You, Me, We Are All Mistakes

30. THE FEAR OF EMPTY TIME

Chapter 30
THE FEAR OF EMPTY TIME

Sennai was shocked and unnerved. His pale blue skin had turned the colour of their bleak and glacial surroundings, and his orange eyes were now a sallow gilt. There was ice in his mouth and dusted across his cheeks. He slowly lifted a hand, only to confirm its presence.

He knew he had been shot through the head, yet his primary anxiety remained the fact that the assault had not killed him. Sennai lay prone, recalling a comparable incident he had previously survived. At that time he attributed holding onto life had been primarily down to good luck, an oversized skull, and his own surgeon's unwanted observations on Sennai's uniquely small brain cavity.

During recovery, and in an effort to extend his life insurance, Sennai invested in a course of synthetic nano-adrenalin shots. The plasma technology now activated, coursing through his veins, ensuring he felt no pain under attack, whilst the blended artificial coagulants preserved blood loss.

He would need to wear a long fringe again.

Sennai screwed up his eyes and squinted towards the ashen sky. He pondered whether the recent opportunity presented to him was worth all this risk. Commodoring a group of GCF ships was his next life goal, and the feedback from his leadership reviews had tasked him to focus on two key managerial qualities: courage and empathy. It could be argued that getting shot through the head irrefutably ticked one of these boxes.

Sennai rolled over in the snow to slip back behind Zero. He touched his forehead where the projectile had entered, feeling a newly damp, mushy scar already forming.

"Fat lot of use you are!" He cursed the robot. "I need answers."

"Ball stick..." began Zero, "Correction. Ballistic analysis informs that Weaponify Nasty Thing..."

"Yes?"

"...was latest upgrade Occasional Kill Weapon - Three Four Nine."

"Upgrade what?"

"Sir," put in Taroooc, "those are firearms designed to reduce lawsuits amongst regular infantry by introducing an element of chance when discharged."

"Lawsuits? This makes no sense," spat Sennai. "Occasional Kill Weapon?"

"Sir, if... you can never be sure it was your weapon that produced the kill, you can never be sued by your adversaries under any circumstances."

Sennai stared blankly at Taroooc.

"Is this the way things are going now? We consider the legal action before any battlefield action?"

Taroooc sensed this question was rhetorical, maintaining a thin smile and silence.

"Okay," continued Sennai, "I need a situation assessment, quickly. We came here to collect a Peacefulness and Primacy Offering..."

"A what?" challenged Yelyah.

"I'll explain another time. We've landed unarmed, which in retrospect was a very bad decision. They..." he pointed to the distance, "have so far used a small-scale nuclear blast, and fired at least one gun. A gun that can occasionally kill..."

"Captain, I just saw a pink elephant."

"Quiet Yelyah! Can't you see our position is dire."

Sennai snatched his Medical Officer's arm down to join the group as they sheltered behind Zero.

"As you wish. No need to be so rough."

"Is it all a trap? Or can we assume there is some misunderstanding here?" continued Sennai. "Why would they drag us down here with a distress call and then proceed to shoot all of us?"