I'm the Wanderer - Sleepless
18 Jun 2017User4296
Author’s Note: The “I’m the Wanderer” series isn’t its own arc , but rather a collection of one-off stories that don’t fit into the larger narratives.The events of Sleepless occur after the events described in "Downfall.”
Sippi System
Imperial Space
October 3302
The halls of the Cobra were dark. Whatever hit us must've also knocked out the emergency lights, too, I thought.
The flashlight I had brought seemed dimmer that usual - maybe it needed new batteries? - but it handled the job of cutting through the darkness well enough, allowing me to make my way from the cockpit to the door that led into the Cobra's main deck. This slid open, and I descended the few stairs down to the white floor of the Cobra's massive internal chamber. My goal - the door that led into the engine compartment - was on the other side of the chamber, but wasn't visible in the darkness, not even when I shined the light in that direction.
This room, however, always bothered me, even back when I had first bought the vessel. It was lined with tanks - they actually looked a little like escape pods - that were built into the walls, but the black glass that sealed them prevented me from seeing what was inside. I usually avoided those, but there were three more tanks spaced along the center line of the room that connected the two doors. These were free-standing, which meant I had to pass near them to get to the other door.
I muttered a curse as I slowly made my way across the room, and I kept the flashlight trained on the first tank. It stayed dormant as I moved past it.
So far, so good.
As I moved past the second one, however, a blue light appeared inside the tank, which stopped me in my tracks. It had never done that before. The black glass of the tank was opaque, but the light bled through gaps on the upper and lower edges of the tank. I couldn't help myself - suddenly overcome with curiosity, I edged closer.
Suddenly, the black glass faded away and the tank became clear, causing me to jump backward. Worse still, it wasn't just the tank I had been looking at - all the other tanks had gone clear at the same time this one had, except that this one was the only one that was lit. Moreover, this tank was occupied.
The figure was female, and her face was turned downward. I crept closer, keeping the light aimed at her head. When I leaned in toward the glass to get a closer look, her head suddenly snapped upward, and her eyes opened.
There were no eyes. Black holes filled the void where her eyes should have been, but her face turned toward me, as though she was staring right into my soul. And there was no mistaking her features.
Cassandra.
Suddenly, she screamed. The sound was piercing, even within the liquid of the tank, and I stumbled backward.
All around the room, the other tanks started to turn on, illuminated by the same blue light as the one in the middle, and my head turned wildly, looking at each one in turn. All of them were inhabited by the same woman, and all of them were staring at me. One by one, each Cassandra's scream joined the first's, soon creating a cacophony of ear-splitting horror. I dropped the flashlight and clasped my hands over my ears.
"No! Stop!" I shouted.
All at once, they fell silent. The one in the middle of the tank approached the glass, and tilted her head.
"Why did you kill us?" she asked.
"I tried to save-" I began.
She opened her mouth again, but instead of a scream, she let loose a loud beep.
***
I jolted awake and looked around the Cobra's cockpit. My gaze was instantly drawn to the half-full glass of scotch on the dash, before a second beep cut through the silence, pulling my attention to the communications panel.
The headache hit home a second later. I groaned, then reached out to thumb the answer button with one hand while the other took hold of the scotch glass. I drained it as the call connected.
"Faulcon DeLacy X-ray Echo Kilo, come in," a voice said. They sounded angry. "Are you there?"
"Go ahead," I grunted, wincing as the scotch burned its way down my esophagus.
"We've been calling you for the past half hour, what happened?" the voice inquired.
"Sorry, I was below decks. What do you need?" I replied.
"We've processed the cargo you delivered, Commander Mathurin," the voice said, softening. "Everything's good. The credits have been transferred to your account."
"G-good. That's good," I managed.
"We have some more work for capable commanders. A data delivery mission, if you want it."
"That's good - fine. Transfer it over."
"We're willing to pay - "
I cut the voice off. "Accepted, whatever. Just transfer it aboard," I reached out and killed the connection, then dropped my face into my hands and rubbed my eyes. A low beep a second later signified that the data package had been transferred over.
"Verity," I said as I turned the pilot's chair away from the control console, then stood and walked toward the cockpit door, taking the now empty scotch glass with me.
"Yes, commander?" she replied. Even through everything, I couldn't bear to leave the VI - or whatever she was - on the Illaria's wreckage.
"Take off and get us clear of the station," I ordered as the door slid open. "I need another drink."