In the Wake of Stars

Chapter 1: The Awakening

Nora’s eyes snapped open, the dim glow of the cryochamber lights casting an eerie blue haze around her. She felt the thick, syrupy weight of cryo-fluid still heavy in her lungs and blinked, disoriented, as she tried to steady her racing heartbeat. Waking up was always rough, but this time, it felt different—there was a tension in the air, a biting chill that wasn’t just from the icy walls of the chamber.

As she blinked away the grogginess, a voice cut through the silence—a voice as grating and unwelcome as a low, mocking chuckle in the dark.

“Sleeping beauty finally wakes up,” it drawled, laced with that particular blend of condescension that immediately had her shoulders tensing. She barely managed to sit up before seeing him standing at the chamber’s entrance, arms crossed and leaning against the doorframe.

Cal. Of all the people to wake up to…

“Good morning to you too, Cal,” she replied dryly, her voice a bit raspy, as she began disconnecting herself from the various tubes and sensors attached to her. He didn’t offer any help, of course—just watched her with that smirk, as if thoroughly amused by her struggle to get her legs working again.

She stumbled but quickly steadied herself, brushing off the last of the wires with as much dignity as she could muster. Cal, however, wasn’t done. He continued, his voice low and darkly amused.

“Aw, don’t tell me you’re feeling a little weak? I thought you were supposed to be the resilient one here.”

Nora clenched her jaw. She’d been dealing with Cal since training, where he’d always found ways to undermine her, constantly poking at her skills or decisions. But this? Waking up after a decade in cryosleep to find his smug face waiting for her? Not exactly the welcome she wanted.

“Did you wake up early just to annoy me, or is there an actual reason we’re up?” she snapped, finally standing up straight and meeting his eyes, which held a glint of something she couldn’t quite place.

He shrugged, his gaze never wavering. “Depends on how you define ‘annoy.’” He pushed himself off the wall, his expression shifting to something a bit darker. “But you might actually care about this. We have… a little situation on our hands.”

Nora’s stomach dropped. “What kind of situation?”

“Pilots,” he replied simply, an unsettling edge to his voice. “They’re gone.”

“Gone?” She felt a prickle of fear creep up her spine, but she forced herself to stay calm. “As in…?”

“Not here. Not in their cryopods, not in the captain’s quarters. Just—gone.” He took a step closer, his eyes glinting with something between curiosity and amusement as he watched her reaction. “We’re the only two awake, and as far as I can tell, there’s no record of when they left. Seems we’ll have to do their jobs if we want this ship to keep moving.”

Her pulse quickened. They’d trained, of course, for emergency navigation, but the idea of steering a vessel meant for generational travel with only Cal as company…

“How long do we have until we reach the next checkpoint?” she asked, more to steady herself than out of actual curiosity.

Cal leaned in, his face far too close for comfort. “Enough time to get cozy, princess.” His tone was almost a whisper, dark and laced with that unnerving charm he wielded so easily. “Guess we’re stuck with each other.”