Capítulo 18: Chapter 18: Ghost Ship (1)
Dylan Brosoth and his sister Velmeria were fifth and sixth in line for the medical drones.
The last three hours had been a blur.
While they'd been in the Hauler's cargo bay, they'd felt the ship tremble and shake. Dylan was sure it had been because it was being hit by debris.
His theory had been confirmed when a loose tongued pirate had said they been hit by parts of the Destroyer.
That had been enough of a surprise, knowing that someone was attacking the Grackles base.
It had been a true shock when they'd suddenly been told to board shuttles in the hangar.
On top of that, the Pirate were treating them with extreme caution, instead of the yelling and shoving they'd been used to.
Now, they were in another ship's cargo hold, and Dylan's only thought was that it was unnaturally clean.
No dust, no spare parts,.... and no people.
Apparently, this ships entire cargo bay was run by Drones.
Velmeria watched in awe as they floated back and forth, some leaving the cargo bay all together through a small opening near the ceiling.
Then, in a very weird twist, the Pirates entire leadership was then put with them.
Dylan and his sister had huddled into a corner, scared that they were about to be attacked.
But instead of violence, the pirates had sat down in a group near the wall, almost like they were doing the same thing as the hostages.
Then, a giant man appeared, giving them instructions.
Standing in line, Velmeria whispered to Dylan.
"What sort of ship is this?"
Dylan was sort of a star ship aficionado, regularly begging their parents for his own Corvette.
"I don't know, I've never seen a Destroyer like it. It's way too big. Granted, I haven't seen the outside yet, but even the interior is different. Not only are the corridors much taller and wider than other ships, but only really affluent corporations pay for Drone-automated cargo bays."
Velmeria was silent.
They'd been on a trip to a resort world when their yacht had been hijacked and their crew killed.
They'd only been imprisoned for a week, but Dylan had spoken to others who had been here for months. One guy even claimed to have been there for a year.
A moment later, the northern corridor opened, and four hovering drones filed through the opening.
They split apart, stopping about 10 meters from each other in a straight line perpendicular to the line of hostages.
A robotic voice sounded from the closest one.
"Please form single file lines in from of each unit. When you are processed, please make your way to you assigned room. Instructions will be available on how to access the various facilites on the Venator."
After a few minutes, four lines were formed.
Curiously, the Pirates hadn't moved. Instead, they were now surrounded by six drones. These, however, looked much more intimidating.
Where the medical drones were rounded rectangles with two arms, the other drones, security Dylan assumed, were all edges.
While he was distracted, the person in front of him moved off, and the medical drone addressed him.
"Please state your name and age."
Dylan hesitated, then spoke.
"Dylan Brosoth, 16."
The drone beeped, it's lights flashing green.
"Please make your way to bunk room 9."
"Wait, this is my sister, can she be assigned with me?"
Daniel tugged Velmeria forward, presenting her like a toy he wanted.
The drone assessed her using it's arms.
"Please state your name and age."
Velmeria spoke softly, obviously worried about being separated from Dylan.
"Velmeria Brosoth, 14."
The drone was silent for a moment, before it's light flashed green.
"Genetic match confirmed, please make your way to bunk room 9."
Dylan sighed in relief before pulling Velmeria along down the Corridor.
It took them a moment to find an elevator that would take them to the Residential level.
They found the room, which was behind a very odd looking door.
There was no handle to slide it open, and no keypad or sensor to allow access.
They were about to leave, when the door slid open with a mechanical voice.
"Genetic match, welcome Dylan and Velmeria."
They entered to find what looked like an apartment.
There was a tastefully decorated living room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a view screen showing the space outside.
Somewhere, a digital being was green with envy.
The siblings wandered through their accommodations, marveling at how nice they were.
They'd been expecting a spartan room populated by two beds and maybe a dresser.
This felt like they'd boarded a luxury cruise liner.
"This is almost as nice as our quarters on the Chrysalis."
Velmeria was running between the rooms, staring in wonder at the comfy beds, the large shower, the spacious closet.
Dylan was at the view screen, trying to peek at the ship they were on.
They reconvened in the sitting area, both trying to figure out what to do now.
Dylan reached over an actual wooden coffee table to pick up a data pad.
"Seems like this is our guide. According to this, the entire residential level can accommodate up to 2000 people. It's got a dining service, common rooms, even a library. What kind of war ship has this stuff?"
Velmeria was nodding along.
"I'm sure everyone and their dogs want a berth on this ship."
Both would be surprised to know that before they'd boarded, none of these rooms had been here.
The Venator, up until now, had been almost a solid block of metal with some circuitry running through it.
Both sibling had been running on adrenaline for the past two hours, and a yawn from Dylan signaled that he'd run out.
"Alright, even though this has been the weirdest day I've had in a long time, I'm barely keeping my eyes open.
I'm going to take advantage of our mysterious host's hospitality and go to sleep in those nice, warm looking beds."
With that, Dylan promptly walked to one of the bedrooms and flopped onto the mattress, asleep almost instantly.
Velmeria, true to her age, was still awake and brimming with energy.
She walked over to the view screen, staring out into space for a moment longer.
Her curiosity go the better of her, and she tapped on the screen.
Unexpectedly, the scene changed, showing a beach on the edge of the bluest water Velmeria had ever seen.
Most planets were terraformed, so the natural blue color of an ocean was never brought to other planets aside from the ones already safe for humans.
Velmeria tapped the screen again, and the scene changed again, this time showing a view from the top of a snow peaked mountain.
She kept tapping the screen, flipping through the scene like pages of an ancient book, never seeing the same one twice.
Finally, she stopped at a scene showing a lake. The water was clear and flat, almost mirror-like, and the trees that sat on the edge were the most vibrant green Velmeria had ever seen.
So focused was she on the image that she missed text at the bottom of the screen
[Lake Erie, North America, Old Earth]
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder