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(Previously: Sarah couldn't reach Vecto before the ship departs.)
Meanwhile, in the residential zone of the Corona, Erich sluggishly walked to the wall at the right of his small quarters and clicked a button to release his bed. A metal panel slid out horizontally from the wall and locked in place, followed by the quick release of a compressed cushion. Erich slumped to the bed and melancholically detached panels from his suit, removing the upper half.
"Wh-wh-what's the matter?" Trip asked, sitting on his bed in pajamas across from Erich, his arm bandaged in a wrap. "I-I-I'm fine now. Just a scratch."
"Arr! The bunk I go!" Cutlass said, clicking a button on the wall to release a step-ladder to climb to his bed on top.
"W-would you be serious f-f-for a second!" Trip argued at Cutlass.
"Sorry mate!" Cutlass said, jumping on the bunk and dangling his feet below.
"Eww!" Trip closed his nose as Cutlass' feet passed in front of his face--without shoes. His socks smelled like they hadn't been washed in months, so Trip pulled out a detoxification spray from his pocket and drenched his feet with it.
"Heh, heh! That tickles, me buccaneer!" Cutlass laughed.
Trip wasn't laughing, though, and neither was Erich, which was even more disheartening.
"E-E-Erich? You OK?" Trip asked again.
Erich set another piece of armor plating on a small table squeezed between their beds and laid back into the bed cushion with his hands behind his head. "I saw Rob," he told them.
"R-r-really? Is he OK?" Trip inquired, wondering where he went.
Erich paused, looking at the ceiling at the small domes that lit up the room. "He didn't make it," Erich said, shaking his head. "He got sucked into space."
"Shiver me timbers!" Cutlass blurted. He frowned and took off his bandana, lowering it to his chest. "The poor lad."
"A-a-are you sure?" Trip asked Erich.
Erich took an extended breath, still disappointed in himself. "Yeah," he replied with a soft tone. "A hole was punched in the ship, and the safety hatch sealed him with it. And yet I couldn't do a thing to save him!" He punched the air in anger, looking at his battered arm.
"It be not yar fault, me hearty," Cutlass assured.
"Y-y-yeah," Trip agreed, "Don't g-g-get yourself all depressed about it. You still have us."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Erich said, trying to shake off the guilt and massaging the muscles in his soar arms. "Tomorrow will be another day. I need to count my blessings that you two survived and look onward. I'll train even harder, I'll get better, and I won't let the same thing happen to you guys!"
"Now that's the spirit!" Cutlass cheered.
"Y-y-you should g-get some sleep," Trip advised, lying in his bed. "I-I-It'll be better in the morning." He looked up at the bottom of Cutlass' bunk. "And y-y-you, Cutlass, get a bath you rancid bigot!"
(What's in store for Erich and friends after Vecto's disappearance? Find out more in the next installment of Vecto: Voyage!)
Be sure to tell others about Vecto with the hashtag #WhoisVecto and if you can, please pre-order Vecto: Voyage on Amazon at http://amzn.to/1SErRma.
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Alpha Squad - Vecto: Voyage
Science Fiction(Vecto: Voyage is the sequel to Vecto: Vengeance. You can buy Voyage at http://amzn.to/1SErRma. Tell others about who Vecto is and use the hashtag #WhoisVecto). A dark, militaristic planet--home to Gyro's widow. A technologically advanced carbon ice...
