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# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2022 Jason Self <j@jxself.org>
# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
#
# You can redistribute and/or modify this story under the terms of the
# GNU Affero General Public License as published by the Free Software
# Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any
# later version.
#
# You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public
# License along with this story. If not, see
# <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.

==== The Escape ====

"I'll go first," Eldar said as he moved past me. "Follow right
behind."

Eldar and I hustled down a corridor of the Chyufõũ̯ in our stolen
flight suits, hoping against hope that this crazy plan might work out.
All that was left was to get through the ship's hold and onto the
flight deck. We had no choice but to take this route; any other would
have too much risk of detection. But, unfortunately, we couldn't just
get into one of their fighters and take off. The Xẽĩians would detect
our unauthorized launch and send fighters to recapture us. Or worse.

We were both armed with small hand weapons, which probably weren't
much use against the Xẽĩian soldiers but were better than nothing. Our
only advantage was surprise and speed. Eldar turned at the next
intersection and sprinted down another passage. I followed him,
keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of movement or activity but
nothing seemed amiss.

Finally, after several minutes of running without incident, Eldar
stopped abruptly and gestured ahead. A group of four Xẽĩian soldiers
walked by at the end of the corridor, each carrying a weapon. Two of
them were chatting about something, while the other two appeared to be
scanning the walls with a device. They didn't notice either of us as
they passed. It looked like it was all clear.

We hurried down the corridor until we reached a ladder leading up to
an open hatchway. Eldar took a quick look around before climbing up
and disappearing inside. I followed him, moving quickly to keep from
being noticed.

I found myself standing in a large room filled with equipment and
supplies when I heard Xẽĩian voices coming from somewhere deeper
within the compartment.

"Stay low and keep your eyes open," Eldar warned. "The hatch to the
hold is not far from here."

Eldar's expression became grim when the voices started moving in our
direction. He frantically gestured to a large storage crate near the
back wall. "Over there!" he whispered. We climbed into the storage
crate, huddled together in the dark space, breathing heavily. "Stay
quiet and don't move," he whispered. His voice sounded strained.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "We can't stay here. If they find us--"
"I know what I'm doing," he hissed angrily. I felt foolish for
interrupting him. He had seemed so confident and calm when he had
suggested this crazy idea at the beginning. Now, though, I could see
that he was nervous. It made my heart sink.

I wanted to say something to reassure him but wasn't sure what. So
instead, I pulled Eldar close. I could feel his body trembling
violently and realized that he was terrified. "It's okay," I
whispered. "I'm right here." He took a deep breath and nodded. "If
they find us, they'll kill us," he whispered.

I knew that even if we could make it to the flight deck without being
found, the chances of escaping were slim. But, still, it was better
than staying aboard the ship. "This is the best chance we've got," I
tried to reassure him. "This will give us a chance to escape."

After several long moments, the Xẽĩians approached the storage crate.
I remained silent and tried to relax but thought I recognized one of
the soldiers from earlier.

They walked by without even slowing down as they continued their
conversation. I exhaled slowly and let out a sigh of relief. I looked
over at Eldar, whose face was tense. He nodded and gave me a
thumbs-up. "Good," I replied. "Let's get out of here." Eldar nodded.
"Okay," he said. "Here goes nothing." He opened the crate, and we
scrambled out.

We ran forward and around a corner, making sure to keep quiet. At the
far end of the corridor, there was a large hatch with a control panel
on the side. We ran up to the hatch, and Eldar punched the control
panel beside the door. There was a click, and the door slid open.
Eldar rushed inside. I followed close behind.

We were on the upper level of the ship's hold. The first thing I
noticed when entering was the smell. The stink of unwashed bodies,
unwashed clothes, and unwashed hair, along with the tang of vomit and
urine, hung in a heavy cloud over the hold like an old friend that had
not seen me for years.

The room was dark, illuminated only by dull red lighting. It was full
of people, but there didn't seem to be any order to their positions. I
could see them shuffling around, huddled together in little groups, or
else sitting alone on the deck plates as if they were afraid to touch
anyone lest they catch something.

"Come on," said Eldar, tugging at my sleeve. "Let's keep going. We're
almost there." He walked towards one of the airlocks that would take
us onto the flight deck.

He went through the airlock ahead of me, then turned back and waited
for me to follow. I looked down into the hold again. A man sat by
himself against one wall, his head buried in his hands. Two women sat
close together on another flooring section, whispering between
themselves. One was crying softly.

"How many?" I asked. Eldar shrugged.

"A few hundred? More than a few."

I stood in silence for a moment, watching the people below me. The
wounded had gone to the medical bays. Those who weren't hurt, or at
least not severely, made their way here. Some were moving slowly about
the hold. Others were sitting still, staring blankly at nothing. I
imagined how it must feel when you've lost everything as the world's
destroyed. When the only home you knew was gone, and everyone you
loved died.

I saw a man move away from the group and turn towards the far end of
the hold. As he moved closer to the bulkhead, the light caught his
face, turning it gray, and his skin seemed loose on his skull, sagging
under the weight of age.

He reached the corner and disappeared from view.

"Samnang!" Eldar whispered loudly, standing at the airlock. "Over
here! Come on."

I followed him through the airlock, stepping out onto the flight deck,
and Eldar closed the hatch behind us. We both looked around, taking in
our new surroundings.

We were standing on an expansive flight deck with four massive wings
jutting out either side of the hull to my left and right. Each held
eight hangars, each hangar holding up to six fighters. I looked down
at the deck. The metal plating was torn and buckled in places,
scorched and covered in soot. I could see the starfield beyond the
ship's hull directly ahead at the front of the flight deck. Behind me,
at the rear of the flight deck, a ramp led up to the ship's main body.
I could hear faint sounds from inside, echoing off the walls, but
otherwise, the flight deck was silent.

"Where are the pilots?" I asked.

Eldar shook his head. "Not here yet. They'll come soon enough."

"So, what do we do now?"

"Now we wait."

==== The Hauler's Last Stand ====

A series of explosions rocked the Hauler from bow to stern, ripping
through the armor plating and blasting into the interior. Captain
Funanya Chizoba lurched forward in her command chair on the bridge
but the restraints kept her from flying out of it. Emergency lights
flashed on as the lights went out, casting shadows across her face.
Her heart raced.

"Report!" she barked. The comm officer shook his head silently. "Not
good. That missile breached the starboard hold," he said. "We're
venting atmosphere. Damage Control is responding to seal it, but we've
lost power in sections two through five, and life support's down
shipwide."

The initial group of fighters had still been several minutes away when
Chizoba had seen the first explosion. It was a small blast, right on
the tail of the convoy. The bright flash lit up the window's view, and
Chizoba saw the shapes of the fighters emerging from the explosion.

She glanced at the tactical display and saw the fighters had launched
missiles. They'd targeted the closest ship and destroyed it. It also
reported that the rest of the convoy was accelerating hard. They were
now trying to escape and get clear of the battle.

The Xẽĩians must have spotted the convoy and thought they'd hit a
military target, she thought. But the convoy had been civilian.

The pilots must have been confused. Perhaps they hadn't expected
civilian ships to be armed. Or maybe they didn't know there were
civilians on board. Either way, the convoy's escorts returned fire.
Several smaller vessels were also equipped with rail guns and
assisted. Still, the Hauler's defensive weapons weren't up to the task
as a cargo ship.

"What are our options?" Chizoba asked.

"Our weapons won't work against those fighters," the sensor operator
said. "And we can't outrun them."

Chizoba looked to the screen. The fighters were closing rapidly.
Several lead ships were crippled or destroyed, but most smaller
vessels were still intact. Several were dropping their cargo and
starting to accelerate. They were trying to break contact with the
enemy. Chizoba wanted to do the same; she knew the odds of surviving
the encounter were slim, especially without power or life support.

"The Chyufõũ̯ is launching another round of fighters," the sensor
operator reported.

Chizoba cursed under her breath. "Where?"

At the back of the bridge, the sensor operator pressed a few buttons.
Finally, the display revealed the Hauler and the convoy in the center,
surrounded by the Chyufõũ̯ and its fighters.

"We have multiple contacts approaching at high speed," she said.

"Holy shit," she whispered.

She looked down at herself, then back to the screen. Her chest armor
had cracked open during the explosion, and now blood oozed out between
the buckles. Chizoba took in the entirety of the display and saw they
had less than ten minutes before the next round of fighters reached
them. Chizoba bit her lip. The Hauler was heavily damaged, and without
power, she doubted it would make much difference even if she tried to
attack.

She turned towards the rear of the bridge and saw the sensor operator
staring back at her. Blood covered the woman's face, and her left arm
hung limp at her side. She looked like she was about to faint.

Chizoba scrambled over to her as she fell backward onto the deck,
hitting her head against the edge of the sensor console behind her.
Her eyes rolled up into her skull, and she went still. Chizoba knelt
next to her. She pressed two fingers against her neck, checking for a
pulse but nothing. "Dammit," she cursed under her breath.

She turned back to the tactical display and saw the fighters
accelerating towards them from the rear of the convoy. The lead ships
peeled away toward them. The enemy ships increased their speed in
response, and one of them was coming right for the Hauler.

Chizoba cursed as another missile slammed into the rear section. This
time, the explosion was much more significant. The Hauler shuddered
violently, and her heart skipped a beat. She felt the deck shift
beneath her feet and looked down to see the fuel line had ruptured.
Fuel was pouring out onto the deck.

She looked to the front of the bridge and saw the remains of what used
to be the comm officer's station. It was twisted and bent where it had
slammed into the wall. Sprawled out amongst the wreckage were several
bodies. One of them was missing an arm.

Chizoba made her way to the navigator's console, strapped herself in,
and put the Hauler into a tight turn toward a nearby planet. The
engines whined loudly, and she felt the G-forces pushing her back. The
ship rose quickly, then dropped sharply. She steadied it and brought
the vessel into level flight just as another missile hit the Hauler.
The sudden movement sent some debris flying, and Chizoba blacked out
as it hit her.

She woke later, lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Still
strapped into the chair, her head aching badly.

She tried to move her legs and found she couldn't. Something heavy was
lying across them. She pushed against the straps holding her in place
and managed to free one arm. She tugged at the other, and it came
loose.

The navigator's console trapped her legs beneath its bulk. She
strained to pull them free without success. "Help me!" she yelled.
"Someone help me!" but there was no response. She struggled to free
herself and eventually succeeded after several minutes of working.

Chizoba stood up and stumbled over to the wall, grabbed the emergency
oxygen cylinder, and twisted the valve. She sucked in the gas and held
it for several seconds. She felt the pain in her head recede slightly,
and she drew in another lungful of air. She felt lightheaded and
dizzy. She dropped back onto the chair and stared at the remains of
the navigator's console.

She leaned forward and punched the comm. "This is Captain Chizoba. I'm
alive and unharmed. Anyone still alive, please respond." There was no
answer. She tried again but still nothing. She knew the odds of
finding anyone alive were slim.

She stood up, walked over to a window, and looked out. Several of the
ships were still fighting, but most were gone. Instead, she could see
the shapes of the fighters circling overhead. They seemed to be
waiting for something.

"They're not targeting us anymore," Chizoba thought. "It's too late
for that." She made her way over to the remains of the communications
station, pausing for a moment to think of all of the years of good
memories aboard the Hauler. She flipped a transparent plastic cover
and pressed a button that, in all her years in space, she never
imagined pressing. Then the alarm to abandon ship began to sound.

She ran to the door, pulling it open. The corridor beyond was filled
with smoke and debris, reeking of burning plastic and insulation. She
coughed violently and stumbled forward, heading aft. The smell of
burnt flesh was overwhelming. Broken equipment and pieces of metal
littered the area.

She arrived in the shuttle bay. Several bodies lay scattered among the
wreckage. Some were wearing EVA suits, others not. All of them were
charred black and twisted grotesquely. Chizoba moved closer to one of
the larger pieces of debris and saw a hand sticking out from
underneath. She reached down and pulled it free. It was human-sized
but mangled beyond recognition. A piece of a suit clung to the skin;
Chizoba threw it aside and found another body. This one wore an EVA
suit, but it was torn open, and the helmet had been blown clear.
Whoever this person was, they were dead.

Chizoba made her way towards the nearest shuttle. She leaped inside
and started punching buttons. The craft's systems came online, and its
thrusters fired. The shuttle shot upwards, bouncing off the top of the
shuttle bay before swinging back down and slamming into the deck.

Chizoba kept firing the thrusters until the shuttle's momentum finally
carried it out of the shuttle bay. She watched the bay doors close and
lock. Looking back, the damage to the ship was extreme. It was still
on course for the planet, but she knew the Hauler would never fly
again.

She kept the shuttle steady and flew away from the Hauler. Then
Chizoba looked out the window and saw other shuttles heading away from
the battle, flying low and fast. A few shuttles were trailing fire and
smoke, but most were intact. "Everyone follow me!" Chizoba yelled into
the comm. "We'll regroup at that planet." She looked down at the nav
screen, tapped the controls and the shuttle banked hard to port in the
direction of the planet.

A Xẽĩian fighter unexpectedly appeared beneath her. Chizoba pulled
back on the controls. She heard the sound of a loud boom, and the
shuttle rocked wildly. She caught a brief glimpse of the hull before
the shuttle flipped end over end and tumbled out of control. Chizoba
fought to regain control, but it was hopeless. The shuttle spun
wildly, and she lost sight of everything outside the windows. Finally,
she saw the canopy strike something and shatter. Then the shuttle hit
the ground.