Mason, E, LT 2nd: KADY WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?

ByteMe: AIDAN murdered everyone on the Copernicus. it’s being covered up. I’m the only one who IS thinking

Mason, E, LT 2nd: so you thought telling everyone on hypatia about it was a good idea???

ByteMe: Byron told the Captain. How could I do that? I’m not even meant to be in there.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: wait …

Mason, E, LT 2nd: who the fuck is Byron?

ByteMe: He’s the guy your marines assaulted and dragged over to the Alexander, covered in blood. He’s the only one who was brave enough to speak up. And it was the right thing to do.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: oh really? Tell that to the commtech whose ID you jacked. She’s in the brig now. and the Corporal (my friend, btw) who’s stepping up to make sure she doesn’t get SHOT for something she didn’t do is going in the hole beside her.

ByteMe: they shot our captain, did they tell you that? when they were taking my friends.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: Kady, those marines WOULDN’T HAVE EVEN BEEN THERE if not for you and lord fucking byron

Mason, E, LT 2nd: You promised me whatever I installed in that server was just to help Jimmy and youve been using it to spy on people.

ByteMe: I never promised that.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: You LIED to me

ByteMe: Should I just sit here and wait to die? You might have become a military drone, but I don’t have any faith at all in your commanders.

ByteMe: What would you do if it was me in the brig? Wait for your next set of orders from them?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: Weren’t u the one telling me not to try and break Jimmy out because I’d be putting myself and others in danger? Why the fuck are those rules good for me and not for you?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: Ppl are in prison because of you! Ppl got hurt because of you!

ByteMe: and if nobody does anything, what happens then? you think your general torrence has the answer?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: who says nobody’s doing anything? ppl over here are busting their asses. they’re trained military personnel. they do this for a living and they’ve been doing it all their lives

Mason, E, LT 2nd: and i dunno if they have all the answers, but maybe, JUST MAYBE THEY HAVE MORE ANSWERS THAN YOU

ByteMe: they don’t, trust me. I’ve seen exactly what they’re doing. So has Byron. they have no idea.

ByteMe: I’m not doing this for kicks, Ez. I’m trying to find out what’s going on, what’s wrong with AIDAN, and I’m wading through layers of lies from your precious command to do it. you might be as content to sit here and take orders as you were to sit on Kerenza and do nothing, but I’m not going to count down the 47 hrs we have left until the Lincoln catches us by sitting on my hands

Mason, E, LT 2nd: fuck me, you’re seriously bringing up kerenza? now?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: you really want to go there?

ByteMe: i’m doing what I can to keep us safe. to keep those of us who are left, safe. from AIDAN, from the Lincoln. have u changed since Kerenza at all?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: listen, I’m sorry i wasn’t the guy to explore the goddamn universe with you. i had my reasons.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: but u don’t know everything kady. your problem is you think you do

ByteMe: i know we have 47 hrs left to live right now, and u want to sit and hope. I can’t do that.

ByteMe: i promised Byron i wouldn’t stop trying. so get your head out of your ass and help me, Ezra.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: god this is so like you. Little Miss Bigbrain. You always think you knwo better. Always think you know the score. ALWAYS

ByteMe: right, what’s your idea?

ByteMe: seriously, I’m listening. got anything better than sitting and waiting to die?

ByteMe: i’m sorry they brigged your friends, i am. but that’s not on me. that’s on your command. they got themselves into this situation by lying, and now they’re covering it up by taking the only people who might be able to help, and locking them up. so really, you tell me your ideas about what to do next.

Mason, E, LT 2nd: how about i go tell command i know how you’re getting access to the system before anyone else gets imprisoned or killed?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: better yet, how about this?

Mason, E, LT 2nd: < connection terminated >

Ezra,

I’m sorry. Please, please don’t shut me out. Whatever else happens, please talk to me. I don’t want to miss out on the last conversations we might have.

I owe you an explanation, so I’ve attached a stack of documents. You can read for yourself.

I promise you Byron is the best chance this fleet has of getting us away from the Lincoln without AIDAN killing us. But he doesn’t have enough time. I need to help him, and that’s what I’m doing inside the system.

I can climb around the quantum core like a playground, but I can’t make you sit down and read my IMs. And I promise I’m not trying to play you when I say I really, really don’t want to die before I see you again.

K

Attached:

Civilian Transfer Authorization (03/29/75)

Civilian Transfer Request (03/31/75)

Civilian Transfer Request (04/06/75)

Email: Interfleet—Copernicus to Hypatia (04/07/75)

Civilian Transfer Request (04/19/75)

Email: Interfleet—Hypatia to Copernicus (04/19/75)

Email: Interfleet—Copernicus to Hypatia (05/14/75)

Email: Interfleet—Hypatia to Copernicus (06/01/75)

Email: Interfleet—Hypatia to Copernicus (07/10/75)

I finally have a moment to check in. I wish we’d had more time to say goodbye, but I understand now that there’s limited movement between the ships because we need to preserve fuel for our supply vessels. I hope you’re feeling better about the transfer now you’ve had a little time.