"Can you access the Captain's office?" Elizabeth Kolsey and her husband Edward Kolsey walked as fast as they could towards the private elevator that would lead them to the Captain's deck.
"I haven't checked in a few months but i should still be able to."
Elizabeth carried a bag containing everything she could stuff into it. Medical supplies, emergency bone graphs, sedatives, and more.
The couple had learned through experience that their Captain didn't take loss well. The good thing was that he never took it out on anyone else, always learning from his mistakes and allowing them to humble him. The bad thing was that he took it out on himself in… extreme ways. Self harm was one, isolation, and depriving himself of anything he considered a luxury including food was another.
He would pull these stunts every once in a while, it was the primary cause of the growing concern onboard. The majority of the crew wasn't aware of these incidents but his officers were. It made their Captain more human and relatable unlike others that the Kolsey couple knew of that acted like lofty gods aboard their ships. All were beneath them and their rule was like divine will.
The good and the bad, I just wish there was an in between with this fool.
Elizabeth was the only person allowed to treat the Captain for good reason. He never allowed anyone else onboard the Hand of Fire other than her and her husband to touch him unless strictly necessary.
The elevator felt slow and the hallway long.
"Captain, this is Lieutenant Primus Edward Kolsey." Edward first politely knocked hopping that he was just being paranoid.
After no answer he slammed the door. "Captain open the door please!"
"Open the f*ucking door you jackass!" Elizabeth wasn't as polite.
"Primus override, Captain Office 86.52.37." Edward didn't like using the override, but hard times called for hard choices.
The reply came from a mechanical voice made to sound like a woman. "....Facial, vocal, iris, tag, override code, and identification confirmed…" It was Artemis, but only Rudolf knew about her so the Kolsey couple assumed she was just a program meant to inform them.
The Captain's office door opened slowly. By the sound of the dead bolts clicking Rudolf must have locked the door from the inside. Closing it would have ensured no one below the rank of Lieutenant would get in. Locking it on the other hand ensured no one other than the Lieutenant Primus was able to enter.
What greeted them as soon as the door opened was an empty office. Everything was organized although obviously slightly out of place from where it used to be. Edward instantly noticed the bloody desk and the small trail that led to the corner next to the door.
The reason they couldn't see the captain right away was because they were looking forward towards his desk. Following the thin trail of blood they found Rudolf sitting in a corner next to the door trying to bandage his arm.
"Took you two long enough." Rudolf gave them a weak smile as a greeting.
Edward was quiet, although he wasn't surprised it still wasn't pleasant to look at. It was clear that Rudolf had mangled his left hand and forearm by banging them against his desk.
Edward sighed. "Well at least you're not too hurt."
"Nothing irreparable, it'll be fine right doctor?"
"Yea, yea. Why do you always have to make my life harder than it has to be?" Elizabeth kneeled down to examine the extent of the injury.
Four broken fingers, broken wrist, broken forearm, lacerations, and a serious case of full blown dumbass.
Elizabeth looked up into Rudolf's eyes like she was examining them.
Depression, self-loathing, anxiety, insomnia, and probably more that she couldn't glean.
"Primus Kolsey, how goes that salvage?" Rudolf knew what she was doing. He appreciated it but knew that there was nothing she could do and it would only put more pressure on her as his doctor and friend.
"The wreckage has been cleared for examination. Honestly it's strange how every part of that ship was so clean."
"What do you mean, clean?" If it was a ship carrying a crew that frequently dealt with foreign environments wouldn't it be cleaned regularly? Not only that it was also exposed to the void of space. Very few organisms could survive such a thing, and that's not counting the fact that one of the ships literally blew up.
"I know what you're thinking but once you look through the reports and see the bodies you'll understand." Edward shrugged unwilling to explain.
"Other than that I thought you would be happy to know that there were no further casualties. Even those in critical conditions were able to come out of it alive and well." Edward acted cheerful, but he left out the fact that even though they came out of it alive there were several crew members that needed prosthetic and machine parts to replace their lost body parts.
"Thank you Edward, i appreciate that." Rudolf exhaled deeply. Although he knew the truth, any good news was a welcomed surprise.
The treatment of his arm by Elizabeth was painful but successful. Rudolf was certain that based on Elizabeth's actions, her constant cursing, and insults that his treatment was definitely unnecessarily painful.
I deserved that, thought Rudolf.
Rudolf walked over to his desk and took his seat. Digging his tired body into his office chair he sighed.
Rudolf pressed on the comm link on his desk. "Lieutenant Aron, you have the bridge until I or the Primus return."
"Yes, Captain. What is our directive?"
"Collect everything that can be collected, ensure the safety of the ship for light speed travel, and full speed towards Delta Cartago."
"Understood Captain."
Rudolf was confident that Lieutenant Aron would handle everything to the best of her abilities. And that was more than he could ask for at the moment.
Rudolf glanced at the worried looking couple. "I apologize Doctor Kolsey but you'll have to step out."
"Understood Captain, please take care of yourself and let me know if you need anything."
Rudolf nodded and looked at his worried friend. "Primus, are you ready to speak to the Admiralty?"
Edward waited for the office door to seal before locking it from the inside. "How much are we telling them Rudolf?"
"Everything, except my injury of course."
"You fell off your chair breaking your arm during the Peregrine then?"
Rudolf nodded and opened the communications channel with both Grand Admiral Ume Yamamoto and Admiral Dulius Dares.
The screen at the opposite end of the office lit up.
The Admirals looked at Rudolf with concern.
Admiral Dares was the first to speak. "Captain, what happened?"
Rudolf recounted the story, while providing ship logs and reports from the different decks to back up his story. Facts spoke louder than words ever could, and these facts were damning.
Grand Admiral Yamamoto looked through the logs till he reached the part of the explosion. "No known type of radioactive weapon could cause this much damage then disappear without a trace."
Rudolf nodded in agreement. "Even the ancient weapons of mass destruction used by Humanity wouldn't even leave a scratch on the ship's hull."
"And firing nuclear warheads against a grav shield would be like launching stones at a wall of iron." Admiral dares chimed in.
"Correct, it would be damaging but not fatal."
"Captain Reis, how long will it take to return to Delta Cartago?"
Rudolf glanced at his screen before answering Admiral Dares. "About a week from my current location depending on solar winds in the area."
"Captain, I would like you to share everything you discover concerning these aliens with me."
It seems the Grand Admiral is worried about the threat these aliens could pose, but to make such a request does he think I'm a fool?
Rudolf smiled mischievously. "I will be providing all the information i can gather to the Autarchy Grand Admiral."
Grand Admiral Yamamoto starred at Rudolf without responding.
"Don't concern yourself with the data. I will provide it through our most secure channels as I receive it. I won't wait to reach Delta Cartago either."
Edward stood at attention the entire time behind Rudolf. It was a good thing that the room was freezing. The HVAC was going wild because of the energy weapons creating so much heat.
Normally living on a warship of any kind was generally uncomfortable to some extent or another. This was one of the few times Edward appreciated the uncomfortable environment. It kept the two Admirals from seeing him sweat bullets.
As the conversation progressed to Edwards demise the temperature began to level out to a more comfortable degree.
At least the conversation had less subtle remarks of insubordination, thought Edward.
Once the screen went black Edward immediately released his tension and plopped down on the couch.
"Gahh, why do you have to act that way Rudolf. WHY!?
"Act like what? No idea what you're talking about." While Edward lazed around like a bum on the couch Rudolf went back to work. So many missives and requests for authorization.
"Hey Edward, you know what?" Rudolf looked up to the ceiling like he had just recalled something important.
"What?"
"You know i can just order you to look through all this paperwork." Rudolf looked back down to Edwards' shocked face with a devilish grin.
Before Edward could respond Rudolf got up from his seat, pressed a few keys on his desk keyboard and walked out.
"Have it done by dinner."
"What? NO!" And thus Edwards day was further ruined. He didn't know it was possible for this day to get worse, but clearly it was.
Rudolf had reached his elevator and was getting himself mentally prepared to lay in bed till they reached Delta Cartago. Unfortunately for him the gods had other plans, he wouldn't get away that easily.
It took him twenty minutes to reach his cabin, he was just about to open the door when his bracelet vibrated to inform him that someone was reaching out to him.
Without looking down he accepted the call.
"Captain, I heard from Lieutenant Primus that you have some free time?"
"Well hello to you too good doctor. Unfortunately I'm actually quite busy dealing with the aftermath of today's traumatic event." Rudolf started to sweat, he had just escaped one hell, how did another one pop up so quickly!?
"Traumatic? I see. Since it was so traumatic I must insist you come to my office immediately Captain, or I will be forced to inform Dr.Kolsey." Rudolf could almost hear Dr.Vensano smiling on the other end of the call.
Damn this sharp asshole to all the hells.
"I'll be there in a few minutes doctor."
"Are you by your cabin perhaps?" Dr.Vensano asked.
"Yes?" That was an odd question, was he aiming for a cabin visit?
"Good, it should take you about fifteen minutes then. I'll see you here at my office in fifteen minutes."
Rudolf stared at the comm light going off signaling that Dr.Vensano had ended the call with wide eyes.
That sharp asshole knew the distance from his cabin to the medical ward!?
Fifteen minutes later in Dr.Vensanos faux wooden office.
Wow, fifteen minutes on the dot. Rudolf stared at his pocket watch in shock.
Dr.Vensano sat cross legged on the opposite end of the room. His chair looked very comfortable to Rudolf.
Rudolf was laying down on the couch this time for some reason.
"I heard from Dr.Kolsey that you hurt yourself?"
Shit
"And it was quite severe too."
Damn
"Let's talk about it."