He did his best to remember what he had left. A working brain, right arm and the will to do something, anything to stop the boarders. Ramirez rolled his eyes around, craning his stiff neck a little to get a better view of the large hangar, then he spotted a working communicator on the wrist of a nearby corpse. He pulled himself to it with his right arm, it took forever to cross less than two meters.
He was just about to contact Captain Valance when he heard a hatch open, followed closely by three more. Another escape vessel must have landed, and he heard the sounds of boots hitting the deck. The troops he could see from his vantage point were checking their rifles and taking a moment to muster. After falling into ranks they started running to the lifts. Oh no you don't, he thought to himself.
He opened a private channel with Captain Valance. “Captain, decompress hangar two. You have at least forty more boarders on their way.” He caught sight of a few of them running by. None even noticed him.
“Ramirez? We thought you were killed.”
“I'm fine, I'm secure. Just flush these bastards out into space.”
“I don't see you on our internal systems.”
“I'm secure. Flush 'em out.”
“Brace yourself.” The main hangar doors opened quickly, several meters per second. Air rushed out and anything not secure was pulled with it.
“It was an honour Captain,” Ramirez managed to say into the communicator before it was ripped out of his hand. He tried to grab hold of a landing strut as he slid by at an increasing speed and missed it.
His body turned as he skidded across the floor and he could see the doors wide open, the darkness of space beyond. It had been years since he had looked at it for what it was. Distant stars, billions of them out there, glimmering.
In the space of a short life he'd seen over a hundred worlds, more cities, and met even more people. On the Samson alone he had seen people come, go, die, and survive with him. His acquaintances became friends, his friends became loved ones and before he knew it the Samson was his home.
He crossed over the edge of the launch bay and drifted out into space. The bitter cold embraced him as his body turned. Pain killers made the cold a distant sensation. The Triton loomed. Make her a home Captain, make it their home. He wished as his sight faded and his body became absolutely still.
Rash Acts
“Ramirez? Ramirez!” Captain Valance shouted into his communicator. He spun on his heel. “Frost! Close the hanger bay doors and look for him. Cynthia, find out where that communication came from!”
They set to work as Captain Valance looked to the front of the bridge, where the field of stars in front of the ship was displayed.
“I can't find him sir,” Frost reported. “He's not coming up anywhere and I know I'm using this right.”
Cynthia turned in her seat. “The transmission came from hangar two. I double checked. The signal went dead shortly after the doors opened,” she said quietly.
Captain Valance ground his teeth and balled his fists, standing motionless, looking out into the stars beyond the drifting wreck of a defensive station in the distance. “You have the bridge, Commander.” he said as he strode towards the observation room door.
Stephanie looked around and realized no one else knew what he was talking about when he referred to a Commander. The new engineer had gone below the bridge with Price and his team, and there was no one of that rank in place that she knew of. Instead of questioning it, she sat down in the Captain's chair and watched as Jake punched in the entry code for the observation room and strode through.
“I guess you're a Commander now. Congratulations?” Frost whispered from her left with a shrug.
“I hope he doesn't do anything a medical kit can't fix,” Ashley's copilot said quietly.
Minister Lorne looked up at Captain Valance as calmly as he could. He looked furious, yes, but it was held in place by cold discipline. Jacob Valance was an imposing man when he wanted to be, and when he slammed his fists against the top of the conference table he jumped in his seat.
“I'm done here! After taking on this heroes mantle for your people you come aboard my ship under the pretence of need and try to take it for yourself?”
“You're a hunter, a glorified repo man. If you weren't so good at it I'd never know who you were and I'd be none the worse for it.” Lorne said haughtily. He was putting up a brave front but his eyes were shifty, it sounded like he was reciting a rehearsed speech. “The Minister of Defence sent me to commandeer this ship. We can offer you fair compensation at a later-”
“Don't try to reason with me, we're way beyond that. You have three options right here, right now. You can command your forces to obey my orders, you can tell them to leave by the quickest route possible or you can take a trip out the airlock!”
He stared back at the Captain, feigning calm. Lorne's lip twitched, there was sweat forming on his brow and he rubbed his palms together slowly.
“Did you people really know what kind of bastard you chose to heft your banner?” He shouted in full fury as he reached across the table, grabbed the smaller man's jacket and hauled him out of his chair. Jake turned and dragged him across the table like a rag doll, striding through the door with him in tow behind. He moved so fast the Minister couldn't catch his feet.
Lorne struggled to get his balance, but Jake flung him out in front of him. The Minister rolled and came up on his knees. There was no chance to defend himself before the muzzle of Captain Valance's sidearm was up against his forehead. “Spacing's too honourable a death for you. This is better. I love what this gun does to people. One minute they're just standing there, the next they're cut in half, or staggering around headless before their bodies realize their brain is gone,” he said in a malicious whisper. He flicked the safety off and he could hear the power cell charge up with a high pitched whine.
A small, panicked sound escaped Lorne's open mouth. He was breathing quickly, staring widely at the handle of the heavy sidearm. “Oh God,” he whimpered.
“I've done this before right in front of these people with a dead cell loaded, it won't surprise them if I pull the trigger and you disappear from the neck up,” he tilted his head to one side. “Much.”
“We need this ship, Regent Galactic will take advantage of this opening.” Lorne blubbered, his resolve had cracked, his hands were up and he shook visibly. “I was following orders, only following orders.”
“This is my ship. People have died because of you and your choices. If you don't put your soldiers in line behind me I'll lose even more. Think about it for just a second. I'll kill you, then I'll go get my cloaksuit. Your soldiers won't see me coming as I start murdering them one by one. It won't be a battle, there won't be a seconds worth of fight to it. I'll just start killing until Regent Galactic decides to board. Then I'll start on them. Murdering one after another until I'm alone in a wasted hull piled with corpses! Starting with yours.”
“O-okay, I'll command them to take your orders.”
“Betray me and I promise you won't leave this ship alive,” Captain Valance flipped his safety on and holstered his sidearm. “Stand up and take a few deep breaths. I don't want you sounding nervous when you give the order.”
Stephanie moved to the seat at the right of the command chair as Jake turned and strode to the Captain's seat in the center. They both watched Minister Lorne as he tried to calm himself, taking deep breaths and folding his arms after realizing his hands were still shaking. After several minutes he looked to the Captain and nodded, straightening his jacket.