What now?

Aj shook his head.

“I love you like a brother, but you know they're never gonna stop chasing us, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“What if, that vial, what if turns people into … into those things?” Aj asked.

The two stood there in silence, taking in the horror of the situation.

“We gotta get rid of the vial, man,” Aj said finally as noises came from the cabin hatch.

“We're gonna sell it, AJ,” Nameless said in a low tone.

“Why? So, some corporations can make these monsters? How you gonna sleep at night knowing you helped make more of these things?”

“In a bed, AJ! A real, fucking bed. On some planet, far the fuck away from this hellhole! I didn't ask for this, all right!” Nameless shouted into Aj's face, beating his chest, tears forming. ”I didn't ask for any of this!” Nameless exclaimed, his voice breaking as his jaw trembled. Aj stood there, his eye searching Nameless.

“C'mon, buddy,” Aj said quietly.

“I didn't ask for any of this….” Nameless said softly.

Aj put a hand on Nameless 's shoulder, the other producing the vial.

“I ain't selling this back to the city when we get to Oasis, bro. We gotta find some science person or someone that won't jab this into some poor desert bastard’s veins.”

Nameless nodded, taking back the vial. He held back his tears, looking at the vial in his hand.

“He offered me some of this,” Nameless said softly.

“Who?” Aj asked, concerned.

Nameless didn’t say anything, continuing to stare at the vial.

Aj pondered, the slow realization dawning on him. He chuckled.

“You might as well have taken it; you already fight like a vector,” he laughed.

Nameless shook his head. “I just want a house with some grass.”

Aj removed his hand and went over to pick up the gun.

“I think I'll keep this. Besides, I just want all the girls and drink money can buy,” Aj boasted.

Nameless looked up. “Imagine the kind of brothels they have on Earth,” he said light-heartedly.

“Bah,” Aj retorted, waving his hand. “I want those colony girls. Need me something exotic.”

“This all hasn't been exotic enough for you?” Nameless exclaimed.

Aj smirked. “I'm just getting warmed up!”

Finally, the cabin hatch swung open, and Julia came tumbling out. “I'm gonna kill both of you!” she started; eyes full of anger.

“Calm down, Julia!” Aj interjected.

Julia’s eyes widened, her face turning red, as she pointed finger.

“Don't tell me to calm down.”

“He's fine; we're all alive!” Aj laughed.

“Yeah, thanks to Spider! What the hell were you thinking, Nameless?”

Nameless stayed silent.

She continued, “You're not some hero; you’ll die out here and we're the only ones who'll ever remember you!”

“At least you'd be alive long enough to remember me.”

Julia stopped, her eyes softening. “You stupid, stupid boy,” she sighed. “Come inside; Spider is starting up the med bay.”

The three friends retreated into the cabin hatch, Nameless being last. Right before he closed the hatch, he took one final look back at the burning pier. What Vectors that had survived were long gone, with no trace of any pursuing parties. The fire had spread, burning the rest of the ships. There was no going back now.

Julia, Nameless, and Aj entered the cabin, to which Spider began twitching. The little boy's body lurched, his limbs detaching from the console. He sprung about in the chair, standing on his knees, holding the back of the chair with his arms.

“A-a-are you, you g-guys okay?” he asked with pleading eyes.

“We're a fine, Spider,” Julia said kindly.

Aj raised an eyebrow, pursing his lips.

Noticing the look, Spider titled his head.

“A-a-a-Aj? What's the m-m-m-matter?” Spider asked curiously.

“Uh, well, um, your…...oh boy, how do I say this? Your uh—”

“M-m-m-my s-s-s-s-stutter?” Spider cackled with a grin.

Aj nodded, his face turning red as he looked at the floor.

Spider laughed. ”M-m-m-machine b-bonding s-s-s-scrambles my s-s-speech abilities.”

Spider flattened one of his hands into a spade, reached behind himself, and held his hand in front of the console.

“S-s-s-stutter,” Spider said, looking at the group, then inserted his hand into the console. Buttons and lights flashed.

“No stutter,” Spider said from the console.

“Wow!” Aj said, amazed.

“If you guys want, I can just speak from the console from now on. I know it gets annoying to people listening to me,” Spider sighed through the intercom.

“Absolutely not!” Julia retorted. “You pull that hand out right now; you are fine just the way you are, Captain.”

Nameless nodded his head in agreement. “You saved my life, man; talk however you want.”

Spider slowly withdrew his metal limb from the console, reforming back into a hand. He swiveled the limb in a complete 360-degree rotation while staring at the metal appendage, clicking, and whirring.

“W-why are y-y-y-you guys so-so nice?” he asked quietly, staring at his metal hand.

“Because we've all been tools of cruel masters, too,” Julia said softly, approaching Spider slowly.

“We're heading to Oasis for a new life. You can stay with us, buddy. We'll give you a nice big cut!” Nameless said joyfully.

Spider looked at Nameless, his young face brightening.

“Y-y-y-you'll pay me?! W-with real money?”

“Of course, pal. Or in oil—” Aj chuckled. His laugh was cut short from the look Julia gave him.

“A-a-a-actually, p-parts, fluids and a-a-a-ammo would b-be a great p-p-p-p-payment,” Spider agreed innocently, missing the joke.

“Whatever you want, pal. Now, where's this med bay at?” Nameless asked.

“F-follow me!” Spider said gleefully, happy to show his new crew around.

Spider pushed a few buttons and encoded the navigation to automatically steer the ship toward Oasis. He then scuttled down from his chair and led them down the ladder into the bottom deck.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

In the front of the ship, on the left side, was the med bay. A small, cramped, rusty compartment with an old, rotted leather surgical bed, a robotic surgery arm with all kinds of blades and tools, and a sparsely filled medicine cabinet.

The kitchen was opposite the med bay, separated by a long metal hallway that also acted as structural support. A compartment the same size as the med bay with the typical ship stove and cooking supplies, adorned with a table and stools for the crew to eat at. Small and large framed pictures of fisherman, catches, and battles littered the metal walls of the kitchen.

The two compartments shared a doorway that sat to the left side at the bottom of the stairwell coming down from the captain's cabin. On the right side was another door, where the rest of the ship was divided.

On this side were the crew quarters, several fabric bunk beds stacked three high, spanning the dozen or so feet of the ship that were left. Beneath the bunk beds were footlockers and other miscellaneous containers. Opposite the crew quarters was the gauntlet of pipes and hoses that Aj had to endure to get to the ammunition magazine, the ship's engine adjacent, sitting in the direct middle of the vessel.

As the four came down the ladder well, Spider led them into the med bay. Sammy and Hera were in the kitchen across from the med bay. As the friends came down the ladder well, the sweet aroma of food engulfed their senses.

“Oh! So, while we've been fighting for our lives, you guys have been cooking?” Aj asked indignantly.

“We were told to come down here! Besides, I just started,” Sammy responded sheepishly, holding the ladle in her hands with a nervous downturned look. Nameless chuckled, she reminded him of a small child being reprimanded.

Hera sucked her teeth, sitting at the kitchen table.

“Leave her alone; it was my idea. Besides, it's not like there's anything good here; all that's left is rations and some mystery meat,” Hera scoffed.

Aj rolled his eyes and sat across from Hera. Nameless stood in the doorframe with Julia as Spider shambled into the med bay, turning the machines and lights on as electricity whirred.

“T-t-there is some b-basic first-aid p-protocols, but-but anything m-more than s-s-s-s-stitches w-will need to b-be done b-by hand,” Spider announced over his back as his limbs moved on their own in a flurry.

Julia looked at Hera.

“You should go first; that limp is pretty bad,” Julia offered.

Hera eyed Julia with squinted eyes, like a cat judging a human. She said nothing at first, then nodded. Hera carefully heaved herself up and limped past them into the med bay.

“Need any help?” Nameless offered to the little Spider Captain.

“O-oh, no, s-s-s-sir, this will only b-be s-s-some st-st-stitches.”

Hera pulled herself up onto the leather surgery table, eyeing Spider.

“Slip up, little man, and there'll be hell to pay,” Hera whispered quietly so Julia couldn't hear. But Nameless heard.

Spider chuckled.

“M-machines are m-m-my w-way. I'd b-b-be m-more worried if this-s-s-s was b-by hand.” He joked, cracking his human knuckles.

Hera flared her nostrils but conceded and laid down. Spider winked at her encouragingly. The machine linked with the surgery device, moving the arms and blades. Julia and Nameless watched in fascination as the machine danced and twirled, speedily numbing the wound in Hera's leg and dampening it.

“This is gonna sting, sorry,” Spider's voice said from the ship's intercom.

“Wait, what is?” AJ called, startled, pushing away his bowl of soup, spilling the contents all over the table.

“The surgery, you big oof! Clean up your mess!” Julia scolded.

Sammy chuckled and gave AJ one of the old worn ship rags.

“Thanks,” Aj grumbled.

The attention went back to the stitches. Spider, via the machine, poured Germ Purge onto Hera's leg wound. The clear liquid poured from a medical tube squeezed by the many metal claws wiring about Hera. She grunted in pain as the synthetic chemical bubbled and turned white, allowing the pus and guise to escape the wound in a grotesque mini flood. Spider shook his head.

“You're lucky, few more days, and this would have been a nasty infection,” Spider intercommed.

Hera sighed as the Germ Purge subsided, allowing the numbing agent to fully take effect. She smiled, relieved as the machine began sewing her wound back together.

“Maybe now you can stop being such a bitch!” Sammy called from the kitchen. The other friends looked at her in surprise and roared in laughter while Hera grimaced.

“I will knock those pasty freckles right off of you, girl, keep on talking!” Hera called out from the table.

Spider withdrew the machine limbs and tools from Hera, delinking them from the surgery machine.

“A-all d-done,” he chirped. “M-make s-s-s-sure you-you wrap that up.”

Hera nodded, hoisting herself off the table. With their back turned, she looked over her shoulder, using her peripherals to look at Spider.

“Thank you,” she muttered.

Spider nodded gleefully, a big smile hanging from both ears.

“N-next!” he called cheerfully.

Hera scooted past Julia and made her way into the kitchen to raise a ruckus with Sammy. The two girls' bickering rose like a chaotic chant as Aj gladly butted in with his own insults.

Julia walked over to the table and scooted herself onto it. Even in seemingly immense pain, she kept a calm posture, holding herself with elegance and pride. She pulled her shirt down just below her shoulder, exposing the wound. This was the first time Nameless had seen it in proper sunlight, and his stomach began to turn. Spider whistled.

“I’ve s-s-s-s-seen w-worse,” he said nervously.

“Want me to lay down, Captain?” Julia asked kindly.

“N-Nah, I can reach ya from-m-m t-there.”

Spider linked back into the machine and it began buzzing with activity.

As he approached the wound, the same process began again. The machine injected the numbing agent, its gears and arms wiring with metallic energy. Nameless started to get more and more nervous. From where he stood, it seemed as if her right shoulder blade had been shattered, nasty entry and exit. Spider could mend the entry/exit, but they'd need a doctor for the internal carnage.

Captain Spider twirled the machine arm, the needle hand coming directly over Julia's wound.

“Same thing. This is gonna sting, Julia; I'm sorry,” Spider warned via intercom.

“It's okay, buddy, hit me,” Julia sighed, looking Nameless in the eye. They maintained eye contact as the needle went in and the Germ Purge was deployed. Nothing. Spider physically blinked.

The machine withdrew the needle and swung into the medicine cabinet, reloading another dose, then rapidly returning to the wound.

“Bad batch,” Spider laughed nervously. “One more time. Okay?”

Julia nodded, still looking into Nameless 's eyes.

The needle sunk into her flesh but deployed nothing.

Spider withdrew the needle, this time using the surgery arm to throw the syringe, smashing it against the wall. He unlinked himself and got up, picking up another syringe and inspecting it.

“Spider,” Julia said softly.

“B-b-b-b-bad b-b-b-batch,” Spider said with extreme concentration, holding a few tubes of Germ Purge, inspecting the gooey contents closely.

“Spider,” Julia said again very softly. “Just sew me up; we can deal with this at Oasis.”

Spider looked at her.

“Y-y-y-you're gonna l-l-l-l-l-loose th-that arm.”

Julia nodded, small tears forming in her eyes.

“Wait, what?” Nameless asked, startled, feeling as if the floor fell out from under him. “What do you mean?”

“If-if t-the, if the, if the b-b-bone fr-fr-fr—” Spider started, his small face contorted with distress.

Julia put her excellent arm up.

“I've been putting the best chems I got into my arm to keep the pain down. It was a Vector dart; there's nothing we can do about the venom,” Julia said very softly, very bravely.

“Why didn't you tell me?” Nameless asked, his voice rung with sorrow.

“You were too busy being a hero,” Julia said. “There's nothing you can do or little Spider. I'm just lucky to be alive. The chems are keeping the venom from spreading, but outside amputation, I don't believe there's much we can do.”

“What if I pay for surgery? A real fancy one, with doctors and staff from the city?” Nameless begged.

Julia shook her head. “There's not enough time for that. I've already accepted this; please don't make this any harder.”

Julia and Nameless both looked at Spider.

Captain Spider stood beside the table, clutching all his palms together, his desperate, sad eyes looking at Julia's wound.

“Besides, I'm gonna look damn good with a metal arm,” Julia said confidently.

Spider looked up at her. ”C-can I-I m-m-m-mod it?”

“Of course, you can! I know you can make the best metal arm in the whole wide world,” she said with a gentle smile. She looked back at Nameless.

The young bounty hunter stood there, chest heaving, blood pumping, anger, fear, loss, desperation flowing through him. His mind was trying to figure out ways to save her arm. This wasn't fair. How many Vectors had he faced, and now his best friend was losing her arm over a swipe? He should have protected her. His gut clenched as he knew without a doubt this was all his fault.

“Why don't you sew me up, okay, captain?” Julia asked.

Spider nodded sadly and went back to his seat.

Julia looked back at Nameless.

“I'm sorry,” he spoke.

Julia shook her head, beginning to respond.

“No. I'm really sorry, we should have left that night.”

“I know,” Julia said shakily. “But you didn't know about Jockus. How could you? Wouldn't have believed me even if I had told you.”

Spider silently operated the machine, inserting the numbing agent again, beginning the stitches. Julia's face twitched, but she remained calm, relaxed, and collected.

“Don't tell them. Not yet anyway, please?” Julia asked softly.

Nameless stared at her. The little girl who had been bought with him as a pair all those years ago. The little companion who had taught him how to read. The singular camp member who had always been kind to him; the one who had literally given him the shirt off her back. The girl who had stood up for him; the friend who had killed for him. This comrade was about to lose an arm due to a battle between two of his betrayers, two cruel masters. The woman with blonde hair, grey eyes, a sharp face, a perfect beauty of the Martian Desert, Mama Jockus's prized camp girl. The sister he had considered leaving behind.

Julia seemed to read his face, understanding his internal torment in a profound unspoken way. Perhaps she remembered asking for help, resorting to mouthing those words to jolt him from his stupor during the battle.

“You saved us, all of us. We all lose something; it's the only way we can grow.”

“Not like this,” he said.

“Shush. Besides, I watched you stab the Vector who shot me. I think we're even; you don't need to feel any guilt.”

Her words didn't console him. “I'll give you my cut,” Nameless stammered.

Julia rolled her eyes as Spider started the stitches on her entry wound.

“I don't want your money, you stupid boy. Tell you what, when we all get a nice farm in the colonies, you can cut my grass for the rest of our lives,” she teased.

Nameless let out a grief-filled laugh that hurt his chest.

“I'm serious!” Julia scoffed. “What? You thought we'd all just get our money and go our separate ways once all of this is done? You're stuck with me, cowboy.”

Nameless bit his lip. “I'd like that,” he sighed. “I'll cut your grass with the best knives I can buy.”

Julia laughed. ” You don't cut grass with knives; they make small cars with rotating blades underneath for that.”

Nameless looked puzzled. “Why would you need a small car for that? How much grass do farms have?”

Julia's eyes twinkled. “As far as the eye can see. And there's going to be clean water, and trees, and a real house.”

Nameless was dumbfounded.

“Sounds awful to me. I'll stick to the mechanical bays, thank you very much,” Spider interjected, finishing the stitches, and wrapping her wound.

The two laughed.

Nameless held his hand out as Julia got down from the table.

“There are these things called tractors, Spider. They used them for all the organic harvesting in the colonies. I think you're gonna love farm work,” Julia said, inspecting her wrappings.

Spider gave a slight pain-filled smirk as he delinked.

“N-no m-more hurt f-f-friends,” he spoke.

“Of course, little one. Now, that soup smells mighty fine; I dunno about you boys, but I'm starving,” Julia said warmly.