Another Life (Oc x reader)

Chapter 10 - Two Birds, One Stone

Erik tries calling Ethan, over and over again, sitting in the cafe. He tries calling you and doesn't get any answer then either.

Then he's approached by Harper Glass, a famous media influencer. She asks if his brother is dead. Erik tells her that this isn't one of her gossip shows and to leave him alone, but she wants to know the truth about what's going on. He then tells her that he won't answer her questions and leave himself.

She smiles as she watches him walk out of the cafe. "You just did."

...

"We got something." William says. Ethan, you and Michelle walk over to him.

"What is it? A comet?"

"It's too big for a comet." William tells him. "I think it's a planet."

"Uh, planets usually have these little things called stars." Michelle tells him.

"Not if it's rogue. Bring up visual." Ethan tells you. But you're not here. "Uh.." He looks around for your tablet.

"I got it." William says and make it appear on the screen for them. "Alright, we've got an atmosphere. 60 percent nitrogen, 30 argon.. 10 percent oxygen!"

"Ten keeps us breathing. Chart a course. Prepare to land."

...

"Water on this planet burned off into space eons ago." Ethan tells everyone when they meet in the observation deck.

"What it lacks in water, it makes up for in a mineral called ringwoodite. Rongwoodite contains an abundance of both hydrogen and oxygen, in these caves." William says, showing on the screen.

"Two birds, one stone. We can go to the caves and mine the hydrogen and oxygen. Javier, Bernie? Go outside. Do a visual inspection."

"Yeah, we'll check the engines and modules for any damage the sensors might have missed."

"Uh, I'm not an engineer." Bernie says.

"Javier is. Just follow his lead." Ethan tells him, but Bernie seems nervous. "Bernie, nothing's gonna happen if I don't like your question or you don't like my answer." Ethan reassures him.

"Okay, uh, I guess I'm wondering why you're sending me, not an engineer, out there. Like, why not say August or Oliver?"

"Cause they are gonna take the shuttle to the caves and mine for as much as that mineral as they can."

"Uh, I've done flight simulation, but I'm not a pilot." August tells him.

"No, our pilots down in engineering with half his skin burned off." Michelle bitterly reminds everyone.

"You won't be piloting the shuttle." Ethan tells August.

"Then who? You?"

...

"Soma deactivated."

Ethan stands over the some tube as it slides open. The pilot and his now second in command, gasps awake when the needle extracts.

"Ethan? Why am I.. Are we at Canis Majoris?"

"No."

"Something happen to Yerxa? Is he dead?"

Ethan gives Jason a rehydration smoothie and a robe, then walk with him.

"I didn't go into engineering thinking that only one of us was gonna make it out alive, but Ian just-"

"Wait. Ethan, you honestly believe that Ian was going to kill you?"

"Yes."

"Then why did he do it?"

Ethan sighs. "Cause he thought he was right. So he just went for it, and even after almost killing everyone on this ship, he just.."

"He still thought he was right?"

"He said that for some of us, most of us, this was gonna be a one-way mission. That I had to face the fact that people were gonna die.. He was right.. Sorry, I know that you guys were friends."

"You did what you had to do."

Ethan nods. "I need a pilot for a shuttle."

"You want me to fly? Ethan, I'm barely even awake."

"Have some coffee. You've been through worse." Ethan smiles and then leaves him to it.

...

The Salvare lands on the planet and Javier and Bernie walk out. Javier tells him what to do, but Bernie asks if he can take some soil samples. He tells Bernie to just do what they've been told to do.

The planet rumbles and the Salvare shakes slightly with it.

"Please tell me that was Jason's shuttle taking off?" Ethan asks.

"No, Jason left ten minutes ago. Earthquake. 4,7 on the Richter scale." William tells him. "If this was California, you wouldn't even blink."

"This isn't California!" Michelle says. "It's a pitch-black space boulder with no star that's ice cold!"

Ethan ignores her complaining and walks closer to William. "Should we be worried?"

"No. The rift valley is hundreds of miles away, though I wouldn't dillydally."

"Bernie? Javier? You guys copy? It's just an earthquake. Nothing to worry about, but the faster you finish, the faster we can get back on mission."

"Alright. No dillydallying." Bernie answers through the comms.

Michelle punch something in frustration and mutter to herself.

"Why don't you take a break?" Ethan tells her.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not, and I need you at 100 percent to get the long-range comms back up and running, so go take a break."

She stands up abruptly and stomper out. Ethan close his eyes with sigh, taking a deep breath.

"The laws on your side, you know."

Ethan frowns and looks at William. "What?"

"Military law? It's on your side. I thought you'd wanna know that."

"I didn't do what I did because it was legal."

William frowns, looking thoughtful. "Okay."

...

Jason, Oliver and August get to the caves. They found an unlimited amount of minerals and get to work on mining it.

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