What Do You Mean I'm The Captain Of A Yandere Mercenary Company? Chapter 824: Something Else On The Ship

We pressed forward through the gloom of the corridors, hunting for the generator room in hopes that we could restore power to the ship.

Along the path, we investigated several rooms, curious to see what lay hidden behind each door.

Regrettably, none proved to be the generator room, as this section of the vessel primarily housed the crew's living quarters.

Assuming the objective was situated further ahead, we advanced with caution, all while keeping a vigilant eye out for any sudden movements.

After all, the mystery of the lethal wound on that man's chest remained unsolved.

Eventually, we arrived at a stretch of the hallway featuring a massive, reinforced door set firmly into the right-hand wall. Based on the architecture, this had to be the entrance to the generator room.

I pressed my back against the bulkhead, confirming that Yumiko was alert; she nodded in silent acknowledgment.

I triggered the door console and stepped back, waiting for the partition to slide open before carefully peering inside.

Light spilled out from within, instantly confirming that our search had brought us to the correct location.

I took a brief moment to ensure the room was empty before signaling to Yumiko. Together, we slipped into the generator chamber without making a sound.

After sweeping the area with our flashlights to confirm it was secure, I noticed a trail of blood tracing a path toward the corner where the generator controls were housed.

With my weapon raised and aimed toward that shadowed corner, I followed the bloodstains, listening intently for any indication of life.

Seeing and hearing nothing, I rounded the bend, bathing the corner in a beam of light.

There, slumped against the console, was a lifeless body with its entrails exposed across the deck. A hand rested upon a lever labeled 'Lighting,' presumably indicating that this man had been the one to plunge the ship into darkness.

A jagged, deep slash marked his back. Reconstructing the scene, the unfortunate crewman must have been attacked, staggering to the console while suffering mortal wounds just to cut the power.

But to what end? He hadn’t just deactivated the local lights—the entire ship was plunged into shadow. What could have motivated such a desperate, drastic maneuver?

It defied reason.

Unless... the entity that mauled him was unable to track the rest of the crew if the ship remained in total darkness?

This thought only thickened the fog of mystery.

I turned to Yumiko and asked, "Do you think we should leave the lights off?"

She lingered on the question for a heartbeat before glancing at the corpse. "Perhaps we could search him to see if he carries a means to contact the rest of the crew, Mistress."

A fair point. I really should have considered that when we encountered the first body, but the overwhelming sense of exposure must have clouded my judgment.

I approached the fallen crewman to search for his personal terminal, which was lying near his feet—likely fallen from his grip as his life faded.

I retrieved the device, using his hand to bypass the security, and navigated to his messages in search of clues.

Beyond some mundane communications, I found nothing of value, so I switched to his call log.

The most recent entry was labeled 'Captain.' It seemed highly probable that this man had been the vessel's captain, potentially even the one who ordered the blackout.

I initiated a call via the terminal, the screen flicker-loading as it attempted to connect.

It rang several times before the display shifted, revealing a terrified man staring directly at me.

His panic shifted into bewilderment as he identified the caller.

"Who... who are you? How are you accessing my terminal?" he stammered.

"Are you aware of your ship's coordinates?"

He stared for a moment, then his eyes flickered with sudden hope. "Did we make it? We were forced into a blind jump because we didn't know the destination of that Warp Gate—we couldn't stay to find out! Have we reached civilized space?"

"I'll say yes for now. Now explain: what is happening on this ship? Why are the lights deactivated?"

He let out a jagged breath. "Listen to me—whatever you do, do not restore the power! It is the only reason the survivors are still breathing!"

"And why is that? What is hunting your crew?"

He hesitated, clearly weighing his options. "Answer me first... who exactly are you?"

"I'm a Merc who intercepted your arrival. Your ship didn't respond to hails, so we breached the hull to investigate the silence."

I saw no reason to mention that we were currently in a sector controlled by Crusaders Inc., so I omitted that detail.

He exhaled in relief. "Oh, I see. Very well... I can speak to you."

What kind of entity was he afraid I might represent that would have kept his lips sealed?

He pressed on: "We were contracted to transport... well, some 'special' cargo. Let’s just say that this cargo is incredibly lethal if it ever escapes its containment units..."

I narrowed my eyes. "You're carrying hostile xenomorphs, and now they're loose on board?"

He tightened his lips and whispered one word: "Plural."

"You’re telling me several of them are roaming the ship?"

He grimaced. "Look, I know how dire my situation is. I assumed we were dead before your call! It is a miracle you're even here, so I don't need you to remind me of the obvious!"

Yumiko shifted to my side. "He feels like a burden, Mistress. I suggest we abandon this vessel and return to our own."

His expression contorted into raw panic. "Wait, wait, please! I apologize! Please, you have to help us! More than half my crew is already gone! We don’t want to die here!"

"What are these creatures?" I demanded.

"Damn if I know. Some shadow of a client contracted us to transport the goods; my only job was the delivery. That's the extent of my knowledge."

"Then how did they escape containment?"

"I have no clue! We were monitoring them in the cargo bay when they suddenly tore out and began the slaughter!"

"Description? What do they look like?"

"I told you, I don't know! From the security feeds, they're four-legged horrors with spikes for limbs—I can't say much more!"

I gestured toward the dead body by my feet. "Did you order this man to kill the lights?"

He winced. "Yes... the beasts seem to rely on sight to stalk us, and they are blind in the dark... it was my only command to keep us safe."

"Do you have any armaments to fight back with?"

"Only sidearms... pistols. They barely scratch their hide..."

I sighed. "Fine. Do you have a plan to deal with this?"

"Aside from you hunting them down? Honestly, no."

"How many are there?"

"I’m not certain... maybe five to eight?"

That was manageable. I felt certain that Yumiko and I could handle such numbers.

"Where are you holding out?"

"We've barricaded ourselves in my quarters. Please, you are our only hope..."

I paused, exhaling slowly. "Sit tight. I will contact you if I need more intel... and for the record, I am turning the lights back on."

Panic surged in his voice. "Don't! If you turn them on, they'll see you!"

"We’re already carrying flashlights, so they’ll see us regardless. It is better to have the lights up so we can see the targets and neutralize them, rather than letting them jump out of the shadows."

"Are... are you sure you can kill them?"

"I don’t know. Considering you've been useless in describing them, I don't even know if my shotgun—which can punch through power armor—will suffice. So, for now, be quiet and stay where you are."

He cut his protests short, and I ended the call.

I reached out to grip the lighting lever.

Time to get to work.