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.