No Signs of Life

    The hulk of the ship showed every indication of abandonment.

    It emitted no energy, no modicum of activity...Just the pinging and the constant pulse of a CommBroadcast.

    Recognized throughout the galaxies as a distress signal, that sound had brought the H.F.S Demeter to this place.  The archaic coding of the Comm had kept her attention. 

    It must have been countless years because the floater's registration hadn't come up in the system, its design was either very "foreign" or very old and this distress signal had weakened to a point of being barely audible.  It had been a gamble to have even come looking for it.

    "Anything yet?"

    "No signs of life, Captain Euning.  Wait...I've got audio on the Comm.  System1v v1.  Very old."  The tech switched the signal to the bridge PA.

    Static. A voice emerged sporadically from the muddiness of the broadcast.

    "...Things seem desperate...they...critical...Mayday...Mayday...Mayday...soon...we're running out of time...please soon..."

    The crew sat wide-eyed as the deteriorating communication chillingly played out.

    "...They...we don't have it...numbers...most precious cargo..."

    Most precious cargo.  Captain Euning's interest was piqued.  "Lieutenant Balder, assemble a team.  We will exercise our salvage rights."

    Balder looked quizzical with regards to the order.  "Sir, we need to register our intentions with The Front.  We need to go through the proper channels..."

    "Assemble the team, Lieutenant Balder.  This hulk is unregistered.  We are in a dangerous quadrant.  Make it quick.  We're running out of time."

    The lieutenant dutifully snapped his heels, saluted and made haste to assemble the sortie.

    Aboard the Solanum below, hundreds of eyes watched their saviors approach from the Demeter.  It had been so long since they had died.  So long since they had eaten.




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