Unexpected Encounter 21
07 Jun 2016Rebecca Hail
Rebecca paused when she left the wreck of the Anaconda.Something wasn't right.
With one hand on the pistol in her shoulder holster, she took another step forward, carefully paying attention to her surroundings, while she was trying to figure out what was going on.
The noises from the alien forest were still there and her eyes didn't notice any change in the scenery. Nevertheless, all of her instincts screamed like crazy.
She took a deep breath and there it was.
The smell had changed. There was one incredible familiar smell almost indiscernible through the oxygen mask and all the unfamiliar scents and fragrances of the alien forest.
Sweat.
Something cracked behind her, she drew her gun and shot around. The butt of a old rusty rifle hit the glass of her oxygen mask and shattered it. Instinctively she closed her eyes to protect them and lost her balance. She dropped the suitcase and tried to break her fall, but couldn't get her arm down fast enough. As she opened her eyes again, she saw a brown silhoutte standing over her. Then the rifle butt shot towards her again, her head bumped hard against a stone on the ground and the last thing Rebecca saw was a man's grim face before everything faded to black.
Rebecca woke up when someone hit her face hard. Her oxygen mask was ripped off and she coughed while inhaling the air of the alien world.
Blood ran from her lip, then a muddy hand grabbed her chin and pulled it upwards. She tried to move her arms, but they were tied behind her back.
Through the still blurry vision of her left eye she could see three silhouttes standing around her, while her right bionic eye displayed in big red text "Commander injured. Readying medical station". She blinked a few times until her vision was clearer.
Three men stand around her, all covered in mud. One held her rifle, the other men had taken her pistol and knives. A fourth man and a woman tried to open the silver suitcase she dropped, while some more looked over the container under the front cargo hatch of the Dark Runner. Behind them around the ship were some more men and women. Rebecca tried to count them, but the grip around her jaw only strengthened and forced her to look into the face of the man in front of her. His face was old and wrinkled, but his eyes were clear surprisingly clear.
"Who sent you?", he asked with a voice cold enough to freeze a lake.
"Nobod-", her answer was interrupted as another hard punch hit her head and blood started running from her nose.
"Don't lie. We noticed the last ship. We tried to make them notice us, but then the bastards just ignited their afterburners and jumped away. I'll ask again. Who sent you?"
"I'm an independent exp-", she said, then the man lifted her own rifle and hit it against her head. Again her vision turned blurry and the message in her right eye popped up. Instinctively she moved her fingers towards her PSA and deleted the notification. Then she realized that they'd not taken her PSA off. Apparently they thought it was a part of her armour.
The man lost his patience, grabbed his rusty knife and held it in front of her face.
"One more bullshit answer and I'll cut a finger of your hand.", he hissed into her face, then he asked again.
Rebecca looked into his eyes and even though her hands were artificial, she gave in.
"The ... Federation sent me.", she faltered for a moment as her hand tried to feel for the right buttons on the PSA.
"Who exactly?"
She found the button for activating the menu and pressed it slowly.
"Federal Secret Service."
The man looked straight at her, clearly thinking about his next question. His face didn't show the slightest movement.
"What's your task?"
"Searching the wreck, located by the last ship. Recovering any useful materials."
"What have you found?"
"Nothing."
"That's a pretty good locked case for nothing."
Rebecca remained silent. Steps could be heard inside the wreckage, then a man stepped out of it, looked at the man holding Rebeccas rifle and started speaking with a unusual rough voice.
"Sir, the container is open and empty.", he stated while he eyed Rebecca from head to toe. She glanced back at him and noticed a large scar on his neck, barely visible under his big scruffy beard.
"Give me the suitcase.", the leader ordered, then he turned back to his prisoner. "Do you even have the slightest idea what you're trying to steal?"
His sudden turn to her startled Rebecca and she pressed a random button behind her back, making the PSA navigate her into a completely irrelevant submenu.
"Hell no. I bet it's some biological weaponry shit, which makes you puke your lung out or so.", she answered, while trying to hide her frustration.
"You know nothing about all this, do you?", a smile appeared on his old wrinkled face.
"I know that you're from INRA, I know that this all is part of 'Operation Aftermath' and I know that you're an A-grade asshole. Your bosses probably too, whoever they are.", she spew out.
His smile froze. Rebecca tried to maintain eyecontact while she navigate back through the menu with the buttons she could reach.
"AND I know that this shit is probably supposed to kill hundred thousands of humans in the worst way possible, if they piss your bosses off."
"Makes little sense carrying it fifty thousand light years into a sector completely free of humans then, does it?", he shook his head and began to smile again. Rebecca reached the right menu and navigated until she found the option she'd searched for. Another press and the picture transmitted into her right eye asked for confirmation. Then the old wrinkled leader started talking again, while his comrades, just stood a bit afar silently judging her.
"Operation Aftermath is humanity’s vengeance, not its demise."
Rebecca looked up, the confirmation still blocking large parts of the vision of her right eye, and made eye contact with the clueless man in front of her.
"Vengeance?", she asked a bit surprised.
"For the original enemy of INRA. The one enemy strong enough to make the greedy corporatists of the Federation and the hypocrites of the Empire work together."
She looked at the silver suitcase.
"Don't tell me that that's ..."
"Exactly, little federal agent. You'll get a point."
"And why are you telling this to me?"
"Now I have some more questions. First: What's in that container over there? Second: Where's your ships keycard? Third: What were you doing all this time behind your back?" He looked at her even more surprised face now. "Yes, of course I've noticed how you wiggle with your fingers. I'm old, not dumb.", his two companions lifted their rifle and pistol and held them towards her.
Rebecca hesitated a bit, before she answered, while the PSA still waited for the confirmation. She watched for a few seconds how one of the men kicked against the container and another walked down the hangar ramp holding a heavy wrench. She started grinning a bit.
"Well, that container is a bomb. A fusion bomb, to be precise. So your comrade or whatever probably shouldn't hit it with that wrench too often."
Now it was the old mans turn to look seriously surprised. Then he turned around and ordered his men to stay away from the container.
"I don't have a key card for my ship. Only my voice and DNA can activate it."
"And what have you done behind your back?"
Rebecca started grinning and pressed the main button on the PSA again and the confirmation was exchanged with a countdown.
00:01:13
She kept silent for a few seconds.
"You see, the report about this crashsite said there were no survivors."
00:01:04
"So I signed kill orders for you and your crew."