Vengeance – Part 6
"What do you mean they were fed to a pack of slaver hounds?" Gantor exclaimed incredulously as his aide read from the official investigation report.
"That is exactly what the report says sir. Then apparently the MTAC patched the hole in the escape pod and flushed them back into space after the event. A Sisters rescue ship picked them up a few hours later."
Gantor was worried about this turn of event.
"He's obviously no longer bothered about taking prisoners. It’s also a very good sign he repaired the escape pod before he flushed it back into space. It points to that our other crews are likely to be alive somewhere. He doesn't kill needlessly it would seem. But how did he know those officers by name and why kill those two in that manner?"
"The investigator states he has no idea sir. Why stop taking prisoners now? He's not released anyone before that he took on board." stated Gantor's aide.
"May be he has the information he needs? May be it was those two officers he was after?" Gantor mused.
"Well sir if it was these two he was after, may be he'll stop now?"
"I'm not taking that chance. I want full run downs of those two officers he had killed. Any previous ships, stations or outposts they served together on. Get their files up now."
"Yes sir!" said the aide accessing his datapad, bring up the two deceased officer's histories onto the large screen.
Gantor watched the details scroll.
"Stop! Back up! There! There is a 4 month gap in their employment records from about 15 months ago to 19 months ago. What's missing?"
"I'm sorry sir there appears to be a database error. There is no record of that deployment window."
"Cross-reference those two officers, that missing time frame and those newly opened files on 'that' story. This is too much of a coincidence that the dates match up."
"Checking sir. Cross-referencing the date range, the crew and the region..... Mmmmmm, that's strange!"
"What is it?"
"I'm not getting a match for those exact criteria, but the search has flagged up a number of entries that are also missing that exact date range in their record."
"Let me guess, you have one of our combat star-ships and an entire bridge crew missing those dates too!"
"Well yes sir, how did you know?"
"Someone has erased entries to prevent us finding the truth, and if one person on a bridge crew knows something, they all do."
"Well sir, I think you need to speak to the ex-bridge crew of the Destroyer 'Night Terrors' to get answers. There were seven, now there are five. And to make matters worse, that entire bridge crew disbanded and were given separate assignments after their tour on the 'Night Terror' finished."
"I want them all finding and placing into protective custody. Take no chances. Bring them here!"
-o0o-
The Harpy approached the bulbous station. The capsuleer swung his camera drones to allow a better view of the station. He admired the curving lines and domes that clearly showed the station to be of Gallente design. He was looking forward to spending some time away from the Caldari stations he usually visited. Caldari stations offered little in terms of refinement. They were functional. Gallente stations however catered for everyone's needs.
He reached the docking ring and requested docking permission. For standard ships it could take anything from a few minutes to several hours depending on the station and location. Capsuleers were different. The elite of society did not like to be kept waiting. Also being filthy rich meant that station owners did not want to keep them waiting either.
His docking request was processed in a matter of seconds. Powerful tractor beams locked onto the assault ship and pulled it into one of the private capsuleer hangers.
As the pod detached from the assault ship and glided over towards the extraction gantary the capsuleer flicked through the files he had been sent. His target was nothing if not predictable. He had several hours to rest before he needed to move.
-o0o-
Sir, I really advise against this, the details are, well they are most disturbing.
Very well if you insist. I did undertake the medical examinations on both the women.....
....daughter had limited injuries, mostly bruising....
....your wife was in a bad shape....
....in all likelihood would have die from the injuries she had received....
....evidence of multiple.....
....also facial and whole body bruising consistent with a severe beating....
....numerous shallow knife wounds mainly to the....
... the cause of death for both was explosive decompression....
... I'd like to say they didn't suffer, but the evidence is.....
The capsuleer woke in tears. Through blurry eyes he saw that the station time showed it was early evening.
He shook his head to clear it and headed for the shower before changing and heading down to the bottom decks of the station. This station layout was unfamiliar to him, but they were generally all the same in the lower decks. He'd paid well for the information that had led him here. Now it was time he thought as he passed through the promenade lined with shops and bars. He took out his datapad and checked the route the private investigator had sent him. He saw the entrance to the club as shown in the PI's report.
The club was dimly lit. The capsuleer sat in a booth at the back with a clear view of the front stage. A Gallente woman was dancing on the stage but it was early and the club was quiet. A few patrons were sat around the room, sipping drinks and watching the show. One customer was a woman who was perched on a stool on here own at the edge of the stage, tossing credit chips at the dancer. The dancer scooped them up and danced a little closer and a little more provocatively to the patron each time she tossed a chip. The patron turned to signal the barmaid to bring another drink. The capsuleer just stared at Melisa "Fingers" Tankena.
Even out of earshot, he knew what was being said. Pleasantries first, greetings, an exchange of names, neither one real, then it would be "Would you like a private dance?". Fingers would reply something along the lines of "I was thinking more of partying.", "That can be arranged, how long?", "All night.", "That's a lot of partying!", "You not up for that much partying?", "I didn't say that!", "How much?", "300 credits", "300? That's pretty steep!", "Well that's what it is. And for that you can/I will....". The capsuleer wondered what would be the justification. In the last year he had heard them offer every act, fantasy and perversion known to man to justify the starting price. But this was two women haggling, what would she have offered extra that a normal lover wouldn't? He saw the dancer get up and smile. Fingers handed her a stack of credit-chips discreetly and the dancer approached the bar. “Down payment” thought the capsuleer. Used to "buy her out" of tonight. The club owners wanted their slice if any of the dancers left with a customer. Fingers slipped out of the bar whilst the woman was still paying her employer.
30 minutes later the capsuleer was standing in the corridor near the lift in the residential block. He had a detailed file on Fingers so didn't need to follow her. He knew exactly where she would be. To any watchers he was simply waiting for someone by the lift. There was a buzz as the lift door opened and the dancer from the club stepped out. She looked up and down the corridor not sure of which way to go.
"Lost?" asked the capsuleer. The dancer looked and smiled.
"I'm looking for apartment R348"
He drew his concealed gun and pointed it at her face, the dancer froze.
"And what were you to do when you arrived at the door?"
"I have the passcode." she said with fear in her voice.
"Give it to me." the dancer handed him a napkin from the club with a trembling hand. A ten-digit number had been written on it.
"Here’s ten grand in local credits. I assume that is enough for you to forget me and that you were never here." He handed her a small purse. She tried not to show her reaction but he could see it was a mix of relief and greed. She nodded, backed slowly into the lift and the door slid shut. As it did he saw her smile. After the door closed he headed down the corridor.
He approached the door to apartment R348 and keyed in the passcode. The door opened and he stepped through, still with his gun drawn.
The air in the quarters was hot and sticky. Some form of incense was burning. He could hear moaning. He moved through into the bedroom. Fingers was on the bed naked. Her eyes closed.
"I couldn't wait....... for you...... any longer..... so I...... started..... warming up......" she said between gasps.
"That is a coincidence. You have no idea how long I've waited too!"
Fingers suddenly stopped and opened her eyes. The Capsuleer was stood at the foot of the bed with his blaster pointed at her. She snapped her legs closed keeping one hand to cover herself and used her other arm to cover her chest.
"Who are you and what do you want?" she asked cautiously realising the predicament she was in.
"I want to kill you. As I am going to kill your ex-captain and the other five."
"What are you talking about?" suddenly recollection flashed in her eye's.
"Oh! You are that capsuleer. The..... the one with the Minmatar wife. Look, please don't......"
He simply nodded and pulled the trigger.
A few minutes later Fingers started to come around. She was dazed and confused. She realised she was strapped down to her bed with her wrists bound together and folded across her chest. These bindings were in turn secured to one of the straps that crossed her chest and bound her to the bed. She was unable to move her arms.
"Ah you're awake" the capsuleer turned around and climbed on top of her, sitting on her stomach with a smile.
"What are you going to do with me?" Fingers asked, a tinge of terror in her voice. The capsuleer reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of shears.
"The Amarian slavers use these to trim the claws of their slaver hounds. I got them free with a pack of Slaver hounds I bought recently. After I fed Nutz and Sinner to the hounds I released the hounds into the wild, but I kept these clippers especially for you." the colour from Fingers face drained as he said the words.
"They are very strong clippers, and wickedly sharp." and with that he grabbed a finger and placed the jaws of the shears at the base. Mellisa's eye's went wide with terror .
"Your nickname is Fingers right? I wonder what they'll call you in a few minutes?"
She screamed as he pulled the shears closed and tossed her severed finger onto her chest.
-o0o-
"What do you mean they were fed to a pack of slaver hounds?" Gantor exclaimed incredulously as his aide read from the official investigation report.
"That is exactly what the report says sir. Then apparently the MTAC patched the hole in the escape pod and flushed them back into space after the event. A Sisters rescue ship picked them up a few hours later."
Gantor was worried about this turn of event.
"He's obviously no longer bothered about taking prisoners. It’s also a very good sign he repaired the escape pod before he flushed it back into space. It points to that our other crews are likely to be alive somewhere. He doesn't kill needlessly it would seem. But how did he know those officers by name and why kill those two in that manner?"
"The investigator states he has no idea sir. Why stop taking prisoners now? He's not released anyone before that he took on board." stated Gantor's aide.
"May be he has the information he needs? May be it was those two officers he was after?" Gantor mused.
"Well sir if it was these two he was after, may be he'll stop now?"
"I'm not taking that chance. I want full run downs of those two officers he had killed. Any previous ships, stations or outposts they served together on. Get their files up now."
"Yes sir!" said the aide accessing his datapad, bring up the two deceased officer's histories onto the large screen.
Gantor watched the details scroll.
"I'm sorry sir there appears to be a database error. There is no record of that deployment window."
"Cross-reference those two officers, that missing time frame and those newly opened files on 'that' story. This is too much of a coincidence that the dates match up."
"Checking sir. Cross-referencing the date range, the crew and the region..... Mmmmmm, that's strange!"
"What is it?"
"I'm not getting a match for those exact criteria, but the search has flagged up a number of entries that are also missing that exact date range in their record."
"Let me guess, you have one of our combat star-ships and an entire bridge crew missing those dates too!"
"Well yes sir, how did you know?"
"Someone has erased entries to prevent us finding the truth, and if one person on a bridge crew knows something, they all do."
"Well sir, I think you need to speak to the ex-bridge crew of the Destroyer 'Night Terrors' to get answers. There were seven, now there are five. And to make matters worse, that entire bridge crew disbanded and were given separate assignments after their tour on the 'Night Terror' finished."
"I want them all finding and placing into protective custody. Take no chances. Bring them here!"
-o0o-
The Harpy approached the bulbous station. The capsuleer swung his camera drones to allow a better view of the station. He admired the curving lines and domes that clearly showed the station to be of Gallente design. He was looking forward to spending some time away from the Caldari stations he usually visited. Caldari stations offered little in terms of refinement. They were functional. Gallente stations however catered for everyone's needs.
His docking request was processed in a matter of seconds. Powerful tractor beams locked onto the assault ship and pulled it into one of the private capsuleer hangers.
As the pod detached from the assault ship and glided over towards the extraction gantary the capsuleer flicked through the files he had been sent. His target was nothing if not predictable. He had several hours to rest before he needed to move.
-o0o-
Sir, I really advise against this, the details are, well they are most disturbing.
Very well if you insist. I did undertake the medical examinations on both the women.....
....daughter had limited injuries, mostly bruising....
....your wife was in a bad shape....
....in all likelihood would have die from the injuries she had received....
....evidence of multiple.....
....also facial and whole body bruising consistent with a severe beating....
....numerous shallow knife wounds mainly to the....
... the cause of death for both was explosive decompression....
... I'd like to say they didn't suffer, but the evidence is.....
The capsuleer woke in tears. Through blurry eyes he saw that the station time showed it was early evening.
He shook his head to clear it and headed for the shower before changing and heading down to the bottom decks of the station. This station layout was unfamiliar to him, but they were generally all the same in the lower decks. He'd paid well for the information that had led him here. Now it was time he thought as he passed through the promenade lined with shops and bars. He took out his datapad and checked the route the private investigator had sent him. He saw the entrance to the club as shown in the PI's report.
The club was dimly lit. The capsuleer sat in a booth at the back with a clear view of the front stage. A Gallente woman was dancing on the stage but it was early and the club was quiet. A few patrons were sat around the room, sipping drinks and watching the show. One customer was a woman who was perched on a stool on here own at the edge of the stage, tossing credit chips at the dancer. The dancer scooped them up and danced a little closer and a little more provocatively to the patron each time she tossed a chip. The patron turned to signal the barmaid to bring another drink. The capsuleer just stared at Melisa "Fingers" Tankena.
After the song had finished the dancer picked up her discarded clothing and walked off stage wearing only a pair of high heels. The capsuleer watched the pirate known as Fingers slide off the stool that was in front of the stage and move to one of the booths against the wall. Another dancer took to the stage as a new song started.
He knew the score, he had done it himself a hundred times. The Gallente dancer who had left the stage soon appeared from the staff door and scanned the room. For once the capsuleer avoided eye contact. He saw Fingers wave at the woman when her gaze past that way. She walked over, swaying her hips provocatively.
Even out of earshot, he knew what was being said. Pleasantries first, greetings, an exchange of names, neither one real, then it would be "Would you like a private dance?". Fingers would reply something along the lines of "I was thinking more of partying.", "That can be arranged, how long?", "All night.", "That's a lot of partying!", "You not up for that much partying?", "I didn't say that!", "How much?", "300 credits", "300? That's pretty steep!", "Well that's what it is. And for that you can/I will....". The capsuleer wondered what would be the justification. In the last year he had heard them offer every act, fantasy and perversion known to man to justify the starting price. But this was two women haggling, what would she have offered extra that a normal lover wouldn't? He saw the dancer get up and smile. Fingers handed her a stack of credit-chips discreetly and the dancer approached the bar. “Down payment” thought the capsuleer. Used to "buy her out" of tonight. The club owners wanted their slice if any of the dancers left with a customer. Fingers slipped out of the bar whilst the woman was still paying her employer.
30 minutes later the capsuleer was standing in the corridor near the lift in the residential block. He had a detailed file on Fingers so didn't need to follow her. He knew exactly where she would be. To any watchers he was simply waiting for someone by the lift. There was a buzz as the lift door opened and the dancer from the club stepped out. She looked up and down the corridor not sure of which way to go.
"Lost?" asked the capsuleer. The dancer looked and smiled.
"I'm looking for apartment R348"
He drew his concealed gun and pointed it at her face, the dancer froze.
"And what were you to do when you arrived at the door?"
"I have the passcode." she said with fear in her voice.
"Give it to me." the dancer handed him a napkin from the club with a trembling hand. A ten-digit number had been written on it.
"Here’s ten grand in local credits. I assume that is enough for you to forget me and that you were never here." He handed her a small purse. She tried not to show her reaction but he could see it was a mix of relief and greed. She nodded, backed slowly into the lift and the door slid shut. As it did he saw her smile. After the door closed he headed down the corridor.
The air in the quarters was hot and sticky. Some form of incense was burning. He could hear moaning. He moved through into the bedroom. Fingers was on the bed naked. Her eyes closed.
"I couldn't wait....... for you...... any longer..... so I...... started..... warming up......" she said between gasps.
"That is a coincidence. You have no idea how long I've waited too!"
Fingers suddenly stopped and opened her eyes. The Capsuleer was stood at the foot of the bed with his blaster pointed at her. She snapped her legs closed keeping one hand to cover herself and used her other arm to cover her chest.
"Who are you and what do you want?" she asked cautiously realising the predicament she was in.
"I want to kill you. As I am going to kill your ex-captain and the other five."
"What are you talking about?" suddenly recollection flashed in her eye's.
"Oh! You are that capsuleer. The..... the one with the Minmatar wife. Look, please don't......"
He simply nodded and pulled the trigger.
A few minutes later Fingers started to come around. She was dazed and confused. She realised she was strapped down to her bed with her wrists bound together and folded across her chest. These bindings were in turn secured to one of the straps that crossed her chest and bound her to the bed. She was unable to move her arms.
"Ah you're awake" the capsuleer turned around and climbed on top of her, sitting on her stomach with a smile.
"What are you going to do with me?" Fingers asked, a tinge of terror in her voice. The capsuleer reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of shears.
"The Amarian slavers use these to trim the claws of their slaver hounds. I got them free with a pack of Slaver hounds I bought recently. After I fed Nutz and Sinner to the hounds I released the hounds into the wild, but I kept these clippers especially for you." the colour from Fingers face drained as he said the words.
"They are very strong clippers, and wickedly sharp." and with that he grabbed a finger and placed the jaws of the shears at the base. Mellisa's eye's went wide with terror .
"Your nickname is Fingers right? I wonder what they'll call you in a few minutes?"
She screamed as he pulled the shears closed and tossed her severed finger onto her chest.
-o0o-
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