# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2022 Jason Self # 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 # . ==== 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."