Chapter Twenty-Five
Davies
No shit, I don’t think I’ve ever been more terrified in my fucking life.
But I’m also angry. More than just pissed off.
Waymore than pissed off.
If the captain survived this fiasco, maybe they’ll give me five minutes alone with him to fucking punch his goddamned lights out. Or kick him in whatever the Shalfin call those things that act as testicles on them.
I jump when I hear someone hit my door button. Then they pound on it.
“Davies McKellan, I’m Umber Mgarten from Dr. H’looder’s team. They sent us to retrieve you. Are you in there?”
I’m frozen in fear. I don’t recognize the guy’s voice, so I know he’s not one of the ship’s crew trying to coax me out.
Nervously, I climb out of my bunk and hit the intercom button. “Yeah. I’m here.”
“Are you uninjured, sir?”
Well, that’s promising, right? “I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”
“You can come out now. The ship’s secure, Mr. McKellan.”
I start to reach for the button when I freeze. “How do I know you’re the good guys?”
“Your partner’s name is Olarte, and he’s on board Dr. H’looder’s ship and waiting for us to bring you to him. I met you when you talked to Dr. H’looder during your shore leave and had some work done.”
I unlock the door and damn near hug the huge Guyardien I see standing there. Yeah, I recognize him now, although I didn’t remember his name from before.
“Ship’s secure, Mr. McKellan,” he tells me. “We’ll transport you and your things.” There are two more heavily armed and armored Guyardiens standing behind him in the corridor.
“McMurtry. In Engineering. Is he okay?” I don’t know what or where the explosions were, because my control panel went offline and left me effectively blind.
“We’re still working on verifying who all the casualties are. We haven’t identified everyone yet, and we’re still working our way through the ship to find survivors.”
The Guyardiens help me load my porta-sled and tow it down the corridor. “Where are we going?” I ask.
“We’ve established a temporary airlock in the docking bay.
This corridor goes right past Engineering. “Hey, can we check on McMurtry?” Through the open hatch, I can see his cabin door’s closed. I hope that means he got back inside it and is safe.
I also see signs of a firefight, including scorching on the walls, and what look like splashes of various kinds of blood. Before they can stop me, I dart inside the main Engineering hatch and immediately slide to a stop.
There are three dead bodies lying on the floor just around the corner inside the hatch.
Including McMurtry’s.
Fuck.
* * * *
I don’t even care that the fucking military guys are watching me cry as they ferry me and McMurtry’s body over to H’looder’s ship. During the whole trip, I sit on the floor next to the body bag, my hand on where his chest is, feeling the residual warmth there.
He didn’t deserve to die. He was one of the good guys. A nice guy.
I will personally pay for him to be transported, and escort him myself, to his family to be buried as per their custom.
