Truth Hurts
18 Sep 2021Dixon-Phyre
It was early evening when Annabel strode onto the bridge, in a loose blouse and trousers. He had been busy with the galaxy map, gazing at the projected cosmos and pondering where to go next."Mikael," she said, in a steady voice, "we need to talk. "
He deactivated the map and swung the pilot's chair around to face her, where she stood on the upper level of the T-10's bridge.
Her face had an expression he hadn't seen on it before; defiance.
"About...what?" he said, puzzled. Her hazel eyes locked with his milky white ones. She ran a hand over her abdomen.
"I'm pregnant, Mikael."
There was a long pause. He stared at her, a roaring sound beginning to fill his ears.
"You always said...you were on contraceptives...never had to worry..."
"That was before."
"Before what?! "
"There's someone else, isn't there? I've seen those little packages you keep sending off. I've seen your face, after we've made love...ha! Thinking about her. Whoever she is."
A sudden pulse of pain in his head, right where the tumour had been.
"You lied to me..." his voice slurred.
"I'm sorry, but it was necessary...you're mine, Mikael, and I won't share you with some two-bit starport slag! "
He shook his head and moaned as the pain increased.
"You lied to me..."
"Heard you the first time, Mikael... "
He clutched at his skull. Annabel finally appeared to notice his discomfort.
"Are you okay?"
His face twisted as he looked at her, his vision distorting.
"Someone else? Yeah. Before I ever met you. We had one beautiful night together that was it. That AspEx we saved a few weeks ago? That was her. And her girlfriend."
Annabel's mouth opened, but he cut her off. "She...was the reason I was able to...trust women again. A trust...you have just destroyed..."
"Mikael, I -"
"YOU LIED TO ME!"
Panic knotted her stomach as she saw his face.
Mikael screamed as the pain in his head became overwhelming; then his vision seemed to slide backwards down a dark tunnel yet staying where it was. Started from his seat and saw Annabel turn and scurry down a corridor. He turned and watched his hands activate a control panel...
Annabel was halfway from the bridge to her quarters when the lights went out. She stumbled and caught herself on the wall. Heard the COVAS impassively announce: “Warning: life support offline.” She knew her strategy had been risky, but she had not expected this.
If she could get to her cabin – get her RemLok on -
She scrambled to her feet and frantically made her way forward. A light suddenly appeared behind, throwing her shadow harshly out in front. The thump of a heavy footstep not far away.
There was a chak, and white-hot pain stabbed through her left thigh. Looking down at the bloody tip of a barbed dart protruding from her leg. A flechette rifle, a curio Mikael had picked up somewhere in their travels. Something to fire inside a ship without damaging the vessel.
Annabel went to her knees and clawed along the floor, gaining a few metres when the next shot went through her right shoulder. She collapsed, shrieking, to the deck. Rolled over and dragged herself to a sitting position against the wall as the light dazzled her and a shadowy figure closed in.
Tears poured down her cheeks as she felt the cold metal of the muzzle resting on her forehead.
"Please...Mikael...please...I'm sorry...please! It's our child, Mikael, please..."
Chak.
It was a lone M-class red dwarf, but he would never remember what system, only that it was uninhabited and some way from the bubble.
In Nomine Mortis hung next to the star, scooping up fuel. The glowing arc of a stellar prominence lay directly ahead. One of the ship’s airlocks opened, and the vented atmosphere from the 'lock carried a bundle out with it. Dumped into supercruise, the object spun away, unfindable and tumbling down to the inferno below.
The rumpled, icy terrain of a barren moon came closer as the T-10 made its way to the surface, extended landing gear and settled in a cloud of vapourised methane ice. Inside, a suited figure went to work, welding shut the door to one of the cabins, and returned to the bridge.
Mikael’s vision slowly returned to normal, control over his actions returned and he lowered the welder to the deck, slumped into the pilot’s chair. Buried his face in his hands and began to weep uncontrollably.