Spectator

Chapter Sixteen: Then

"You were on the shield generator team, weren't you?" Kali asked.

"Very astute," Jae smirked, always managing to sound more teasing than condescending. "We were, alas, but you're looking at the last of it." His hair was slicked back from sweat, a streak of soot across his pale cheek. There were two others with him, who she recognized as Khalil and a girl named Revlon who Kali had only had in her squad once. They both looked more than a little shaken, and definitely in pain. Revlon was stocky, with brown skin and wavy dark brown hair, and a queasy look on her face. Khalil was slim, more gaunt than Jae, with a smattering of freckles across his tawny skin. They were both attached to the health station, which would simulate the distribution of medicine and painkillers.

Kali checked her Hub. Jae was still at a 90 out of a startling 110, but the other two were less than fifty.

"What happened?"

"They went hard for the generator. One of those ships came out of the nebula."

"Basking," Revlon coughed.

Lan gave her a pat on the head. "We named them after sharks," he explained. "Cylindrical shape, very big mouth, containing those piercers. Wasn't really deterred by our shields with all that big spearing metal. I called for evacuation before it hit."

"No-one else made it?" Kali asked.

"Comms are down," Jae pointed out, and then added, almost with a hint of vulnerability in his eyes, "I don't think so. Some were gone before the torpedo even hit. We got lucky; consoles surged on our way off the deck, nearly took us all out."

"Would have taken me out, if not for Jae." Revlon corrected, looking equal parts sheepish and admiring. "He got hurt saving my ass."

"Three is better than two," Jae said with a flourishing bow. "And now we have four! So really, things are looking up. But I seem to remember that you weren't sent off on your own, Kali?"

He had noticed her assignment? "Lost her," Kali said, annoyed at the crack in her tone.

"Lot of that going around," Jae told her. "Well, we're heading to the PCB for what might be our final stand. But before we get there - the last thing I saw before we abandoned the shield generator was a bunch of little - what were you calling them?"

"Silvertips," Revlon supplied. "With some Horns."

"Smaller ships, made for piercing the hull. Probably remote controlled," Jae translated. "And the bigger ones with the landing parties. Our outer shield might be compromised, but they are going to have to land if they want to get anywhere past the outer levels."

"This isn't going well," Khalil grumbled. His hitpoints had been upped to over sixty, but there would be a limit. "We're going to lose."

"Feels like we're meant to," Kali replied. When the three pairs of eyes found her, she added, "Doesn't it?"

"Cynical of you," Jae said. "I can get behind that."

Feeling strangely flustered, Kali tried and failed to brush back some of her hair. "It just seems like it's a test of character rather than one to beat."

"If it's all the same to you," Khalil groaned, "I'd rather win."

"What's your damage?" Jae asked, gesturing to her to join them at the station.

"Burns," Kali said, wiggling her hands as much as she could. She stepped up to the dispenser unit. It was limited, especially with already treating Khalil and Revlon, but she got enough to lessen the pain, and allow more movement in her fingertips. She'd take numbness over excruciating needles.