Dark Matter

Chapter 7

"What the hell are we going to do?" Emmanuelle looked around the room at the rest of the crew.
"We can't keep her here," Ezra sighed, leaning back in his seat, putting an arm around Ebon casually.
"Well we can't just hand her over!" Em cried.
"We don't even know her. She tried to kill me," Amon said gruffly. "I say we just give her up and be done with it."
"She's a human being, do you really think the death penalty is the best option?" Ebon spoke up. That quieted the group.
"She's a mass murderer. A life for a life. It's like curing a disease or getting rid of a parasite," Malakai said, and the crew bickered for a while.
"We'll blow up the ship," Rizza interrupted, speaking for the first time since this debate began.
"We don't have any explosives on board," Amon shook his head.
"Ezra, you're a chemist. Can you make a bomb with what we have on the ship?"
"Well, yes--"
"Then you'll do it. I'll stay on board and detonate it. The rest of you will take the shuttle. No one will ever have to worry about Ignatius ever again," Rizza said, turning around.
"Are you insane?!" Amon asked.
"Just enough to be a space captain," Rizza replied before walking out of the room.
-----
"You're an asshole," was what Rizza was greeted with when his door opened for the first time since he left the crew. He looked up to see Malakai glaring at him from the doorway.
"I think I'm pretty heroic. You should be thanking me," Rizza stood, smiling tiredly. Malakai raced over, and Rizza was sure he was going to hit him.
But he didnt, instead pulling Rizza into a tight hug, burying his face in the others neck.
"There has to be another way," Malakai whined.
"There isn't," Rizza replied.
Malakai didn't respond.
So they stood there, holding each other for what seemed like an eternity.
When they finally pulled away, Malakai was crying. Rizza suddenly knew how strongly he felt about this. Malakai never cried. Rizza hated to see him like this. He hated even more that he was the cause of it. He wiped Mal's face.
"You can't," Malakai sobbed.
"I'm sorry," Rizza whispered.
"If you were sorry, you wouldnt do this!" Malakai's face clouded up.
"You have to live Malakai."
"I dont want to live without you!" Malakai shouted. It felt like Rizza's whole world was crashing down around him. And, he supposed, it was. He didnt know what to say, but Mal was gone before he could think of something.
And Rizza was left alone.
-----
Rizza was tossing and turning. Of course he couldnt sleep. Ignatius
and his men could attack at any moment.
And then what?
He was going to die alone.
Rizza sat up when his door opened.
It was Malakai.
"You look like shit," Malakai smiled crookedly, and Rizza's heart melted out of his shoes.
"You look worse," Rizza replied. That was a lie. Malakai always looked good.
"Shall we have a drink?"
"That would be nice."
-----
"Ignatius. On Flara-9, they call him Nasty Iggy," Malakai chuckled.
They were sitting on the floor together, passing a bottle of rum between each other.
"He doesnt look nasty," Rizza giggled, taking a drink. His cheeks felt rosy.
"Do I look nasty?" Mal smiled and took the bottle from him.
"Not at all," Rizza sighed, leaning his head on Mal's shoulder.
"I--"
Ezra rushed in before Malakai could finish his sentence.
"Is it time?" Rizza sighed, staring up at him. His buzz was gone.
"Yes," Ezra huffed, and Rizza forced Malakai up as he stood. Malakai hugged Rizza tightly, and they kissed when Rizza pulled away.
"Good luck. Remember me," Rizza said, pushing Mal out of the room.
"I could never forget you," Malakai said before rushing off.
A few minutes later, he heard the shuttle take off.
"Call the shuttle, computer," Rizza sighed. A moment later, he heard Amon's voice.
"You have to do it now, my friend," he said.
"Let me talk to Malakai," he said, but activated the bomb. There was a thirty second delay, he had time.
"I'm here, RIz," Malakai said breathlessly. "I'm so sorry for everything. I should've been better for you," Malakai's voice made Rizza's stomach churn. He was crying.
"I love you, Malakai."
The words set Rizza's body on fire and only reminded him of how unfair this whole situation was.
"What? I--"
The connection was lost. The shuttle shook belatedly from the blast.
"I love you too, Rizza," Malakai sunk to the floor. But it was too late. Tears were streaming down his face but he hardly noticed. All he could hear was the deafeaning silence throughout the room, broken by a few sobs from Lo and Ebon.
Their captain was gone. October 17, 2278, Rizza Dewitt died for his
crew. On his first mate's birthday