Eagle X, Mission 15: The Singapore Incident

Part 11: Captain Fissure

Fourteen hours ago, standard time...

"Captain on deck!"

The command crew of the ECS Interceptor Dark Horse stood at attention, saluting as their commanding officer entered the helm. In one hand was his datapad filled with the day's flight registries, ship manifests, Dark Horse's crew roster, and his book club's book of the month. In the other hand was a steaming cup of faux coffee from the lower level of Trappist Station. The kiosk on Dark Horse had real coffee, but Captain Jacolby Fissure preferred the faux stuff from Earth Prime. He saluted with his drink and gestured for the crew to resume preparations for the day's patrol.

He sat in his command seat, synced his pad to the ship's main view screen, and sipped his hot beverage. He tapped his pad and the morning ship departures were displayed for all to see. His first mate and protégé, Commander Patience Dally, stood in the center of the room and studied the list. She was a woman of thick build with skin as dark as the faux coffee seeds Fissure loved so much. She had a handsome unibrow which hung above both eyes. She made notes on her own pad and shared them on the screen.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," she said as she walked over to the huge screen.

"Morning, Commander," the crew replied.

"Morning, ma'am," said Gunnery Officer Lopez. He winked, she nodded. Everyone knew they were sleeping together, but Captain Fissure saw no reason to address it as long as it didn't interfere with his ship.

"We have at least three flights which give me concern this morning." She pointed towards the screen and details for the third ship in the first jump queue appeared at her fingertips. "This civilian vessel has been tagged twice this year for possible contraband importation. Now bound for Europa Station."

"The smugglers den," growled Ensign Kharahs. The green fur of his hackles raised.

"Exactly. I'm of a mind to order a surprise inspection. Captain?"

"I trust your instincts, Patience, but we don't want to risk things turning violent with so many civilian ships around. Send word to Europa. That's Felarnian Space, they'll gladly handle the inspection."

Commander Dally nodded and entered more data into her pad. She pointed to the details of a ship fourth in line for the third jump queue. Captain Fissure had highlighted the same ship in his own personal log. It was impossible to miss.

"We have another imp class economy transport, ladies and gentlemen. It isn't Colonial Spaceways, but we can't take any chances. We'll tag the ship for a lamprey drone and hope for the best. The last five imp class implosions haven't made much news, but I suspect a ship ban or a recall isn't far off."

"Umm, Commander, what exactly is causing the implosions?" asked Ensign Barris. She was the newest member of Captain Fissure's crew. Her shining record at the naval academy and her youthful beauty had been deciding factors in the captain accepting her request for assignment to The Dark Horse.

"Homer-767?"

"Right, Commander," said the series 5 construct. "Imp class civilian transport vessels were designed with inertia dampeners powered by an isotope with a limited half life. The dampeners have been failing while entering or leaving the jump stream causing the ships to implode from the immense pressure. Five ships, all created on Earth 2, have failed in the last year. Four of which were registered with Colonial Spaceways." His blue Low-Face wore a monocle and a long goatee.

"Thank you, Homer-767." The Commander nodded. "The lamprey drone will monitor the flight and hopefully we can observe any pre-crisis signs that can be used to identify these problem flights before there's another incident. Captain?"