Cosmic (18+)

┉┈◈𐌴𐍊𐌾𐌷†◈┈┉

She frowned, placing a hand on his shoulder and gently rubbing it to soothe him. "It's okay," she said softly, "take your time."

A displeased rumble escaped the tall alien male when she started touching her crew mate. Charlie threw him a glare and he stopped, looking away with a huff.

"The Captain is dead," Michael blurted.

Luca's shoulders shook with silent sobs and everyone else who hadn't heard the news was in shock.

"I don't know what happened," Michael continued. "Only Luca does. All I know is that both of them were brought to the med bay and his leg was gone," he nodded towards the man's injury. "And the Captain... She was cut in half at the waist. Still living for a little while, surprisingly. Too much damage was done, Laura and I couldn't save her."

"It should have been me," Luca said tearfully into his hands. "It... It should have..."

"Stop," Charlie said, wiping her eyes beneath her glasses. "Don't talk like that. It shouldn't have been either of you."

It took him a while, but he finally lifted his head, his eyes red and puffy and his face streaked with tears. "The Captain pushed me out of the way, she saved me. She didn't think twice, she just... She just did it," he whispered, trembling. This must have been the first time he had been awake since it happened.

Charlie leaned closer and hugged him. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her shoulder, crying harder. She rubbed his back, whispering soothing words to him while trying to keep herself together.

"Laura and Maurice were on the shuttle with him," Michael said, looking at Charlie and her team. "Did you find them, too?"

Charlie didn't want to give more bad news, especially not to the man weeping in her arms. She turned her head to Michael and nodded once, a couple tears finally slipping from her watery eyes.

Michael could tell from her expression that they were dead. His fists clenched at his sides and then he was walking off to the exit. Beckett went after him.

"Michael wait, it's not safe out there," Beckett said, following him as he went out the door.

Tük'hala didn't seem concerned so Charlie assumed they were fine to be out there as long as they stayed close by. She had faith Beckett would keep Michael near to safety.

"Guys," Mariah's voice drew everyone's attention. "Look at Stacy's arm."

They did.

Charlie's eyes widened when she saw the dark grey veins spreading further up her arm from under the bandage. Stacy was freaking out as she just noticed it.

"What does this mean? Am I okay? Am I gonna die?" she asked frantically, her eyes darting between everyone then back to her injury.

Charlie looked at Tük'hala who was frowning. "Do you know what's happening to her?" she asked him worriedly.

He shook his head. "I do not know. The bite of an Etja has never done thisss to my kind." The alien looked worried, too. Though unknown to her, his worry was from thinking of Charlie getting hurt in the same way.

"I'll see if I can find something in the med kit for this," Mariah said, hoping to calm down the hyperventilating woman. "It's going to be okay, Stacy."

"Her scent is changing," Tük'hala mused, intrigued.

"What does that mean?" Stacy asked, trying and failing to calm herself.

"You are different now, and will be more different later," he answered simply. He didn't realize how unhelpful that answer was.

Mariah took out a vial for infections and began unwrapping the bandage to apply it. "I'm sure this is fixable, you're not going to die."