Termination (#3)
03 Jun 2021Neon_nylon
[Wild Space, Alpha Centauri System]The Nexus floats in the dark of the void. Motionless and serene. In the cockpit, an impatient Neon sits, tapping his fingers rapidly. I was supposed to have gotten some instructions by now! He told me to come here and await further instructions. I guess he really put an emphasis on wait! Neon keeps just sitting there, waiting for the instructions. Eventually, he nods off. "NEW MESSAGE RECIEVED. NEW MESSAGE RECIEVED. NEW MESSAGE RECIEVED." Neon jumps up. At last! Now to see what I'm being paid for. The message reads: Head to these coordinates. Eliminate the target ship. Payment will be received after elimination of target. Let's get this over with. Seems simple enough. Neon enters the coordinates and initiates supercruise.
[still wild space, Alpha Centauri System]
The Nexus pops into real space with a flash. Neon starts scanning for any nearby contact. Come onnn.. Where the fuck are you? An orange blip appears on the radar. Gotcha! Time to die. Neon flies towards the blip. An Orca passenger liner appears.
A dark shadow falls. The light blackens.
Neon tunes the ship's comm to the liner's frequency. He hears music and people laughing. He even thinks he can hear the joyful sounds of children playing. Some kind of festivity barge, then. Should be unarmed. Easy pickings.
He pilots the Nexus swiftly right behind the Orca and deploys his hardpoints.
"INCOMING TRANSMISSION.. "He-Hello Commander? What are you doing here?"
Neon does not respond.
"Commander? Commander! Power down your weapons immediately!"
Neon does not react.
"Commander, i don't know who you are or why you are here. But please, please have mercy. This is just an innocent wedding barge. We don't have any valuable cargo."
Neon does nothing.
"Comman-"
Neon opens fire.
The beam lasers of the Nexus take down the barge's shields almost instantly, then burning deep into the hull. Neon lets the Multicannon rip. The rounds tear into the hull, leaving burning, gaping holes. Neon forgot to turn the comms off. He hears the screams of the once jovial passengers. He does not care and keeps firing rending the ship to scrap.
The wedding barge is gone. Only scrap metal is left.
Neon looks at the destruction he's left. He turns the Nexus away and prepares for supercruise. A moment later the Nexus blinks out of existence, heading back to Ao.
[Shipping lane to Avicenna Station, Ao System]
"INCOMING MESSAGE: We have received confirmation of destruction. Good job, Commander. Your payment has been transferred."
Neon checks his credit balance. And indeed, he is now five million credits richer. He is ecstatic. But something doesn't feel right. Something is gnawing at the back of his mind. But he does not remember...