In the Wake of Stars

Chapter 2: The First Steps

Nora’s heart pounded as she followed Cal down the dim, metallic corridors toward the bridge. The ship was disturbingly quiet, with only the faint hum of its systems and the occasional flicker of an overhead light casting shadowed patterns on the walls. She could still feel the haze of cryosleep clinging to her mind, making it hard to think clearly. But one thing was sharp and certain: they were alone, and their entire mission now lay in their hands.

Cal led the way with his usual swagger, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jumpsuit, looking more like he was on a leisurely stroll than facing a potential crisis. Nora’s irritation flared as she watched him, but she clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay calm.

As they entered the bridge, she took in the familiar sight of the sprawling control panels, the soft, faintly green glow of monitors illuminating the space. Everything looked untouched, as if the crew had simply stepped away for a break that they’d never returned from.

“So, any idea why the pilots would just… disappear?” Nora asked, breaking the silence.

Cal shrugged, his mouth quirking into a half-smile. “Could be anything. Maybe they got bored and left us a little surprise.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Funny. Real comforting, Cal.”

He ignored her glare, instead moving toward the captain’s console, where he started flicking through various system logs. “Look, princess,” he said, not even glancing up from the monitor, “if you’re hoping for answers, you’re looking in the wrong place. Ship’s logs aren’t showing any kind of planned departure or incident report. They just… stopped recording about a year ago.”

Nora felt the anxiety coil tighter in her chest. “A year? So they’ve been gone… for a year?”

“Looks like it,” he said, as casually as if he were talking about the weather. But there was something darker in his gaze as he looked up at her. “You can relax, though. I’m more than capable of keeping this ship on course without them. As long as you don’t get in the way, that is.”

Her jaw clenched. “Getting in your way? Last time I checked, you’re not the captain here, Cal. This is supposed to be a team effort.”

He smirked, tilting his head slightly, his gaze appraising. “Cute that you think so, but I’m not exactly counting on your help.”

“Excuse me?” She took a step closer, the anger rising hot in her chest. “I’ve trained just as hard as you. I know my way around this ship as well as anyone.”

“Do you?” he replied, dark amusement flickering in his eyes as he leaned back against the console, arms crossed. “Then maybe you’d like to prove it. Get the auxiliary power back online, princess. Seems like the cryo chambers drained our reserves a bit more than usual.”

She glared at him, but he didn’t back down. His gaze was steady, a faint smirk on his face that seemed to dare her to refuse. Without another word, she spun on her heel and stalked over to the engineering console, fingers flying over the controls as she accessed the power grid. The system hummed to life, lights flickering briefly before stabilizing.

“There,” she said, voice clipped as she met his gaze. “Now, are you going to tell me what’s actually going on, or is playing coy just your thing?”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “I’m just saying it as it is, Nora. I’m not here to hold your hand. You want answers? You’re going to have to work for them.”

She let out a frustrated sigh, feeling a deep sense of dread gnawing at her. If he was going to keep playing this game, she’d just have to dig deeper on her own. But there was no escaping the reality: they were both trapped here together, responsible for a mission that was more massive than either of them. And they were alone.

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Later, in the quiet of the observation deck, Nora tried to piece together what she knew. Their pilots were missing, and there was no record of when or why. The ship seemed to be in working order, but every now and then, she’d hear odd creaks and whirs echoing through the halls.

She almost wished Cal would appear, with his biting words and his darkly amused gaze. She didn’t trust him, but at least he was something solid in the vast emptiness surrounding them.

But when he did show up, silently entering the room, his voice was low and mocking.

“Already getting jumpy, are we?” he said, catching her staring out at the endless void of space. “Maybe you’re not cut out for this after all.”

She didn’t turn, refusing to let him see the uncertainty that had been creeping into her mind. “I’m perfectly fine,” she replied, as steadily as she could manage. “Unlike you, I’m actually taking this situation seriously.”

“Of course you are.” His voice was a murmur, just loud enough to send a chill down her spine. “But you’ll have to accept the facts, princess. Like it or not, we’re all we’ve got.”

She didn’t respond, gripping the railing tightly as she kept her gaze fixed on the stars. But his words echoed in her mind, louder than she wanted them to.

They were alone, and there was no one to rely on but each other.