The Whorls of Jupiter

Chapter 9 Brig

July 26th 2521 Waning 2

Jorge limped around the corner of the bridge to find the interloper down. The air utterly reeked of burning ozone. The interloper was down and the Captain stood at parade rest, disappointed.

"Cap? What the fuck happened?! Is he down?"

"I don't know, corporal. Why don't you secure the threat?"

Jorge nodded and jogged over. He kicked the man but got no response. Jorge's foot hurt like hell. "What the hell is this guy wearing?"

"That's graphene armor. What the real soldiers wear in the inner worlds. Even possessing that is a major treaty violation."

Jorge grasped the man's helmet and twisted. He heard a soft hiss and he pulled the helmet off. "Oh... Ah!!! What the fuck is this thing?!"

"That would be a modified Bridgemoor agent. When the insurrectionists start getting too threatening one of these guys drops down from orbit and well... " Capitan La Trois nodded towards the agent. "This happens."

"Jesus fucking Christ Cap! Did you know about this? Did you know he was coming?!"

"I know of them but I didn't expect one to come for us. We're not insurrectionists after all."

"Is this about the kirin?"

"Seems so. Before he fell, he kindly told me as much."

"How the fuck did you take him out Cap?"

"I've got a few hidden countermeasures on the bridge including this," La Trois said as he

drew a long nosed revolver with little squares mounted on each side of the cylindrical barrel. "It's a railgun mod. Graphene or not, one shot to the head and it's lights out. Speaking of which Corporal what's the interloper's status?"

Jorge placed his hand on the man's throat, "I don't feel a pulse sir."

"I'm not convinced. Modded men like him often get continuous flow heart implants so no pulse but they're alive as ever. Don't check his carotid artery, check his chest."

Jorge peeled open B29's graphene threaded armor and placed his hand over B29's sweaty undershirt, "Cap! I feel a vibration!"

"As I thought. Strip him of his gear and bind him with layers of zipties. The last thing this boat needs is him running loose a second time."

As Jorge stripped the agent out of his suit, an armored Keun stepped in, "We got him?!"

"Yes Sgt. Keun we did. Thanks to you and Jorge's bravery."

"Jorge! You took this fucker out?"

"No Sarge, he was like this when I found him."

"Then how?"

Captain La Trois held up his railgun revolver and a devilish grin crossed his features, "Best defense is a projectile moving five times the speed of sound."

"Jesus Christ even so Cap, you'd have to be the best gunslinger alive to take this guy out and not get shot."

Sing Sing pinged over the comms. "Captain, Early estimate is 32 KIA. We found Oddie in the armory and he's not in a good way. His neck seems broken but diagnostics say his spine has some connectivity."

"Do what you can to stabilize him and any others. The doctors at Yari Station can treat him when we arrive."

"Are we really leaving Jupiter Cap?"

"That's right corporal. Bridgemoor wants our guest taken offworld for study. It's not often we get to leave Jupiter. It's mainly the privilege of officers..." La Trois knowingly looked at Keun, "and the occasional real marine."