1 day, 19 hours, 20 minutes until the assault

In the morning, Daro taught Vas the intricacies of the Beamer. What did what. How to change settings. How to aim on the move. How to not accidentally fry yourself or your allies. He even let him shoot one a few times at a modified firing range the ship had set up at the far end of the cargo bay. It was at the lowest setting, of course, but Vas managed himself pretty well, enough to impress Daro, even if only a little.

Mory even showed up to “practice” with them. The veteran didn’t need it, but Vas appreciated the company and the occasional word of wisdom Mory would share. The man had no shortage of stories and was excited to find an interested audience.

When Daro left to handle other business, Mory even convinced him to leave the weapons, promising he’d keep an eye on the kid, and that he just wanted to share a few more tips. Daro relented. Clearly, he trusted Mory, though perhaps mistakenly. As soon as the stern, square-jawed figure was gone, Vas figured out Mory’s real idea.

“How about a friendly wager, Vas?”

“Depends on the wager…” Vas muttered, always open for trouble but not quite willing to ruin the small amount of good will he’d earned with Daro.

Mory laughed. “I see you’re worried about Daro. You want a little tip?" He leaned in conspiratorially. "Don’t worry about Daro. He’s a softie. Always has been. Mothers the crew too much sometimes.”

Vas shook his head incredulously. “You must be talking about someone else.” He said, smiling

Mory grinned back. “Nope. Dalur’s the one you got to worry about. Besides, it’s only a small wager.” He pointed at the first target, a non-reflective, black material in the shape of a circle, designed to absorb laser fire. “You hit that one.” He pointed at the second target, a few meters back and to the right of the first. “That one.” Then, he pointed way further back at the third target. “That one.” Finally, he stretched his arm to gesture at the fourth target, way in the back. “And that one in ten seconds, and I’ll give you a hundred Order Credits.”

Vas frowned. He loved a challenge… but…

“Gun’s on the lowest setting.” Mory said, as if reading his mind. “Couldn’t break anything, even if you tried.” Vas was still wavering. “Tell you what? I’ll even give you three tries. Can’t beat that deal.”

Vas smiled. “You’re on.”

1 day, 12 hours, 15 minutes until the assault

He settled down for lunch with Mayilk. They talked about plenty of things, Vas badgering him with questions as usual, but avoided the upcoming assault.

“So do the claws help with your job, or what?” Vas asked between bites of packaged food. “Because I assumed they would get in the way, but I’ve seen you do some creative stuff with them.

“Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don’t.” Mayilk muttered, not even bothering to look up from his own food.

“Like with the omniwrench.” Vas continued. “I thought they would get in the way, but I’ve seen you hold the wrench with them to get further into deep spaces, which I didn’t think would be possible.”

“Yes, they can be useful.” He muttered again.

Vas paused and pursed his lips, suddenly worried. “Did I say something?”

“You said lots of things… but nothing offending.” He looked up, those great black eyes meeting Vas’ green ones. “I’m just worried for you.”

“Oh.” He set his utensils down. “Right… that.” He didn’t want to talk about that.

“Are you afraid?”

“Of course I’m afraid. I’m petrified, but what can I do?”

Mayilk mused for a while. “Hmmmm… it’s strange. I worry that you will die, of course, but I also don’t think you will.”

“That’s reassuring.” Vas replied with a laugh.

“But for the Arek there is another kind of death.” Vas stopped laughing, and Mayilk continued. “The first is death as you know it. An Arek dies as all do. When our life is taken, we die, same as any other. Besides your gods, I suppose. However, an Arek also dies when he becomes a tainted… someone who has taken another's. I worry about that more.”

Vas shrugged. That was not the type of death he was worried about. “Better your own life than another’s.”

“Perhaps.”

1 Day, 8 Hours, 53 minutes until the assault

He paced the main level while the others slept, fighting to keep his mind on the book and away from the intrusive image of a timer.

As he strode past the starboard windows, the strange reality of warped space outside, bent to allow the ship to travel faster than light, he ran into someone he hadn’t expected to see.

It was the Captain… Dalur, walking the opposite way. She hadn’t seen him yet, mind clearly somewhere further than even his.

She looked… different. Older. Her shoulders weighed down by an invisible force. Atlas, holding the weight of the world.

Vas saw something, then. Something he wasn’t supposed to see.

Doubt.

It was all over her. Her expression. Her gait. Her posture. She was unsure, paralyzed by the unknown. He’d never seen her less than completely assured. It was shocking to see.

When she did finally see him, she smiled, the doubt dissipating like a dream. They exchanged no words as they crossed paths, but she did wink, as carefree and confident as a Captain should be.

A moment later she was gone around the corner.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

23 Hours, 6 minutes until the assault

Normal duties continued, even as the attack loomed. For Vas that meant hunching under a sink, brushing away years of grime. It was a thankless task, but, now and only now, he didn’t really mind it. For one, it took his mind off the assault, pressing ever nearer with each passing second. For two, Ramol wasn’t here to badger him. So, for the first time, the work felt a little gratifying. Unconsciously, he started scrubbing slower.

Half an hour later, he was finished. Back aching, he rose from the floor and stretched. Lunch wasn’t for a while, and he’d finished his work early, which left him with an unusual amount of extra time.

After deliberating, he decided to try and find Mayilk. The Arek had been busy, but he might let Vas help with a few of the simpler tasks. Some company and something to take his mind off an ever shrinking clock would be nice, so he set off.

That being said, he didn’t actually know where Mayilk was. Just a few guesses. He decided to start in the cargo bay. For the past day or so, Mayilk had been checking the Hull Piercers one by one.

Always a good head for directions, Vas made quick time towards the rear of the ship, taking one or two shortcuts as needed. He was at the hatch down to the cargo bay in just a few minutes. A few seconds later, he was sliding down the ladder.

Hitting the floor with a soft thump, he glanced around. There was nobody else in sight, which was what he expected. If Mayilk was down here, he’d be in one of the small rooms beneath the bay itself, where the Hull Piercers were kept.

Bright green eyes flicked around the cramped, dark interior, searching for an open hatch, a telltale sign one of the rooms was occupied.

Success. Near the rear of the bay a hatch was open. It had to be Mayilk.

Excited, he jogged over to the opening, about to call out to his friend. But then, he heard something unexpected- soft sobs and rapid breathing. It certainly wasn’t Mayilk.

Softly now, he crept over to the hatch, curiosity too powerful to mind another’s privacy. When he reached the edge he gently peaked over, wondering who was inside.

It was Ram, huddled into a ball, chest rising and falling with every desperate breath, dirty hands over his face. A panic attack, Vas realized.

On another day, Vas would have shouted out, or at least filed the moment away to leverage later. Ram certainly deserved it. Nobody could claim he was in the wrong.

Today though, he softly stepped back, choosing to forget it. There would be other chances, but his heart just wasn’t in it.

9 Hours, 37 minutes until the assault

Vas couldn’t sleep, but neither could anyone else around him. He could hear their whispered conversations. They were discussing the assault, their plans, guys and girls back home, chances at glory and fame. All of them were young, like him, boys and girls trying to find a place in a chaotic world.

He considered joining them. More than ever, he’d been feeling lonely lately. Mayilk was too busy to see outside of lunch, and he knew nobody else on the crew. It might be nice to make some friends.

For a second, he rose up to join them, already knowing what he would say. But then, he paused. No… he couldn’t. There was no time. Something more practical was needed. It was always needed. So, he reached for the book instead, trying for the 10th time that night to decipher the page. Why had the symbol appeared? He knew it meant something, but what? If he closed his eyes he could see the symbol now, clear as day, like an eye, only missing its upper eyelid. It might have been his imagination, but when he visualized the image he could almost feel the gravity around him… almost touch it.

Below, the voices faded as he focused, until he felt the cocoon of isolation again. It was comforting in an odd way. He knew it well. It was all he’d ever known, ever since he’d made that fateful choice.

He’d worked years to earn Creighton’s trust, feeding him just enough information to appear useful, while never substantively hurting the 19s. It was a lonely life, but there had been camaraderie, even amongst his growing doubts. Then, six months ago now, he heard a report. A Peacekeeper, coming to Tella. The allure of that infinite darkness seized him. The life it promised was too appealing. From that point on, his whole life was a series of lies. Nobody truly knew him. It was easier that way. How it had to be. The price of power. The price of freedom.

Still though, it was lonely.

20 minutes until the assault

Bleary eyed and tired, Vas waited above the Hull Piercer with the others. Beamer in his hand, Pulser at his waist. To his right, Ramol paced, more collected than when he last saw him but still clearly on a razor’s edge. To his left, Mory, Kav, and Yofi were talking, sharing stories of raids gone by.

“Remember the Yrogo?” Kav asked the other two.

“Yeah, I remember the Yrogo.” Mory answered. “Everyone remembers the Yrogo.”

“What happened on the Yrogo?” Vas asked, always eager for a distraction.

Kav turned and smiled at him. She had a tattoo around her right eye that distorted unpleasantly when she grinned. Made it look inhuman. “The Yrogo was actually a bit like this hit, a blind jump” She began.

“Kav…” Mory interjected. “Not necessary.”

“What?” She asked. “Kid wanted the story.”

Mory sighed but said nothing. Kav continued. “As I was saying. The Yrogo was an assault like this one. Blind, based on only the size and shape of the ship. It started pretty well. We disabled their propulsion and boarded without issue.”

She paused for dramatic effect, relishing the chance. Always curious, Vas decided to play into it. “And then?” He asked, giving her exactly what she wanted.

Before she could answer, however, Yofi broke in. “And then we learned the crew of the Yrogo were the hardest, bitterest, group of traders we ever met.” She smiled. “Best fight I’d been in for years.”

Across from her, Kav frowned, upset her moment had been stolen. Still, she continued. “Yeah… 30% of the boarders died, another 30 injured. It was brutal. The veterans did alright, but the newbies…”

“Kav!” It was Daro, returning from the last meeting with Dalur. “Shut up.”

“Yes sir.” She winced.

Daro rubbed his face. “A team. Remember?” They all nodded, and he sighed. “Be in the Piercer in 15 minutes.” With that, he walked away again, checking on another group.

Kav and Yofi headed closer to the hatch, but Mory hung by Vas. “Don’t let them bother you, kid. Ritual to tease the new crew. That’s all. Most of these go down real peaceful like.”

“I know.” Vas nodded. “Just don’t like going in blind.”

“Nor do I. Nor do I.”

5 minutes until the assault

Vas was in the Piercer with the others. It was cramped. They were simple machines, designed to break the hull and get the crew in alive. Getting them in comfortably was not its job. Vas had the worst seat, his shoulder uncomfortably pressed against the out of date fire suppression device.

Nobody talked now. All six choosing to sit in silence. Vas rubbed at the Beamer. Would he need it? He certainly hoped not. Would he use it? He didn’t know.

He closed his eyes, visualizing the symbol again. What did it mean? He hoped the answer would arrive soon.

0 minutes until the assault