DMHT12

=Chapter 12=
==Dead Man's Hand: A Taste Of Ashes==
Kobe Family Farm, Sweet Water
Coventry Province
Federated Commonwealth
11th July, 3057
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Dawn was just breaking as the members of Dead Man's Hand reached the edge of what had been the Kobe family estate.
Not a single building had been left standing, burnt and broken debris was scattered everywhere, while the overworked local emergency services, volunteers and freshly arrived militia troops sited through the wreckage. A handful of survives had been found, cowering in an old storm cellar, but the destruction was near total.
Shaking as she came down from a prolonged adrenaline rush, Joker scrambled down the rope ladder from the cockpit of her Loki. Stripping off her cooling vest. She staggered over towards where a line of bodies had been laid out under blankets, as the grim task of identifying the victims of the pirate raid began. Kelso ran over and tried to stop her, but Joker pushed her aside. She slowly walked down the line, looking at the tags attached to the identified remains.
Six down she stopped, looking to all the world like someone had punched her in the gut.
Kobe, Alexander.
The odd sense of detachment that she had been experiencing since first being told of the attack ended suddenly, and reality hit her like a fright train. Staggering, she took a handful of steps, brushing off an offer of support from Scilicorn. Eventually, she sank to her knees, then down onto her arse. Throwing her head back, she let out a long, louse scream that shocked the assembled rescue crews into looking round.
Her cry was gutteral, wordless, primordial. Filled with rage against the cold at a uncaring and unjust universe. Tears streamed do her face as she continued to rage against the ending of her world.
Eventually, between the down-swing from the rush of combat and the grief she was feeling, she collapsed into a silent, sobbing mess on the dew slick grass.
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Bluebell, Sweet Water
Coventry Province
Federated Commonwealth
11th July, 3057
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"The way I see it, we got two kinds of people here." Doc Bart, still clad in his old 3rd Royal Guards combat uniform. He strode purposefully in front of the cells that held the surviving pirates. "Those who talk, and maybe get to spend the rest of their lives in a cell, and those who don't, and have a date with the hangman." he stopped and looked down the line, "Personally, after what you've done to my people, I'd like nothing more than to watch each and every one of you take a long drop with a sudden stop at the end, but here in civilization, we have these things we call rules, and I am required to follow them. Hence, you have the option of turning Archon's Evidence."
He was met with silence, Doolally having already cowed the surviving members of his crew.
The door at the far end of the corridor burst open. The Joker came through with cold fury seeming to radiate off of her in waves. She slowly made her way down the line of cells with her cold. With hard eyes looking at each of the pirates in turn. Some tried to meet her gaze, but there was something behind her eyes. Something nearly contained, that frightened them. Doc Bart may have been threatening to have them executed, but Joker... Well, it's often said that there are fates worse than death.
"This all of them?" she asked, her voice cold and devoid of all human emotion.
"The ones that lived, and didn't turn tail and run like the scum they are." the Duke nodded.
Joker walked back down the hall stopping outside a cell that contained only two prisoners huddled together on a bench against the far wall. They were keeping as far away from the adjoining cells as possible.
"These two." she asked, "What's their story?"
"Now that's something I'd like to know." Doc Bart walked over to stand beside her, arms crossed across his chest, "They were found in the remains of the DropShips bridge: one was chained to the pilots station, while the other was trying to free her using a screwdriver to try and jimmy the lock. She put two of the rescuers in the infirmary before they managed to take her down."
"Interesting." Joker looked at the two, then turned to the guard, "Open this cell, please."
The guard looked at Doc Bart, who nodded, so he unlocked the door and let Joker step inside, relocking it behind her.
Joker stood before the two women and studied them. Both were a few years younger than she was, and had evidently had a rough go of it so far. The slightly older looking of the two looked at the mercenary with wild eyes. One arm wrapped defensively around her companion, who had the same thousand meter stare of all too many people who'd seen and done things that had simply broken something inside. She was also constantly rubbing her wrists, which were visibly sore where they'd spent so long shackled.
"Something tells me you two didn't join this crew of your own free will." with that, she reached under her jacket and pulled out a small, snub-nosed revolver from where it had been hidden in the small of her back. Flicking it open, she held it out to show that all six chambers were loaded, then snapped it closed again and held it out.
There was a moment of silence, then the smaller woman stood, the blanket that had been wrapped around her falling to the ground. As she took the offered weapon. She turned to her left, the weapon coming up until it was pointed directly at Doolally.
<BANG!>
The revolver barked, and a bloody red stain appeared on the pirate leaders left shoulder, staggering him backwards.
<BANG!>
He grunted as the next bullet struck him low in the gut, just above his groin.
<BANG!> <BANG!>
<BANG!>
The next two shots traced a line upwards.
<BANG!>
The fifth round hit him in the chest, narrowly missing his heart.
<BANG!>
The final round hit him just above the bridge of his nose, blowing the back of his head off in a shower of blood, brains and bone fragments. His lifeless body fell backwards like a cut tree, landing unceremoniously in the middle of the cell.
Joker collected the empty gun. As the second woman stood and hugged her friend who had started to sob uncontrollable before sinking to be floor.
"I think they'll talk now." Joker looked over her shoulder to Doc Bart and the startled guard.
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DropShip Ante-Up
Outbound, Sweet Water
Coventry Province
Lyran Commonwealth
20 July 3057
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Groaning, Joker slumped back against the bulkhead. Still clutching the toilet in the private bathroom off of her cabin. The entire room stunk of vomit, sweat and... she wasn't going to think what else. It had been two days since they'd left Sweet Water, and what might have been was left behind, and she'd only left her room once the entire time.
The others were, concerned, and had carefully removed anything she might potentially use to kill herself, before giving her the space to grieve. None of them had want to go, but once word got out that they had been. All be it indirectly and unintentionally responsible for the pirate attack... staying was no longer an option. Kobe's surviving family had made it clear that she even wasn't welcome at the funeral. So she had quietly collected her things from his apartment and left without saying a word. All she had to remember him by were a few photos and...
Retching again, she only just made it to the toilet before bringing up what felt like everything she'd eaten in the previous week. When she finally stopped, when her body finally accepted that there simply wasn't anything more to bring up. She tilted her head to one side and looked at the small plastic strip still clasped in her right hand, and the single, game changing word visible on it.
Pregnant.
The End
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