Illuminae
Page 40Mason, E, LT 2nd: jesus this is so fucked up
Mason, E, LT 2nd: i’m sorry i yelled at you
ByteMe: i get it. u had the right
ByteMe: nothing about this makes sense. I swear I don’t know what the right thing is, except trying to keep us all alive.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: this whole time, i thought she was on Hypatia with you
Mason, E, LT 2nd: god, why didn’t you tell me, Kades?
ByteMe: don’t know really
ByteMe: u were worried enough without me making it worse. i didn’t want to think about it. i didn’t want it to be true. take your pick.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: it was like that when my dad died
Mason, E, LT 2nd: like, sometimes I’d be talking about him to the guys and i’d realize i was using words like “is” instead of “was.” Like he was still here
Mason, E, LT 2nd: part of me just wouldn’t believe it.
ByteMe: and here I am, asking u to be here for me exactly like I wasn’t for you. more than I deserve, i get that.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: More than you deserve?
Mason, E, LT 2nd: you deserve every star in the galaxy laid out at your feet and a thousand diamonds in your hair. You deserve someone who’ll run with you as far and as fast as you want to. Holding your hand, not holding you back.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: You deserve more than I could ever give you, Kady.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: But I’ll give you everything I can if you still want me to.
ByteMe: I don’t know how you can say that, but I don’t care. I just want it to be true. you’re all i have, but it will be okay if I still have you.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: until the last star in the galaxy dies
Mason, E, LT 2nd: you have me
ByteMe: let’s try really, really hard not to die.
ByteMe: i really want to see you in person first.
ByteMe: don’t care where we end up.
ByteMe: i think Heimdall must be gone. Otherwise help would have come for us. so that’s my dad, too.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: you don’t know that. try not to think about it. You’re carrying enough already
ByteMe: I’ll try.
ByteMe: I tried so hard to get across to the Copernicus. I still feel like there’s something more I should have done.
ByteMe: but we both know she’d kick my ass from here to Sunday if I didn’t do my best to keep going now.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: she would :)
Mason, E, LT 2nd: she was pretty awesome, your mom
ByteMe: i hoped for a while she was on one of the shuttles, that she might be on the Alexander. I tried everything to find the names of the people in bay 4. Byron tried too. I’m grateful now she wasn’t.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: if you didn’t find the names, how do you knwo she didn’t make it across?
Mason, E, LT 2nd: jesus, Kady, she might still be alive
ByteMe: if she’s alive and insane, I’d rather think she was dead. she’d rather I believed it too. if she’s alive and one of those psychopaths in hangar 4, then she IS dead. i’d rather believe it happened on the Copernicus. fast. painless.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: give me a minute, checking something
ByteMe: k
Mason, E, LT 2nd: jesus, i thought so. Kady in this report you sent me, the AAR from McCall. She talks about seeing something in the windwos of the shuttles in Bay 4. But sigma squad never got close enough to check it out
Mason, E, LT 2nd: “I thought I saw a flicker of movement in a porthole for an instant, and then it was gone.”
Mason, E, LT 2nd: kady your mom could still be in there
Mason, E, LT 2nd: she could still be okay
ByteMe: oh my god
ByteMe: they could be sick inside there. or maybe the door wasn’t sealed and they were just hiding. or maybe the psychos knocked it down and got in
ByteMe: oh my fucking god, maybe they didn’t.
ByteMe: Ez, help me, there’s no way in there. I have to try something.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: whatever you need
Mason, E, LT 2nd: what DO you need?
ByteMe: i don’t know.
ByteMe: i have to think.
Mason, E, LT 2nd: well I don’t want to pressure you or anything, K
Mason, E, LT 2nd: but u better think quick
32 hours: 13 minutes
COMMAND TRANSMISSION SENT 07/29/75 01:00
ALEXANDER HAILS HYPATIA: COMMANDER’S SECURE FREQUENCY
ALEXANDER: Hypatia, Hypatia, Hypatia, this is Alexander, Alexander, Alexander. Do you copy? Over.
[NO RESPONSE]
ALEXANDER: Hypatia, Hypatia, Hypatia, this is Alexander, Alexander, Alexander. Do you copy? It looks to us like you’re receiving. Over.
[NO RESPONSE]
ALEXANDER: Hypatia, Hypatia, Hypatia, this is Alexander, Alexander, Alexander. Do you copy? If you are experiencing a transmission error, please signal with static burst. Over.
HYPATIA: Alexander, this is Hypatia. Acting Captain Syra Boll speaking. We are not prepared to communicate at this time. Over.
ALEXANDER: Hypatia, please elaborate, over.
HYPATIA: Alexander, hear this. We are considering our position. Any attempt to communicate, close the distance between our ships or harm any of our personnel you have on board will be considered a hostile act. We will advise our intentions within the hour. Over.
ALEXANDER: Captain, this is General Torrence. What the hell do you mean, “your intentions”?
[NO RESPONSE]
Officers of the Hypatia,
We are united in our grief for the gifted leader and outstanding human being we have lost in Captain Ann Chau. Captain Chau was a friend, leader and inspiration to many of us, and the grace and determination she brought to the task of preserving our lives will not be forgotten. As Captain of a research vessel, she took on her role seeking to further scientific understanding and provide the best possible support for Hypatia’s crew. When BeiTech attacked at Kerenza, it was her quick decision making and cool head that saved our lives, as well as those of the refugees we carry.