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The Sacrifice

Chapter One

By Isla Kaye ThistlePublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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The Sacrifice
Photo by Billy Huynh on Unsplash

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say.

But I saw his jaw distend through the cameras on the forward bulkhead as his suit depressurized and my head filled in the rest. I heard it. All the way through the broken glass, along the tether, and through the vacuum.

Everyone in the bridge knew the math instantly, instinctively. Fifteen seconds to lose consciousness. Ninety seconds to lose everything else. Five full minutes to reel in the tether.

Of course we still tried.

Of course we weren't fast enough.

Standing in the airlock, the senior staff tried and failed to not look at the bloated face of their captain behind the visor. I couldn't look anywhere else. It was like seeing your parents cry when you were a child. The first fissure in that soothing lie of ultimate, protective authority. The first inkling that there wasn't really all that much between you and the big bad world.

It was Duncan who noticed the vial tucked into the pocket on the back of Captain Pierce's left hand.

"He did it," Duncan said softly, retrieving the sample.

"Of course he did." I meant to say of course his last act was one of generosity. Of course he bequeathed us this final gift. But the words came out bitter. Of course the idiot wanted the ship to have this specimen, even if he didn't live to see how far it got us - if anywhere.

The rest fell to me. I beckoned to Duncan for the vial and lifted it to my face for closer examination. A tiny life form stared back at me. Or rather, long antenna-like structures twitched in some vague form of recognition, but the likelihood that it was seeing in the same way that Earth’s creatures are able to see was minuscule. The creature was similar enough to be recognized by the sensors as a living organism.

It was carbon-based, contained a high percentage of water, and was composed of a nucleotide code that was detected in meteorite samples as eDNA. But that was where the similarities ended. The creator's body seemed to shimmer like liquid mercury. The antenna-like structure on its head twirled about in a spiral and rays of light across the visible spectrum were produced from its fin-like tail. The effect was a rather breathtaking display of light, almost like a mini Aurora Borealis. I had the vague idea that a colony of these little shrimp-sized organisms would make a rather awe-inspiring display.

But were they worth dying over?

I stared down at the lifeless body of Captain Pierce and found myself questioning his priorities. His name would go down in history with the discovery of this alien lifeform, but I was the one who had to steer our craft out of this nebula and back to the colony ship.

One by one their eyes turned to me, awaiting orders. I was no longer second in command - a position I had been quite comfortable with.

"Take it to the lab. Dismissed."

They filed out. Layla hesitated and lifted a hand as if to put it on my shoulder but when she met my gaze she nodded and left, too.

I walked to the inner door of the airlock and closed it behind them, hitting the button to descend the blast shield for good measure, closing up all the portholes.

I leaned forward, hands resting heavily on my knees, and threw up next to the body. Taking a few heavy steps back I sat against the wall.

"So what now, Tom?" I asked him dryly.

"Do you mind if I use your first name now? There's no point in standing on ceremony anymore. You don't outrank me now."

I ambled forward and snatched the captain's pip from his collar, turning it in my hands, still chill from the void of space.

"So you found life, but that doesn’t mean it’s liveable for us. The air out there is caustic. It's rusting away the hull and we can't take off because of the engine damage."

I slid the pip into my pocket.

"It's a miracle, I know, and you paid dearly for it but we needed more than this. We needed you more than we needed a sample. I need-"

I stopped myself, eyes drawn to the puddle of vomit. The crew couldn't see me like this. I needed to think of morale.

"I'll never forgive you for leaving me this mess," I said softly and stepped into the ship.

With the blast doors still down, I opened the outer airlock.

Tom Pierce was buried at space.

One by one their eyes turned to me, awaiting orders. I was no longer second in command - a position I had been quite comfortable with.

"Take it to the lab. Dismissed."

They filed out. Layla hesitated, lifted a hand as if to put it on my shoulder but when she met my gaze she nodded and left, too.

I walked to the inner door of the airlock and closed it behind them, hitting the button to descend the blast shield for good measure, closing up all the portholes.

I leaned forward, hands resting heavily on my knees and threw up next to the body. Taking a few heavy steps back I sat against the wall.

"So what now, Tom?" I asked him dryly.

"Do you mind if I use your first name now? There's no point in standing on ceremony anymore. You don't outrank me now."

I ambled forward and snatched the captains pip from his collar, turning it in my hands, still chill from the void of space.

"So you found life, but that doesn’t mean it’s liveable for us. The air out there is caustic. It's rusting away the hull and we can't take off because of the engine damage."

I slid the pip into my pocket.

"It's a miracle, I know, and you paid dearly for it but we needed more than this. We needed you more than we needed a sample. I need-"

I stopped myself, eyes drawn to the puddle of vomit. The crew couldn't see me like this. I needed to think of morale.

"I'll never forgive you for leaving me this mess," I said softly and stepped into ship.

With the blast doors still down, I opened the outer airlock.

Tom Pierce was buried at space.

Sci Fi
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About the Creator

Isla Kaye Thistle

Aspiring Fiction Writer

Avid animal lover.

Voracious Reader.

Outdoor explorer.

Pet Mom

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