Uncharted Territory

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. However, the raven-haired Giselle Williamson found herself disagreeing entirely with that statement as she watched her prisoner take in a ghastly scene on a security recording.

The horrifying scene began with a blinding white space suit spinning out of control into the utter blackness of perpetual vacuum. The blanched suit’s arms were outstretched towards anything that might guide it to safety but there was none to be had. No other personages were outside to offer aid nor were there any barriers or rails to grasp onto to. There was nothing left but for the poor protective outfit to slowly be swallowed by the darkness of eternal night.

If only the security cameras on the scene had been connected to the helmet’s communications, there would have physical evidence of the spacer’s last screams and cries for help. However, the lack of human pleading made the scene all the more eerie with its stress inducing silence.

Miss Williamson looked at the back of her prisoner’s curly red head. There was no trembling or shaking sobs that Giselle could see. Was this woman completely unfeeling?

Boudicca Stevens. Miss Williamson said her prisoner’s name in her mind. Former pirate. Now former Space Corps member. Can this woman pick one occupation and stick with it? But of course, no one tells Miss Boudicca Stevens what to do. Her reputation makes that very clear. Especially what she did to those people on Enbronchia.

Her vid frame made a slight noise of warning. The raven-haired woman looked down on her thin device to see the security footage was nearly over. She looked behind her to see her backup. Two heavily armed men in their Space Corps armor that had been sent along with her to help Miss Stevens…behave. The two bodyguards nodded at Giselle, and she inhaled deeply.

This was her first assignment, and she was not going to mess it up. After adjusting the cuffs on her Space Corps uniform and placing an escaped black strand of hair back behind her ear, she moved towards her prisoner.

Her boots clacked loudly on the smooth reflective floor that made up their impromptu interrogation room. From what the young woman could tell, it was an observatory of some sort to looked upon the celestial bodies that made up this sector of the Milky Way galaxy. Giselle looked to the side to look upon Saturn’s glorious rings right when she made it to the sturdy table that her prisoner was handcuffed to.

The table was smooth as the floor and looked just as sturdy. On its shiny surface, there was a vid slot placed there to display the projected screen. For now, the screen was depicting the beginning of the security footage with its file’s name blinking demonstrably on the bottom.

“Odette_Stevens_Death_0825_2576”

As like to a mild introduction, Giselle cleared her throat and pressed her forefinger and thumb together, causing them to glow blue underneath the skin. This allowed her to stop the video feed completely. In silent response, the vid slit blinked than sucked in the video feed, leaving a thin beam of blue light within its white frame.

“Any comments, Miss Stevens?” Giselle addressed her prisoner with a friendly tone.

“Riveting.” Her detainee stated without emotion. Her face was continually fixed from the space that once contained the security recording.

Giselle inhaled shakily, hating the feeling of being ignored. “Not many people would say that after watching footage of a family member dying.” She communicated with a sigh as she took the other seat across from the other woman.

The handcuffed woman raised her head, making her crimson curls bounce from her chest to her shoulders. “And whatever gave you the impression that I am like most people?”

Giselle hated to admit it, but the prisoner had a point. The woman’s whole persona practically screamed extremes. Her skin, probably due to a lifetime of living in outer space, was almost deathly pale. Her unrestrained blood red hair more closely resembled an animal’s mane than anything human. Her rare bluish-purple eyes seem to tell the story of pain and frightening experiences. Last but certainly, not least, the woman’s stare was most striking feature of them all. Even though Giselle had practiced and studied for this mission, she was not at all prepared for Boudicca’s gaze. It seemed to look right through and could perceive every lie that Miss Williamson had told or would tell her subject.

That was impossible of course, Giselle told herself. Yet, she could not shake the shiver that bounced down her vertebrae. Looking for an excuse not to be involved in a staring contest with the woman, Giselle looked at her vid frame and applied pressure to her forefinger and thumb once again, changing the color from blue to white.

“Miss Boudicca Stevens.”

The woman did not reply to the introduction.

“You are Miss Boudicca Stevens, are you not?” Giselle gestured with her glowing finger.

“I think you would have checked that before you kidnapped me.” The woman said in a condescending tone. “Or is this something that’s happened to you before?”

Giselle inhaled again, trying not to take the woman’s bait. “I’ll take that as confirmation of the subject’s name but as to the identity is something else entirely. Is it correct that in 2544 you were born on board the E.S.C. V’s Venture to a Captain Brian and Lieutenant Florence Stevens?”

“Is that what it says?” The woman annoyingly asked.

Giselle rubbed her glowing fingers together. “Fine. Just make any corrections if I happen to list something incorrect in your file.”

Boudicca again did not respond but kept up her infernal stare. Miss Williamson tried to brush off the intense look by subconsciously tucking behind an invisible strand of hair behind her ear. Putting her glowing fingers together and making her hand nod, she scrolled up and down the verbose document.

Giselle recounted Boudicca’s history of being left in the charge of the Junior Space Corps, in hopes of her joining the Space Corps, just like her career minded parents. However, those hopes were dashed as the young girl had proven to have problems with authority and have no interest in the Space Corps. To add to the humiliation to the Stevens clan, on her eighteenth birthday, the young woman had left the Corps to join a nefarious pirate gang, the Dreadful Decks. Within a short timeframe, Boudicca had risen through the ranks of the unrepentant lawbreakers till her reputation among them were secure. Hijackings and counts of thievery filled the personnel file at the point until Enbronchia.

Giselle hoped the name of the horrendous massacre would crack the seemingly impenetrable shell of the trapped woman before her. However, Boudicca seemed as unaffected as she was when watching her cousin’s slow demise. Her eyelids were halfway down, and her bluish-purple eyes were still staring down at the vid slit on the table. This woman’s heart was cold as space itself.

After sighing, Miss Williamson continued. This was the part of the story that got interesting. Apparentely, Lieutenant Odette Stevens wanted to redeem her younger cousin and went in search for her. Somehow, the elder cousin was able to convince Boudicca to turn on the Dreadful Decks and bring them to justice. Even the esteemed Space Corps opened their doors to the seemingly turned criminal. Then came the medals. Giselle sighed as her eyes looked over the images of the various medals. There were two that caught her attention. The medal of silver comets for stopping a series of kidnapping plots as the Dreadful Decks were in the midst of their death throes. The complete evacuation of the largest space station, Teenib, which awarded her prisoner the golden galaxy medal.

The raven-haired woman was glad to find the end of the list, because although she would never admit it, she was feeling a bit guilty for detaining a woman who was capable of performing such acts of heroism. However, as of this year, 2576 AD, all that stopped with the death of Captain Odette Stevens and the resignation of Lieutenant Boudicca Stevens.

“So…” Boudicca broke the silence. “You know how to read a personnel file.” Her voice betrayed her boredom and indifference.

“Is it true? All of it?” Giselle raised an eyebrow as she tried to unsuccessfully meet Boudicca’s gaze.

“Why?” The woman snorted. “You want to write a biography?” Boudicca’s uniquely colored eyes wandered to size up Giselle’s bodyguards. “Cause you already planned out the perfect ending?”

Giselle tried to sit up straighter. “They are there to make certain you behave.”

“That would be a first.” The woman smirked again but then she leaned forward. Giselle caught herself leaning back at the intrusion to her personal space. “If this is Merkle’s way of trying to ask if I’ve made contact with Al, you can tell him, I’ve kept my end of the bargain. His shining comet is no longer going to be tarnished by space trash hanging by his tail.”

Giselle’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she couldn’t help but asking, “Grand Admiral Merkle? What…what does he have to do with this?”

The prisoner’s face fell, and her eyes almost turned into slits. “You’re not with Space Corps.” Her voice growled.

Behind her, Giselle heard her escorts pull out their weapons. They wouldn’t shoot now, would they? She would be caught in the crossfire. That didn’t seem to concern them as they began to fire, and Giselle began screaming in heartfelt terror.

Boudicca Stevens’ training kicked in as soon as she saw the thugs pull out their weapons. With a little bit of difficulty, she fell out of her chair to be below the table. Then she used her weight to push up and flip the table onto its side. With this maneuver, she was able to not only pin her interrogator but also provide temporary cover for herself against the angry swarm of bullets.

Next on her agenda, was to get these infernal handcuffs off. On the left hip of her panicking captor was the dangling keys that would free her. Although something in the corner of her eye told her that freedom would have to wait. Boudicca, or Bou as her few friends would call her, saw one of the shadows of the firing guards coming closer. One must be continually firing to keep Bou in place while his buddy came around the other direction to take Bou’s life.

“Not today.”

Her priorities shifting, Bou turned her attention to the pistol in the holster of the woman’s leg. The handcuffs dug painfully into Bou’s wrists as she tried to reach for the gun that could save her life. Seeing that the armored man was almost near, she switched to her feet. They took on the challenge and unbuckled the holster, dropping the gun onto the shiny floor. The entrapped woman did not seem to notice the loss of her weapon and continued on her incoherent panicked ramblings. It was at that point that one of the goons had made it around the corner. In a rush of adrenaline, Bou pulled on her handcuffs to reach the fallen weapon. Her fingers grasped the grooved grip and began to shoot at her attacker in self-defense.

All though all the odds were against her, one of her bullets had found its mark. The man let out a shocked groan and began his final descent. His buddy seemed surprised as well as Boudicca popped her head over the table. The fiery red head didn’t wait long for his buddy to recover from the shock of his fallen comrade and fired again. In a just the span of three minutes, it was all over except for…

The entrapped raven-haired woman underneath the heavy table. She hadn’t stopped screaming since the shootout began. Bou didn’t try to calm the woman. She turned her attention back to the keys. After freeing herself, Bou walked around the table to assess the situation.

The red head saw the woman was encased by furniture, the table above and the broken chair beneath. Bou’s bluish-purple eyes then were caught by the sight of a red river flowing from the woman’s right shoulder. The former Space Corps officer quickly, holstered her weapon, kneeled down and began to assess the wound.

Finally, the other woman noticed Bou’s presence. “Please don’t kill me!” The woman pleaded, her green eyes over filling with tears.

“If I had wanted you dead, I would have done that a long time ago.” Bou stated simply as she looked over the rest of the woman for other injuries. “You’ve been hit anywhere else?”

“I…don’t think…”

Bou’s expression turned sour. “I can’t do anything for it here. I’ll take you to my ship where…” The red head stopped herself. No, she was kidnapped and brought here. Who knows where her beloved ship was.

“Your ship is here.” The woman said in between gasps of pain.

Surprise and anger sung through Boudicca’s veins but nevertheless, she bit down a rage fueled comment. This was reminding her of her former line of work. Did one of the surviving Dreadful Decks set this up? If they did, why not just kill her and be done with it? What was with the reading of her own personnel file? It didn’t make any sense.

“Don’t move.” Bou ordered the woman as she pushed aside her own thoughts. She had to move this now heavily pummeled table. It took a lot more than she was expecting. However, with a shout of effort, she dislodged the table enough to allow the woman slip through.

“Thank you.” The woman said unbelieving as Bou slowly helped her to her feet.

“You think I’m doing this out of the goodness of my heart?” Bou raised an eyebrow as she freed her new weapon. Bou directed it towards the raven-haired woman who had just picked up her vid frame. “You kidnapped me, forced me to watch my cousin’s death and bored me nearly to death by reading me my own personnel file. Then your buddies tried to kill me when I stated out loud that you weren’t from the Corps. I want answers and you are going to give it to me.” Bou pointed to the closest door with the weapon. “Walk.” She commanded.

It was a short and silent walk to the observatory’s hanger. As much as Bou would like the woman to spill everything that she knew about Bou’s abduction, the dark-haired woman seemed more focused on whimpering and holding onto the back of her shoulder. That had to have been this young woman’s first shoot out and thus had to be low on the totem pole of the organization that sent her to interrogate Bou. Was she going to have any information that Bou needed? So far, it looked like the armed thugs knew more than wounded woman did.

Then Bou got to experience the first good feeling she had felt all day. It was when she got to spot her beloved ship, her freedom, her sanctuary, the Razor’s Edge. It’s black chrome exterior shone amongst the grey interior of the hanger. Its shape resembled an upside-down kitchen knife, its cockpit placed at the tip of the “blade”. It’s sleekness further accentuated by how slim the vehicle was. In fact, the engines were the only thing that really protruded from the exterior. All in all, it was an economical ship that had style as its second priority.

“It is a beauty.” The woman offered her opinion. “The others couldn’t stop staring at it.”

“Thank you.” Bou stated without smiling. She aided the woman into the ship by way of wheeled stairway. Then it was just a matter of getting the woman situated into a reclining chair and applying first aid.

While Bou tried to staunch the bleeding, she noticed the raven-haired woman was uncomfortably staring at her. The red head gave the woman a put off look instead of a question.

“You’re not a cold-blooded murderer.” The other woman stated simply with a pathetic shake of her head.

“Figured that out all on your own, did ya?” Bou groaned as she finally got the river of blood to stop flowing.

“But Enbronchia?” The raven-haired woman said weakly before her green eyes shut slowly.

“Blood loss.” Bou stated her observation when the woman didn’t open her eyes again. The red head knew she had to move quickly, her training quickly overtaking any sense of panic that she was feeling. She reopened the medical cabinet to get what she needed but was interrupted by a surprising shout. A familiar voice was calling her name from the hanger.

“Bou! Boudicca Stevens! Bou!”

“Al.” Bou’s bluish-purple eyes shot open wide. She rushed to the entranceway of her ship to see a squad of Space Corps officers headed by none other than one Captain Alexander.

Leaning out of the open doorway with both arms, Boudicca shouted. “Al, I need your medic right now!”

“Are you hurt?” The heightened concern was evident in his voice, as he and the others began running towards the Razor’s Edge.

“Not me.” She ducked back in the ship to allow the squad access to her beloved ship. Thankfully, the medic soon had the wounded woman in a stable condition. She was now peacefully sleeping with the medic keeping a watchful eye on her. Meanwhile, Al and Bou observed while the captain explained his being there.

“So, when there was a tip of a woman matching your description being kidnapped. I had to investigate.” His gloved hand gently placed on her shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” Bou kept looking ahead as she put her own hand by his own. Her fingers fit in between the gaps of his own. “Just really annoyed.” She admitted when she realized what she had just done.

He, in turn, seemed a little surprised by her gesture but his fingers gave her own a squeeze. “Did they have any demands?”

“No. I was hoping to get any answers out of her.” Bou pointed towards the woman with upward motion of her chin. “Unfortunately, I think her excuse for not telling me anything is pretty foolproof right now.” She took her hand from his loose grasp to run her fingers through her curly scalp.

“So, what’s yours?” Al retracted his hand and looked straight at her.

“Hmm?” Bou lifted her head to see that the captain was clearly agitated at her. His brown eyes seemed confused and pained. It took all that Bou had not crumble right there. The thought that she had caused him pain but his great uncle…

“You left the Corps without a word.” He began in a harsh whisper. “I tried to contact you to see what was going on but you never replied back. I left messages…”

“Thank your great uncle.” Bou interrupted, her voice becoming as pointed as his. “He ended my sentence early.”

“I thought you wanted…!”

“Shh!” The medic both giving them a stink eye and his eyes darted to his patient. The pair sheepishly retreated and headed towards the cockpit. There was room for a pilot and a copilot but neither party made a move to sit down.

“Like I just said, thank your great uncle.” Bou began the heated discussion again after crossing her arms. “He thought after the funeral of one Stevens was more than enough to cover the last ten months of my sentence. He didn’t want another Stevens’ blood on his hands.”

“Didn’t you tell him that you wanted to stay?” Al’s brown eyes showcased his full confusion. “That’s what you told me at the funeral.”

“Oddy’s death…changed my mind.” Bou said meekly. Her eyes staring at the floor and instantly felt annoyed. Her kidnappers had not followed her own strict rules of cleanliness when it came to the Razor’s Edge. It was something to be dealt with later.

“Oddy was the reason you said wanted to stay.” He threw back at her. “You said that you found purpose in the Space Corps. Redemption for what you did when you were a Deck. You had people to care about and who cared about you. You had a family again.”

“I…” Bou struggled with a response. Yes, she had said those things to him, and the cursed facts were that they were all true. So, she didn’t know how to countermand them. She shook her head as she berated her brain for a believable lie or even a half truth. However, none were coming to her.

Al did not reply while Bou had her fierce internal struggle. He seemed to be analyzing her then said as his conclusion. “You’ve never been afraid to speak your mind before.” He said quietly.

“Well, maybe…” Bou stumbled. “I don’t…anymore.” She said lamely.

Bou’s talents laid in many areas. Combat, piloting, dealing with technology, and even a little bit when it came to musical instruments. But lying? Bou had always worn her heart on her sleeve. No, her entire body showed her heart and what she was thinking and feeling at all times. That left little room for lying. She had been a pirate, yes but an honest one. Whoever her victims were, they knew what she expected of them, and she always followed through. However, what happened when she had given her word to not be forthright?

A memory played out in her mind. She was in the office of Grand Admiral Roberd Merkle, the founder of Space Corps. It was only a day after Oddy’s funeral and Bou thought the Grand Admiral had summoned her to his office to offer his own personal condolences. Her instincts turned out to be completely wrong. It turned out the Grand Admiral had noticed how close his great nephew and the former pirate had bonded together and he was less than happy about this circumstance taking place.

“Are you not concerned in the least on how your presence will have an effect on his personal life or his military career? Your own parents acknowledge such an understanding and disowned you. I would do the same!”

Bou felt the sting of Grand Admiral’s words and foolishly took the bait. “If I was still a pirate, I could see the reasoning behind it. But I’m not anymore.” Her bluish-purple eyes displayed her anger and pain. “In fact, I have a great idea! Why don’t we ask your great nephew? Let him in on the conversation that affects him personally! If you have concerns about the company he keeps, ask him! In fact, I’ll ask him if you are too cowardly to do it yourself!”

The uniformed Bou waved her hand over her dress uniform’s white sleeve and a computerized menu projected from the threads. Its purple menu showed a few communication choices and Bou had quickly pushed the option to contact her friend. However, the Grand Admiral jammed her attempt by a button of his own.

After gleefully gloating over the fact that he could potential direct an entire war in the convenient safety of his office, Grand Admiral Merkle gave his offer to the glaring Bou.

“You have ten months left of your ten-year sentence that your cousin had negotiated for you. I will release you from it. No more warrants will be out for you. Go and do what you please. Except for contacting my namesake.”

Bou had no intention of taking such a deal. In fact, she fully intended to tell Al this entire conversation as soon it was over. But then came the threat.

“If you don’t…I will make certain that Captain Roberd Alexander is drummed out of the Corps,” The mustached man punctured with a finger in her face. “Thus leaving him with a tattered reputation and no means to support himself! Do you want that, massacrer of Enbronchia?”

Well, what was Bou supposed to do then? Let her friend be cut off from his family, his hard-earned career, his men who had bonded to throughout his lifetime? Angrily, she accepted the deal but not the money the Grand Admiral tried to give her in an attempt to soften the blow. She vehemently refused the bribe and stomped out, never to darken the Grand Admiral’s office again.

“Bou?” Al’s voice halted her train of thought.

The red head shook herself out of her recollection. “I’m sorry. I was…lost in thought.” She sighed as she let out the words.

The captain had his arms crossed across his armored chest and leaned his head forward. “In your thoughts, were you thinking about what you’re trying to protect?”

“Protect?” Bou asked with the lowering of her shoulders.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. You won’t say anything about it so it’s not about you. You are a very open person when it comes to the people you trust. By the nine planets, you even told me about Enbronchia.” He gestured with an outstretched hand. “So, I was one of those people you trust or trusted, at least. Thus, that just leaves one conclusion, what or who are you trying to protect?”

The former pirate didn’t trust her eyes not to lay the truth bare. So, she opted to move past him and plopped into the pilot’s chair. Her fingers danced over the buttons, fully concentrating on the data that the Razor Edge’s sensors had picked up. She grimaced as she glanced at the Razor’s nearly empty fuel gauge.

Al kneeled beside her, his arm taking up the free arm that Bou had left on the pilot’s chair. “I want to help you, Bou.” The sincerity in his voice wrenching the guilt harboring in Bou’s heart.

Bou shook her head as her throat began to contract especially the infuriating captain continued on in his well-meaning interrogation.

“What did they say they were going to do to them?” He tried to lean forward to get a better look at Bou’s face but the middle console was impeding him. “Why did they want you to leave Space Corps?”

“l left of my own free will!” Bou all but screamed, slamming her fist on the console. She did not have any idea how to get him to stop. He’ll find out. Then his uncle will kick him out. Then he would be ruined all because of her. Her stupid youthful decisions coming back not to just haunt her but the people she cared about the most.

Thankfully, before she could reveal anything, one of Al’s squad members burst into the cockpit. The Space Corps member relayed that there was a distress signal that their ship was picking up. Al would have to leave; it was his duty as a Space Corp official. He told his men to move out and that he would be right there. Before he left to go and save the day, he squeezed her shoulder. Bou kept her face facing forward as he told her.

“I’ll call you later.” He promised. “Pick up this time.” He squeezed her shoulder one more time then left.

Bou was stiff as a statue for the first couple minutes after the Space Corps members left. Then, suddenly, like a punctured air tank, everything burst. The grief-stricken woman collapsed into sobs, her red mane completely obscuring the controls.

However, her mourning was soon interrupted by a beeping coming from the medical room. In acknowledgement, Bou rose from her chair and sniffed. The red head banished a tear from her eye with fingertip and went back to the medical cabinet. Her former interrogator was still resting peacefully but saw that the container that was used to refill the woman’s blood supply was running low. Bou hit a switch and had the medical equipment switch from the empty bag to a full one, that had been marked by Al’s medic.

Bou nearly sat down on the single chair in the room but found it was occupied by the other woman’s vid frame. Intrigued, Bou picked it up and turned it on. She was greeted with a stiff computerized voice. “Please enter your credentials.”

Normally, Bou would use the talents she had acquired while being a pirate to hack into the frame but that would unnecessary. The person with all the needed data was right there, Bou sat down and picked up the unconscious woman’s hand. It was just a simple matter to use the woman’s fingerprints to gain access. Now all that Boudicca had to worry about what she wanted to look at first?

Her eyes were quickly drawn a folder that had her name upon it. She used the unconscious hand to select and scroll through the file. Then she happened to stumble across an oddly named record.

“Altered…” Bou whispered. “Altered Odette footage.”

She couldn’t have selected the file quickly enough and sat up as she took in the scene. The beginning started the same. Her cousin’s space suit being launched from an airlock and her still form being pulled straight back into the darkness of space. Then the scene played again but there was an added feature. Her eyes sucked in the unbelievable scene of her cousin being pulled back not by the vacuum of space but by a vehicle that Boudicca did not recognize. That ship had been completely cut out of the footage that Boudicca had previously seen! Could it mean…that her cousin was imprisoned but still alive?

The red head galloped her way up to the cockpit and slid into the pilot’s chair. She prepared the ship for takeoff and entered the coordinates that the video file displayed. As she gripped the yoke, she felt a welcome smile form her lips. “If you’re out there, Oddy. I’m coming for ya. Just like you did with me.” With a roar, the Razor’s Edge exited the observatory’s hanger and into uncharted territory.