"Alright we wont be opening that up again any time soon. So get comfortable" Ryuki coughed out. "Lets open up those heatsinks so we dont freeze to death" he yelled. Large plates on the backs of the Zhuk and Thunderhammer retracted to reveal the black body radiators stored inside their steel thorax's. Slow they rose up , these thin rows of plates much like the scaly spikes on the back of a Stegosaurus. Steam floated out , these wisps entwining with the exposed metal beams and the mildewed walls.

They sealed the hatches and gangways with cannisters of insta-insul , spraying the rapidly foaming compound into any nook and cranny they could find. Still they felt the heat escaping and began to pile up empty wooden crates and furniture into a giant bonfire. Though they meant well, the lack of working ventilation would have killed them in their sleep. It only took a few minutes after the fire was set that someone realized the implication.

"Uh, we need to put this fire out. Theres no HVAC in here, we'll suffocate" Karin called out from the pit of her Zephyr. They stood there dazed as if a horrific revelation was made. Well, to them it was horrific. A glowing, warm fire had to die so that they could live. Ryuki walked up to the fire and sprayed the blaze down with an extinguisher. "Party's over, get some rest" he coughed.

Beige tents were tossed up in a circle around a hot heatsink. The Thunderhammer had provided one of its four to warm the crew as they slept. While the rest of the team slept two to a tent, Ryuki took to one by himself. His mind was in a tizzy ,still contemplating everything thats happened. He was afraid, this moment of solitude could unlock unwanted emotions. His time spent had been in tension or in leadership but never enough time to think for just a moment. Everything had been reactionary ,instinctual, until this point. Sitting alone, in a dark tent, knowing something was out there did not do any favors for the captain's bruised psyche.

So now, with no intrusions,invasions or insubordination, he had the choice. Stay awake and allow his mind to completely comprehend this series of events that had become his waking life, or to sleep and allow the thoughts and emotions to dig indelible scars into his brain. He stayed awake, fully aware of the misfortunes he was attracting. He unrestrained himself , lied down and waited.

Hours passed as he laid there. His eyes turned red from agitation, his mouth dry from being exposed to the cold for so long. Waiting for something to happen, anything. He closed his eyes, not to sleep ,but to see what his mind could be showing him.

At first it was darkness. Then movement, something was moving in the shadows. No, it was the darkness itself, flexing and waving, like a satin sheet. Plop, something dropped into it, splashing the darkness around it, sending ripples across the fabric. Another drop but the splash did not recede. At the pinpoint where the ripples emanated , a pillar began to form , reaching up into the sky until the fabric tore to pieces. This scrap of ebony cloth fell back down to the ground. It squirmed, though it seemed as if the wind was kicking it up. It danced atop the dark plane until it stopped midway through a jump.

The ghostly apparition, turned to face him, its face was scarred and pockmarked and its eyes jet black. It molted, the fabric disintegrating but revealing underneath some kind of humanoid shaped amorphous goo. Slick oil dripped from its long thin limbs, congealing on the ground like blood. The goop began to disappear around its face, revealing pink and white sinew. Veins coursed underneath pumping vigorously. Its skull was marked with spiky extrusions. The crown was oblong, like some kind of ram. Its mouth, its mouth was the worst. All teeth. Sharp shark teeth, reciprocating rows of flesh rending destruction. Rows and rows of them. Its mouth expanded , its jaw dislocating. There, in its mouth, a barbed tongue, shaped much like a mace or morningstar. Yellow viscous liquid lapped up with every chomp of the mouth, splashing out ,spittle that seemed to burn . Acid spit, barbed tongue, chainsaw teeth. But still , its form was vague, still a shadow nestled in darkness. The mouth snapped shut violently. Crunch crunch crunch, it was chewing something. Bone, fragments of bone slopped out of its mouth. Bits of flesh sliped between the bloody teeth. Then its eyes looked towards him. An unidentifiable light shined on its eyes , reflecting back a dead gaze.

Sloppy foot steps echoed back to him, the creature moving in closer. To inspect him? Eat him? He still didn't know what it was chewing. There was no need to find out. Fear gripped him as the teeth came into clearer view, now drenched in blood and covered in torn flesh. Its pace quickened but Ryuki was unable to move. His body was frozen, his limbs no longer reacting to his commands. He turned his head, there was nothing , no where to hide even if he could.

The creature was meters away, its flesh turning black like charred coal, its breath hot and filled with the stink of rotting meat. Its tongue was dangling and its lips quivering in anticipation of its next meal.

It stood over him, nearl ten meters tall. Its acid spit dripped, burning him and sending shocks of intense pain as his skin burned off. It burned right to the bone, exposing the red marrow. Its mouth opened wide , the teeth reverberating like vibro-blades. Its mouth snapped shut around him.

He woke up from his dream. There was nothing in it, no consolation, no reprieve. The fear had taken hold of his unconscious mind. He could feel it when each decision came delayed when it should have been instant. Hesitation , just a few seconds but enough to render his orders invalid. A primal fear arose from the disturbing dream. That his own mind was working against him, his decisions not for the benefit of his team but for some traitorous goal.

He smacked his hand into his cheek, smashed his fist into his skull. There was no way to dig these thoughts out, they were trapped within the fatty cells of his brain, they had become him. What was there to do when he his own decisions could play against him? He was afraid to say something. They would dismiss him and everything he's ever done. No longer would he be there captain, just some useless passenger on this ride to Helheim.

"I cant do this, I cant" he whispered. He oscillated between telling them and not. "Not ,this is it, I can't jeopardize them for some stupid pride". It was definitive. The right choice. All his time as a leader, he knew one day he would have to remove himself from command. He needed to do this, to protect everyone from his wayward mind.

He stepped out of his tent, to find himself in an empty hanger. No tents in sight, and all but one of the mechs gone. This wasn't right at all, this could not have happened while he was still awake. There had to have been something else. A hallucination maybe. Maybe thats it, maybe he was still asleep. All he needed to do was to wake up somehow.

The pit was as real as any he had ever been in. Quite the convincing hallucination. The hatch closed down , the systems all starting up one by one. The automatic prep took over until it reached the arming stage. All of the weapons were armed. If this was a dream it wouldnt matter how much ammunition he used up, it was all fake anyway. Maybe, he thought.

The freight elevator access was shut. Manipulator hands fitted between the doors and pulled on them until they bent outwards enough to make room for his mech to pass through. The elevator shaft was long , seemingly going on for kilometers thanks to the lack of light. Even night vision was unable to show the true extent of it. A cable hanged loose , perhaps the elevator cable. A tug on it showed that it was firmly attached.

The rocket claw was a bit underused. It needed a few flexes to get the rust to wear off. Ryuki aimed it as high as he thought he could reach. Two panels opened up revealing a set of solid fuel rockets. Ignition was a violent event with streams of white exhaust filling the shaft as bright yellow plumes of flame raced upwards.

The claw grabbed onto a ledge about fifty meters up. He reeled the cable back , pulling himself up. The climb was slow and he had no idea where to go. He searched for some kind of sign, perhaps a floor with communication equipment or someway to call for help.

Up again he went, the next floor just more storage. What to expect from a trade ship? It seemed he had travelled several hundred meters up till he found an open door. His mech went through it, a beacon of light floated some distance away.

He approached the light and tried to grasp it to no avail. The light was completely holographic or imaginary, it could have been either really. He couldn't tell the difference anyway. His head started throbbing again, the light growing brighter and brighter till it felt his eyes were burning away.

The pain woke him up from his deep slumber. His head pounded, the vestiges of exhaustion still haunting him. A vague recollection was all that remained of his night , barely enough to reconstruct any useful information. A sharp pain crossed his shin causing him to yelp as the shock passed over him,

A sweet smell wafted into his tent. The smell of baked batter and honey. Pancakes. For once, he felt relieved, the familiar taste of banana pancakes reawakening his memories of home. "Excellent, the best ones I have ever had", he said with a wide smile. "Oh thats a surprise, I just warmed the can up and tossed it onto plates. You must be really hungry ,Cap", Reaper replied. "If you want, I can cook up a batch of butter-pecan pancakes from my personal stash. I hate to see terrible food get eaten with a gusty like you sir, seriously you deserve better" he replied. Not quite humble. But it was true. A chief on his off time, Reaper was one of the best at what he did. A combat soldier who can whip up a hearty meal, something many captains could only dream of. R rations were no match, even with their lard-dough bread.

"No no, hold onto your food when we really need it, like when we have a victory party while we're piloting this hulking ship off this icicle" he said with a laugh. Reaper laughed too, insincerely at first , but the moment caught him. The forced smile turned into a wide grin,as he joined with everyone else.

"Hah, man that might not be fun, but what the hell right? We ain't living forever bro!" Barry roared. They ate their breakfast , grabbing more canned pancakes , still hungry and still laughing. The cold, the fear and the threat of failure had left, temporarily. Once again the felt surety in their endeavor, and even in the face of terror, they felt the courage to continue forth well up. A simple meal and a content captain was all it took for them to muster courage.

The end of breakfast didn't temper their courage. In fact, with the day ahead of them, they felt even more ready to escape. Whether on this ship or swimming across space itself, Ryuki and his team felt more than ready to win this fight.