"A watch?" Icarus stared with a mixture of horror and disbelief.
"The stainless steel seemed to be too much for the creature's digestive system," the alien detective said while examining the face of the battered timepiece. "A fine watch it is, too."
Icarus held his pistol tight in his hand as he continued to look out for whatever it is that had caused such a mess. "I don't think now is the best situation to admire men's jewelry."
"But take a look," Adem moved the watch closer to Icarus's face.
The young pilot winced at the odor still attached to the watch. "It's nice. It's nice. Put it away and I'll buy you one for Christmas or something."
"A touching sentiment, but totally unnecessary," the detective responded. "This watch not only tells the time, but the date as well. It stopped three days ago less than an hour before the ship left the shipping lanes." Adem looked at the display panel under his sleeze. He paused and, then, seemed to gaze out into nothing. "A break down analysis of the fecal matter shows high sign of fibers, both natural and synthetic, that more than likely comes from the quick and primal feasting upon the crew. There are also high amounts of protein, zinc, iron, and vitamins typical of seafood. This indicates the likelyhood of the cargo also having been devoured along with the crew. Quite a ravenous appetite."
"Do you have to tell me all this?" Sidewinder said adjusting his flight suit a bit.
"The watch suggests that the attack began before the ship went off course. Taking all that into consideration, one can hypothosize that if the creature responsible has the intelligence to navigate the ship, the constant demand to feed would prevent it from moving so far away from a food source. Thereby, another being had to redirect the ship. A crewmember? One last act of sacrafice to protect his fellow sailors and trap the assailent in a frozen prison?"
"Oh, yes, brilliant deduction, Holmes," Icarus said in a faux British accent and condescending tone. He was very surprised when Adem responded.
"I don't like to brag, but it was rather ingenious. The reality of it is still in question. Not to mention that it has yet to explain what it is we're dealing with or how it came to be on board in the first....." His sentence was cut short by a loud noise coming from the bulk heads.
"That's coming from outside," Icarus said as a mixture of banging and scratching echoed around them. "Like something clawing at the hull."
"Yes," Adem agreed. "More than one, by the sound of it."
Another series of scratches and bangs fill their ears. "Sounds big," the pilot said between the unnerving noises.
"And dangerous," Different added. "Quite dangerous. There's only one thing to do." He stared straight into Sidewinder's eyes. "You had better go check it out."
