Ambushed (Short Story)

Here's another part of a story I started writing a couple of days ago, I'm actually surprised it has gotten this far, as in the beginning I thought it would be only one part, although, not that I'm complaining, because I do really like it. It's funny how these things can kind of grow and run away with themselves.

I'm probably going to go back to the first couple of parts and make a few retcons. As I've continued to write a few things have cropped up in dialogue that I would actually like to explore and perhaps add in back at the start of this.

Part 1 - Passage To Zun-Kulla

Part 2 - Traveling Through Space

Part 3 - Mesmerizing Daydream

Source

       Zebulon rushed out of the room. His composure has completely changed, and for the first time, Merrick saw him out of his depth. Sweat began to trickle from the man's brow, which was discreetly wiped away in a blind panic before exiting.

       The alarms continued to drone as they did, and along with the noise were the red lights pulsating to the beat of the sound they made. The tranquil state the room had been in was now completely gone. Merrick wondered if the option to head to the cockpit was still on the table. There was no doubt in his mind that Zebulon would rather he didn't go, but amidst all the chaos, he was left with an unshakable curiosity about what was going on. Without waiting too long, he also left, in an attempt to keep close pace with the captain.
       Throughout the corridors, he could hear the chaos of crew scrambling and getting themselves ready for the worst-case scenario. Following the route toward the cockpit, he noticed a small group of people rush in his direction. A Human, a Mulu, and a Trisken. The Human was struggling to get himself dressed while trying to maintain the same speed as the others.

       "What's this do you think? A drill?" The Human asked as he started to rub the sleep from his eyes.
       "A drill? It better not be a bloody drill! I've barely had a chance to sleep, and I'd rather not waste my time on this crap," the Mulu responded in an agitated tone, and Merrick noticed one of its eyes catch him. It was bulging on the end of a fleshy pole. Mulu were strange creatures, but of all races of Free Space, he noticed that they were similar to Humans on a personality level, and they had a tendency to form unique identities separate from their over-arching society; which was yet another factor that made them the same as Humanity in a sense.
       The small band charged past Merrick, almost forcing him into the wall of the ship without paying him a second thought. He continued, and as he got closer he could hear yet more arguing and debating. No one seemed to know what was going on, but everyone was ready to start pointing fingers at one another, by the sound of it.

       There was a metallic clunk, and then some churning as the doors automatically slid open. As they did, Merrick could see into the large room. There were a few people present, the captain was staring at some holo-projections over one of the desks, as a Trisken paced the floor shaking his head. Others in the room did well to keep their mouths shut and eyes down, but each of them seemed to be in a state of high stress.
       "Who the hell are they Zebulon? How do they know you? They specifically read out this ship's I.D tag, but it didn't match the one I've got on record. What's going on?" The Trisken let out a flurry of questions, and none of them seemed to turn Zebulon from whatever task he was undertaking.
       "Are they pirates? Raiders? Marauders?" Zebulon asked, too busy to look up from the projections he was eying up. Before the Trisken could answer, Zebulon was off to another station. "Off." He said to one of the staff who obliged quickly. Now that he had the room, he got close to a pad and started to furiously type.
       "No, none of them, they're working on behalf of the Zun-Kullen government. That's all they said," The Trisken told him as he stepped closer to Zebulon's station.

       Merrick walked further into the room and the door struggled behind him and shut automatically. The noise was enough to grab the attention of all in the room. The Trisken turned and looked him up and down, and behind the Trisken he could see the captain shake his head and gestured to the door.
       "Whose this? Don't you see we're busy old man? Go and wait in your quarters and let us get this under control..." The Trisken stated as he stepped closer to Merrick in an attempt to usher him out.
       "M'Tbanni, stand down, he is a respected guest and I won't have him insulted, even under bad circumstances," Zebulon said as he stood up and walked closer, shaking off a look of grief. "Please, Merrick, I'm glad you wanted to come and see the control centre of the ship, but this problem doesn't concern you and it would be better that you left." He continued, barely able to look the man in the eye.
       "With everything going on right now I figured you weren't in a position to turn down support," Merrick responded, before folding his arms and planting himself to the ground.
       "That's much appreciated, it really is. I wasn't entirely honest with you about this ship, or how I acquired it. See, the Zun-Kullen government put out a new law that essentially claims ownership of every piece of tech. Without getting into the details, it basically means that when someone buys something, they're in fact renting it from the government, and that rule applies to any property owned prior to the introduction of the new law." Zebulon spoke slowly and barely looked up throughout his sentence.
       "So as far as the government is concerned, you're considered a thief?" Merrick asked.

       Zebulon nodded and then shot a look around the room at the others. "Well, that, which is bad enough, but I'm afraid to say that everyone onboard is considered thieves too, and the punishment can be harsh."
       "What?! What do you mean? Why would you come back here if you knew this?!" The Trisken's eyes looked like they were about the burst from sheer rage.
       "I changed the tags, I repainted it! This was a while ago, and since then I've had no issues! They must have been tipped off or something! I don't know why they're taking such a pick on me over this, and personally, I think we're within our right to dispute this stupid law." Zebulon let out a flurry of panic-stricken excuses as he turned and started to pace the room.
       The ship started the rattle, and through the rumble Merrick's stance became uneven as he struggled to stay on his feet. Soon, a second rumble occurred and this time it was much stronger. Through the window, he could see a shimmering glow of blue light, as if the ship's shields activated.
       "They're shooting at us!" The Trisken shouted.

       "It's a warning shot, they'll most likely hail us now and start some sort of negotiations," Merrick said while staring through the window of the ship. There was nothing out there but utter blackness, but he knew that not far away were some Zun-Kullen warships, most likely waiting for a fight.
       He turned to glance at Zebulon, he was in a world of his own, most likely thinking of some story to get them, or at least himself out of this mess. The fool.