Dieing to Live - Pt 6

“……
…Weapon Systems…...Online…
…Propulsion Systems…Online…
…Navigation Systems…Online…”

The computers voice rang in her head as it went through the standard start up checks. Normally it would be much quicker just to let the Aura system do the start up checks but Selina liked knowing through both visual and vocal confirmation that all systems were operational. As much as the pod pretty much made her a part of the ship, being able to feel out each individual system as it came online made her, in her own way, a more coherent part of the ship. Not to mention as well that every microsecond in this upcoming engagement could count towards success or defeat and knowing, or rather feeling, the capacity of every system would determine the course of events with each of those passing microseconds.

“…All systems are now online and fully operational.”

Slowly the view from her camera drone came into focus and she could see her own ship sitting silent in the depths of empty space. She had always loved this feeling of being outside her ship. Loved the open space freedom it gave her to look around at all that was happening around her rather than being limited to the constricted views of the ships thick windows. But no time for that now. Must stay focused.

Bringing up her overview, she selected the predetermined tab that showed her nothing but stations and other ships within the area. She then did a quick double check to make sure the proper ammunition was loaded into the weapons systems before aligning her ship to the moon in which her target would soon arrive. And she didn’t have long to wait.

Right on time, her scout notified her that a transport ship had arrived at the remote station and as the datacard had informed her, no escorts were accompanying the ship either. Quickly she fired up the warp drive and in just a short moment her ship was dropping out of warp near to the station. Immediately, she started the targeting sequence and activated her blasters to begin firing as soon as a target lock had been acquired. The on-board computer notified her that by doing so, she was committing a criminal act and the consequences of such. Selina only smirked and dismissed the notification, refocusing on the task at hand. The small, light transport ship quickly began taking evasive action, turning to align itself to warp out as it was still too far from the station to dock but it was not fast enough. Coming within range, her target lock acquired, Selina’s blasters opened fire on the vessel just as she activated the warp scrambler as well. As her blasters started cutting into the ships armor, she could already see the escape pods jettisoning from the sides of the ship. It was at about this time that the Concord ships started to arrive.

The ships locked on to her faster than she could blink and opened fire. With only the first volley, all of her shields and nearly half her armor was stripped away. But she was prepared and just as she had calculated beforehand, the hauler went up in a massive ball of light as the gases within it found their way into open space….only moments before her own ship became engulfed in a fierce explosion, violently shaking her body within the nearly indestructible pod. However with her mind in essence detached from her body, felt none of it, allowing her to stay focused and quickly engaging the pod’s warp drive. As the warp bubble engulfed her, it was then she finally gave a mental sigh of relief.
__________________________________________

“Did you get him?”

“Aye, we got him. That was a lot of escape pods to sort through…but we got him.”

“And the others?”

“Dispatched as instructed. The rest of our payment?”

“Sending it now.”

“Alrighty…then it seems we’re finished. You’ll find him, as requested, in the hauler’s cargo bay, orbiting Imya II. And if you ever need help with anything again, by all means. Let us know.”

“Will do. And thank you.”

“Not a problem. Been a real pleasure.”

The comm clicks as the communication link is ended.
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Selina stood before the door of the cargo hold breathing deeply, preparing for what lay beyond. She had planned so long for this. Everything had gone perfectly. But now, here she was about to face him and it was now that she began questioning herself whether she even could. It would just be easier to open the cargo bay’s airlock and let the vacuum of space sort it out.

Before she could dwell on it any longer and possibly talk herself out of it, she bit her lower lip and swept her hand across the access pad, the door sliding open before her, the sound echoing across the enormous, and for the most part empty, dark expanse of the cargo bay. Selina nearly laughed at the dramatics the hired hands had staged for her as she entered. About 100 feet away, the solitary man seated in a chair with a lone spotlight placed between the door and where he sat, preventing him from seeing any who might enter. Tied securely with electrical wire to the chair, his hands bound behind him, he did his best to lean to one side, attempting to catch sight of whoever it was that had entered. "Who's there," he called. "What the frack do you want with me?"


Biting her lips she moved forwards, closing the distance but stopping behind the light shining in his face. She stood for a moment silently, looking him over in complete disgust. He was the same man she once knew but the years in prison had done little for his appearance. Dark circles beneath the eyes, deep creases in the skin, even a couple small scars from probably some random prison brawl or another. His hair was matted and dirty, or what little was left of it. To Selina, he appeared to be a pale shadow of the once proud man he was.


"Talk to me you piece of shit," he yelled, spittle grotesquely flying from his lips as he spoke.


She waited a moment longer as he struggled a bit, attempting for what was probably the hundredth time to escape from his bindings. The hired help certainly seemed to have done a good job though as his attempts were clearly futile, the bindings barely budging. Finally she stepped from behind the light, letting just enough of it shine upon her to allow him to see. He narrowed his eyes and looked her over. "Who the hell are you?"


Selina tipped her head at the question. For a moment it surprised her that he didn't know who she was but then she was still a girl when last she'd seen him. She contemplated the answer to his question as well. No, she was not Selina Vallete, the girl whom this man had contributed in creating. Just as she no longer saw him as her father. He was a virus that had taken her mother, a disease that had to be eradicated. She was the antidote.


"Long ago you murdered a woman," she started.


"Yeah? So? What the hell do you think I was in prison for," he spat back at her though a slight look of questioning crossed his face.


"Yes, you were tried for your crime and sentenced for the killing of that woman... but you have yet to pay for the cruelty, for the torment you brought upon your own child. Your time to pay for that crime has come."


The man narrowed his eyes, attempting to gain a better view of the woman. Slowly the realization came to him "Selina..?"


In silence she nodded, letting the realization sink in to the man's brain. "Oh my god Selina. I am so sorry," he pleaded. "You are right. What I did was horrible. I can't even imagine how much I must have hurt you. I've wanted so much to apologize to you. To beg you to forgive me. When I saw you in that courtroom, saw the way you avoided looking at me, it.."


"Enough," she yelled, cutting him off. "What you did is unforgivable. Prison isn't good enough for you. Hell is where you belong."

"Selina please, forgive me. I'm not the same man I was then. I wish I could take back what I did but I can't."


At this she smirked before turning and walking to a crate nearby she'd had loaded before this little operation. "Your right, you can't take back what you did. So for that reason, you will have to pay for it. As I said, prison isn't good enough for you. Hell is where you belong. But since I don't believe in a heaven or hell, I'll just have to make due with what I can." She opened the crate and withdrew a mobile IV unit. Wheeling a cart over next to him, she placed the unit on it and withdrew the needle.


"What are you doing?" His eyes looked between her and the needle in both confusion and fear.


She grinned as she twisted his arm a bit, finding a vein and plunging the needle in. "In about 20 minutes here, the microwarp drive will activate and the ship will leave orbit. Its heading is the system's star. Not really sure how long it will take with just microwarp to get there but let's just say awhile. Of course, I would hate for you to die of starvation prematurely or have a heat stroke too early before it even gets close enough to the star and you miss out on the rest of your journey, thus the IV. For awhile the ship's systems will of course compensate for the heat but eventually, the closer you get to the star, the systems will begin to malfunction...at which point, you'll basically be slowly boiled. Like I said.... if there is no hell, I'll make due with what I can."


The man stared at her wide-eyed. "You can't do this..."


Laughing, she leaned in close. "Unfortunate for you, I can and I am."

She then leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead, leaving a dark imprint of her lips from the lipstick she wore. "Eventually the starfire will consume you and you will die....when you do, perhaps then I can truly live." she whispered before briskly turning, leaving behind his pleas then curses.
__________________________________________

As her ship sped away, Selina willed her eye, her camera drone, to pan around and watch just as the freighter's microwarp engaged, thrusting it free of its orbit and catapulting it towards the distant star.

"Goodbye......father..." she mentally spoke to herself in a murmur as she engaged her own warp drive, quickly leaving the system behind, fully ready now to make a name for herself in the vast universe known as Eve.