Hesperos

Tegan · Mar 4, 2011

Chapter One: Trouble Every Day

Central Dispatch Station

They've been in this makeshift interrogation room, even though Agent Barnes keeps insisting that it's an 'interview room,' for well over three hours, now. Drake and Gands can't tell this by simply looking at the clock, Agent Barnes took it off the wall and threw it into the hallway. But they have developed an almost fail proof system for keeping track of the time.

Agent Barnes lights a new cigarette every five minutes, give or take. They simply have to keep count.

"Let's go back to the part where you blew up the Ishmael," Agent Barnes blows a fat, lazy smoke ring. He looks like he came out of his momma's secret place knowing how to blow smoke rings. His free hand flips through the pages of his notebook, old fashioned, but that's the way he likes to do things. Agent Barnes is what one might call a 'classicist,' if one were willing to broaden their definition of classicist.

"You say you were on a collision course with the vessel." He looks up from Gands to Drake, pausing every so often to allow them to concur.

"But your Keeper was at the helm, attempting to evade the Ishmael," before Gands or Drake can supply a correction, he continues.

"That's right, you didn't know that at the time, excuse me." There's a small tugging at the corners of his mouth, now.

Agent Barnes leans back in his chair, the contented smile no longer hidden.

"So far, the two of you have given me all kinds of wild tales about strange equipment failure and an unknown, killer alien-and by the way, we've already searched the Hesperos top to bottom and no sign of this alien corpse."

"Now, you two seem like reasonable, intelligent men, so I don't have to tell you that your story won't hold any kind of water in a court of law, without this alien corpse you spoke of."

"So either you two tell me a different story, the real one this time, or habeas alien corpus."

Asmodeus · Mar 5, 2011

One of the smoke rings sailed across the table and crashed apart on Drake's raised index finger. The captain gave a courteous smile. "One moment, please,"

Drake and Gands leaned back in their chairs.

"Dude, where's the corpse?"

"I thought you had it."

"No, I told you to put it in Storage Bay 4."

"We don't have a Storage Bay 4."

"Then where'd you put it?"

"I dragged it to the medi bay."

"We got a medi bay?"

"Room with the squeaky door."

"What, you just left it there?"

"I thought you were watching it."

"I was in my ready room."

"You got a ready room?"

"Room with the plant."

"Shit. Must'a been Henry."

"You think he ate it?"

"Why would he?"

"Fuck knows. He's weird like that."

"I remember something about stasis tubes."

"Stacy's tubes? Is that the torpedo bay?"

"You sold the torpedos."

"You think someone sold the corpse?"

"Maybe Henry needed it for drugs. But there's no evidence."

"GOOD!" Drake shouted suddenly, rising from his chair and yelling at Barnes. "BECAUSE I BLEW IT OUT OF THE GODDAM AIRLOCK!!"

There was silence, the Agent paused mid-drag and Gands frowning up at his captain. After a moment Drake smiled again. "Nah, just kidding. I've always wanted to say that line." He sat down again. "Seriously though, I have no idea where the gribbly went."

The two men stared at Agent Barnes.

Jumi · Mar 8, 2011

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[dash=#000000]Gands

Gands would have liked to laugh at Drake's outburst, but at the moment, they were in an interrogation room with one of them government types that Gands especially hated.

"Listen here kid." Gands said to Barnes, knowing that he must have had more than ten years on him, being 45 himself. "You can check out records. We've never been ones to do something we'd regret... after a week or two," He said casting a glance at Drake "but we ain't two things. Liars, or murders. That fucking alien was all up in the ships vents like we told you, and then went more apeshit than a politician when granted diplomatic immunity. You obviously haven't checked the ship as good as you think. There's got to be some of it's blood somewhere. Me, and the captain each put an entire clip into that fucking thing."

Pulling a cigarette from the pack that was placed on the table by Barnes, Gands lit it, and took a long drag from it. "Least you could do for taking mine, and keeping us cooped up in you little questions, and answers box." He finished with a slight narrowing of his eyes. Gands had wanted to punch this little crew-cut fuck in the face for the last three hours, and he needed a cigarette, instead of second hand smoke else there'd be second hand fists flying in the air. "You ask the others? They'll verify out story. It's hard to believe if it's all a lie, that you'll get damn near the same story from everyone onboard... almost to the last detail."

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Asmodeus · Mar 8, 2011

"......yeah!" Drake added helpfully at the end of Gands' speech.

He couldn't smoke a cigarette nonchalantly, so instead he leaned back and folded his arms as nonchalantly as possible.

Of course, acting cool might've been easier if he could trust all of his crew not to mention the part where his contact in the Jupiter Corps gave him the tip off about the Ishmael.

Sakura · Mar 9, 2011

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* * *

Henry had left her by the docking station and now she was sulking. Ellie sank to the floor and sat cross-legged, her head in her hands. Stupid Barnes was questioning Drake and Gands. She didn't know where the others were. And she was in a bad, bad mood.

She wasn't allowed to leave the docking station or wander around; she wasn't even allowed any wi-fi! She glared at the heap of her backpack across the floor. She was so angry when they isolated her in here that she threw it away angrily. There wasn't anything she could make use of without any kind of outside connection. She was tired, upset, and confused. She wanted to take a shower and get some rest, but the whole scenario with the alien wouldn't leave her mind.

One of the guards brought over something like a telegram and she scoffed at him. It was from her father, he replied gruffly. She'd snatched it out of his hands and now it was crumpled in her left fist. Come home safe, don't cause trouble my butt! Ellie stared at the floor, trying to burn a hole into it with her eyes. She almost cursed out loud. If the whole controversy over not believing them on what really happened -- she understood the loss-- but they just came out of one the most dangerous flights of their lives & no one cared except to interrogate lies out of them?!

She couldn't believe Barnes was still in there interviewing her crew. What was taking them SO LONG? If she was going to sit there, ripping her father's message to shreds, she might as well go give Barnes a good smacking, too, right?

Ellie rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration. Of course, she'd do neither. She was good girl. The note was the only thing that proved her father's existence, and Barnes would have her head if she acted up. She dropped the paper into her lap and sighed, leaning over. She ran her hands through her messy hair with a cry of frustration.

"Arrrrraaaaaauuuggghhhh!"

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Tegan · Mar 12, 2011

Two long shadows crisscrossed over Ellie.

"You're needed in the interview room," The first intoned. She could see her reflection in his sunglasses. She was staring up at them with obvious puzzlement.

They were almost cartoonish. These two almost identical men in suits-they were caricatures of themselves.

Ellie deftly slipped her father's note into her pocket as she stood. Wordlessly, the two lead her from the docking bay to the same corridor Barnes had taken Gands and the Captain.

- - - - -

Agent Barnes was smiling wolfishly at the two, as if he were holding in laughter at some sinister joke. There was a beetle-shaped mic in his ear, which was always on. They knew this because occasionally, they could hear mechanical whisper humming from the device.

Like it was whispering to him now.

"We've already finished our interview with Nurse Luna. She was in quite a state." Barnes took up his red pen and began to write in his notebook. Occasionally, he would adjust his glasses.

"She was so hysterical, we couldn't get her to talk. Just couldn't take the pressure." The jotted notes turned to rapid strokes, leaving red Xs on top of the paper.

"Our psychiatrists determined that she has suffered a massive nervous breakdown. " They could see Luna's name occasionally. He was marking out entire typed paragraphs, and circling the handwritten notes.

"She's being transported to another facility, where she can receive proper treatment." He drew a smiley face, before flipping to a new page.

"Until then, we can interview little Miss Ellie." Barnes puffed another smoke ring towards the two, looking satisfied.

"Let's hope she handles Agent Heinz better than Nurse Luna." The mechanical beetle in his ear started to whisper again.

"Her methods are a little more, ah, assertive than mine." He was smiling that sinister inside joke smile, again. Perhaps it was just the shadows on his face that made his canines appear sharper.

"But do tell me if you suddenly remember anything."

- - - - - -

The suited man stopped and tilted the brim of his fedora up just enough to glimpse the sign above him.

Docking Port Station 574746

Elliot stood at the entrance to the bay where Hesperos was docked. He'd glimpsed the location on a consul monitor when he tried to charm his way past the put upon assistant at the front desk.

It gave him hideous flashbacks of the InterUnited Galactic Alliance Beaureu of Correctional Management building where he had to meet his parole officer.

Elliot had had his fill of the endless the cycle of angry women behind a desks. The entire galaxy's system of law heaped upon their frumpy, cardigan swaddled shoulders. No, no, he would have no more of that.

Perhaps two armed guards would prove a friendlier source of information.

- - -

They left her in a dark room, after a pushing a chair behind her, forcing her to sit. The only source of light came from a bare light bulb above them. It's dim light flickering. There was no table, no other chair, the dark haired woman stood just at the edge of the light.

"I'd heard you were young," she stepped forward, when hand cocked on her hip. Ellie could feel the soft leather of her gloves as the she held her chin, tilting it up.

"But no one said anything about a child prodigy." She laughed and released Ellie's chin, stepping back to the edge of the light. She flashed Ellie her badge, before continuing.

"Agent Claudia Heinz."

"Answer my questions, Miss Ellie, and you can run home to daddy." Her derisive humor was gone. Her cold blue eyes flashed at Ellie, threatening to cut the answers out of her.

"What did your crew do with the creature?"

Asmodeus · Mar 12, 2011

Though there was never much humour in Drake's face, it was clear in his eyes that the joke was over. The news of Luna being thrown in the Psyche Ward was as sobering as battery acid. Sure, it would probably do her good, since she had been practically catatonic since the encounter with that creature. And the whole reason they were at Dispatch Station was because Drake had ordered the ship to the nearest port where they could get some help for the girl.

But still... it was the principle of the thing. No one took his crew away from him.

"Alright, Big Fish," he growled, leaning forward as Agent Barnes pocketed his notebook. "Maybe your beetle can riddle me this. Why does a captain with barely enough funds to buy fuel blow up the Ishmael and throw away a 50K reward? And why does he fly his ship right to fucking Dispatch after doing it? A ship, mind you, that's near fucked itself after firing a nova cannon."

He leant back, thinking of the others. He hoped Henry was keeping an eye on Ellie like he had been asked. With Luna off to the looney bin it was clear that none of his crew were safe on Dispatch.

Out of the frying pan and into the snappy filofax.

"Face it, Peaches: the only thing I'm hiding is the rash on my ass." Drake folded his arms. "Now how about we both do each other a favour? My pilot has the coordinates for the debris of the Ishmael in her noggin. Let us go out again and we'll find out what happened on that ship. If we don't get your answers you can throw us in the Titan mines and dance a jig."

It was a risky play. But it was not like they had much choice now. On the bright side though, he might be able to wangle some free repairs out of this.

And in any case, he had a desperate need to get out of this room and seek the love of a good bourbon.

Jumi · Mar 12, 2011

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[dash=#000000]Gands

Gands slowly started to rise from his, chair, his knuckles going white as they clenched. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Drake looking at him. There was a very slight narrowing of the captain's eyes, and Gands knew that he was about to make things worse, and so he slowly sat back down. Listening to Drake lay it out straight for the agent, Gands kept his eyes perched on Barnes. So they'd taken Luna to be shacked up in the Wacko Basket... He knew the situation had done a number on the crew, and Luna had gotten some of the worst of it, but this just wasn't right. The nurse wasn't crazy. She had just been so afraid that she'd lost her sanity momentarily, and he knew these government types liked to do as they please.

Taking his cigarette from his mouth, Gands lifted his injured hand, which they'd un-bandaged, and slid it through the hole in his hand. Moving it to his face, he took one last drag on it, and then exhaled the smoke into Barne's face, before shaping the hand into a gun. Index finger pointing to Barnes, he dropped his thumb like a pistol's firing hammer, and then closed the hand, breaking the cigarette in two. "If Ellie ain't a bubble of fucking joy when I see her next...I'll be seeing you again."

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Sakura · Mar 15, 2011

[DASH="#FBEC5D"]εℓℓiε
* * *

Ellie figured they were trying to scare her. The dark room, the creepy lady. They're pretty good at it, too! Ellie looked around. She was sitting below a dim, flickering light bulb. The woman came closer and Ellie held her breath, almost afraid of what she might do.

Agent Claudia Heinz, huh? Ellie watched as Heinz' demeanor flipped around and lashed back at her. Ellie blinked. Wasn't the lady just laughing? She rolled her eyes and sighed, leaning back in the chair.

Unfortunately, Ellie wasn't in a great mood either. Drake & Gands had been gone for over three hours; she had been trapped on board the entire time. And, of course, she thought, her father just had to make things bitter. Why wasn't he here? Did normal parents leave their children to interrogations?

Ellie shuffled her feet, sighed again, and looked over at Heinz in silence. About a minute passed. Or half a minute? Maybe more than that? Ellie couldn't really tell. Her skin crawled. Agent Heinz was so hostile; should she just give in to the questions? I guess...It doesn't hurt to give her answers, right?

"We killed it," she answered somewhat defiantly, without meaning to be,"What would you do.. with a hostile alien on board?"

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Unsung[JUKEBOX]Hero · Mar 15, 2011

Elliot stepped towards the guards at a brisk pace. He had no plan, no idea what he was going to do. This didn't bode well, but he liked to believe that he worked best when under pressure. As he stepped up to the men by the door he casually waved, maybe he could get past on just sheer luck. One of the brutes put out an arm though and halted him immediately.

"No entry," the man huffed, "This dock is off limits until further notice,".

"Oh, but I'm a member of the crew of one of the ships docked here! I need to get to the Hesperos friend," Elliot replied chattily, but with an air of emergency.

"The crew is currently being detaine..." began one of the guards.

"No Tom, stop!" the other guard cut in.

"What did I do Lawrence?" frowned Tom.

"You were telling him about some top secret stuff!" Lawrence said urgently to Tom.

"Oh…well I didn't mean too…" Tom said apologetically.

"It's okay, I won't tell," Lawrence told Tom, patting him on the back comfortingly.

"What about him?" Tom pointed to Elliot.

"What about me buddy? I'm just trying to get to my ship!" Elliot jumped, rubbing the back of his head ernestly.

"We already told you! The crew is detained and no one can enter cause of the alien that atta…" Lawrence began.

"Oh damn it Lawrence now you told him some stuff too…those agents back there'll kill us if they know somebody found out!" Tom said, looking very upset.

"What if we take him in?" Lawrence suggested, "As our prisoner?!"

"He was all suspicious and asking questions!" Tom said excitedly now.

"Wait, that isn't necessary, is?!" Elliot backed up, alarmed.

"Too late friend," guffawed Lawrence as he and Tom began walking towards Elliot ominously.

Elliot's eyes widened as the big galutes grabbed him by either arm. He wished he hadn't been so damn curious! They began hauling him towards the dock door. Elliot put on a brave face and shook off their hams, he'd at least walk himself.

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