The 'chao' and [Phantom]Shadow

[marauder]

'Remember, we need prisoners to interrogate.' Jeer Lox made sure to make eye-contact with each of the eleven marines in his squad.

We are now alongside, docking... a large spinning globe said to the room, completed it finished as a gentle and muffled thud sounded along the hull.

'Charges!' Lox ordered, knowing that the panicking crew and passengers would already be trying to use the escape pods.

'Fire in the hole.' the breaching charges fizzed into life and literally chewed through the hull plating of the transport.

'Go!' bellowed Lox and made sure that he was the first through the hole. 'Team alpha, guard this hole. Everyone else split up into pairs and remember not to kill everything.' he repeated the order because at least one of his squad was addicted to the drugs cryer sold across Sirius.

'Hank, your with me.'

'sure thing Gas, no problems man.'

Hank is beta team's electronics guy, his speciality is data storage systems, which might explain how he can fiddle the med records so no-one ever catches him stealing drugs.
And it's obvious from his reply he's high on something again, which is why I paired up with him.

'hey Gas, did you hear that?

'Hear what?'

'AW, theres AW on here, I'm gonna be promoted for killing them all, hey Gas, your gonna have to salute me.'

Oh damn, Jeer thought, it's finally happened. The drug-addled moron has gone psycho and is not only hearing voices but delusional too.

He takes off down the corridor swinging his flechette rifle around wildly, then tries to kick in the first door he comes too.
But instead he sticks his foot straight through it. Giggling hysterically he pulls his foot out and rams the barrel of his rifle into the hole and holds down the trigger.

Hank turns and finds the hatchway into the cargo pod that has been converted to carry passengers and loses it completely, firing at anything thing that moves.

Lox stands there in shock before realising that stopping Hank is now more important then finding out why a transport full of passengers was this deep into outcast space.

'Everyone fall back to the ship.' Jeer ordered. Then he started running, guided by the screams of Hanks victims.

Do you have a plan? the floating sphere asked from alongside Jeer.

'Yes.' He replied, slowing down from a full sprint as he slid through a pool of blood.

'you mean yes sir' Hank said half-turning towards them. 'whadda you want.' he asked pointing at the sphere.

I'm just watching, wondering what happens next.

'your a f..ford.. fnordette, right?' he slurred.

Thats need-to-know, what reason do you need to know? the fnordette replied.

Hank stumbled completely around and started to swing his rifle up, Jeer took the opening. He leapt forward and rammed his plasma gauntlet into Hank's visor and triggered it.

Hanks powered armour twitched spasmodically for a few seconds before slumping facedown on to the deck. A tiny whisp of smoke curled from the shattered visor.

And what about the child? the fnordette asked smugly.

Jeer looked up and then saw the child standing flat against the wall, splattered in blood and staring at them with wide, fear-filled eyes.

'We don't have a choice.' he replied


TO BE CONTINUED...