Someone elbowed Sarah's side, another body pushing his way through the crowd. She let him go, content to blend into the mass of bodies that waited in Zwickau's departure lounge - though whoever applied the term 'lounge' must have been both blind drunk and an extreme optimist. The stiff plastic chairs that lined the floor were already taken, so she lounged against a light patch on the wall. She didn't mind, overmuch. She had a sneaking suspicion that if she allowed herself to sit, sleep would follow in its footsteps.
Several such patches dotted the walls where frantic response crews had tried to shore up failing elements of Zwickau's superstructure. The damage wasn't a direct result of weapons fire. The rock in which Zwickau formed a protective layer too think for conventional weaponry to penetrate, even a battleship's guns. It was far from invincible; however. Impacts shook the structure, rattled supports, shifted corridors and tore power cabling. Zwickau might have survived but, like those who called the station home, it was far from uninjured.
An alarm sounded somewhere above her, signalling the arrival of another ship. She moved with the mob, gravitating toward the reinforced windows that stared out over the hangar bay. The display hung above the window proudly announced name and destination in bold red text: VWA|Kastell - Luneburg. She had come here hoping for some measure of forgiveness. Perhaps, she'd never expected to find it. But she had tried and that, she was sure, had some value. Something like peace settled over her as the Humpback staggered into the hangar bay.
Metropolis was waiting. She moved with the rest of the passengers, shuffling aboard Kastell in a single long line, floating aboard in between the sheets of metal and tools that were manhandled into the ship's cargo hold. Despite the cheap gel padding in her seat digging into her back, Sarah's eyes slid closed long minutes before the ship powered into the black.
"This is really sort of a personal project of mine."
- James Arland, on single-handedly engaging an enemy regiment.
