A group of civilians had gathered round Josh Albar in the cargo hold, he had been exacerbating the situation for weeks. It was bad enough that the colony had failed he didn’t need a civilian munity on his hands too.  Mason Cole had been weighing his options for the past week, deciding a show of force was the best way to keep order. He was planning to take on Albar face to face if that didn’t work he was going to have back up, armed Fleet Patrol.

Cole strolled into the cargo hold, Albar stopped mid sentence , Cole stood in the doorway arms crossed waiting for Albar to make the next move. “There he is. Our dear Commander.” Albar jumped off the cargo container he had been using as his soapbox. “Come to grace us with his presence?” he sneered.

“Albar.”

"Commander."

"May I ask what you are doing?"

"Expressing our disgust in the treatment we have received.”

“Take it up with Earth Command when we get back.”

“You’ve been breaking the Lunar Convention as well as the Colony Agreements.”

“Albar this isn’t the place.”

“We have complaints.”

“I’m listening.”

“Rationing.” Akbar started ticking off the first complaint with his finger.

Cole interrupted irritated “We have limited resources rationing is the only available option.”

"Why do your soldiers get more than us?"

"Everyone gets the same amount Albar." Cole replied.

"How come your soldiers always seem to have more food than the rest of us?"

"Because they goddamn know how to ration themselves. This is complete foolishness, we’ll be home in less than a month. Are we going to get there as sniffling teenagers or are we going to pretend not to be the complete and other failures that we actually are." Cole’s voice rose despite his efforts to remain calm.  

Albar swing at Cole landing a punch, Albar swing again Cole caught Albars arm flipping him onto his back. "Give it a rest." Cole scorned. Albar quickly righted himself and charged Cole knocking Cole to the metal floor. They were grappling with each other a mass of limbs rolling about on the floorboards all the pent up anger and frustrations of the past months pouring out into the brawl. Cole so focused on his opponent that he didn’t notice the sudden inclusion of the civilians and the soldiers as the fight spread to the onlookers. Cole had gotten a busted lip but Albar had a bloody nose and good bruise forming on his forehead. There was a shot that echo through  the cargo hold ending the brawl in deafening silence for on the floor in a quickly widening gap in the crowd was the body of a young woman. "Medic!" Cole shouted.

"This is your doing commander." Albar accused stabbing his finger at Cole.

Cole clenched his jaw turning around and punching Albar sending him sprawling on the floor with his head hitting with a satisfyingly audible thud. "Get him out of here. Put him in the brig for a few days see how he likes that. Where is that medic." addressing the gathered crowd. "Get out of here." The civilians just stood around in shifting silence. "I am ordering you as not only your commander but your captain,  leave immediately. Dismissed." The civilians dissolved just a Hector came running through the hatch. "What happened?"

"She’s been shot."

Hector knelt down beside her taking over for the soldier that had been applying pressure to the wound.

"Dead." There was no more to be said Cole knew it was his fault "Her name?"

“Luna Dagotto” A soldier spoke up from the few that had stayed behind.

“Take her to the infirmary.” Cole ordered. Turning to the soldier that spoke up earlier. ”Does she have any family on board?”

“I don’t believe so, Sir.”

“A relief if there is one. Who the hell fired on civilians without my command.” The gathered soldiers looked at each other. lieutenant “Sir none of us were equipped with lethal weapons, only stunners per your request.”

“You are telling me that a civilian a god damn civilian has a gun not just any civilian but one of Albar’s lackeys, Is that what you’re telling me.” Cole got progressively angrier as he continued. “Find whoever it was, retrive that weapon. use the internal sensors find out who was here. Talk with them find that weapon before someone else ends up dead. Understood. Dismissed.” Cole stood staring at the blood on the deck plating rubbing his hand  over his face. Only the lieutenant stayed. “Sir?” Cole said nothing for long moment.

“Blood.” When he finally spoke it came in a hoarse whisper. “Clean the blood.”

Cole turned quickly walking out of the cargo hold. He kept walking barely registering people that he passed, he needed five minutes just five minutes alone. Then he would deal with Albar deal with the entire ship. Explaining what happened apologizing doing all the political things he had come despised as part of his job as the leader of this miserable disaster of a mission. He reached the safety of his room letting go as an emotional wave raked his body with sobs no tears just the release of emotional tension that had built over the months as the colony failed, the colonist had become unruly especially over the last few weeks, and now this the first and only death under his command since the mission started. He had managed to keep them all alive on the hell hole of a planet, injuries,  close calls but no one had died until now.  An accident on the planet, a break in one of the coolant pipes would all have been preferable to what amounted to murder intentional or not. That person must be found. Cole knew where he needed to start.

“Albar” Cole had told everyone to clear out it was just Albar and himself in the brig. Cole stood arms folded glaring at Albar in his cell.

Albar rise “Who was shot.” Albar asked.

“I didn’t think you would care.”

“Of course I do, I want the best for these people.” Albar

“Hardly, a riot is that what you truly want, what good would that do anyone.”

“What I have been saying is the truth.”

“If it is true, why didn’t you just come talk with me instead of inciting them to riot.” Cole

“You wouldn’t have listened.” Akbar shook his head resignedly. 

“You didn’t even try.” Cole’s disappointed vibrating in his voice.

Albar spat out. “You’re corrupt the entire military is.”

“Albar shut up, you want to accuse my officers of corruption, fine I’ll investigate, but it was not one of my men that shot the young woman it’s yours.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“She is dead, Albar.”

“Who?”

“Luna Dagotto.” Albar sat for a minute, then his eyes grew hard and his jaw tightened. “I don’t believe you.”

“I can show you her body. The blood on the decking.”

“I know, I don’t believe that it wasn’t one of your men.” Cole clenched his fist and bit the inside of his cheek. Knowing that it was pointless to argue with this fanatic. He would deal with Albar later, now he need to see the body make arrangements for burial, notify the rest of the ship or at least try to minimize the blowback and most importantly find the responsible person, and make them pay.

Cole left without saying another word. He made his way to infirmary. The doctor and the lieutenant had taken up residence on either side of her body that had been placed on a medbed.

“Have you found them yet?” Cole questioned.

“Sorry sir, we have technicians reviewing the footage compiling a list of everyone that was there and soldiers are questioning everyone.”

“How old?”

“25.” Doctor

Cole shook his head “Is there anything I should know?”

“The bullet pierced her heart she bleed out in a matter of seconds. There was nothing anyone could do Sir.”

“There was something.”

“There is no blame here.”

“There is plenty to go around Arbar, myself, the person who pulled the trigger, how did the gun end up on this ship. Believe me there is blame, I have plenty and I’m not afraid to share.”

“We need to think of what to tell the civilians Sir.” the lieutenant.

“I will.”

“There has…” Cole took a deep breath and continued. “... I am saddened to inform you that Luna Dagotto was shot, fatally shot today. There will be an investigation and the person or persons responsible will be brought to justice. Please remain in your quarters until told otherwise. If you have any information which might prove useful please come forward.”

Next Chapter: New Chapter