Iscariot

[Zapp]

The LSF found them before they even made it to Ellesmere. In Omicron Minor, two LSF ships disrupted her engines. She told them that she had a prisoner who wanted to surrender to the LSF. They told her to follow them. They turned and flew away from the jump hole, but she followed. After a short distance, a LNS signal popped up—it appeared to be a cruiser, though it was hard to tell through the green mist and asteroids. She had a bad feeling about it. Iscariot was lost in his thoughts, not aware of what was going on.

Then, the comm crackled to life.

“Dock with the LNS Tundra for prisoner transfer.”

That snapped Iscariot out of his reverie.

“No Goodwinn! Get us out of here!”

He almost knocked her out of the seat as he tried to wrestle the controls away from her.

“What’s wrong with you?” she shouted. “I thought—”

“That’s no Navy ship, and those aren’t LSF fighters, now get us out of here!”

By then, the ships realized her hesitation. The LNS Tundra turned around, and she saw the front side and gasped. The last thing she saw was bolts of purple flying from all directions.



Goodwinn awoke in her ship, but out the window was the inside of a docking bay. Iscariot was on the floor behind her, still unconscious. They must’ve dragged us in. What’s going on here?

“Iscariot, wake up,” she said, getting on her knees to push him. He shook his head groggily and muttered something about escaping.

The hatch to her ship exploded inwards, and soldiers wearing Liberty Navy uniforms filed through the cargo bay and ran up the stairs. Iscariot snapped to attention and lunged at them. He grabbed the first soldier by the head and smashed it against the bulkhead. It exploded like a rotten melon. The soldiers below—on the stairs and main cargo hold floor—opened fire. Most of the bolts struck his armor and were absorbed, others missed. He shielded his head with his arm, as his helmet was still in the cargo hold.

“Listen Goodwinn,” he said desperately. “Those aren’t humans. The Tundra is a Nomad ship. Don’t let them—”

Whatever he was about to say was cut off as Nomads began loping into the ship. Iscariot lunged down the stairs with abandon, crushing anything that came up against him. He left a trail of destruction, but without his helmet, he was vulnerable. The weight of fire finally caught his head, and he fell to his knees. He tried to continue, but couldn’t move with the armor’s weight on him anymore. As the Nomads closed on him, a concealed dagger thrust out of his armor from his wrist and he cut his own throat.

Thus the sordid career of Iscariot came to an end.

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