Elizabeth sat her desk staring out at the universe. She had not slept last night.
Fourth night in a row. She just lay in bed until her brain blacked out. Then the light
came back and time had passed a little. It was morning now, or at least it felt like it.
Until Querius discovered whatever he was being paid to discover, she and the Victory
Pearl were simply floating. The stars she could see were not like the stars from the
old Victory Pearl. Before she flew to untouched worlds, and the stars were bright
and pure. Now they were in the hub of galactic activity, the stars tainted and dulled
by the flurry of passing ships. They were like the mothers of the rebel daughter
stars Elizabeth used to gaze upon. Wiser, kinder, and less fun.
The stars were just specks of light to her, inconsequential as dust. And what did that
make her? She was one woman, drifting along. Surrounded by people, but with no
one. Her own emptiness attacked her, pulling her inwards so she might disappear.
She needed to leave the room, so she stood. But she had nowhere to go, so she sat
back down. She ran her fingers through her hair and listened to her heart beating
inside its cavern.
Her thoughts chattered, a brain full of windup teeth. She needed to silence them.
She headed for the gym. She did press-ups until her shoulders burned, sit-ups until
her stomach muscles screamed and ran until her legs ached. Slowly, the chattering
stopped.
YOU ARE READING
Black Hole Heartbeat
Science FictionBlack Hole Heartbeat is Star Wars if the stormtroopers didn't miss all the time. Like Cowboy Bebop meets Butch and Sundance, or Guardians of the Galaxy in the style of Pulp Fiction. Self confessed thief of ill repute, Elizabeth Ranger, runs head fi...
