The Command Bridge was alive with busy bodies shouting aloud commands and numbers as the ship sped through to it's third designated jump. The stars are nothing but a blur through the speeding ships armoured windows. Solomon stood with his back to the moving stars, leaning against his chair and holding a printed copy of the letter found on Doctors Fredrick's murdered corpse.
"Nobody is safe from me. You will not survive to see your newly found 'friends'. I am in the dark, I feed upon the light. I am your shadows. Come and see, and I shall come. With love, The Pilgrim."
The doctors' body was found murdered in a utility corridor of the L.R.W. by an engineer, practically drained of blood and most of his flesh removed. A partial skeletal frame was all that remained of the doctor. Solomon studied the handwritten letter. The writing; rushed and scruffy, Solomon tried to recognise it but to no avail. Kyril was running a ship wide diagnostic looking for transportation or unauthorised entries through the landing bays or any of the lifeboat air locks. Solomon felt the murderer was still aboard one of the ships.
The Bridge klaxon softly sounded indicating the ship was ready to slow from light speed. "Captain, we are approaching Position Three. I have sent communications to the other vessels." said Eve in her soft silky voice. Kyril nodded and returned to his seat, holding a paper folder of the daily reports.
The stars slowed to their single specks upon the darkness of space. "Eve, run diagnostics and do the usual, please" commanded Kyril, his voice had certainly taken a very tired tone. His eyes had begun to lower with weight, Solomon could swear the man had turned more grey in the last two days. The room's red and blue soft carpets or even the hidden stashes of alcohol in either of Kyril or Solomon's chairs could not cheer the grieving Captain Commander up.
Barely fifteen minutes had passed before Eve spoke again. "Captain Commander, I have detected a vessel less than six hundred kilometres from our current position...." Kyril wasted no time, standing from his chair with more speed than Solomon has ever seen, he began ordering. "Battle stations! shields up! How the hell can they know our position?!" he angrily asked himself.
Doctor Fredrick's Murder would have to wait until after they had dealt with the pirates.
Kyril slumped back in to his command chair, weakness suddenly seemed to overpower him as his eyes fluttered as a dizzy spell momentarily impaired him. Solomon thought he saw something small and white slip from his fingers between his lips and swallowed hard. Kyril breathed heavily for a moment, and Solomon had to take a double take of his commander, making sure he was accurately seeing what his eyes told him was happening in front of him. No one else on the bridge seemed to notice. Had Solomon seen what looked like a pill? Was Kyril looking weak or was it just Solomon's eyes deceiving him? Perhaps the stress was getting to him a little bit… he made a mental note to see doctor Fredericks when his shift ended, then remembered of the doctors demise and allowed his thoughts to change from the waiting vessel ahead to the doctors scene. 'Who would go to the trouble of removing skin, teeth, hands, feet and nearly all the blood? To prevent their identity from being discovered. Obviously' Solomon thought to himself, 'but then, why leave the name tag in his jacket pocket?' Solomon's brow furrowed as he thought deeper to himself before he was interrupted. "Come now Lieutenant Commander Gordon, quick as you like lad!" shouted Kyril with much recovered energy.
Solomon nodded in acknowledgement and announced the red alert over the ships broadcast system, and the klaxtons sounded. The Bridge crew watched in disbelief as the battle security teams stormed into the room, weapons slung over their shoulders, their faces vanished, obstructed by the intimidating combat helmets, visors covering their once kind eyes, bringing their weapons to their chests, they stood guard around the perimeter of the room. Four armed guards on each side of the rear of the bridge.
Kyril eyed the other ship angrily for a long moment before tilting his head, as if to get a better angle of the vessel. A puzzled look upon his face quickly replaced the anger. "Is that thing working?" he asked aloud, the helmsman took a glance back at Kyril with a worried face and shrugged. "Sir, ten more kilometres and we will be in scanning range." said a tactical officer on the second tier. The security team standing as statues, unmoving, unflinching.