EvO (Darverius, House of DaR #16)

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

EVO

The rising seems to turn quickly to darkness as we continue the search for the remaining pods. Their shiny exterior is what has been hiding them from us as they reflect the hues of the Nebula back like mirrors, making them practically invisible to the naked eye.

Ember took it upon herself to make sure all who were working in the helm are made as comfortable as possible, by passing out sustenance and liquids throughout the rotation. Rafe winking at her makes ViN growl and their bickering helps keep the tensions down as the hours continue.

I am just about to relieve them all from duty and have the Destroyer hold her position when the other group of pods comes into view. These , I can already tell, are in rougher condition. Some of them have broken apart, leaving the main cryo tube exposed to the elements of space. From the info gathered, it appears the red lights are an indication of Pod failure. Receiving this new information puts a huge dampener on the earlier festivities. My own heart saddens quickly with the sight of every red one in view.

Silent tears flow from Ember’s eyes as she stands silently behind ViN . No matter how many times I suggest it, she refuses to sit down or even rest as we pull in more of the pods. ViN told me in confidence that he knows she is secretly praying her parents were launched as planned, but I can see her previous excitement dimming as there seem to be more pods damaged than intact.

When the Destroyer’s sensors show no other pods directly around us. I hear a deep sigh of relief from everyone. “ Destroyer , inform our replacement crew to report to duty and send a final count with each pod’s information to my personal data comm. Crew , you have done a remarkable job, rest and we will reassess what needs to be done next rising.”

Even when ViN gets up, stretching his massive form, Ember doesn’t move. Her eyes are still searching, and I make myself look away from the intimate, caring moment when ViN takes her face gently in his hands. He whispers something to her before pulling her into his large frame. His eyes meet mine and I can see her pain reflecting in his own. Seconds later, he swings her up in his arms and strolls out.

“ Frack , that was intense.”

Rafe’s words have me turning back to him as I too am hesitating to leave. “ You were thriving on the action.”

“ Possibly , but after sitting here staring out at nothing for so long, I will say, I was becoming quite lazy. If we locate many more, we will have to find another way to secure them until we can bring them in. The lower-level clamps are not holding the way they were designed. I don’t know if some of the pods are heavier or just misshapen because of the damage they have acquired as they were free-floating through the galaxy.”

“ Once the Destroyer finishes retrieving all the data, I will go over it to see if I can find the cause. I agree some of the pods have me concerned as well. Several of them were blinking orange and I wonder if that means they are on the verge of failing.”

“ Captain , it’s too bad we can’t see inside them clearly, that would have helped us determine what we would be dealing with once we get out of this Nebula . Now that we know how to locate them, the retrieval process should become quicker. I never thought I would say this, but I am ready to head back to boring old space.”

“ Until we can re-establish communication with Father , I agree, Rafe . I am not sure where our next course will take us. To be honest, I didn’t expect to find this many. While I am pleased that we were able to recover so many, I have a feeling this may cause a separate issue in itself. I have much to think upon.”

“ So , the original plan of delivering them to Darverius directly doesn’t seem feasible, right?”

“ They are the only survivors of a dying planet. If there had only been a few, their best option would have been with Father and the others already on Darverius , but now, I am not so sure. However , we will take this one small step at a time. You are hiding it well, but you must be exhausted.”

“ I am, but I’ll never be able to rest now. I feel like time is not going to be our friend and some hard choices are going to have to be made.”

“ Sounds like someone who is trying to take my job.”

“ Nahh , but your seat is a lot more comfortable than mine. I’ll leave all the big decisions up to you, Captain .”

The doors slide open and the chatter of the next crew coming in the door interrupts our conversation as the others await further instructions from me. Rafe sneaks out the door as soon as all the questions start flowing. It feels like it takes forever for me to get them all settled.