BOUND BY BLOOD
The motion sensors in the corridor lit with every step Delly took towards the front of the ship. It was surreal—being back in the Yellow Rover, a place she had called home for so many years, especially now without her exploration team. This was without a doubt, the quietest it ever had been on board, even the corridor felt wider than she remembered. That she was the lone survivor out of the eighteen souls who journeyed with her was unthinkable. This wasn’t the way this mission was supposed to end.
She bypassed the side airlocks, galley and gym before coming upon the women’s habitation chamber and comfort station. A lump settled in the back of her throat as she noticed dried blood splatter leading up to the entrance to the comfort station.
Delly exhaled. This had to be the place where Roko made his last stand, although his body was nowhere to be found. She placed her prosthetic against her forehead, pulling it away instantly as she looked at it. No matter how much she wanted to forget what had happened to her, this piece of Fonantian plastic clinging to the bottom of her right arm would never allow it. She would have to live with the memory for the rest of her days.
She entered the comfort station and noticed every locker, with the exception of her own, was open. The spare uniforms and undergear had been neatly folded into individual piles. There were bottles of felaprex also bunched together.
Delly walked to her locker and set her helmet down on the bench. She tugged and tugged with her left hand until her locker slid open. A secondary pair of boots were on the floor next to her backpack, while her undergear and uniform were still hanging inside. Her first sergeant stripes were prominently displayed on the uniform’s shoulder. Now she understood how Marius knew that she had been promoted. She looked on the top shelf and saw the bottle of felaprex Ono had given her on day one. She tossed it away in a fury before beginning to cry.
She plopped down on the bench and struggled to take off her boots. It had been that way ever since she woke up on Kabibi’s cutting room table. Her feet were an abomination. The less said about them, the better. She reached back inside the locker and snagged her towel. It was still soft and, oh so comfortable. Just another one of those random things she took for granted.
These near-death experiences had taught her if nothing else—to cherish everything. She was only going to get one chance at this life—so she might as well make it count. She detached her prosthetic and set it down on the bench before rising to her feet. She walked into the adjoining lavatory and hung her towel in front of the last of the three showers.
She activated the shower, stepping under the warmish hot water and allowed it to soak her undergear. The liquid the Fonantians dumped on her had made the material itch and stick to her skin. The dampness was refreshing. Delly slowly began to unzip, from her neck down to just below her waist. She pushed the fabric apart as the water caressed her battered and bruised body.
“Oh, that feels good.”
She took a deep breath and exhaled. It was nice to be able to bask in the quiet for once. She pushed the undergear open further, moving towards her right shoulder. She removed her right arm and then repeated the process with her left. The undergear fell to her ankles. At last, she was finally free—naked as the day she was born.
<>
A sopping piece of clothing came flying into the women’s locker from the shower area as Orion watched it from just inside the entrance. Did his sister really take a shower while fully clothed? A moment later, Delly emerged with a towel wrapped around her, dripping all the way to her open locker. Her left hand held the towel in place while her right arm dangled.
“Bout time. I was beginning to think you were never gonna come out of there.” He said.
She didn’t even seem remotely bothered by his presence, almost as if she had been expecting him to be waiting for her. She coolly plopped down in front of the locker with her back to him.
“You do realize we have working showers on the Red Rover, right?”
Orion placed the extra spacesuit he took from the storage room in the loading bay on the opposite bench, before unshouldering a new shotgun and primary weapon next. He sat beside all of it.
“No offense little bro, but—your ship’s kind of a piece of shit. And I would know, because I’ve been on it before.”
“Fair enough. Although, that’s not the first time I’ve heard that said about the ship, believe it or not.”
“Lucky you.”
She was just as snarky as ever, but he didn’t care. He was just overjoyed to have her back. With them back together, it was only a matter of time before they found the Rover Base and reunited with the rest of their family.
“So you wanna tell me what happened to your hand?”
“Not really.” She exhaled. “I’m guessing I’m the only one left.”
He was a bit unsure how to respond. While this was still his big sister and he should have felt comfortable sharing everything with her, Orion was also ignorant to the type of relationships Delly had built on the Yellow Rover. If her experience was anything like his, her crewmates were more akin to being family than work colleagues.
Locating Delly would have been practically impossible if he didn’t have his team by his side to help him. Had Marius not found Witchy, it definitely would not have happened. He was grateful beyond belief.
“Orion?”
She pivoted around to face him.
“We found Komatsu when we first discovered the ship.”
He swallowed. This was not a pleasant a memory.
“He had a hole in his chest.”
She sighed as her eyes became watery. She placed her right arm against her towel, freeing her left hand to wipe her eyes. She was really hurting. However, there was no reason for him to keep secrets from her.
“Where is he now?”
“We put him in his pod. Marius still wants to give him a proper burial.”
“Good. He deserves that. Roko was a—a good man, a great man—and an excellent soldier. It’s not right.”
She sighed once more.
“Orion?”
“Yeah.”
“Why are you here?”
Orion was taken aback by the abrupt change in her tone. She went from grieving to stern in the blink of an eye.
“What do you mean?”
“Cut the shit. You know what I mean. Why are you on this planet? Where’s the Rover Base? Where’s Mom and Dad? And Pharaoh?”
I swear to God, nothing ever gets past her. Even to this day.
“I don’t know where they are.” He said.
“Then how did you get here?”
Delly was relentless. He had only come in here to double-check that she was all right and now all he wanted to do was give her some space. He should have listened to Marius from the get-go.
“It’s a long story. And we’ll have plenty of time to talk about it.” He rose to his feet. “But right now, I think the best thing is for you to get some rest.”
“Are those for me?”
She looked towards the primary weapon and shotgun that he had left on the bench.
“What can I say? A soldier’s gotta have their tools. Also brought you another suit as well. Just in case.”
“Thanks bro.”
“You’re welcome. Anyway, I’m gonna give you some privacy, let you get settled. But if you need us, we’re all on the Red Rover. Just come around back, you can’t miss it.”
Delly smirked while scoffing. It did his heart some good to see her actually somewhat crack a smile. Lord only knew how long it had been since she was able to do that. He walked back to the exit as the door slid open.
“Really glad to see you Delly. I missed you.”
“I missed you too, O.”
Orion smiled. He double-tapped the wall before exiting the locker.
“Orion?”
He turned back and looked inside the locker.
“Before you go, can I have a hug?”
He re-entered the locker and walked right to her. She rose to her feet and greeted him with her left arm extended. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her still wet hair smack against his face. She began making noises while sniffing him.
“Phew, I think I’m not the only one who could use a shower around here. And seriously, when the hell did you get so tall?”
What he could say? That was his sister in a nutshell. She was never afraid to speak her mind, no matter the occasion. It was one of her admirable traits, even if it irritated him to no end.