Tonner led the group down a wide hallway packed with crates and boxes. Nets that held up various objects like a spider's web littered the ceilings and walls and the whole room was painted a deep crimson. Along the sides of the room were racks loaded with missiles and weapons. Fischer couldn't help but gulp slightly when he saw the size of some of the guns.
Tonner swiped his hand over a control panel at the end of the hall and the huge bulwark door slid open with a hiss. In front of the group sat an enormous hangar bay, at least twice the size of the one they arrived in. As they entered Fischer felt his jaw drop once again as the sheer scale of their surroundings was made apparent. The hanger was almost the same size as the one back on Xarder, just a bit smaller and way less organised.
"This way. We're taking my ship," Tonner stated as they walked up a flight of stairs to a catwalk that ran along the side of the hangar and allowed access to the various space vessels.
A few meters away to their left was the huge jet black vessel that Tonner was referring to. It had a very intimidating shape to it, the nose of the vehicle was angled to a point like a sharp pyramid. Just aft of the cockpit at the bottom was a pair of two stubby little wings. The vessel seemed to split after that, the cockpit and nose connected to the much bulkier main chassis via a sturdy chamber. The main body had two large swing wings atop the frame. The body tapered up to the tail almost like a transport helicopter and gave way to two large sets of tail wings. A huge cannon of some sort was mounted atop the main body and a smaller but still vicious looking railgun was housed beneath the nose. The whole craft looked like the offspring of a heavy duty helicopter and an F 117 Nighthawk.
"Ahh. The Icarus. Haven't seen her for a while. She looks as beautiful as ever," Spatch whistled as they approached it.
"Don't get used to it. You won't be seeing her ever again after we're through," Tonner stated gruffly.
"You really need to find a hobby," the veranah jested.
Tonner answered with silence as he pulled out a small touch pad from one of his pouches. He fiddled around for a few moments before the pad turned a deep blue and a wavelength symbol appeared on it.
"Tonner to Zecka. I've got some unfinished business to attend to. Will only take a a few days at most. While I'm gone, Akagi will remain in charge. She will follow your orders to a tee, as will I if the situation arises. I will be sure to keep in contact. Out."
He slipped the pad away and held his hand up to the pad on the door. The panels slid open and revealed a jet black interior with hints of crimson and pearly white dotted around the place.
As they stepped in a wall of cool air rushed past them, a refreshing wake up considering how hot and muggy Tonner's quarters were.
"You three. Dorms are at the rear, bar and fridge is down the hall to the left. Observation deck is down stairs," Tonner explained, pointing at the girls and Fischer. He flipped a large switch next to the door and all the lights suddenly faded on with a slight hum. Quin, Ko and Fischer all nodded and made their way down to where the bedrooms were.
Unlike the Endeavour the Icarus's rooms were much larger, but there were less of them. Two rooms each with four beds in them
The sound of Ko and Quin's claws quickly clacking across the polished metal floor as they walked echoed through the dark hallway. Ko's clenched fists shook with anxiousness as her knuckles softly bounced off one another. Quin didn't look like she was fairing much better either, her gaze rapidly shifting all over the place less there be any stowaways on board.
Noticing their discomfort, Fischer paused for a second. "Hey you two alright?"
Quin looked down at him with a sheepish smile on her snout. "Heh, y-yea. I'm good."
He shrugged and they continued on to the dorms.
"You wanna share the room or split between the two?" He asked.
"Uh, well Spatch and Tonner can sleep by themselves. I don't want them in the same room as me if all they're gonna do is argue."
"Good point. I mean I'm fine with it. You two are good company anyway."
With their dorms settled, he opened the door and it slid open to reveal a rather nice looking suite. The beds were all layered with soft white covers and the walls were painted a jet black with red hexagonal patterns in the corners. A large television stood at the end of the room atop a curved desk.
"Huh. . . a lot nicer than the outside that's for sure," Quin jested.
"Well maybe he's not as bad as he looks," Fischer shrugged.
Almost as soon as he said that, the sound of enraged yelling thundered through the hallway.
"I think you may have spoken too soon," Ko whispered.
--------6 hours later--------
Fischer rubbed his strained eyes and sat up slightly. A heavy feeling of exhaustion was beginning to drill into him as he came to his senses. The quiet hum of the jump ship's engines was all he could hear.
He winced slightly as he sat up, a sharp pain shooting down his back. It was nice to get a good rest however. They jumped around six hours ago and there hadn't been much to do aside from rest up.
He hopped out of bed and made his way over to the sink. Splashing some water on his face, he noticed that there were rather prominent bags under his eyes. A sign of all the sleepless nights he'd endured so far. He could only imagine how much worse Ko had it.
As she popped into his mind, he turned around to realise that she wasn't in her bed, neither was Quin. The door was closed and the lights were out but the two of them had vanished. Maybe they'd just gone to get some water.
He rubbed his face and exited the dorm to go look for them. As he walked, he was able to take in the sights of this new ship.
The Endeavour had been a nice ship. Comfy ride, quiet and quite luxurious compared to what he knew back on Earth. But if the Endeavour was a yacht then the Icarus was a cruise ship. Its menacing exterior was contrasted by the luxurious and sumptuous interior. Even the walls were a gorgeous black and red colouration that seemed to glow as he walked by them. The area around his feet seemed to glow as well. Looking down he noticed every time he planted his foot on the ground the area around it would light up.
He couldn't help but marvel at how amazing all this alien tech was despite having been around it for months now. Sometimes it all seemed like he was dreaming, that none of this was real. The ship almost seemed alive somehow. There was this aura of mystique around him as he walked down the hallway, different lights fading as he moved. It was almost like they were a heart beat, or a pair of lungs breathing. A bizarre sensation to say the least. One he didn't find himself getting used to.
He shuffled down the hallway and got the the main living room of the ship. The kitchen light was on and there were two glasses sat on the bench. They had the remains of a light blue liquid in them and looked as if they'd been poured recently.
Looking around, Quin and Ko were still nowhere to be found. Neither were Spatch or Tonner. They were probably in bed though.
Maybe the girls were in the observation deck?
He hadn't been down there yet but there wasn't really anywhere else he could think of that they might be, aside from the cockpit. But that seemed like a bit of a long shot.
He walked over to the side of the room where a panel with the words 'Observation' on it was sealed in the ground. A small pad sat on the wall next to the entrance, just like the one that was on the dorm doors.
Shrugging, he pressed his hand up to the panel and a light 'beep' sounded before a sharp hiss escaped from the floor. The panel quickly slid open and a cloud of blue mist wafted out from below.
As he stepped down he was caught of guard by the completely transparent floor and windows all around him. It looked almost like the chairs and other furniture was all floating in nothingness as they shot through bridge space.
He couldn't help but feel slightly sick as he stepped down to the floor. His centre of balance was all a skewed and he wobbled around for a little bit before regaining his composure.
Looking over at the back of the couch, he noticed a big sharky tail trailing off the side.
"Well, found you," he quietly chuckled.
He walked on over to see what the gals where up to, only to find they were fast asleep, Quin leaning over on the couch and Ko practically lying on her.
He couldn't help but let a small smile creep through at first glance, but that smile quickly faded.
The two were calm and content, perfectly happy. And he had been nowhere near them. Ko was sleeping soundly. Not thrashing about, no nightmares of any sort. She was fast asleep, and all without him.
He couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of her attachment to Quin. Whenever Ko was with her she was cheerful, calm and happy. It seemed like whenever he entered the picture she would grow upset, saddened and sorrowful. Like he was causing her to cry. Like he was the one who was dragging her down.
But they were just stupid thoughts, weren't they? If that really was the case, then why was she so happy when they visited the river of lights? Why did she still wear that necklace? Unless. . . it was all just to keep him happy. . .
He wiped his messy hair from his face and meandered over to the couch, gently sitting down on it so as not to wake them.
He couldn't help but feel his throat start to burn.
A smile stretched across his face as he watch the two sleep.
"Y-you look so happy there. . ." he whispered as he twiddled his thumbs. His breathing grew staggered and heavy as his eyes started to glass over.
"I. . .I'm sorry that I couldn't be the one to give you that. . . I-I just. . . I dunno. Everything seems so crazy right now I just. . . I-I don't know what to do. I'm just. . . so lost. . . so so lost. . ." He whispered.
"I mean sometimes it feels like you're the only one who's keeping me together. . . like without you I'm. . . I'm falling apart or something. It's like I just can't function some times, you know?" He took a deep breath and rubbed his glassy eyes.
"It's just. . . t-there's so much I want to say to you but. . . I just don't know how. I don't know what I'm doing. All I ever wanted was to see you smile. . . and now look what's happened to us. We're in the middle of space. . . on an alien ship that was taken from a gang of pirates. . . Kori's dead. . . gone. . . you're on the brink of falling apart. . . all, all because of me," he whimpered as he wiped away the tears from his face.
I should've taken better care of you. . . I should've have been a better friend. . . I'm so sorry Ko. I'm so, so sorry. . . you deserve so much m-more, so much more than me. . . You'd be better off with Quin and Trikka. . . they could take much better care of you than I ever could. . . g-give you a home, a reason to smile."
His soft gasps cut through the air like a knife, bringing the already deafening silence to its knees.
"God, I w-wish this whole ship really was Icarus. D-drop you two off back home then fly straight into the sun. Good. . . good riddance," he wept.
"Then how would she ever be able to say those three words to you?"
Fischer's sniffles were suddenly interrupted by Quin, still in the same position but now wide awake.
"Oh. . . y-you're awake?" He gulped.
"Only just then. I hadn't properly drifted off. This one here is sound asleep though. She was having bad dreams again. We both woke up and grabbed a drink then came down here and talked for a bit."
He rubbed his nose slightly. "H-how much d-did you hear?"
"Enough. Come. Sit," she petted the small area of couch next to her, opposite where he was currently sitting.
With a heavy sigh he obeyed and sat down next to her. She threw her left arm around his shoulder and pulled him in tightly.
"She'd slap you if she heard that, you know?"
"No she wouldn't."
Quin chuckled slightly. "Yea, you're right. She couldn't hurt a fly. But she'd be heart broken to hear it."
"W-would she? Y-you guys don't even need me anymore. You've got Spatch, Tonner."
"You think I want to spend the next however long with them?" She chuckled.
"They can't be worse then me."
"You're too hard on yourself. Think of what you've done for her. Hell as far as I'm aware, she wouldn't even be breathing if it weren't for you. You're the reason she's able to feel anything at all. You do realise you saved her life right?"
"How many times have I put it in danger as well?"
"Fischer listen to me. If you keep telling yourself these things eventually you'll start to believe them. They're not true. They're voices in your head. They don't mean anything. Stop listening to them and start listening to your heart ok?"
"My heart is somewhere I'm never going to get to," he mumbled.
"Not if you keep acting like that. She needs you Fischer. I need you. We both do. You're a part of this family whether you like it or not. And like it or not, I will have your back. Always. Just like she will. Just as I'm sure you'll always have ours."
He leaned his head on her shoulder and wiped away the last tears that were falling from his bloodshot eyes. With her free hand Quin gently stroked his shoulder. A calming feeling that he'd be lying if he said didn't feel comforting.
"Oh, am I just your teddy bear now?" The carcan chuckled.
"S-sorry I-"
"It's fine Fisch," she quietly giggled. "I enjoy your company. And besides, I've already filled out my resume as a zapher pillow. May as well add a human one to the list as well.
He scoffed quietly and dug his head into her shoulder. Clasping her hand in his, he let his eyes slowly close and his mind drift off into nothing. Thoughts of Ko swirled around in his head, only serving to make his heart ache even more. But the knowledge that she was just right there was somewhat comforting.
Almost as comforting as Quin's embrace.