Omens

[Markovnikov]

On the bridge of the Aristophanes

The Hofvarpnir was over ten days late for the scheduled supply drop to Barrier Gate - and the anxiety of the staybehind operators still on Barrier Gate was palpable.
With the increased scrutiny from the Coronado natives, and the recent attacks in Rheinland, Büro assets abroad were ordered to go to ground, safehouses and shell offices were put on maintenance and protective detail.

Monday sat up from his central bridge chair and walked up to the active viewport. The Aristophanes was moored in the perfect overview point for all ships entering and leaving Section C drydocks - ships of all shapes and sizes formed orderly cues, going about like ants on a particularly busy anthill - to the backdrop of the thick, rocky fog of the nebula.
An unsettling stillness lingered in the air, broken only by the rhythmic tapping of Monday's shoes on the grating of the floor as he paced about - the crew were on shoreleave while they waited on the now late supply run, and the usual rumbling of the engines were quiet as the mooring umbilicals supplied all the power and air to the ship from the station.

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Lost in thought, Monday didn't notice one of the ants in the distance break from the queue, a bright crimson plume of engine exhaust wreathing the mote in a firey halo as it zoomed towards the bridge. It wasn't until the proximity alerts sounded that Monday snapped to attention - but by then, the mote had grown substantially larger on the viewport, far too close for the point defenses to intercept. It was all that Monday could do to sprint to the escape pod.
"SHIT"

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Monday leapt headfirst into the liferaft, thrown hard against the inertial dampening field by the fire that engulfed the bridge behind him - the deafening roar of the explosion and the decompression cut abruptly as the field closed around - nothing but a shimmering hardlight barrier between him and the fire and hard vacuum that had once been the bridge of his ship. As the pod launched from the remains of the Aristophanes, the bridge was a smouldering wreck, bits of torn steel and rivulets of molten metal formed a small cloud around the wound. Monday felt nothing except shock as station rescue shuttles closed in on the lifeboat and wreck.

---

Fifteen minutes later, at Mimi's Diner

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The stonefaced bartender placed a fizzy red drink with a maraschino cherry on the counter and slid it deliberately towards Monday.
"We have lost contact with Jackdaw and Jay in Bretonia and Gallia. No doubt, to similar incidents that you have just experienced."

Monday took a long sip. A cocktail napkin pressed against his bloody brow with one hand, the other held a pad playing footage of the 'incident' from station cameras.
An unmanned mining probe from a DSE affiliated mineral extraction contractor en route to the drone hangar broke formation and made for the Aristophanes on full burn. Damage to the bridge was catastrophic, but thankfully, no one else had been on board. Station security was calling this an 'unfortunate drone malfunction,' but Monday was not convinced - the timing was exactly the same as a narrowly escaped attempt on Crow's life, and what he was guessing was the reason for Jackdaw and Jay's simultaneous disappearance.

The people that had known that the Aristophanes was moored on that particular berth at the time while undergoing a full reset cycle of the shielding system and that Monday would be on the bridge was a very small circle - one which could have just as easily put a bullet in his brain while he was on the toilet or in bed - or drinking a delicious Shirley Temple right this moment.
The straw made a loud gurgling noise as Monday drank the last of his beverage.
"Barkeep, I'm going to need another drink - and also a ride."