0:07

Welcome to Stories from among the

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Stars. You're listening To The Last

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Watch by J S. Do Us.

0:18

Trip to thirty seven. Chem.

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One side is he looked down across

0:24

the black void. Static.

0:26

Laid sparked in thin lines

0:28

in the not distant enough

0:30

distance, illuminating the meant black

0:32

hole of the station in

0:34

flashes of sharp white light,

0:36

it was weirdly peaceful, like

0:38

watching lightning flash across thunderheads

0:40

is a storm rolled enough

0:43

to see. Except it

0:45

was nothing quite so tedious as

0:47

a thunderstorm. One. Good

0:49

thing about being out on the

0:51

whole with Rake was that he

0:53

no longer sweat buckets out every

0:55

pore. Instead, the sweat had chilled

0:58

to a viscous film oliver his

1:00

bruised, aching, tired, beaten body. and

1:02

is, I see what clothes stuck

1:04

to every part of him. Life.

1:07

Was good. The. Discomfort

1:09

proved a solid distraction from the fact

1:11

that Rake had to pull him thirty

1:13

meters to their destination and the only

1:15

thing they could tethered to was each

1:18

other. Though. The

1:20

whole excursion had yet to feel

1:22

the proper amount of dire. Rake

1:24

had been the picture of cool,

1:26

calm and collected. As she palmed

1:28

her, we carefully across the surface

1:31

toward the purge valve, making small

1:33

expert adjustments with her M M

1:35

you lugging him behind like a

1:37

weightless anchor. The. Whole

1:39

time she'd been telling him all

1:42

about Titan hazing rituals he assumed

1:44

for his benefit, but now he

1:46

wasn't so sure. Wistful.

1:48

Size and heavy silences cluttered her words

1:50

and she'd lost her place and repeated

1:52

the same bit a few times. Carolina.

1:56

just realized she may be the one

1:58

who needed a distraction and intended

2:00

to take over the task of storyteller

2:02

when she let out a particularly resounding

2:04

sigh and said, This is it.

2:09

He looked up to where she hovered three meters

2:11

above, or to the left. He

2:14

cursed to himself as he realized he'd

2:16

completely lost track of which way was

2:18

up, or which way had

2:20

been up when they'd exited through the

2:22

access hatch, though he supposed it

2:24

didn't really matter, so long as Rake knew

2:26

where they were. Rake

2:29

looked down at him, and the spotlight

2:31

on her helmet blinded him briefly as

2:33

it flashed across his face. She

2:35

tugged on the tether, and his bruised stomach

2:38

smarted as she pulled him toward her. The

2:41

stupid harness hit in all the wrong places,

2:43

and though it had hooks in a multitude

2:45

of spots, along the back,

2:47

in the shoulders, in the chest, in

2:49

lots of less bruised places, Rake

2:52

had insisted it needed to be as close to

2:54

his center of gravity as possible. He'd

2:57

moaned, but there is no gravity,

3:00

like a petulant child, and she

3:02

glared and grumbled back. Well,

3:05

you still have mass, and

3:07

he'd scowled and said, Oh, you think you're

3:09

a scientist now? Then, Jackon

3:12

had hushed them, reminded them the

3:14

divide sped toward them at thousands

3:16

of kilometers a second, and

3:18

could they be bothered to please shut up

3:20

and go stop the universe from collapsing? Rake

3:23

finished pulling him toward her, and

3:26

Kavalan found himself hovering in front

3:28

of a less than one-meter-wide circular

3:30

breach in the otherwise pristine hull.

3:33

He turned his helmet to aim his

3:35

suit's light down the vent shaft, which

3:37

descended deep into the structure, no end

3:40

in sight. Charred and

3:42

scorched metal lined the lip of the

3:44

vent, the tubing within melted and warped.

3:48

A bracket of sorts encircled the breach,

3:50

a raised rectangle of thick bars around

3:52

the vent's opening, likely the mounting that

3:54

had once held the outlet Kavalan in

3:56

place, now it made a perfectly

3:59

acceptable anchor point. And Rake

4:01

busied herself, unhooking and rehooking

4:03

their long tethers until they

4:05

each linked to the bracket

4:08

and no longer to each other. Kavalan

4:11

watched in silence, his heart

4:13

rate meter a golden yellow. A

4:16

flash of static light illuminated Rake's face

4:18

as she turned to stare at him

4:21

through her visor, amber eyes

4:23

expectant. Ready?

4:26

A particularly violent bout of flashes made

4:28

his pulse spike to red. Panic

4:31

took over again and it made him feel like an

4:33

idiot. He'd wanted this

4:35

to be needed, to matter, and

4:37

what he was about to do

4:39

couldn't matter more, saving the universe-level

4:41

shit. So why did he want

4:44

to be anywhere but here right now? He

4:47

took a breath and told himself it

4:49

was a natural reaction. Utter

4:51

annihilation from space and time rolled

4:53

toward him, a slow wave of

4:56

ultimate destruction. Who wouldn't be flustered?

4:59

But what scared him even more was

5:01

what it probably really was- weakness.

5:05

He wasn't cut out for this kind of shit. He

5:08

could have an all but

5:10

perfect memory, a ridiculous capacity

5:12

to learn, maybe even some

5:14

creative ingenuity, but that didn't

5:16

give him any guts. Thoughts

5:19

of guts made his real guts

5:21

throb in pain, reminding him yet

5:23

again of his bruised and beaten

5:25

midsection. He'd been too weak

5:27

to fight against that, too. Another

5:30

onslaught of flashes startled him, and he craned

5:32

his neck to look outward. They

5:34

were getting closer. It was

5:37

getting closer. He could feel it in

5:39

his core. I

5:41

did flirt with that recruitment officer, Rake

5:44

said suddenly. Someone turned

5:46

to gape at her. Nothing

5:48

happened, she assured him. But

5:50

I did flirt a little. He

5:53

scoffed a laugh. I knew it. How'd

5:56

that go? I want details. It

5:59

was incredible. incredibly awkward, actually. She

6:02

turned away and he carefully removed the

6:04

recoil paneling strapped to her back. Really?

6:08

Kid Rake wasn't a smooth talker? Well,

6:11

no, not really. But it wasn't that.

6:14

She turned back around and he passed her

6:16

one panel, then laid the other

6:18

down across half of the vent opening. He

6:22

just wasn't interested in flirting with a beat-up

6:24

kid. But he helped you

6:26

anyway, he asked, as Rake passed

6:28

him the plasma torch. Despite

6:30

the awkwardness? Yeah, we

6:33

became friends, actually. She

6:36

kept the panel in place while Kavalon held

6:38

the plasma torch to the seam, then

6:40

clicked the ignition to light it. The

6:43

arc caught in a rush of blue flame.

6:46

We kept in touch for a long time,

6:48

she continued. But he

6:50

went MIA in the resurgence. Oh,

6:54

sorry to hear that. He began to

6:56

drag the tool along the first seam. What

6:59

was his name? She let out a heavy

7:01

breath. Circuitor Hudson

7:03

Rake, though he eventually became

7:05

a centurion. Uh,

7:08

wait, what? It was

7:10

the only way it could work. To

7:12

get married? She laughed. Void

7:15

Mercer, no! He told them

7:17

I was his niece. My papers

7:19

got lost when my refugee ship got hijacked

7:21

by drudgers on its way from the I.E.

7:24

I don't even know all the details of the story he told.

7:27

Holy shit, he couldn't believe she

7:29

was telling him this. Rake

7:32

passed him the second panel and he lined it

7:34

up beside the first. You're

7:36

not just making all this up, right? He

7:39

asked, then started welding again. You're

7:42

being for real? I'm being for

7:44

real. So what's

7:46

your actual... But he could no

7:48

longer form words. His chest

7:50

constricted, his throat closed, his

7:52

bruised gut heaved. Without

7:54

moving a centimeter, he felt like he'd been

7:56

thrown off a three-meter ledge and slammed into

7:59

the ground. His head spun

8:01

from lack of air. Then in

8:03

an instant the wave ebbed and

8:05

the pressure ceased. His

8:07

vision reeled as he gasped for breath to

8:09

fill his lungs again. "'Kav',"

8:13

Rake breathed, voice weak. "'What

8:15

the fuck was that?" He

8:17

managed, breath equally labored. Rake

8:20

stayed silent for a few long moments. "'I

8:24

don't know. Let's hurry.'" Rake

8:27

forced his trembling hand to remain steady

8:29

as he dragged the plasma torch along

8:31

the seam. He had to be

8:33

quick, but he also had to be careful. Had

8:36

to hold the flame long enough to form

8:38

a solid bond, or it wouldn't be enough

8:40

and it wouldn't be a hermetic seal. And

8:42

the station wouldn't start and they'd die, and

8:44

a lot of fucking other people would as

8:46

well. This was one

8:48

of those low-pressure situations in which he

8:51

thrived. But this had to

8:53

be it, right? The last

8:55

leg on this ridiculous journey

8:57

had to be. The only way out was

9:00

through. Might as well focus it

9:02

all into this moment, or it could really be

9:04

his last. Suddenly

9:06

all the stupid shit he'd gotten all worked

9:08

up about the last two days felt even

9:10

stupider, dumping Asium out of

9:13

warheads and cutting it out of fuel

9:15

lines, throwing doors at drudgers, and a

9:17

walk in the park EVA compared to

9:19

this one. Those were the

9:22

days. Doors, whatever,

9:24

fuck, it had been a long day. He

9:27

inhaled a wavering breath as he finished the

9:29

seam between the two and moved on to

9:31

the top. Three edges down, two

9:34

to go. Griffith,

9:37

you read me? Rake asked. Griffith's

9:40

low rumble crackled on the comms. Go

9:42

for buck. You ready to

9:44

do this? Ready on your mark.

9:47

Just let me know when you're back inside and the

9:49

hatch is sealed. Rake

9:52

didn't respond for a few long

9:54

seconds, and from his periphery, Kavalon

9:56

could see her looking outward toward

9:58

the static flashes. We're

10:00

not going to be able to wait for that," she said.

10:03

Rake, what? Jackon's voice

10:06

cut through. We can't turn it

10:08

on while you're still on the hull. Rake's

10:10

haggard voice came back weirdly calm.

10:13

I think you're going to have to. Strangely,

10:16

a sense of warm

10:18

serenity flushed through Kavalon. His

10:21

heartbeat steadied so smooth it was

10:23

almost imperceptible. Maybe he'd

10:26

finally learned to control it, or

10:28

maybe it had started going so fast it

10:30

had melded into a singular, unending beat. He

10:33

moved on to the last scene. For

10:36

the next few seconds, he was vaguely

10:38

aware of argument in the comms. Jackon

10:41

and Griffith didn't want to start it while they were

10:43

still on the hull. Too dangerous.

10:45

Who knew what could happen? Mesa

10:48

said it might be fine, might be safe.

10:50

What did Kavalon think? Kavalon

10:53

thought nothing, because Kavalon's

10:55

world was fifty centimeters long,

10:57

built of air-stealing, plasmic fire.

11:00

He knew nothing else. A

11:03

moment later, dread overwhelmed him. A

11:05

wrong, empty feeling, painful and dark.

11:08

He was too familiar. A heavy,

11:10

weighted heart, like when your dad dies.

11:13

The fucking worst. A physical pain.

11:16

How could a force of nature make him feel this way?

11:19

That was all this was, right? The edge of the

11:21

universe? Just science? Fuck

11:24

that. It was here. He

11:26

had to focus. His

11:28

world was thirty centimeters. Then

11:31

that first breathless feeling came again, like the

11:34

air had been punched out of him. He

11:36

could sense it pulling him away. No,

11:39

not pulling. Falling. Forward

11:42

started to become up, and he

11:44

began to fall away, anchored at

11:46

that pesky center of gravity, off

11:48

the hull and outward, into the

11:50

divide. He stretched forward,

11:52

keeping the torch close to the middle,

11:54

but he couldn't hold the tool steady

11:56

and keep himself in place. He didn't

11:58

have enough hands. However,

12:01

he didn't need to ask for

12:03

help, because Rake had already started moving.

12:06

She kept hold of the bracket with one

12:08

arm, then swung out behind him. She

12:10

pressed her chest to his back and grabbed

12:12

onto the other side of the bracket with

12:14

her other hand, trapping him against the hole.

12:17

He could continue. Ten

12:20

centimeters. A shower

12:22

of static light flooded his vision, and he

12:24

had to squint to keep his place with

12:26

the arc of the torch. When

12:29

either side of him Rake's hands vibrated,

12:31

or the whole hull did, or

12:33

Kavalan's head did. No,

12:35

it was her. Her

12:37

grip loosened, and one by one her fingers

12:39

peeled away from the bar. The

12:42

force of his whole body pressed against

12:44

her, but she grunted and roared, and

12:46

somehow kept her grip. Done!

12:50

He let off the plasma torch which

12:52

fell away over his shoulder. He

12:54

immediately grabbed the bracket with both hands,

12:57

using his imprints to pull himself forward,

12:59

upward, and take the pressure off Rake.

13:03

Do it now, Griffith. Rake barked.

13:06

Are you in- That's an order! Shit.

13:10

The comms cut away, and

13:12

for an infinitesimal moment, peace.

13:15

Silence. Just nothing.

13:18

His world was zero. A

13:21

nanosecond later his heart fell into his

13:23

gut. A horrifically loud

13:25

noise told, one he knew

13:27

couldn't exist in the vacuum of space, so he

13:30

must have been making it up. Must

13:32

have. Like the hollow twang of an

13:35

enormous metal string being plucked, he

13:37

could feel it as much as hear it. Then

13:40

the outside rushed in and expanded

13:43

like a thousand tiny balloons inflating

13:45

inside him. He

13:47

tried to defuse him, pull him

13:49

apart cell by cell, atom by

13:51

atom. His breath

13:53

fogged his visor, and though he couldn't hear

13:56

it, he knew he'd started yelling, screaming

13:58

really. She got raked at two.

14:01

Her hands still held the bracket on either

14:04

side of him, keeping him tucked into the

14:06

hole. He held on, imprints

14:08

clamping into his muscles to keep his

14:11

grip, but he was suddenly unsure whether

14:13

he was getting pulled away or pushed

14:15

back in. The two

14:17

forces battled, struggling against each other.

14:20

The notifications in his visor had

14:23

gone haywire, flashing every awful warning

14:25

that had normally make his pulse

14:27

race faster, but his heart rate

14:29

monitor had disappeared. He

14:31

figured it had moved past orange into

14:33

red, then cruised right into infrared, so

14:36

fast it was no longer in the

14:38

visible light spectrum. Every

14:41

other possible warning remained active.

14:43

Breach imminent, loss of pressure,

14:45

scrubbers offline, oxygen levels dropping,

14:48

a dozen more. The

14:50

suit's fleet of nanites had fully

14:52

deployed, repairing apparent blunt force damage.

14:56

One refocused his attention from

14:58

the pointless slur of suit

15:00

activity onto Rake's vibrating hands

15:02

because they were slowly being

15:04

wrenched open. She was going

15:07

to lose her grip. He

15:09

kept an imprint-assisted iron hold on

15:11

the bracket and craned his neck

15:13

to look over his shoulder as

15:15

the static light ceased and the

15:17

pressure began to lift because

15:19

the divide had started to

15:21

move back outward. It

15:24

should have been a relief, but it

15:26

wasn't, not in the least because Rake

15:28

was floating away along with it, falling.

15:31

Whether he turned too late or it happened

15:33

too fast to react to, he wasn't sure.

15:35

He blamed himself, either way. Her

15:38

harness had ripped. He had

15:40

no idea how. It floated off her

15:43

back, torn at the shoulders. She

15:45

twisted to grab it, but she'd gotten ahead

15:47

of it somehow, and she couldn't reach it.

15:50

She swiped at her MMU controls, but

15:52

nothing happened. She

15:55

was moving away faster than

15:57

the tether, free-falling, careening. Someone

16:00

spared the briefest moment to confirm

16:02

his harness remained intact, then

16:05

checked his own MMU. Nothing.

16:07

No response. His visor's

16:10

display still flickered in chaos, but his

16:12

suit couldn't listen to him in its

16:14

schizophrenic state. It'd have laughed

16:16

at him if it could. Stupid

16:19

request, stupid mortal. So

16:21

he threw no sudden movements out

16:23

the window and yanked Rake's empty

16:25

tether and harness toward him. He

16:28

pulled the broken harness free from the tether,

16:30

then hooked it to his own hip. Double

16:33

the tethers, double the chance of this working. Kavalan

16:37

counted to himself as Rake floated

16:39

away, then did the quickest math

16:41

he'd ever done to calculate the force he'd

16:43

need. Not too slow, because,

16:45

well, that would be the most pathetic way to

16:48

fail her ever. But not

16:50

too fast, or it could break his harness when

16:52

the tethers ran out. He

16:54

turned and pressed his feet to the

16:57

hull, then launched himself toward Rake. He

17:00

felt pleasantly surprised with his apparent

17:02

ability to translate math into real

17:04

physical force because it soon became

17:07

apparent that he was slowly gaining

17:09

on Rake. At least it

17:11

had been fast enough. Maybe

17:13

too fast, but only slightly so. A

17:15

handful of terrifying seconds later he caught up

17:17

with her. He reached out and

17:20

closed his arms around her shoulders as he

17:22

clunked into her. She sped up

17:24

along with him. Can you

17:26

read me, sir? Fucking

17:29

Foidmer, sir, she cursed. Said

17:31

a yes. Listen, what did

17:33

you do that for? Rake, fuck,

17:35

just let me save you. Foid,

17:39

you need to have a good hold on me, he

17:41

insisted. All the strength your imprints

17:43

can muster. She let out

17:45

a sharp breath. I'll use mine too,

17:48

he continued. But when these

17:50

tethers run out, we're gonna snap back

17:53

pretty hard. The divide's pulling us and

17:55

the generator's pushing us. We're

17:57

riding a wave. There'll be quite a

17:59

bit of force. at the end of the line. If

18:01

we don't have a good hold on each other, I

18:03

might lose you. If the

18:05

tethers don't break and we don't both go

18:07

careening off into the divide—" Right.

18:11

Rake sighed, then shifted to wrap

18:13

her arms loosely around his chest.

18:16

They stared back at the impressive,

18:18

looming station as they drifted away.

18:21

The edges glowed as if the opposite

18:23

side had lit up, basked in a

18:25

soft white light. How

18:28

long are these tethers? he asked. Fifty

18:30

meters? He swallowed hard. For

18:34

a few silent seconds they watched the

18:36

expanse between them and the station slowly

18:38

grow. Again, it felt

18:40

weirdly peaceful. He could do

18:42

nothing but wait. The

18:44

slower Kavalan's pulse became, the more his

18:47

body began to ache, not

18:49

only his already injured guts, but

18:52

everything, everywhere. Organs,

18:55

skin, muscles, hair.

18:57

His head throbbed, and a constant,

19:00

onerous thrum reverberated in his ears.

19:03

His stomach roiled with that same unnerving

19:05

nausea that had launched him into his

19:07

vomiting episode on his last EVA. However,

19:10

this time he wasn't sure he'd be throwing up

19:13

the contents of his stomach. Any

19:15

organ from the neck down felt like fair

19:17

game. Rake, Kav,

19:21

can I ask you something? Go

19:23

ahead. Dude, he

19:26

took a long deep breath. Do

19:28

you think they gave us superpowers? Rake

19:31

let out a breath he scoffed and didn't respond

19:33

at first. After a few

19:35

seconds she said, probably. I always

19:38

thought x-ray vision would be great. How about

19:40

you? Invisibility? Oh,

19:43

good one. Although teleportation would

19:45

be great about now. He

19:47

gave a short laugh, hardier than he thought he

19:50

had in him. The station continued

19:52

to drift away, and the slack in

19:54

the tethers started to disappear. I

19:57

think my eardrums are bleeding, he said.

20:00

Mine too. And maybe most

20:02

of my internal organs. Cav.

20:04

I know. He watched as the

20:07

snaking tethers grew totter. This

20:09

is going to hurt you. He

20:11

shook his head, clunking his helmet awkwardly

20:14

into hers. Don't worry about

20:16

that. I'll be fine. Hold

20:18

on as tight as you can. She

20:20

didn't respond and his stomach churned with unease.

20:23

He could see it now. The tethers

20:25

seconds from running out and Rake lets

20:28

go to save him. She waves goodbye

20:30

and wishes him luck and tells him

20:32

to take care of Griffith and Jack

20:34

in as she floats back into the

20:36

divide. Fucking typical. Rake.

20:40

I can handle it. He said

20:42

seriously. Promise me you'll

20:44

hold on. He craned his neck

20:46

until he could see through the side of his

20:48

visor and into hers. Her

20:51

eyes were cast down, sweat beating

20:53

on her forehead, cheeks flushed. Rom

20:56

never building a star for you again, he threatened.

20:59

The muscles in her jaw flexed a

21:01

few times before she responded. Yeah,

21:04

okay. I promise. Kavalan

21:07

looked up as the tethers drew

21:09

straighter, then summoned his imprints to

21:11

strengthen his grip and protect his

21:13

stomach. He locked his arms

21:15

around Rake's back and she closed hers

21:18

tightly around his torso. And

21:20

that hurt. Sure. He

21:22

couldn't lance his opinion throughout his whole body.

21:25

Yet it was nothing compared to what came

21:28

next. The tethers

21:30

snapped taut and the harness yanked

21:32

hard on his midsection as their

21:34

full weight tugged back against it.

21:37

Every muscle in his torso

21:39

seized in reaction, clamping down

21:41

on his internal organs in

21:43

a surge of agonizing torment.

21:46

As his stomach drew forward, the

21:48

momentum flung Rake, slinging her around

21:50

on his back. She

21:53

managed to keep holding him, arms locked

21:55

around his chest. The

21:57

Pain quickly proved too much. His

22:00

head swam thick and murky, a

22:02

bio heavy lump grew and his

22:05

throat and his vision faltered. The.

22:08

Stores strewn inward, views smeared

22:10

into money Gray his his

22:12

eyes welled without tears. He

22:15

can barely make out the hall lights

22:17

of the Stl rounding the said at

22:19

the station. Before. He passed

22:21

out. Chapter.

22:26

Thirty Eight. Added

22:29

Quinn laid catalogues unconscious body on

22:31

the floor just inside the doors

22:33

of the Bronze Sphere attainder. She

22:36

knelt beside him, then tore off her

22:38

helmet and tossed it aside. A

22:40

Recipe heat Big Turk clammy

22:42

chilled skyn. She

22:44

pulled his helmet off and pressed her

22:46

fingers under his job, searching for a

22:49

pulse. Pursuits. Heard

22:51

had began to function again on their short

22:53

jaunt back on the As Cel, and it

22:55

had promised her he was fine. Breathing

22:58

steady, pulse strong so she

23:00

told herself he would be

23:02

okay. He had to be. He

23:04

was tougher than he thought he was. But

23:08

he looked downright awful is

23:10

pallid skyn sleep with sweat,

23:12

the color gone from his

23:14

cheeks. Dark bags

23:16

hum below his eyes, and

23:19

even unconscious, he looked utterly

23:21

exhausted. Attic, when

23:24

on the other hand, felt

23:26

strangely great. Her heart beat

23:28

faster, but light, refreshed, invigorated.

23:30

Every part of her throbbed

23:32

horribly. it's but her chest

23:35

felt airy like she could

23:37

finally take a breath again

23:39

after being underwater for so

23:41

long. A wait had

23:43

been lifted that she hadn't realized

23:46

was crushing her. She'd

23:48

met the edge of the universe

23:50

head on and survived. They'd

23:52

mounted a defense. the enemy had

23:55

retreated and made one the day.

23:58

Park. Note: on the other side of cattle. What

24:01

happened? He just passed out

24:03

from pain. Adequan

24:05

breathed a groan as she stood. He

24:08

should be fine. Jackin handed Puck

24:10

a bio tool and the circuiter

24:13

injected it into Kavalon's neck. Moments

24:16

later, his eyes slid open. He

24:19

tried to sit up, but Puck laid a hand on

24:21

his chest to stop him. You

24:23

did it, Poth, Jackin

24:25

said quietly, gripping Adequan's shoulder.

24:29

She leveled a flat look at him, and

24:31

he raised his hands in submission. Sorry,

24:35

we did it. What

24:38

did we do exactly? She

24:40

asked, did you check the Atlas? Yeah,

24:43

it's better than we thought. It not

24:45

only stopped it from getting closer, but pushed

24:47

back. Seems to have settled

24:50

about 500,000 kilometers outward. Other

24:53

sections are still moving inward, but they've slowed.

24:56

They won't get nearly as far as quickly

24:58

now that this one's active. And

25:01

the typhus? They should be

25:03

safe, he assured, for now.

25:06

Exuberant, Mesa's voice cut

25:08

through, so heavy

25:11

with anguish that Adequan's chest seized.

25:14

She looked across the room toward the

25:16

savant, who sat crouched beside Griffith, lying

25:20

on the ground beside the mainframe interface

25:22

terminal. Everything

25:24

else fell away, vacating her mind completely as

25:26

she crossed the room and slid to her

25:29

knees beside him. He

25:32

grimaced, eyes clamped shut,

25:35

breaths coming in shallow gasps. His

25:38

brown skin glistened with sweat,

25:41

wrinkles deeper than ever. Silver

25:44

and copper imprints flickered around his arms

25:46

of their own accord, seeming

25:48

unsure of what to do. Mesa

25:52

disappeared from her periphery, breath.

25:55

Hey, he peeled his

25:58

eyes open, the color of his- his

26:00

irises had faded to a muted

26:02

brown. It worked,

26:04

huh? She nodded.

26:07

Yeah, it worked. He

26:10

let out a short burst of breath, then

26:13

with an effort, found his voice again. You

26:16

were right. That thing fucking

26:18

hurt. You'll be

26:20

okay. He grimaced,

26:23

his voice a crackling, dry

26:25

rumble. This

26:28

is it, Quinn.

26:30

No, yes. She

26:33

shook her head. I can't

26:35

do this without you. He

26:38

gave her a weary half grin and

26:40

the corners of his eyes wrinkled. You've

26:43

been doing it without me for years.

26:47

She laid her head into the crook of his neck

26:49

and he wrapped his arms around her. His

26:53

imprints buzzed lightly as they trembled

26:55

along his skin. I'm

26:58

sorry for that, by the way. He

27:00

rumbled. I should have

27:02

been there for you. She

27:05

opened her mouth to refute it. He

27:08

shouldn't have regrets, but the

27:10

words caught in her throat. I

27:12

know it might not feel important right

27:15

now, he said, but

27:17

I do forgive you for what happened on

27:20

Paxis. A hard

27:22

pressure grew in her chest. You

27:25

did what you thought was right, he

27:28

continued. You always

27:30

do. And I've always

27:32

trusted that wisdom as a matter of

27:34

course. Relied on it even.

27:37

It'll have been the right call in the end.

27:40

I know it. It's what you

27:42

do. She squeezed

27:44

his hand harder, but his grip

27:46

on her continued to slacken. He

27:49

hacked out a few short, weak

27:52

coughs wheezing as he drew in

27:54

a constrained breath. You

27:57

said one act doesn't define us.

28:00

And you're right. One

28:02

doesn't. But

28:04

this choice you made to

28:06

stay here, to save the typhus,

28:10

its decisive queen, and

28:12

where you decide to go from here

28:14

will matter just as much. With

28:17

every word his voice grew thinner,

28:20

each syllable requiring a force of

28:23

will. So do

28:26

me a favor, he continued,

28:29

and go make a fucking ton

28:31

more of these decisions so

28:34

it does define you, so

28:36

it has to be

28:39

the Quinn whose shadow I

28:41

couldn't escape, even all

28:43

the way out to the edge of the

28:45

collapsing universe. She

28:47

nodded as a tear trailed to the tip

28:49

of her nose. Griffiths

28:52

wiped it away with a trembling sun.

28:55

I'm sorry, Quinn. I

28:58

guess you're gonna have to grow old without

29:00

me after all. A

29:02

jolt of pain fired under her ribs,

29:04

stifling her breath. More

29:07

hot tears stained her cheeks. Promise

29:10

me you will, though, he

29:12

breathed. Grow old, I

29:14

mean. Wherever this

29:16

leads, just find

29:19

a way to live. She

29:22

swallowed, nodding as she looked back

29:24

up. One more

29:26

favor, he asked. Anything.

29:31

Punch Lujan for me. She

29:34

let out an effusive, pained laugh.

29:37

Gladly, his tone

29:40

fell serious again. And

29:42

maybe find a thunderstorm.

29:45

She managed to nod. Copy

29:48

that, Centaurian. Salty

29:51

sweat and tears mingled as she

29:53

pressed her lips into his, then

29:56

breathed, Aph He

30:00

let out a withering

30:02

sigh, Avitas Fortas, Moa

30:05

Care. With his

30:07

eyes closed, the

30:10

imprints jittering on his arms slowed,

30:12

then shuttered before coming to a rest.

30:16

Adequin laid her forehead on his chest

30:18

and closed her eyes. She

30:20

waited for his chest to rise again, waited

30:23

to hear his breath catch, waited

30:26

to feel his heart thud against his

30:28

ribcage. Waited,

30:32

because this wasn't it, it couldn't

30:35

be. They had a

30:37

lifetime ahead of them. That's

30:39

how she justified it all, not

30:42

telling him how she felt, letting

30:44

him captain the tempest all the time

30:46

apart that could have been together. Something

30:50

better would come after the Argus

30:52

and they'd do it together. They

30:55

just had to be patient. So

30:57

she kept her eyes clamped shut and

31:00

waited. She didn't know for

31:02

how long. Seconds that

31:04

could have been minutes that could

31:06

have been eons, she waited.

31:10

Soon it had been too long and

31:12

she knew it was over. But

31:14

the grief she thought would overwhelm her

31:17

never came. Because

31:19

how fucking long had she been

31:21

waiting? Waiting

31:23

for orders, waiting for

31:25

permission, waiting for requests, waiting

31:28

for the divide to swallow them whole.

31:31

And waiting since Paxis for the

31:34

other fucking shoe to drop. Because

31:36

it was never going to be that easy.

31:38

She'd known that from day one. She

31:42

defied an order, didn't

31:44

pull the trigger, didn't tie a

31:46

nice, tidy bow on their war

31:48

and pass them their consummate victory

31:51

on a silver platter. A

31:54

promotion and a safe, easy post

31:56

wasn't a punishment. For five

31:58

years she waited for the real one. the

32:00

one she needed so she could

32:02

rectify her guilt. With

32:05

sharp, bitter, sweet relief, she

32:07

realized it had finally come.

32:11

It was over. She'd found

32:13

the real punishment and could move

32:15

on, if she could find a

32:17

way. She opened her

32:19

eyes and lifted her head. Sweat

32:22

dripped down her temples. She

32:25

had a vague awareness of Jackin and

32:27

her periphery crouched beside her. She

32:29

found Griffith's dog tags tucked between

32:32

his shirt and chest. A

32:35

chest that didn't raise or lower,

32:37

didn't move, just sat

32:40

perfectly still. She

32:42

ran her fingers along the etched

32:44

metal and glass pendants. Antiquated,

32:47

like everything else issued to the

32:50

Sentinels. Too much

32:52

effort or expense to maintain a

32:54

chip database for soldiers they'd already

32:56

written off as dead. She

32:59

unhooked the chain, then closed the

33:01

clasp around her own neck, tucking

33:04

them under her sweaty shirt along with her

33:06

own. She turned

33:08

to look at Jackin, his

33:11

brow creased deep with worry. He

33:14

laid a hand on her shoulder. Rake,

33:18

I'm so sorry. She

33:20

stood and passed him to stand in

33:22

front of the wide glass window. Crossing

33:25

her arms, she watched their

33:28

mini star churn and spin,

33:30

reflecting brilliantly off the

33:32

metallic panels lining the interior

33:35

sphere. Jackin

33:37

approached, hovering off her shoulder. Rake,

33:41

he began, then cleared the

33:43

hesitation from his throat. Are

33:45

you okay? She didn't

33:48

respond, she couldn't yet. Her

33:51

mind reeled, searching for an explanation

33:53

for the point of it all.

33:56

Why was she here, now

33:58

like this? That

34:01

same thought had gnawed at the back of her

34:03

mind for years. She

34:05

was as far removed as one could

34:07

get, lingering on the edge of

34:09

the universe. A universe that

34:12

had tried its very hardest to end

34:14

its own existence despite them. There

34:17

had to be a reason, Griffiths didn't

34:19

die for nothing. Maybe

34:21

that day on Paxis, she'd been

34:24

part of something bigger than she'd

34:26

realized. When

34:28

the Legion's best, most trustworthy,

34:30

most brainwashed soldiers started to

34:33

recognize they could make decisions for

34:35

themselves, what do you do? You

34:37

cut it off at the head. You make

34:39

a new plan, out with the

34:41

old, find a new army, one

34:44

that'll listen, one that has to

34:46

listen. The Legion brass

34:48

could have been playing ahead of it for

34:50

years, quashing a rebellion that

34:53

hadn't even happened yet. Some

34:55

of the offenses she'd seen on

34:58

intake paperwork had been flimsy at

35:00

best. Warner, when

35:02

stationed in a remote system in

35:04

the perimeter vale, had worked off-duty

35:06

hours helping a settlement install shield

35:09

walls to keep out the ravenous

35:11

local fauna. Puck's little

35:13

thruster hack aboard the SCS Somnium

35:15

had been in an attempt to

35:17

catch up to a drudger cruiser

35:19

that had taken a half dozen

35:21

core bound IE refugee ships hostage.

35:25

Technically, they defied orders, but come

35:27

on. Maybe

35:29

they weren't just sending the Sentinels

35:31

all their criminals and miscreants, but

35:34

those most likely to rebel. Those

35:37

that had proven themselves capable of

35:39

defiance. If the

35:41

SC truly had started the resurgence

35:43

to silence a fledgling uprising from

35:46

the citizenry, why not this too?

35:50

There was more to it than that, though, and she

35:52

couldn't shake the feeling it was all

35:54

related, connected, it had

35:57

to be. She could already

35:59

see the headlines. that had rolled in from

36:01

the core. Legion tragedy at

36:03

the divide, sentinel forces

36:05

lost in horrific accident. New

36:08

Legion Personnel Welfare Act proves

36:10

worth. Thank the

36:12

void for Augustus Mercer's amazing

36:14

fucking foresight. Kavalon

36:17

was right. The

36:19

more one man consolidated power, the

36:21

less the SC looked like the

36:23

republic it was intended to be.

36:26

That it should be. That

36:28

humanity deserved. This

36:30

was all part of that longer game,

36:33

and even out on the fringes of nothing,

36:35

they were pawns in it. Despite

36:38

the exhaustive list of implications, the

36:40

part that made her stomach churn

36:42

and bile creep up her throat

36:44

was the possibility that they knew.

36:46

That the Legion,

36:49

or the Quorum, or the

36:51

Allied Monarchy's, or all of

36:53

the above knew. Knew these

36:56

stations were the Viator's responsibility.

36:59

Knew they'd fall into disrepair once they

37:01

were gone. That they'd

37:03

been counting on the Sentinels to die, so

37:05

they could use it as part of their

37:07

propaganda. And the worst of

37:09

it, what if Legion knew? He

37:12

hadn't been able to look her in the eye when

37:15

she'd left his office that day. Did

37:17

he know about it even then? He

37:20

had Omega clearance. He should have known everything

37:22

there was to know about the Legion and

37:24

the SC. He'd

37:26

have known about the LPWA and the

37:28

cloned Drudger army and how easy it'd

37:31

be to sacrifice the Sentinels to make

37:33

a point. Who

37:35

knew what dark secrets he'd shared

37:37

over tea time with fucking Augustus

37:39

Mercer? Her face

37:41

heated, and she took a deep breath that

37:44

quavored in her throat. She

37:46

knew she was spiraling, that she'd thrown logic

37:48

out the window. She had no proof of

37:50

any of this. Except

37:53

that sinking feeling in her gut

37:55

that always told her when she

37:57

was right. That...

38:00

was the recruitment officer that would finally

38:02

help her. She'd thrive if

38:04

she joined the Titans. Paxis

38:06

was the right planet. Let the

38:09

breeder go, fix the beacon. She

38:12

might be wrong or she

38:14

might be right, but it didn't matter

38:16

anymore. What was done was

38:18

done. Griffith was

38:21

gone and it was time

38:23

to stop waiting. After

38:25

a few silent minutes, Jackin spoke up

38:27

again. His voice quiet and

38:30

worried. What are you

38:32

thinking, boss? Adequate

38:34

continued to stare at the blinding ball

38:36

of gas. That

38:38

there are still thousands of sentinels that

38:40

need saving. He

38:43

said nothing for a long time, then

38:45

stepped up beside her, arms

38:47

crossed, shoulders hunched. Rake,

38:51

he whispered, what about

38:53

Lujan's orders? She

38:55

glared, you think we're going to relay

38:57

back to the core, get a

39:00

round of honorable discharges and go home? They

39:03

clearly wanted us gone, Jack. Our

39:05

survival will be considered at best

39:07

a nuisance. Jackins

39:10

scuffed, I can't really

39:12

disagree with you there. But

39:14

what can they really do once we're back,

39:16

court martial us? Again, send

39:19

us back out to the divide? She

39:22

shook her head. No, his

39:25

scowl drifted to Griffith. The

39:28

ire left his voice and his tone

39:31

became serious as he looked back at

39:33

her. You really don't

39:35

think it's safe to go back to the core? Not

39:38

yet. Adequate looked

39:40

over her shoulder toward the doorway,

39:42

where Puck helped Kavalon stand. His

39:46

brow furrowed with pain, but his face

39:48

had flushed with color. He

39:50

leaned on Puck's arm as he found his footing,

39:53

then looked up and locked eyes with Adequan.

39:57

She inclined her head. They

39:59

might have a dictator on their hands,

40:01

sooner rather than later, one

40:04

who's already trying to replace us. Kavalan

40:07

slicked his sweaty hair out of his

40:09

face and he nodded his agreement. That's

40:13

very true. Jackin

40:15

let out a sharp sigh. Okay,

40:19

fine. You want a muster of force?

40:22

Gather the Sentinels? How the hell are we even gonna

40:24

begin to do that? All

40:26

the gates at the Divide are off,

40:28

except Karan. We can't go

40:30

anywhere but inward. Park

40:32

fixed Karan, Adequin said, so we

40:35

helped the Typhos fix Zelus, then

40:37

the Okora with Eris, and so

40:39

on. Jackin

40:42

flexed his jaw but gave a short nod.

40:45

Okay, so let's say that

40:47

works, then what? We'd only have

40:49

a handful of Hermes between us, which we can't

40:51

even take through the gates. And

40:54

regardless, the second we try to take a

40:56

single ship through, the Legion will know we're

40:58

still alive and come after us. How

41:00

are we gonna get everyone to safety without showing

41:02

our hand? Mesa,

41:05

Adequin turned to the savant. She

41:08

stood beside Puck, wringing her thin

41:11

hands nervously. Yes,

41:13

exuberant. Can you

41:16

reverse engineer this technology? The

41:18

reactor, I mean? Mesa's

41:20

brow raised. Yes,

41:23

well, I would need some. She

41:26

turned her look to Kavalon. After

41:30

staring down at his boots for a few

41:32

long seconds, he gave a quick nod. Mesa

41:35

inclined her head, then turned back to Adequin.

41:39

Yes, exuberant. Jack?

41:42

Yeah, boss. What's the

41:44

Typhos' maximum personnel capacity? He

41:47

blew out a long breath. I

41:50

don't remember its make, but it

41:52

was a capital ship. Maybe 10,000? Does

41:57

it still have its jump drive? The

42:00

exasperated grimace softened, then he exchanged

42:02

a questioning glance with Puck. It's

42:06

at least 100 years older than

42:08

the Argus, so yeah. I

42:11

don't think they would have repurposed it, but

42:13

it'd still need solar power to charge.

42:17

His words died in his throat as

42:19

his gaze fell on the window onto

42:22

the collapsing mass they created,

42:24

and his face fell slack. While,

42:28

adequate act. Whoa,

42:31

are you with us? Yeah, I'm

42:33

with you. She raised

42:36

an eyebrow, surprised by his lack of

42:38

hesitation. He stood unaided,

42:40

clutching his stomach in one arm,

42:43

trying to hide his pain under

42:45

a look of steadfast determination. Were

42:49

you serious when you suggested putting this thing on a

42:51

ship? She asked. He

42:54

blinked in surprise. Well,

42:56

not just any ship, not

42:59

the SGL or the Synthesis, if that's what you

43:01

mean. Could you build

43:03

one into a plopital ship? His

43:06

mouth gaped open. He

43:11

stared past her, threw the glass

43:13

into the containment chamber, then

43:15

threw a look to the terminal,

43:17

then the Atlas, then Mesa. He

43:20

scratched the back of his neck. A

43:23

few moments later, he looked up, swallowed

43:26

hard, and nodded. I'll

43:28

need resources. Of course,

43:32

and manpower, certainly, and

43:34

time. She

43:37

waited. The corner of

43:39

his mouth pulled up. I

43:42

can do it. She tried

43:44

to give him a grateful smile, but

43:46

her face wouldn't listen. It

43:48

wanted her to scowl, to grit

43:50

her teeth, to glower in defiance.

43:53

Kavalon grinned in response. Adequan

43:57

turned to face Jakin. His

43:59

worry had been lost. His brow,

44:01

smooth, dark brown eyes, wide

44:03

and clear. He

44:06

now looked anxiously impressed.

44:09

What do you think, Jack? She asked

44:11

quietly. Wanna be a

44:14

CNO again? He didn't

44:16

respond at first, pressing a hand to

44:18

his forehead. She

44:20

lowered her voice to a whisper. I

44:23

don't know what's going on with you and the Mercers,

44:25

but if you have some vengeance

44:27

to pay the king, this could

44:29

be your chance. Rake,

44:32

Void, he breathed, that's

44:34

mutiny. I know.

44:38

He turned to stare back at where Griffith

44:40

lay and his hardened features

44:42

softened. She swallowed

44:44

down a lump, praying to the Void that

44:46

Jack and Wood be on board. She

44:49

needed him. After

44:51

a minute, his hand dropped away and

44:53

he gave a deep sigh. Just

44:56

tell me the plan, boss. First,

44:58

we save the Sentinels. Adequin

45:01

bled out a long, heavy breath.

45:04

Then we take the fight to the core. This

45:15

has been the final episode of The

45:17

Last Watch by J.S. Dewis. Stick

45:20

around for a special bonus conversation in

45:22

which the author and editor discuss the

45:24

audiobook. And don't forget

45:26

to follow Stories from Among the Stars on

45:28

your preferred podcast app to stay

45:30

updated about new seasons. Thanks

45:32

for listening.