In the Black Spaces

006: Impossibilities

Wraia was scared. She finally admitted it to herself after seeing the pulverised ruins of what had once been a thriving colony supporting more than ten thousand people.

In spite of the best efforts of Ensign Hooper and Ensign Briar, the reception from the live helmet cams was still patchy, but it was enough. The Myrr Idol colony was one large settlement and a scattering of research and agricultural stations, constructed of the usual prefab metal and fast-setting reinforced concrete, and enough of the buildings were intact to make in unmistakable.

Two teams from the Cobra and the Merlin had touched down less than thirty minutes prior, landing just outside what was once the fringe colony's diminutive spaceport. From there they treated the observers in orbit to a spectacle of destruction.

The Cobra was locked in geosynchronous orbit above them, staying as a relay point between the landing parties and the Merlin. Gueller had taken his vessel out to a wider orbit, punching scans into the void around what was left of Myrr Idol's moon.

Looking for clues in his own way. 

Wraia felt like she should have protested – her ship was newer, with more powerful navigation and sensor arrays that ought to have a better chance of cutting through the blanketing static, but Gueller had made the decision without discussion.

It seemed like, after missing out on finding the Manticore, he wanted something proactive to do. Gods, she hoped that the man wasn't out on an ego trip. There was too much at stake especially with what the ground survey was revealing to them.

The similarities between the colony and the Manticore were startling. Even with the grainy footage Wraia could see the strange denting in the once-smooth paving of the colony streets, and some of the buildings listed drunkenly, their out structures warped out of shape. She followed the helmet cam of Mayeda who'd volunteered to lead the landing party, seeing the carnage through his eyes.

Live audio fed from the helmet cams, but that only served to underline how deathly quiet Myrr Idol was now. Most of the sounds were hushed orders from Mayeda and the other officers, mixed in with shuffling footsteps. Occasionally there would be a creak or a crash as something gave way.

The teams moved slowly and carefully. Virtually the entire planet was unstable now, but they needed eyes on the ground. They needed to know what had happened here. Wraia steepled her fingers and let the information wash over her like a tide of icy water.

Dark figures moved through the static-infested images before her. She could pick out the shapes of mangled auto-gliders and cargo carriers; the occasional wrecked piece of equipment – a computer console here, part of a door there. Through the kaleidoscope of cameras from the landing parties there remained no sign of life. Just ruined halls and silent rooms.

"Launch 6 to bridge, please come in?"

It was Mayeda, his voice crackling but readable, spearing up from the planet's surface. Wraia opened her comm, steeling herself as she gestured for Ensign Briar to put Mayeda's camera up on the main screen.

"Go ahead, Launch 6," she answered, her voice coming out firmly, like a person in full control.

"Preliminary report for you, ma'am. We've swept about forty percent of the settlement now."

"Is it as bad as it look?"

"Afraid so. It's just like what we saw on board the Manticore," Mayeda told her. In the view of his camera, deck guards and emergency response teams from both ships continued sifting through the ruins ahead of him. "No bodies, and no survivors. They're gone."