Lines Drawn

[Koval]

"How bad is it, Derone?"

"Two broken ribs and a subluxed shoulder, Commissar. Her injuries are healing, but I estimate that it'll be another four standard days before she can move properly again. Another standard month after that before she can return to active duty."

"And you can't make that go any faster?"

"Commissar, we've already installed blackbone bracing to reinforce her ribs and shoulder, applied deadlock to regulate inflammation, and given her enough pain suppressants to knock her out. Short of putting her in a resusatrix chamber, the best we can do at this point is to wait."

"Damn. I was hoping to talk to her before that. Have you at least identified who she is?"

"She gave us a name before we put her under the anaesthetic. She's Lieutenant-Commander Abigail Schmitt of the Ferox Est."

"Being a Lieutenant-Commander makes her senior to the whole outpost. Captain Porter isn't going to be impressed."

"Having said that, Commissar, I honestly doubt it's that simple. We found something among her personal effects."

"I have a feeling I'm not going to like this, Derone."

"It's... well, you'd better take a look at it."

"Very well. But I-- holy Throne, is that what I think it is?"

"Afraid so, Commissar. We don't have the equipment on site to initiate a biometric scan, or otherwise verify it, but she's Inquisition."

"Unlikely that she's an actual Inquisitor. High Command's briefing on the Ferox Est indicated that Niccolo Vecciani was the only Inquisitor on board. It's more likely that she's an agent of one than that she's an Inquisitor herself."

"Or a rival out to oppose Vecciani?"

"Don't be stupid, Derone. This is the Inquisition. They are united in their cause to rid the galaxy of any threat."

"I won't argue the point."

"Wise move. I'll add this to the list of things I want to ask the Lieutenant-Commander when she wakes up."

"I'll let you know as soon as she does."

[Dolnikan]

Inquisitor Hyrule watched from the observation tower of the spaceport. Cassadon would be arriving today in the lander from the Lord Ingelheim, a merchant vessel. Next to her stood her most loyal companions as well as her recent recruit, the agent with the codename Servus Fenestrae. She saw it approaching, carrying hundreds of passengers and, according to the register, a large shipment of military grade boot soles.

She saw the lander approaching slowly. It was an ugly, brutish thing designed only to carry as much cargo as possible. She activated her comm-link and said: "Engage"

From amidst the buildings of the spaceport a dozen missiles were fired into the sky, turning towards the lander which could not escape. Hyrule did not know if the pilot saw their doom approaching but she liked the idea of Cassadon trying to pray the rockets away before they would end her miserable existence.

Two of the rockets missed but all the others found their mark, tearing open the hull, blasting off parts of the wings or even destroying engines. The craft shuddered and pieces started to fall off as another set of rockets was fired. This time she could not see how many hit as the lander was falling apart. The hull was rocked by explosion from fuel containers as Hyrule watched intently.

The wreck crashed with immense noise, flattening several buildings and was consumed by flames. Confident that there would be no survivors Hyrule turned and left with her staff as panicked  people were everywhere.

[Dolnikan]

The first thing Cassadon knew was that she was in a lot of pain. She opened her right eye, there was only pain in the left,  and saw a scene of horror. There were flames, torn pieces of metal and the remnants of human beings. Then it all returned to her. The impacts, the mass panic she had been hard-pressed to quell and then nothing., only incredibly noise and blackness. She looked at herself, the armour Haliope had insisted that she would wear was cracked, but had protected her, the pristine white was scorched black in places, through some of the cracks blood flowed out.

She tried to stand up, the servo-motors in one of her legs responded slower than usual. The leg was immensely painful, without the assistance of the armour she would not have been capable of standing. She looked around for other survivors, she head no screams, and no one was moving. She did hear wrenching metal and roaring flames.

Cassadon was dizzy, the oxygen content in the air was clearly falling. She prayed while setting her first few steps, each time the leg flared in pain, but she could not give up, it was her religious duty to continue. She found one of the re-breather racks the crew had indicated during launch preparation. She tore one free and put it on, it was a true blessing to taste pure air again.