"Kinnit, get me a map of Erebus base. I want to know what's at that location."

Kinnit set her teeth and pulled up a map, casting it onto the large main screen.

"It's the base's primary water reservoir, sir. In the photos, it looks like it's empty. The flow lines suggest that the sluice gates were opened, or that they failed somehow."

"Hmm. That would explain the reports of a tsunami." He glanced at the star burning at the center of the system. "I'm not sure what the relation is yet between the CME and the reservoir, but I think it's safe enough to start getting boots on the ground. Let's get some people down there and see how we can help." He smiled down at Kinnit. "Want to take a little trip in Digger?"

Kinnit saluted sharply.

"Yes, sir!" She smiled. Lieutenant Baric's morose expression caught her eye. "We could take Sol, too, sir."

Grimthorn's smile became a little fixed.

"Yes, I suppose that would be good, if he wants to. Lieutenant?"

Sol swallowed heavily and nodded.

"I'm here to help the citizens of the Imperium, sir."

"Very well. Let's get kitted up and head down."

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The trip in Digger was uncomfortable. There were only two passenger seats and the pilot's seat; with Iluna Dabrini flying, somebody was going to have to stand. After a few awkward false starts, they finally settled on Kinnit and Sol sitting while Grimthorn stood. The shuttle was slightly too short for him to stand fully, so he had to make the trip slightly hunched, with his arms crossed.

Grimthorn had hoped to do a little subtle canoodling with Kinnit on the trip down, but with Lieutenant Baric on board, that wasn't an option, so his expression was slightly stormier than usual.

"Where do you want us to come in, Admiral?" Dabrini asked.

"Take us to the reservoir. We'll look for a stable landing platform nearby. I want to investigate a little, if we can."

Dabrini nodded. The little shuttle rattled and shook as it entered the atmosphere over Erebus base.

"I've been working on learning to pilot, some," Kinnit announced. "I'm hoping be able to pilot Digger at some point."

"Good thinking," Grimthorn said. "Let me know when you're ready, we'll get you in for the certification exams."

Kinnit shifted uncomfortably.

"It might be a bit. I'm going through simulator training now. I'm going to need to practice a lot more, I think."

Grimthorn nodded, remembering the extent of the repairs needed after her first piloting experience.

"No rush. Take your time."

They descended in silence for a few minutes. The protective domes of Erebus base came into view. The domes were transparent and slightly reflective, standing out like pearls in the gray, dusty surface of the planet. The bold light of the white star made impossibly bright slashes of light on the domes. The shuttle's portal had brightness limiters, otherwise the view would have literally been blinding.

Dabrini smoothly flew the shuttle through one of the open hexes high on the dome, designed for shuttle entry. They flew toward the reservoir.

Admiral Stonefist triggered the shuttle's 360-degree view so they could take in more of the base during their descent.

Lieutenant Baric gasped, and his fingers tightened on the arms of his seat as the shuttle's walls and ceiling appeared to vanish from around them.

"Apologies, Lieutenant," Grimthorn said. "I forgot to mention this upgrade we made to Digger. We can get a good lay of the land this way."

Lieutenant Baric nodded tightly.

The shuttle hovered a few hundred feet off the ground. The reservoir was nearly empty. Everybody in the shuttle was on their feet, surveying the damage.

"I don't see any signs of attack on the reservoir," Admiral Stonefist said.

"The sluice gates look damaged," Kinnit said.

"There are a couple buildings nearby we can land on, sir," Dabrini said. She poked a few commands into her console and several buildings suddenly glowed in the portal's display.

"That one," Admiral Stonefist said, pointing. "It looks stable, and it's close to the reservoir."

Dabrini nodded and turned the shuttle toward the three-story building. As they approached, a shadow detached from the corner of the roof of the building ran and toward them. Someone on the roof was screaming and waving their arms.

With a deft touch, Dabrini gently set the shuttle down on the rooftop. Grimthorn opened the hatch. The person who'd been waving rushed over.

Her hair was wild and her expression was haunted. She was panting and her eyes were wide, darting.

"Please," she screamed, "please, you have to save my family!" She grabbed at Admiral Stonefist's uniform, yanking on him.

Grimthorn removed her hands and held her at arm's length.

"Slow down, let's make sure you're okay first."

"I'm fine!" she screeched. "You have to get my son and my husband!"

Kinnit stepped out of the shuttle and approached the woman.

"We'll make sure your family is safe," Kinnit said. "What's your name?"

The woman looked at Kinnit disbelievingly.

"You'll take care of them? You promise?"

"We will. We're going to take care of you, too."

"Th-thank you. M-my name is Kaz Bynar. My husband is Solan and my child is Valin."

"Okay, Kaz, let's sit down for a minute. We want to make sure you're well enough to help your family."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Kaz nodded and unsteadily settled herself onto the rough surface of the rooftop.

Grimthorn looked the woman over and did a quick medical assessment while Kinnit talked to her.

"What happened?" Kinnit asked.

Kaz began spilling out a disconnected, rambling explanation of her perspective of events. Kinnit listened carefully, gently asking questions and calming her. After she'd gathered what information she could about the event, she changed tack.

"Can you tell me where your husband and son are?"

"Valin's in Learning Center. Solan should be at home, it's only a few blocks from there." Kaz started tear up, and panic started creeping back into her voice. "But they're all the way across the base! I need to know if they're okay, but my scanner's not working at all!"

"Which direction is your home from here?" Kinnit asked.

Kaz pointed off to the distance. Kinnit smiled.

"Well, that's good news! That would put them behind the reservoir. No water flowed that direction. I think you got the worst of it."

Kaz looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

"Do you really think so?"

"I know so. We just surveyed the site from the air. All the damage came from the reservoir came this way, from the direction of the sluice gate."

Kaz broke down weeping and grabbed Kinnit in an awkward hug.

"My loves are okay!" she cried.

Kinnit hugged her back, patting and soothing her. She glanced at Grimthorn.

"It was late in the day," she explained to him, "but Kaz thinks there may have been some more people inside this building." She gave Grimthorn a meaningful look. "She's the only one on the roof, though."

"We'll check it out," Grimthorn said. He looked at the shuttle. Lieutenant Baric was standing just inside the hatch, watching the outside with wide eyes. "Dabrini, keep the shuttle warmed up. Lieutenant Baric, you're with me."

Lieutenant Sol Baric nodded uncertainly and stepped out of the shuttle. He marched hesitantly to Admiral Stonefist and saluted.

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Admiral Stonefist and Lieutenant Baric made their way down the stairs to the first floor. The second and third floors had been clear of people, but they had been an utter disaster.

The first floor was worse. All the furniture was overturned, swept into jumbles and piles. All the windows were broken. Filth coated the walls, and silty mud covered the floor thickly. Even under the the glare of Erebus' bold white star, the light down here was dim and uncertain. The air was thick with humidity, filled with an astringent smell.

"Watch your step," Admiral Stonefist said.

They moved carefully, the mud sucking at their boots, making every step a balancing act. They rounded a corner.

Grimthorn made a disappointed hiss.

"Poor fellows," he said. "They never had a chance down here."

Admiral Stonefist and Lieutenant Baric had come across two bodies tangled in a mess of jumbled furniture near a collapsed wall. They, too, were coated with mud, their faces bloated but their features mercifully obscured.

"We'll mark them for the retrieval crews," Grimthorn said, tapping at his scanner. "We can at least--" he looked over at Lieutenant Baric.

The young Lieutenant was breathing fast, nearly hyperventilating, his wide eyes fixed on the unfortunates wound around the mess. Cold sweat poured down his face.

"Lieutenant?" Sol started at the sound of his name. "Why don't you go back up to the roof and help Kinnit? Make sure that Mrs. Bynar is doing well. Okay?"

Sol stayed frozen for a long moment. Slowly he nodded and tore his eyes away from the scene before him. He slowly fought through the mud toward the stairwell.

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Kinnit was on the roof giving Kaz a steadying drink of water from Digger's emergency drinking supply. The poor woman had finally calmed down.

The door from the stairwell banged open and Lieutenant Baric stumbled out. His uniform was covered with smears of mud and his boots were caked.

Kinnit went on alert as soon as she saw him. His movement was unnatural. His eyes were haunted, and he trembled.

"You rest here for a minute and let me know if you need anything," she said to Kaz. Then she hurried over to the Lieutenant.

"Sol?" The young man stared past her. "Sol, are you okay?"

His eyes were fixed on the distance.

"I... they were crying," he said.

"Did you find someone? Does Grimthorn need help?"

"They were alone in the dark," he said, tears pooling in his wide eyes. His voice was raw, quavering. "After the building collapsed. They were crying out to us but we couldn't get to them. It was so dark. We tried yelling to them, but we couldn't get to them. They were crying. But it got quieter and quieter." A violent shudder ran through his body, and a keening whine escaped him. "It was so dark."

"Lieutenant, stay with me," Kinnit said. "Look at me." His floating eyes wandered away from her. She put her hands on the sides of his face and gently pointed his face at hers. "Look at my eyes. It's Kinnit. Look at me."

Tears spilled freely down his face.

"They're crying out for me," he whispered.

"Sol, focus on me," she said kindly. "Listen. There's nobody crying. You're on Erebus base. Can you hear me?"

His eyes slowly focused on her.

"Kinnit?"

"Yes, it's me." She guided him to sit down on the roof. "We're outside. It's bright out. Can you see the sun?"

His frame shook again.

"It's... warm here," he said.

"Yes." She laid his hand on the rough surface of the roof. "Feel that? We're on the roof. Do you remember?"

Sol took a deep shaky breath and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Shh. There's nothing to be sorry about." She rubbed his back. "You're safe here."

They sat on the warm rooftop together, sharing the silence.

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Kinnit navigated the crowded halls of the ISS Swordheart. She dodged around blankets and people lying in corners, their few possessions piled around them.

One lady reached out to her as she passed.

"Oh, hi, Kaz!" Kinnit said, pausing her travel. "How are you today?"

Kaz smiled. She sat on the floor on a thin pile of blankets, her back against the wall. Her husband and son were on either side of her.

"Uncomfortable, but well," she said.

"I'm sorry about that," Kinnit said. "It's just for a few days, until the relief ships arrive. With everything on Erebus out of commission, The Ninth Fleet is housing as many folks from Erebus as we can until--"

"No, please, I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. You helped me find my loves. I will always be indebted to you."

"Let me know if I can help you in any way, Kaz."

"I will. Thanks you."

Kinnit beamed at Kaz and resumed her journey.

She paneled into Admiral Stonefist's office. Grimthorn was standing over Lieutenant Baric's desk, his arms crossed. Sol was staring at the surface of his desk.

Grimthorn looked up as Kinnit came in. His face was a mix of exasperation, pity, and irritation. He looked meaningfully at Kinnit and tilted his head toward Sol.

"I'm going to go follow up with some things," Grimthorn said. "You two keep helping with logistics for the refugees." So saying, he left the office.

"Hey, Sol, ready to get back to it?" Kinnit said, bustling over to her desk. She gave Sol a worried look. His eyes stayed fixed on his desk. Ever since they'd returned from Erebus a couple days ago, he'd been quiet and morose.

"You don't have to pretend to be nice to me any more," Sol said. "I put in my resignation with the Admiral."

"What? Why?"

He finally lifted his eyes to her.

"You know why. I'm a coward. I'm not fit to be in the Navy."

"That's ridiculous, Sol."

"Before I go, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I treated you."

"What do you mean? How did you treat me?"

"When I started here, I... thought you mustn't be very good as an Assistant. Because you were an SS."

Kinnit's eyes widened in shock.

"But you've been so good at everything," he continued, his voice a dead monotone. "I thought I'd show everybody how it was done, but you've been so much better than me. You even helped me when I... had my incident."

"Sol, of course I helped you. That's how we work together in the Navy."

"You shouldn't have to help a coward."

Kinnit slapped her hand down on his desk, making him start.

"You're not a coward! Don't you dare say that!"

"I tried... but when we went down in the building, it was so much like the disaster on Aurivelle..." he shuddered. "I can't do that again," he whispered.

"You were afraid, but you went anyway. That's not cowardice, that's bravery." She chewed her lip. "Besides, it's my fault. Usually Assistants don't do things like following the Admiral on planetside missions, but I enjoy that kind of thing. I assumed you would want to, as well. I didn't even think to ask. I'm so sorry."

Sol's eyes dropped back to his desk.

"I'm going to go back home," he said. "I can't help anybody here. I never should have left the farm."

"Hey," she said. "Do me a favor?"

Sol looked back up at her.

"Hold off on your resignation until after we get all this business with Erebus sorted out, okay? I could really use your help with everything."

Sol stared at her motionless for a long time. Then he slowly nodded.

Kinnit let out a little sigh of relief. It was only temporary, but it was a win.

"Thank you," she said.