Private Log 08.31.3305 04:23
31 Aug 2019Bishop R88
[LEO:] Recording has resumed. Thank you, Leo.
...Where was...
We rushed the wounded to the medical bay and began triage. A lot of cuts and bruises. We had to leave them for last, or let the medical teams on the rescue ship take care of them. We were more concerned with the serious injuries, the ones who wouldn't survive the flight from the station to the rescue ship. I had my burn victim...the burnt bacon... I wasn't even sure what I could do for him. I couldn't even start an IV, his flesh and veins were so burnt, so ruined. I gave him morphine and prayed it was enough to get him through the trip.
Simon was working on a woman who'd been crushed by falling debris. Her leg was broken. The femur had to be in three or four pieces, easily. The bone was protruding near her thigh. The medics aboard the station were worried she'd nicked her ephemeral so they'd put a tourniquet on her. Was a damn good thing too. Simon was explaining how we needed to repair the artery before we could even address the bones when something hit the ship.
At first...at first, I thought it was more debris from the station, something floating near the mail slot, but we'd already left the station. Then Captain Frazier came over the comms and told everyone to hold on. Said, pirates had been waiting for us to leave the station.
We were hit two or three more times before we stopped. I was so busy helping Simon I didn't realize how long we'd been floating there, dead in the water. Later, Peter told me it'd been at least ten minutes. Simon was just about to finish stitching the patient's artery shut. I was laser-focused on helping him stop the bleeding.
Frazier's voice came over the speaker again. Said we were supposed to escort all able-bodied refugees back to the cargo bay. Said something about the pirates. I wasn't paying attention. Not until several members of Frazier's crew came into the medical bay.
Simon was furious. So was I. They came in, bossing us around and we were busy trying to keep this woman from bleeding out! I had no idea what was really going on. Peter kept telling me to calm down, to just shut up! They escorted us...escorted... they forced us out of the medical bay at gunpoint. [Laughs]
Then the words Frazier was saying over the comms started to make sense. The pirates...the pirates wanted us to give them all able-bodied refugees so they could sell them as slaves...fucking slaves! If we refused they said we were allowed to jettison in the ship's escape pods and they would take the ship instead. They were just looking for a buck.
Captain Frazier wasn't about to give up his ship. No! He couldn't give up his precious Durango! Despite the fact we were mere kilometers from the rescue ship and would have easily been picked up if we decided to take the escape pods! Hell, there were plenty of combat ships running interference with the Thargoids, had Frazier held out just a little bit longer, one of them was bound to notice the pirates! All he had to do was wait!
Simon wasn't about to let Frazier's crew just give over the refugees to the pirates...
[Forty-three seconds of silence.]
...It all happened so fast. One moment we were standing there. Simon was shouting at the crew, putting himself between Frazier's men and the refugees...
There was a loud bang. I didn't know it was a pistol. I can't tell you what I thought it was, but it didn't register in my head as a gun.
The next thing I know Simon's on the ground. There's blood everywhere, and now, everyone is screaming. The children are crying, women pleading with Frazier's men. Peter rushed to Simon's side, but I don't think it made any difference. I'd seen that blank look a hundred times. He was already dead.
And then I was filled with this...this unbridled rage. I don't know where it came from, or even... I lunged at Frazier's men. I don't know what came over me. All I could think of was keeping those refugees safe. I was on top of one of them, my fists...[Heavy Sighs.] That's when I felt the butt of the pistol against my skull. Everything went black after that.
I...
Sometimes I can still hear their screams...still see Simon's body lying there, dead on the floor, Peter kneeling over him...
I just...
Leo, pause recording.