Chapter 36 - [Lt. Petrova]

The guard floated backward, propelled by the bullet's momentum. Thick globules of blood floated upward and splattered against the ceiling as I pulled the shotgun out of the corpse's slackened hands.

Everyone in the med-bay tensed up, and a few screams were drowned out by the deafening report of my revolver. One of the medical officers moved with purposeful intent, and the second round in my revolver caught him in the throat. The dead man's lifeless hand spasmed and clamped against his concealed pistol.

"I'm here to save your lives, God damn it!" I shouted at the top of my lungs the moment my hearing returned. "Surrender the ship, and we can all live to see the end of the war!"

One of the injured men said, "Is this a mutiny?"

Someone else asked, "You idiot! They'll just have an easier time destroying us if we surrender!"

"Shut up!" a woman in the uniform of a medical practitioner shouted at the injured men. My revolver was twitching rapidly between the two dozen people present in the med-bay, and its sights stopped for a moment on each person as they began to speak. "Just…" She turned to me and began to speak in a purposefully calm voice. "I'm Lt. Petrova. What do you need from us?"

I let out a brief sigh of relief. Finally, there was someone I could negotiate with. "Evacuate all patients with non-fatal wounds, begin treating the woman in the Zeon uniform, and give me access to the ship-wide intercom."

"Okay, we'll do that immediately, Warrant Officer," Petrova said like she was talking to an angry toddler. She was clearly terrified that I was about to start shooting people at random, but there was no chance of that. I had to save my bullets for those who actually threatened me.

In truth, I was surprised that no one had recognized me yet. The shave and haircut had done wonders for my ability to conceal my identity. In the future, I just had to make sure that my current look wasn't used in any propaganda posters.

As nearly half of the med-bay was evacuated, Lt. Petrova led me to the intercom. With a surprising amount of calmness, she pointed to a button on the intercom and said, "Press that button to broadcast to the whole ship. Do you mind if I ask your name?"

The medic was smart. She knew that it would help an eventual court martial if I stated my name. Even though she was helping me, she was still planning for my eventual arrest and trial.

"You'll figure it out in a second," I said with a smile.

Sven appeared from the mass of moving people and approached us.

I cleared my throat before pressing down on the button indicated by Petrova. Feedback echoed through the entirety of the Cyprus a moment before I said, "This is Lt. Commander Sebastian Dogwood. I have infiltrated your frigate and set explosives throughout the ship's superstructure. The Cyprus is already lost. Either you'll be killed by me, or you'll be killed by one of the mobile suits under my command. If you choose to surrender, I promise that you will be treated with dignity and respect as legitimate prisoners of war."

The broadcast ended as I stopped pressing down on the button. Petrova looked at me in shock, and even Sven blinked a few times when I mentioned the explosives. Of course, the bombs weren't real. I just wanted to make it clear that everyone aboard the Cyprus was in imminent danger.

"You're Dogwood?" Petrova muttered.

"I guess so," I said, turning my eyes toward the people moving around the med-bay. A doctor was stitching Aiko's wound closed, and it certainly didn't look pretty. She wasn't flailing or screaming in pain, so the doctor must have given her some painkillers.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sven retrieve something from a nearby medical supply skit. The sights of my revolver fell upon him, and he froze in place with a syringe in his hands.

"Were you planning to inject me with that?" I asked coldly.

"No," Sven said, and a moment later he injected the syringe into his own arm. "I just don't want to be awake for the rest of this."

"You fool! That will kill you!" Petrova shouted.

"Maybe it will. Maybe it won't," Sven said as his eyes fluttered closed and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

"It looks like you just got a new patient," I said, gesturing toward Sven.

Petrova swore as she grabbed Sven's unconscious body and dragged him off to a nearby gurney.

The intercom in the med-bay turned on once more, and the voice of an older man was projected across the ship, "This is Commander Nicholas York, acting captain of the Cyprus. This ship may be doomed, but it is the duty and privilege of every Federation soldier to give his life in the name of the Earth Sphere. Thus, my first and last order as the acting captain is to detonate the fusion reactor! We will all die, but we shall deal a great blow to Zeon! If we can kill the Gray Demon, our names will go down in history as…!"

The audio over the intercom peaked from the unmistakable report of a firearm, and the broadcast cut out.

They were going to detonate the fusion reactor!? Was there a single sane officer left in the Federation!? I had killed or captured all of the normal Fed officers, apparently.

"Where's the nearest airlock!?" I shouted as I grabbed Petrova by the arm. "I need to get out of here right now!"

"But…" she began to say, and I pressed the barrel of my revolver against her head.

"This isn't a request!" I shouted.

The intercom turned on once more, and a different, younger voice was projected. In a calm tone, the young man's voice said, "Belay that earlier command. This is Lt. Commander Mikhail Volkov. I have taken command of the Cyprus. As the acting captain, I hereby place this frigate in a state of full surrender. All non-essential personnel, move to escape pods. Communications officers, beam a message of surrender to the nearest Zeon ship on all frequencies."

I would have fallen to the ground in relief if I wasn't in a state of zero-gravity.

It was 1805 hours, and my part in the Battle of Loum had finally ended.

End of Volume Two