Fire Sky

Chapter 6 - Battle of the Hellfire

Chapter 6 - Battle of the Hellfire

Atlas obediently followed the light with his eyes even though he was twitching with energy.

"Looks like everything's fine Captain. No damage or concussion at all. Why'd you head down here?" Jack asked him. Jack was the on-board medic and in the four years he'd worked in dedication on this ship, and managed to keep everyone better than alive through all their adventures, Atlas had only ever come in unconscious. He could tell there was a curious worry in Jack's brown eyes, but telling him anything would not be a good idea. His crew moved dangerous goods across the universe, no need to worry them about anything that might...not exactly be good for them.

"Just needed to make sure I didn't crack open my thick skull, as Lorik would say." He grinned at Jack's worry until the medic shook his head in exasperation and made his way back to his desk.

The medical bay was the large. There were 8 cots, all the latest medical equipment as per Jack's stubborn demands, a small desk where Jack worked and a port hole to look out into space. 

"Are you actually in here willingly?" a shocked question came from behind him. Atlas turned toward the door on the other side of the medical bay and found Lorik standing there with a computer tab in his hand and an overly-dramatic shocked look on his face.

Atlas rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Tease all you want. I actually came to see if that unplanned heroic flight may have some extra effects that I don't know about."

Lorik moved in and sat on the empty cot in front of him, smiling as he handed over the tab. "You mean your idiotic flight stunt that probably gave me more grey hairs than I care to admit? Nah, no way. You're probably just down to minus brain cells in that empty head of yours but other than that, nothing major."

Atlas scoffed and looked over the ship's logs. The whole crew was accounted for, all the fighter ships fueled and ready, all the weaponry was up and running and the power cells looked like they'd hold steadily for the next month or so. "

"Atlas."

Hearing the concern in his friend's voice, Atlas looked up at Lorik, "What's up treinye?" he asked, calling his dearest friend brother in Carthenion which was Lorik's home language.

"Don't you pull any of that treinye crap on me. Why are you really getting checked out? We both know that your skull is thicker than the hull of this chip and this rickety bucket of bolts has gone back and forth through more than a few black holes and come out in one piece. Tell me," he leaned forward to whisper, "what's really going on?"

Atlas knew he couldn't  hide anything from the person who'd practically raised him once his father had died. "I can't speak about it in here."

Lorik nodded and both got up, leaving the medical bay. They walked round the corner, back towards his quarters where they could speak privately. Once there was nobody in sight, he stopped and spoke quietly in case anyone was listening. After all, this was a ship where a lot of aliens with useful skills lived and worked. "I think I'm going insane."

"Pssht! I know that. Were you aware that you took a nose dive out of a glass window today or was that someone else?"Lorik said as he leaned back against the wall and folded his arms over his chest. His leather space suit made him look like a huge slab of black leather but the weapons strapped across his chest, waist and back were the ones that really took the menacing aura to a whole new level.

"No," Atlas said smirking at his friends dry humour, "I actually mean it." The humour in him died down as he became very serious, "You know that girl we picked up?"

"The one that looked like a glow worm? What of her? Isn't she still with the kid?"

Atlas shut his eyes, "Damn what I wouldn't give for that to be true."