“He made a foolish choice to sacrifice himself,” Bosnan said, growling. “I was content to remain with my creations.”
Sora snarled, charging for Bosnan. “Nothing that man ever did was foo—”
“Sora!” Natalia said, pulling him back and motioning to the door. The clatters resounded. “We don’t have time.”
A large creak echoed throughout the hangar. Sora looked to his left to see the black doors opening. Naos exhaled, putting his hands on his head as he stepped away from the control panel. Sweat ran down his neck. “I got it. I got it.”
“Good,” Sora said. The crashing on the other end of the hangar entrance grew louder. He nudged Natalia. “Get to the ship. I’ll hold off any that make it through.”
Natalia nodded, heading for the rest of the crew. Scout and Naos followed. The Killer came into view, zooming into the hangar and engaging its landing gear. Felicia stepped in front of Sora, approaching Bosnan. The flames flashed before Sora’s eyes. Viktor died because of her schemes. Sora looked between them and the doors.
“I have grown tired of this madness,” Bosnan said. He moved toward the other side of the hangar. “I will escape separately.”
“Chief Bosnan!” Felicia said, pointing her gun at him. “Not so fast. I—”
“Right. Not so fast.”
Sora heard metal hit the floor. He spun around, but the doors remained intact. He glanced to the left and saw the vent’s cover land on the floor. Captain Nelson crawled out of the shaft, aiming two assault rifles at Sora and Felicia. The creatures’ claws still echoed. Sora looked to the crew, who froze upon seeing Nelson. He noticed Bosnan edging away in the background.
The Killer landed. The ramp extended. “Go!”
“Sora—” Naos said, stepping forward.
“That creep—” Trika began.
“Go now! Get on the ship!” Sora said, shouting. Everyone silenced and began to ascend the ramp.
“No, no one moves!” Nelson said, firing a shot in the crew’s direction. He prepared to fire again, but Sora stepped in his direct line of fire. Nelson’s finger hovered over the trigger. “I’ve shot you once. I’ll do it again.”
Sora heard the metal on the other side of the door tear. He pointed his rifle at Nelson. “We’ve faced worse today, Captain. Take one of those shuttles and leave before those creatures burst through and kill us all.”
“Sora’s right,” Felicia said, aiming her own gun at Nelson. “Leave now and you can report your utter failure to the Queen.”
“You should hit harder next time, Malone,” Nelson said, stepping closer to her and Sora. “Trok, stop your crew before I—”
Sora fired twice. Both shots hit Nelson’s chest and cut through his armor. He staggered backward while a claw ripped through the hangar entrance. Sora turned and darted for the Killer. He heard Felicia’s foosteps behind him. He looked ahead to see Naos disappearing into the ship. Scout remained on the ramp.
“Come on, Sora!” Scout said, staring beyond him. “They’re tearing through!”
A red laser flew beside Sora’s head. He glanced back to see Nelson scrambling to his feet, screaming and shooting as he charged toward Sora and Felicia. Sora also saw multiple claws rip through the doors. They would enter within seconds. He quickened his pace.
He heard more engines ignite. He glanced to the right to see a shuttle fly out of the hangar. Bosnan used the distraction to his advantage. Sora returned his gaze to Scout and the Killer, moving his hands up and down as fast as possible. Sora wheezed and coughed, feeling his chest burn hotter.
Sora heard another cry. He looked back to see a red laser impacting Felicia’s back. She tumbled to the ground. Nelson tossed one of his rifles to the side and tackled Felicia, slamming into the floor. She threw her legs up, trying to kick him back, but he wrapped his arms around her chest and squeezed.
“Sora!” Felicia said, lifting her head toward him. “Sora!”
He stopped moving. He looked to the doors. The first creature wiggled through the new hole.
“Sora!”
“Sora! You can’t beat me. You know that!”
The flames reappeared in front of Sora’s eyes and dropped to his lower legs. They singed them again. Sora panted, feeling the heat surround him. He saw his father rolling around in the fire. He heard the sobs of his seven-year-old self.
“Assassinated for Felicia Malone.”
He saw Felicia’s bloody, screaming as the Killer jettisoned away from the spice mine.
“I won’t forget this!”
He thought that made the flames simmer. Instead, they haunted him. He had wondered if he did the right thing. He wondered if he should have saved her. The flames singed him again, reaching his waist. Sora stumbled backward, ignoring the present screams around him.
“I did steal her ship and leave her to die. As angry as I am, I don’t know if that was the right decision. Maybe that makes me angrier.”
Sora saw her rifle pointed at him on the landing pad. He saw the smugness in her eyes.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of the Jewel’s Eye.”
The flames reached his stomach. His childhood sobs grew louder. Sora felt her rifle slam into his back.
“Unfortunate that it had to end this way!”
She snarled and growled. He felt her foot kick into his ribs. He felt them crack. He saw the growing fury in her eyes. He felt her grab his collar. The flames reached his chest, increasing the pain in the wound. Sora cringed in the present, gasping for air.
“Don’t beg for mercy now, Sora. I begged for your mercy once on Bolton, remember? As blood ran down my face and my spice mine fell apart, what did I do? I called your name, but what did you do?”
He felt his head hit the wall of the cockpit. His skull rattled. The flames reached Sora’s neck, which tensed. Sora clenched his fist, feeling the anger burn once again. Her actions led to Viktor’s death. Felicia had wreaked havoc, and he could let Nelson end her now. He could leave and not look back. She wouldn’t escape this time.
“Sora!”
The first creature entered the hangar and charged toward Nelson and Felicia. Another crawled through the doors.
“Come on, Sora!” Scout said, screaming. “We have to go now!”
Sora turned toward the Killer and lifted his foot. Something stopped him.
“Betrayal hurts and in the moment it changes us into people we’re not.”
The flames reached Sora’s face and consumed his vision. He wanted to scream, but he still didn’t move. He remembered Natalia’s hazel eyes in the cockpit. He heard Scout chuckle on the streets of Adli. He felt his hand on Selas’ shoulder in the Consortium, promising to support him. He had a twinge of fear, but it didn’t change his desire to help. He felt Nait’s weight in his arms as he carried him onto the ship. He heard Fi’s resolute voice in the main hold, stating that he made the right call. He felt Viktor’s dying hand rest against his chest.
“I’ve seen the way you run this ship. It is your ship. You gathered us all together and fought for us. You’ve shown how much you care, even when we resist it. Maybe you made a mistake in the past, but that’s done. You are not the same man you were when you left Felicia.”
Sora spun around, lifting his rifle and shooting through the flames. The blue bolts burned Nelson’s back and Felicia elbowed him, sending him rolling to the side. Sora ran for her, allowing the flames to envelop him as he shot several stray shots at the attacking creatures. He reached her first, holding out his hand.
“Let’s get off this ghost ship.”
Both of Felicia’s eyebrows shot up and her brown and blue eyes locked with Sora’s. She grabbed his hand, breaking the flames. As he pulled her off the ground, the flames disappeared. Sora didn’t feel the heat. Both turned and darted for the Killer, still firing at the creatures. Sora ignored his aching chest and his strained breath. He didn’t need to focus on the pain any longer.
Felicia climbed the ramp and Sora paused at the edge of it, g
lancing back at the creatures. They had turned their attention to a fleeing Nelson. The Killer lifted and Sora backed up the ramp, hitting the button to his right yet again. He bumped into two people as he backed into the corridor. He turned to see Scout and Selas. Sweat drenched all three of their faces and blood, cuts and bruises adorned all three of their bodies. Both nodded at him.
He nodded back. “We’re free.”
Sora walked into the small, square room, pulling Felicia with him. He had never used this area or even examined it. One slab next sat next to the wall. He tossed a thin blanket on it and released Felicia, stepping out of the room and back into the hallway. He punched a control panel on the left, glancing at the cargo hold to his right.
“After all of this, you’re going to cage me like an animal?” Felicia said, crossing her arms and glaring at Sora. The hiss began and the blue force field appeared, separating them.
“You know that I can’t trust you and I lost my first mate today,” Sora said, glancing at the small brig. “The blame falls on Bosnan, but you still played a part.”
Felicia cocked her head back, pausing. She examined the cell. “I remember meeting Dr. Atkins. I respected him. His death is an unfortunate loss.”
She would have killed him herself a few days ago. Sora shook his head and turned, walking away. He needed to get back to the medical bay. He blinked away tears as the image of Viktor flooded his mind. Sora still thought he fit the look of a scientist.
“Sora?”
Sora stopped, closing his eyes. He didn’t want to engage with her anymore today.
“You had no reason to save me in the hangar. Thank you,” Felicia said. Her voice still had that familiar purr, but he didn’t detect any manipulation in it. “Keep the ship.”
“I was going to.”
Sora proceeded down the hall, taking a left and entering the medical bay. Everyone stood inside the cramped room and crowded around Viktor’s covered body, which lied on the bed in the center of the room. Sora stayed in the doorway, looking at the exhausted crew. Most tended to their wounds but kept their attention on Viktor.
“I always felt like Viktor knew what he was talking about,” Nait said, standing to the right of the bed and touching his wrapped stomach. He frowned. Scout and Naos stood behind him. “I mean, he just… I don’t know. He always had our best interest at heart.”
“The doc wasn’t stupid, that’s for sure,” Trika said, gripping the edge of the bed. “He annoyed me, but I’ll miss him.”
“His soul was at peace when his body lost life. Our souls should follow the model of his own,” Kossk said, standing to the left of the bed.
“He knew what he fought for. What we fight for,” Fi said, standing on the far end of the room. Selas had his arm around her. “He knew it was right.”
“He stood his ground against Bosnan, that’s for sure,” Naos said, leaning over Nait’s shoulder. Grease covered his hair and his face after the day’s events. “His ethics were solid.”
“He went to great lengths to protect me on Wantim. He did the same for everyone else, even Bosnan,” Natalia said, leaning against the wall to Sora’s left. “He never regretted it.”
“We will honor him,” Chok said, sitting in a chair to the right. “Never forget.”
Sora rubbed his eyes and turned away. He felt exhausted and didn’t feel like facing this anymore than he already had. Natalia tossed him a light smile as he walked away. He smiled back but continued into the main hold.
“Sora,” Selas said, hurrying out of the medical bay and catching up to him. He cleared his throat and put a hand on Sora’s shoulder. “You knew Viktor the longest and I know this must be hard on you. I know the pain of loss all too well. If I can do anything to help you, I want to. You have my word.”
Sora nodded. “Actually, there is something you can do, Tal-Selas.”
Selas smiled. “Let’s hear it.”
Sora took a deep breath, letting air fill his lungs and push the tears away. He put both his hands on Selas’ shoulders. “I need a new first mate. I would like you to take that spot. I don’t care what happened on the Bombard. You’ve proven yourself to me time and time again, and I want us to continue in this side-by-side.”
Selas shook his head, looking at the floor. A few seconds passed before he looked up again and nodded. His smile returned. “I would be honored. Thank you, Sora.”
“Sora, can we talk for a second?”
Sora took his hands off Selas and peered behind him to see Scout. Selas gave both of them another nod and walked around Scout, returning to the medical bay. Scout’s eyes zoomed in on Sora and she walked forward, running her hand across the couch to the right. She sighed.
“Thank you for proving me wrong about the Bombard. You really did what I thought couldn’t be done and we got to Naos in time,” Scout said, biting her lip. She inhaled and closed her eyes. “That means more to me than you’ll ever know. You stayed true to your word.”
Sora shook his head. “No need for a thank you. You know I would do it again.”
“You were wrong about one thing, though,” Scout said, opening her eyes. She gulped.
“What’s that?” Sora said, raising an eyebrow.
“You said I don’t trust anyone and that’s almost true, but not quite.”
She paused. Her head twitched, as if she wanted to look away, but she didn’t. Her eyes stared at Sora and she stepped closer. Scout sighed again, shoving her right hand into her pocket. Sora only heard the hum of the engines. Otherwise, silence covered the main hold.
“I trust you, Sora.”
Sora needed to hear that. After today, it provided him comfort. He shared more similarities with Scout than either of them probably realized, but he enjoyed that fact. They understood each other, even when they didn’t want to admit it. “You’re a good person, Scout and a true friend. We will keep fighting. We will get justice for you, Naos, Nait and Natalia.”
“And Viktor,” Scout said, nodding. “And for all of us.”
She turned and walked away, returning to the medical bay. Sora turned right, walking past the couches and to the corridor at the opposite side of the room. He proceeded through the corridor and into the cockpit. After entering, he looked to the right and ran his hand across the dent in the wall. He sat down in the pilot’s chair and leaned over the main console, distracted by the viewport. He saw the blue blur of hyperspace. Stars rushed in and out of view within milliseconds.
The consistent artwork of space impressed him more than it used to. He had seen this image all his life, but now he felt an attachment to it. He felt more of an attachment to the nebula than he ever had. This image looked the same, but nothing stayed the same. No, all life within this blue blur changed. All life interweaved, so when one part changed, all of it changed. That made this artwork beautiful.
“I’m glad we found a bigger crew, Viktor,” Sora said, whispering.
His crew taught him that. His people showed him the true beauty of the nebula. Within that beauty, no matter what grim or bizarre circumstance worried the galaxy, Sora saw light.
Light from the window illuminated the throne and the chess set. However, for once, another source of light shone into the room: the television screen in front of the chess set, displaying one of the last still images taken on the Bombard. Captain Nelson kneeled beside it. The light of the television illuminated his deep cuts and his dark purple bruises.
“These are the last images I grabbed before I had to continue to the hangar, Your Highness,” Nelson said, keeping his face to the ground. “We have no other available information on the fugitives, the creatures or the Bombard.”
Queen Bettina leaned over her chess set, picking up the bronze queen and setting that piece back on the board. “This is quite a failure, Captain. My prisoners have escaped and my flagship has vanished from the coordinates you provided. Beg for your life. Explain why I should not execute you before moving any further.”
Queen Bettina looked at the image. I
t displayed all of the fugitives who escaped the Bombard fighting against two of the creatures who overran the ship. She put her hand to her chin, examining each person in the image.
“We can track down the fugitives, Your Majesty,” Nelson said. His face hovered above the diamond floor. “Apprehending them will be simple.”
“No.”
Nelson lifted his head, but Bettina leaned further forward, continuing to stare at the image. She removed her hand from her chin. “Killing Parliament was simple. Consolidating my power over the nebula was simple. Apprehending the children and Senator Valie has… not been simple.”
“I—”
Bettina didn’t acknowledge him. “Not only the children or Natalia. These… people that they’ve found. This… crew.”
She looked at the chess set, moving the bronze king forward and positioning it next to the queen. She moved three golden pawns to the left to the bronze king, before setting two bronze bishops behind the king. She put the one remaining bronze rook to the left of the bishops. Finally, she placed three bronze pawns to the right of the bishops. “They’re… different. All of them.”
She looked at the golden queen. The other pieces only sat a few spaces away from the center of the board.
Queen Bettina slammed her fists against the sides of the throne and stood, refocusing on the image. “It is time to take a different approach.”
About the Author
Dylan began writing at the age of 11, and since then, he set out to become a published author and screenwriter.
Graduating from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Creative Writing degree, Dylan thrives on bringing characters and their stories to life. Whether set on modern day Earth or in an action-loaded futuristic environment, Dylan writes stories that center on the beautiful complexity of people and their relationships with one another.
Survival, Dark Times Page 29
