ISWM|Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion|Epilogue by VampiricYoshi, literature
Literature
ISWM|Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion|Epilogue
Epilogue: Definite Possibility Mark stood by them as The Captain sent out the signal. He sighed softly. He seemed nervous. The Captain reached over and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. Mark cracked a small smile at them and huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, you’re right. It’ll be fine. We just need to wait until we-” He was cut off as the matter around them shifted. Their molecules were momentarily scattered, and they zoomed through space. Suddenly, they both materialized on a dark and familiar ship. And, as usual, a helmet was thrust onto Mark’s head. Wug removed the helmet and tapped at the device on his wrist. Mark whimpered as The Captain moved over to give his shoulder a good rub, rousing him to look at them. They squeezed his shoulder again comfortingly. Mark nodded. “I-I’m okay, I’m okay,” he said. He took a deep breath and let it out. “Human?” a rough voice inquired. “And ugly human?” Mark pouted, but then he straightened his shoulders, shrugging off the Captain’s hand.
ISWM|Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion|Chapter 5 by VampiricYoshi, literature
Literature
ISWM|Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion|Chapter 5
Chapter 5 - Just Like Old Times Their head hurt. The Captain groaned and tried to roll over, but suddenly there was a hand on their shoulder. “Hold on there, Captain, don’t move too suddenly,” a voice told them. They opened their eyes to a darkened room. It was bigger than their tent had been, but it looked very similar – there was even a red tent flap over a small window. A kiosk was in the room with a tablet and a viewscreen, as well as some posters; one of them was a skeletal system while another was of a cat hanging off a tree branch with a cliché “hang in there” slogan. Both appeared to be hastily put up with the skeletal system having been placed upside down. The Captain themselves were in a cot with covers over them (did nobody take off their boots?) and an ice pack on their head. Beside them was Mark, sitting in a camping chair with The Captain’s hat hanging from the back corner. The chair leaned precariously as Mark was sitting forward toward The Captain, hand on their
ISWM|Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion|Chapter 4 by VampiricYoshi, literature
Literature
ISWM|Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion|Chapter 4
Chapter 4- Free Will: Illusion It felt like they’d been laying there for a while. The Captain didn’t even remember what led up to them being where they were; lying on their back inside a glass case with - what was this, potpourri? – making up some kind of bedding for their body. There wasn’t much room in the case for movement. The Captain’s shoulders touched glass on either side, and tilting their boots downward would touch the end. A gentle push told them that their hat was pressed against the other end. It was a coffin, essentially. They felt kind of like Snow White… but presumably her coffin had a removable lid. Above them the top panel joined the sides in sharp angles without any seams to be seen. Gingerly The Captain raised their hands, their elbows knocking awkwardly against the walls in the cramped space. They couldn’t even move their hands up above their head, where they would have had the most leverage, and had to settle for pushing against the glass uncomfortably above
ISWM|Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion|Chapter 3 by VampiricYoshi, literature
Literature
ISWM|Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion|Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Unlikely is Just Certainty Waiting for Its Turn “I appreciate you tagging me in on this, Captain. It kinda felt like I wasn’t really pulling the weight of my title for a bit there, you know?” The Captain nodded, glancing briefly at First Mate Tyler before turning their attention back to the terrain in front of them. Both hands were firmly on the steering wheel of the truck they were in on their way to Gunther’s base camp. The Captain’s left hand hurt and every so often they let go of the wheel to try to flex the muscles of their palm, to little relief. “Is your hand bugging you, Captain?” Tyler asked. “Maybe you should have medical take a look at it.” The Captain shrugged. They were fine – it was just a little twinge that must’ve happened while they were trying to sleep. At least, they hoped. “Well, if you’re sure, Captain,” the first mate said. He checked the topical map on his tablet. “Gunnerson’s camp is just over this hill, Captain,” he instructed and they turned
ISWM|Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion|Chapter 2 by VampiricYoshi, literature
Literature
ISWM|Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion|Chapter 2
Chapter 2 - Time Loops: Infinite [CURRENT SHIP STATUS IS: ABSOLUTELY CATASTROPHIC] The Captain wanted to scream. They wanted to cry and pound their fists and pull their hair out. They were ejected from the cryo-pod as the pressurized cool air was suddenly released. It was only because they had gone through this guttural routine so many times that they were able to catch themselves and jump to their feet. The Captain slammed their fist and kicked the control panel in frustration. While it hurt, the panel suffered absolutely no damage, which infuriated them even more. They had it. They had it!! And just like every other loop it was ripped from them! No more planet. No more colony. No more stupid camping trip. They dared to hope, and once again it was all gone. The Captain immediately turned and ripped the fire extinguisher from the wall. They then whirled around and raised it over their head. Their eyes were fixed angrily on the viewing window and the cold, unforgiving void outside.
ISWM | Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion | Chapter 1 by VampiricYoshi, literature
Literature
ISWM | Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion | Chapter 1
Chapter 1: No Matter What – Or Whom – Gets in Our Way [CURRENT SHIP STATUS IS NOMINAL] So far, the experience was crisp. At least, compared to the handful of times the Captain went through these series of events. They stood at the window – intact this time – and let their eyes linger on the planet; tracing her weather patterns and continents as supply ships flew into view and slowly shrank, making their descent to the surface. Every other time in the loops, the colonization seemed to go by in a flashing slideshow; just images and a voice that filled the events of the rise and fall of the colony, notable crewmates, and the Captain themselves. The pains that they felt, the deaths they experienced… those too had been reduced to pictures. Painful, yes, but otherwise brief as if to serve as only a step in a long, long string of disappointments. Now though, there were details. Both Mark and the Captain finished their coffee (Mark helpfully took their cup to the sanitizer along with his
ISWM | Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion | Prologue by VampiricYoshi, literature
Literature
ISWM | Loose Ends: Over 10.5 Billion | Prologue
Prologue: Hold On “Please! Let me go! I know I can fix everything! I know there’s a perfect solution – I just have to find it! Please! Captain” They were losing their grip. They couldn’t use both hands to adjust; they themselves had their foot hooked, painful and awkward, around the safety railing to keep them from flying off with Mark as well. They looked to the Warp Core – to the stupid crystal that tossed them through the multiverse for an eternity up until this moment. It was obscured by the power it radiated, like a miniature blue star cradled in the base of the Warp Core. It finally clicked for them. This had happened before – this specific moment, this specific choice. They had trusted Mark over and over to figure out how to fix things, but nothing had changed. The definition of insanity… but this time the Captain would do something different. Don’t let Mark go back. End this. Please, end this… The Captain reached into the Warp Core and fished out the crystal. Their arm