87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLj5vlba5u
Dorian stood up from the table, collecting his tidy sum of winnings and finishing the last swig of his drink.
“You off Dor?” Rayan asked
“No, I got first watch tonight” Dorian responded flatly
“Oh, well, see you in the morning,” Rayan said
“Yeah,” Dorian climbed back up to the bridge and sat in the navigator’s chair, taking a sigh. He pressed a few buttons on the console in front of him and some pulsing music started to play, not because he particularly enjoyed music but because it helped him stay alert. He then picked up a worn novel off of the top of the console, grabbed a cigarette out of his coveralls, and lit it. He opened the book and his mind started to drift to his past.
Dorian Pramitch grew up on Brinnan, the son of a pair of refugees from Senebruck who were not very well off, inheriting the tall stature, pale skin, and light hair typical of the people from his planet. Despite this awkward appearance, Dorian became an extremely talented pickpocket and hacker. These activities kept him busy, with his own source of income separate from his alcoholic father’s. These activities led him into serious trouble after stealing and selling a piece of important equipment from a Niveian diplomat. At the time Niveus was waging a war against the world of Olastes and Dorian was impressed into service in the Niveian Auxiliary Fighter Corps to avoid the mines on a Niveian resource colony. Here, Dorian found his calling as an ace pilot and mechanic, after all these years, Dorian still held records in the Niveian Auxiliary Navy. Here, he also fell into being an ardent Nivian nationalist, enjoying the strict martial culture and logical thinking of its commanders until he was given orders to massacre a civilian trade fleet. After this incident, Wing Commander Pramitch was discharged from the military after many years of exemplary service for questioning the orders of his Nivian superiors. After this, he returned to Brinnan and survived by stealing and working odd jobs until he met Leora Velliarix and helped her start her first crew many years ago. Throughout this time, they had become extremely close knew many of each other's secrets, and could often communicate without words. A few years later, the pair saved up enough money to buy an old freighter which was re-christened as “The Antigone''. Dorian had a disdain for leadership so he was content being the first mate to Leora, being the main navigator, master mechanic, and brilliant strategist onboard.
Dorian shook himself from his thoughts noticing some hours had passed, his shift was almost over he noticed. After several minutes, Dorian heard footsteps ascending the ladder into the bridge.
“Hey Dor,” Ana said sitting in a chair opposite to him
“Hi Ana” Dorian said in his usual awkward tone “You still have another half-hour until your shift”
“I know, I couldn’t really sleep”
“Ah, well… quiet night so far”
“I can see”
“So, you got your first one?” Dorian tapped his shoulder
Ana looked down at her bandaged arm “Yeah, it was a stupid mistake”
“Stupid mistakes are how people get hurt, or worse”
Ana’s expression drained from her face.
“Sorry Ana, I didn’t mean it like that. You’re just young still, you have a lot to learn, but it’s important to use your mistakes to learn”
“Yeah, that’s what Leora said, I just feel like I let you guys down”
“So? You got one, didn’t you? And you made it out alive. Not terrible for your first shootout”
“I guess you’re right, it could’ve been worse”
“I am right, but I haven’t seen a lot of people in this work pick it up this quickly. Just think of it, a year ago you were still living high in that palace of yours. You barely knew how to shoot, let alone fight. Now look at you, a killer” Dorian wasn’t known to give good compliments
“A killer… I wonder who he was, if he had anybody waiting up for him”
“It’s best to not think about that Ana, it’s kill or be killed out here in the galaxy. If he cared about being there for a family, he would’ve chosen a better job, that’s just the way it is”
“That's really cold, Dor”
"I know, if you've been in for as long as I have, you would think that too"
"What about you? What was your first one?"
"As an adult? Probably in training, or not that long after, they tended to beat up on the Auxiliaries, I guess they didn't want us to forget who was in charge"
"Did you enjoy the navy? You don't talk about it much"
Dorian took a moment to think “This work changes how you look at these things, it’s best not to dwell in the past, just keep looking forward”
“I suppose so. How about you head down to your cabin, I’ll pick up the end of your shift”
"We have a schedule for a reason Ana, working extra isn't going to make that scar heal any faster"
"Come on Dor, I'm not gonna sleep anyway"
“Fine, as long as you're sure. Thanks, Ana”
“No problem, Dor”87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8ptSov5Ed
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJga8ooSbOf
Elio awoke with a gasp, the cabin shaking, red light streaming through the porthole. He jumped out of bed and into his boots, grabbing a knife and gun. He exited his cabin and wove through the crumbling corridors of the ship, pipes cracking and vents hissing out steam. He caught a shadowy figure out of the corner of his eye and turned, nothing was there.
“Who’s there?” he asked
Silence responded to him. Elio pressed onwards, reaching the bridge ladder. He ascended and entered onto the bridge. No, not the bridge, it was a room from his childhood home, his room, where he grew up. Elio exited his family’s house into the town of his childhood. It wasn’t right, it was too quiet and everything was a strange color. Red? Elio looked to the sky and saw a bright sanguine sun beating down upon his face, filtering through dark black clouds. This wasn’t right, Elio continued weaving through the town, past a Makotonian bathhouse, a Brinnanese drinking hall, and an Adamian nightclub, across a sea of years. He turned the corner and found himself face-to-face with an icy cliff. He turned around and was alone on a mountaintop, a freezing wind whipping against his body, the sun still burning the ground. Suddenly, an ethereal figure leaped out of the ice-wolf tattoo on his forearm and coalesced into a large canine figure. Elio reached for his gun but his holster was empty, he drew his knife. The misty beast circled for a moment then lunged at him. Elio swung but his blade turned to ash upon contact with the beast. The creature pinned him to the ground. Not a creature, the face of his father which was baring fangs, gnashing at his face.
It whispered in a haunting, ghastly voice
“Failure, disappointment, traitor”
Elio kicked against the creature and it flew off of the cliff. The earth shook and the whole mountain disintegrated and Elio was left falling into the abyss as his eyes filled with sand, stars filling his dream.
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBApLBWlS81
