Everything shook so violently that my teeth chattered. Clinging to the chair I had strapped myself into, we rocked towards the surface of N7 with such pressure that I could barely breathe. I was doing my best not to pass out again.

  The seatbelt cut into me ever so tightly as turbulence, artificial gravity, and the chaos of a crash landing all exerted a myriad of forces upon my body. At least my head didn’t feel like I was about to explode. I was just being vibrated into jelly.

  N7 was now a massive sea of purple before us. Then we began to enter the atmosphere. Blinded by thick dark clouds, now the Euphorion’s bridge soared straight into the unknown.

  “Prepare for a water landing!” the captain announced, hitting a few buttons on the console.

  Yet we did not land, we did not even break through the clouds – we just kept going. Hurtling at painful speeds down towards the surface. A minute ticked by, and then two. My limb felt tingly and weak, my vision a constant, shaky blur.

  The bridge was scarily loose. Segments and panels were flopping and bending. Yet they did not break. Somehow, all held together. Though I was convinced it would all break apart any second.

  A strange orange film began to coat the glass. The temperature began to warm, it rose, and it kept rising.

  “All shuttles have landed successfully!” Someone yelled.

  “Bring us home, Captain,” Tobias ordered shakily.

  Sweat beaded down my temple. The air was too hot to breathe. It was on fire. The clear glass barrier was on fire. I did not understand how such a thing was possible. The rattling of the ship grew, the clouds still impossibly thick around us.

  I could smell smoke and something burnt. My extremities had gone pale and numb. Everything fucking hurt too much to pinpoint what I was even experiencing.

  I desperately needed water, I desperately needed to pee, I desperately needed to be anywhere else away from this horrid experience. My vision tunnelled, blurring even further. But there was no way to escape this.

  Finally, we broke through the ashen clouds. The sudden light made me flinch. All that could be seen was purple. N7’s ocean. We just kept falling, unable to tell when we would come to a stop; the endless purple gave no sense of depth.

  The captain hit a few buttons, and the nose of the bridge rose, beginning to take a more horizontal descent. The rattling eased, the whir of the engines taking precedence.

  I tried to move even my hand, but I struggled to make it respond. Something was wrong. Officers were beginning to compose themselves, the ones not throwing up at least. But my body was still not under my control.

  I looked for Nicole in a panic, my eyes unable to properly focus on anything. I was so fucking helpless.

  “Nicole!” Tobias snapped.

  “Something is wrong,” Nicole replied flatly, a wobble of colour as she unbuckled herself and stumbled over to me. “Elsy,” she asked quietly. “Can you hear me?”

  “I don’t know what’s happening,” I slurred, glad it was at least intelligible.

  “You’re conscious, that’s good,” She nodded.

  “It hurts,” I gasped, the air unbearably hot.

  She pressed her fingers to my pulse point, the other coming up to force my eye wide. She stared at me intently.

  I hated breathing right now; it had never been so horrid. But I forced myself to, regardless. Just keep breathing, just keep breathing.

  “I apologize for this,” Nicole offered, pricking my finger with something.

  “S’omay,” I mumbled.

  Nicole licked the blood from the tip of my finger. Her expression was frustratingly neutral.

  “Ist… bad?” I asked.

  “I don’t know, Elsy,” Nicole grimaced. “I don’t think it’s good.”

  I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, trying to force my body to work normally. “What… about the baby?”

  Before Nicole could respond, the bridge lurched violently. Nicole stumbled, lifting off the ground as the bridge listed for a horrifying moment before gravity readjusted itself and sent her violently crashing across the bridge. She came to a stop, bent and broken around one of the desks.

  “For fucks sake, Nicole!” Tobias snapped.

  I stopped breathing. I twisted myself in my seat until it hurt. Nicole lay motionless, beginning to slide back along the floor, her eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. Dread coiled within me. Why wasn’t she getting up?

  Nicole sat up. White milky fluid dripped from her nose as she mechanically climbed to her feet. She reached up to grab a handrail as she experimentally rolled her neck. She wiped white from her face.

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  She looked stunned, disoriented. Yet no one paid her any attention. I would have run to her, but I could hardly run at the best of times. Still, I itched to reach out for her. Whatever was wrong with my own body be damned.

  I also knew that I would not be able to survive that happening to me. Reluctantly, I stayed in my seat and focused on breathing.

  “500 meters!” An officer called out.

  “Everyone, brace yourselves!” The captain called out.

  “Nicole! Get back to your seat.” Tobias ordered.

  “Brace myself,” I muttered, frustratedly. How exactly was I supposed to do that?

  “Two minutes!” The officer updated.

  “Nicole!” Tobias yelled. “Don’t just stand there!”

  Nicole looked up, her pupils snapping back into place. She fixed her tousled hair before awkwardly limping back to her seat and buckling herself in. White fluid still dripped from her nose.

  I reminded myself to breathe. Glancing between my view of the impending ocean and my injured friend, willing her to look at me. I hated this. I wanted to be off this stupid ship.

  It was still so horribly hot, I was drenched in sweat by this point, but I seemed to be suffering more than most.

  “One minute. Deploying parachutes,” the officer announced nervously.

  A moment later, the bridge jerked backwards, my head snapping forward painfully as we slowed down suddenly.

  “Hold on, everyone,” the captain said, stealing his resolve. The glare from the sun illuminated the bridge, reflected off the purple sea. I could begin to make out waves. Oh God, this was really happening.

  Tobias worked his jaw and said nothing. Everyone was nervously quiet. My stomach lurched. I closed my eyes, leaned my head against the headrest and focused on inhaling and exhaling.

  The bridge jerked once. Then again, and again faster. I breathed, wrapping my arms around myself. Everything began to shake as a new noise reverberated through the bridge. We were slowing down, the trembling easing as we skidded to a stop.

  I opened my eyes, blinking away spots. The purple sea had partially swallowed us, the water level above the glass. Dark gray, thick clouds passed by overhead. The engine still thrummed.

  But for the first time in months, the only movement was that of the very sea itself. We weren’t quite on solid ground, but we were ever so close.

  Someone cheered, and soon everyone was shouting with joy. With trembling hands, I fumbled to unbuckle myself.

  Officers patted the captain on the back. Others hugged. Tobias stood and closed his eyes, breathing a silent sigh of relief.

  Pain flared through my back as I stood. The ship had cooled thanks to the sea surrounding us. Nausea still rolled within me, and I felt like a distant observer in my own body as I shuffled over to Nicole.

  “Are you okay?” I asked her.

  “Yes. I only sustained minor damage,” she replied, unbuckling herself to stand. “I am leaking lubricant and have lost partial use of my leg. But nothing that would threaten my operation. I am alright,” Nicole clarified.

  I let out a sigh of relief and wrapped my arms around her. “W-We made it.”

  “Yes, Elsy. We did,” Nicole confirmed, wrapping her arms around me, her voice not modulating quite correctly.

  “Shuttle six is inbound to pick us up,” the communications officer spoke up loudly.

  “Good,” Tobias nodded. “Everyone, strip this place of anything useful and prepare for disembarkation.” He spared a glance in our direction and frowned. “Elizabeth, how are you doing?” He asked, walking over.

  “Better now that we’ve landed,” I smiled haphazardly, still holding onto Nicole’s arm as she straightened up. “Better but not… all better.”

  “Yes, you look rather pale,” he frowned. “What is the matter?” He asked Nicole.

  Nicole wiped lubricant from her face. “I cannot pinpoint the problem without additional medical equipment. But leukocytosis indicates an immune response, and combined with mild anemia and a B12 deficiency, there is some cause for concern.”

  “And the baby?” Tobias asked. “Will this affect my son?”

  “I cannot give you an accurate answer at this time,” Nicole replied.

  “The closest outfitted hospital is floating dead in space, a week’s journey away. So just take a wild fucking guess, Nicole,” Tobias snapped.

  Nicole was quiet for a moment. “Yes, Lord Barrick. Ill health will likely harm the baby.”

  “Unbelievable,” he muttered, looking none too pleased. “You can’t even do the one thing you’re designed for right.”

  “As I said, without more testing, and without the Euphorion databank, my capabilities—“

  “Shut up,” he held up his hand. “I am well aware of your reduced capacities.” He wasn’t looking at Nicole; he was glaring at me.

  His meaning was clear, and it hurt. I was defective. An Uxor that could not carry a healthy heir to term. It was a failure at the most basic levels. And yet I was also a Uxor that had a sense of freedom, one that could not be so easily numbed and wrangled.

  I spun on my heel and simply walked away from him. A certain vicious delight carried me away even as he called after me. I marched all the way back to my closet, my indignation still bubbling below the surface. The implant was failing. Nicole had been right, and I so loved her for it.

  I had barely closed the closet door when Nicole buzzed it open.

  “Seriously, he couldn’t even be bothered to come after me?” I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face as if that would somehow erase my dizziness.

  “He told me to give you a sincere apology on his behalf,” Nicole said. “He, quote, ‘didn’t mean it like that.’”

  I scoffed. Bewildered by the emotions coursing through my veins. I was angry at him and delighted by that fact. It was such a thrill. It felt so rebellious.

  Still, it didn’t ease my worry. “Is what you told Tobias really bad?” I asked, dreading the answer.

  “No,” Nicole shook her head. “You are symptomatic… experiencing symptoms of something, but stable. I am concerned that your condition will worsen as I have nothing with which to treat symptoms, let alone diagnose the cause.”

  I took a shaky breath and reached up to wipe lubricant from Nicole’s face. “What about you?” I changed the subject, rubbing the slimy fluid between my fingers. If there was nothing to be done, then there was no point in thinking about it. Not when Nicole was also injured.

  “What about me?” She blinked, staring at my fingers.

  “Will you heal? I don’t know anything about synthetics,” I grimaced slightly. I wanted to be helpful, useful. Not out of some imposed fate in the case of Tobias, but because Nicole would do the same for me.

  “No, not on my own. I require repairs, some of which I can do myself with the right tools,” she admitted. “Synthetics are not capable of self-healing as with a living organism.”

  “So… you’re just going to slowly bleed out because we don’t have repair stuff for you?” I gasped. Why in the world was she so worried about me right now?

  Nicole shook her head. “This is not an equivalent of blood. It is lubricant to ensure my joints remain mobile. Without it, many mechanisms would wear down much more quickly, but I assure you it is nowhere near as critical for my operation as blood is for yours. Okay?”

  I nodded. “So you’re okay?”

  “Yes, Elsy, I am okay,” she nodded, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

  I swallowed the lump building in my throat. “But what if you can’t get repair stuff? Do we even have what you need with us? What will we do?”

  “I don’t know. But we have little medical supplies and food. The same logistical problems will arise for all of you as well,” Nicole sighed, the silence stretching on for a moment. “I fear Tobias may be overconfident about our odds of survival here.”

  Neither of us knew what to say after that. Nicole helped me pack up my few scavenged belongings before we gathered with the rest of the crew to board the shuttle that would take us to land.