"ETA five minutes, engaging silent running."

The lights switched to a dim red glow as the Blue Ravens headed deep into space in a Caracara assault ship. The sound of the engines died down giving the indication to the team that it was now time for helmets on.

Jason raised his hand towards Donnelly as his helmet gradually appeared from the base of the neck of his armour, gradually covering his head completely. In response, she gave him a fist pump as her head gradually covered itself too.

Their mission was about half an Astronomical Unit (AU) from Saturn's satellite Titan. They were tasked to eliminate a pirate lord who was cruising on his private yacht between Titan and a space station deep in space.

The ship started to equalise the gravitational pull of the outside surroundings. The feeling of gradually decreasing weight had always amused Jason, how his arms and legs felt less heavy and movement became more flowing.

As silent running completed its activation, the only thing Jason could hear was the steady rhythm was his breathing. Despite having various people, equipment and electronics around him, it always felt unnerving how sound struggled to travel through the artificial vacuum that had been created.

"ETA two minutes, prepare for slingshot." The pilot instructed.

His voice was the only one still active in order to minimise the chance for others to notice their presence.

Major Elijah Turner displayed some hand signals for the rest of the Blue Ravens to see. As he did, the seats they sat on extended to put all of them in an upright position. A series of tubes then descended from the roof and enveloped each of the soldiers.

Despite the slightly claustrophobic feeling, Jason had practised this procedure so many times it had become second nature to him, but this was the first time he would be doing it out in the field.

The slingshot manoeuvre. The spacecraft initially comes to a complete stop before each of the soldiers would be fired through the roof of the ship like a torpedo. Based on the trajectory of the enemy vessel, the soldiers would use the inertia from the launch to intercept the vessel, decrease speed and hook onto its hull.

The Caracara, as it was engaged in silent mode, would be undetectable unless someone took a look outside. As a result of this, the distance between the ship and the enemy vessel would be at a point where neither ship would be visible to the naked eye. As a result of the extended distance, this made the slingshot manoeuvre extremely risky and needed to be rehearsed vigorously.

A failed launch would likely lead to death.

Jason ran all the potential issues through his mind. Too quick and he'd miss the ship, too slow and the same result. Both would then require reducing speed as much as possible or he would float endlessly in the dark of space to the likelihood of dying of either asphyxiation or hypothermia.

His suit had the calculations plugged into it, but it was dependent on the enemy vessel not deviating from its current speed and course.

Just remember your training.

His visor HUD burst into life-giving him vital information about his current physical condition. He sighed when he spotted his heart rate at a steady 82 beats per minute. Closing his eyes and taking deep breaths, he managed to slow it to approximately 70. It was key that he remained as calm as possible.

"ETA 30 seconds. Godspeed." The pilot said.

Godspeed? Hardly appropriate!

The final countdown appeared on Jason's visor and his heart rate started to rise. The excitement of what was to come, no doubt.

Looking towards Donnelly she nodded to him as a hint of encouragement of what was about to come. The helmet disguised her facial features but Jason could imagine clearly her deep brown eyes and cute mischievous smile. He nodded in acknowledgement just as the countdown reached three.

Two... One...

He felt a harsh jolt at his feet before feeling an immense amount of thrust as he was launched through the roof of the Caracara and into space. Within moments the ship disappeared behind him and the momentum of the launch pushed him forward, but to Jason, it felt like almost nothing.

This was the first time in his life he felt complete peace. There was no sound, except the noise of the mechanics of his suit and his steadied breathing. He felt nothing except the momentum of moving forward at considerable speed but it just felt like he was floating. The view, however, was something spectacular.

During training, Jason had been warned about the effects floating in space had on the mind. The endless void of the night with the many unreachable stars was too much for some minds to handle. The knowledge of knowing that space was endless would be overwhelming for the average human, but for Jason, it felt like freedom.

The complete lack of control was something he briefly embraced before the remembrance of reality returned.

The mission, the pirate ship, the executioner.

As the yacht came into view far to his right, the HUD on his visor displayed the optimal route and his suit deployed bursts of energy to decrease the speed in order to land on the ship at the required velocity.

Let's just hope they don't decide to increase speed or change direction!

Manoeuvring himself to place all fours in front of him, Jason eased onto the hull of the ship as his feet and hands magnetised themselves to give secure footing. With Donnelly and the other team members attaching close behind him, it was now time to execute the mission.

Colonel El-Hadji gave instructions via hand signals for them to breach the hull of the ship. If the calculations were correct they should enter the cargo bay. With the ship continuing on its course it was apparent that no one had noticed their arrival and the beginnings of attempting infiltration.

Hours and hours of rehearsal after rehearsal were paying off as the breach, infiltration and resealing of the cargo bay hull was flawless. The full team had established their defensive positions around the room without a single sensor being tripped.

As far as the enemy are concerned, they are not there.

Being inside the ship meant short wave communication was now available, consequently, Colonel El-Hadji gave the orders.

"You know your routes and assignments. Use keywords only on long wave comms. Eliminate everyone on board." He commanded callously.

Like drones, the soldiers started their manoeuvres flawlessly.

In their group, Donnelly took the lead with Jason and Major Elijah Turner. Gliding through their designated corridor they reached the first room, a barracks likely consisting of ten off duty soldiers.

Standing by the closed door, Jason and Elijah took defensive positions while Donnelly placed a sensor on the outside wall. As she looked at the wall, red silhouettes of the people in the barracks started to appear.

"Getting Viper reading, confirm?" She asked.

Jason looked at the wall and the silhouettes started to appear on his HUD. "Confirmed."

"Confirmed." Elijah responded.

They all stood by the door waiting for Donnelly's instruction. As she raised her hand and flicked her fingers forward the door slid open allowing her to roll a small grenade in. As it gave off a burst of light everyone in the room was motionless allowing the three Special Forces operatives to pick their targets with ease. The laser fire was silent and the only sound heard was the thump as the bodies slumped to the floor.

The execution was efficient and silent. As Jason walked in to confirm the kills he studied the barracks they had been sleeping in.

"These don't exactly look like Pirates." He commented as he studied the life signs of a group playing cards around a table.

Turner chuckled "Are you expecting wooden legs and eye patches?"

Jason walked over to the cabinets where their clothes are stored. "All of them are carefully groomed and have a similar build, plus the uniforms suggest conformity."

Turner looked inside the room as Jason was rummaging around. Noticing a weapon safe he turned to Donnelly. "Donnelly, find out what's in the safe."

"Yes sir."

It didn't take her long to hack into the safe and as the contents opened she sighed.

"What do you see?" Turner asked.

"Gibson 24b rifles, Hertfordshire 7.4 alpha sniper rifles, Gibson Smith Shotguns. These are private contractors, not pirates."

Despite not being able to see his face through his visor it was obvious that Turner was not impressed. Almost immediately it was apparent he was having a private conversation through his headset. As his head dropped down and his fists tightened. It didn't seem like good news.

"Colonel El-Hadji has ordered us to continue our mission and ask no more questions." Turner reported bitterly.

"This is another BS assignment." Donnelly replied.

"Let's just get the job done." Ordered Turner.

Jason finished checking over the corpses before they all moved on to the next few rooms. Most were empty but occasionally another small group had to be eliminated.

It was a somewhat unnerving experience going from room to room. Originally it felt necessary for the sake of the USM; to eliminate pirates for the good of the Human Confederate. But knowing that it was a lie felt immoral and more like an execution.

A loud siren started droning around the ship.

"They know we're here now!" Turner commented. "Though it's unlikely they will give much resistance, if there are even any left."

As they followed the corridors they came upon another group of Blue Ravens who were desperately trying to hack into a door. The door was not on any of the schematics they had spent hours memorising.

As Turner strolled up to the other soldiers who acknowledged his presence. "It must be a panic room sir." One answered. "We eliminated two combatants as they triggered the alarm and we believe our target hid in here."

Donnelly sighed, placing her hands on her hips "A panic room!"

"We believe so." Another soldier replied.

"You three, secure the perimeter, Donnelly, Jason, get me in that room!" Ordered Turner.

As the soldiers moved to their positions, Donnelly and Jason took their position at the door panel which had already been torn into.

"Amateurs," Donnelly sighed as she started fiddling with the controls "it's a panic room not a normal door! With the amount of encryption this guy has probably paid for, it will take me hours to get in!"

Jason chuckled. "I love it when you get flustered with your encryption!"

She slapped him on the arm and chuckled along with him. "I will struggle to get in before help arrives."

"Is that a wager I smell?" Jason urged.

The helmet of Donnelly's turned directly toward Jason. "What wager?"

"If I get us in there in the next ten minutes you owe me dinner the next time we get planet side."

Donnelly laughed. "Your arrogance knows no bounds Jason Scharn!" She replied sternly.

Jason stood up. "There's a thin line between arrogance and confidence, only determined by success or failure. So dinner?"

"You're unbelievable," she chuckled while shaking her head, "fine, ten minutes."

Jason raised his weapon and took to the corridor and prepared himself just in case there were still enemies around.

After five minutes of tapping away at various controls on her arm, the lights around them all switched off and the corridors turned red. Her arms and hands felt lighter and it wasn't long before she was no longer rooted to the floor.

"God dammit! What has he done." Donnelly cursed.

Magnetising her shoes, Donnelly regained her footing and looked toward Turner. He just shrugged his shoulders.

With the lack of gravity in the room, working on breaking through the door would become a lot harder. It simply wasn't possible to touch type as efficiently as Donnelly was used to.

After another minute Jason floated his way back through the corridor. "Can you gain communications to the room?"

Despite the lack of facial expression the helmet displayed, Jason could tell that Donnelly was not best pleased with his antics. In moments though she had managed to establish a connection to the safe room.

Jason cleared his throat before talking to the person on the other side of the encrypted door.

"As you will be feeling, the temperature in that room is decreasing rapidly. The sooner you allow us access to the room the sooner the temperature is more bearable for you." Jason instructed.

No answer

Jason tried again "The temperature will rapidly decline in line with the outside of this ship which means that it will fall to around minus 250 degrees Celsius. My estimate is you are probably reaching around minus twenty. As far as deaths go, I can't imagine it will be a pleasant one."

Donnelly shook her head at Jason's negotiation tactics as still, no response was forthcoming.

After another pause, a holographic image of a man desperately rubbing his arms appeared. He was wearing a suit, therefore, he was feeling the full effects of the temperature drop. "My name is Ryan Cartwright-Evans, senator of the Democratic League of Europa. Your assault on this ship is unwarranted and unlawful. I demand that you return the temperature to its rightful level and leave this ship immediately."

Donnelly and Jason looked at each other instantly, muting the communication. Turner had overheard the brief exchange and joined them in the discussion. "That's not a pirate Lord!" He burst out.

"Could he be bluffing?" Donnelly asked.

Jason shook his head "I'm from Europa and I've seen his face plastered over various advertisements for years. Someone has made a grave error."

"I'll get the Colonel down here straight away." Turner responded.

After a brief exchange with Colonel El-Hadji, Turner shrugged his shoulders "He says get us in that safe room, the Colonel's on his way."

There was a collective sigh from both Jason and Donnelly, somehow this whole situation seemed unnecessarily complicated.

Unmuting the conversation, Jason continued. "Minus forty I reckon?"

"Y..y..you can't do this!" The senator replied through the sound of chattering teeth.

"Minus fifty."

There was a hiss and a clunk as the massive metallic door started to open. Raising their weapons to the opening door, Jason asked the important question. "How long?"

Donnelly sighed "Nine Minutes twelve seconds."

"Make sure you get your best evening dress then!" Jason chuckled.

He couldn't tell at first but it certainly sounded like there was a faint bit of laughter between their communication.

As the door completed its opening procedure, Jason reinitialised the gravity and heating. As the senator slumped to the floor he was greeted by a number of weapons pointed in his direction. As the room was secured, the senator was instructed to place his hands on his head until Colonel El-Hadji arrived.

"I thought I gave strict orders for this mission." His voice carried through the corridor, its menace reaching the room before the Colonel had even entered it.

As he entered, Turner responded. "Intel must be wrong sir. We had instructions to eliminate a Pirate Lord. This man is not a Pirate Lord."

His face could not be seen, but the Colonel's dissatisfaction was obvious by the tone of his response. "And how do you know this is not a Pirate Lord, Major?"

"Sir, with all due respect," Jason interjected "I recognise this man from Europa. He is who he says he is."

The smooth helmet of the Colonel quickly snapped in Jason's direction. "Do you have an issue with following orders Lieutenant?"

"No sir, I'm just suggesting that we double check with Intel."

"I have all the intelligence I need to complete this mission. Now do your job and eliminate this man." Colonel El-Hadji lambasted.

Jason hesitated and everyone else in the room seemed to have difficulty with the order being given. The only sound that could be heard in the room was the sniffles of the senator.

"But sir, he's not a Pirate Lord. He's a democratic senator. This order is unlawful." Jason responded defiantly.

Colonel El-Hadji chuckled. "Unlawful? We have received orders to eliminate this man, it is unlawful to disobey those orders." He turned to Donnelly "Donnelly, kill him."

She stood there in silence.

"Donnelly, kill him!" He reiterated.

She looked towards Jason and then Turner before facing Colonel El-Hadji once more. "Sir, I cannot fulfil that request. I'm inclined to agree with Lieutenant Scharn and that confirmation of our orders should be requested."

There was silence in the room once more. The tension was unbearable especially as the only sounds were the sniffles of the senator and the groans from the armour of uneasy soldiers scattered around the room. As Colonel El-Hadji looked toward Major Turner it only seemed to add to the unpleasant atmosphere.

"Fine!" Colonel El-Hadji responded.

Without hesitation, he unbuckled his pistol, pointed it at the senator's temple and squeezed the trigger. As the thud of the deceased man hit the floor the soldiers all stared in disbelief as to what had just happened.

"Your insubordination will be addressed when we return planet-side. Ensure there are no more survivors and prepare for the ship to drift to Titan." Colonel El-Hadji ordered before turning and storming out of the room.

Jason knelt down and stared at the smoke ascending from the man's sealed hole in his forehead before turning to Donnelly and Turner. "What on earth has just happened?"

"I don't know but we need to finish up here before help arrives or, god forbid, the Colonel finds another excuse to reprimand you." Instructed Turner.

Jason slowly returned to his feet.

Turner then turned to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "And yes, this whole situation is peculiar. Worst still; it's not the first time it's happened!"