Hydroponic materialised on the bridge of the Ji ship. Emergency lighting lit the scene before him. The crew of the ship had been sliced up, arms and legs separated from bodies, razor sharp wounds evident everywhere he looked. Tapping a small camera by his ear he looked around.
“Nifty, are you getting this?”
A voice crackled into the earpiece. “Yes, get a close up on some of those injuries.” Hydroponic moved over to a decapitated body and knelt down before it.
“Four parallel wounds, look like claw marks, Nifty.”
“I know, this has to be Fluffy. He somehow got aboard and ripped through the crew. Looks like your Ji friends attacked the wrong ship.”
“I thought you killed Fluffy on Blackarchnia’s dreadnought when he attacked you?” Hydroponic asked, still looking around at the carnage.
“I thought I had, didn’t get chance to double check though. Come on let’s move on a bit,” Nifty replied.
Hydroponic stood up and looked to the captain’s chair. The captain lay just before the chair, face down. His arm was almost severed and pinned to the arm of the chair by a long sliver of metal, his finger just short of the large red button. Walking over he turned over the body with his foot. The captain wheezed and coughed, blood coming from his mouth.
“Nifty we got a live one, prepare the med bay.”
“No!” cried the captain. “Sit me in mi chair.” Carefully Hydroponic freed the arm and picked up the captain and sat him in the chair, the injured Ji struggling to avoid crying out in pain as he was moved. The captain sat and stared at Hydroponic and then smiled slightly in thanks.
“You need help before you bleed to death.” Hydroponic said, covering the wound-severed limb with his hand to try and slow the blood loss.
The Ji shook his head.
“You bin marked by Dream ma boy, I see it, I met ‘im too when I wa a bairn. He told mi of ya and ow we would meet just afore I deed. You av to warn the Ji, the cat is real. They must start the hunt, I'll let yer know the secret word so ya get to see the Big Jee. Ya ‘ave to warn tha Ji.”
“What are you going on about?” Hydroponic asked, struggling to understand the captain.
“I git no time ta explain, Big Ji ill do that far ya when ya see im. Nar pin back ya lugs, ya need tha word and mi emblem.” The captain indicated with a nod of his head a metal badge on his chest shaped like a shield.
Hydroponic knelt before the dying Ji and unclipped the emblem from his shirt then listened as the captain whispered a single word.
“And that will stop me being blown up on sight?” Hydroponic asked. The captain closed his eyes and nodded.
“Aye, you take tha news back t' mi people, ma crew’s names will go darn in istory, we are the first ta join the great pet hunt. Now you’d better bugger off afore I blow this tub up.”
Hydroponic looked to the red button and the captain’s hand that was now resting on it waiting to press it.
“Nifty, get me out of here,” Hydroponic said, looking at the captain who nodded to him as he began to disappear.
To be continued.
All images are mine.
