Another Life (Oc x reader)

Chapter 49 - Invitation

(S2:E2)
Ethan lands in the Achaian vessel. "And I'm in."

The crew stands on the observation deck.

"Comms check?" Ethan asks.

"We hear you, loud and clear." You tell him.

"Copy that."

"Keep your suit on. My readings indicate that the atmosphere's unbreathable." William tells him.

"No objections from me."

Ethan walks out of the shuttle and looks around and the black space.

"There's nothing."

Jason frowns. "Nothing?"

"There's no signs of life?" You ask him.

"All I'm seeing are occasional energy bursts. Otherwise, it's empty.. Completely empty.. Doesn't make any sense. It's not like this is some satellite station. They have to be here somewhere."

"My scans are picking up an energy signature. To your left." William tells him.

Ethan turns to his left. "Yn, I'm sending visuals now." He says and you make it appear on the big screen for everyone to see. "Are you seeing this?"

"What is it?"

"It's a light. It's big.. forming something enormous."

"It could be billions of nano-machines working together." William says.

"Or maybe they are the Achaia." Richard says. "A hybrid of energy and machine."

"It's like the ring is alive. Inviting me in." Ethan says and walk toward it.

As he walks he hears the whooshing from the energy bursts around him on the ship.

"Yn, do you copy?"

"I copy." You answer.

"I'm about half-"

You frown. "Ethan?" Not getting an answer, you turn to William. "William?"

"I can't tell whether Ethan's comms and vitals are being blocked.."

You frown with wide eyes at him and turn to your tablet and go to your workstation to see if you can do anything from there.

"Can you unblock them?" Jason asks William.

"Not with the Achaian technology that's doing the blocking, no."

Jason sighs. "Well, we always knew this could happen, we could lose contact."

"Are we sending someone over?" You ask him.

"Not yet." He tells you.

"It's a negotiation." Richard says. "So, let Ethan negotiate. Build up some goodwill. If we interfere they could take that as aggression."

You frown. "So blocking us, that wasn't aggressive?" You ask them. "How do we know they're not putting an implant in his head?"

"Why would they do that? What would be the point?"

You scoff. "Turn the Commander of the Salvare into a planet-killing brain slave?"

Jason puts a reassuring hand on your shoulder. "Yn, you know Ethan would never let that happen."

"Like Javier had a choice." You gesture to said man.

"He was unconscious." He reminds you.

"Plus, if it did happen, I'd know the second Ethan stepped back onto the Salvare." William says.

"You didn't with Sasha-" Bernie says but Zayn interrupts him.

"I scanned him myself, Bernie. And he still outsmarted us."

"Everybody, stop. Let's not jump to conclusions." Jason says, then he turns to William. "William, keep running all the scans you can. You let me know the moment anything changes."

"Absolutely."

"Everybody else, if the Achaian wanna fortify their ship against us, we'll fortify our ship against them."

"Meaning Iara?" Richard asks him.

"She's part Achaian."

"She could be susceptible to Achaian interference. If anything we should strengthen her containment." William tells him.

Javier points to his blocker. "So far, so good with this."

"Still, I want you to run a full diagnostic. Make sure her firewalls are rock solid." Jason tells him.

"Will do." He says and leave.

Jason looks at you standing at your workstation, tapping your finger restlessly at the counter beside your computer.

"I'm going out there." Jason then says and your head whips to him, he goes to leave but Zayn stops him.

"No, you can't. It's too dangerous."

"I have to finish the work August and Oliver started."

"Wait." Richard stops him and then gives the crew a look, they take the hint and leave the observation deck. "Javier and Iara shouldn't be left alone together. Our best efforts to control her and him might not be enough. We could wake up a new engineer."

"We will. When Ethan gets back."

"Yn." William says and they look to him as he approaches you. You look at him, your eyes are slightly watery. "For what it's worth, the fact Ethan survived entry into the ring, I'd take that as a good sign." He tries to comfort you.

"For what it's worth.." You say and glance at Jason and Richard with trembling lips before looking back at William. "I don't."

...

"Have you ever been to the ocean?" Iara asks Javier, who's working from the particle accelerator room on the computer, running diagnostics.

"Which one? Earth has five."

She chuckles. "I've read that the ocean induces a meditative state in humans. The colour blue is soothing, the ebb and flow destimulates the brain and changes its frequency-"

"Silence ain't bad either."

She nods awkwardly but the gestures to around her. "I could turn this room into the approximation of a coastal resort."

"Is there a point to all this?"

"You just lost three people close to you. You're upset. It.. could help soothe you."

"That is not gonna help."

"I didn't kill them, Javier."

"No, your friends did."

"They're not my friends. I'm as human as I am Achaian."

"Exactly! You're Achaian. You're a threat to this ship."

She frowns. "And you're not? That piece of Achaian tech sitting inside your head, keeping you alive, that's not dangerous?"

"We are not the same."

She chuckles. "Oh, that's right. Only one of us is blocked behind a firewall."

He goes to leave but then stop. "It's not all that.. The ocean."

"So you have been."

"Once." He scoffs a laugh. "Yeah. All those tourists and garbage on the beach. No. Not fun. Not relaxing. But.. thanks for thinking of me. And them."

"I am sorry.. Javier, you're not free either. Not really." She tells him but he just leaves the room.

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