Galaxy (GIVEN UP)

Chapter 11

"Virge?" Roman asked, sounding worried. "How's the engine holding up down there?"

"It's good!" Virgil said. "Why? Ya sound worried, Princey."

"Would it hold going faster?" Roman asked.

"Probably?" Virgil hedged a guess. Really, he had no clue. He'd never worked with an engine this powerful before and he hadn't had time to fiddle around with it and check.

"Probably?" Roman repeated, his voice going up an octave. "Is that a yes probably or a no probably?"

"It's a maybe probably, Princey!" Virgil snapped. "Why?"

"Cause we need to go fast." Roman said. Virgil sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair.

"Punch it and we'll see." Virgil called up.

"Huh?"

"Punch it!" Virgil yelled, standing up. "And we'll-" The ship rolled, knocking Virgil off his feet. He landed on his back. On the corridor above the engine room.

Virgil rubbed his chest and tried to gasp a few breathes. The fall had winded him.

"Genar Light, Princey. Are ya tryin' to kill me?!" He wheezed. He coughed and tried again.

"Are ya tryin' to kill me, Princey?!" He asked louder.

"Nope." Roman's voice said from down the corridor. "Just trying to knock the Resistance off us."

Virgil rubbed his chest again and dropped his legs over the rim of the engine room.

"Did it work?" He asked.

"No."

Virgil rolled his eyes and dropped down into the room. "Well, don't try it again. I don't really wanna die today."

"Maybe you should find someway to sit still." Roman suggested.

"Don't test me, Princey." Virgil said. "I'm the one keepin' us both alive here."

"Mhm, mhm, whatever." Roman said, a smile in his voice. "Anyway, where're we headed?"

"Closest oxygen-based planet." Virgil said. "We need supplies and an easy place to rest. And since ya're from E-75, we need somewhere where ya can breathe."

"Hey, I can breathe on non-oxygen-based planets."

"Yeah?" Virgil asked. "Name one."

There was silence. "Mars." Roman said.

"Ya blew it up 3 Light Years ago." Virgil shot back.

"Hoth."

"Ice planet." Virgil said. "There's enough oxygen in the ice for it to be E-75 anyway."

"Tatooine."

Virgil froze. He closed his eyes and took a breath. Now wasn't a good time for unhelpful memories.

"Carbon-based planet." He said. "Ya turn that shit into oxygen easy as."

"Oh, damn you." Roman said. He didn't sound angry, he was almost laughing. Virgil smiled.

"Whatever, Princey." He said. "Just get us somewhere and lose us that X-Wing. I'm counting on ya."

"Rodger that." Roman said.

"Hey, Virge?!" Roman yelled. "I lost the X-Wing!"

"That's great." Virgil said.

"No, I mean I actually lost it." Roman said. "It imploded."

"What?!" Virgil jumped up and scrambled out of the engine room.

An X-Wing had imploded? While it was on their tail? But The Osiris didn't even have any working weapon and, even if it did, they were only two people. Two people who were fully occupied. So how and who had reversed the X-Wing?

"How bad is it?" Virgil asked, swinging into the pilot room.

"Complete molecule reversal." Roman reported. He threw a hologram around the room. "There."

Virgil spun the hologram back and watched the X-Wing. It was there one second, tailing behind and gaining considerably, and then a light seemed to blink out of nothing and it was gone. Virgil blinked and spun it back again.

"That don't make any sense." He said, watching the light. He spun it back again and paused it. "This light, what was it?"

"I don't know." Roman said. "I thought it was a black hole or something but that wouldn't explain the light."

"Complete molecule reversal..." Virgil muttered. "That should be impossible, shouldn't it? Everything has a state it reverts back to, it can't go further tha'that."

"That's what I thought too." Roman said grimly. "Guess we were wrong?"

"No." Virgil said. "That... that can't be wrong." He shook his head. "I've studied molecules - well, I had to, didn't I - and ya shouldn't be able to reverse molecules beyond their original state. It's physically impossible. Scientifically impossible."

"Not anymore, apparently." Roman said. "Look, the closest planet to us is an oxygen-based world. We can stop there. We should be safe."

"Yeah..." Virgil wasn't really listening. "Yeah, okay."

It was scientifically impossible to create a complete molecule reversal. Everyone knew that. But Virgil knew someone who'd always wanted to break that rule. Always wanted to create a complete molecule reversal, no matter the danger to himself or others...

*evil giggling*
Oh, I love this.
Bye,
Blaize