Once is Happenstance

Posted on Sun Aug 25th, 2024 @ 1:11am by Commander Kevin Lance
Edited on on Sun Aug 25th, 2024 @ 1:36am

Mission: Deep freeze
Location: BS Neva
Timeline: Current

on:
{Nevan Mines}

The incessant pounding awoke Asgyr from his slumber. He didn’t sleep heavily. He had too many enemies to afford himself that luxury and he was instantly on his guard. He pushed the sleepy, naked form of Hera away from himself, then stood and strode to the cloth blanket that separated his sleeping area from that of the rest of the work shift. “Someone better be dead,” he snarled as the torn the blanker to one side.

“Someone is dead,” a woman in mining garb replied. Asgyr did not recognize her as one of the workers that he was responsible for and her tone suggested that she too was an Overseer. “The Masters want all Overseers assembled,” she continued.

“Do they intend to punish us?” he asked worriedly.

The woman shrugged. “Don’t know but I wouldn’t be surprised. In the mines. Fifteen minutes. And you might want to put on some pants.”

Asgyr looked down at himself then turned back to the narrow bunk along the wall. Hera was sitting up, covering herself with the dirty sheet that they shared. “What’s happening?’ she asked with concern in her eyes.

“No idea,” Asgyr replied noncommittally as he grabbed his grey coveralls. Hera had good reason to be concerned. He was her protector. Without him, she was vulnerable to the jealous vengeance of other worked, those who resented her privileged status and lack of a work requirement. She was strong and feisty but Asgyr knew of at least three workers who would exact revenge on her and that only considered his own charges.

Without an additional word, he departed

=================

The victim was Brendis, the Overseer of the work shift after Asgyr’s own. His body lay awkwardly in a crevice in the rock walls. The other Overseers avoided the looking at Brendis’ corpse but Asgyr felt a strange compulsion to touch it, examine it. As if the body wanted to tell him something.

“Did Brendis anger the Masters?” Panic rumors spread amongst the assemblage. “Did they punish him?”

Asgyr examined Brendis’ lifeless body with a dispassionate, critical eye. “No,” he pronounced, “The Masters don’t leave physical evidence of the trauma that they inflict.

“If not the Masters,” the Overseer who had awoke Asgyr asked, “Then how? It must have been an accident. He died while trying to negotiate the crevice”

“Again no,” was Asgyr’s assessment, “The positioning of his head is all wrong for an accident. The scrape on his hands and face are all post-mortem. His spinal cord was snapped at the neck and is body stuffed in here afterwards.

“How do you know?” a male Overseer challenged.

“I just know, okay,” Asgyr shot back angrily.

“Then who would kill him if not the Masters?”

“I imagine that the list of potential murders is very long indeed,” Asgyr replied, “Let’s get him out of there so I can get a better look.

Three of the other Oversees assisted Asgyr to remove Brendis’ body. The dead Overseer’s head flopped at usual angles, highlight that the spine cord had been severed. A minute examination of the injury left Asgyr in little doubt that Brendis’ killer was tall, strong and most likely a male. The localization of the injury to the neck made it clear that Brendis had not known the attack was coming and had died before he had a chance to react.

Asgyr wanted to believe that the crime had been committed by a rough-brow but something in the deep recesses of his mind told him that the assailant was known to Brendis. This wasn’t a random fistfight that had turned deadly. This was a premeditated assassination executed with extreme malice. Familiarity bred contempt they said, whoever they might have been. This was done by either another Overseer or one of the workers.

Asgyr stood and turned to the other Overseers. They were all tall and strong. Any of them, including the women, could have murdered Brendis. But he felt that it didn’t make sense. All of the Overseers were predators and bullies but most were too busy keeping their workers in line to do more than snarl or throw an occasional punch at each other. Asgyr couldn’t think of any that had so violent disagreements with Brendis that they would be moved to murder and hiding the body.

The vaporous mist of three of the Masters coalesced into shape behind the group of Overseers. Those closest were quick to move away. “Have you formed any conclusion,” one voice emanated.

The Overseers looked to each other and the body of Brendis. No one wanted to be the bearer of bad tidings lest they be punished. Withholding any answer from the Masters presented its own risks, however, and finally Asgyr stepped forward. “Natural causes, Master,” he said. Lying was risky but if the Masters already knew the cause of death, why the charade? “Brendis had a weak heart. The stress of being Overseer must have been too much for him.”

The other Overseers stared at Asgyr in disbelief. A few stole glances at the faceless shapes of the Masters in a vain effort to determine their reaction. All was quiet for many seconds, then the voice of the Master replied, “A pity. 10599 was a dutiful Overseer. His contribution to the quota shall be missed.”

The Overseers shifted on their feet as they murmured to each other. One of them asked, “Who shall take his place?”

“We have been discussing this amongst ourselves,” the voice declared, “We have determined that 13565 would be the best to take the previous Overseer’s place. He regularly exceeds quota and should have little trouble achieving the same with this new group of workers.”

All eyes turned to Asgyr. Well shit, he thought.

:off

Commander Kevin Lance aka Asgyr
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris