“Things are not looking good…”
Kass eyed the various consoles and screens while Psiksi and Phovos attempted to calm Elksia down. The wailinrg Vrekan had been pressed against the window for an hour, screaming into the void, mourning the loss of one of her best friends.
“Sorry, Kass?” Phovos suddenly asked, giving up on Elksia. “What did you say?”
Kass tutted. “Get her calmed down and we’ll talk. We all need to talk about this.”
“TENUK LOVED TO TALK!” Elksia wailed, turning to Kass. “HE LOVED EVERYTHING!”
“Except other Kronospasts, clearly…” Kayen muttered. Elksia immediately leaped towards the third Skyavok in the room, extending her claws.
“YOU TAKE THAT BACK! HE LOVED EVERYONE!”
“Yeah, sure… I mean he never used his Kronospast name. Just found out that he was actually called Tahnahos…” Kayen sighed. “You really think Tenuk or Kohra or even Levik would want you crying though? We’re kinda supposed to be surviving and you’re kinda not helping.”
Elksia slumped on the floor, her claws retracting back into her arms. “Yeah, you’re all right. I just wish he wasn’t dead. Everyone’s dead now.”
“Everyone except us!” Kass interrupted. “We’re still here. But… Maybe not for long. You see, we, uh, have problems.”
“Oh Kayar…” Phovos gasped quietly. “Please don’t tell me the life support is failing. I don’t want to suffocate to death…”
Kass shook his head. “No, life support is fine. Anything pertaining to keeping us alive is fine. We have enough supplies for three months and water for a year. The problem is that the engines are dead. We’re drifting aimlessly.”
Kass’s words were interrupted by the appearance of Ct’Era, who had just finished moving three unconscious Rethavok into the sleeping quarters.
“So we die nonetheless.”
“To be fair,” Kass shrugged, “we were all going to die one day anyway. I just hoped I’d die as an old vok with Psiksi by my side, rather than trapped in a metal can drifting through space. But yes, things are looking really fucking bleak right now.”
“Are the engines completely dead?” Kayen asked. “Is landing for repairs out of the question?”
Phovos joined Kass by the consoles. “Our landing gears are still working?”
“Yep. But the problem is, there are no planets to go to.”
“Arkay destroyed them all…” Elksia whimpered. “He killed everything…”
“Perhaps this will help…” Ct’Era grunted. “Arkay is dead as well. He died. What we see is something else. Telosolan, as the stories say. Arkedetelos, you Vrekans may call it.”
“The end of the universe?” Elksia asked.
“Yes. End of all.”
Phovos took a deep breath. “Okay so we might be watching the apocalypse unfold, but what do we do in the mean time? If it’s the end of the universe, there won’t be anything left.”
“We sleep…” Elksia whispered.
“Sleep?” Psiksi repeated.
“Yeah. Tenuk put sleeping pods in the basement.”
“Sleeping pods?”
“Kronospast ones. So you sleep and don’t get old.”
Kass glanced at Psiksi. “There are Kronospast cryogenic systems on this ship?”
“I don’t know! Elksia, can you show us?”
Elksia nodded and pushed past everyone as she headed for the exit. The Skyavok, the Ksithan and the Banikan followed her down into the bottom of the ship, to a large room near the engine maintenance systems.
Inside were six cryopods, all designed for Rethavok-sized beings.
“Well, this is awkward…” Phovos sighed. “How many of us are there?”
“Nine…” Ct’Era immediately answered.
“One for each Skyavok, one for each Rethavok…” Elksia also answered.
“Uh…” Kayen interrupted. “One of them literally has your name on it, Elksia.”
“One also has the name Arkay on it!” Elksia snarled back. “They were meant for the Dessaron. But Arkay and Tenuk clearly don’t need them anymore. And honestly, I have already lost everything I care about. I have nothing to live for.”
Phovos took a sharp breath. “Well… I can’t leave you to die alone. There’s only six pods, Ct’Era won’t fit inside one and I have lived long enough. It’s only fair that we stand by your side.”
Elksia smiled weakly. “Heh… All girls together, yes?”
“You can run the ship, right?” Kass asked.
“Yeah, we’ll be fine…” Phovos’s voice shook slightly. She knew she was going to die a slow death and was unable to hide her fear anymore. “Anyway, we need to get you guys sorted. You have a long sleep ahead of you…”