The nightmares continued in the days that followed, not always exactly the same as the one from med bay, but near enough. I woke up most nights in a cold sweat, images of the Xathi swarming through my mind as I fought to catch my breath.

The big difference was that I no longer woke alone.

I slept in Axtin’s cabin every night, content that even if the dreams came, he’d be there to comfort me.

And it wasn’t just a one-way street. I woke several times to him thrashing at my side, his body struggling to fight off whatever monsters his mind was conjuring. More often than not, they were the same monsters as my own, Xathi soldiers, sub-queens.

Even though we’d escaped from them, they still wouldn’t let us be.

I’d wake him gently, holding him as he adjusted back to reality. Sometimes he’d come back to me quickly, other nights would take a while. He’d clear his eyes as he processed his surroundings and would smile at me then, as grateful for my presence as I was for his.

We settled into a routine, relaxing as best we could in the relative safety of the ship. I never felt entirely at peace, though, how could I, knowing that the Xathi were still out there? But I began to function again, to plan, and for me that was good enough.

During the day, while Axtin was off with General Rouhr and the others, I busied myself in the lab, trying my utmost to perfect the scent bombs.

I still wasn’t satisfied with them. The ones we had concocted so far were effective, but I believed I could make them even better. I knew we could.

After days of trial and error, I had finally started to make progress.

I had found ways to subtly alter the chemical compounds from the original scent bombs. With my new formulas, we could make different kinds. Stronger ones for the more formidable of the Xathi, the sub-queens for example, bigger, wider-range bombs for large groups.

With the new variety of weapons, I thought we might stand a better chance the next time we went up against the Xathi.

The thought still made my heart race, my palms sweat, but I was working through it. I knew that sooner or later, the day would come for another fight. Likely sooner.

Since there was nothing I could do to stop it, I had resolved to be prepared.

After spending time amongst them, I finally understood the full scope of the threat we faced. I finally understood what Axtin and the others had been up against for so long.

They’d been the only ones left to fight the Xathi where they came from, all of them having watched as their planets fell prey to the monsters.

It was illuminating really, seeing them in action. I now knew what drove Axtin to be the man he was, what fueled the fire in him that burned so brightly.

He hadn’t been able to save his planet, he hadn’t stood a chance.

None of them had.

Now though, they had an opportunity to save others. To spare a new planet from the terror of the Xathi.

I intended to help them do it, pouring all of my energy into the cause.

Days after we had returned to the ship, I sat in the lab, as I did so often, my eyes skimming over the notes projected before me. I was finally content with my work on the scent bombs. The new iterations would give us an edge, something the Xathi wouldn’t see coming.

I checked and rechecked the formulas, going over my own documents with a fine-tooth comb.

It all checked out, my new formulas were ready.

I added final notes to the files, saving them for later use. We would need to get started on production immediately, there were just a few new ingredients I needed.

I closed the final file, leaning back with a sigh.

That was it then, my contribution to the cause, all neat and bundled up. I only hoped that it would be enough to turn the tide in the war.

The true test wouldn’t be done in a lab after all, but in the middle of battle, while people’s lives hung in the balance.

I stared blankly at the screen; I tried to suppress memories flashing brightly through my mind.

It would have to be enough, that’s all there was to it.

I moved to switch off the console when an unfamiliar file caught my eye. I hadn’t noticed it before, being too focused on my research. But I saw something I hadn’t added to the memory.

It must have been uploaded by mistake; it was from a completely separate branch of the university than my own research.

With a swipe of my hand I opened it, preparing to press delete when something caught my eye. A simple phrase really, but it stilled me nonetheless.

Beginning stages of immunodeficiency it read.

I leaned in closer, my eyes skimming over the list that now filled the screen. As I read on, more phrases jumped out at me, more symptoms.

They were achingly familiar.

Of course they were, I had thought about these particular ailments every day of my adult life.

My hand went to my mouth, my eyes widening in shock. There before me, plain in black and white, was a description of my condition, the genetic disease that even now lay dormant inside me.

My hand shook as I reached to swipe further down the page, the blood beginning to rush through my veins.

It was all there, every indicator, every painful symptom.

I read to the bottom, hoping beyond hope for some new tidbit of information. I found it in the last line, the first new piece of information I had come across in my years of research.

Likely cause: long-term exposure to toxic gas, N.O.X.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, my whole body seeming to relax as I finished reading.

This was it, finally a lead.

I had never heard of N.O.X. before, not even a single mention of it in my studies, but as I stared unblinkingly at the letters, I felt a renewed sense of hope begin to build inside me.

If this were true, if our condition really was caused by exposure to a toxic gas, then we might be able to find a cure yet.

My head spun, a million thoughts blinking to life in my mind. I was so caught up, it took me a moment to come to the most important of them.

I had to tell Mariella.

I jumped from my chair, hearing it strike the wall with the force of my movement. I didn’t bother to stop and right it, I was already running for the door.

I pulled it open, flying through the entry and into the hall.

After several minutes of searching, I finally found her, standing in a hall with Tu’ver.

“Mariella,” I cried, rushing towards them, “Mariella, I’ve found something, you need to come with me!”

She turned, looking genuinely perplexed as her eyes fell on my smiling face.

“Leena, are you okay?”

I waved her concern away with the flick of my wrist, reaching down to take her hand.

“Yes, I’m fine. Better than, actually. I need to show you something. Right now.”

She hesitated a moment, flashing Tu’ver a look of complete and utter confusion before finally relenting and following. I pulled her at a near run, dodging her questions as we made our way back to the lab.

I can only imagine how insane I must have looked, eyes wide, manic smile on my face, but I didn’t care. It would be worth looking like a fool, the moment Mariella saw the file.

I dragged her into the lab, finally letting go of her hand in order to right the fallen chair. I pulled it back to the monitor, gesturing at it with my free hand.

“Sit.”

“Leena, what is going on?”

“Just sit.” I said. “Look.”

She raised her eyebrows in question but did as I asked, glancing casually towards the screen.

“You’ve…made a list of our symptoms?” she asked, turning to look at me

“No, not me. Just keep reading.”

She turned back to the screen, her shoulders slumping as she read over the dire symptom list that she already knew too well.

I saw the moment she got past it, the very second that her eyes found the final sentence. Her shoulders tensed, her hand pausing mid-air as she leaned in for a better look.

“Gas?” she finally said, her voice an octave higher than usual.

“Yes, something called N.O.X. Have you ever heard of it?”

She shook her head, eyes still glued to the screen.

“No, I haven’t. Leena, do you think this could be true?”

“I do. Mariella, this could be our answer!”

She sat another moment in stunned silence, her eyes tracing over the sentence again and again. When she had apparently assured herself it was real, she stopped, turning in her chair to face me.

She wore a grin to match my own, her eyes burning with anticipation. “It’s there. In the files. You found it.” She sprung up, arms wrapping around me with impressive force, squeezing the air from my lungs.

I didn’t mind, I hugged her back with equal vigor.

After a long moment, she pulled back, wiping at the tears that now brimmed her eyes. “I didn’t think there was any hope.”

“I know, it’s okay, Mariella.”

“No, it’s not okay. I gave up, on a cure, on us. I should’ve known you’d find something eventually.”

I stopped her mid-rant, silencing her with an upraised hand. “Nothing’s for sure yet, Mariella, it’s only a chance.”

She nodded, taking my hand. “I know, but it’s more than I thought we had. We’ll figure this out together. I mean, hell, I’m an archivist. Finding information is kind of my job.”

I smiled up at her, squeezing her hand as tears stung at my own eyes.

“Okay, then,” I gestured towards the chair, “let’s get started.”