Chapter 130: 130: Cargo Bay

I gazed out over the field of tents in the Cargo bay once more, marvelling at both how many people we had managed to pick up and how big my ship actually appeared to be. 

There were millions of refugees down there, all of them with their own tents and their own space. Drones buzzed over the top of the impromptu camp, delivering bottles of water and packets of food. 

Where medical aid was needed, which was almost everywhere by the look of it, shipboard AI-controlled holograms appeared, giving the requisite medical aid to anyone who needed it. 

While they were being cared for, it was likely that none of them had the first clue what was going on, other than the fact they were refugees on a new ship. I needed to address them. I needed to tell them exactly what was going to happen… even if that meant speaking to millions at once. 

"Computer, please open communications to the refugees below," I ordered the shipboard AI. 

The same chiming sound that I had heard back on the bridge rang out once again, letting me know that my comms had been opened and I was now live… to over a million people. 

I had to keep that out of my head, or I'd just stammer and stutter, and that would not go a long way to making my passengers feel like they were under the protection of someone who knew what they were doing. 

"To the refugees that are currently present in the Cargo Bay, I am Squadron Leader Lyre," I started, resisting the urge to cringe at calling myself something so professional. 

"First and foremost, I would like to share my deepest regrets for any losses that you may have incurred over the course of the day. Just before our final moments on the lunar surface, Guard Leader Adonis launched a powerful spatial distortion attack in order to stop Lara. The resulting distortion grew into a singularity which has now likely consumed the planet and the three moons surrounding it." 

I let that statement sit for a moment. The people in the cargo bay would need a second for that kind of news to sink in, considering it was literally world-shattering. Everything they had ever known, absorbed by a black hole in a matter of seconds to try and stop a mindless destroyer. 

"With that said, our ship is now en route to Actaeon, which is offering refuge to everyone here. We will be dropping you off there and doing everything we can to facilitate your transition to your new world. If you have any questions or concerns, please hail one of the overhead drones and we will do our best to facilitate your needs. 

"With that being said, our arrival at Actaeon is scheduled to happen in just under 12 hours, so please be patient and we will have you at your new homes in no time at all." 

With a tap of my finger on the hologrammatic projection interface my comms closed, and the announcement was over. 

From what I could tell there was no rioting in response to my announcement, which was something that I had been genuinely concerned about. I was pretty sure that if I had told a bunch of humans from my Earth that their planet and all that they had known and loved about it was gone forever there would be quite a few troublemakers looking to start something. 

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On that point, I wanted to speak to Akash next, to see what he made of the unfolding situation now that we were off into deep space. 

He was also leaning against some railings, looking out across the encampment like a hawk, scanning for any trouble. 

"Hey Akash," I said, walking up to him. "How's everything looking down here?" 

He spared me a glance before turning his attention back to the camp. 

"For now, peace is holding. If the journey were any longer than the one that we are taking, I would be worried about the levels of stress building in the camp. As it stands, I believe that we will be fine. Nevertheless, I will stand guard for the duration of the trip," He said. 

That was a little more than I had expected from him. It was clear that he felt a level of responsibility for everything that had happened. It wasn't something I was going to push him to talk about right away, but eventually, it was a subject that we would have to broach. It would be unhealthy for him to leave something like that festering in his mind, unspoken. 

"You don't need sleep or anything, then?" I asked, uncertain about how the tree-like alien's biology actually worked in regards to things like sleep. 

"As long as I keep my body charged with solar rays so that my leaves can generate energy through hyper-photosynthesis I will not need to go into a hibernation mode as your kind does," He explained. 

"Still, you don't need to rest or anything," I pushed. "We've both been through a lot, and I'm sure someone else won't mind taking your role here." 

He stiffened at that, clearly unhappy with the idea that someone else could take over the job that I had initially tasked him with, even if he had slightly expanded on what I wanted him to do. 

"I will be fine, Squadron Leader Lyre," He said. 

I rolled my eyes at that. "Oh come on, you're not going to be starting that as well, are you?" I asked, "You've called me Jacob or The Human for so long, please don't start getting all formal on me now." 

Akash didn't say anything to that, but I could feel the amusement emanating from him. This was going to be an ongoing jibe, and I knew it. 

"Well, you might not need sleep you big joker, but I certainly do," I said, only just able to keep myself from yawning. "I'm heading to bed, let me know if anything major changes here."

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