Nova (30 page)

Gifting her with a somewhat roguishly crooked smile, Avara
briefly placed one armored hand on the Lieutenant Commander’s arm. “We’ll be
alright, Diana. You’ll be watching over us, after all.”       

Offering a smile in return, Diana replied, “Count on it. See
you on the other side, Avara.”

“See you on the other side.” Serros responded, then
activated her own light–weight helm. Turning to speak just before Diana keyed
the doors shut, Serros added, “Oh, and A; keep my ship safe!”

“Ha! You just better make it back in time for supper, if you
please, Captain Serros; otherwise, she’s mine!”

The memory of Diana’s last smile stayed with Avara as she,
Marcus, K’llan, Dane, Ca’rrakk, and Belgrum all took up readied positions,
rifles in hand and scoped.

“Thirty seconds until lock, Captain.”

At Chopa’s announcement, Avara could hear the scuff of the
six
Avernus
marines behind her and the rest of Nova. Senses fierce with
concentration, Avara waited.

“And… lock is complete, Captain.” Chopa’s voice chimed over
the open channel once again.

At the Shield’s nod, Lieutenant Naxos gripped the circular, manual
lock–control, and turned it one–hundred and eighty degrees clockwise. He then
punched four successive commands into the control panel.

With an audible
screetch–swoosh
, the Karukai ship’s
dockway doors swept open.

When it was apparent that nothing and
no one
was
stationed in the dockway, Serros nodded to Rygel. The team’s Systems and
Hacking expert quickly ran a scan with his CPA and, after his nod, again Naxos moved
forward and opened the second set of doors, this time to the ship’s interior.

The jittered–spark of mangled electrical and energy conduits
invaded the low–dark of the Karukai ship’s interior. Steady
snap–hiss
sounds sourced by torn wiring and systems–cords swaying from the corridor ceiling
above punctuated the eerie silence. With a thought, Avara slid her vision into
thermal range, scanning for any heat signature indicative of a person, but only
caught the vague whirl of heated air from damaged conduits.

After a full minute’s study and straining her Arca enhanced
senses, Avara finally made a negative motion with her helmeted head, then broke
silence with a whisper. “Belgrum?”

“No, nothing.” Belgrum responded in a low hiss, his head cocked
just like Avara, he also applying both his Arca SP and TXL Enhancements to
extend his range of sight and hearing.

“Dane?”

“Nothing on scan, Captain. Can’t be one–hundred percent
sure, though.”  Lieutenant Rygel answered, focusing on the projected readings
pouring in from his forearm and CPA. “Confirming that a number of primary
systems are down, though. Life–support’s running at sixty–one percent; atmo’s
breathable but thin.”

“All right,” Captain Serros confirmed, then thumbed on her
rifle’s flashlight. “Maintain helmets on and suits sealed; better safe than
sorry. Standard formation and keep it quiet.”

Leaving the marines of
Avernus Corp
behind to guard
the docking tube, the six members of Nova Squad quietly began moving forward in
a staggered half–fan. Serros was in the lead, Z’arr two steps behind and at her
right, then Rygel and Ca’rrakk followed by Perez and Naxos bringing up the
rear.

The freighter’s interior was iron and dull red in tone, the
narrow floor–ways grated durexium. As they moved down the hallway, it became
apparent that the damage and silence remained consistent. The only sounds
accompanying the Squad were electrical hisses, the occasional groan caused by
the ship’s uncontrolled listing, and the echoes of their own booted footsteps.

It was strange to find no sign of any living person on a
ship of this relatively small size, whereby necessity, every yard of space had
to be utilized. Having spent the majority of her last twenty–five years in
space, Avara found the unnatural emptiness to be disquieting and as they
stalked forward, she couldn’t quite disburse the leaden feeling of foreboding
tickling her mind.

Nova had traveled perhaps forty paces before they came
across something that knifed the eerie quiet. Already flaking from age, a rust
colored smear trailed a three–foot slash down the right wall of the deck’s
central corridor. A foot or so further, a beat up pistol of some design that
Avara didn’t recognize lay on the grating.

“It is approximately nine–days old, Captain.” Major Ca’rrakk
reported a moment later, the Senior Science Officer having performed a quick
scan with his CPA.

With a grim nod, the Squad continued their trek forward
until they reached the
Ardent’s
life–pod galley. Outside of the sixth
pod was the source of the blood smear they’d spied earlier: a young Human male
with auburn colored hair and pale skin. His torso had been ripped apart by a
spray of bullet–fire that jarred his body with such force, that his teeth had
cracked with the impact. He lay in a pool of his own blood, gummy with the
passage of time, yet still thickly fluid. His plain brown jumper was soaked
through and his clothing was crusted at all points which did not lie directly
in the puddle.

Taking in the young man’s pale skin and glassy, light brown
eyes, Avara figured he couldn’t have been more than fourteen years of age.

Not even a man, but a boy.

“He has been deceased for approximately nine–days, Captain.”
Ca’rrakk reported in a subdued voice.

With the rest of Nova remaining readied and alert and her
review complete, K’llan added a minute later, “Out of twelve or so life–pods,
it appears two were ejected. However, the remaining ten were deliberately
disabled.”

“How, exactly?” Belgrum asked, methodically and deductively piecing
together every scrap of evidence.

“With a simple slice to the power–leads. It was hastily done,
and potentially easy to repair.” The Vosaia answered.

“Which means that those remaining didn’t have the time or
the capability to make the repair.” Belgrum commented thoughtfully, his aquamarine
eyes pinioning behind his clear visor.

“Would’ve been the crew’s only way out; ship’s not large
enough to have a shuttle bay.” Marcus observed, crouching with a grace that
belied his bulky form.

“Let’s proceed.” Serros directed, and she could hear the
grim resolve in her own voice, knowing that the likelihood of finding anyone alive
had just significantly dropped.

Avara’s precognition was soon realized as the signs of
battle and death became more and more prevalent and they came across body after
body. Most were Human, though not all, and each wore a light brown one–piece
suit, center–zipped, just as the dead boy had.

Passing unsecured doors and entryways that led to Recycling,
several storage rooms and the freighter’s elevator–lift, at the end of Deck 2’s
main corridor the team came across a large central door.

After a cautious moment of study, they opened the portal to
what could only be the
Ardent’s
Galley and Mess. Two hefty trestle–tables,
bolted to the flooring as is standard on all ships, were the room’s dominant
features. An open galley, cooking–panes and twin inset refrigeration units as
well as a large double–sink were visible at the back of the Mess Hall. Beyond
was another open door to what Avara assumed was the Galley Storage. Ahead of
the tables was one more open doorway to what appeared to be the ship’s Lounge.

The very normative sight of a dining and food preparation
area was distinctly at odds with the current state of the Mess Hall.

Close to a dozen bodies lay strewn about the room, each
utterly lifeless. Three were behind an overturned L–couch, ripped from the
flooring with deliberate force to provide cover, a reality that was clearly
testified to by the riddled state of the couch’s synthetic covering. One body,
a Braxien male, lay slumped into a half–sitting position in the entryway to the
Galley’s Storage. In continuity of the trend, the cold–corpses of two Zirgesh women
were splayed atop the Galley’s prep area like blood–offerings to some god, long
forgotten in the dark ethers of primordial history.

It was here that Nova Squad also came across their first
example of a cadaver that did not wear the tan one–piece of the motley assortment
of individuals that they’d identified so far. Laying one atop the other upon
the farthermost trestle table were two bodies. One was a Human female with long
dark hair; the other, a like–sized humanoid form accoutered in blood–red plating.

“Karukai heavy–armor.” Avara announced into the stillness, moving
forward.

A rifle lay on the ground, obviously fallen free from the
lifeless grip of the armored individual’s listing arm. A sizeable hole in the
armored waist was congealed with still–drying blood.

“Note the black markings on the crimson armor; she’s an
officer.” Lieutenant Z’arr announced quietly as Captain Serros shifted the body
over to a face–up position, cradling the corpse as it slid to the iron–colored
flooring.

Removing the helmet with the pressing of the manual release
located at the base of the neck, the headwear completely retracted within
moments to reveal that the dead individual was indeed both Karukai and unsurprisingly,
female. As all Karukai, she was completely hairless except for her brows, which
in this case were a thin, silvery–white that in hue was barely differentiable
from the paper–white of her skin. Whirling marks dotted her forehead, upper
cheeks and even her bald head, similar to a Vosaia’s yet instead of pale blue
or purple, the Karukai’s markings were a muted rose–red in color. The tone was
accentuated by the two, rich–crimson eyes that sightlessly stared through long
silver lashes. Her mouth was small, with full lips slack in death.

“Looks like the Human took the Karukai out before she died.”
Perez remarked, grim satisfaction in his voice.

“It’s obvious some sort of slave break–out occurred here; based
on the distress call, probably recent captives. Question is, are there any
survivors?” Serros asked.

“The odds seem to be dropping.” Dane replied, a dreary cast to
his normally up–beat, jitter–tone.

“There are two more Karukai over here; unarmored.” Naxos
announced a moment later, having entered the Lounge.

“Dane?”

“Scans and recordings are complete, Captain. We should have
enough for identification later, as well as useful intel.”

“Very well. We’ll gather the deceased for proper burial
before we leave. For now, it’s time to continue.”

It took only minutes for the Squad to mobilize and retrace
their steps to the ship’s lift, which they discovered was currently off–line.

“Dane, I want you and Ca’rrakk to bring systems, and if you
can manage it, engines back on–line. Based on our scans, Engineering and
Systems should be located on Deck 4.”

“Aye, Captain.”

“Marcus, I want you and Belgrum to investigate the Bridge.
See what you can find out about the
Ardent
; her purpose, mission log, etc.
Also, see what you can do about locking in control.”

“Got it, Serros.” Marcus responded, his ruggedly handsome
features set into a professional mask to temper the anger Avara could feel
spinning inside of her friend.

“K’llan and I will explore Deck 6, see who we can locate.”
Avara said, deliberately not using the word survivors in the face of the
evidence they’d gathered so far. “After, we will work our way up to Deck 5. If
you’re still busy on the Bridge, we’ll move on to Deck 3.” Casting a quick
scan, Avara ordered, “Stay in Comm contact at all times, and play it safe; no
risks, people.”

At the affirmative chorus that greeted her command, the Squad
made for the standard maintenance shaft located to the left of the ship’s lift,
cracking open the panel it hid behind. Serros and Z’arr slipped into the shaft
first, climbing down the durexium ladder to the lowermost deck of the ship. The
two were followed closely by Rygel and Ca’rrakk and finally, Perez and Naxos moving
into the duct to ascend towards the Bridge.

CHAPTER 16

Avara and K’llan completed the journey at a fairly rapid
pace, with the echo of their armored feet and fingers moving from rung to rung
sounding eerily in the relative noiselessness of the ship, reverberating
throughout the maintenance shaft like a mischievous child copying their actions
but never showing himself.

Reaching the bottom–most section of the chute, the Quorum Shield
Operative stood poised with pistol trained as Z’arr pulled the manual hatch–release.
Yet once more, no sign of a living person or attack occurred. Stepping into the
dimly–lit corridor, the two women were faced with an entry–way immediately to
their left at the hall’s end.

The alternate choice was taking a right and traveling down
the main thoroughfare to explore a series of doors on both sides. Deciding to
investigate the closest area first, they made for the center–doorway and with
Avara standing at the ready, K’llan activated the open–control.

The Human and the Vosaia found themselves in a fairly open,
stark room that in function was primarily a shower area. The floor consisted of
plain white tiling with inset drains placed at fixed intervals. At the leftmost
portion of the room were several large inset drawers, undoubtedly intended to
hold supplies. The use was exemplified by one jutting, open drawer, brushed
with muted color by a haphazard spill of tan one–piece suits hanging over its
edge.

Only too quickly, the Captain realized that the jumble of
clothing escaping the confines of storage to fall in a shapeless heap on the
slick–tile floor, was both foreshadow and symbol for the casual horror that knifed
through any sense of normalcy that such a domestic setting typified.

No matter which direction she turned her head, Avara’s eyes
were assaulted by a scene of brutality and unforgiving death.