THE MINOAS MINNANO
ASARI PATROL SLOOP
ATHENA NEBULA
NEAR THE ORISONI SYSTEM
NOVEMBER 14th, 2188
THE MINOAS MINNANO, named after an ancient – and highly fictionalized – asari explorer had come across the non-registered craft drifting near a magnetic anomaly and had hove to after a quick scan to determine any lifesigns. The ship was dark and had sustained severe damage. A faint signal only detectable as they neared sounded in the frantic cadences of distress.
The crew of the Minoas Minnano numbered five in total, the sloop meant for quick patrols and flybys, the crew all veterans of the 'Ardat Vhexing', or as the humans called it, the 'Banshee Salient' – thousands of banshees converging on the Armali sister city of Hevestia and the vicious and hard-fought battle to push them back. Deep in hardened bunkers dedicated medical personnel had built one of the best triage and quick-care facilities in the Galaxy, giving the asari a fighting chance on the ground. Those with medals awarded from that action wore them with especial pride. The fifty survivors received what was called 'freedom-for-life" - never again on Thessia would they pay for anything, not housing, not food, not luxuries. By their actions they had saved thousands and by extension millions. To the majority of asari, they had more than earned such a reward. The rescue was routine in this part of space, refugees still trying to get home in anything they could find that flew. The ship the Minnano pulled alongside didn't look like one any of the crew had seen before, but that was hardly surprising. Some of the ships they'd encountered of late had looked more cobbled together than engineered.
"Standby, boarding party," Captain Nanai Rohah said, the order laconic and faintly bored. Alone in the cockpit, she hoisted her left leg and adjusted a servo in its knee. She really, really missed her real leg. This damn thing kept locking up at the wrong times.
"Cap, we're ready," her Engineer Appia Ferenos chirped through the comm. "Ship's been stabilized and Jissa says we can extend the tube any time."
There was a small spark from Rohah's knee and she cursed to herself. Her leg shot straight out and then relaxed.
"Still can't scan into the thing," Rohah relayed. "We'll be cordial after we know who they are."
"Relax. The probe scan doesn't show any weapons or eezo traces." Jissa retorted. "I'd bet a week's pay that the only power trace we can scan is bare life support."
"Fine. Get it done, then. I'll tell Yhal and Phio to get sickbay ready, just in case." Rohah then did so, both mock-complaining as she did.
"Tube extended," Jissa reported. "Gonna try cutting the door. Hold on."
"Gotcha." Rohah dug into a belt-pouch for a mini-spanner to attempt knee repair. Free but not necessarily top shelf, she griped to herself, then felt guilty and admonished that thought. She'd been damned lucky to get what she'd got. She'd managed to dig a defective O-ring out, the composite material fraying. Friction trouble, she mused feeling just slightly more guilty about her earlier gripe as the ring would be ridiculously easy to replace.
Behind her came a rather sharp thud, followed by a cat-yowling noise and the stink of greasy ozone. She whirled in her seat to see Jissa suddenly burst into the corridor riding a blinding beam of light that bore through her and punched a hole in the wall behind her crumpling corpse. Rohah was on her feet with biotics flaring as a female figure in red armor stepped into view, the faceplate a smooth thing with a grinning stylized skull etched into it. Behind the first, another red armored figure followed, Ferenos held limply by the throat in one hand, a large weapon tracking down the corridor. Stung, Rohah yelled and sent a Shockwave at the intruders and then made to charge them as she unlimbered her pistol – only to see the Shockwave splash around their armor and fizzle down the corridor.
Rohah's moment of shock cost her. The female stepped forward and batted Rohah's pistol from her hand and an armored backhand streaking in to knock her almost unconscious. Rohah dimly heard Yhal and Phio call out – or thought she did – and then silence fell. In her daze she felt the female step over her and she was suddenly being hoisted into the air.
"Witch," the voice was flat and emotionless, like a machine. "Your sisters gave a better accounting of themselves."
Rohah's vision cleared of violet sparks. The hand on her throat squeezed and new stars were born.
"Captain," came the voice of the male, as cold, as flat and as pitiless as the woman's voice. "The vessel is secure. One additional survivor." He indicated Ferenos, limp at his feet.
The woman nodded a short sharp nod.
"Acknowledged." She inclined her head to indicate Ferenos. "That one," She directed to Rohah, "What is its function?" Rohah sputtered at the 'its' but the hand merely squeezed again until those stars went black and began popping.
"S-she's …my Engineer…!" Rohah gasped to the woman's short nod.
"Dispatch it and return to the Truth to rig it for detonation." The Captain directed behind her. The male nodded once and with a suit-powered wrench broke Ferenos' neck then tossed her aside as one would discard a wrapper. He nodded to his Captain and departed.
"You didn't… have to kill… her!" Rohah protested but the Captain didn't seem to hear her, speaking over her as if she'd said nothing.
"You will obey. You have seen your witchfire is useless against me."
"And if I …choose not to obey?" Rohah coughed around the remorseless fingers digging into her throat, her outrage powering her words.
"Your nodes will be torn bodily from you and you will be thrown to the vacuum of the Void." Those hard fingers gave a final squeeze. "Just long enough."
"What do you want?" Rohah asked after another painful moment.
"Obedience." The Captain dropped Rohah into her chair. She rubbed her throat and coughed, her trachea feeling like it had been on the verge of snapping. Another minute went by where Rohah contemplated insane plans of escape or self-sacrifice, her mind still reeling from the speed of the assault and the utter ineffectiveness of her biotics. She sat motionless, doing her best not to provoke the red-armored soldier who stood with perfect discipline behind her. The male finally returned and saluted.
"It is done, Captain."
The Captain waved him forward.
"Investigate these systems." He bowed a short bow and pulled a small scanner from a compartment in his armor and began scanning the cockpit's interfaces. Outside Rohah could see their now-derelict ship slowly drifting past.
'Far be it for me to tell you your business," Rohah began, "but we should probably move if your ship's about to explode."
"No," was the curt reply.
"But - !" Rohah tried again, only to have her head rocked by another contemptuous backhand, the blow sent as one administered to a stubborn animal.
"Do not speak. Obey. It is a simple lesson. You will be damaged until it is learned, if necessary."
Rohah's head rang and she kept her silence. Outside a bright tear seemed to cut across their ship like glass splintering and the vessel was suddenly and violently sucked in on itself, down to a pulsating ball two metres in diameter. That ball gave one final sharp pulse and vanished in light that stabbed her eyes like needles.
"Scan complete. Local charts uploaded."
"Farspace communication is achieved by an overlapping range-interconnected buoy system." The Captain pointed at Rohah. "You will take us to the nearest of these devices."
Rohah opened her mouth and then snapped it shut with a nod. She turned the Minnano and lay in a course to the nearest Comm Buoy. As she recognized it, she suppressed a smile and fed power to the engines.
That buoy was number one-seven-oh-seven-oh, servicing the asari Ninth Fleet, composed mainly of heavy cruisers. It was heavily guarded and not open to casual traffic.
As the Minnano jumped to FTL, it was all Rohah could do not to laugh.