I was processed immediately after.
Stripped down, hosed down, and cut down.
When I emerged from the prison, I was dressed in white fatigues and a buzz cut.
Behind me was the prison.
And in front of me was a transport ship.
I marched forward, slowly.
An officer shoved me from behind.
"Move it, 467."
I gripped the rail for support.
Looking over I could see the vast blue ocean below.
Waves smashed against the metallic pillars.
I shook my head, continuing forward.
The transport ship was an ugly beast.
A massive gray beast with bigger engines.
A ramp lowered down from its back.
The inside held two rows of seats facing each other.
13 on either side.
In 19 of those seats were men and women who looked just like me.
Buzz cuts and white jumpsuits.
The officers pushed me towards the front of the ship.
As we walked, I noticed them staring at me.
I looked back, examining their jumpsuits.
Each one had a number designating their home prisons.
From IF-1 to 12.
The guard shoved me to the tenth seat on the left side.
"Buckle up."
I plopped down, clicking my harness in place.
The mechanism locked automatically, squeezing against my chest.
It tightened until I couldn't breathe, before releasing an inch of space.
The guard sat beside me, while the other one stood in the center.
He pressed the side of his helmet.
"Captain Hans to cockpit, we are a-go for launch."
The deck began to vibrate beneath my boots.
The hum of engines filled the air.
And the ramp began to recede.
"Copy that, engaging launch sequence."
The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom.
A loud whirring reverberated through the hull.
I barely had time to brace before we launched.
I gritted my teeth.
Gravity slammed against me like a foot crushing an insect.
I closed my eyes.
The shaking grew violent, the metal hull groaning under the atmospheric exit.
After what felt like an eternity, the weight suddenly lifted.
I felt my insides somersault.
"We have reached cruising altitude," the pilot announced. "ETA to destination, four hours."
The engines reengaged and suddenly it didn't feel like we were in space anymore.
The orientation of the ship changed so that the top acted as the front.
The ship sped towards the edge of the Erasa system, leaving behind the waterworld of Erasa-prime.
At the edge of the system was a massive pair of rings spaced apart.
Traffic flowed from one to the other, with a few ships turning out to head for Erasa-prime.
Prison ships mostly.
We merged into traffic.
And as we passed through the ring, we were teleported to the Kara system.
Then we jumped again and again.
Dozens of systems passed us by.
I tried to focus on anything but the constant jumps.
Looking around I could see I wasn't the only one disoriented.
Still, there were a few psychos who looked right at home.
Note to self: avoid them.
I decided to make conversation with the person next to me.
She was short, with slightly elongated ears and wide, soulless eyes.
She had markings all over her hands and neck.
And probably the rest of her body too.
She was no doubt a member of the void cult.
People who worshiped uncontrolled space and whatever lay outside it.
Their founder was a scientist who went nuts after being dragged into the void by null walkers.
When he returned, he genetically modified 100 children in the image of 'god'.
And thus began one of the largest headaches for the federation.
I sighed, gently tapping her thigh.
"Hey."
The woman slowly turned to look at me.
I could feel the guard next to me tense.
He gave me a look you'd give someone about to do something stupid.
He subtly shook his head.
I ignored him.
"So what are you in for? Vandalism?"
I smirked, gesturing toward her markings.
She stared at me, unblinking.
Her lips parted, revealing canines sharper than any animal I knew.
"Liberation."
Her voice was cold and absolute.
Everyone on the ship paused and turned to look at her.
She held my gaze.
"I liberated the souls of the damned, just like Mother ordered."
She tilted her head back, smiling.
"They were hidden in one of those backwaters the federation calls a village. They didn't listen to her holy word, so I had no choice but to liberate them from their mortal shackles."
I swallowed hard.
"And how'd you do that?"
I was almost afraid to ask.
"By burning them alive of course."
She laughed, holding her face, her eyes wide and unchanging. "Of course, the federation's dogs showed up so I had to liberate them too!"
She shrieked as the markings on her body shifted ever so slightly.
"But then those pilots showed up! Them and their light! So I had to hide, but that's okay…"
She began hyperventilating.
"…BECAUSE NOW SALVATION IS CLOSE! WE'LL BE FREE SOON, WE'LL BE FREE OF THEIR LIGHT!"
I shifted away from her, my hair standing on end.
This chick was nuts.
Her laughter echoed through the quiet air.
It was then cut short when Captain Hans hit her with the butt of his rifle.
"Shut the hell up!"
The impact landed with a smack.
Her head bounced back with a thud.
Blood oozed from her temple as she slumped forward, her body lifeless.
The captain narrowed his eyes as he glared at me.
"And you, no more chit chat, got it?"
I nodded.
"Loud and clear."
He turned around.
I looked down at the woman.
She was still slumped forward, but kept one eye open.
She looked right at me and smirked.
"Soon." she mouthed.
I looked away.
New note: Avoid her at all costs.
I sat in silence for the rest of the journey.
Everyone did.
Eventually, the hum of the engines changed pitch.
Reversing as they gained more power.
"Entering deceleration burn, prepare for heavy Gs."
An invisible force slammed against me.
I groaned under the pressure.
It was like we hit a wall of molasses.
The hull rattled and shook, screaming in protest as the engines pushed against the atmosphere.
Then, silence.
The engines slowed to a quiet whine as the ship began the landing sequence.
The ship rattled with a thud.
"Another successful landing by yours truly, so smooth 420 didn't even wake from his nap."
The pilot's gloat elicited a groan from Captain Hans.
He turned his attention to a prisoner who looked to be sleeping.
An older man with a scar across his left eye.
Hans raised an eyebrow.
"No way he slept through that."
He walked over, tapping him with the butt of his rifle.
"Get up."
Nothing.
Hans hit him harder.
"Get. Up."
Still nothing.
Hans sighed, pulling off one of his gloves to reveal his bare hand.
On the back of his hand were the thin metallic fingers of an exoskeleton.
He placed two fingers on the man's neck.
"No pulse."
I raised an eyebrow.
There is no way in hell this dude just died.
I leaned as close as I could get.
Studying him.
He didn't look like a dead man.
I bet he's pretending to be dead to escape.
Hans gripped the man's neck.
"Last chance to drop the act. I have orders to kill any would-be escapees."
Just then, I saw the faintest twitch in the man's pointer finger.
He lurched for Hans' pistol.
Hans sighed.
Snapping the man's neck instantly.
It was a sickening sound.
His head lolled to the side at an unnatural angle.
Hans pulled his hand back, sliding the glove back on.
"Drop the ramp."