"Hey Willow. The Klendathu's going out to... well, I can't say, but I won't be back where we can see each other for a while, and there's a chance we might not ever again. It's... complicated. Who am I kidding, I'll be back before you know it.
I love you."
In the half-second before he switches it off, his bunkmate comes in. "Aww, how sweet. Talking to your girltoy again?"
"You're just jealous."
They both share a laugh. "So how's the wife? She all right?" The other responds "I think we might have kids on the way." "Congratulations, man. Maybe Willow and me will too."
"Sure, sure. Well, looks like we're off."
The kick of the Klendathu's engines is felt and the Carrier disappears into the Omicron mists.
It's been a few days since Klendathu had taken off from Alabama, but it already feels like weeks have passed. Their Morays and Mantas tucked away pending action, the pilots have taken to mingling with the crewmen of their Carrier.
The young man pulls up his video recorder again.
Hey Willow! Things have been been a little quiet out here lately, but soon, we'll have a sample of... well, I'm not at liberty to say. We'll, whoa!
Several small Nomad forms shimmer into visibility behind him and strafe Klendathu.
Duty calls! Call you back!
Klendathu's turrets track and fire on the Nomads as they come, whilst the Fighter complement takes off to deal with them fighter to fighter-equivalent.
Core gunners are no slouches, though, and a combination of APM firepower and literally indoctrinated piloting skills quickly turn the tide, forcing the Nomads to retreat. The crew are in high spirits as Klendathu sails deeper into the unknown.
He wakes up in a cold sweat. The speaker under his bed whispering comforting things seems so very distant now as if the inescapable feeling of a heavy weight on his legs was pushing him away.
He opens his eyes to see only darkness. This isn't right, he should have toggled the... where are his legs? The weight on him moves up and up, and he feels it pushing down then nothing at all.
The formless mass is at his neck now and he can't move or feel anything past that. A few moments later, it envelops him up to his head, and all is still.
