Page 37 of Lorran
“Yes, Mylomon, a little warning,” Lorran said.
“I can easily turn the power off again,” Mylomon said.
“What about environmentals?”
“I remind you that I am not an engineer. You have power, and you have your orders.”
“Understood.” Lorran climbed out from underneath the console.
“Is that a problem? Not having air to breathe?” Wyn asked.
“Your suit has environmental support for several hours. It is not an issue but—”
“Keep my helmet on. Sure. Got it.” She stuck the flashlight to the suit’s belt. “This place is a wreck. What are you looking for?”
“Data as to the ship’s travels and communications sent and received, but those have been destroyed or removed.”
“Huh.” Her foot nudged a few shards of a fractured circuit board, then she bent to retrieve the hammer. “I mean, if you’re under attack, you just grab your shit and go, right? I remember that. When the sirens went off, you stopped what you were doing and headed to the shelter. You didn’t take a hammer and smash all the computers. And they got all of them. Every single screen.” She pointed the hammer to the destroyed terminals and tablets snapped in half.
“Yes. This happened after the initial attack but before evacuation,” he said, impressed with her deductive reasoning. “Let us continue our search.”
They found the crew quarters easily. The first cabin was standard design with one bunk affixed to the wall, a built-in cabinet along the other wall, and a small basin for washing. Brightly colored toys, clothing, and furnishings littered the floor.
“A child’s room,” he said. Kneeling at the bed, he felt around the base for a latch. The mattress swung up to reveal an empty compartment.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
“Storage?”
“A safe room, small but enough to supply enough air for one person. It is a standard feature in all Mahdfel designs.”
“Huh, that makes sense. Does every room have a secret safe room?”
“Every cabin. It is impractical for a small vessel such as theSRV-P11to have more.”
“Well, don’t think I’m callous when I say I really hope we don’t find anyone in a safe room. Being stuck inside that for hours would be terrible, let alone days.”
“Agreed.” With the ship’s systems failing, the safe room could offer life support for a few more hours but not days. “I believe the crew evacuated.”
“Except for Ulrik, poor guy.”
Lorran tried to remember if Ulrik had a mate and child but could not recall. “I did not know him well, but he was an honorable male.”
He moved to the next cabin. It was larger, with a double bed, more built-in storage, an entertainment console, and a small area for drink and food preparation. Furnishings littered the floor, along with every pillow and piece of bed linen that drifted while gravity was out. Clothing in various sizes created an untidy mess.
“A cabin for a mated couple,” he said, before verifying that the safe room was empty.
The next room was another single cabin. Other than the bed linen and a pair of boots tossed on the floor, there was little to indicate that the cabin had been in use.
“Seems small for an adult.”
“Our apartment will be larger. Do not distress yourself.” His own cabin was similar in size, but designed for one person. When they returned to theJudgment, he would be assigned new living quarters since he now had a mate.
“I’m not distressed, and I wasn’t saying that. This is…cozy, that’s all.”
The rest of the cabins were empty, and the beds stripped of all linens. Only three cabins in use and four people total on board. He shared his findings with Mylomon before continuing the search.
“What research are we looking for exactly?” Wyn asked. “I mean, are we looking for a laptop or a lab?”
