"Stay down kid." Paul shouted and pushed me to the ground.

I covered my head with my arms and closed my eyes tight, waiting for the end of life as I knew it. I was so terrified that I thought I would lose control of my bladder.

"All right move it, move it!" Paul shouted and yanked me up by my arm.

"No!" I yelled as I tried to resist, but he pushed me hard in front of him, sending me stumbling forward up the hill.

Everything was complete chaos. Beams of laser shots were going in every direction, men were shouting and some screaming out in pain. I was running as hard as I could and praying that it would all just end soon.

When we reached to top of the hill we got down behind this large bolder. I got down real low and covered my head with my arms as Paul and sparks returned fire. It seemed we sat there for ever when we heard something from above.

"There." Sparks shouted and pointed up.

The three of us looked up at the sky and saw the ship coming towards us, it's doors opening while in mid flight.

(We're saved) I thought as I watched it land a few clicks away. We would have to make a run for it. Sparks counted. "ONE! TWO! THREE!"

On the three we ran. Paul was in front of me pulling my arm trying to get me to move faster when suddenly he flinched and fell to his knees. I tried to scream out, but nothing would come out of my mouth.

"Paul!" Sparks shouted as he ran up behind us.

"I'm hit." Paul moaned and rolled over on his back wincing in pain as he did so.

Sparks grabbed the front of Paul's uniform and, with one hand, pulled him up and threw him over his shoulder, then continued to run, pushing me along in front of him.

"Keep your head down." He shouted as we ran.

When we got close enough to the ship I was shoved inside so hard that I went rolling across the metal floor. Sparks and Paul were barely in when the ship lifted of the ground. Then the doors shut and I could feel the ship quickly moving up.

Sparks eased Paul to the floor then collapsed right beside him, exhausted from our near fatal escape, and just laid there panting.

Paul was bleeding badly from his leg.

Suddenly there was a big pop and the ship suddenly jerked sideways and then back again, then it started to shake and creek like mad. We were still under attack and the pilot was pulling every trick out of his hat to keep us in one piece.

Suddenly the ship leveled out and stopped shaking, which told me that we were out of the planets atmosphere and now out of danger. (Man, who ever that pilot is, he's good.) I thought. (Maybe the best there has ever been to get us out of that alive) I looked up front to see who it was.

I was shocked to see my very own father sitting there. Till then I had no idea how great he was.

"How bad is he hit?" He shouted back to Sparks.

This made Sparks sit up suddenly. "How bad Paul?"

"I'll be fine once I get to the ship." Paul groaned.

"What can I do?"

"Pressure, I need you to apply pressure to stop the bleeding."

Sparks moved quickly and pressed two hands on the bleeding wound as Paul panted and gritted his teeth against the pain. His eyes shifted to me absently, but when he realized he became very angry. "You stupid kid!" He shouted.

"Yeah, you could have killed us all!" Sparks added.

"I'm sorry. Please believe me, I'm sorry." I said feeling as if I could cry.

"Sorry!" My father shouted from the front. "Did you say that you were sorry?"

"Yes sir." I said choking on the words.

"No Son." He said and faced forward again. "You are no where near sorry."

I knew right away what that meant. He was not a man who tolerated disobedience, stupidity, or carelessness, and by going to the surface against orders I had shown all three.

Sparks and Paul gave a satisfied look, for they also knew that I would be dealt with soon.

When we docked to the mother ship my father got out of his seat quickly and ran back to Paul and looked at his leg. "Come on, lets get him up." He said to sparks and together they carried Paul off the ship, and started for the sick bay. I followed them with my head lowered in shame.

In the elevator I could feel my fathers eyes burning holes into me, but he said nothing. Paul was his main concern at the moment. When we got to sick bay and the doors opened I was shocked to see that the doctor was busy. Three other soldiers, who were on the other search party ship, were injured during the rescue attempt as well.

(Oh god) I thought. If I had known of the trouble I never would have disobeyed my fathers orders. in the first place.

My father kicked me with his foot suddenly, snapping me out of my trance. "Get out of the way!" When I realized that I was standing in front of them, blocking their path to only free examination table open, I jumped out of the way quickly and let them pass.

I was in there for a long time, sitting on the floor with my knees drawn up to my chest, watching , and thinking about all the pain and blood that I had caused. (If I had not done what I did, this never would have happened.) I thought, and it was true. Those men would never have been hurt if I had stayed where I belonged. I was responsible for it all.

As I looked about the room, my eyes fell on my father who was sitting at the side of one of his young injured soldiers, who's blood covered hands shook with pain and fear, trying to keep him calm and still till the doctor could get to him. It was touching really because it showed that, though he was a hard son of a bitch, my father cared for his men

He must have felt my stare because he looked up suddenly. When he caught me watching him he gave me a cold look that sent a chill up my spine. Then his expression changed to total disgust and he turned back to the Soldier. I looked down at the floor in shame.

A few minutes later the doctor came over to them with all of this equipment and quickly started to treat the young soldiers wounds, then he said something to my father that I could not hear, but what ever it was it made him shake his head no. The Doctor spoke again and my father dropped his head and stepped back.

Paul in the mean time was sitting on the table closest to me, talking to Sparks as the machines quickly repaired his leg. "You are a crazy fool, you know that!" He said to Sparks as he laid there. "You almost got your ass shot off pulling me up like that."

Sparks hit his arm with his fist. "It's all right man....you would have done the same for me, and you know it."

As Sparks and Paul had their little moment, I was about to have my own with my father. I shifted my eyes back and realized that my father was now just standing there, across the room, arms crossed over his chest, staring at me, and he stayed like that for the longest time. Then suddenly, he uncrossed his arms and started walking towards me, quickly, shedding weapons and armor as he went.

I scrambled to get to my feet and backed up against the metal shell of the ship, looking for a place to run, but there was no escape. He was in front of me in a matter of seconds, staring down at me in that intimidating way.

"Father I didn't mean to....." I pleaded.

His hand came up suddenly and he slapped my face, which caused the whole sick bay to go quiet.

"You almost got these men killed and you tell me that you didn't mean to!" He shouted.

My eyes started to fill with tears, "I'm sorry."

He grabbed me and whirled me around to face the men. "Look at them!" He shouted giving me a good shake.

I looked at them .

"They are the ones who saved your life. They are the ones who spilled their blood for you! Tell it to them!"

Tears started to roll down my cheeks. I didn't know what to say other than to quietly say "I'm sorry."

He whipped me back around and pulled me up with both arms, raising me up on my toes. "You must do more than say your sorry. You must feel sorry down to the debts of your soul for what you put these men through!" He said threw his teeth.

"I do. God, please believe me. I do." I cried. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone."

He released my arms and turned me around again, but this time put his large hand on the back of my neck, and shoved me toward the door. "Get to our quarters...NOW!"

I had to run to keep myself from falling. When I was steady I turned around and looked at him as my tears flowed.

"GO!" He shouted.

"Father...I"

He looked at one of the other Soldiers. "Take him." He ordered.

I was grabbed immediately and forced to walk out of the sick bay and down the corridor towards the elevator and taken up a few levels to the living area of the ship.

When we reached the Captains quarters the door was opened and I was shoved in and sent stumbling once again.

"Make yourself comfortable in your bunk Kid." The soldier said to me as he watch me go to my room.

It was pure hell waiting there like that. All I could do was imagine what horrible tortures I would soon be going through for acting so stupidly. Finally I heard the door beep and slide open, then footsteps coming towards my room. I got up quickly and stood beside my bunk anxiously waiting for what was to happen to me next.

My father came around the corner and stopped just inside my door.

"Father." I tried to say, but he held up his hand and stopped me.

"Five lives." He said as he stared at me. "Five lives could have ended over the stunt you pulled today."

"Yes sir I ............"

"I told you, NO, I ordered you to stay on the ship, but you deliberately disobeyed me!" He said his voice starting to rise.

"I know I disobeyed you sir, but it was a............"

"You got down there and got into trouble. Do you know that we were almost back up here when we realized that you were not with us. We almost left you there!"

"No sir, I didn't know that Sir."

"The others didn't have to turn around, but they did anyway in case Sparks and Paul couldn't find you. They laid down their lives for you!"

"I know and I am sorry. If I could take it back I would." I said, my eyes filling with tears again. "But I can't take it back. All I can do is say that I am sorry. From the debts of my soul I am sorry, and I will never disobey orders again."

"Well I need to to be sure of that son."

"You can be sure." I said.

"Well maybe so, but I need to enforce it." He said and looked at the floor. "Do you understand?"

I shook my head yes and also looked at the floor.

"Such a severe act deserves a severe punishment. Do you agree? If you were a Soldier you would be facing a court marshall for this."

I really started to cry then.

"But you are my son........and I am the Captain of this ship." He said.

I looked up hopefully.

"So that means that it is up to me to decide what your punishment shall be."

"Yes sir." I sniffed.

"I believe a good thrashing is what's in order here. Sentence to be carried out immediately. "

"Yes sir," I said.

"Very well. Go on, prepare yourself."

I raised my arm slowly and clicked the button to release the belt from my waist and handed it over to him. He took it and doubled it over as he watched me lower my pants down past my thighs.

"Over your bunk." He ordered.

I bent myself over the end of my bunk quickly and placed both hands behind my back, and laced my fingers together.

"There will be no need to count out loud son. I will Keep count for you." He said walking around to the other side of my bunk. He stood there for a moment then he lifted his knee and placed it across my upper back then gripped my entwined hands and held me firmly in place. All of this told me that things were going to get rough.

There was about a three minute pause then finally the belt cut threw the air and came cracking down across both cheeks of my ass. The heat was instantaneous.

"OWWWLLLLL!!"

CRACK CRACK CRACK

"I hope this is a lesson to you." He said as he brought down the belt. CRACK CRACK CRACK.

"AHHHHHHHAAAAAA." I wailed.

The blows came down faster. "When I give an order, you will obey." CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

"Yes sir, yes sir." I bawled, as the thrashing went on .

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK

I couldn't breath I was crying so hard. I fought to get my hands free but he held them tight. My only option was to kick my legs like a lunatic, but it didn't help matters. "Please Father, Please." I yelled, but I knew he would not till he thought I had learned my lesson. What I thought was irrelevant.

Finally after a few more hard licks my fathers grip eased and I knew the chastisement was over. He pushed himself off of me and stood there watching me. "I know it doesn't seem so to you, but any pain you are in is a drop in the bucket compared to the pain my men went through." He said.

"Ye-ess S-ir." I managed to speak.

He placed his hand on the back of my head and gently rubbed my hair. Then he simply left the room.

I laid there on my stomach and cried for a good half hour till the pain subsided enough to where I could get to my feet. Man was I ever sorry, and soar. I never meant to hurt any of those men, and to know that I had made me feel just as bad on the inside as I did on the outside.

I decided that I wouldn't feel better till I went to them and apologized for what I had done. So I went to the door and waited for it to slide open. But It didn't move. I quickly tried the control panel. Nothing happened. It was then that I saw the red security light was on. He had locked me in.

To be continued.............