Chaos Rising

5

On the bridge, Sei'rik pushed herself up against the side of her semicircular command station. The sound of gunfire in the antechamber beyond was deafening. Four Security chiefs had barricaded the bridge access bulkhead with crates and chairs. 

The slavers had moved through Deck 2 so quickly that there had been no time to evacuate anyone. Only five of Sei'rik's ensigns remained. The moment the Security chiefs made it to the bridge, a hail of bullets had come flying through the open bulkhead to mince the Communications ensign. Sei'rik was only metres away from where the girl's blood was pooling in a smelly wet puddle. 

There were no windows in the bridge bulkhead, so Sei'rik could only hope that her men were surviving. Deep down, she knew the chances of that were slim. The Gift's Security division weren't trained military or combat specialists. They were mostly there just to satisfy the insurance companies, and to discourage fighting between passengers. The only thing that made the sounds of fighting easier was that Sei'rik could clearly hear the sound of sonic stunners whistling through the air.

Sei'rik attention was caught by the loud roar of a Jargol. Her hearts skipped a beat and her skin became clammy. Jargols were banned from public passenger liners for their sheer size... and destructive potential. 

Sei'rik had only seen a live Jargol once, but it was enough to burn the image into her brain. Standing two-and-a-half metres tall - at the shortest - and weighing more than seven times her own body weight, Jargols were the legendary behemoths of the universe. The huge bipeds came from the garden world of Vol. Their entire physiology was based around being the top predator in an environment of vicious - and often carnivorous - flora and fauna. Their massive upper arms could tear almost anything apart, with fingers so large that they had a whole industry of technicians making oversized technology to fit them. Carrying their huge, muscled bodies were a pair of powerful legs, with which they could reach the cruising speed of a civilian taxi cab. Atop their burly frame sat a horned and hairy slab of a face that had a surprisingly Human look to it; two large eyes above a mammalian nose with a wide, toothy mouth.Their horns were two large cones that stuck out between their fur, beside their ears.

The Jargol Sei'rik had met had been civil enough, but the one roaring behind the bulkhead was clearly in no mood for polite conversation. There was a series of muffled grunts behind the door while the Jargol continued yelling. Sei'rik peeked out of her cover as the noises and the gunfire died down. She could hear the Jargol issuing orders.

"Captain, stay down," a female Techara officer shouted from the bulkhead.

Suddenly, a loud bang rang out across the bridge. Four of Sei'rik's ensigns were crying.

"Listen," Sei'rik hissed. "We will get through this. As your captain, you have my word that no more of you will die. I swear on my life, and my honour. May the gods look down and judge me on my words."

"Gods of Earth, Sky and Water, hear our prayers," began the only ensign who wasn't crying. The other girls looked up and joined in the prayer. "Deliver us from this evil as we honour and worship you. Our lives are now, and will always be, your true possessions. Please look on our fate with mercy and forgiveness. Kerrah."

"Kerrah," Sei'rik whispered.

Suddenly, a series of loud smashing sounds resonated around the bridge.

"All of you," Sei'rik hissed. "Lie down around the drill. Smear yourselves with blood. They won't shoot those who are dead."

"What about you, Captain?" the braver ensign asked.

"Security wouldn't protect an empty room," Sei'rik told her crew. "If they are coming for me, I will gladly give my life if it spares the lives of my passengers and crew."