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“Maeve gave me the quick briefing along with the captain’s orders,” Jayna said as they walked into the launch bay together. “A derelict is pretty unusual out here, isn’t it?”
“Almost unheard of,” Theo agreed. “We should be ready for anything over there.”
Jayna shot him an annoyed glance and he wished he could recall his impulsive remark, which sprang from his own excitement for this unique opportunity, not in any attempt to tell her how to conduct her own business. They’d never worked together during his time on the Nebula Zephyr, with him being command staff and her being a security officer.
“Of course, sir,” she said now in a flat voice. “When you’ve been with us longer, I think you’ll find our security teams are top notch.”
Jayna went ahead onto the flier, which was sitting with the engines thrumming and Theo waited for the rest of his crew to arrive. Captain Fleming had assigned him several techs and a pilot, as well as two more Security personnel, who nodded to him and hastened onto the flyer to get their orders from Jayna. Theo was satisfied he had a good mix of solid people to explore the derelict and get her under control. Everyone had a blaster on their hip, even the techs although the report was no one remained on board the Mebsuta C although the lifeboat was still aboard. Theo jogged up the ramp after his entire team had arrived and closed the hatch after himself.
“Ready to go, pilot,” he said over the com.
“Aye, aye, Mr. Knox.” Theo recognized the cheery voice as belonging to one of their top pilots and he went forward to the cockpit to oversee the approach to the other ship. On his way through the flier, he took note of Jayna and the security officers gearing up as if for an assault. They’d be first off and Theo felt confident nothing would get through them.
Approaching the derelict, he was struck again what a good-looking ship she was, although tiny compared to the looming bulk of the Nebula Zephyr, which was the largest cruise ship in the Sectors. The intruder had trim lines and her engines were moving her on her chosen path efficiently.
“No answer to repeated hailing,” the pilot said.
“Out of curiosity, if she keeps going on the current heading, where will she end up?” Theo asked. The mystery of this vessel intrigued him.
“Out of the galaxy entirely at some point,” the pilot said with a grin. “Nothing where this ship is going, except maybe more traffic patterns to disrupt if you don’t get her under control.”
“Oh I’ll get it done.” Theo was determined to wrestle the ship into submission and lay claim to her for a salvage prize. It would be a notable feather in his professional cap and a stellar entry on the new resume he was intent on building.
Jayne entered the cockpit and leaned over the pilot’s shoulder, examining the vids. Theo was intensely aware of her proximity although she gave no sign of any previous connection between them. “Probably carrying passengers and cargo when she set out originally. No signs of damage. No evidence she’s been in a fight so where are the crew?”
“I’m planning to find out, once we’re aboard,” Theo said. “But whether we get to the bottom of the mystery or not, she’ll be worth claiming and taking to Najie Three for auction.”
“It’s a bit late to ask but should we have done full protocol spacesuits in case there was a virus on the ship?” Jayna asked.
“Captain Fleming didn’t seem to think so, probably because Maeve verified there was no one on board at all.” Theo was a bit bothered by the idea of the mystery ship’s crew having perished from a deadly illness but surely in that unlikely event the contagion factor was nil by now. “If we don’t like the looks of it when we first get on board, we can re-evaluate,” he said to Jayna, who signified her agreement with a quick thumbs up.
“We need to find the ship’s log, since there’s no AI to talk to,” she answered.
While they were chatting, the pilot worked hard to match trajectories and velocity with the errant derelict. “I’m going to attach to the airlock and let you transfer over there, then my orders are to disengage and stand by at a safe distance until I hear an all clear from you, sir.”
“My cue to leave and prep for breaching the target.” Jayna strode from the cockpit with purpose.
Leaving his chair and following Jayna, Theo nodded. “Fine. We’ll check in every ten minutes.”
When he got into the main cabin, Jayna and one of her men handed him weapons and modified body armor, capable of stopping a certain amount of blaster fire. She and her team were fully geared up and ready, as if for an assault. Not waiting to watch Theo don his protective gear, she led her security officers to the rear of the flyer, in position to lead the way on breaching the ship. Theo joined them, motioning for the others to remain behind in the shuttle. “We’ll let you know when you can safely board,” he said.
Ria Margetti, the senior tech assigned to the mission said, “We’ll be waiting, sir.”
The flyer spent a few minutes adjusting position as the pilot attempted to dock with their quarry and then there was the welcome sound of grav clamps locking.
“Opening the airlock now,” the pilot said over the com.
The portal at the stern of the flyer slid open, revealing the closed doors of the other ship’s air lock. Jayna stepped up to the Mebsuta C’s controls while her team covered her with weapons hot, ready to blast anything which emerged from the derelict. She entered a code too rapidly for Theo to see. He supposed it was a Special Forces thing and was glad they didn’t have to burn through the doors or try to pry them open, either of which would take precious time. Every second the Nebula Zephyr dawdled here risked her reputation for adherence to schedule and her bonuses for on time delivery of freight.
Jayna stepped through the air lock and keyed the controls to open the other side, to step into the other ship itself. Her team covered her with their blasters as did Theo while the door slid open smoothly, revealing a long, empty corridor brightly lit.
“Control chamber first,” Theo said from his position behind Jayna.
She didn’t even glance at him but he was sure she was again annoyed. What’s with this micromanaging tonight? he asked himself. That wasn’t his usual style at all.
Yeah and look where it got you. Cashiered and out of the navy.
With Jayna in the lead, she and her team clearing cross corridors and portals, they made it to the flight deck in short order. The ship appeared to be empty, as the scanners had indicated but the back of Theo’s neck itched and he had a feeling they were being watched, even though every vidcam he passed was dead. He sent the all clear to the rest of his team and the pilot and techs soon caught up.
