The Fringe Wars

1.27

Corrupted Illusions

Critch

Critch watched as Doc and Sixx lugged Reyne to the medical bay, and wondered if the old captain would pull through. Even with the blue stain, Reyne was too pale, and his hair clung to his face.

The pirate waited for the launch countdown to finish. Beyond the launch pad, all he could see was water. He imagined how much easier life on Terra would've been with this much water.

He grimaced. He hated thinking of Terra. He hadn't lived there since the Uprising, and his final days there—the worst days of his life—haunted him still.

They'd been safe and secure at Broken Mountain. They'd even been planning an attack that would've changed the entire course of the Uprising. But then, the CUF snuck through the tunnels in the dead of night. The torrents never stood a chance. The CUF never would've found those camouflaged tunnels on their own, and no sensors could've picked them up. That the CUF came through all the tunnels at the same time meant one thing. Someone betrayed the cause.

Coincidentally, Reyne had left the day before with several medics to check on civilian injuries. At the time, Critch had assumed Reyne had been killed. It wasn't until after the attack when he put two and two together.

Reyne was the traitor.

Critch became a hardened leader that day after learning a final and the most valuable lesson from his mentor.

Don't trust anyone.

For many years, he'd wished for Reyne's head on a platter, for some kind of retribution. Only now, seeing Reyne weak and injured, he found a strange feeling of sympathy toward the traitor.

The panel chimed, signaling the countdown was nearly complete. Glad to focus on the launch, he brushed aside memories that only complicated things and worked on getting them off Myr and to Alluvia.

*

Reyne woke to a pleasant numbness.

"You're awake."

He turned groggily, and Doc's blurred slender form sharpened into view. "How long have I been out?"

She cupped his face with warm hands. "Three days."

"Too long." He started to sit up, and placed a hand over the tender bruise on his side. He pulled up his shirt to find a bright pink scar buried under a clear, gel-filled shell.

"Be careful." She touched his chest. "I kept you under for your body to mend faster, but you still need time."

"We're clear of Alluvia's space barrier, courtesy of our buddy, Boden. Prepare for landing."

Reyne pushed off the table to his feet and stabilized himself against the spinning room.

"You need to rest," she said, holding him steady.

When the room slowed its spinning, he held an open palm out to her.

She pursed her lips, looking down at his hand and up at his face. After a short battle of the wills, she relented. She opened a drawer, tore off a strip of pills, and placed them in his hand.

Her hands went to her hips. "You're a fool if you think you should be moving around. You should stay in bed."

He grabbed an additional strip of pills and wagged it at her before pocketing it, then headed toward the bridge without a word. When he entered, he found Boden at his seat and Critch in the pilot's seat. The mechanic was the first to notice Reyne, who tilted his head in a silent greeting.