(continued from January 30th)
I woke up in the corvette, in restraints. I remember the kidnappers arguing. Two of their co-conspirators had been shot by station security, and some of the remaining kidnappers were panicking and wanted to blow off the whole thing. They argued viciously among each other, and in the end decided to go through with their plan anyway. They took some video, I guess for some propaganda campaign, and sedated me again.
The next time that I woke up, I was tied to a medbay bed, and hooked up to some equipment and infuses to keep me alive for probably a long time. I was in a space grave, left for dead but unable to die, floating somewhere far away from any traffic lane or station. I had to suppress a bit of panic attack.
After what seemed (and perhaps was) hours, I managed to free myself from my restraints, and remove the medical equipment I was attached to. I explored the ship, only to find its equipment completely burned out, the comms unoperational, and no navigation. Life support worked, and there was water and some food on board. There was nothing left to do but wait and trust in my friends, while praying and meditating.
Meanwhile, Aria Jenneth, the Directrix's assistant, had been on the case without delay. She did not need many clues to figure out what had happened. The death threat note was clear. The station's logs were screened for ships leaving soon after the abduction. A corvette that suspiciously seems to miss a lot of essential equipment drew her attention.
Less than a day after the abduction, a small LUMEN fleet consisting of Aria, Velarra and Maria freed me. They probed down my location and remote repaired the ship enough so its warp engine could bring me back to station. The only obstacle remaining were some explosive charges with which the entrance hatch to the Corvette were rigged, but that did not pose a difficult task for the technicians.
My ordeal was over in less than 24 hours. The surviving perpetrators are still unaccounted for... Physically I am fine, somewhat bruised. Mentally, I must admit I am still shaken by what happened. I'll take my coffee at Gottin's lamp for a while I think.
