Space Odyssey: Spectre

"Actually…" Steel looked around, "I think it would just be best to take cover and open the doors early." He moved his hacking device so it would not be in the line of fire. Wise moved behind cover so she had an angle on the opening.

Steel quickly typed on his device, locking out all systems so the enemy could not operate the ship without a code that only he knew. He then set the door to open in ten seconds. "Ten seconds."

He then got into position and aimed at an area between objects, it would make it harder for them to see him. He pulled out his rifle and aimed, taking deep breaths of his recycled oxygen that were generated by his infantry armor. The same armor that was the difference between him and the unforgiving vacuum of space.

"Five… four… three… two…." Steel counted down, tensing up before the door suddenly opened. Catching the mecha pilots that were on the other side completely off guard. A few of them were still watching behind them while one was holding an explosive canister and the other was holding a blowtorch.

A few shots from Wise and the entire hall was engulfed in fire and Steel had to grab something to avoid being pushed out the ship. For a moment he heard a ting like something metal bouncing off metal but he ignored it. Through the destruction he could see the silhouettes of body parts and torsos as they landed on the ground.

After a few moments where there was no retaliation he moved out of cover and checked his device. The door was no longer operational. It had been damaged too badly to close. "Wise are you still alive?"

"Yes Cadet Steel," After a few moments she stepped out of cover and Steel followed her lead and stepped out of cover as well. She did a double take before nodding. "You look… like you are still okay. You notice your helmet is cracked?"

Steel looked up and saw what she meant. It was not enough to compromise his suit but it was still enough to catch him off guard. He got lucky. "Must have happened during the explosion, probably a piece of shrapnel." He then looked down at the hall. Since the ship's gravity was still working it was a ghastly sight.

There were pieces of bits here and there with blood covering the walls but quickly frosting over. Which also meant there were not any melting pieces of metal or burning body parts. But it had quite a strange effect. Frozen bodies right after the explosion made them crack under the quick temperature change.

"Damn, and you thought what I did at the airlock was gruesome." Steel joked, causing Wise to give him a frown.

"You said there were two areas still with air?"

"Yes sir. The hangar and a cryo pod room." Steel answered. "I will pass on the info to the captain but chances are we are staying here. Watch my back. I am going to search through their systems."

"Okay. Now here is the boring part." Wise gave an affirmative before focusing on the hallway.

Less than an hour later both Wise and Steel were standing at attention on the bridge of the Border of Downfall. Saluting towards the front while the captain paced back and forth. He seemed between angry and ecstatic.

"I will be honest. I have no clue what to do with you two. Because while you did manage to secure the enemy bridge. You failed to communicate that you were going to attempt to secure the enemy ship." The captain's voice sounded exhausted.

"Cadet Steel was just following my orders sir." Private Wise cut in. Causing Steel to frown.

"Regardless of what the cadet would have done. It was still… impressive. Even if our weapons were stronger than we expected against their meager armor. Within maybe twenty minutes of the fight starting you managed to finish it." The captain glared at Private Wise making certain she knew not to cut in again.

"Now we only have so many options. So I will only mark it in your records, noting both your failure to communicate your unordered mission. On the other hand I will indicate that you both showed initiative. So you will get off this time. Go and get checked out by the medical staff. You were the only two exposed to the vacuum, I want to make sure you are alright." He waved his hand in an attempt to dismiss them.

But Steel still had a question, "sir, what about scavenger's rights?" He asked, causing both the captain, private Wise, and the ship staff to look at him in bewilderment.

"Cadet?"

"Sir we managed to secure a whole ship. But I doubt the military will let us keep it." Steel answered, causing the man to understand. Causing members of the bridge staff to chuckle, and Private Wise to smile.

"I suppose… you are correct. I will notify Command of your 'acquisition' but for now. Private Wise, I am issuing custom infantry armor and any customized armaments you want to go with it. Cadet Steel you will be allowed to get any customized armaments even among the weapons you seized, unfortunately you can not get customized armor. So instead I will be taking one of the mecha from the ship and you can play with it and make it usable." The captain decided. Then he waved them off again.

Steel and Wise walked away, Wise was smiling and they walked to the medical bay. That smile disappeared from her face. Steel was likewise suddenly in a foul mood. There were a few injured on the beds. Some with singed skin where they got cooked by laser fire.

But the person with the heaviest injury was definitely Cadet Charlie. Her entire left arm was missing, there was also a clear lack of scorch marks. She was on a ventilator at the moment, clearly put to sleep because of the pain.

"It was friendly fire." A voice behind them spoke up. They turned around to see the Sergeant, "Inquisitor dumbass got jumpy and blew her arm off. We were lucky there were no other major injuries."

Private Wise clicked her tongue, "I do not like that guy. There is something off about him. It feels like small bugs are crawling over my skin when he looks at me."

"I agree, but Inquisitors are out of the usual military line of command. So not even the captain can punish him without permission." Cornwall answered he moved over to a nurse and started looking over Charlie's file.

"Come on Steel, let's get checked out." Wise moved over to a doctor while Steel listened. "Hey, we were told by the captain to get a onceover. Nothing serious, he probably wants to make sure we are fine."

"Yeah… the smartass Desert Dogs that stole an entire ship. Rumor is already spreading about you two." The doctor nodded with a grin.

"Good to know." Wise gave the man a smirk. Then she thought of something, "hey what can you tell me about my junior Cadet Charlie." She nodded to the girl who was asleep.

"Ahh…" even the doctor seemed to get an annoyed look on his face. "Yeah, the worst injury of this attack and it was fucking friendly fire. Traditionally I would be able to immediately requisition a cybernetic replacement."

"But…" Steel cut in as he walked up. "It sounded like you were about to say this is not a traditional case."

The doctor looked somewhere between nervous and outraged now. "I was. The pr- Inquisitor," he corrected himself. "Has restricted the medical treatment until the investigation is dropped. His exact words, the prick is pressuring the captain to drop it."

"He is playing politics. No wonder…" He trailed off as he thought of something.

"Something wrong Steel?" Private Wise asked.

"No… I just figured out some useful information for later." He answered, "can you at least get it sized up for when it gets approved?"

The doctor nodded, "it will not violate any laws or orders so I can. Plus it will piss off that prick." That time he let slip his hate. Something told Steel that it was not the first time the ship doctor and inquisitor had run afoul of each other.

"Good, Cadet Charlie is a good soldier. She does not deserve to get screwed over because of that fatass." Private Wise was about to let loose a few more insults but Steel stopped her.

He shook his head and nodded to the door, "he's coming. Doctor let's get checked out quickly-" He stopped mid sentence and his eyebrows raised in surprise as he listened. "Nevermind, looks like I am going somewhere else." His statement caused both of them to look confused until Inquistor fatass walked in with Private Hand and Corporal Tani on either side of him. Looking both annoyed and angry.

"Cadet Steel-" Inquisitor Sender started to speak loudly to catch everyone's attention. But Steel cut in, interrupting him.

"I already heard, Inquisitor fatass. Come on, I am curious to see what evidence you fabricated." His words caught everyone off guard. You could hear a pin drop across the room as Steel walked past them and out the room. He thought it worked a little too well, the Inquisitor seemed to have forgotten he was framing Steel.

Steel got halfway down the hall and looked back when Tani walked out stifling laughter. Then Inquisitor Sender came out looking red in the face. But Steel shrugged it off and basically skipped to the brig. Finally causing Tani to burst in laughter.

When he arrived at the brig the officer in charge of watching it was confused when Steel walked right into a cell and sat on a metal bench. "Umm cadet?"

Tani walked in crying from laughter. She closed the cell door and then waved her hand, "Come on, I am still going to need your weapons and anything else electronic."

Steel shrugged and walked to the door handing her his Pyre-21 and the mags he had with it. Then pulled out a number of other devices he had on him. "Hey there was an info pad by the airlock I secured during the attack. Can I get it back, if I am going to be stuck in here I might as well finish what I was designing."

"Sure when the doctor comes to get a look over you I will send it with him." She answered as she brought the things he surrendered to a locker. Then she closed the locker and took the key with her. "Don't worry too much about Steel, it is a bunch of political bullshit." She told the guard as she walked past.

Now all Steel could think about was how exciting his life was. He quietly contemplated as he sat back down on his metal bunk.