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The security team entered the control chamber, rapidly declaring it to be safe, and parted for him to pass by them into the empty space. He paused briefly to assess the situation. A mug sat beside one console and the chairs were swiveled as if the crew had been listening to the captain but there were no other signs of occupancy. Moving to the pilot’s console, Theo checked the heading and other indicators and then motioned to the group behind him. “All right let’s get this ship under control and headed in the right direction. Paxter, you’re up. Stop all engines.”
The pilot assigned to his team holstered his weapon and slid into the chair, taking a moment to assess the board before disengaging the drive. There was a hum as the ship powered down on command. “I have the heading for Najie Three from the Nebula Zephyr,” he said. “Should I program it in?”
“Yes, but we need to hold our position until we hear from Captain Fleming.” Theo tried to tamp down his excitement. Surely he would get the order to take command of this ship and fly it to their next destination as a prize. But he couldn’t jump the gun on this and there was work to be done.
The tech had taken her seat without being ordered to do so and was running a check on the ship’s systems. “As we suspected, sir, the ship is empty of sentients, living or dead. There’s cargo in the hold.”
“What is she transporting?” Theo had to consider the possibility something in the cargo might have caused the crew to abandon ship.
“This is an antiquated system,” the tech said. “It’s taking some time to pull up the manifest but I’m not seeing any red flags at the summary level.”
“Any sign of a captain’s log in the system?” he asked.
“Not yet, sir, but I’ll keep searching.” Ria never diverted her attention from the three screens at her station, her fingers flying over the keyboards and other input devices.
“Orders?” Jayna asked, cradling her pulse rifle. Her men stood guard at the entry portal.
He felt more relaxed now they were actually on board and in control of the ship. “I’m sorry—I don’t know your name,” he said to the engine room tech who was standing off to the side.
“Kal Abrall,” the man said, “Tech first class.”
“Send one of your men with him to the engine room,” Theo ordered Jayna. “I need to get eyes on the drive to make sure she can make it to Najie Three on her own power and in our lifetimes before I give Captain Fleming my final report.”
Jayna nodded, indicated which of her people was to accompany the tech and the two men left the bridge. “Are we going to check out the cargo hold?” she asked.
“That’s my next destination. We can go now Paxter and Ria have the bridge under control. We’ll inspect the captain’s cabin on the way. I’d like to get my hands on some scrap of information about this ship and the voyage she was on when whatever disaster hit.” Theo got a better grip on his weapon and headed for the exit. “Let’s go.”
With Jayna leading the way and the other security officer bringing up the rear, Theo set out into the corridors, following a mental map of the ship’s layout, which he’d committed to memory. The captain’s cabin was down one level, on the way to the surprisingly large cargo compartment on the lower level, at the stern. “I wish we knew more about these people,” Theo said as they walked. He had the pernicious feeling of being watched, although the vidscreens he passed at regular intervals were either dead or full of static. Objectively he believed the ship was empty but he couldn’t shake the expectation of running into someone around any bend of the corridor.
“And where they went.” Jayna added. “And why. Did you notice the lifeboat was stowed? If they weren’t taken by pirates, which the lack of disorder and the presence of cargo indicates, then what in the seven hells happened?”
He wondered the same thing but deliberately took an optimistic tone. “Judging by the undisturbed dust everywhere, whatever took place was a long time ago. Nothing to concern us.”
“Hmmm, wish I was as sure about it as you are.”
At the entrance to the captain’s cabin, Theo stood aside out of Jayna’s way as she and her teammate prepared to open the door, which they did with practiced efficiency, entering the room with weapons hot and ready. “Clear,” she said, which was his signal to enter.
The captain had a suite as it turned out. The first room was a combination bedroom/sitting room and looked as if the residents had merely stepped away. The bed was made but there was an indentation in the blanket as if someone had been sitting on it. An old-fashioned handheld, several books and a messy stack of paper were on the dining table and a stylus lay on the floor next to the chair, which sat crookedly to the side. All the surfaces were covered with dust. Theo picked up the handheld but the power source was long exhausted and he couldn’t even get a flicker from the screen. Setting it on the table, he checked the papers cursorily but didn’t find anything to grab his attention.
“If we get the order to take the ship as a prize, we’ll have time to search for answers later,” he said, “And names.” Ready to leave the cabin, now Theo was eager to check out the cargo hold. Depending on what the Mebsuta C had been carrying the value of this salvage could increase exponentially. Or it could have all gone to dust.
“There was a kid on board,” Jayna said with dismay, from the doorway to the next room.
Hastily he stepped to join her and saw what was indisputably a child’s room, with a small bunk and toys and books scattered across the deck. A brightly colored stuffed, six-legged animal sat forlornly on the bed, leaning on the pillows.
“Angelee,” Jayna said.
“How do you know—?” He spun on his heel to see her pointing at a gaily painted sign hung on the bulkhead, proclaiming the child’s name in flowing Basic, decorated with fantastical creatures. Thinking of his own nieces and nephews, he felt a pang, hoping the girl’s fate hadn’t been a bad one. “Must have been a family business, running freight and maybe a few paying passengers while living aboard.”
Needing to escape the cozy but desolate scene, Theo made his way out of the cabin, entering the bright, sterile corridor with relief. “No more stops. Let’s get to the hold as quickly as we can.”
He appreciated the fact Jayna and her teammate never relaxed their alertness as the trio made their way through the ship, heading toward the hold, which occupied most of the stern. Theo was convinced the ship was empty of anyone but the Nebula Zephyr crew but reminded himself to stay frosty as well. Interstellar space could spring surprises on a person, most of them nasty.
The portal to the hold opened smoothly in response to the controls and the lights came on, although not as brightly as in the outer corridors. Jayna in the lead, they moved into the cavernous area.
“Make a complete circuit,” Theo said. “Just to be sure.”
She veered to the right. The hold was jampacked with containers of all sizes, stacked tightly. Theo marveled at the sheer amount of freight the long-gone captain had managed to pack into his ship. If he’d reached his original destination, wherever it might have been, he’d have had a successful trip for sure. They walked and walked and it seemed a long time to Theo before Jayna turned again and led them past the rear of the cargo. It was an even longer walk before she could go left and march carefully along a narrow path between the containers and the bulkhead.
