Who; Cedron and OPEN TO ALL What; Son of Blue Sun Corporation CFO goes missing. When; 07:00 Where; In orbit around Bellerophon Rating; PG-13
He was in the galley when the wave came through - son of Blue Sun Corporation CFO goes missing, feared dead. Bounty hunters unable to find trace. Foul play suspected. Entirely too used to the slow, bureaucratic red tape that preceded any decision in missing persons cases, Cedron hadn't paid much attention to the details. It was still early morning and he had time for a quick sparring match with the pretty recruit from Sihnon. Privately, he couldn't help feel she would have looked better in a training house somewhere planet side. She'd certainly be making a lot more coin than she did as a sub-officer on an Alliance patrol ship. Still, when she had challenged him with that quirky smile and piercing eyes to a match, he hadn't had the heart to object.
She was the ideal distraction for an early morning spent in the customary boredom and suspicion that seemed to follow him everywhere these days. Her right hook provided ample issues to contend with and, for two hours, he forgot all about illegal arms deals and bounty hunters. The recruit got in a few solid hits before he found her weakness. It was simple, really. Her feet were lousy and slow and once she lost her balance, she had a hard time recovering. All he had to do was keep her moving and the course of the match wrote itself. By the end, the stink of sweat and the euphoria of a good fight had them both laughing through the mouth pieces that were swiftly spit out. He could see himself fighting her again and he told her as much before repairing to the showers to make himself presentable.
It was on the way up from the rec room that he heard the name Hodge Holborn repeated, this time with a sense of urgency that usual accompanied stories about Reavers and other myth creatures. Cedron didn't stop to listen. If it was important information, he would get it from the exec officer or the captain themselves - hearsay was the bane of military intelligence.
Clothes were swiftly discarded on the shower room floor, the sound of running water covering up the wet slap of cloth against the ground. There was no privacy to speak of in communal showers and he had long stopped caring. A craving for hot water in the cold blackness of outer space did wonders for one's prudishness. Stripped to bare skin, he took the first available shower, bending his head under the spray. For a moment, it was all he heard. Then that name - Hodge Holborn - filtered through. Cedron opened his eyes. "It's the umpteenth time I hear that name," he groaned. "Is he a celebrity or something? Did Parliament decide to elect a President? What's the gorram deal?"