A Whisper in the Void (Ch2)

A Whisper in the Void (Ch2)

A Chapter by Spoon
"

Janus and the others explore the remains of the mysterious "Wraith". But is the dead ship really dead?

"

There was the sound of compressed air being released, and then the rattle of a chain. The sound lasted only a moment and then ceased absolutely.


                “Bulls eye,” Bob said from the shuttle cockpit. “We’re anchored. Get the door.”


                Janus pulled the release lever and the back of the shuttle swung soundlessly open. Revealed beyond was the frozen Shonu-Messa hull, by no means big by warship standards but dwarfing the shuttle nevertheless. The ship was scattered here and there with punctures, and from just the right angle light could be seen out the other side.


                Raj leaped from the opening towards the ship, using the anchor chain to guide himself onto the hull. Vince and Bob followed, and after a meditative moment Janus did too. They gathered around a hole large enough for them to slip through, their magnetic boots holding them safely to the metal.


                “No heat marks,” Vince said, flashing his torch around the lip of the crater. “Probably an asteroid.”


                “I’d say it jumped right into the ring.” Janus began to climb through the hole. “With no shields I’m surprised it’s not damaged more.”


                They all entered the ship and found themselves amidst a mess of cables and wiring. It took them some time to navigate the tangled confusion, but finally they emerged into a corridor.


                “Alright,” Janus said, stretching his back in the new space. “We should be on U Deck 3, somewhere between the cooling systems. There should be a stairwell near here. Bob and Raj, you two go left. Give us a call if you find it.”


                Janus and Vince went down the right side of the corridor, weaving between small asteroids and hull fragments hanging in the airless void. Very little light reached these corridors so they progressed by the light of their shoulder torches.


                “How’d you find this ship, anyway?” Janus asked.


                “Oh it wasn’t us. One of those fancy-pants probes they've got going around. We were just passing through when we got the call. Would have just kept going if we’d known how long you’d take to get here.”


                “I had a long way to come.”


                Ahead of them the corridor ended abruptly. A single massive piece of steel had been welded from the floor to the ceiling. It cut across the corridor at an angle, completely blocking the path.


                “Well that’s rude,” Vince said.


                “Must be a containment shield.” Janus checked the reader on his arm. “Doesn’t seem to be any radiation.” He turned to Vince. “Luckily.”


                Vince chuckled. “Ah well, you know what they say. Only the good die young.”


                There was the crackle of static, and then Bob’s voice through the radio, “Found the stairs. What now, map boy?”


                “Wait for us, we hit a dead end,” said Vince.


                “What kinda loot can we expect, map boy?”


                Janus and Vince began back down the corridor.


                “Scrap, mostly,” he said. “But that Luschadium's valuable, even more so these days.”


                “We're not scrappers, map boy. We 'salvage'. We're the big time,” Raj said. “There’s gotta be something else cool on this beast.”


                “Just wait and see,” Vince answered. “But don’t touch anything unless Janus gives it the all clear.”


                “Head on up and check out the next floor. Stay by the stairwell,” Janus said.


                “So direct!” Bob said.


                “Did you get a promotion, map boy?” Raj added.


                “Shut it, you idiots. I’m giving the orders, and I say do as he says,” Vince commanded.


                The corridor on the next level was much more cramped, with long blue tanks protruding half way across the floor. There were less rocks and ice suspended in the air, but the mesh in the roof appeared to have been torn open and cables dangled like tentacles into the narrow space.


                “This way,” Janus said, leading them past the tanks. “And don’t get tangled.”


                 “Don’t get tangled,” Bob began to mutter, “No s**t don’t get tangled. I’m not an idiot. Bloody smart-a*s thinks he’s some hot shot ‘cause he fought in the war. Well here’s some news for you, ‘War Hero’, we all did. Siege of Damascus, that was me and Raj. Not that it matters.”


                “Put your dick away, Bob,” Vince sighed.


                “Doesn’t make me an expert on solar power now, does it? Just cause I was there.”


                “Damascus…” Janus pondered. “Never heard of it.”


                “You wouldn’t,” Raj accused, “Sitting in your battleship at the core. Never did any real fighting. Tokyo Nine? That was over in minutes.”


                Janus stopped in the middle of the corridor, rolled his eyes and raised one huge, metal fist. He made to punch Raj, but Vince grabbed his arm and twisted it upwards, crashing his helmet into the wall. 


                “Never hit one of my men,” Vince shouted. 


"Temper, temper," Bob laughed. 


"Settle down, princess," Raj sneered. "You're with real soldiers now,"


Suddenly, as quick as a flash, Vince pivoted on the spot and lunged in Raj's direction, his own fist slamming into the glass visor. Raj let out a startled exclamation as he tumbled backwards, and Bob dropped the smirk from his face. Janus straightened himself and raised an eyebrow at Vince. 


"What?" Vince shrugged. "Hey, I'm allowed to hit 'em. They're my men."


"Fair enough," Janus said after a moment's thought. He gestured down the corridor with his hand. "Shall we?"


"Get up, Raj," Vince ordered. "And do be civil. If you can remember how."


"I was just saying," Raj said sheepishly, getting up and following. Bob gave him a light shove as he caught up, and he shoved back. 


The party came to a ladder bordered by a yellow and black striped line, ending in a hatch on the roof. 


"Up there," Janus pointed. "That's the bridge. We should be able to figure out the rest from up there."


"Whoa, hold up," Bob said, stepping forward. "What do you mean, 'figure out the rest?' You're supposed to be some kind of expert, aren't you?"


Janus glanced at Vince, who was rolling his eyes.


"Yes, well-"


"No, hold on," Raj interrupted. "This is the blind leading the blind, isn't it? He ain't got any more of a clue than you or I."


"Hold on, I-"


"No, I've had enough of this bullshit," Raj continued. "See you back at the ship. I'm gonna get me some loot, and sit on my sorry a*s until you all get back."


"Raj," Vince said flatly, "You're not going anywhere."


"Shut it, old man," Raj spat, walking further down the corridor. "The war's over. You're not the boss of me anymore."


"Very well," Vince said. "Bob?"


Bob shifted uneasily. 


"Sorry, boss," he said. "I'm with Raj. This clown hasn't got a clue."


"Very well. Stay together."


"Yes, sir," Bob saluted and headed after Raj.


"Yes, sir," Raj repeated sarcastically, exaggerating his salute. 


The two of them disappeared around the corner, and once again the radio was quiet.


"Just us then?" Janus asked.


"Is that going to be a problem?"


"No, sir," Janus answered. "So long as they find their way back."


One after the other they climbed onto the bridge. The walls were covered with blank or broken screens, monitors, the eyes and ears of the dead vessel. Light from the nearby star shone through a collection of small holes in every surface, illuminating beams of dust and ice. It wasn't a big room, containing only half a dozen chairs. Some chairs still contained their final occupants, held in place by safety belts and years of ice. Janus took a close look at one frozen corpse, his dead eyes still open. In the cold of space he hadn't decayed at all in the six years he had been entombed here. Janus had fantasized about being face to face with the operators of these dreadful machines, but to find them dead here, forever beyond his reach, angered him. They found peace in death, while he was tormented still by the violence of their actions against his people, his friends, his comrades. 


"Are you okay, Janus?" Vince asked.


Janus read the name stitched into the dead engineer's uniform.


"Hello, Commander Andre Duke," he said, a rising rage staggering his words. "My name is Lieutenant Janus Ming of the Close Support Frigate Stathopoulos. You don't know me, but I am your enemy. And I'm going to destroy you."


Janus took the dead officer by the head, lifted his leg high in the airless void and stomping on the frozen corpse. The man's chest shattered into dozens of bloodless shards at the impact, slowly drifting away from the seat. He turned to Vince.


"I'm okay," he breathed, his heart racing. "I'm... I'm good. That felt good."


"Some much needed closure, I'm sure."


"Yeah," Janus panted, gathering his thoughts. "Yeah... The control panel, over there. Is it... uh... is there any power?"


Vince brushed aside a floating cloud of dust and seated himself in front of the central panel. The screen was almost iced completely over and most of the controls were stuck in place.


"It could take me a while to get it going."


"Sure," Janus said absently, eyeing the weightless head of Commander Duke as it spiraled upwards. "I... I've got to get out of here, Vince, I..."


"It's okay, Janus," Vince soothed. "Go back down and find the firing room. I'll radio you when this is up."

With one last, uneasy glance around the bridge Janus climbed through the hatch and set his feet back down in the corridor. His radio crackled with static and a faint voice spoke through. He listened carefully, but he couldn't make out the words.


"Raj?" he said, "Bob?"


There was no reply, and the static vanished too. 


"Vince?" he asked, but there was only silence.



© 2013 Spoon


Author's Note

Spoon
Work in progress, any advice would be appreciated.

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Reviews

One after the other they climbed onto the bridge... how many ?? Only two right ? Sounds like all four.

Dialog feels a little stiff. Be mindfull of repeat words and names

Posted 11 Years Ago


Spoon

11 Years Ago

Yes, this chapter is long overdue for an overhaul. I wrote it during a spate of writers block and mo.. read more

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Added on May 8, 2013
Last Updated on May 9, 2013
Tags: space, danger, conflict, debris, science fiction, scifi, sci fi
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Author

Spoon
Spoon

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia



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