Dear Jane - I am alone
24 Jan 2021Dwengo
It's a strange feeling being in an escape pod. I'm sure they mix sedatives into the oxygen supply to calm you down. I'm having an out of body experience when really I should be anxious enough to vomit. Is that really me?
Jane, is that really what I look like when I'm stressed? I could use a hair cut.
Wow, only two minutes left of oxygen. I really expected escape pods to have months of oxygen. I'm sure I've only been in here for forty five minutes at most.
Oh well, I guess I better send this transmission. I love you Jane. Don't forget me.
I hit send without hearing it playback. The file was encrypted and sent on all emergency broadcast channels.
I closed my eyes and fell asleep immediately.
'Commander, I'm picking up an emergency broadcast.. From the encryption protocols, it looks imperial.'
The commander leaned forward in his chair rubbing the stubble on his chin.
Hmm, the fleet wanted no survivors, but perhaps we could get some Intel and kill them afterwards.
' Orders sir? '
The commander turned towards the signals officer. 'Let's scoop them up. I want a welcome party down there... And a medic....'
He found it slightly amusing that he would need to tend to this person's wounds with a medic, before inflicting more with an inquisitor.
'Signals, get me a tight beam transmission with The Star Shepherd. I want an inquisitor here to interrogate whoever is in that escape pod'
'aye sir'.
Aboard the Federal Navy ship Star Shepherd. Inquisitor Loki was combing over sensor data of the battle. It had been brutal, bloody, and entirely one sided. The imperial task force had lost all ships while the Federal task force hadn't even lost a shield on any of theirs. Brutal and efficient Loki thought to himself.
The PA came online. "Loki to the bridge. Repeat, Loki to the bridge"
Now it's time for the back slaps. Loki sighed to himself as he made his way to the bridge.
"Congratulations Loki, it seems that your Intel was good for once"
"Thank you, my Intel is always good" He said, giving the captain the side eye "You have to act quickly. I'm just glad you had the.. " don't say balls, Loki smirked to himself. "The vision. To act on it in a timely manner."
The Captain frowned. There was animosity between them.
"Yes well, you're needed on the flagship. The commander wants you. It seems a lone survivor was found amongst all that wreckage."
"Excellent, Loki said as he turned to leave the bridge". The captain bristled. The audacity of these intelligence officers.
"Your rank may be classified, but i'm still captain of this ship. Let's have a little more respect."
"of course" Loki bowed humbly. "Captain". This infuriated the Captain even more. Does he think he's a damn imperialist? "Just a salute will do. You're not at a ball here son".
"yes captain". And Loki gave a crisp salute before turning on his heel and marching out the room.
The Captain sighed. What an asshole.
The shuttle landed in bay 7 of the Farragut class capital ship Fair Wind. The ship was huge, it took Loki 10 minutes to get to the bridge.
"Commander" he said, snapping a crisp salute. "reporting for duty as requested sir"
"Ah Loki, walk with me to the Brig. "
Their boots tapped against the bulkhead flooring as they made their way to the brig.
"Agent, as you may have heard, we have obtained what appears to be an imperial officer. The computer predicts he was on the cutter based on his pod trajectory. Medics have declared him fit and healthy for... Interview" The commander said stopping Loki to catch his eye.
"Now he hasn't been logged as a captured POW just yet. So should the interview go... So far, then the data pertaining to the escape will be purged".
"I see, " Loki said, raising an eyebrow. "So I can kill him?"
The Commander looked around to make sure they were alone. "Yeah, but let's get some juice out of this lemon first".
"OK"
"Good. Now, how much time do you need?"
Loki thought for a moment before the commander continued. "Actually you know what? All this debris is really intriguing. I could spend months analysing it"
"Thank you, commander" Loki said appreciatively.
"Just see that it's done" The Commander said before turning to head back to the bridge.
I came too in a bright room, a cast on my wrist and ankle. I took more damage than I thought aboard that cutter. I turned to look around and immediately regretted it. Sharp pain lanced down my neck and into my back.
"ahh careful now, you have a fractured vertebrae. The doctors believe you are all kinds of lucky surviving on that ship."
I winced as I tried to carefully move my whole body round. I couldn't do it very well, I was bound to the bed.
Shit. I thought to myself, I must have been picked up by the enemy.
"Where am I?" I asked with a false level of fear in my voice.
"you are aboard a Federal vessel. You were picked up from an escape pod".
The man stared at me, his black eyes reaching into my soul. There was a moment of awkward silence.
"Ok". The man said, slapping his hand on the surgeon's trolley. Sending tendrils of pain all over my body as I flinched from the noise.
"let's cut the niceties and get straight to the bones of why I am here."
He took a deep breath.
"How many ships were in your task force?"
I feigned lethargy "Uh. I saw one other ship outside, and the ship I was on of course".
The man frowned and took what looked like a dentist drill from the surgeon's trolley.
"The one thing I truly appreciate in my line of work, is how perfect imperial teeth always seem to be. Like any good surgeon, I'll explain the procedure to you. I ask a question, and if you lie. I hurt you.
I use this drill " he waved the drill around in front of me so I could get a good look. "To make a hole through your cheek and into your gum. Right where the root of your tooth is."
He moved his head close to mine. "then I take these pliers and jam them in the hole, clamp the other side to your tooth and slowly pull it out." he said with a cold smile.
I had heard of their interrogation techniques, they were brutal and effective.
"my techniques have been designed over millennia to inflict maximum pain."
The straps around my head tightened
"You will tell me all you know. Or you will beg me to kill you".
He started the drill.
TBC