked.

"Here we are," Stessel pulled another out from the console, "Where were we?"

"Getting to my punishment I think, sir."

Stessel looked at him, "Oh. Yes." He set the recorder himself and kept it jealously in front of him. He thought a moment, then began, "You are given double duties. You and your wife will be separated. Your hut will be disassembled." He said, some pity in his tone, "You understand this is for the mission?"

"Yessir. It is just. It is what is deserved."

"Good, good. You're a good man, and men take their duties and responsibilities seriously. I think only two more days in jail will suffice. No, one." He smiled, "Your cooperation and continued service to the group will be rewarded with visitation with your wife. Is that agreed?"

Felipé gushed, "Thank you. Thank you, sir. I will do whatever you say. I only hope I can repay with good actions."

"It is possible, my son. Perhaps you could help me by making a speech at roll call? I'm assuming by your admittance about selfishness that you understand the difficulty of my roll as commander?"

"Yessir."

"And that, as a person of charisma, you must use your abilities to bring cohesion for the betterment of those around you?"

Felipé snapped to attention, "Yessir! Thank you, for the opportunity, sir! No need to worry. I will do my duty and be true."

Stessel stood up and came to attention ceremoniously. He saluted him, "You are dismissed." He watched him go.

Mr. Bellamy poked his head in the door directly after Felipé stepped out, "did you want to speak to me, sir?"

Stessel still had his hand at his brow, "What?"

"Speak to me. You wanted to speak to me."

"No!" He waved him away, "No, no. Leave me. Take that man back to his cell. He's to serve one more day there." In the corner stood Rogers with his hands folded in front of him. "What are you still doing here?"

Copyright Bettyann Craddock 2000. All rights reserved.