The Testimony of Those Lost in the Sky

One

"That was a pretty cool thing you did there."

Einam Aisling jumped away from the window, startled enough to completely forget what he'd been thinking about. He hadn't realized Montgomery was still awake when he returned to the room. Einam had been up half the night directing people to please- stay- calm and don't- you- worry. He hated it.

And now it felt like someone had begun major construction on his ribs. With jackhammers and chainsaws.

Mont was lying in bed as though not even speaking. "Sticking your head out for that Greg guy. I would've let him get away with it, think everyone would have if you didn't do that."

Einam did not return his gaze to the window. He didn't say anything, either.

"Look, I had to do the other thing, OK? They wouldn't have believed me if I had just said something or made up some story. And you were the one least likely to rat me out on- that." The silence stewed over their heads. "I'm sorry."

Einam sighed. People taking advantage of his meekness, that wasn't new. That was new, though. "Was it real?"

Mont's eyes widened, then shut in the darkness. "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. I don't know. It doesn't matter. It's not the time for that, anyway."

That was fine with Montgomery. Anything that didn't involve a drop in his survival chances was fine with Montgomery Graff, he thought.

Katy Londonderry was, once again, the first person awake.

She'd awoken even earlier than yesterday (was it really only yesterday?) to an empty room, and assumed Jack was in the makeshift hospital with Java. She slipped through the awkward, two-foot high door panel out into the hall, then continued forwards towards what had once been a gym.

Sure enough, there were Jack and Java, sleeping next to Verizon and that Greg guy who'd fallen ill yesterday. He'd tried to save the rest of the crew from what he thought was an infectious disease, but to be honest nobody really knew what it was. It wasn't poison, Katy told herself, not poison.

Then she noticed that the lieutenant was sitting up. There was a reddened napkin sitting besides him and his face was contorted in pain or concentration, but he was up. He saw her.

"Ah! Katy Londonderrryyyyy! Just who I needed! Dear, best friend, Katy. I have a request." LT's face still ghosted over with its usual sun-bright smile and frigid glare. Katy stepped forwards, pulling her blanket around her shoulders, and nodded. "I need to run a data check on this asteroid. Immediately. Just grab one of those wallpads, darling, they should unhook easily enough. Bring it on over."

Katy ok-d the sickly man and unhooked one of the wallpads from the floor. Everyone had been trying to avoid stepping on them for the past day, but many had failed resulting in defunct pads underfoot at all times. Katy found one that appeared operational and brought it over to LT.

His hands flowed over the pad, checking on multiple external environment managers. The lieutenant's expression grew grave, then graver still. Katy couldn't help but ask. "What is it? Sir."

LT continued scrolling. "It's as I thought (a hacking cough), juuuuuuust as I thought." He doubled over, clutching his ribs. "Our friend Greg over there was wrong, Katy. But so was little Java." He gave a limp and defeated smile. "My deeeeeeear Katy, do you believe in aliens?"

Katy had heard of extraterrestrial life before, but had never really entertained the idea before. That sort of speculation should be kept for the old folk like the ones in her aunt's smoking circle, Katy thought. But if the lieutenant was bringing it up, it had something to do with the illness that had struck six of the twenty inhabitants of their shuttle.