Chapter 5
Cadence Path was not a man normally given to excessive sympathy, this was not to say he was a cruel man, words like sympathetic or cruel simply didn’t fit who and what he was. They implied a degree of feeling that Cade had scoured from himself over years in the service of the U.P.E. Still as he stood outside the doors to the hanger where the survivors of the Deviant Rising protest were being held, observing them through a personal uplink to the Enigma, he felt a hint of something that might be called sympathy. They had brought this upon themselves it was true, but as they were being lined up, stripped, disinfected and fitted with Helix earrings, they seemed so pitiful, so broken.
Cade stepped away from the doors as they slid open for a medical technician in a white version of the U.P.E. naval uniform. He was pushing a gurney that carried a badly burnt woman, and nearly lost it as he saw Cade standing there, his long dark coat and magnetic sunglasses serving to reinforce the fear of Cade this man, and most of the rest of the crew held for the ship’s Lambda observer. Cade looked down at the badly burnt and unconscious woman on the gurney, while the medic tried to compose himself. He tried to guess at the woman’s age but the mass of burns and blisters covering her face made that a fruitless effort.
Once the medic had hurried passed, Cade blinked away his own personal view of the hanger, and stepped through so that he might see the scene in person. In person the collected misery was no better. The main differences were that he now could hear the soft whimpers from some, and smell the scents of blood and fear that clung to the terrified men and women who the guards had lined up against the wall. Cade had seen worse before, the cause of worse even, but it was still hard to see so many people broken. Not in body, but in mind and soul. Cade may have advised Captain Shard that there was another way to handle the protest, but their was little doubt that his methods had been effective. Cade doubted more than a handful of these people would ever be able to muster the courage to speak out against the U.P.E. ever again.
As Cade traversed the massive hangar he found himself following a thin trail of blood that had been left by one of the Deviant Rising’s crew. The blood trail grew thicker as it lead to the outside of one of the escape pods the Enigma had reeled in.The pod had been cracked open like an egg, and was covered in thick semi dried blood. The spatter patterns on the outside of the escape pod made Cade think it was likely the but of a riffle or a baton that had sprayed the blood in such a way as to make it look as if the broken pod itself was bleeding.
Cade continued through the hall of machinery. Docked fighters and Deviant Rising Escape pods, his long dark trench coat sweeping back and forth against his legs until he found a position next to the Enigma’s Captain and his squad of soldiers.
“We believe their captain survived…” Captain Shard informed Cade as he approached.
Captain Shard was clearly waiting for Cade to say something, to indicate that Shard’s luck in possibly not killing the man they had been sent to collect was somehow an accomplishment, but Cade remained silent, simply looking the shorter man up and down with a hint of disapproval slipping out past Cade’s normally emotionless mask.
“We think he’s in that pod.” Shard gestured at a pod they were currently standing in front of. They’ve already removed a woman who was in the pod with him, but when they realized who the other occupant was they called for me.” Shard continued, noting that Cade showed no signs of concern.
“I understand.” Cade said flatly.
“Yes... So I called for you. So you could confirm his identity before we took any further action. If he is Xander Pacius, then we can’t allow him to rejoin his crew, and if he’s not, then there is little point in spending any more time on him.”
Cade accepted the simple truth in what Shard had said, but also knew it for a half truth. The real reason Shard had called for Cade was because he desperately needed to show Cade that his rash actions had not doomed their mission. Shard had lost his temper when the Deviant Rising had altered course and started firing back, and he knew because of that his life was in very real danger. Shard knew that at this point, Cade would be completely within his authority as Ship’s observer to execute his Captain and appoint a new one. Being a member of the United Planets of Earth Navy, Shard would have seen other observers do this before, and would understand that right now it was a very real threat.
“Then let us see, if Xander Pacius is amongst the survivors, that will change a great many things.’ Cade said, noting the way Shard’s face paled slightly at his words.
The pod smelled of sweat and burnt flesh as Cade leaned inside to get a look at the remaining occupant. The man still tangled in the pod’s crash webbing didn’t have the defeated look of most of the rest of the survivors. This man still had a hardness in his eyes, despite the profound weariness that was also clear on his features. Cade looked the man over, impressed despite himself. There was clearly a core to this man that would not break easily.
Cade scanned his files on the Deviant Rising’s crew, while they did not have information on the crew in it’s entirety, the U.P.E. required all officers of the S.M.M.C. to be registered and licenced. So he did have information on everyone rated as third mate or above. Cade compared the man in front of him to the image of Xander Pacius that was now hovering in his field of vision, His systems told him that their was a ninety nine point five percent chance that the man was Xander Pacius, but for Cade there wasn’t even that little fraction of doubt. It seemed Captain Shard’s life was indeed safe for the moment.
“Captain Xander Pacius?” It wasn’t really a question, however more of a way to give Pacius an avenue to start cooperating with them. Cade doubted if Shard and his people gave a damn whether or not Pacius was cooperative or not, nor would the U.P.E. Naval Command or Lambda H.Q. for that matter. So long as Pacius gave them what they wanted in the end. Cade cared though, he was not going to make things more difficult for this man if he didn’t have to.
“Where is Sara Rin?” Pacius asked.
Your first mate?” Cade asked in response.
“The woman your people yanked out of the pod. The one who was covered in burns!” Pacius spat.
“I don’t know.” Cade lied. The moment Pacius had mentioned her name, he had scanned the information the Enigma’s crew was collecting on the new prisoners. “But I can try and find out. if you work with us.”
Cade could tell that that had triggered something in Pacius. He didn’t want to talk to Cade or anyone else on this ship. His profile coupled with his demeanor made that clear; but he did care about his crew. Sara Rin maybe more than the others, Cade could use that, although he would have to do it carefully.
“We don’t have time for this,” Shard said from behind him. The continued life of Xander Pacius clearly returning a measure of confidence in his own continued existence. A confidence Cade was less than sure he shared. “Get him out of the pod and take him to interrogation room four.”
“Captain Pacius, please excuse me a moment.” Cade said, leaning back out of the pod and turning to look Shard in the eye. Behind him, Cade could hear a pair of soldiers cutting Xander Pacius out of the escape pod. “Captain Shard, this situation still needs to be handled with some delicacy. Let us not resort to torture right off.” Caid said; more for Xander Pacius who he was sure would be listening to every word Cade and Shard said. Cade’s hope was to turn yet another of Shard’s impulsive and short sighted actions to his advantage.
“The man is a pirate and a threat to the entire U.P.E. We don’t have time to play nice.” Shard said, trying and failing to meet Cade’s obscured eyes.
“Understand me Captain, this is a matter that we can’t afford to rush. We’ll not likely have another opportunity like this one and I will not allow you to jeopardize it. You and I are going to try speaking to the man. We may get lucky and he may be made to see reason. If that fails I, not you and not your trained dogs will be the one to extract what we need from him. Am I completely understood?” Cade said calmly looking down at his Captain. Shard was fuming, but he was also scared. Cade’s look as well as his words had reminded him that he still hung from a very thin thread.
Shard looked away, not wanting to meet Cade’s gaze any more and turned back to his soldiers who were in the process of dragging a struggling Xander Pacius across the deck to the station where he would have his Helix earring installed.
“Take him to guest quarters and stay there with him. The observer and I will be there shortly.” Shard said, not bothering to turn back to Cade before hurrying off.
Cade watched as Xander Pacius was stripped and doused in disinfectant before a medical technician extended a hand and clamped the earring into place on Pacius’ right ear. Again Cade was impressed despite himself, as Xander Pacius barely flinched as the needles pierced his flesh and began running the almost invisible wires from the piercing site to his brain. Cade had seen people cry out during the procedure before, it was far from painless, that was why most civilians opted to have their pain receptors temporarily blocked before installation. The Enigma’s prisoners were not given that option though.
Cade absentmindedly rubbed a spot just next to his orbital bone and thought to himself, Captain, this may hurt now, but there are far more painful things in this universe, many of which I fear you’ll know all too well before long.
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