Thebe Mzunu stood behind a very sophisticated control panel and pushed a number of buttons in a very deliberate order. The two guards that flanked him nodded respectfully, and took a couple of paces backwards and turned their backs to provide some bravado to the proceedings and provide Xu with the ultimate dishonour. Mzunu did not care for theatre, he thought the guards cowards if they did not wish to see what was to come. They would certainly still hear it. Mzunu took out a piece of paper and began to read from it.
"Captain Han Xu. By order of the Field Marshall Garcia, Supreme Commander of the Sirius Coalition Revolutionary Army, you are hereby found guilty of treason, murder, planning a coup against the Party, attempted assassination of a Commissar...."
He threw down the paper in disgust and stared into the glass chamber. The guards remained stoically still while the traitor struggled in vain against his restraints. The metal helmet sat ominously over his head, resting just above the traitors eyes. Mzunu pushed a final button and a high pitch whirring began, slowly at first but building in strength and intensity.
"I do not need to read any more. You have chosen your own fate for your crimes. Your name will be deleted from history. Your relatives will be purged. Your blood line will end and tales of your foolishness will be taught to generations. You will suffer a fate far worse than death."
The metal helmet convulsed as a series of drills hit Xu's head at the same instant. The drills quickly penetrated his skull while a needle dug itself into Xu's spinal column. Xu screamed in agony and his eyes shot open in pain. The wiring bore into his brain and released nanobots which then began the process of rewiring his synaptic pathways. Xu continued to scream. Mzunu looked behind him for a moment and saw the two guards visibly shudder. The screams grew louder. Mzunu stood silently until the metal helmet convulsed again and Xu's screams ceased. He looked into the eyes of the traitor. They had gone black and were devoid of life. He checked the monitor to the side. Life signs were stable. He returned to his two escorts.
"We shall return to the surface and report to Garcia. Tell the comrades in your unit of this fool's treachery. Speak of this fools punishment however and you will receive the same! Captain Xu was executed. Understood?"
They made their way to the elevator. Mzunu toyed with the idea of saying some final words. No. The occasion did not warrant or need them. The traitor was no more and he looked on to the future. On the long journey to the surface, he gazed at the new insignia on his Uniform. Captain. A Captain of a ship and of men. That was to be his role. To inspire the men, enforce the will of the Coalition and destroy the enemies of the Nation. He smiled. Today was a good day. He trusted the Coalition, he loved it. Now, in this moment, he could almost taste the feelings being returned. They reached the surface.