Shattered Stars

Friendly Greetings

<- Estimated Arrival Time: 02 H 48 M 59 S ->

The alert startled me to full wakefulness. I raised my head off the floor. Skylar shifted in his corner and blinked awake. He regarded me with an uncertain gaze.

"Well, that was fun," I muttered.

He shrugged his wings. "More fun than three hours from now."

His voice still retained a hint of accusation toward me but far less than before.

<- Attention: At an ETA of one hour, all personnel are expected to report to their respective platoon Lieutenants. Until then, time is free to use. ->

I nodded grimly and got to my feet. "I guess I'll be in the lounge area. Wanna come?"

He held my gaze then shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine here."

"Alright," I said, starting toward the door. Just as I stepped out into the walkway, I glanced back at him. "I hope they didn't chastise you after your team won."

"Oh, I wasn't the one that got in trouble," Skylar remarked, a half-smile making its way onto his muzzle. "All the attention was on Griff."

"Not surprising." I waved. "Later."

The atrium was already teeming with Drakes along its walkways. Some, like me, were making their way down to the lounge room on the lower level, while a few were hanging out on the railings. It was odd how at-home everyone acted already. It almost made me believe everything was fine, that there was no crisis.

The mood in the lounge was no help, though. Those who talked did so in hushed tones. The silent ones had settled for staring at the ceiling or outside into space.

I became one of the silent ones as I stared at the mesmerizing distortion of the passing stars. They entered the field of view by the thousands, only to be swallowed by the apparent black hole chasing the ship. No matter how bright, each one met its end.

Worry started to brew in my gut. How long was it before I shared the same fate as those stars? For all I knew, I only had hours left in my life. Hours that would contain nothing but suffering, and then all this thinking and feeling stuff would end forever.

Maybe this isn't worth it.

I shook my head to get rid of the thought, but still found myself yearning to be back home and ignorant of everything that was about to transpire. Where there was weak determination before, there was a growing mass of dread. The more I fought it and tried to find some redeeming quality to the situation, the more it weighed on my limbs like a heavy blanket.

You should've left Skylar back on Earth.

I snorted, grinding my teeth. This is not what I expected. I knew things would get tough, but experiencing them wasn't something I could've prepared for, and the real battle was still hours away.

"Are you well?" a familiar voice asked behind me.

Neval came up beside me, but I didn't turn my head. "No."

"That is unfortunate," he said, trying to make eye contact through our reflections in the window.

I collapsed onto my haunches and hugged my legs, staring in between my feet. My tail curled around me instinctively. "Why does my life have to take this path?"

Neval was silent for a moment, then he sat next to me with his legs crossed. "I want to apologize."

"For what?" I asked, gazing in his direction with half-lidded eyes.