The Eristic Illusion

[Cadmus]

Cadmus stepped onto the floor of the lower area in the ship, groping for the lever that would trigger the lights in this level. It was easily located, and then flipped, to reveal this level of the ship.

Pirate trains had three basic levels, the bridge, the auxiliary hold below that, and the maintainence area below that. Both the other spaces acted as machinery and equipment access point, though the upper one had less machinery in it and acted as a secondary hold. Though rather small, it held the necessary things - food, water, extra oxygen, consumer goods, etcetera...

Cadmus also kept this area stocked with explosives and light arms for his use.

One could never be too careful... he thought as he glanced around, looking for whatever might be amiss here.

The crates were stacked, spaces between, to the left and right, all the way to the front bulkhead. The machinery near the ladder was also to either side, protruding out of the walls and sticking into them. The coolant pipes for the reactor crossed the ceiling, dangerously low overhead. They filled the area with their low swishing noise and added to the general claustrophobia of the space.

Cadmus ducked under these pipes, glancing around at the machinery that seemed to close in around him in these tight and otherwise claustrophobic confines. It all looked undamaged, and as such, his investigation moved to the cargo pods fore of the pipes and machinery. Again and again, nothing accounted for the odd sound that he had been hearing until he came down to this level - but he knew it had been coming from down here.

Cadmus was still troubled - more troubled than he had been. The strange feeling he was experiencing was actually building, rather going away with further investigation.There was some small measure of chaos in the order that he kept his ship in, something so jarring to his sense of order that it seemed a malignant presence that nagged at his mind, giving him no rest.

"Confound it all..." he muttered, begining to turn back towards the ladder. It was then that he stopped and raised a hand, noting the sound again - and this time, he knew what it was.

"Cadmus..." came a cold, unpredictable, and sibliant - but paradoxically comforting voice - from behind him. "I have a new direction for you."

One word was all he knew he had to speak to her.
"Where?"

"Manhattan."