The Living and the Damned - Part VII
12 Dec 2017Jellicoe
Aries Dark Region AM-L B8-3The Python freighter hung in the void, dark and almost motionless. From a distance it was hard to see any sign of damage but closer in were the clear scorches of laser blasts and pock marks of multi-cannon rounds, though in precise clusters and lines rather than the haphazard blasting one saw more often. A short distance away were the wrecks of two Eagle fighters, no such precision had been applied to them, their shredded hulks, one still feebly burning as the last of its stored oxygen escaped the tanks were almost unrecognisable.
"Python and two Eagle's, fits with what Viktor told us." Claude Marsaud announced as the Resolution approached. "Its transponder's dead but the ID number on the hull checks out as well, looks like this is it."
"From the damage pattern it looks like whoever it was shot out the engine then boarded them." Vik said from tactical. "Very professional job."
"So whoever it was wanted something on that ship." Jellicoe said thoughtfully. "Let's hope it was the slaves and we don't find a ship full of bodies over there. Harry, suit up and meet Claude and I at airlock 2, Mira take the helm, Vik you have the bridge." Magboots engaged Jellicoe and Claude clinked off he flight deck. "Run through the plan again for me would you?" Jellicoe asked, he knew just how much his first officer hated EVA and keeping him talking seemed a good idea.
"We check the hold first, make sure the slaves aren't all dead and assuming we don't find our girl's body I need the computer core, it'll have footage from the internal cameras and any telemetry their scanners picked up on the attacking ships."
"Any reason Harry and I can't get it without you coming along?"
"Yes, you don't know what you're doing and would probably break it and it's most likely the only chance we have of raising a trail."
They reached the airlock to find Harry Soames waiting for them, suited up and ready to go.
"Captain shouldn't be leading away missions." Harry said chuckling.
"Shut up Harry." Jellicoe replied with a grin, Harry threw him a laser rifle and looked questioningly at Claude.
"I've never fired a gun in my life and don't plan on starting now." The hacker replied.
"Good, you'd be more of a danger to us than anything over there anyway." Harry said smiling.
"Alright gentlemen engage helmets." Jellicoe ordered. "Coms and oxygen check."
"Check."
"Check."
"Activate airlock...disengage magboots...activate thruster packs. Nice and easy chaps there's no hurry."
The spacewalk to the Python was simple enough, even Claude, clumsy spacewalker though he was had no real problem reaching the hulk and clamping his boots to the derelict. The view from here was spectacular, the dark hull they stood on, the burning Eagle's in the near distance and the reassuring bulk of the Resolution all dwarfed even at this distance by the blazing orange light of the star. Jellicoe checked the ships schematics on his PDA and set off beckoning the others to follow, stopping a short while later at the main airlock.
"It's been forced." He said when the others caught up. "Still open."
"I'll go first." Harry said hefting his rifle. "Just in case,"
"Piss off Harry." Jellicoe replied chuckling, pushed himself through the airlock, felt something bump against his face as his visor adjusted to the change in light then nearly cried out in shock. A void frozen cadaver floated gently, even peacefully across the chamber his face frozen in a rictus of pain and fear, eyes vacantly starting out into eternity, chest a great open wound where a large calibre gunshot had cut his life short. The three of them moved into the corridor, past another corpse swaying back and forth, still clamped to the floor by his magnetic boots with half his face and chest blown away. Another body, pistol still in hand, stood at the entrance to the hold, still standing as a lifeless sentinel at the post she had died defending.
"This doesn't look good." Harry said, his helmet torch casting lurid shadows in the gloom.
"Let's find out." Jellicoe said grimly as he stepped into the hold.
A number of corpses were clearly visible either flouting weightlessly or still locked to the floor. Jellicoe began counting.
"Seven dead." Harry Soames announced, his soldiers eye more practiced at the task. "Only two of them look like slaves though, the others are in crew overalls and since both the slaves are men they're not this Mhera."
"The cages have been forced open." Claude said. "Looks like the slaves were taken by whoever did this."
"Best we could have hoped for." Jellicoe replied with relief. "Now let's get this computer core and get out of here."
"Hold on Skipper." Harry said crouching down by the mangled bars of one of the cages. "Take a look at this." he handed Jellicoe a patch of black fabric torn from a jacket by the jagged edges of the torn bars, the small piece of cloth was emblazoned with a distinctive badge, one that both men instantly recognised; the twin skulls of the Black Omega cartel.