The Whorls of Jupiter

Chapter 6 Bottled

July 23rd 2521 Waning 3

Oddie snickered as the noose was placed over his neck and tightened. Keun merely frowned. The scientist closed his eyes and shuddered as it sank in. Jorge however had the shit kicked out of him so badly over the last few hours that he had a black eye and several bruises hidden beneath his clothes. He ached so badly he couldn't stand straight as they slung the slipknot over him and tightened it extra tight out of spite.

They were all standing on a maintenance catwalk and below the cargo bay doors opened revealing the Jovian clouds bathed in blood red waning light.

One by one they were kicked off the ramp and swung from their necks over the Jovian void below. Jorge watched in horror as they weren't dropped at all.

As his turn came he shouted, "You sentenced us to the darkness! What the fuck are you doing?"

The judge purred indignantly, "I don't recall promising your condition when I do," as he kicked Jorge in the balls and his men beat him with their rifles before tossing him over the side to swing as well. As Jorge suffocated the judge nodded and one by one his friends were cut loose, dropping into the darkening clouds below. For Jorge the world was nothing but pain as his head felt like it may pop off and his lungs were ready to burst. His heart rate hammered faster and faster as if hoping his blood flow could force open the ropes and allow him to breathe again. Out of the corner of his eye he finally realized he was alone. Jorge tried to calm himself and feign death in hopes of being cut free but the agony and lack of air kept him jerking and twisting involuntarily in the wind. As his vision darkened Jorge heard the familiar sound of a mortar and a bright flash soared past his eyes and the air changed. Above Jorge the mortar detonated, blasting the catwalk and severing Jorge's rope. With tears flowing from his blood red eyes a bound Jorge fell into the Jovian skies.

In seconds he slammed hard upon the hull of the Prominent Rage rising from the clouds below. Corporal Singer cut Keun free and Keun tore off his noose and turned to Jorge. Keun tapped his ear, "Captain, all accounted for!"

Jorge could hear the captain's voice echo from the ships speakers, "Get inside ASAP! A storm is coming and we need to go now!" A couple of marines manned the mortars and continued firing as the Prominent Rage boosted forward. Oddie, now free, helped Jorge to his feet and they stumbled for a door when they heard a slam upon the hull. Jorge turned to see Judge Bush writhing in pain, his legs shattered from the impact.

Dr. Vasquez shouted, "Take him! I can use him!"

"For what?!" Keun shouted as the winds picked up and the Insurrectionist fleet's weapons powered on and began to train on the Prominent Rage.

"You'll see! But bring him!"

"We'll lose them in the storm! Seal the hatches now!" Captain La Trois shouted over the comms and doubled the Rage's acceleration as the Bourbon Capital Fleet's weapons began firing back.

Keun stormed across the deck and grasped Bush by his belt and dragged him kicking and screaming into the Prominent Rage. Lightning lashed out from the storm and began to dance across the hull, blasting showers of sparks as the door slammed shut.

Keun tossed the judge onto the floor of the Prominent Rage's hallway, "Doc, in his condition I don't know what use he'll be."

"It's fine Sgt. Keun," Willoughby Vasquez said assuringly. "He won't survive but he'll aid our mission."

"Mission?" the judge croaked painfully.

"Get him to my quarters. Cal informed me that everything aboard is to my specifications." Judge Bush groaned as Keun carried him by his belt like a suitcase to the upper loading deck that had been repurposed to become the doctor's personal laboratory with a massive round glass chamber. "Toss him in. I'll be done shortly." The doctor opened a crate and fumbled with a massive electrode, plugging it into the Rage and ran a quick diagnostic. Keun casually flung Judge Bush into the chamber. He lay was sprawled out with his legs twisted in unnatural angles, sobbing.