The Emperor's Mercy

Part 2

“GAH!”

            I opened my eyes violently, startled and dazed. Where was I? Everything was white and it smelled sterile and clean. I sat up and looked around. On my left was a portable table with a tray full of vials, syringes, scalpels, and various other utensils. Behind me was a monitor with a variety of bleeping lines and numerals. My vision was still fuzzy, my focus not returning entirely yet, but it was obvious to me that I was brought back aboard my ship and in the medicae deck. I squinted my eyes, trying to readjust my vision to the light. I felt like hell. I started making out shapes of other things around me. I could hear faint bleeping, probably more vitality monitors hooked up to other patients. My sight finally returned a bit more, so I took a good look at my surroundings, not expecting what I saw at all.

            My men, eight of them, were lined up on medicae cots. Their flesh was so extremely pale and sickly; veins popping out everywhere, and entire areas of skin were flaking up. What in the damn happened to my men? I stood up, plucking the assortment of I.V. needles from my arm and rising to my feet. None of them were conscious, most of them giving off extremely faint signs of life. I began to walk towards the door and noticed the windows were flat black. That’s when I realized this was worse than what I had hoped. This was definitely two-way glass. I approached the door and more of my fears became true. 

A red rune notified me that the door was indeed locked. No, not just locked, completely pressure sealed. It could only be opened from the outside, or one of remote terminals at the medicae office or on the main deck. Of course this was only with the appropriate level of authorization code. I imagined only a few people aboard this vessel would have authorization, being the Chief Chirurgeon and the Captain himself. I wouldn’t fathom any junior officers having authorization on this tight a seal.

I looked up from the door still emanating red. Above it hung a small pict-recorder unit, observing the entire room right now. I wondered if there was a person on the other end, manning the unit right now, watching us. There was no way of telling from my end, it just periodically swung back and forth, set on auto cycle to do so.

            I turned about and walked amongst my men, taking in their dire conditions. What the Throne caused this to happen to them? Their flesh seemed to be rotting, but they were still alive! They were shades of gray and black, patchy and scarred, pale green and-

“Wait!” I said aloud, “that green, I’ve seen it before. Where the hell have-” then I remembered.

‘The smoke snaking up from the burning hatch was suddenly cut through by a thicker, pallid green hue.’

My head suddenly felt as though some creature was forcing its way out of my skull, and my stomach was spinning around rapidly. I would have thrown up if I could, but it wasn’t until I couldn’t that I realized how hungry I really was. They must’ve been keeping me alive with the I.V. drip for God Emperor knows how long. However I now realized what it was that caused this. Whatever that green gas was, it was causing this to my men, but why the hell not me?!

I gritted my teeth and slammed my fist on the table to my left which held a variety of medical supplies. The objects bounced around as I pounded my fist, falling out of their previously well-kept order. “Why the hell are my men dying but not me?!” I shouted. My anger and frustration were welling up at the thought that eight of my men were near death, but I was going to survive. Even worse was the lack of medical personnel to treat these men.

I found a chair and sat for quite some time. How long had it been? It felt like roughly an hour passed, but there was no chronometer in sight. My head was still in massive pain, so I folded my arms out on top of the table in front of me and set my head in them. Then I dozed off until I fell asleep.