I didn’t have to force myself to stay conscious at first. Not really.

Gem’s quiet sobs were like daggers to my heart, keeping my eyes open and my hands moving. My heart pounded sluggishly, each beat sending ripples of pain across my back.

The cheer that sounded over the speaker once Drac reached the other ship helped keep me going but it was the explosion that brought me back from the brink of exhaustion.

Elliot had just left his ship when the warning came over my screens. I’m sure you probably know what happened better than I do. We’ve had meetings and there was a full investigation launched to find out if what caused the ship to explode but honestly, I haven’t been able to focus.

Everything seems so pointless now. I try to listen but my mind just wanders off. It feels like I’m watching my life go by but I’m stuck, not doing anything and not feeling anything. The other day I spent hours doing nothing, just staring at a wall, because I didn’t have the motivation to get us and do something. There’s no point. I couldn’t keep the people I love safe.

I think it must have been a well-placed shot but it could have been a bomb. Something caused it to detonate and send shrapnel and debris across space.

“Elliot!” Aquila’s cry came across the comms. “Come in! Do you hear me?”

I tore my eyes away from the screen to see Andy blankly staring at the screen, his hands frozen motionless about Tuc. His eyebrows creased in concentration and I knew he was using his mods to try and speak to Elliot.

My heart pounded in my head, making me dizzy, as I made myself look back at the screen and keep firing, using only the scanner to aim. My eyes kept flicking back to the main screen as I waited.

It felt like the silence stretched on for a long time but realistically, it could have only been a few seconds.

“He’s still alive,” Andy said, clearly reading his vitals. “He’s somewhere there!”

He went back to working on Tuc as Aquila barked out orders.

“Lace, go get him!”

“On it,” Lace confirmed, their voice grim.

A wave of helplessness crashed into me again. Elliot and Andy have spent so much of their lives apart, they both deserved better. I needed him to survive.

“What can I do?” I asked Andy quietly.

“Just keep shooting,” he said.

I nodded, turning the main screen back to the ships before us and firing rapidly as I waited for an update from Lace.

More ships were downed, countless people murdered because of the Council. I watched the scanner out of the corner of my eye as Lace neared the wreckage.

“Shit, I’ve got him,” they said after a while.

Some of the tension slipped from Andy’s shoulders but he didn’t look up from Tuc.

“Is he alright?” he asked.

Another couple of ships went down as I waited anxiously for the response.

“He… Geez, he looks a mess but he’s alive. Shall I bring him to your ship?” Lace asked.

I knew that Andy wanted to say yes but he glanced towards Cory and Gem before shaking his head slightly.

“Take him to Ryan on Lep’s ship. Ours is full,” he said.

“Got it.”

My vision started to spin again and the ships on the screen in front of me began swimming hazily. I bit my lip hard, tasting blood, trying to use that to stay focused but my head started to lull back against the headrest.

I snapped it forwards, glancing at the scanner again. Lace was at Lep’s ship, surely we’d be able to leave soon. We were a giant, dangerous target where we were.

“I’ve got him now, Andy. I’ll update you when I know more,” a new feminine voice said over the comms.

“Thank you,” Andy breathed. “We’re about to start moving, has everyone got their harness on? Cory, make sure you’ve engaged your boots and have your stabiliser on.”

Cory glanced down as if he hadn’t even realised he’d forgotten and quickly snapped everything into place.

I looked down at my own chest, slowly realising that my harness wasn’t on either. My hands reached clumsily for the straps, fumbling as I tried to get it into place. It took too long and when I looked up, Andy was watching me worriedly.

His eyes narrowed briefly and I got the feeling he had more mods than I expected. He watched me for another moment before looking down at Tuc, his lips moving ever so slightly.

“Aries,” his voice said over the comms. “Do you need medical attention?”

His eyes flashed up to me and I shook my head.

“I know that’s a lie. Is it immediate?” he replied.

I let out a sigh, my head dropping back again. My pain was excruciating. It felt like my entire back was on fire but I was still conscious and I hadn’t started vomiting blood which would indicate more significant internal injuries.

I shook my head again.

“Okay, we’re going. I’ll keep it as steady as I can,” Fornax warned us.

I dragged my hands back up to the joysticks again, trying hard not to look at Cory who has his back to me as he worked on Gem.

My body and brain begged me to give up, to succumb to unconsciousness, but I used every ounce of my strength to keep fighting and firing against the ships that pursued us. It took all of my attention and I’m ashamed to say I didn’t even realise when it happened.

Tuc died.

He succumbed to his injuries, the ones he gained saving us, quietly and unceremoniously. It was the opposite of who he was and I know it’s not how he wanted to go. He once told me that he wanted to go out in a flash of light and a blaze of glory, shocking everyone and sending ripples across the universe. I think he was half-joking about that. He wanted to do something heroic and he did. He saved us. He did everything he could.

He didn’t go out in a loud, noticeable way. He just quietly slipped away but still, he’ll be remembered by everyone who knew him. If Gem were still alive, she’d say that he’s someone safe now, with his girlfriend and kid. That they were all together, happy, for the rest of all time.

I don’t believe that though. He’s just gone.

So is she. I didn’t even notice it. Her dying cries were so loud despite all of the painkillers and sedatives that Cory had given her. It was the absence of noise that made me look up. Shocked silence rippled through the bay.

Cory wasn’t even crying. I think he knew there was no point. There was nothing more he could do.