Retribution Read Free Page A

left out of the officers mess. He walked across to his cabin, opened the door and grabbed his suit that always hung next to the door. He climbed into it and sealed it before donning his helmet. He then headed to the aft elevators.
    He hit the button for the lift just as it arrived and opened. Trooper (Tpr) Justin Grimshaw was in the lift all suited up, replete with helmet. Dave could see by the status lights on his collar that his suit was sealed, save for the visor. As one of the military police on board he had been assigned to secure the elevator in the event of a fire.
    Grimshaw looked even more stocky that usual in his suit. He was a jovial chap by nature. Dave recalled the last time he had seen him suited up. He was then being carried out wounded after their action on Alpha Phi. “More drama Sir. You’ll be wanting E deck I presume.”
    “Yes Justin.”
    Justin hit the control to seal his visor and Dave did likewise. At E deck the elevator doors opened and Dave entered the ante chamber whose doors were now sealed to provide an air lock. Dave waited till the lift doors closed and then he opened the outer doors. The main lighting was problematic, off in the main corridor, but sometimes on, off or flickering in the lateral access corridors. The emergency red lighting lit the way along the guidelines embedded in the passageway floors. There was no one in this immediate section.
    Dave walked to the bulkhead door and hailed “Gunter, I’m on the rear side of E32 access door. Is it safe to come through?”
    “Wait Sir. Someone will open it for you in a second.”
    Dave waited patiently. A good minute passed before a suited Sgt Loraine Tumoresq opened the door and beckoned Dave through in a hurry. She closed the door and waved for him to follow her.
    There was still a strong burning smell.
    “Haven’t we vented this section?” asked Dave.
    “Yes Sir we have” responded Loraine. She clipped the words in a matter of fact way as she moved quickly down the corridor using her helmet light and the floor emergency light to navigate by. “But we have a problem with the carbon scrubbers. They were smouldering after the last fire, though we couldn’t tell. It’s a new system and the materials used are supposed to be fire resistant but if you ask me they are crap at it Sir.”
    “That’s a technical term is it Sergeant?”
    “Yes it is Sir.”
    Dave followed her as she turned to starboard. Dave could see the big Life Support sign over the entrance as he entered. He had only been in here once before and that was during the familiarisation training back in Tumos. ‘Has it only been thirteen days?’ thought Dave since he took command of this brand new ship. The famil had been rushed with no real work up trials undertaken. ‘No, there had been an emergency – a planet to save and an enemy to defeat.’
    “Sir” hailed Gunter as he saw Dave and Loraine enter “over here.”
    Loraine led him out on the centre gantry. Below on either side were banks of machinery. Dave could see that the status light on five of the ten banks were no longer green. All he remembered from the famil was that each bank was capable of providing sufficient life support for one of the normal decks or half of the two double decks – ie F and G flight decks.
    “Shit” said Dave as he came alongside Gunter. He could see the strain on Gunter’s face. The helmet’s internal lighting accentuated his furrowed brow.
    “Yes Sir. A good description. I don’t know what possessed them to use this new carbon fibre for the scrubbers. Maybe it has amazing properties but each of these banks are KO’d. I don’t dare start them back up for fear they will burst into flames again.”
    “Is it contained?”
    “I think so Sir. We’re just in the process of sealing this bank here. But to be real sure I would like to remove the scrubbers and flush them out into space.” Gunter looked intently at Dave to ensure he understood the implication.
    “Do we have