Rated M for being set in the 41st millennium.
Chapter 1: The One Armed Man
Theme Music
Lawrence walked quickly through the wide halls of the Mooncalf. The ship was a far departure from the True Bane. In place of the rigid network of plasteel walls and ferrocrete bulkheads were broad, sweeping thoroughfares with gentle curved walls and nouveau light fixtures that filled the halls with a warm glow.
From a side room came the Provost, Stavra. He was a beastly man covered head to toe in multi-layered black armor. Hardened plates, padded buffer layers, and a revolver strapped to one of his thighs that was big enough to beat an Ork to death with. With a smile like a grizzly bear he said "Interrogator? I like the hair cut." Van Der Mir ran a mechanical hand over his freshly trimmed scalp absentmindedly. "Wouldn't want anyone getting a hold of your head."
Van Der Mir tried not to think about the kind of situation that would merit someone using his hair as a handle. "Who'd you round up for the boarding party?" He asked flatly.
"Oh some real gems. That whole bit about the Xenos still stands, right?" Eric replied.
"Yes. I'd rather not get nailed for trafficking Aliens."
"Of course. I'm just bringing that Ranger we found and Juno.... whatever he is, sir."
"I've spoken to Juno about his origins and goals, I don't want them to become a point of contention." Lawrence ordered.
"They won't, sir. He.... it... seems capable enough." Eric replied.
Lawrence nodded as they reached a door. "It better not become an issue." The curved door split across the middle, half sliding up into the ceiling and the bottom slipping down into the floor. The room beyond was a domed room, the roof of which was a network of broad windows and opened out onto the cosmos. Above them smaller craft could be seen flitting about like glistening insects. At the far side of the room was a raised dais with a curved table placed on it. McKenzie was already there with her dataslate jacked into a port on the wall. The rest of the room was occupied by rows of chairs that radiated out like ripples on a pond. McKenzie looked up and flicked the ash off her lho stick as Lawrence said "I thought you didn't smoke?"
McKenzie replied "People can change a lot in ten days." as she ground out the lho on the surface of the table. "Who's running things?"
Eric waved slightly and said "I'm shotgunning team one, Quasar's on standby."
"What about two?" McKenzie asked.
Lawrence took a seat beside her and replied "Haven't decided yet. We'll see how the briefing goes." The door opened again as Eileen walked in. She was already in her full gear although it had been repainted from deep red to pitch black. She took a seat near the front and gave a nod to Stavra. Lawrence raised his eyebrows and said "Eileen... how've you been?"
She sighed and said "This is the longest I've spent with my parents in the last...oh... thirty years give or take. It's been great but duty calls."
"Indeed it does." Lawrence repeated "Indeed it does." He looked down at the backs of nitrate coated hands and waited as the others began to arrive. Eileen was right. It had just been ten days since Teleostei but for some of them that was an eternity. Lawrence's first time commanding his own vessel... Lieutenant Kepler's first departure from a formal military body.... Brenner and Taymor's first time together in years....
Lawrence knew that they had at least three days head start on Sidonis. Three days between them and Malfallax. Seventy two hours to make contact and secure the rest of Emerald's group in a station with seven million people on it. Lawrence just hoped he had the right people for the job.
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