Jai’s order came through. “Imehia to the med bay.”

  Fuck! I froze and felt Xirob’s fear overwhelm me.

  Corey can do this, I said. Don’t think like that. Xirob, please.

  Kyle, I’m sorry. I know…I trust you all. As does my sister.

  I almost let out my emotion, only just managing to rein it in.

  I focussed back to Corey as he was holding his own. We all were. But barely.

  Then I heard Denn scream at me from the opposite side of engineering. I managed to pool enough power from her side to the lasers.

  “You can’t!” she shouted, but I already had.

  The ship seemed to stall, judder, and then stop. It had never been a physical feeling before, but this was.

  Then I did the next best thing I could. I supported Tesay and helped her to the medical bay while I watched the battle outside through Hiroto.

  Jai was now on the bridge and in full command of the freighter once more. When he said fire, our laser banks were drawing from the best place: the engines. It was a last-ditch effort to stave off the fighter that was left and be ready for the cruiser when it came in, which it was doing, and it was locking on.

  When it fired, I knew there was going to be a hit somewhere. Trajectory, Hiroto?

  The image flashed up in my mind. I froze.

  “Fuck,” I said aloud.

  “What is it?” Tesay asked.

  MISSION LOG

  SAVE THE ORPHANS

  Y/N

  I forcibly hit the yes, with everything I had in me, making sure it knew I was never, ever going to say no.

  “Soldier barracks.” And I ran, ran faster than I ever thought I possibly could. The kids.

  I was never going to get there in time. I knew it.

  Guys, I said.

  I can’t get through, Hiroto said. I can’t tell them to get out!

  Hiroto’s emotions were as strong as mine despite we’d still not had the time to visit the kids.

  We got you. Do what you can, he said.

  I let both of them manage my body while I sunk into the ship. I had never thought it possible to be aware of everything all at once. I heard notifications going off in my head, and I knew I was doing something that no one had before.

  The nanites flooded towards the crew quarters, and I secured myself with the comms in the area.

  “Centre quarters. Now!” I said, each compartment, each area…so tight, so secure. Wherever this was going to strike would be devastating.

  I saw the projectiles coming in, not one or two. Four missiles. I could hear Jai and Tyto screaming on the bridge, and the ship strained beneath my feet.

  “All personnel,” Jai’s voice came across the main ship’s comms. “Brace for serious impact. Main location, crew quarters.”

  Xirob worked my body as much as Hiroto and Xe were working with me. My instructions were so fast I was barely thinking about it, just acting.

  The nites are all in place, Xe said. They are ready.

  I was almost there.

  The deck beneath me was suddenly there no more. I shot up into the air, tucked myself up, and took the brunt of the momentum like I’d fallen ten feet. Two ribs shattered.

  KYLE RANZ – HEALTH 62%

  The oxygen around me whooshed, and I was sucked forward and down. I slammed into the deck with almost as much force as I had going up. This time, I rolled through, and even as agony spread through my back, I was back up and on my feet, wobbly but pushing forwards.

  I could see the damage from Hiroto’s sensors and the nites. I didn’t need to hear the sirens and the screams. Oh God, the screams.

  Ahead of me, one of the bulkhead sectional doors was closing. It was to protect the rest of the freighter. I knew we were breached. But I had to be on the other side. The signal to the nites would be weaker, and I needed full control or they would do what they knew to be orders from the past. I needed much more from them.

  “Kyle,” Tyto’s voice came through to me. “We’re going to lose the area. There’s nothing you can do!”

  The pain with each step and breath stung, but I pushed past it, making a last-minute hitch to slide through the door. The clunk as its solid metal connected left me feeling trapped but capable. The smell of burning ozone filled the air. I didn’t have to fight now to save them. My own life was at risk.

  “Tyto, use the laser banks. Finish them!” I shouted.

  I observed the damage. The hull was breached in one main place, but luckily it wasn’t directly centre to where the orphans had been staying. Their bunks and rooms were somewhat intact, but the area was losing O2 and damned fast. There must have been a tiny, tiny hole somewhere, and although our shielding was trying to protect us, it was failing. I leaned against the wall for a moment and found the breach. Xirob wasn’t sure what I wanted from him. Get me as close to the breach as you can.

  As I started to move off again, I brought my nites all together. Xe, I said. They are tiny, but they are mighty.

  I let my instructions through once again and I heard Hiroto gasp. You’re what?

  There’s only one way that breach is getting fixed.

  As I closed in on the area, it was clear it was pretty huge, not like half the ship was being pulled apart, but it was consistent and in three spots. The outer shielding was holding for now, protecting us from all being sucked into space along with the O2. But it was still leaking out, and it wasn’t going to last for much longer. I could see that several of the adults were out and also trying to fight small fires that had started along the perimeter. Fires that were spreading.

  One of the women looked at me. “What can we do?” she asked.

  “Keep the kids occupied. I’ll do everything I can.”

  She nodded and gathered the others up. Now most of the fires were out, it was mostly dealing with broken bones, and injuries.

  I watched as they ran off, tackling the last couple of fires and sparks where wires and sections of the ship’s internal structure were exposed. Some of them were rerouting power and other bits and pieces. I stopped briefly to help one; he smiled before thanking me as I moved on.

  I looked to the holes now. Two of them were tiny; the last one would be much harder.

  Xirob, I said. I’m gonna need you here. You’re going to have to pull me through this. I’m no way near powerful enough.

  I know. You’re crazy. We’ll do it together.

  I leaned on the hand barrier before me, feeling the cold metal. I watched as below I could see the kids and their carers moving around. There were a few severe injuries, but they couldn’t get help till I fixed this hole.

  I focussed, feeling my Kenosi within. Then I looked out, to my nites, to the structure of this ship.

  I was sure no one had ever tried to fix things on the go. Always doing things methodically, safely.

  But they were on a ship, in the black, with death knocking at their door.

  I felt the material around me, started to see it on that fundamental level I needed to break down. The nites’ orders were as simple as mine. I needed them to help close the gap to seal us off from space. They could keep the shield going while I worked.

  Energy started to pulsate all around me. I could feel it being drawn in, and I needed it, a lot more than what I had.

  The metals were already solid, thicker than any I’d melded in the engine room. But that was practice…safe.

  I was putting everyone here at even more risk. There was no space for me to be jettisoned out, nothing stopping me from going too far and opening up the side of the hull even more.

  Don’t think, feel, Xirob said.

  So I did.

  Energy pooled and swirled. The ship floated, still moving ever so slightly even without power. The fight was still not over. I heard Corey’s woohoo as he landed a few more missile shots at anyone that was out there. I had no idea if we had gotten them all. Were we winning? Then I saw he got more than a few hits to cruiser one, and it was out. Cruiser two was next. We were all fighting for our lives, and I had to as well.

  Heat. I needed more. The metal started to boil.

  Hotter. I watched as the temperature gauge moved. Then it was hot enough.

  The metals started to move. I flexed my fingers, like I could push it…push it to where I wanted. Stretch it to cover those damned holes.

  The material was white hot. The air around us growing less and less dense. My eyes flickered to the levels.

  O2 - 42%

  There were a lot of panicked kids in here. A lot of lives riding on me doing this correctly.

  My body started to shake. I felt my hands trembling on the bars. They weren’t cold anymore; they were hot. But I was bearing it.

  The first hole was close to sealing over. I felt like the molecules were resisting that last push, and I had no choice other than to force it. No sooner had I got them together and sealed did the nites move in, also protecting the area. Rapidly cooling it down, strengthening what I’d done.

  I moved to the next one. It was smaller, but I knew I had the hardest one left. I didn’t know if I could.

  Yes, you can. Xirob kept me going. Those few words made all the difference.

  I pulled in more energy, and the flow quickened through my core up and out the top of my head. There was no pain. Sheer exhaustion washed over me.

  Out in space, I saw lasers strike the cruiser, lancing deep into its hull.

  Jai’s terse words struck me hard as they came to me. “Kyle, we’re not losing you, no matter what. Both Imehia and Miquel are in the med bay.”

  He didn’t need to say any more. I felt more emotion rolling in from Xirob, but he pulled it in quicker than the last time.

  Sections of the cruiser split apart, and there was a great release of tension around the ship. The freighter’s stance immediately moved from Red to Amber; and we were out of immediate danger. Thank fuck.

  I concentrated back, felt the heat around the area reaching the temperature I needed, though I struggled. My body shaking had gotten worse, and I sank to my knees.

  O2 - 21%

  They didn’t have much longer. Even if I could survive with less oxygen, it didn’t mean they could. They were kids, injured. They needed more.

  I pushed on, sweat running in rivers down my back, dripping from my nose.

  But as I focused, the hole started to close over. Heat bellowed through the area. I felt as though I was on fire too.

  You are burning up, Hiroto said. You can’t push it much more.

  I looked to the next hole. It was at least a meter in diameter. I glanced to the barrier I’d been holding to see my hands no longer held on. They were pulling the hot metal down towards the deck in an uncanny hot mess.

  I laughed and let go, seeing the metal drop to the floor. Instead, I leaned back on my haunches, looking out to the hole with that fire in my eyes.

  Xe and her nites were struggling. The shield was failing. We had less than minutes, all of us. Jai and the others were safe, but this section was still a loss. I thought to the picture of all the kids. The adults. I saw it—them—in my mind.

  I was exhausted, and the decision to pull back to let myself live and them die…I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t.

  Kyle, I believe in you, Hiroto said.

  I do too, came Xirob’s voice once again. Together, we’re stronger, remember.

  I closed my eyes, trying to breathe in, but struggling. I knew if I were, then the kids were suffering more.

  I literally had nothing left to give.

  We can do this, Xirob said. Just one more push.

  Just one more, I repeated. One more.

  When I opened my eyes again, I could see the hole. Could see the material around it heating up. I needed much more than I had around the other two holes. So the area around it also needed to be hotter than ever. I then saw some of the occupying pipelines. Gasses. Electrical. Fuck.

  Then more voices came to me. “Kyle we’re doing our best, don’t stop.”

  I wasn’t sure if it were Jai, Tyto, or Miquel. Probably almost all of them.

  I also saw and heard Sadie’s voice from the med bay. “We’re ready and waiting, Kyle. When you get that locked down, we’re here. We can take them.”

  I could see her and many others, others from the paying decks. They had kits, O2 tanks. Lots of stuff. They were banding together, supporting each other.

  The fact was, no one was giving up, and that moved me.

  I tried to focus some more, the hole and around it reaching peak temperature. Closing. Slowly.

  The odds were bad. The deck around me getting as hot as the barrier had. And I felt my skin burning. I was literally on fire.

  KYLE RANZ – HEALTH = 24%

  I could see words and other things flashing before me. I didn’t have the capacity to do this. Xirob may have been a master, but I wasn’t.

  No matter how much I wanted to, this was against me. All of me. I couldn’t save them.

  O2 - 12%

  Sparks, and a fire broke out beneath me. The O2 was being sucked out faster though and the fire quickly died.

  As the final words flashed before me.

  YOU HAVEN’T ENOUGH ENERGY

  YOU FAILED YOUR MISSION

  THE CHILDREN WILL DIE

  YOU WILL DIE

  But then I saw something else as I fell backward on the deck, panting, exhaustion, and lack of oxygen taking its toll. There were people on the outside of the hull.

  I grinned.

  “Don’t you worry, kid. We got it from here,” a voice came through to me. “Take a breather.” Was it Stan? I wasn’t sure. I’d not spent that much time with him. I needed to get to know all the other team members better. He was now saving my ass.

  I sighed and watched as the hole was covered up in an instant. I could see welding spots as they worked as a team to start systematically sealing the area. The shielding still held, barely. I ordered the nites to help seal as much as they could now the area was cooling. And they focussed in waves to help where they could.

  I panted hard, seeing the O2 level start to rise.

  “Fantastic job Kyle,” someone said.

  I looked behind me to see some of the adults come out with flushed faces, but with canisters to keep fighting the fires below. I watched as plumes of smoke billowed upwards.

  I heard a hiss as the main bulkhead opened back up. The whoosh of oxygen filled the area, and the medical team ran in.

  Notifications went off in my head, but I didn’t look. There wasn’t time, and I didn’t have the heart to see what all this had given me. It just felt wrong.

  I saw Sadie and Ocas go straight to the area with the most obvious hurt patients and the others all spread out.

  It was Lara that came to me. She took a knee before me, offering me a bottle of water, which I took with a wince. My hands were severely burned, and I sipped carefully.

  “You weren’t giving up no matter what?” She stared at me with those bright yellow eyes.

  I sucked in more water and almost choked. She reached over and patted my back. I coughed up blood and looked to where the hole had been.

  “General?” I asked through comms.

  “One cruiser is destroyed. The other is down. Tyto and I are readying a boarding party.”

  “What!” I spat out. “Why?”

  His voice came back thick, but stern. “We need the parts, Kyle.”

  Shit. We were boarding to take their ship apart. That meant the team going over there would have to kill anyone else left alive. I pushed myself up. I had to be in that boarding party, but my feet wobbled. Lara helped me, but she wobbled with me.

  “I have to be on the team,” I said to her.

  Shaking her head, she said, “No, Kyle. Let them do this; we need you better so we can get the ship moving once more. We need you healthy.”

  “They’ll kill…”

  I stared into those yellow eyes and saw her emotion. “Yes, they will. If anyone is alive, they will kill them. They have to. They can’t join us here, and we will be taking everything worth having off their ship.”

  “But…”

  She leaned into me. “Kyle, you can’t save everyone.”

  As she helped me walk out of the crew’s quarters, my heart sank. I knew she was right.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Everything had taken a heavy toll—the freighter, the fighters, the injuries. I should have gone to the med bay, but Sadie and Ocas had their hands full with everyone else. I would be fine with a few extra potions and buffs, and I made my way with Lara’s help to the mess hall, where I sat while she pulled a few bits together from the earlier meals. She then sat with me while I self-healed and ate, but she rested her head on the table, hardly talking. I called up my stat sheet to see what I’d learned, how I’d grown. I knew it was going to be a big one. I saw the Quick Points awarded, and breathed in deep. I needed it. I needed it to save more people I’d started to care for.

  I should have been excited for the prospects that came with them and the additional ten stat points to assign. My whole character sheet was growing on this journey.

  Hiroto? I asked.

  Here, Kyle. What’s up?

  Where’s best to put it all? I didn’t know. I couldn’t think. There was so much I wanted to do. So much I needed.

  Xirob was the one to answer. All ten to constitution and then double it.

  You’re sure? Hiroto asked.

  He shows more promise with Kenosi than anyone I’ve ever seen before. Yes. I am sure.

  I trusted him, I did as he recommended and then read through all my changes.

  Kyle Ranz - Contains –

  Name - Hiroto Toshiaki

  Level = 26

  Name - Xirob Veti

  Level = 112

  Name - Kyle Ranz

  Human/Denti

  Year of Death - 2629

  Class = Fighter/Sorcerer

  Age 18 + 1

  Level = 28

  Respawns = 2

 

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