Blood Impulse

Part 15.1 - FIGHT OR FLIGHT

Homebound Sector, Haven System, Battleship Singularity

Lieutenant Colonel Flagg pulled his hand back from the fractured support as though he'd been bitten.

Sergeant Cortana cast a nervous glance around the large, open room from where she stood, holding the rifle she had confiscated from the Marine guard. She had been right to bring the inspector here. The structural damage had been obvious from the moment they had entered the room. Flagg had gone immediately to scrutinize the broken support, but the second he touched it, feeling out the depths of the cracks, the ship itself had seemed to protest.

The lights had flickered, accompanied by the horrible shriek of twisted metal as the deck jolted beneath their feet. "That can't be good," the inspector said dryly, cautiously looking up the length of the jagged support.

Flagg did a lap around the column, noting that an additional support and cross braces had been added during repairs. Unfortunately, even with those measures in place, he had to observe the depth of the original damage. No doubt, it had been a severe blow. The Singularity had endured damage that would have left other ships lifeless husks, but that didn't mean she was better off. If anything, the illusion of indestructability would lead to a terrible tragedy.

Flagg had been ordered to complete a thorough inspection, so he reached out to feel the support again. Cortana watched him, mortified. Flagg himself tensed up when he made contact with the metal, expecting another violent protest, but the ship only continued the low groans that had started after the jarring deck movement. He shook off the irrational thought that his contact with the support had caused anything abnormal and continued to feel out the damage.

"Stop it, won't you?" Callie cried. It was clear the ship was not reacting well to the inspector's poking and prodding.

Cortana primed her weapon, already annoyed by the engineer's continual protests. "Can it, pipsqueak, or I'll knock you unconscious, just like your friend."

Ensign Smith quit straining against her restraints at once, forced to sit at the Sergeant's feet. Beside her, Cadet Santino lay unconscious, his hands bound behind his back. He hadn't moved since getting shocked by the Sergeant's sidearm, but he was still breathing. "What do you want, Sergeant?" Why was she here, cooperating with the inspector?

"I just want off this cursed ship." She just wanted to get back to her real life and friends down in Eagle's Talon.

"There are a lot of easier ways to go about that," Callie answered. These lengths were unnecessary. "Admiral Gives would transfer you if you asked."

"Somehow I doubt that," Cortana muttered. She very much doubted that the cruelest officer in the fleet would have any pity for her desires, especially when his brother had died under her guard.

Flagg snapped some photos and began edging a probe into the crevasses of the damaged support, gauging their depth. As he did so, a low grinding chirr echoed around them. Everyone in the room winced. "Such an ugly noise," Flagg was sure the issue was here. After all, this portion of the ship had taken the nuclear blast's direct force.

"Well, I wouldn't make a pleasant noise if someone had just gone poking my deepest wound."

"Can it, pipsqueak," Cortana said, pushing Callie to roughly bend over with her boot. The Ensign groaned in helpless discomfort, straining to fold over that far. "Don't make me ask you again."

"Then I should not need to ask this twice: what exactly do you think you are doing?"

Every head in the room snapped to the entrance of the compartment. "Well?" the Admiral prompted, leading a Marine and the ship's SAR dog into the room.