A few hours later, Ellen awoke from a brief snooze in her crew quarters. After returning from Tiptree, the 231st Platoon had been relieved of all obligations for the remainder of the day, to be rewarded for good service. Most had made themselves comfortable in the crew lounge or had gone to the mess hall, but Ellen had preferred to rest. The exemption from guard duty was only valid until the evening. She would still have to do the security duty that had been assigned to her for the upcoming night shift.
She sat up, wondering what had woken her, when she heard a soft knock on the door to the quarters. Cursing softly, she climbed out of her bunk bed and opened the door, still a bit sleepy. A mischievously grinning John O'Malley awaited her on the other side.
"Hey," he said, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.
"O'Malley...?" Ellen said questioningly. "What's up?"
"Just wanted to see what you're up to. The others are just going to the mess because the Commander is giving us a few bottles from his own supply to celebrate the day. I figured you might not want to miss it." He winked at her.
Ellen reluctantly stepped aside to let him enter. She cast a longing look at her bed, which John noticed. Giggling, he said, "Oh come on, Webber, a drink won't hurt you. You did a good job today, even Jenkins had to admit that. That is a reason to celebrate."
"Since when do Marines need reasons to celebrate?"
"True again." John laughed, but it sounded a bit artificial.
Ellen grabbed her ship's uniform jacket and pulled it over the white t-shirt she'd slept in. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed John watching her intently and turned her back on him. Suddenly the quarters seemed much too small for two people and she felt a little uncomfortable. The others had teased her about John O'Malley for so long that she too had realized that he seemed to be interested in her, but she didn't reciprocate. Her interest was in someone else.
"Oh, am I disturbing you?" Norah asked, suddenly appearing at the door of the quarters. Startled, Ellen turned to her. Norah had actually been to Doctor Lopez to have her wound treated, but apparently he had already dismissed her.
"Ehm," was all she managed to get out.
"Webber just wanted to show me your quarters and your soft beds," John explained amused and pushed a little in front of Ellen, standing between her and Norah.
Ellen wanted to sink into the ground and was prepared to hear a series of snarky comments. She fastened her uniform with nervous fingers, reeling, "No, O'Malley just wanted to keep me from sleeping."
O'Malley chuckled and as she peeked out from behind him, Ellen saw Norah's eyes wide. Then it hit her like a blow. She was, of all people, alone in their quarters with John. And she was in the process of putting her uniform back on. Norah got the completely wrong impression of the situation.
"I'd rather leave you alone then," Norah murmured and turned away.
"No, wait, it's not like that!" Ellen called, pushing past O'Malley, but by the time she reached the hallway, Norah was already gone.
O'Malley came up behind her. "Eli really isn't much fun, is she?"
"No, you're just an idiot sometimes," she said over her shoulder and stomped away. She had to find Norah and clarify the situation.
But why had she reacted so sensitively? Had Norah developed an interest in John? Ellen's mind raced for explanations. The two could have gotten closer when they were on guard duty together. Perhaps she had just been looking for Ellen for her advice and then surprised them in their quarters. That's probably why she was deeply hurt. If Ellen's theory was correct, everything would clear up quickly. Maybe she could help Norah to find some happiness, even if it would hurt herself.
She boarded an elevator resolutely and rode to the engine deck, hoping that perhaps Norah had retreated to the engine core. But when she got there, all she found was Engineer Garrett, who was doing some calibrations. Resigned, Ellen decided to join the others in the mess hall. If Norah was there, she wouldn't get a chance to have a quiet conversation with her, but then again, maybe she could stop rumors from spreading.
In the mess hall, her unit had occupied the usual tables and seemed to be celebrating exuberantly. On the other side, the second unit stationed on the Rome sat silently together, also draining several bottles of amber-colored liquid.
"There you are at last!" Alex shouted at her, waved her over and slid so close to Shaun on the bench that Ellen could sit on the other side.
She quickly scanned her unit and spotted Norah at the other end of the table, talking to Lauren and Olivia, clutching a well-filled glass tightly. She didn't seem to pay any attention to Ellen. John sat next to the table, talking loudly to Jenkins and Smith. Noticing her, he winked at her.
"Norah is a little weird. Do you know what's going on with her?" Alex asked, seemingly following her gaze.
Ellen shook her head. She would rather settle this matter directly with Norah.
Sven Carlson from Shaun's unit got up from the table across the way and, a full bottle of whiskey in hand, walked over to the other unit to cheers from his comrades.
"You always look so grumpy. Take it easy. Do you guys need a little more supplies?" he asked, obviously slightly tipsy, waving the bottle around. In a flash, the beefy Corporal Montague got up from his seat and stood in front of Carlson.
"What do you little wretch want from us?" he growled, jabbing a finger in his chest. It was suddenly quiet in the mess hall. Carlson seemed a little overwhelmed with the situation and just stared at Montague with wide eyes.
"Hey, he meant well," Shaun said as he stood up and put a reassuring hand on his arm. Montague flinched and, as if on reflex, threw Shaun to the ground with a powerful swing. Then all the Marines jumped up from their seats and shouted in confusion.
"Montague, this is going too far!" Lieutenant August shouted.
"He is crazy!" Jenkins replied and stood up next to Shaun.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" suddenly roared an imperious voice from the entrance to the mess hall. Commander Lance had just appeared in the mess hall, accompanied by the Lieutenants Washington and Van Hagen, and with those two words and his presence managed to make all the Marines stand in awe.
The Commander stepped forward with firm steps and offered a hand to Shaun. "Get up, Private."
Irritated, Shaun let him help him up and saluted. "Sir."
"We shall deal with this matter later. I actually came to see if anyone from 231st Platoon was sober and could join Lieutenant Washington on a mission."
His eyes searched the group of tables around which the 231st Platoon sat. Ellen was the first to raise her hand.
"I haven't been drinking, sir."
"Neither have I," John O'Malley added. Ellen tried to keep her face straight.
Commander Lance nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Get something from Dr. Lopez to relieve the fatigue in your limbs and dress warmly. You'll be helping the survivors of a downed freighter on Antibaar, and it's bloody cold there even on a nice day."
Ellen made a face when Dr. Lopez held a red pen to her arm and pushed the drug into her with a push of a button. Then he put it aside and picked up another one in blue.
"This is to protect you from the cold in an emergency. You haven't received any genetic enhancements by the Alliance so far, so you're not very cold-resistant yet," explained Dr. Lopez and gave her the second shot, then O'Malley.
Ellen rolled down the right sleeve of her uniform and stood up. She was surprised to find that she was slowly getting better. Her limbs had been heavy and the hour of sleep she had been getting was far from enough, but the medication seemed to work quickly.
"Thanks, Doc," John said, getting up as well and they left the station. When they got down one floor, Lieutenant Washington was already in her armor and waiting for them outside the armory.
"Lieutenant," Ellen and John said in unison and saluted.
Washington greeted them. "Ah, there you are. Get ready, the Rome will be near Antibaar soon."
Lieutenant Washington was taller than Ellen and had chin-length blond hair that she pulled back in a very short ponytail. Her face was distinguished by the faint scar that ran across her right cheek. There was always a watchful look in her large, green eyes, which made Ellen feel like she was always carefully observing her surroundings.
They entered the armory and Ellen hurried to her locker so as not to keep the lieutenant waiting unnecessarily.
"Are you okay, Webber?" O'Malley asked her as he removed his uniform.
"Everything's fine," Ellen replied curtly and slipped into her bulletproof suit.
"And with Eli? She didn't seem too happy to see me in your quarters."
Ellen didn't answer because she was already busy strapping the individual plates onto the suit.
"Why is Van Hagen not in charge of this mission?" John wondered.
"Because he chickened out," Lieutenant Washington called out as she entered the armory and walked to the closet at the front. "Come on, O'Malley, we're not here to chat."
Finally, Ellen retrieved her helmet from the top shelf of her locker and examined the tear it bore from the previous mission. Washington noticed and handed her a new one.
"You better watch out for this one," she said a little mischievously and then handed her an assault rifle, three magazines and a shield booster.
"This will only be a short rescue mission, you shouldn't really need the ammo. A freighter was attacked nearby and the survivors were able to escape to Antibaar in an escape pod. There's actually an Alliance facility on the planet, but they didn't respond to the call. So we're going to head to the escape pod first and then check on the colony."
While she was rattling down the information, Washington had also provided John with equipment, taking a shotgun and a Predator pistol for himself.
"It doesn't sound very complicated," commented John.
"Let's hope so," Washington said, happily locking the gun cabinet. "Let's go to the shuttle."
No sooner as they had all strapped themselves into the shuttle, the pilot took off.
"How's the weather supposed to be down there, Tanaka?" Washington asked the pilot.
He laughed a raspy laugh. "Cheerful to frosty. Your ass will freeze if you stand in one place for too long."
"What is this facility on Antibaar, Lieutenant?" Ellen asked curiously.
Washington sounded a little tense when she answered. "Officially it's something harmless, but that's mostly just a cover for something dangerous. That's why the system is on such a lump of ice. If something goes wrong here, only the scientists get in trouble and none of the other council races notice."
John snorted. "Sounds like a dream job."
"Kara, the Commander would like to speak to you," the pilot growled.
"Okay, put him through."
Ellen leaned forward to hear the conversation better, and John did the same.
"Washington," the commander's voice was suddenly heard saying. "How far are you?"
"We'll land at the escape pod in ten minutes, sir."
"Collect the survivors as quickly as possible and then come back to the Rome immediately. The research facility will have to wait. There is an incident on a planet in a nearby system and we have been called in as backup. Doctor Lopez is already busy sobering everyone up."
Washington groaned. "Understood, Commander." After that, the transmission was terminated.
John sullenly settled back in the seat and grumbled, "I was looking forward to getting some sleep soon."
Even though the vitamin preparation had almost completely restored her strength, Ellen could understand him well. It was going to be a very long day for her, but she'd known from the start that the Alliance was tough and you had to be ready at all times.
"Welcome to the Marines, O'Malley," the lieutenant called back and laughed.
A short time later the pilot started to land.
"Helmets on, it's cold outside," Washington ordered, coming to the back where she waited by the door. Ellen got up, loosened her limbs and did as she was told. A gentle jerk went through the shuttle and the lieutenant pounded on a switch by the door to open it. One by one, the three Marines jumped out of the vehicle and saw a large, cylindrical escape pod twenty meters away. It was crooked and stuck deep in the snow. A dark spot on the floor in front of it caught Ellen's attention.
"Lieutenant, do you see that?" she asked, pointing to the spot.
"Unfortunately yes. Looks like blood."
They stepped closer and Washington crouched on the ground to get a closer look at the frozen liquid.
"Definitely blood. And the tracks here in the snow look like a fight. Get your weapons ready."
With one fluid movement, Ellen grabbed the assault rifle on her back and unlocked it. It was a mystery to her how her superior could see anything in the snow, which had already been churned up by the landing of the capsule, but the blood was an obvious sign and she trusted the judgment of the lieutenant.
Washington stood up again and drew her pistol. "We'll take a look inside the pod, but I don't think we'll see anyone else there. It looks more like the civilians have fled."
"In the cold? Are they crazy?" John asked almost horrified.
"I don't think they left voluntarily," Washington replied as they walked around the pod. "Something seems to have attacked and chased them."
Involuntarily, Ellen looked around to see if anything was lurking, but found nothing.. Because she turned around briefly to do so, she hadn't noticed that O'Malley had stopped and crashed into him.
"What-?" she asked, puzzled. In the open door of the escape pod lay the corpse of a man, badly mangled. Parts of the intestines had protruded from a tear in the abdominal wall and Ellen was sure that she could see a torn off hand close to her boot.
Shocked, they all stood motionless and stared at the body.
With an almost whispered "shit," O'Malley snapped them out of the trance.
"Tanaka, I need a comm link to the Commander immediately," Washington called into the communicator and hurried back to the shuttle, Ellen and John close behind. The vehicle had closed the entrance behind them to keep out the cold.
"Commander Lance, we have a problem. The pod is empty save for the badly battered corpse of a crew member. The tracks indicate a fight, but I don't think they were armed opponents, but rather wild animals. The other survivors fled from here," the lieutenant barked as soon as she was back in the cockpit.
"Copy that. Stay on Antibaar and follow the tracks. Maybe they fled to the Alliance facility. Tanaka, return to the Rome immediately, we need the shuttle to deploy our units to the other combat zone."
"Understood," Kara and the pilot replied, and the transmission ended. Ellen sighed and leaned back in the seat she had just sat in. She had actually hoped to help with the other fight and lead her team again, but she understood that finding the people from the escape pod was more important. If they were alive, they could be in big trouble.
"Well then, we should hurry," said the lieutenant. The three Marines got ready and left the shuttle again.
The pilot said "Take care" over the communicator and took off. Washington raised an arm in salute in the direction of the shuttle, then trotted forward. Before them lay a vast, white wasteland of snow and ice, broken here and there by small hills and frozen rocks. Occasionally, they spotted blood splatters on the ground as they made their way, prompting Washington to pick up the pace every time. The sky above them was slowly darkening, but they had no trouble discerning the path ahead.
"Shouldn't we have found her by now?" O'Malley asked.
"Seems they made it to the colony," the lieutenant replied. "There it is." She stretched out her arm and pointed to something in the distance. About half a mile ahead, a large, white wall rose from the snow. As they approached, the sky continued to darken. About four hundred yards from the gate in the white wall, Washington stopped them. Ellen could see the silhouettes of a few structures that were surrounded by the wall.
"Something's wrong," she murmured, peering through the scope on her pistol.
John asked confused: "What do you mean?"
"As dark as it is, you should be able to see some illumination," Ellen replied.
"And the gate is a bit open," added the lieutenant. "We should take a closer look."
"Wouldn't it be better to wait for backup?" Ellen asked uncertainly. She shuddered as she surveyed the lifeless structure before them, and all her senses told her it would be wiser to turn back.
Washington shook his head. "We need to figure out what's wrong and find the other crew members. If they are still alive, they may need our help."
With these words she trudged forward.