Prompt fill for "Kidnapping" - Skye Ryder and Evfra for lylypuceonarchive
Pain flashed like lightning behind her eyelids. White against black, jolts running across her body, lighting everything it touched on fire. Ryder groaned as she peeled her eyes open. A mix of gunk and dried blood had near glued her eyelids shut.
"Alive," she rasped as she took in her surroundings through blurry vision.
This wasn't what she had expected. At the end there, she remembered Evfra's arms around her, her life blood pouring from her shoulder, a bullet had ripped through armour and flesh. The roof was falling in and darkness descended. She did not expect to wake.
But here she was.
Instead of rock and stone surrounding her, she found cold steel against her back and the hum of a drive core filling her ears. Blinking, she forced herself to sit up only to find her limbs lashed to a chair. Motion woke the far away pain. She moaned, sagging back against the chair.
Shuddering breaths rocked her body. She gritted her teeth, attempting to master the pain. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as her head lolled. Her right arm looked broken again. The splint tape had came undone and someone had attempted to reset her arm unsuccessfully. Her chest piece had disappeared, her undersuit slashed open to access the bullet wound, and it looked crusted with medi-gel. Blood was still leaking sluggishly from the hole. Whoever treated her was stingy with medi-gel or they plain sucked at first aid.
"Not good," she sighed. "SAM, how's it looking?"
"Your humerus is broken."
"Yeah I can feel it," she hissed. "Anything else?"
"Low blood sugar, dehydration and a through and through bullet wound in your chest that achieved a statistical impossibility of missing your major veins."
"So I'm not going to bleed out then I take it?"
"It depends on how long you take to get proper medical attention, given the situation now, it will take you a while before hypovolemic shock is a concern."
"That's one good news then," she muttered, brow tightening as she tested her restraints. Even the tiniest movement left her gasping and shaking. It was no good. Before she could attempt biotics, a scream cut through her fog of pain. It's a voice she recognised but in a tone she had never heard before.
Evfra!
Chills ran down her spine as fear clawed at her chest, squeezing her labouring heart. Her head snapped up as she sought the source. Sounds of impact, flesh against flesh. Stubborn grunts punctuated every impact as if the first cry was a fluke. But Ryder knew better, Evfra was being stubborn and stoic. Worry and anxiety tightened twin nooses around her throat as each blow sounded harder and heavier than the last.
"Avrek might be dead, but you won't live long either!" a new voice snarled.
The voices were coming from behind her. Ryder panted, working up the courage to swing her chair around even if it's just to look.
"Kill me then, what are you waiting for? You obviously had the chance to do it before, why are we in a fucking shuttle now?" Evfra spat. "Ancestors, you're really useless. You lack the strength, you lack the conviction, you lack the resolve to even kill me."
"Do not test my patience!" A smack rang out and a muffled cry followed. "You're at my mercy now."
The blows went on and on. And Ryder's heart broke a little with each one. "SAM," she hissed. "How's my pain management doing?"
"At maximum capacity," came the reply via their private channel.
"Can you do anything more?"
"Pathfinder, do you require the definition of maximum?"
"This is not the time to get smart-mouth with me," she growled. Silence reigned. For a while, Ryder blinked, wondering if she had blacked out or something. "SAM?"
"There is something I can do," SAM said, his voice hesitant. "I can overload your implant, numbing you to pain for a short while but I can't maintain it for long."
Ryder took a long breath through her nose, air whistling through her nostrils as she exhaled. "All right, all right, that'll be our ace in the hole. Meanwhile, I assume you've transmitted our location to the Resistance or Cora or someone?"
"The shuttle is running dark, There isn't an outgoing signal I can piggyback on to reach a comm buoy. But I've been actively broadcasting a signal, hopefully I'll be able to hook onto a comm buoy soon."
Dark space. That's where there wasn't any comm buoy within easy reach. How far away were they from Havarl? How long was she out? Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, trying to fight the rising tide of panic. The situation was far from ideal, but it's what she had to work with.
Evfra's grunts gave way to yelps, then to cries, and even then his voice grew hoarse. Not even someone as obstinate as he was could hold out forever. He was running out of strength. Ryder gathered herself, pulling together the frayed ends of her energy and will. The pieces she had left weren't much after two days without proper food, rest or medical attention, but it would have to do.
"Hey!" she shouted.
The sound of fists against unprotected flesh ceased instantly. Boots started to approach from behind. Teeth set against teeth, Ryder tried to rock her chair. She kept the motion small, enough to shift the chair from leg to leg, that was all the jotting she could tolerate, but it wasn't not enough to spin it around.
"Ahh the Pathfinder is awake," the voice said, footsteps circled around to face her.
It was only then she got a good look of the angara. Clad in a dull green leather armour, his skin ran a deep purple but what stood out was the dripping deep blue blood that coated the entire front of his leather. His knuckles were split and raw, but it was obvious the blood it wasn't his.
She gulped, questioning her decision to draw his attention now that it was done. The enemy didn't need to know how tired she was. Taking a breath, she forced a grin. "Evfra, you're still breathing?"
A rattling hiss of a grunt was her answer. Alive then. That's good enough for now. Survival was the baseline. That's how far they had fallen. She turned her attention to the angara who stood before her.
He was methodically wiping down his hands. The rag was stained a blue so deep it looked black. "So somehow we went from a cave in to a shuttle," she said. "How did that happened? It seems I've missed the best part."
The angara reached out and gripped her by her chin. His fingers pressed into her skin. "Vesagara do not get to speak."
Before she could flinch, he brought his fist down against her jaw. Her head whipped to the side and back again. She tasted blood. But the pain was no match to that of her broken arm. Blinking back tears, her tongue sought the cut inside her mouth.
The hum of the shuttle filled the space. It was the empty sound of a machine left unattended, laced with desperation and no small amount of fear.
"Looks like you're alone," Ryder pointed out. "Maybe you could let us hail our people and we can let you go? Work out a win-win deal for all of us."
Anger flashed across his eyes. Another punch, this one glanced against her brow. Red blood replaced the blue on his fists. A door behind her slid opened with a telltale hiss. She bit her tongue to keep from aggravated the situation despite how much she wanted to let her mouth run loose.
"Enough," the newcomer said. "Vamae, go wash up."
Well, fuck, another one? How many of them are there in this shuttle?
Vamae's eyes cut across to look at the newcomer. "No. I'm not done, Ravad."
"You are," Ravad growled, her voice harsh and sharp. "Go."
For a while, the pair glared at each other over Ryder. She held her breath and waited.
"Go make sure Rel is still on course. I didn't drag both of them just so you could torture them to death. I am not Avrek," Ravad instructed.
Vamae's lip curled. Disgust and grief etched on his stone planed countenance. "That much is clear." But he relented and left.
Ryder would have heaved a sigh of relief if she could but her nose was all clogged up with blood. Craning her neck, she tried to get a good look on Ravad. She seemed a lot more reasonable. "What are your plans for us?"
No answer. Fear took up residence in the void.
"Why have you kidnapped us?"
There was still no answer. Only Evfra's heavy breathing punctuated the silence. Ryder gave on trying to catch sight of Ravad and sagged against her bonds, wondering why Evfra wasn't speaking. Maybe he's unconscious, succumbing to the beating he had taken. Maybe Vamae had taken a stick to him and had bashed in his ribs and that's the rattling she had been hearing. There were too many possibilities and every single one was worse than what her mind conjured up previously.
Then, the scrapping of steel against steel scratched across her eardrums. Ryder winced. A solid thump of something hitting the back of her chair. She turned to find the back of Evfra's head lolling against her shoulder. Relief flooded her chest but she kept her guard up, eyes tracking Ravad who shifted in and out of her field of vision. The Roekaar seemed to be tidying the place up and eventually she stopped right in front of Ryder, her arms folded across her chest as if regarding a particularly troublesome problem.
Ryder met her eyes. Her strength draining, leaving only exhaustion in its wake. She couldn't find the energy to repeat her question.
Ravad spoke instead. "Avrek underestimated Evfra," the words tossed onto the ground like it spit she hawked up. "She thought he'll be a love sick fool, rushing in without a plan. Evfra is way more calculating than that. But in the end, he is still a fool."
The frown furrowing Ryder's brow deepened. Where was Ravad trying to go with all this? It's all rhetoric wasn't it? They got their targets, the Pathfinder and the leader of the Resistance, their goals were achieved twice over. Two for the price of fucking one.
Ravad sighed. "I don't care about any stupid ideals. I just want to survive now. You are both my bargaining chips and nothing more. I'd prefer you alive than not, but I don't exactly need you intact. So behave, maybe we'll all see the sunrise again." With that she spun on her heel and left.
Ryder sagged back against the chair, allowing all her limbs to relax as much as she was able to. Nothing didn't hurt, everything was screaming for her attention. She willed sleep to take her but an exhaled gasp came from behind her.
"Evfra, are you all right," she asked. The question sounded stupid the moment it left her lips.
Evfra spat, a glob of blue tinged saliva splat on the ground just next to her foot. "What the fuck did you think you're doing Ryder?" Anger didn't began to cover how he sounded.
She could feel tension rolling off him as he tried to take a good look at her. The angle was awkward but they made it worked. Her eyes took in his swollen and bruised face, blood trickling down one side where the skin was split. She's pretty sure there were worse injuries she couldn't see.
"I couldn't let you have all the fun," she retorted, raising to meet the challenge in his voice.
He growled, a wordless sound of frustration. "One person hurt is better than two."
"I have two barely functioning arms in the first place, so I'm sparing you some of that. Beside you were bored, it isn't a great party anyway."
"Woman," he gritted out, exasperation dripping from that single word.
"Save your breath, Evfra," she exahled, nuzzling her forehead against his.
He closed his eyes and just breathed, tension easing from him by a notch at a time. "I was afraid," he whispered. "I was so afraid."
It was so soft she could barely hear it. If the Roekaar bothered to leave any listening devices, it's unlikely they'd pick it up. She hummed in response. "Me too, me too."
"Ryder," SAM spoke via their private channel.
She jumped, eyes snapping open instantly. Half wondering if Vamae was back to finish the job. But the room remained silent and dark. Evfra breathed heavily, his breath hot against the side of her neck. Gingerly, she lifted her head, having fallen asleep with her head tilted back to lean against Evfra's back and him doing the same.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I'm managed to connect with a comm buoy. I estimate the Tempest will receive the message in an hour."
This ordeal had been too long and she just wanted it to be over. With rescue now in sight, she could hope once more.
"Assuming the Tempest was making their way to Havarl once you've sent your report. Rescue could be as quick as in ten hours."
"Ok, ten hours. That's quick isn't it?" she muttered to herself.
The door slid opened. Evfra jerked and groaned before checking himself. Tension corded his muscles. Ryder cursed. The way her chair was positioned, she couldn't see a single thing. Boots clomped, loud and menacing. "Let it be Ravad…" she muttered over and over.
"Hey!" Evfra called out. "Leave her alone!" The boots continued around him, circling towards her.
Anxiety rose as she tensed up in anticipation for a beating. Her neck and eyes straining to see who was coming.
It was Vamae.
"Shit."
And Vamae grinned in response. "Time to go, Pathfinder," he spat as he lifted his rifle and aimed it at her chest.
She stiffened.
"Stop! What are you doing?" Evfra rocked back and forth, twisting and fighting his restraints.
Ryder held herself still, scrapping at the dregs of her biotics. She had a couple of good blasts at the best. If this was it, she had to make it count. The restraints clicked and unclasped from her wrists and ankles. Try as she wanted to attack him, she could manage no more than a light tap at his jaw. It's a move that he sidestepped neatly, allowing her momentum to take her down to the floor.
She yelped, her arm and chest flashed with fire. Vamae chuckled. "Try that again, Pathfinder."
Teeth gritted, she fought to stand. Her father would turn over in his grave if he knew she was going to die lying down with her back exposed to the enemy. She screamed, putting pressure on her broken arm was impossible. her good arm worked better but was held back by the bullet wound that bled more and more with every attempt to get off the floor.
Vamae laughed.
"Leave her alone," Evfra roared.
It was only now, lying on the floor, snot and tears trailing down her face did she have a good look of Evfra. His face, a deep purple, anger and rage were the mask that covered the fear he felt. A low whine rang out. The restraint holding down one of his arms powered down. Muscles corded down the length of his neck as he tried to work his other arm free.
"Leave her alone!"
Startled, Vamae swung his rifle around. Ryder watched it happen in slow motion. His finger curling over the trigger. A scream lodged in her throat as she flung her biotics out. Evfra rose to his feet, a murderous growl curling his lips. The rifle bucked. Evfra jerked back as a bloom of deep blue erupted from his chest. Her biotics fizzled and died, slipping through her grasping fingers, failing her when she needed it the most.
"No!"
Jaw tight, she kicked out at Vamae. Taken by surprise, he fell. The rifle went clattering towards her. Ignoring the tearing at her shoulder, anger fuelling her, she made a grab for the rifle. Her good hand found the grip of the rifle first. Vamae lunged towards her. The rifle traced an arc in the air, the butt of the rifle planted against her chest, she fired. A single bullet sliced through the air, punching a hole through Vamae's forehead, spraying guts and blood everywhere. The kickback knocked the breath out of Ryder, leaving her gasping as black spots danced across her eyes.
She felt more than she saw hands dragging her across the blood slicked floor. Voices drifted in and out of her consciousness as tears streamed from her eyes uncontrollably.
Evfra, Evfra, Evfra.
But she was Skye Ryder, she refused to curl up and die. It didn't matter if Evfra just got shot because of her. It didn't matter her heart ached so much she thought she was going to die. Her parents raised no fucking coward. Peeling her eyes open, she struggled with a fury only the dying could summon.
Ravad looked down at her. "Looks like you helped me cleaned up a mess," she said. "So let me do you a favour."
With a quick shove, Ryder's back slammed into something hard. Her eyes watered. But before she could catch her breath, Ravad tossed Evfra in after. His heavier bulk slammed into her, she cried out.
The Roekaar stood with one foot on the threshold, a grin on her lips.
As soon as she caught her breath, her fingers sought out the spot right between his neck and his cowl. She pressed tightly. Please, please, please. She begged for some higher power to hear her, any one of them would do at this point. Then, something throbbed against her fingers. It's weak and unsteady but it's there. Relief washed over her like a sip of water under Elaaden's scorching sun. Evfra was still alive. She wrapped her good arm around Evfra, holding him closer.
"What are you doing?" Ryder gasped.
"I know your little computer friend must have tapped into that comm buoy we passed a little while back," Ravad said. "I want to survive. You are just too hot for me."
Ryder blinked stupidly, the pounding in her head made it impossible to comprehend what's going on.
"I'm dropping both of you off," Ravad went on. "Vamae failed to kill Evfra. He managed to fuck up shooting a man at point blank range and losing to a human with one functional arm." She snorted, it's a noise filled with so much disgust at Vamae's sheer incompetency. Ravad wouldn't even spare her comrade some dignity in death. "So yeah, you did me a favour."
Ryder braced herself against a protruding piece of metal. She blinked, fighting her disorientation. It was a seat. Feet kicked and pushing, she dragged herself into a sitting position, Evfra draped across her lap. This wasn't the shuttle anymore, the space was too small and cramped. Two metal seats were welded to walls dotted with controls. It looked familiar, in fact it looked just like Peebee's room.
It's an escape pod.
Ravad took a step back, both her feet planted firmly outside the pod. She hit a button and the door started closing. "I believe there is enough air for 12 hours. Hopefully your people pick you up before Evfra bleed out. If you survive, remember I let you go."
Before Ryder could find the words, the door sealed shut. And the pod was ejected, sending her world spinning and tumbling.
Awareness returned in ebbs and flows. Evfra groaned and forced his eyes open only for them to sag again. His heart laboured inside his chest, his lungs fought valiantly for every bit of oxygen.
"Shhh…" a gentle voice cooed at him but the voice sounded exhausted. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Through his blurry vision, he saw a familiar face, one he thought he had lost when the bullet hit him, one he thought he would never wake to again. "Hey," he managed to rasp through his dry and cracked lips.
Ryder moved away, grimacing as she used her left hand to reposition a sun lamp closer to him.
Evfra would deny it if anyone asked, but a whimper escaped his tight control when Ryder disappeared from his vision.
She hurried back, couching next to him. "I'm here, I'm here," her voice assured him, hand brushing his face as his vision dimmed, his eyes fluttered.
He grunted, refusing to give up his ability to look upon Ryder. Their eyes met. His pain glazed, hers exhausted and drained but underneath it ran a will and determination the strength of a burning star. That was his Ryder, his Skye.
"None of that Evfra," she leaned her forehead onto his.
Even the slight contact was enough to pour energy into his limbs. He grunted and straightened in the seat he was strapped in. Ryder returned to her task, ripping a pack of Resistance issued medi-gel with her teeth. He gasped as a coolness spread across his chest when she injected the contents of the single use syringe into him. The pain receded and he could think more clearly. But it didn't make breathing any easier, he could taste blood at the back of his throat.
Ryder's right arm, awkwardly strapped to her side, under suit ripped so badly it was barely clinging to her torso. The bullet that punched through her shoulder was bleeding freely. A disturbingly dark red streak ran down her chest.
"You should have use that yourself," he said, a trench formed between his brow. She was always taking care of others, putting herself in harm's way. As a leader, their lives weighed differently as much as he didn't want to admit it. She was the Pathfinder, she had to put herself first, over the common soldiers, even the leader of the Resistance.
Ryder glared at him without heat but looked away quickly. Bracing herself against the wall, she slumped onto the floor, too tired to move. Her pale human skin stained a deep blue. His eyes widened in alarm, it's probably all his.
"SAM," she called out, triggering her omni-tool's scanner on her broken arm. "How's it looking?"
The orange beam adjusted to its awkward angle to sweep over him. They waited. SAM remained silent. She frowned. "SAM?"
"I'm sorry Pathfinder," SAM replied. "I'm processing the data. The bleeding in Resistance Leader de Tershaav's chest has slowed but…"
"It's not enough," Ryder finished the sentence, her eyes slid to the floor, defeated.
She took a deep breath and Evfra saw the disappointment shoved aside, as she drew strength from somewhere deep within. Her shoulders set, chin raised high to meet the challenge. In that moment, Evfra's chest filled with a pride so great, he was amazed his ribs hadn't fracture from it.
This was Skye Ryder, Pathfinder and the Archon Slayer. But most importantly, she was his safe harbour. Even as he could feel his lungs slowly but surely fill with blood, choking out much needed oxygen, he was glad to be here with her, in this last moments. It was enough Ryder would survive.
"What about the Tempest, how far out are they?" she asked.
"Four hours away, but it would take time to locate the escape pod. The Tempest is tracking your location based on your implant but it's affecting how much bandwidth I can manage your pain," SAM replied.
She nodded. "I know. That's fine, we can manage it when they get near."
His eyes darted worriedly over her wounds, if SAM was managing her pain levels to the maximum of their bandwidth, Ryder was in considerably more pain than he had realised. But before he could speak, SAM went on, "The Tempest can hone in on our location of the beacon if it's working. The comm array's signal range is much narrower."
"What happened to the beacon?" he asked, marshalling his strength to help out.
Ryder sighed and shrugged. "You would do better trying to fix this. I can't make heads or tail of it."
With a grimace, she pushed herself to her feet, shuffling around the tight space to show him the beacon or what's left of it.
With one brow ridge raised, he asked "Did you smash it up in frustration?"
She rolled her eyes. "I may be incompetent with tech, but I'm not stupid or suicidal. And I've tried putting it back together but you…"
He snorted, ignoring the way she looked at him, fear and dread filling her eyes. "Now you know how I felt when you just dropped out of contact."
Annoyance flared instantly. "Hey, that wasn't by choice."
"What about taking that bullet for me?" He held her gaze. Relief warred with anger. She lived, but it didn't soothe the ache that twisted in his chest when he looked at her still bleeding wound. She could have died. With a scowl furrowing his face, he looked away. This was too much, too soon. They couldn't afford to get emotional.
With a sigh, he dragged the mask of the Resistance Leader back on and unclipped himself from the harness. A protest died on her lips before she voiced it and shifted out of his way.
"The Roekaar do not want us to be easy to find," she pointed out. "And a limited oxygen supply isn't enough of a ticking time bomb, you're—"
Evfra grunted. "I'm fine."
She burst out laughing, verging on hysterical. "I'm fine, you're not."
He made a noise of frustration but directed his attention at the disparate pieces before him. Despite Ryder saying she wasn't good with tech, she had made good progress with the pieces she had to work with. She just lacked the proper tools to complete the job.
"Stop that," he rasped as he picked up the frayed ends of the wires to examine them. They looked to be in good enough condition. Bending over was incredibly hard, fighting through the mental fog to work was harder still. But what was hardest was feeling Ryder's eyes on him. Worry and anxiety was roiling off of her.
"I didn't do anything," she pointed out.
"You're staring."
"What else is there for me to do?" temper fraying, voice snapping.
"Check under the console by the seats, there should be an emergency repair kit there. Unless they really wanted us dead," he said, his tone matching hers.
Hisses of pain and grunts of muffled groans came from behind as she searched. "Well Ravad just wanted to get away, if you can believe that."
She handed him the repair kit and he put on the finishing touches that she couldn't. The longer he worked, the worse he felt, but he wasn't about to leave a job half done, not when her survival depended on this. Mouth dry, vision tunnelling, he gritted his teeth and continued working. He must.
"Evfra."
A wave of vertigo swept over him as he fought to concentrate. Ryder was talking about something or other, he couldn't quite understand what she was saying. His pulse was pounding too loudly to hear anything.
"Evfra!"
Her voice was laced with panic, but it cut through his fog. As his vision blurred in and out, the analgesic effects of the medi-gel fading, he moaned and slumped backwards. One strong arm wrapped around him, steadying him and he fell against Ryder's chest. She grunted and slowly easing him onto the floor. Eyes squeezed shut as he fought to breathe.
"Easy, easy," Ryder soothed, gripping his hand tightly.
"Pathfinder," SAM called.
The conversation washed over him as he struggled to cling onto consciousness. Maybe this was it, this was the end. The taste of iron was strong on his tongue. His mouth opened and closed, but he couldn't find the strength to speak. Words he wanted to tell Ryder just one more time, before it all ended. I love you. Words he knew she needed to hear so that he could take the guilt away. It's not your fault. Words he wanted to say but he had never found the right moment to say them. Will you bond with me?
Then, the world turned dark.
Tears streamed down Ryder's face as she cradled Evfra's still body. He breathed, but his face was pale and grey.
"Pathfinder, the oxygen supply is running low," SAM said, "I'll advise you to stop crying to conserve the air."
She wanted to laugh at SAM's suggestion, she wanted to scream, she wanted to turn back time and never have taken this shore leave. It wasn't supposed to be this way.
"How far away is the Tempest?" she asked, it was reflex by this point.
SAM kept quiet.
"Give it to me straight, SAM. No need to sugar coat things. We're going to die right?"
"Yes."
Ryder dashed the tears away angrily. Even sitting alone in an escape pod with barely enough oxygen for both of them, she still couldn't accept weakness from herself. Despite how shattered and weary she was, she refused to stop fighting. They had made it this far, why not a little more?
With a grunt, she tried to lift Evfra with one arm. A scream ripped through her throat, tearing another hole in her heart as she fell back to the floor. Frustration, pain and exhaustion had wrung her dry. Taking deliberate deep breaths, she calmed herself. She was no good to Evfra if she threw a temper tantrum.
"SAM, I think I need that ace in a hole now."
"But, it would disrupt the tracing signal."
"Now SAM."
"Understood," SAM replied, their answer sullen and worried.
With a grunt, she hefted Evfra onto her back and lifted him onto the seat. After strapping him in, she pressed her fingers against his neck. His pulse throbbed back against her fingers. It was weak but still there. Her jaw tight, she rummaged through the supplies.
There wasn't much, a spare angara rebreather helmet and a canister of oxygen that would fit Evfra's suit. And the last syringe of medi-gel. She had no need for it. Her bleeding was minimal. If she could make Evfra more comfortable and keep him from dying, she'd take it. Without hesitation, she injected the last dose, never mind she just gave him one not that long ago. As she brought the helmet down over his face, she pressed her lips against his blood crusted forehead. Tears cutting streaks down her face. She took a shuddering breath to steady herself and attached the canister to the helmet.
"SAM, can you get control of Evfra's suit?"
"If I have his permission—"
"Override it with my authority, I'm sure he won't mind."
"One moment."
The pain across her chest intensified as SAM worked, signalling the end of the increased pain blocking. Having their processes split between so many tasks was taxing their abilities and her ability to cling onto this side of lucidity. A pained exhale of breath escaped her lips. She cast her eyes on the repair Evfra was working on. The parts were properly reassembled and the beacon had lit up. "Perfectionist," she muttered under her breath before stealing a glance at him.
Evfra was sagging against the restraints, head lolled towards his chest. His breath misting against the helmet. Hissing, she found a position on the floor right next to the array. The air was getting thinner and her lungs were labouring.
"Got it," SAM reported. "I'll deploy the canister once the pod runs out. But that means—"
She chuckled. "No need to put it into words, SAM. It is what it is. And I don't intend to give up just yet. The Tempest might yet reach us in time."
She picked up the communicator and clicked it on. She wasn't going to leave it to chance. There was no telling what's the actual signal range on this beacon. Static filled the tiny capsule. "This is…" her eyes drifted to the escape pod's code stamped into the door that separated them from hard vacuum. "…escape pod code…" And she fumbled through Shelesh with a horrible accent. "Oxygen running low, passengers require immediate medical attention."
She huffed a breath. Maybe a passing ship would pick up on their comms, maybe the Resistance had sent a ship after them, maybe she could persuade SAM to drop their pain management and allow the Tempest to hone in on them all the quicker. She wasn't ready to die, not yet. "I repeat. This is…"
The escape pod was a tiny speck of silver floating in the dark space between Jirayder and Layan. Ryder's voice was the lone sound in the void, repeating a plea over and over until the darkness claimed her too.