SIREN

Chapter Twenty-Two

I almost collapsed. The sight of it all made my legs give way, and if it weren't for Sam's intervention, I would've fallen to the floor. The atrium expanded on and out, and muted blue lights cast an eerie glow across the entire space. The thing that really hit me in the gut was the enormous silver ball sitting in the centre. Deep cuts and grooves were engraved into the grey exterior and a spiralling platform big enough to walk on wound its way up to the top. Rectangular podiums with pieces of glass sticking out of them lined the trail. Above our heads, I could see cables drooping like overgrown vines.

'This...' Sam gawped at the ceiling. 'What is this place?'

'I've got no idea,' I said, nursing my ribs, 'but I want to find out.'

I put one foot out and realised that our presence may not be welcome here. After meeting the fungus and being spooked in the Wreath, I was now hesitating to explore.

'What's wrong?' asked Sam.

'I want to know what's in there, but what if it's deadly? What if we touch it and it explodes? What if the gravity well was acting as a defence mechanism and we should've stayed away? What if that's what the Poseidon Transmission was?'

'What are you saying?'

'What if it was a warning, Sam? What if we've walked into something bad?'

'Only one way to find out,' he said and unclipped his saw.

I gripped his shoulder. 'Wait!'

'Wait for what?'

I met his eyeline. I had to take a moment to find the right words. 'If we die now, the Captain won't have any idea what happened to us. She'll eventually come looking, and then she'll get trapped here just like we did. What if the whole crew comes? We need to send a message back.'

Sam raised his chin and took a breath. 'You're right.'

'I'll send something. It won't be long, and I won't tell her the state of the Eagle.'

'Don't tell her to come, either.' Sam pointed at me.

'Yeah. Got it.'

'Hey, you see that circle on the front of the sphere?'

'Yeah?' I looked at the round etching.

'I'm going to cut that out and take a look inside whatever's inside. Hey, why do you think these things kept making balls, man? What's the deal with that?'

I shrugged and pulled out the tablet. I turned on the screen and started working on messaging the Captain. 'It might be a homage to the planets or the stars. They might just like round things. Maybe they had round bodies. Who knows?'

'It's so weird speculating like this. This is alien stuff, man. Real alien stuff.' He gazed at the walls and the floor. 'You reckon they're gone?'

'Who? The people who made this ship? Probably. We haven't seen anything. Well, I haven't.'

'Hum...' Sam crouched and scraped his hand across the floor. 'Weird, isn't it? No footprints. No tracks. Nothing. The whole place is pristine, just like the Wreath. You think the same aliens made this one?'

I glanced at my surroundings and then back to the device. 'Yeah, maybe.' I connected with the Pangaea's communication line and held the tablet to my ear. 'I'm through. I'll be over here.'

'All right, man.' Sam trudged away, revving his saw with a grin.

I turned and listened for the Captain's voice. The tinny speaker within the tablet played a ringtone and then she answered. 'Fletcher! How're things?'

The smoothness of her voice caught me off-guard. 'Um, yeah, we're f-fine,' I stammered, 'we made it to the third ship.'

'What've you found?'

I looked around. 'A few things,' I said.

'Anything that could help Hoshi?'

'She's still bad?'

'Answer my question.'

'No, we haven't found anything that would help her. Not yet.'

'What's that buzzing noise?'

I looked to see Sam putting his back into cutting open the sphere. His arms folded as he pushed the blades through the alien metal. 'Sam's working on something.'

'What's he destroying this time?'

'He's making a path, Captain. It's all under control.'

A short laugh burst through the speakers. 'You're a terrible liar.'

'How's the Pangaea, Captain?'

'Jaq's asleep right now. She's done a lot. I'm probably working her too hard.'

'How's Doctor White? He's sleeping, right?'

Captain Maximova scoffed. 'Robbie hasn't even looked at his bed. He takes naps every now and then but—'

The clang of metal hitting metal crashed behind me and interrupted the Captain's words. I turned to see Sam smiling proudly next to a newly cut hole. 'Done!' He beamed, holding his hands at the opening.

'What the Hell was that?' the Captain screeched.

'You coming in or what, Teabags?' Sam laughed and put a foot into the sphere.

My breath stopped as I watched a three-fingered hand grip the edge of the newly cut hole. A tall humanoid creature emerged from the blackness and lumbered out into the open. It stood on two gaunt legs covered in shining gold armour. Its torso was triangular with a ring of pipes wrapped around its lean stomach. Two puny arms, covered in the same plated yellow metal, extended out of its rickety shoulders and at the end of its forearms, three-fingered hands curled into fists. Under the blue lights, its exposed skin looked grey and translucent.

Perched atop a slender neck, the alien's stout head boasted an ugly wrinkled face. It was clear that at one time, this being had a pair of impressive antlers, but now one remained. A jagged stump was all that was left of his right antler. Through tiny black eyes, he looked at Sam and me. The most curious thing is that I didn't see a mouth on his sagging face. Through the jowls and folds, there was no gap whatsoever.

The alien raised a hand. On his palm, a wide slit spread open and leaked white fluid. The newly formed gash moved up and down. 'Ah, humans!' the alien said through the tear, 'please, come, we have much to do.'

I could hear someone saying my name. They were speaking from a faraway place, and they were getting angry. I looked down to see that I hadn't hung up on the Captain and she'd heard the alien.

'Who is that?' she roared, 'Fletcher! Fletcher, are you listening to me! Who is that? Who's with you?'

My hand trembled. I moved the tablet back up to my helmet and kept my eyes on the alien with its extended paw. 'Captain, we... We've made contact.'

'Are you experiencing a problem?' the alien kept its cold stare. Its eyes never blinked.

'Teabags...' Sam looked at me. I'd never seen him so white.

'Thomas Fletcher, I demand you to tell me what's going on!' the tablet howled at me. The Captain's voice hurt my eardrum, and yet I was too frightened to move the device away.

'I see that you are in contact with someone.' The alien peered at my hand. 'Are they on Earth?'

'They're, uh...' I felt my jaw drop. I couldn't believe what was happening. 'No, they're outside.'

'How do you know the name of our planet?' Sam crowed.

The alien twisted its dumpy head. 'I know many things about your world, but now is not the time to explain how.'

Sam took a step and the alien recoiled. 'What the Hell do you mean, "Now is not the time"? Now is the perfect time! How do you know what our planet is called? What do you know about Earth?'

'Please!'

'Sam! Stop!'

'Fletcher!' Captain Maximova shrieked, 'I am going to count to three and if you don't answer me, I'm going to--!'

'What do you know? Tell me!'

I pressed a button on the side of the tablet and ended the call to the Captain. I put the device into my trouser pocket and started sprinting. I closed the gap between Sam and me and grabbed hold of his hands. With a mighty push, I edged him away from the alien. 'Stop.'

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it with a look of defeat. He shoved me back and said, 'I don't like this.'

'I know you don't, but give it a chance.'

'Hostility within humans has already been observed,' the alien said over my shoulder. 'I am not surprised by your actions.'

The tablet started to vibrate. The Captain was calling back. I let go of Sam's hands and plucked the gadget from my pocket. 'Oh, sod off, Olga!' I snapped, and turned it off.

'Teabags?'

'I'm taking control,' I said, feeling a fire start in my belly. My body was now aching with pain. 'If you can elect to hide things, then so can I. I also don't need Olga screeching at me. I've got a bad enough headache as it is.'

'Yes, you have multiple wounds. I can heal those.'

'You,' I turned and faced the alien. 'You need to tell me how you know what our planet is called. How do you know that?'

'I see that you will not abandon this topic so I will relay information: I have been monitoring the signals coming from your world for quite some time. I also picked up your local transmission.'

'So that's how you know English. You've been spying on us.'

'I know many languages.' The alien bobbed its head and looked around at the hall. He moved his hand closer to his body.

'What's wrong?'

'It has been a significant amount of time since I have been out here.'

'So we broke you out?' Sam wiped his nose and coughed. He slotted his saw onto his belt and said, 'are you a criminal?'

'To some.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

The alien pinned its tiny black eyes on Sam. 'I did not lie when I said that we have much to do. There is a great deal that you need to assist me with.'

Sam shook his head. 'Need to?'

'Of course! Reclamation cannot occur without express permission from your leader.'

'Whoa, hey!' I raised my voice, 'what's being reclaimed? What're you talking about?'

'Humans, please. Assist me.' The slit on the alien's hand closed up and more white fluid coated his palm. He started to plod away with his armour clanking as he went.

Sam leaned in as he walked past me. 'We need to watch this thing,' he whispered.

'Why?'

'I don't like what it's saying.'

'We've just met it, I mean him, whatever.'

Sam pulled away. 'You're doubting me? You remember the fungus, right?'

'Yeah, but not everything has to be evil. Let's give him a chance, okay?'

'We don't even know his name!'

'You're assuming he has one!'

'Oh, is that how it is?' Sam scoffed. 'I'm telling you, I am not afraid of this thing, you got it?'

We followed the alien as he trundled across the hall and up the spiralling platform. He walked with slow and mechanical steps, as if each stride pained his body. As he led us, I inspected his attire and noticed that the tubes around his chest were grafted to his skin.

He reached the first podium and placed his sticky palm on the glass. A torrent of runes appeared on the screen and trickled downwards.

'What is that? What're you doing?' I gasped as I watched the glyphs appear.

The alien arched his back and wiggled his fingers. The dripping mouth reappeared on his free hand. 'I am making preparations for reclamation. I am, obviously, assuming you'll co-operate.'

'And what if we don't?' Sam cocked an eyebrow.

'Then we will all surely die,' the alien said, and left the monitor.

'What did you say?'

'Look, I'm sorry about my friend,' I placed my arm across Sam's chest, 'he's a little jumpy. See, we met another intelligent life form on a ship out there and it wasn't very friendly. Actually, it tried to kill us.'

The alien carried on walking. 'What was your response?'

I looked at Sam with an uneasy frown. 'To defend ourselves,' I said.

'Does your friend believe that I am a threat to your safety?'

'I—?'

'I can speak for myself,' Sam snapped, 'and no, I don't.'

'So why are you cautious?'

'Because you might be.'

The alien swivelled his shoulders round. 'I admire your discipline.'

'Thanks.'

'I also hold my suspicious about you, that is why I have not divulged my title.'

'Wait,' I said, 'you have a title?'

'Of course!'

'And we can't know it?'

The alien passed its stare to me. 'I will tell your highest in command my personal details.'

Sam sighed. 'Right, so we're just worker ants or something to you, right? You know, we crashed our damn ship in your hangar. We've been through a lot to get here, so--!'

'Your piloting ability is none of my concern, nor is the capacity of your ship to withstand gravity wells. You are asking me to be emotionally invested in something that has nothing to do with me.'

'Oh, you're a real cold customer, aren't you?'

I slammed Sam in the chest and he tottered onto his back foot. 'Would you calm down?'

'You want me to calm down? Teabags, we're just lackeys to him. Look at him, he's not even excited to meet us.'

'That is untrue.' The alien reached the second terminal and applied his hand once again. More strange letters appeared. 'I am pleased that you have arrived and that reclamation is likely to occur.'

'There's that word again...' Sam mumbled.

'Due to personal preference, I will not tell you about myself, but I can offer you information about this ship and the ones outside.'

I left Sam's side. 'You know about those?'

'I know about all the vessels in this immediate area. To not know such information would be counter-productive. I find it unusual that you'd ask such a question when the answer is so blatant.'

'Wait, you said all the vessels, right? Does that include ours?'

The alien stopped walking. 'I am aware of the Pangaea.'

I could detect a hint of pride in his voice. A vague touch of arrogance that he knew he was ahead of the game and we were ten steps behind. I cleared my throat and said, 'is the Pangaea the ship that you want to reclaim?'

'It is the only option.'

'Oh?' Sam crossed his arms, 'so you've got us bent over a barrel?'

'Sam!' I hissed.

'I am unfamiliar with that phrase.'

'Look, I'm just saying, the way he's talking about things, it's like we got no choice. We don't know anything, Teabags. We don't even know what kind of air this thing breathes.'

'Atmospheric conditions within this ship have been tuned to your biological needs, not mine. If you need further assistance, please let me know.'

I rubbed my shoulder. The pain in my arm was as strong as ever. 'That sounds like you don't care about the air content.'

'I don't, for I am adaptable. You are not.'

'But, that's... That's impossible. You can't just stop breathing!'

'My lung capacity is far greater than yours. I shall be content for--'

'We'll keep our helmets on. Thanks.' Sam barked. I could hear him walking around behind me. I watched as he poked the nearest terminal. The screen kept producing shapes and letters. 'So, my biggest question is what's the deal with those horns on your head? We saw a set just like those on the Wreath.'

The alien looked to me. 'What is the, "Wreath"?'

'It's our name for the ship outside that doesn't have vegetation on it.'

'Oh. That.' The alien turned around and ambled away. His metal plating shimmered as he slogged along. 'That is not a ship you should've visited.'

'Why's that?'

'For many reasons! You wasted much of your time and resources investigating it. Were you unaware that my ship was sending a signal?'

'Whoa, hold up!' Sam yelled, 'You sent the Poseidon Transmission?'

An echoing thump bounced around the room as the alien stamped one of his flat feet against the ground. The nails on the end of his three toes rapped across the floor. 'This conversation has become frustrating. I will not answer any questions until I speak to your head of command.'

'Yeah? Well, how about we won't talk to her until you talk to us!'

The alien let out a rasping growl that sounded like stones and metal being ground together. 'I will answer one question,' he conceded, 'but you will have to decide which one I answer. Once I give you the information you seek, you will contact your leader and you will bring them to me.'

Sam bobbed his head. 'Fair deal.'

I snatched his arm and led him away. I glanced over my shoulder at the alien and smiled. 'We're going to talk between ourselves before we present you with anything, is that okay?'

'My preparations for reclamation will not be performed quickly.'

'Okay. Be with you soon!' I ushered my teammate down the spiral and to the ground floor. The alien carried on touching the podiums lining the platform.

'So we're asking him what the Wreath is, right?' Sam began, 'because I got a suspicion that he was the cause of—'

'The Wreath?' I gibbered, 'you're going to ask him about a dead ship? What about the Martini? What about that fungus? What about this place? What about him? You're going to waste our one question on a ship that had nothing sentient on it?'

'There was nothing sentient on it because whatever was on it had been murdered! This isn't just a mission into the unknown to follow a signal; we're also solving the mystery of a murder scene. We've got to look at the bigger picture.'

'The bigger picture is that a talking mushroom tried to kill us and this alien here, the one standing right in front of us, knows about it. He's aware of its existence! We've got to know what he knows!'

'Yeah...' Sam glanced up at the ceiling. 'So, what if we asked something about him?'

'Like what?'

'I don't know! You're the languages guy! You think of something!'

'You're the one who doesn't like him! Why don't you clear that up? Maybe get to the bottom of your grudge.'

Sam feigned being offended and put a hand on his chest. 'Oh, I'm sorry, Teabags, are my instincts getting in the way?'

The truth is that they weren't, and I was thankful for Sam's protection, but I worried what our host would make of Sam's relentless bitter attitude. Of all the people to make first contact, I think that we were amongst the worst choices. It's funny how fate doesn't care for choice.

Sam itched his armpit. 'You got a question yet, because I'm stumped. Everything I want to ask him comes with a follow up question.'

'Yeah, I got something.' I put my hands up and shouted, 'excuse me! We've got a question.'

'What would you like me to answer?' the aliens voice came booming back.

'When we call the Captain, will you kill us?'

The alien didn't reply. I could hear the clank of his armour as he carried on walking and the beep of more terminals turning on.

'What the Hell are you up to, Teabags? That's your question?'

I shrugged and repeated my question. 'I said, when we call the Captain, will you—?'

'I heard your voice,' the alien snarled, 'but now I am wondering why you think I would end your life. What benefit would that give me?'

I smirked. He'd fallen for my bait. 'The same benefit it gave you to kill whoever was on the Wreath.'

'Teabags!'

'That execution was delivered through logic, evidence and reasoning.'

'So it was you who did that...' I puckered my lips and raised my eyebrows. 'There you go, Sam. I solved that mystery.'

My teammate slapped me on the back. 'Nice,' he laughed. 'So, big fella, what was the reasoning?'

'You've asked one question. Bring me your leader.'

I knew I was pushing things. One question had already been answered, but I had to find out more. I had to dig deeper. The alien didn't look to be particularly busy, so I knew he wouldn't be distracted. 'Why would we bring her to you, since you just admitted you're a murderer?'

'I am not a murderer!' came the reply.

'But you killed someone, eh?' Sam added.

I heard a couple of angry stomps and then footsteps. The alien raced down the spiral ramp on his fragile legs with his arms flailing by his sides. He got to the bottom and squared up to Sam. 'I am not a murderer.'

'So what are you then? A liar?'

'I am no liar, either.'

I coughed. 'Okay, on Earth, when someone kills someone else, they commit murder.'

'Or manslaughter.'

'Yeah, or manslaughter... It depends on circumstances. Did you accidentally kill whoever was on the Wreath?'

'No,' the alien said.

'So it was on purpose, which leaves murder.'

The alien drew back his head. White eyelids flicked across his black eyes momentarily. 'The Horn was killed through mercy, not malice. They were an accomplice, but their failure and subsequent capture meant that they had to be terminated.'

'They?' Sam said, 'but we saw just one pair of antlers...'

'Your observation skills are not impaired.'

'The Horn must be a title...' I mumbled. 'So what's yours?'

'I am The Conductor,' replied the alien, hoisting his arms wide. The light glistened off glossy plating. 'I am the leader of the uprising, and the rightful heir.'

'The heir to what?'

The Conductor thrust his arms down and pinched Sam's helmet with two of his skinny fingers. 'You will bring me your leader now. We do not have the luxury of waiting. Reclamation must happen. Tell your leader I expect them.'

I put my hand in my pocket and retrieved the vibrating tablet. Olga was still trying to get through to us. I winced as I picked up the call. 'Hey, Captain...' I said through gritted teeth.

'"Hey, Captain"? Is that what I get? You are relegated from your position! You are dismissed! You are--!'

'Someone wants to meet you,' I said, staring at The Conductor.

'Someone? Who? Is it the being you made contact with? What've you said to them?'

'Captain, according to our friend, we don't have much time. We need to you come aboard.'

Captain Maximova cackled. 'Leave the Pangaea? You do remember Hoshi's condition, don't you? I can't just abandon—!'

'You are the leader?' The Conductor stepped forward and wrapped his fingers around my wrist. They felt cold.

'I am Captain Olga Maximova of the United Nations Vessel Pangaea. Who are you and what're you doing with my crew?'

The alien did something that looked similar to a curtsey. He put one of his knotted feet in front of the other, dipped his body to the floor and tapped his antlers with his fingers. 'I am The Conductor. It is a pleasure to contact you finally.'

'So it's been you who's been making so much noise?'

'Yes. I require your assistance with reclamation.'

'Fletcher, what's he talking about?'

I pulled my arm back and rubbed where The Conductor had grabbed me. 'I have no idea, but he's set on talking to you. He won't answer any of our questions. He said he'll only answer yours.'

'How does this thing know that you're not the Captain? How does it know that Sam isn't?'

We looked at each other and then to The Conductor. My stomach fell.

I spoke first. 'She has a point. How do you know that?'

Sam slithered his hand down his thigh towards the saw. 'I think you should answer his question.'

'Since your leader is present, I will oblige. I made contact with your ship, but I believe your systems interpreted it as an attack.'

'You could say that,' Sam jeered.

'Through the bond I created with your ship, I was able to retrieve information readily.'

'The spiral and the thunderbolt...' I gasped. I thought back on every time I'd seen the icon, from the screens of the Pangaea to the front panel on the alien craft in the hangar.

The Conductor peeled off a gold plate attached to his arm and presented it to me. The icon was engraved just below where it would attach to another metal slab. 'Is this what you're referring to?'

I rubbed my thumb over the carving. 'So this is your signature?'

'It is customary in my society to leave an impression on what you have claimed.'

Sam cleared his throat to get The Conductor's attention. 'So you've claimed our ship?'

'That's for your leader to decide.'

'I'm not going anywhere,' the Captain decided. 'I can't leave Hoshi. She's too sick. We can do everything from here.'

I checked the battery of the tablet and frowned. 'Um, no, Captain, we can't. This thing doesn't have much life left in it, and we lost all of our electronics when the Eagle crashed.'

'When the Eagle did what?'

'Your leader must come to me. I must meet them.'

'Yeah, okay, I get it,' I said, putting my hand against my visor. 'Captain, there was a problem getting into this place. There's a gravity well that pulled us right out the air. Our Eagle is down.'

'Right,' she sighed, 'and now this thing wants me to do what you did, just so I can meet him? I don't like it. I don't like this, "reclamation" either.'

'I know, Captain, but I think—'

'What is the condition of your wounded?' The Conductor put his paw next to my head.

'What?' I yelped and almost dropped the tablet. I put the call on mute and looked at The Conductor. 'Sorry, what did you say?'

'Your leader mentioned someone called, "Hoshi". They are indisposed, yes?'

'Uh, yeah, she's got hypoxia. It's when the brain doesn't get enough oxygen, I think. She's really sick, and that's why Olga, I mean, the Captain can't leave her. I don't know if she can meet you.'

'I can heal her.' The Conductor turned and started to climb the ramp again.

'What did you say?' Sam wheezed.

'I have technology that will cure anything you are suffering from. Fixing the body is effortless once you--'

'You can save her? You can save Hoshi?'

The Conductor pointed one of his fingers at the pipes swinging above us. 'There is a large supply of medical paste flowing within those tubes.'

'Paste?' I clucked.

'Correct. It is designed to repair any injured specimen it encounters.'

Sam sneered, 'so you just so happen have some magic glue that'll fix Hoshi's brain? I don't buy it, man. No technology is that advanced.'

'Your understanding of nanotechnology and biology is limited, whereas mine is not. I can see that your friend has an impaired limb. If you wish to test my assets, you may do so on him.'

I touched my shoulder. Even the slightest graze made sparks of pain rocket up and down my arm. My head felt like someone was banging it with a mallet. 'Do it,' I said, cringing as I focused on the fluttering pain. 'We've got nothing to lose, and Hoshi isn't getting better.'

'Teabags, that stuff... It sounds too good to be true.'

'Just like you said, we're over a barrel.' I glanced at The Conductor, 'hey, fix me,' I said.

'As you wish.' The alien knocked on the closest podium and glared at me.

A single hose uncoupled itself from the roof and dropped down to ground level. The snake-like tube writhed around and then swayed in my direction. It coiled around my arm and I felt something wet leak across my skin.

My legs gave way and I fell to the floor. 'Ah! Ah! Ah!' I howled, feeling a cold liquid seep through my suit and advance up to my shoulder.

'Are you okay? Does it hurt?' Sam said, getting down on one knee. He put a hand around my neck and cradled my head.

I roared. I couldn't think straight, let alone talk. The pain was beyond imagination. Everything felt like it was being set ablaze and then ripped apart. Every nerve endured pure pain. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe; it was just the pain and I.

I wanted to rip off my suit, free my body, and escape from whatever The Conductor was doing to me, but my muscles weren't listening to me. They were constricting, pulling, swelling and quivering. My mind did its best to pull back control, but it was too late. I was lost to the torture.

And then it stopped.

A cool feeling surged up my fingertips, through my hand, up my arm and into my shoulder. The pain was washed away and a sense of calm overtook my mind. I propped up my body onto my elbows and smiled weakly at Sam.

He looked back at me with his mouth open. 'Wow...' he whispered. 'Are you okay? That was crazy! You were... I've never seen anyone act like that!'

'I don't want to do that again,' I said, checking out my arm.

'Pain is a side effect,' The Conductor announced, 'restoration of the nervous system, native cells and muscle tissue will produce powerful effects.'

'I doubt that'll matter to Hoshi since she's catching forty right now. You okay to walk, Teabags?'

I got up and span my arm in a circle. I moved my hand up to the ceiling and then down. It didn't hurt. 'It worked,' I said, 'it really worked. It's just... It's fixed.'

Sam beamed and ran to the start of the ramp. 'That'll work on Hoshi?'

'Yes. Now bring me your leader.' The Conductor replied.

I picked up the tablet and unmuted the microphone. 'Captain, we've found something that will fix Hoshi. Completely.'

'Is that right?' she purred. 'What makes you so sure it'll work?'

'Because it worked on me.'

A pause. 'What did you do?'

'The Conductor has this special fluid. It's made my arm better than new and he says it'll make Hoshi come out of her... You know...'

'So that's the gambit: get me there and fix Hoshi, but for what? Our ship? What does it want with the Pangaea? Surely this thing has us beat when it comes to technology, so what's it's—?'

'Time,' The Conductor announced, 'is running short. I have no more patience left. I insist that reclamation must occur.'

The Captain sighed. 'Okay, put Sam on the line. If this is the only way we're going to save Hoshi, I guess I'm going to have to take it.'

I handed Sam the tablet and he said, 'Hey Captain, what's up?'

'This gravity well... Tell me how to get through it without breaking any bones.'

He put his hand behind his head and rubbed his helmet. 'Well, you're going to need to reverse thrust to maximum just before you hit the end of the hanger. You're going to think that's a bad idea, but trust me, as soon as you start falling, you'll need every bit of—!'

'And what do I do about Hoshi when we're dropping out the sky?'

'Yeah, that's a tough one. I guess throw a bunch of soft things in the airlock and tape her down.'

'Are you joking?'

Sam scrunched up his nose. 'Not really.'

The Captain let out a moan and said, 'tell that thing I'm on my way.'