Another Life (Oc x reader)

Chapter 47 - Venting Plasma

Richard and Ethan are crawling in the vent on the way to the observation deck.

"The Zakir had been massacred." Ethan shakes his head. "The ones left standing were hiding away in caves, like animals. Yet they're afraid of us?"

"Well, what if they are? What if Iara is telling us the truth?" Richard says.

"The Achaians destroyed an entire planet!"

"And this ship could destroy theirs."

Ethan sighs and gets down the ladder to the observation deck.

You're there working. When you see Ethan climbing down from the vent you don't react but then you notice another man coming down after him. When he turns around you recognise him.

"Richard?"

He smiles friendly, walking to you. "Yn. It's good to see you."

You meet him halfway and give him a hug. "You too."

Ethan walks to you, frowning at the bruise forming on your hairline. He reaches for it, but you move away.

"What happened?"

"I just hit my head."

"Are you-"

"I'm fine." You say and go back to your work station.

With a sigh, Ethan turns back to Richard. "Okay, so they're afraid of us. And?"

"They have emotions. Those emotions drive them. They're afraid. Meaning they may even wanna talk."

"Diplomacy instead of war? With them?" Ethan crosses his arms.

"In my experience, even the most irredeemable war criminals have their reasons. The time I spent on the ground, infiltrating armed forces in the South China Sea, you get to know these people. They're fighting to protect their families, their way of life. No, it's not an excuse, but understanding who you're fighting and why is critical."

A loud crash shakes the ship.

"William?" Ethan calls for him.

He appears. "The FTL bubble just took a major hit from a remnant of Zakir."

"We've got to get out of the debris field."

"The field is still too dense." You tell him.

"We stay in here and get destroyed or we die trying. Come on, get in the Crow's Nest with me."

You follow him with your tablet, taking a seat beside his pilot seat.

"Everyone find something sturdy and strap in." Ethan tells everyone through the comms.

"Another large piece of Zakir is about to hit the FTL ring." You tell him, seeing the piece approaching from behind the ship on your tablet.

Ethan looks out at the field as he buckles himself in. "This is gonna be rough!" He warns everyone on the ship.

The piece hits the ring. "I'm reading structural failure." William tells him.

"Redirect everything you can to the FTL bubble. We're almost through! Hold on!"

"We're out in five.. four.. three.. two.. one. And we're through." You announce and glance at Ethan breathing heavily from the adrenaline as he flies away from the debris field.

...

"Other than some dislodged remnants of Zakir, the vast majority of the planet's remains are hundreds of thousands of kilometers from us." William informs.