Chapter 185: Gloria Takes a Break

Chapter 185: Gloria Takes a Break

Sheloran sat, clutching her knees, moping.

Baxlon was wrong, right? She wasn’t a bad person...

Was she?

No. He was wrong! She wasn’t like that! She wasn’t!...

She wasn’t.

You are.

She flinched at the unwanted alien thought.

“Go the poop away,” she muttered as unwanted memories flooded in, and the periphery of her eyes started to ripple and pulse.

“I said... Go. Away.”

Her eyes calmed down.

The memories, however, didn’t disappear. The leering Threen lunging for her, their grasping claws reaching for her extended throat...

Then their screams...

Even now, the memories didn’t frighten her. Well, they did, but not because they were scary. She was never in any real danger. Those Threen were dead the moment she stepped into the restaurant. The only thing undecided was the timing of their deaths, something entirely under her control.

That’s what truly frightened her...

That... and the fact that she liked it...

She liked it a LOT.

But... How?

How could she do that? How could she do any of what she was doing?

It made no sense.

“Oh, Great Prophet,” she whimpered, “what am I?”

She crouched and prayed, begging for answers, guidance... anything...

***

Gloria ran her hand along the magnificent hull of her battered warship.

She just liked the way it felt.

She just wished she knew something, anything about it.

Her eyes turned towards the ripples, bulges, and tears in its hull...

Irreparable ripples, bulges, and tears...

She and the chief had tried everything they had, and nothing could make the goddamn stuff budge.

She made an annoyed little sigh.

“Bunny,” she called out.

“Sheloran is still in compartment J27,” Bunny replied, “she hasn’t come out yet.”

“Gah!” Gloria said as she threw a fully discharged plasma torch against the bulkhead.

She snarled.

“Right,” she said as she headed towards the hatch leading out of the cargo bay.

“Gloria?” Bunny inquired dubiously, “Where are you going?”

“Where do you think!” Gloria snapped.

“Well, that’s not creepy at all.”

“Fuck you... princess...”

Gloria laughed.

“God, I hated that name,” she chuckled. “Not that it wasn’t deserved... I was such a prissy little princess back then.”

“I could barely recognize you,” Bunny snorted. “Talk about creepy.”

“Oh, the Navy was one great fun-filled adventure,” Gloria sneered, “Of course, back then, before the bug, it was. It was just one big game for the little rich girl who didn’t feel like going to work at the family business.”

“Why Morays, if you don’t mind me asking,” Bunny asked.

“It was the only way in,” Gloria chuckled ruefully, “The Navy had its fill of ‘gentleperson adventurers’, and a fucking Samuels was the last thing they wanted in the ranks ‘taking a career from a real officer’. Being flaxen on top of everything else certainly didn’t help, either. However, Moray berths were always open, so I took one. It’s not like I was actually going to see action. We had been at peace for over a century. Besides, Morays were ‘exciting’, and there was a ‘dangerous mystique’ even back then. I felt ‘badass’,” she added with a snort. “I just wanted to fly ships, that’s all. Once I was in, I qualified for anything they would let me fly.”

“... like landing shuttles?” Bunny asked carefully.

“Read that part too, did you?” Gloria smirked, “Yeah, like landing shuttles, ground transports, any small ship, really. It didn’t matter to me as long as I could fly.” She shook her head.

“It doesn’t even seem real now, you know,” she sighed. “I was such a... princess... God, I was a moron.”

Gloria hopped up.

“Ok, enough therapy,” she smiled, “I have a frog to talk to.”

“I’m not entirely sure that’s a good idea, Gloria.”

“Meh,” Gloria shrugged, “You made your point. I’ll be nice.”

There was a click as the hatch unlocked.

***

Sheloran was still sitting in a little wad of misery when a knock interrupted her self-pity party.

“Go away,” she said glumly.

“No!” Gloria cheerfully replied. “You’ve been sitting in there for what now, a day? At least go to your quarters, maybe get something to eat. You little freaks do eat, right?”

“Leave me alone!”

“I brought goodies,” Gloria said, “premium treats from Mother Mars herself!”

Gloria shook a bag suggestively.

“They’re good.”

“I’m not hungry,” Sheloran moped, “Go away.”

“Ok,” Gloria said, “What’s eating you.”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“I wouldn’t understand,” Gloria smirked, “I wouldn’t understand someone having a monster in them that they can barely control on a good day? One that takes over no matter how bad you try to stop it? One that leaves you standing in a room full of dead people, some of which you honestly didn’t want to kill? One that eats you a little bit more every fucking day until it’s all that’s left?”

Gloria laughed ruefully.

“Oh, I have no idea what that’s like,” she snorted.

The door slowly opened, revealing Sheloran staring at her with huge eyes.

With a speed that took Gloria entirely by surprise, Sheloran lunged out and hugged her.

“I’m so scared!” Sheloran exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Gloria said as she patted Sheloran’s back, “I know.”

Gloria offered Sheloran a brown paper bag.

“Here, eat a bug.”