This story was originally posted on my tumblr an ao3 accounts on the 15th of February, 2014.
Jack was floating in space. No spacesuit, no protection. He hadn't really chosen or expected to be there. He had just been repairing something in the spaceship's airlock while they were flying, and, well… He really should've worn that spacesuit like Allegra had told him to.
He figured he had about 15 seconds until he blacked out, Less now that he had wasted a few of them recovering himself. Jack reached out with his powers, but the ship was fast, and already out of his reach. As blackness began to eat at the edges of his vision, Jack gritted his teeth. After defeating the Rüstov Emperor, and winning back earth, he was destined to die alone in the middle of space. Who ever said life was fair.
"You're an idiot. You've gotten us both killed. I hate you."
The voice came out of nowhere, but even after all this time, Jack still recognized it. He realized his powers must be failing.
"...Khalix?" He mouthed more than said. You can't really talk in space.
There was silence in Jack's head. Which was normal. But, if he concentrated on his link with the Rüstov prince, he could feel that the silence was more surprised than anything. Which was odd, considering Khalix was rarely lost for words.
Then again, it had been more than a year since Jack had learned to block Khalix's presence. The parasite had probably gotten used to talking with no one there to listen.
Jack was almost gone. He only had one shot, and for that he had to rely on Khalix's survival instinct. "Khalix, can you send out a distress signal? Please. You don't want to die out here either."
"Only to the Rüstov Armada." Khalix replied, his voice laced with annoyance.
'It'll have to be good enough...' Jack thought as he faded into unconsciousness.
Jack blinked open his eyes, squinting in the florescent lights of the ship. He brought his hand up and grasped the oxygen mask that had been strapped over his face. After a brief conversation with the medical machines, he determined that it was safe to turn off the oxygen, and pulled the mask off of his head.
Focusing his eyes upward, Jack smiled weakly up at Allegra and Solomon Roka. "Hey guys. Guess I should've worn one of those spacesuits, huh?" He said, coughing a few times.
Allegra frowned at him, the light glinting brilliantly off her silver skin. "I'm just glad you're okay. Maybe someday you'll stop scaring me, Jack."
Jack's father was, as usual, unconcerned. "Yeah, yeah, I'm glad you're alright and all. But kid, why did you send a distress signal to the Rüstov? The scanners picked it up fine and all but it sure seems a weird way to go about things..."
Jack rubbed the Rüstov mark on his left eye absentmindedly as Roka scrutinized him. "I- uh, I- guess I had some help from an old enemy."