Chapter 3.1: Reborn Again

“Impact on the outer hull! Sectors 5 and 6 are gone!” Elara’s voice came through the comms, strained and urgent. “Meteorite debris. Structural integrity has been compromised in multiple sectors.”

Roy scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding in his ear. Through the wind, he could see a small but rapidly glowing crack spiderwebbing across the exterior, and when he looked for sectors 5 and 6, the sector where he and Kieran came from, it was gone.

Ripped off.

As Roy was taking in the situation, the window he was viewing from started to crack, and it grew exponentially.

“We need to seal this area now!” Ivan exclaimed, his tone unyielding. “Mason, override the safety protocol. We are detaching this sector. Roy, get back to the airlock!”

Roy hesitated, his mind racing. “What about you?”

“I’ll follow once the sector is secure. NOW MOVE IT!” Ivan's command left no room for argument.

Roy retreated; a third impact struck, this one more violent than the last. The lights flickered, and a deep groan echoed through the station as the gravitational pull of the black hole began to assert its dominance.

“Gravitational drift detected,” Kat’s voice came through the comms, laced with panic. “The station’s trajectory is shifting. We’re falling towards the event horizon.”

“Damn it!” Ivan growled. “Elara, redirect all powers to the thrusters. Keep us stable as long as you can!”

“I’m trying!” Elara shot back, her voice strained.

Roy stumbled into the corridor, his legs shaking as he fought to keep his balance. Alarms blared, red lights bathing the narrow passage in an ominous glow.  Mason pushed past him roughly, his expression a mixture of fear and frustration.

“MOVE IT!” Mason snapped.

Roy didn’t have the energy to argue. He forced himself forward, each step feeling heavier as the pull of the black hole grew stronger.

Behind him, Ivan's voice came through the comms. “Sector 3 is sealed and detached. I’m heading back now.”

The corridor shook again, another impact sending shrapnel scattering across the floor. Roy barely managed to avoid a jagged piece of metal that flew past him, embedding itself in the wall.

As he neared the airlock leading back to the central hub, Roy saw the rest of the crew gathered around just beyond the bulkhead where the escape pod was. Kieran waved him forward, his face pale but resolute.

“Hurry! We need to leave in 10 seconds! “Kieran!” called out.

Roy pushed himself harder, his lungs burning as he closed the distance. Mason reached the airlock first, slamming his fist against the controls to open it.

Somehow the commander got to the bulkhead before Roy, which motivated him even more to get there faster.

But as Roy stepped through, Mason turned sharply, his eyes cold.

“One less problem to worry about,” Mason said coldly.

Before Roy could react, Mason shoved him hard, sending him stumbling backward into the corridor. The airlock hissed as it sealed shut, leaving Roy on the wrong side of the bulkhead.

“Mason! What the hell are you doing?" Kieran’s voice roared over the comms.

“We don’t have time. “It’s HIM or US!"

Mason then slammed the steel door shut and sealed it.

Roy slammed his fists against the sealed door, his mind blank with shock, his voice raw with desperation. 

“Open it! Don’t leave me here! You can’t be serious!"

Roy screamed, but Mason didn’t even look back. 

Mason ignored him. Turning his back to Roy.

The station groaned again, the force of the black hole pulling it inexorably closer. Roy turned away from the door, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he realised the hopelessness of his situation as of right now.

Through the cracked window, he could see the event horizon drawing nearer, its ominous glow swallowing the stars behind it. The station’s metal frame groaned and bent under the immense gravitational forces.

Roy sank to his knees, his mind racing. That's it, he thought. 

This is how it ends.

Back at the bulkhead. Kieran’s fists slammed against the steel bulkhead, his voice engulfed in fury. “Mason! Open the door! NOW!"

Mason’s eyes flicked toward him, cold and unyielding. He planted himself firmly, bracing against the bulkhead. 

“You’re not getting through, Kieran. Step back.”

Kieran gritted his teeth, shoving with all his strength. The metal creaked under the pressure of their struggle. Sparks flew as Mason countered, muscles straining to hold him back.

“ROY’S OUT THERE!" Kieran shouted, desperation breaking through his controlled rage. “YOU’RE LEAVING HIM TO DIE?"

“I don’t have time for your moral lecture,” Mason shot back, voice sharp and flat. “Survive first, or none of us make it.”

The rest of the crew watched in stunned silence. Kat’s hands hovered over a console, frozen. Elara’s face was pale, but she didn’t intervene. Hiroshi’s eyes darted between the mean and the silent.

Ivan’s broad shoulders shifted as he regarded the scene. His expression was calm, almost mellow, masking the storm within. Slowly, he pressed the button on the panel beside him.

Kieran stood looking at everyone's faces for some sort of answer.

The escape pod’s release sequence began, hydraulic systems hissing as the pod detached from the station.

“What … ARE YOU DOING? Kieran!" He yelled, momentarily breaking from his struggle with Mason.

“I’m giving the rest of us a chance,” Ivan said evenly, his voice low but firm. Shock laced his words, not from fear but from the necessity of the choice. “Roy’s fate isn’t mine to decide. The pod leaves now.”

Kieran’s fists froze as Mason forced him back, the bulkhead rattling between them. His eyes darted to Ivan, disbelief warring with his loyalty.

“You … you’re letting him go?" Kieran’s voice was a mixture of anger and horror.

Ivan didn’t look away. “I’m giving us a fighting chance to live. To survive.”

The escape pod shuddered free, drifting into the void of space, its thrusters igniting as it slowly pulled away from the collapsing station. Kieran’s hands clenched the metal in frustration, but Mason held firm, unrelenting.

Kieran stared at the station as it disappeared from view, his chest heaving. “Damn it… Roy!” he growled, rage and helplessness mingling.

Mason finally let go of Kieran, stepping back. “Sometimes you have to choose the side that lives.”

Kieran’s eyes swept over the room, landing on each one in turn. Kat, Elara, Hiroshi, and Ivan.  Not a single person spoke. The tension between the crew hung thick in the recycled air of the station.

Ivan’s gaze met Kieran’s, calm but unyielding, as if the weight of their choices and the station’s impending destruction were a burden he alone carried. Then, without another word, he turned and moved to secure the remaining systems, leaving Kerian fuming at the sealed door and knowing that Roy was gone. Alive but beyond his reach.

Kieran could only stare out of the window, looking back at the station slowly becoming smaller, the void outside, and the reality of the choice that had just been forced upon him.