0:07

Welcome to Stories from among the

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Stars. You're listening To The Last

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Watch by J S. Do Us.

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Drifter. Nine. Forty.

0:21

Eight hours not have been. He

0:23

lasted longer than he expected to be

0:26

honest. Kevin. On had

0:28

been following break down long corridor

0:30

after long corridor and with every

0:32

turn it became increasingly clear where

0:34

they were headed. The. Hangar.

0:37

Those. Creative Punishments Rake mentioned he

0:39

wasn't an idiot. Hangars where home

0:42

to one of the few things

0:44

he dreaded more than Rates Wrath

0:46

Air Locks. He'd. Heard

0:49

enough horror stories of marauders wandering

0:51

the inward expands to have earned

0:53

a proper fear of the ways

0:56

in which one could turn and

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air lock into a torture device.

1:01

sensory deprivation, slow drawn out depressurization.

1:03

it's or what had to be

1:05

far, far worse. The opposite? hacking

1:08

the controls and over cranking the

1:10

pressure. At least hypoxia would offer

1:12

some fun hallucinations. Her make you

1:15

sleepy and oblivious after a time.

1:18

But being slowly drowned in

1:20

in excess of atmospheric gases

1:22

until your cell membranes disintegrated,

1:25

collapsing your lungs, detaching your

1:27

retinas, while being overcome with

1:30

vertigo and convulsions all well

1:32

puke in your guts out.

1:35

No thanks. Break. Didn't

1:37

seem the needless tortured type at least.

1:40

A little tightly wound, maybe, but nothing

1:42

a couple of weeks and a beach

1:44

in the outer core drowning herself and

1:46

cocktails wouldn't fix, so we had to

1:48

assume if she bothered killing him, she'd

1:50

probably do it quickly. He.

1:52

Blew out along breath and sidelined the

1:55

morbid train of thought staring at the

1:57

back brace boots as he tried to

1:59

put. finger on what had pushed

2:01

Rake over the edge. Though

2:03

he wouldn't be surprised if he'd screwed up and didn't

2:05

realize it. He thought he'd been doing

2:08

better, for the most part. Sure,

2:10

he'd found that weird copy of himself

2:12

amusing, and she'd rightfully reprimanded him, but

2:14

he'd returned to his endless moping and

2:16

hadn't said a single snarky thing all

2:19

day. And he'd fixed the

2:21

literal shit out of that latrine tank

2:23

the other night. Rake had to

2:25

have noticed he was trying, even if he

2:27

sucked at it. He slicked

2:30

his hair away from his forehead, plastered

2:32

with cold sweat. Maybe it would

2:34

just be a threat. Look what fate

2:36

will befall you if you don't stop

2:38

being such an errant tool. Kavalon

2:41

followed Bray around another corner, and

2:43

their pace slowed. He

2:45

looked up to find Rake, standing inside

2:48

a small storage room with a man

2:50

he'd seen on the bridge the last

2:52

couple of days, usually hovering anxiously over

2:54

his terminal. The conversation hushed

2:56

as they approached. Rake

2:59

gave Bray a curt nod. Thanks,

3:01

Bray. You can go. Bray

3:04

saluted and left. Oculus,

3:06

have you met Optio Jack-in-North?

3:10

Not properly, sir. Kavalon

3:12

walked into the small room and shook

3:14

Jack-in's hand. Kavalon Mer-

3:17

er, Kavalon, sir. Good

3:19

to meet you. Jack-in raised a

3:22

thick eyebrow and gave Rake a sidelong

3:24

glance. Good to

3:26

meet you, too. Rake

3:28

ignored Jack-in's apparent skepticism as she

3:30

held up a cylindrical container. She

3:33

looked at Kavalon expectantly. He

3:35

cleared his throat. You've,

3:37

uh, got a warp core there. We

3:41

do, Rake replied. What's

3:43

that all about? That's

3:46

classified. His eyes

3:48

narrowed, his instincts cultivating a

3:50

handful of particularly snarky responses,

3:52

but he hesitated. Rake wasn't

3:55

giving him that look of exasperated tolerance

3:57

he'd already grown accustomed to. Instead

4:00

she looked at him with a kind of

4:02

calculated hope that made him worry he'd somehow

4:04

already failed her. I

4:06

understand. His eyes widened,

4:08

surprised by his own response. Sir,

4:12

we need this recharged, she said. Is

4:15

that possible? Theoretically

4:17

or practically? Immediately. Her

4:20

serious look didn't waver. He

4:23

nodded slowly. Fair enough. He

4:26

took the canister and turned it over in his hands.

4:29

A small amount of glowing blue

4:31

asium flowed along the glass encasement

4:33

within. Depends

4:35

on the ship in question, but this is maybe

4:38

a quarter of what you'd need just to do

4:40

a baseline warp. Baseline?

4:43

Rake asked. How far is that? Not

4:46

far enough, Jacken answered.

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Kavalon raised an eyebrow. How

4:52

far is far enough? Coringate.

4:56

Rake glared at Jacken. What?

4:59

Jacken shrugged. He was your

5:01

idea. He can't help us if we keep him in

5:03

the dark. Kavalon's face

5:06

scrunched. Her idea? It

5:09

sounded so disparaging, like he existed

5:11

merely as a means to an

5:13

end, some begrudgingly conjured solution. However,

5:16

the more he thought about it, the more he

5:18

realized it meant they actually

5:21

needed him for something, even if only

5:23

to answer weird questions. With

5:26

an effort, Kavalon wiped the

5:28

scorn off his face and

5:30

refocused his confused displeasure on

5:32

their decidedly odd line of

5:34

questioning. Caron gate?

5:37

Why not Aerys? Jacken shook

5:39

his head. Caron's closer,

5:41

by a lot, probably four or

5:43

five hundred times. Really?

5:46

Kavalon asked. That's not the one I came

5:48

in on. No? Jack's

5:51

brow creased, and Jacken scratched his

5:53

short beard with both hands. No,

5:57

Kavalon said. We came

5:59

in at Aerys. cascade, then limped our way

6:01

here at warp speed, ate through quite a

6:04

pile of cores, took three weeks.

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Seemed like the long ass way around to me." Rake

6:10

sighed, and Kavalon's face warmed.

6:13

"'Sir,' he added, but that

6:15

didn't appear to be why she'd sighed." She

6:18

squeezed her temples with one hand. "'Maybe

6:21

Karan's just overbooked." "'Yeah,'

6:24

Jackon said with a scoff. "'Except

6:27

there's about two things you can get

6:29

to from that gate, and we're one

6:31

of them. Off

6:33

topic, optio." "'Yeah,

6:36

boss. Sorry.'" Kavalon chewed

6:38

the inside of his lip. Why

6:40

in the universe did they need to get to

6:42

an Apollo gate? He took a

6:44

breath and pushed the thought aside. He

6:47

should just give them the information

6:49

they wanted, then quietly return to

6:51

his endless task of single-handedly spit-shining

6:54

the entire Dreadnought. So

6:56

is it possible to refuel it?" Rake

6:59

asked. Kavalon nodded slowly

7:01

as he considered the options.

7:04

Though he didn't have a truly idyllic

7:06

memory, he'd gone through enough schooling that

7:08

recalling facts on a whim had become

7:10

second nature. "'You have missiles?"

7:13

"'Missiles,' Rake asked. "'Yeah,

7:16

bombs? Warheads? In

7:18

case the ghosts of the Viadars show up so you can

7:21

blow them out of the sky?' "'Sir.'"

7:24

She rolled her eyes. "'Yes. Why?'

7:27

"'Missiles use Asium to fuel their thrusters.'

7:30

Jacken scoffed. "'That'd never

7:32

be enough to fill this thing. Not

7:35

from one, but this is an Alpha-class

7:37

Dreadnought. You should have at least a

7:39

few dozen fusion missiles, right?' "'We

7:42

do,' Rake said. "'If

7:44

you combined the Asium from all of them, you'd

7:46

have enough to warp to Karn.'" Jacken

7:49

nodded. "'Yeah, it's

7:51

possible.'" "'A single warp?'

7:54

Rake asked. "'You'd only need to

7:56

get to the gate,' Kavalan said. You can refuel

7:58

there for the trip back.'" Okay,

8:01

let's do it," she said. Kavalan,

8:04

take whoever you need to Octo's sector and

8:06

pull those warheads. Me? Kavalan

8:09

scoffed. Fuck, what?

8:11

I'm just the idea man, Jackin's

8:13

voice hardened. You're whoever she says

8:15

you are. Rake

8:17

gripped the optio's shoulder and his scowl

8:20

faded. She leveled a flat

8:22

look at Kavalan. You've

8:24

got a degree that says otherwise. Yeah,

8:27

a degree, Kavalan said. Not

8:30

practical experience. I'm

8:32

not sure anyone has practical

8:34

experience draining combustible elements from

8:36

live warheads. Kavalan's

8:39

mouth gaped open. She

8:41

couldn't be serious. Sure he'd been

8:43

well-schooled. He'd read texts and wrote

8:45

papers and listened to professors drone

8:47

on for practically his entire life,

8:49

but it was a whole different

8:51

affair to apply that knowledge empirically.

8:54

Rake lowered her voice. If

8:56

you wanted a chance, Oculus, she

8:59

said, eyes earnest. This

9:02

would be it. He

9:04

shifted his weight, brow creasing. He

9:07

knew what she meant. If he wanted

9:09

to prove he could not be a fuckup for once,

9:12

she'd just said it more politely. He

9:14

blew out a long breath. I'll

9:17

need some supplies, he said. Some

9:19

kind of glass lined steel pressure canisters.

9:22

The kind your hydro lab would use for

9:24

nutrient concentrates should work. Plus two

9:27

of whoever's got the steadiest hands. Rake

9:30

opened her nexus. Bray,

9:32

this is Rake. Go for Bray, sir.

9:35

Find Emery and Warner and

9:38

escort them to Octosector, ASAP.

9:40

Yes, sir. Rake closed

9:43

her nexus and looked to Kavalan. Meet

9:46

them there, Oculus. Take whatever you need

9:48

from the research lab and make short work

9:50

of it. Kavalan

9:53

had thought with absolute certainty he was the

9:55

most annoying person on this ship. Yet

9:57

there she stood, proving him all wrong. Chewing

10:00

on her gum as if it were the most

10:02

arduous task in the universe. Floss,

10:05

actually, but that's just the last name

10:07

every orphan on Veritas gets. Emory

10:10

took a deep breath before continuing. But

10:12

whatever, those overrated gene pools gave me

10:15

nothing. Why would I want their

10:17

fucking name? Kavalon

10:19

sighed. This was still her response

10:21

to, I'm Kavalon, nice to

10:23

meet you. Kavalon

10:26

leaned against the armored wall of the

10:28

dimly lit armament repair suite and continued

10:30

her rant, crossing one bare ankle over

10:32

the other. She

10:34

had her pants rolled up to

10:37

below her knees, revealing shins covered

10:39

in a mess of black-inked tattoos,

10:41

including a banner with the text,

10:43

VEDA IN VIA. Street

10:46

life, fifth memory served. Kavalon

10:48

rolled his eyes. She wore

10:50

the hood on her vest up

10:52

and had ditched the undershirt in

10:54

favor of displaying thin, bare arms

10:56

covered in more black-inked tattoos, which

10:59

were in turn covered in part

11:01

by the sentinel issue sparkling obsidian

11:03

imprints. She'd replaced

11:05

the shoelaces on her boots

11:07

with silver-glittered neon orange strings.

11:10

It could not be proper dress

11:12

protocol. They'd been in the

11:14

same room for about 45 seconds, and

11:16

Kavalon already knew her life story.

11:19

Granted, recapping 19 years

11:21

didn't take long when most of it

11:23

could be summarized with the phrase, pickpocket.

11:26

She didn't seem particularly embarrassed

11:28

by her unsavory history, but

11:31

she did seem to think the Legion had

11:33

been obligated to straighten her out and that

11:35

they'd failed her in that regard. Obviously,

11:38

Emery concluded, slouching against the

11:41

wall and crossing her arms. Here

11:44

I am, after all. She

11:46

continued gnashing her gum as she

11:48

grinned over at Kavalon's second assistant.

11:52

Emery stood hunched at the in-wall

11:54

terminal, a stocky, thick-muscled man

11:56

whose skin was almost the exact same

11:58

shape as her. of Sandy Brown

12:01

as his buzzed hair. He

12:03

had literally not spoken a word yet. Not

12:05

that one could be expected to get anything

12:07

in edgewise with Emery in the room. I

12:11

mean, they go to great lengths to say it's

12:13

not a prison, but let's be real guys, right?

12:16

Emery shrugged. But what

12:18

the hell ever, this is the first time

12:20

they've called me out to do something useful.

12:22

Plus, what better time to

12:24

retrain my eye-hand coordination? Kavalan

12:27

sighed. I think a

12:29

lot of times are better than when

12:31

you're pulling unstable elements out of functioning

12:33

warheads. Her amusement dissolved

12:36

and she squeaked. Unstable?

12:39

Kavalan bit back a smile. To

12:41

be honest, it'd be relatively safe, assuming no

12:44

random sparks, but it'd shut the girl up

12:46

for half a second so he considered it

12:48

a win. He

12:50

let out a long breath, savoring

12:53

the momentary silence. Despite

12:55

his current irritation, he

12:57

already had Emery earmarked as a

12:59

useful contact. His three-month flight aboard

13:01

the Mercer Royal Guard luxury cruise

13:04

liner had served as a lovely

13:06

forced detox, but if he

13:08

ever felt like having a bit of a relapse,

13:10

Emery'd be the first person he'd go to. She

13:13

might not be stashing vials of apex in

13:15

her boots, but he could tell the

13:17

type well enough. She certainly had

13:19

the necessary connections, or at the

13:22

very least a bottle or three

13:24

of booze at her disposal. He

13:26

wasn't overly picky about his vices. With

13:29

how delightful life had been on this ship

13:31

so far, that day would come sooner rather

13:33

than later. He'd never been able to kick

13:35

it for long before. Why would

13:37

now be any different? Warner

13:40

growled a string of what might

13:42

have been curses under his breath

13:44

as he continued to tap at

13:46

the holographic terminal screens. Kavalan

13:48

pinched the bridge of his nose to

13:50

stave off the headache sprouting between his

13:52

eyes, leaning back to rest on

13:55

the workbench behind him. Extending

13:57

over the small counter sat the

13:59

articulated arm of a repair cradle,

14:01

which would, in theory, retrieve a

14:03

selected missile from storage for repair

14:05

if they could figure out how

14:07

to use the damn computer system.

14:10

He really, really hoped the ACM they

14:13

could gather from the missiles in storage

14:15

would be enough. If they

14:17

had to go around to the ones already in

14:19

launch queues all over the ship, they'd be doing

14:22

this for a week, though he wasn't

14:24

sure yet if that'd be better or worse

14:26

than more endless mopping. Kavalaner

14:29

grunted and turned away from the terminal. It's

14:31

no good, he rumbled, his

14:33

gruff voice the tonal opposite of

14:36

Emery's crisp, pitched timber. Giving

14:38

some fucking error, unless you happen to

14:40

know what return code 485C means. Kavalan

14:45

scratched the back of his neck. Eh,

14:48

afraid I'm a little rusty on my

14:50

armament maintenance software error

14:53

codes. Who's your missile

14:55

specialist? Emery snorted a

14:57

laugh that turned into a brief

14:59

coughing fit and Warner just stared

15:01

impassively. Kavalan

15:03

let out an exasperated breath. There's

15:06

gotta be some way to manually access

15:08

the missile storage, right? Warner

15:10

turned back to the terminal, tapping through

15:13

screens. A few seconds later he

15:15

gave a reluctant nod. There's

15:17

this weird list of drone protocols.

15:20

He jutted his square chin toward a

15:22

narrow grate along the bottom of the

15:24

wall opposite the workbench. That's

15:26

apparently an access hatch for deploying

15:28

automated repair drones. Could probably

15:31

get in through that. Kavalan's

15:33

eyebrows shot up. Automated?

15:36

That was one of his very favorite words. Don't

15:39

suppose you still got a few of those drones lying

15:41

around? Emery chuckled, her

15:44

constant mirth beginning to reden her

15:46

pale cheeks. Even

15:48

if we did, would you know how to program

15:50

it to do whatever weird ass thing you got

15:52

us doing? Kavalan pinched

15:54

his lips together. She had a point.

15:57

All right, looks like we'll be taking the

16:00

hand. Hands-on approach. He

16:02

crossed the room, kneeling beside the access hatch

16:04

to pull it open. But it

16:06

didn't budge. Sucking in

16:08

a breath, he grunted as he gave

16:10

it another firm yank, making sure to

16:12

keep his royal imprints deactivated. After

16:15

Rake's comment about the morgue, he

16:18

wanted nothing to do with volatile

16:20

interfacing. This damn junk heap! Emery

16:23

slid away from the wall and slunk toward him.

16:26

Bet it's rested shut. He

16:28

glanced back toward the workbench. You

16:31

guys got plasma knives around here? Warner

16:34

breathed out a heavy grumble. He

16:36

marched over, grabbed the handle with

16:38

one hand, and yanked it open

16:40

with seemingly zero effort. A

16:42

haze of dust plumed out with it. Kavalon

16:46

coughed as he accidentally inhaled a

16:48

lungful, then slid Warner a frown.

16:51

The man crossed his arms over his broad

16:53

chest, then rumbled. You

16:55

must have loosened it for me. Kavalon

16:58

breathed a laugh and shook the dust from his

17:00

hair. Right. Thanks,

17:03

bud. He stepped back,

17:05

sweeping his hands toward the open hatch.

17:08

Any takers? Don't all jump

17:10

at once. He looked between

17:12

Emery and Warner, but they only

17:14

stared back at him expectantly. Right,

17:18

Kavalon sighed. Apparently this

17:20

would be on him. Shit

17:22

cutting, shit cutting. He

17:26

muttered the phrase to himself like a mantra

17:28

as he knelt in front of the narrow

17:30

hatch and peered into the pitch dark beyond.

17:33

What the hell are you saying? Emery

17:35

asked through her aggressive gum chomping.

17:39

Kavalon waved her off as he lay in

17:41

front of the open hatch, then pulled himself

17:43

into the dark. Stifling

17:45

heat greeted him, the

17:48

air gritty and thick like sliding

17:50

into a boiling river of sand. That

17:53

instantly beaded along his hairline. Bloody

17:57

hell, he cursed, shimmying on his

17:59

back and until he slid fully

18:01

inside. The minimal

18:03

light spilling in from the repair

18:05

suite disappeared into total blackness a

18:08

few meters in. It's

18:10

dark as the void in here, he

18:12

called back toward the square of light at his

18:14

feet. Can't see shit. Footsteps

18:18

squeaked, and a few moments later,

18:20

Emery's thin voice echoed into the

18:22

inferno. Incoming! A

18:25

palm-sized disc skidded across the

18:27

metal floor, sliding centimeters from

18:30

Kavalon's hand. He

18:32

grabbed it, fumbling his fingers over the

18:34

smooth surface. Switches on

18:36

the... side? Emery's

18:39

suspicion-filled voice called from the

18:41

hatch. He finally

18:43

clicked the disc on, sending out a

18:45

burst of blue-tinged light. Squinting

18:47

as his eyes readjusted, he swept the

18:50

beam to both sides. The

18:53

low overhead sat only a

18:55

half-meter above his face, comprised

18:57

of rows upon rows of

18:59

meter-long missiles waiting in cradles

19:02

to be grabbed by the automated system

19:04

and whisked off to launch tubes all

19:06

over the ship. Despite

19:08

the sweat trickling down his back, a

19:10

chill rushed up his spine, and he

19:13

couldn't resist a shudder. It terrified

19:15

as much as impressed him that one

19:17

could fit so much destruction into such

19:19

a small shell. Unbidden,

19:21

memories began to surface, and he clamped

19:23

his eyes shut and tried to fight

19:26

them away. But it was

19:28

beyond useless. He'd known it

19:30

was coming from the second the word missile had

19:32

dropped out of his mouth. He'd

19:34

held out hope he could put it off, at

19:36

least get the task done, get through the

19:38

rest of his first shift, second

19:41

shift, third, if that's what Rake

19:43

wanted, then let his exhausted, feverish

19:45

dreams work it out instead. But

19:48

his brain didn't seem to care. In

19:51

an instant, his nostrils filled with the

19:53

stale, dusty scent of the long-forgotten relief

19:56

bunker under the eastern wing of his

19:58

former home. spent so

20:00

much time in that old workspace, it

20:02

was too easy to visualize it filling

20:04

into the darkness around him, frozen

20:07

in time. The beam

20:09

of the light disk became the glow

20:11

of the work light shining across the

20:13

worn counters and onto the hastily copied

20:15

schematics tacked to the wall. The

20:18

whir of the bobbin filled his ears,

20:20

echoing off the reinforced concrete as it

20:22

wound the strands of silver into wire.

20:26

The air filled with the scent of burnt

20:28

flesh as he charred the tips of his

20:30

fingers over and over again with that damn

20:32

handheld spot welder. But

20:35

any amount of pain he may have

20:37

endured had been worth it. After

20:39

a great deal of trial and error

20:41

and probably a little radiation poisoning, he

20:44

made two of his very

20:46

own, very customized, replies to

20:49

his grandfather's latest egomaniacal undertaking.

20:52

Kavalan had told exactly one other

20:54

person his plan. He'd

20:56

had no choice. He'd never had much of

20:58

a mind for computers and couldn't possibly figure

21:00

out how to build the command circuitry on

21:03

his own. Though they'd

21:05

agreed to help, they urged him

21:07

to reconsider, to try communication first.

21:10

But only a Mercer could

21:12

know how truly, utterly self-defeating

21:14

that proposition was. His

21:17

words had fallen on deaf ears too many

21:19

times. If nothing else,

21:21

this response had been too loud to

21:23

ignore. It had taken

21:25

him months longer than it should have

21:27

because he'd insisted both on smuggling everything

21:29

directly into the manor. It

21:31

wouldn't have been any fun if he hadn't

21:33

built them right under Augustus' nose. And

21:36

sourcing every component he couldn't literally make

21:38

by hand from so far from the

21:41

core, no one within ten thousand light

21:43

years could be implicated. Though

21:46

as altruistic as that reasoning sounded, guilt

21:49

that someone innocent might catch the blame

21:51

had nothing to do with it. It

21:54

had to be so. Obviously

21:56

Kavalan's doing that even by

21:58

Augustus' absurd roundabout. Logic He

22:00

couldn't be twisted into sin ridiculous

22:03

lie that would further his cause.

22:06

More. Importantly, whether or not Augustus

22:08

concocted a cover story for the

22:10

public, at least he would have

22:13

to know the truth school really

22:15

been responsible. So he couldn't

22:17

throw blame or sweep it under the

22:19

rug, then ignore the problem entirely and

22:21

stick Cavil on into another round of

22:24

reconditioning so we'd have to actually fucking

22:26

do something about it for once. He'd.

22:28

Certainly called Caroline's Blair fun.

22:31

That. His. Studies his

22:33

breath and tried to ended there. But.

22:35

The unwanted that train road right

22:38

onto the next suppressed memory is

22:40

last day at the manner. Travel

22:43

on a gun days without

22:45

sleep. But somehow his fatigued

22:47

Lin Said propelled him forward

22:49

as he stepped into Augustus

22:51

is upholstered office gilded depictions

22:53

of his ancestors glaring down

22:55

and him from the high

22:57

ceilinged walls. Despite the circumstances

22:59

his chest been light, limbs

23:01

energized, filled to the brim

23:03

with a confidence completely fueled

23:05

by blind relief because he

23:07

done it. Really? Done

23:10

it. Finally, After all those months

23:12

spent working toward it, it was

23:15

over and now whatever happened happened

23:17

and would be beyond his control.

23:20

Panic. Hadn't said in until the

23:22

first unnerving side of the Mercer

23:24

Guard turning on him. The same

23:26

people who'd shattered him every damn

23:29

place he went for the last

23:31

twenty seven years. Men and women

23:33

he'd simultaneously hated, trusted and relied

23:35

on all too often to pull

23:37

him by the scruff, that of

23:39

his own messes. With. That so

23:41

much as a second thought. they'd gone after

23:43

him, treating him like any other miscreant to

23:46

say, shackled him and locked him in the

23:48

cellar. Not. That he can have

23:50

expected anything different. They. Were augustus

23:52

his lap dogs through and

23:54

through. Caroline's. chest

23:57

pains the pressure when on is

23:59

already stir drained heartbeat. The

24:01

air thickened and for a moment he feared

24:03

the oxygen had somehow been sucked out of

24:06

the infernal missile compartment. He

24:08

closed his eyes and blew out a series of

24:10

long, slow breaths, pushing every

24:13

semi-adjacent, rage-filled memory from

24:15

his mind. Some

24:18

days he truly hated the fact that he

24:20

could remember every damn thing he'd ever seen

24:22

or done. And shit-cutting, in all

24:24

likelihood, did not include having a panic

24:26

attack before he could even begin the

24:28

task. Summoning

24:30

up a much newer memory of

24:33

Rake's judgmental glower, he opened his

24:35

eyes and refocused on his assignment.

24:38

He slid back toward the closest line

24:40

of missiles, the raised conduit tracks for

24:42

the repair drones digging into his back

24:45

as he shimmied. Settling

24:47

under one of the central racks,

24:49

his eyes drifted over the series of

24:52

articulated cradles clutching each missile. He

24:54

had no idea if they were meant to be unloaded this

24:56

way, but he didn't see what choice he had. Turning

24:59

onto his side, he folded his

25:02

legs up and hunched into a

25:04

massively uncomfortable crouch in the low

25:06

overhead. He stuck the

25:08

light disc against the underside of a

25:10

nearby cradle and it adhered with a

25:12

soft shink. Shimmying one

25:14

arm up around the missile, he again

25:16

resisted the urge to summon his royal

25:19

imprints to aid in the heavy lifting.

25:21

He fumbled around with his other hand, hunting

25:24

for some kind of release latch.

25:28

When he found it, the cradle

25:30

snapped fully open, his royal imprints

25:32

triggered on instinct, flooding his arms

25:34

in abdomen to help him catch

25:36

the sudden wake. He

25:38

locked both arms around the casing as his heart

25:40

leapt up his throat, heat flooding

25:42

his cheeks, either from

25:45

the shock of almost dropping a

25:47

thermonuclear bomb or from

25:49

his imprints activating, or

25:51

probably both. Closing his eyes,

25:54

he steadied his breath again. Positive

25:56

he'd die at any moment. Kavalan

25:59

Kept his imprints open. The activated long enough

26:01

to guide the missile safely back to

26:03

the small access hatch. He. Claims

26:05

to the middle deck a little hard

26:07

as he pushed it out into the

26:10

blissfully cool repair. Sweet. Emery

26:12

stood gaping and concerns. Shock creased

26:14

Warner's brow as he i'd cavil

26:17

on fumbling with the heavy missile.

26:20

Perspiration. Trickle down the back

26:22

of Caroline's neck, down drenched is

26:24

already damned color. He. Flashed

26:26

them a stiff grin. I

26:29

got a guys he asked. No

26:31

worries, He began to have

26:33

to the missile up and they both rushed

26:35

over taking some of the weight tell been

26:38

lifted off the ground Than together they hold

26:40

it across the room to the maintenance cradle.

26:43

Pushing. His sweaty hair off his

26:45

forehead, Carolyn car his breath for

26:48

a few seconds while looking over

26:50

the missile in the improved lighting.

26:52

A series of identification and batch

26:55

codes were etched into the casing,

26:57

and no surprise, every piece of

26:59

it had been stamped with Delirious

27:02

Munitions logo. A sick

27:04

bordered hexagon framing a splintered

27:06

triangle. As one of

27:08

the five royal houses of the

27:10

Allied monarchies, Delirious Family had secured

27:13

their role as primary weapons contractor

27:15

for the Legion centuries ago. But.

27:17

They went by Larry Us Defense

27:20

Technologies now. They. Hadn't been

27:22

called Larry Us Munitions in ages.

27:25

Javelin cleared his throat. Ask.

27:28

How old are these missiles? The.

27:31

Argus is from the end of the Vader war.

27:33

Emery answered. So. A

27:36

couple of centuries. Void.

27:39

He dusted off the nose of the missile

27:41

the hunt for the command controls compartment. I.

27:43

Figured you'd have updated Firepower.

27:46

Warner's casting crossed his arms.

27:49

Tempered. Caroline. Side

27:51

and starting to get that vibe.

27:54

Emery giggled. Yeah, they don't

27:56

give us much to work without here. She.

27:58

Skirted the workbench. Saddled up beside

28:01

him. All right, So. What Do

28:03

we do? Mourner moved forward

28:05

and hovered over the tiny woman's

28:07

shoulder, looking down expectantly. Cable.

28:10

And space ones. He knew

28:12

what he was doing. Something about the

28:14

way they looked at him like he

28:17

singularly possessed all the answers in the

28:19

universe stressed him out. This whole been

28:21

useful thing it would take some getting

28:23

used to. As

28:26

wells. All do this.

28:28

First part. Kevin. Owens said

28:30

I'm than wearily. With.

28:32

Only one cradle. There wasn't really a way to

28:34

make this more efficient than one at a time.

28:37

Bird. Grab me an impact driver. Several.

28:40

Star shaped, been. Emery

28:42

Nelson to the workbench, clanging around as

28:44

she dug through the shelves, finally popping

28:47

back up with an impact driver and

28:49

hand, She passed a tool over to

28:51

him, smacking her gum. Wire.

28:54

Cutters. Next he said. She.

28:57

Nodded and disappeared again while he ducked under

28:59

the nose of the missile to the other

29:01

set of the workbench. His,

29:03

it's tough to six screws holding a section

29:05

of the chassis and place than pride the

29:08

ancient panel free. He pulled out

29:10

a clump of bundled wires. Emery

29:13

appeared over his shoulder, assaulting him with

29:15

the fruity smell of her bubble gum.

29:18

But. Still in. Math. He

29:20

lifted a brow at her and she dropped

29:22

the wire cutters into is open palm. Disabling.

29:26

The army units. For

29:28

curious expression stiffened. Ah,

29:31

Manually. Warner. Granted,

29:34

There's. Gotta be a way to do that to the

29:36

computer. Probably. Caroline.

29:39

Agreed, but I think we already established

29:41

no one knows how to use the

29:43

software. With. The edge of

29:45

the wire cutters he split the seal

29:47

bundling the cable and than singled out

29:49

the wire in question and snipped isn't.

29:53

Plenty. For you to. Emery squeaked.

29:56

Yet you know how to do it that way. Warner

29:58

shook his head. And. You're

30:01

asking us who the missile specialist

30:03

was? Caroline's. Gas.

30:06

Trust. Me: I'm no specialist. He

30:08

moved to the tale of the missile. Anyone

30:11

can figure out how to take something apart. Emery's

30:14

eyes narrowed. Pass

30:16

me one of those canisters. Capital

30:18

On began then with a frown

30:20

at his. And. Some safety

30:23

gloves if you have them. In

30:25

any other circumstance, he wouldn't bother, but

30:27

Rake would probably yellows him as he

30:29

melted all the skin off his hands.

30:32

Emery shrugged off her skeptical look,

30:34

digging under the counter again while

30:36

Warner walked over with one of

30:38

the mismatched canisters that appropriated from

30:41

the research lab. Cavalier

30:43

moved to the tale of the missile

30:45

and unscrewed three different access panels before

30:47

he found the right one. He.

30:50

Lowered the cradle closer to the top

30:52

of the workbench than positions the canister

30:54

hundred. Warner. Dropped a glass

30:57

funnel into the top. Emery

30:59

surfaced in tossed a pair of gloves. It

31:01

capital on it. He pulled them

31:04

on, stretching the rubbery fabric up

31:06

to his elbows. in said missile

31:08

he picked to the massive wiring,

31:10

fishing past the primary launch components

31:13

toward the guidance module. He.

31:15

Expected to have to pry the small

31:17

unit open to find the thruster lines

31:19

but to his delight the black to

31:21

being inside lay a fixed to the

31:23

sides of it. With. The wire

31:26

cutters he snaps the brackets holding it

31:28

in place, pulled the rubber tubing free

31:30

than snipped it open. Twisting.

31:33

The missile a few degrees and it's

31:35

cradle he angled the sliced to been

31:37

to the thick a sam began to

31:39

flow out and into the funnel. Concerned.

31:42

Tightened his chest as the

31:44

element gathering in the canister

31:47

emerged much as he feared

31:49

a very faint soft blue

31:51

glow. At full power,

31:53

the element would be almost blinding,

31:55

and it's luminance even in such

31:57

small quantities. Which meant the vacuum

32:00

sealed propulsion systems he'd researched must

32:02

have been an advancement standardized sometime

32:04

in the last two centuries. Well.

32:08

He said he hanging off the gloves.

32:11

Sit. There. Murray leaned

32:13

closer. What's the problem? bus?

32:16

Boss. With. An effort, he

32:18

ignored it and shuffled closer to the

32:21

missile, squatting to put his shoulder under

32:23

the tail, and listed a few centimeters

32:25

so they element with three about slightly

32:27

faster. It's good you

32:30

guys never had use these things he said.

32:32

They probably have never made it to their target. Is

32:35

missteps supposed to last forever? And

32:38

Murray asked. When. It's sealed

32:40

in an airtight core or lines

32:42

than, yes, but it weekends when

32:44

it's been exposed to oxygen for

32:46

this long. Damn.

32:49

We. Didn't need more of it. Probably.

32:52

Cavil. On wiped a trickle of sweat off the back

32:54

of his neck. Can you call

32:56

the up to? Oh appear. Sitting. Bass

32:59

Emery Pipes. I'm not

33:01

the boss he grumbled, but she

33:03

didn't react. Emery

33:05

crossed to the entrance and slid open

33:07

the com interface and the control panel

33:09

be said the doorway. Spreads

33:11

This is as. She

33:14

grinned and lowered her voice to

33:16

speak in a conspiratorial has. Special

33:19

Operations Team Alpha calling

33:21

from an undisclosed location

33:23

in Octo Sector. Cable.

33:26

On leveled a look at her and her

33:28

grin broadened. Go

33:30

for bridge cameras Wary voice

33:33

answered. Obvious presence

33:35

is required. Free critical inquiry. Emery

33:38

is there. You. Camera

33:40

admonished. What? Are you doing? Emery

33:43

rolled her eyes and returned to her

33:45

normal timber. His ex

33:47

sanctioned Cam I swear just sent

33:49

the upside down. Here

33:51

copy that. I'll tell him. Tomorrow

33:54

replied then click dos. Why?

33:56

We doing this anyone? Emery asked

33:59

returning to. Lean against the workbench.

34:01

Be said. Careful on. Still, We

34:03

need these missiles. To me, you know,

34:05

be functional. It's.

34:08

Cabling. Gave her a sidelong glance. Classified.

34:13

Warner's Scout. Emory.

34:15

Last. That's. A pretty

34:17

bus like thing for a nut bass

34:19

to say. Cable. On forced

34:22

a green in, chose to ignore them.

34:25

Might as well during a few while we

34:27

wait. He said every little bit would help.

34:30

Cavil. On left them to monitor

34:32

the A seem collection while he

34:34

returned to the sauna/storage room to

34:36

bring out more missiles. More than

34:38

happy to let them continue in

34:41

their ignorance of his royal imprints.

34:44

Emery Ramble Burn while they worked.

34:47

Detailing. Stories she'd heard that

34:49

sounded have made up about

34:51

how Rakes predecessor used to

34:53

decide i'm promotions and duty

34:55

assignments involving elaborate bribing schemes,

34:57

indentured servitude, and climbing the

34:59

ranks of cage fighting tournaments.

35:02

Rapes, Far less dystopian version

35:04

of the Argus seemed reasonable

35:06

and comparison. Serves.

35:09

Warner. Barks suddenly is. Caroline pushed

35:11

a fourth missile out into the

35:14

repair sweet Emery's back when straight.

35:16

So fast travel on that she'd

35:18

given yourself whiplash. Aki

35:21

like. Jack. And said. When.

35:23

He he. Catalan has a

35:25

question? sir. Emery barked. Caroline.

35:29

Squirmed his way out of the hatch,

35:31

narrowing his eyes at her in disbelief.

35:33

Just as quickly see morphed into a

35:36

whole different person. Okay,

35:38

As you were. Check. And instructed

35:41

they returned to the work benson

35:43

check in with to Cavaliers. What's.

35:45

The problem. A. Few drops

35:48

of sweat slid off cavaliers forehead onto

35:50

the missile as he rested a carefully

35:52

on the floor. These warheads?

35:54

a pretty ancient up to young. Pasted.

35:57

and found rake had arrived as well

35:59

She leaned in the doorway behind Jack

36:02

and arms crossed. Yeah,

36:04

there were viet or war leftovers, Jack

36:07

and said. Kavalan nodded

36:09

to the dimly glowing canister. You

36:11

know, oxidation and all that, sir.

36:15

Shit, Jack and Grumbled. I

36:18

didn't even think about that. I

36:20

know they pulled the jump drive out of

36:22

this thing, Kavalan said, but what

36:24

about the accelerator lines? Jacken

36:27

licked his lips, then his eyes went wide.

36:30

Man, you're fucking brilliant. There's

36:32

no way they'd have bothered to drain the lines.

36:35

And it should be airtight. Jacken

36:37

nodded, slowly at first, then with

36:40

growing fervor. Right.

36:42

So if we vent this sector, get

36:45

a spacesuit, we can drain what's left

36:47

without any oxidation. Maximum

36:49

potency, Kavalan agreed. That's

36:53

great. Rake stepped up beside Jacken. Where

36:56

are the accelerator lines? Jacken's

36:58

smile faded. Where the

37:00

jump drive was? She let out

37:03

a sigh. So we have

37:05

to evacuate all of Novum's sector. Bulkhead

37:08

doors back, yeah. Rake

37:10

pushed her hair out of her face. Okay,

37:14

Jack, make the order. Send them to

37:16

the mess. Try to keep it quiet, though, yeah?

37:19

Jacken nodded. You got it, boss. Rake

37:22

moved aside to let Jacken pass, and the

37:24

optio scurried out the door. She

37:27

eyed Emery and Warner at the repair

37:29

cradle, then the line of missiles by

37:31

the hatch before looking to Kavalan. This

37:35

is some halfway decent shit-cutting oculus?

37:37

He flashed a grin. Well, you gave

37:40

me homework, and I'm clearly an A-plus student.

37:43

Her eyes glinted ever so slightly. She

37:45

didn't grin, but she didn't not grin.

37:49

So, Kavalan said, I

37:52

suppose you'll be expecting me

37:54

to see it through,

37:56

as they say. She

37:58

afforded him the tiniest of things. smiles. Get

38:01

on it, soldier. Oddly,

38:04

that same fire kindled in his

38:06

stomach. He could see why

38:08

everyone regarded her so highly. That look

38:10

of approval was addicting. That's

38:21

all for now. Thank you for listening.

38:23

Make sure to follow Stories from Among the

38:25

Stars on your preferred podcast app to get

38:27

the next episode. Or if

38:30

you just can't wait, you can

38:32

find The Last Watch and its

38:34

sequel, The Exiled Sleep, wherever books

38:36

or audiobooks are sold. Thank you.