There was some debate. Nothing serious. And nothing I contributed to. I think, by that point, we were all a bit too tired, stretched a bit too thin, worn down a bit too far, to put up much resistance to what was fast presenting itself as an inevitability.
Cap directed us to our stations. But w all ended up in the cockpit before long. There wasn’t anything left to do but stand by and watch our fate. Scrub the decks? Why? Check the engines? Why? Secure the cargo? What cargo? We were all merely drifting about the ship, tending to what little preparation we needed before diving into the belly of the whale – both literally and metaphorically.
So even though Mearr, Gator, Sys, Cap, and Guhle were the only ones who really even needed to be in the cockpit – and really, the ship can get by on half that number – T’Vosh and I joined them as well. The ship’s just a bit too empty to wait below while your crewmates guide you toward oblivion.
Even Mearr was more a passenger than a pilot on this leg of the trip. Clutching our child to her chest, as she was, she was little use at the controls. But she sat by them anyway, purely out of habit.
It was Guhle – stern, reserved, terrifying Guhle – who gripped the reins and gunned the gas when Cap gave the order.
Tally ho. Off we go. Into the belly of the whale. But this time, we might not come out.
Continue reading “Into the Silence – Chapter 54” →