In the Wake of Stars

Chapter 4: Shattered Illusions

Nora finished rewiring the access panel, her heart still pounding from her encounter with Cal. She’d expected him to act like a self-absorbed jerk, but there had been something else lurking beneath his bravado, a flicker of genuine concern mixed with something darker. She couldn’t allow herself to dwell on it; he was still Cal—the insufferable guy who thrived on teasing and tormenting her.

After checking the connections, she sealed the panel and stood up, shaking off the tension that had knotted in her stomach. If Cal thought he could intimidate her, he had another thing coming.

Climbing back up to the bridge, she found him slumped in a chair, fingers dancing over the console, his attention fixated on a screen filled with complicated schematics.

“Did you fix it?” he asked, not bothering to look up.

“Of course,” she replied, trying to keep her voice steady despite the rush of emotions. “The auxiliary power is online. But that’s not going to help us figure out what happened to the pilots.”

Finally, he turned his head to meet her gaze, his expression unreadable. “What do you propose we do then? Go on a scavenger hunt in the bowels of this ship? Because I’m not really keen on playing hide and seek with ghosts.”

“Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to check the logs again,” she suggested, stepping closer to the console. “There might be more clues, something we missed before.”

Cal rolled his eyes, the amusement in his voice palpable. “What? You think scrolling through corrupted files will magically reveal their whereabouts? I’d rather eat vacuum-sealed protein packs.”

She felt a flash of annoyance. “At least it’s something. You can’t just sit here and wait for answers to come to you.”

“Look, I get it. You’re a go-getter. But sometimes, it’s better to wait and let the dust settle,” he said, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head, a casual pose that belied the seriousness of their situation. “You’ve got to know when to play the long game.”

“Since when do you play any kind of game that isn’t ‘let’s make Nora’s life miserable’?” she shot back, her patience fraying. “You just don’t care.”

“Right, because caring is all that matters.” He leaned forward, locking eyes with her, a hint of steel in his voice. “It’s not about caring; it’s about survival. You want to play hero? Fine. But don’t be surprised when it bites you back.”

“Why do you always have to be such an ass?” she snapped, frustration boiling over. “It’s like you’re trying to get under my skin on purpose.”

“Maybe I am,” he said, a dangerous edge to his tone. “Maybe I want to see how far I can push you.”

Before she could respond, a sudden alarm blared, the shrill sound slicing through the tension like a knife. Red emergency lights flashed, bathing the bridge in a harsh glow. Nora’s heart raced as she rushed to the nearest console, her fingers flying over the controls.

“What’s happening?” she shouted over the noise, adrenaline surging through her veins.

“System failure,” Cal said, his voice low but urgent as he studied the screen. “The core is overheating. We’re losing power to the main systems!”

“Can you stabilize it?” she asked, her mind racing.

He swiped his fingers across the panel, scanning the data rapidly. “I can try. But we’ll need to reroute some energy from auxiliary power. It’s risky.”

“Do it!” she shouted, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “I’ll monitor the coolant levels.”

Cal’s fingers danced over the controls, and for a moment, they worked in sync, adrenaline fueling their focus. The alarms screamed louder, drowning out everything but the urgent need to save their ship.

As she monitored the readings, she felt the heat radiating from the engine room beyond the bridge, the air growing thick and oppressive. “We’re going to breach the core! We need to cool it down now!”

“Got it!” Cal replied, his voice sharp. “Redirecting coolant flow…now!”

The ship shuddered, metal creaking around them as they fought against the impending disaster. Nora’s heart raced as she watched the numbers fluctuate on the console.

“Come on, come on!” she urged, her fingers pressing against the screen, willing the systems to respond.

Cal's face was tense, and she could see the determination etched in his features. “Almost there… Just a little longer!”

With a final surge, the alarms blared one last time before abruptly falling silent. The lights returned to normal, the tension easing as the readings stabilized. Nora let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, relief flooding through her.

“Nice work,” she said, turning to Cal, who looked equally relieved, though a trace of his usual smirk remained.

“Not bad for a princess,” he replied, and she rolled her eyes, but the spark of adrenaline had eased some of the tension between them.

“Now can we talk about what the hell just happened?” she said, crossing her arms as she caught her breath. “What caused the failure?”

Cal’s expression darkened, the smirk fading as he leaned back in his chair. “I have a feeling it’s tied to whatever happened to the pilots. We need to find out more. If this ship’s systems are compromised…”

“I don’t want to think about that,” she interrupted, a chill running down her spine. “But you’re right. We need to investigate.”

“Great,” he said, his voice a mix of sarcasm and sincerity. “Let’s go play detective. But remember, you wanted to lead this mission.”

“Together,” she insisted, her resolve hardening. “If we’re going to get through this, we need to trust each other. For once.”

Cal’s expression was unreadable as he nodded, but she could see a flicker of something in his eyes—a grudging respect, perhaps.

“Fine,” he said finally, standing up and moving to the door. “Let’s see what kind of mess we can find ourselves in.”

As they stepped into the corridor, the weight of their situation settled heavily on her shoulders. She knew they were in over their heads, but at least they were in it together—enemies turned reluctant allies against the darkness surrounding them.

And maybe, just maybe, there was more to Cal than she had first believed.