The first few hours of Kimi's incarceration had been the hardest, but that was mostly due to the lengthy processing that seemed to be designed to a punishment all of its own.
From there she was taken to her cell, a small featureless room. A little cozier then the steel cage she imagined, but lacking all any sense of taste. Bare. Beige. Not even risky enough for a sterile eggshell white.
She sat alone for while, trying to use the small wall terminal to glean any relevant data. But even that seemed to be designed to be so dull it caused her physical pain.
It wasn't until she was released to population for lunch that anytime remotely excited happened.
"Hey," another female prison said from behind her. "You gonna eat that?"
Kimi stared at the grayish protein slop like it might have something to say on the matter before replying dryly. "Well, I'm an android, so probably not."
"Oh score!" The woman said and plopped down beside her to start shoving the gelatinous substance into her mouth.
The girl was a brownish skinned brunette, with fierce, borderline masculine features. She smiled at Kimi, "Thank you. Keep this up and you'll be my new bestie."
She glanced down at the slop still on the woman's tray. Technically Kimi could eat, but something told her that she probably wouldn't take the opportunity.
"Consider it yours any day you want it."
"Oh man you're too kind," the woman said. "You see, the kerovians know that if they give us too much protein we're gonna use it to bulk up."
"It figures they'd have prisoners down to a science," Kimi replied. "They've been in one war or another since the Eltarians first released them into the universe."
"Oh yeah, nobody does it better than us."
Kimi gave the woman a curious look. It was rare for kerovians to end up in facilities like this.
"I can already tell what you're thinking by the look on your face. High treason against SPD itself," she said with a glimmer of pride.
"What did you do to get a charge like that?" Kimi asked.
The woman smirked. "I abandoned SPD to join the Troobians."
It was then that the final price of the mystery clicked into place for Kimi.
This woman was…
No other than…
"You're the A Squad Red Ranger."
"Was," the woman said with a laugh. "It's just Charlie now."
Kimi was speechless. She was staring at one of those most infamous Rangers in modern history. And with a nearly identical charge as her.
"I have to ask," Kimi said after a few moments to collect her thoughts. "Why did you do it?"
"Wel… most people assume I was brainwashed, or if I wasn't, it was because Grumm tricked me…" her eyes glowed with a dangerous gleam. "But to be honest, all he did was tell me the truth."
Kimi nodded slowly. "A few weeks ago I wouldn't have believed you."
Charlie's gaze intensified.
"Zartus is using SPD as a tool to carry out an entire ethnic cleansing in the Hive-Worlds, and it won't stop there. He's dead set on finishing what the Eltarians started ten thousand years ago."
Charlie grabbed Kimi's hand. "Finally someone else who gets it. I need to introduce you to Rachel, maybe you can talk some sense into her."
Before Kimi could protest Charlie was dragging her towards another table. One heavily populated by some of the toughest looking aliens she'd ever seen.
The fist connected with Ayron's face, sending the aquitian stumbling back several paces. The shark-headed creature sneered. "Not so tough now huh, little chum?"
Ayron wiped the purple blood off on his sleeve. In a way he knew the violence wasn't unjust. On Aquitar the shark's species were second-class. Ayron could recall a time his parents passed one of the shark's kind homeless and diseased on the street and Ayron's parents, famous diplomats, turned their heads as they passed.
Ayron kept his head pointed towards the ground.
"Hey, little chum, why don't you do something?" The shark asked.
Purple blood dripped down to the ground.
"Little chum," He continued to taunt Ayon.
His parents went to diplomatic missions across the galactic alliance, while people on their own planet died.
The shark pulled his hand back for another strike.
Ayron didn't move.
In a way, he thought of this penance for the crimes of his people.
They should've known better, but had become disillusioned by Eltarian rhetoric. The evil, xenophobic disease that ran right into the very core of galactic civilization.
Ayron braced himself for the next blow, but it never landed.
"Zarian, what did I tell you about harassing the fresh meat?" A voice asked.
"Sorry boss…" The shark said.
Ayron followed the source of the voice to a surprising sight, a heavily scarred, crimson colored sirian.
The sirian studied the bloody aquitian for a moment. "We don't get much of your kind around here," He noted, "What's your charge?"
"Aiding an interglacial fugitive…
"And…"
Ayron thought about the feeling of his gloves fingers clutching the glowing ruby. The split second where he had the power to end everything. But couldn't.
"Conspiracy to murder a high-ranking SPD officer."
The sirian whistled. "I'm sure there's an interesting story to tell there. Why don't you come over to my table and tell me about it?"
Ayron glanced at Zarian, and the other prisoners, all of them wore the same anxious expression. It seemed like this sirian wasn't someone you said no to.
"Yes sir."
"Call me Dayne," the sirian said with a smirk tugging at his snout.
