Boll, S, Capt: Lieutenant.

Carlin, M, 2nd Lt: Yeah?

Boll, S, Capt: Lieutenant, I’m so sorry.

Carlin, M, 2nd Lt: Um. Okay.

Carlin, M, 2nd Lt: What are you sorry for?

Carlin, M, 2nd Lt: … Syra?

SYSTEM MESSAGE: COMMAND CHANNEL HYPATIA

07/30/75 15:37:14—Hangar Bay 2 system check complete.

07/30/75 15:42:42—Airlock seal integrity confirmed 100%.

07/30/75 15:45:10—Command override received.

< Acting Captain Syra Boll ident confirmed. >

07/30/75 15:46:17—Core command PR-001.ID#2 acknowledged.

<purging>

<purging>

<purging>

07/30/75 15:48:10—<purge complete>

Mason, E, LT 2nd: Kady?

ByteMe: Ez

ByteMe: where r u? u ok?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: they’re dead

Mason, E, LT 2nd: jesus christ

ByteMe: who?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: sanderson, griggs. bodie. maybe all of them, i don’t know.

ByteMe: tell me where you are. are you secure?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i don’t know

Mason, E, LT 2nd: fuck

ByteMe: are you behind a locked door?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: yeah. jammed shut. vents too

Mason, E, LT 2nd: fuckers came in through the airshafts, Kady. stole right up on us.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i couldn’t do anything. fuck, i tried. there were just too many.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: they snatched griggs right out of my arms. sanderson’s blood is still all over my suit. i can’t get it off. its all over my fucking hands all over the console

Mason, E, LT 2nd: those fucking BASTARDS

ByteMe: I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.

ByteMe: we have to keep you safe. that’s what’s left to do. we have to find you somewhere you can hole up until command realizes they can still save people

Mason, E, LT 2nd: fuck, i cant get this BLOOD OFF

ByteMe: Ezra, listen to me. you have to keep your head, you have to focus. you’re still alive, we have to keep u that way. don’t you dare lose your shit now, you hear me? focus.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: my hands r shakingso bad i can hardly type

Mason, E, LT 2nd: oh god

Mason, E, LT 2nd: ok

Mason, E, LT 2nd: im ok

ByteMe: whole shuttles of people made it over here

ByteMe: they let them on board and everything

Mason, E, LT 2nd: jesus i’mscared

ByteMe: it’s going to be okay. u just have to hang on.

ByteMe: how much power do u have? i need to work out where you are, whether I can show them an access route in to you. if there’s a way in, then all i need is an offer they can’t refuse.

ByteMe: and i’m the only one left in the fleet now who knows how to hack the Hypatia

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i dunno where i am. somewhere below deck 40

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i’m trying to make it to one of the server rooms.

ByteMe: thats good.

ByteMe: if AIDAN is protecting itself, they’ll be the safest places on the ship

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i can hear them outside

Mason, E, LT 2nd: fuck i can hear them screaming

ByteMe: don’t listen

ByteMe: think of me, think of home.

ByteMe: i dont have a lot of time, i think we’re going to leave the Alexander behind soon, AIDAN or no AIDAN. i have to try and talk to the captain. slow the hypatia down, shut her down if i have to. they won’t be able to fix her if I take her down.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady u cant come here

Mason, E, LT 2nd: you’ll die too

ByteMe: well i’m not leaving u, so thats really the end of that discussion

ByteMe: what do u think, i’m just going to sail off into the sunset and leave you to be eaten by the mob out there or blown up by the Lincoln?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i want you to get out kady

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i want you to live and tell the truth about what happened here

Mason, E, LT 2nd: jesus, someone has to

ByteMe: then i better get to work convincing my new captain that the sooner she rescues you, the sooner we can run away very fast from the Lincoln

ByteMe: and if she won’t help, i’ll find another way

Mason, E, LT 2nd: god im sorry Kady

Mason, E, LT 2nd: im so sorry for everything

ByteMe: what could u possibly be sorry for?

ByteMe: none of this is you. it’s fucking BeiTech, it’s messed up software in an AI that thinks it’s saving us, it’s your dead commanders making stupid, arrogant choices

Mason, E, LT 2nd: kerenza. all the fights we had. all the excuses i made. all of it

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i should have told you i loved you every day

Mason, E, LT 2nd: i should have given you the stars

Mason, E, LT 2nd: and now its too late

ByteMe: it’s not too late until it’s over

Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady

Mason, E, LT 2nd: it IS over

ByteMe: it’s not.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady, don’t you fucking dare come over here

ByteMe: i have to go. stay safe. check in as soon as i can.

ByteMe: love you

Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady DONT

Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: shit

Subject: What’s left

Date: 07/30/75

Stuff doesn’t matter.

That’s what They say.

I wonder if They’ve ever tried losing everything?

I left Kerenza with nothing but the clothes I was wearing, and I lost those soon after. They were covered in blood, and nobody thought I’d want them. Maybe they could have been repaired, but instead they went into recyc, and I scrubbed the blood from under my fingernails and got a ship jumpsuit instead.