Broken Copy
The starship exited lightspeed with a sickening lurch. Krish’s red hair was a tangle of flames around his face, sticking to the insides of his helmet. Disconcerting clattering noises came from the ducts above him. But hunched within the tiny cockpit, he paid them no heed. The ship hadn’t broken down yet; there was no reason to think it would now.
Ahead lay a derelict space station, a ruin from a forgotten war. Just past the space station was another starship- Krish’s target. Krish killed the power, prompting yet more clamoring from his starship. Gingerly, he patted the dashboard and whispered a few consoling words. This ship had seen him through so much. He only hoped it would see him through his most important victory. And so, it drifted through the interstellar void, approaching his target and the derelict space station. It was only him and himself, a clone and the original from which Kris had been formed.
As he drifted, Krish could see the other starship ahead of him. It was a bit larger, and far better-crafted than his- state-of-the-art and bequeather with overwhelming power. And, even though Krish preferred his starcraft, he could see the appeal. Evidently, he and his target- the Original had similar tastes—this sickened Krish. No matter how much Krish tried to distance himself from the Original, Krish always found too many similarities. Perhaps he would always be just a broken copy of someone else.
It seemed that the Original’s leviathan of a spaceship was making its way toward the derelict space station. After waiting until the starship reached the edge of his radar, Krish cautiously turned on his thrusters. He followed slowly, hoping to maintain sight of the opposing ship.
Krish peered in the black unfeeling void of space, trying to make out the opposing ship even though he knew his efforts would come to naught. He could see his green eyes reflected back at him. Krish averted his gaze, unable to meet his own eyes. Upon detecting his target, Krish once again cut all power. He waited and watched. Krish had memories of similar things happening before daring raids and ambushes. And, perhaps because of his greater focus, he saw his opponent alter its course slightly. Maybe this was the moment Krish could take advantage of.
Krish fired his thrusters for a second before killing them, committing to a controlled drift towards his opponent. He hoped that his element of surprise, as well as his intimate knowledge of his opponent, might allow him to be victorious. Anticipation bubbled within him. Still, Krish did not discard his caution. He remained alert, a trait that had been fostered throughout many raids and conquests. The specifics of whatever had attracted the Original’s attention would likely prove crucial.
Eventually, Krish was able to make out another ship. It was a mere visual distortion, a pinprick against the blackness. But, experience lent Krish the ability to distinguish pinpricks. His heart beat quickly as he saw his target, the starship which circled the much smaller vehicle like some demented vulture.
Hopefully, the Original would remain distracted, allowing Krish to approach unseen. Krish continued his arrival, breath caught in his lungs, tension filling his body. As he neared the opposing starship, he could see its turbo lasers charging up, likely preparing to board and attack the smaller vessel. Krish paused.
His current position wasn’t the most advantageous one. His weapons weren’t fully powered on. And, if he waited for the Original to commence his attack on the smaller ship, his victory would be all but ensured. Kris looked at the smaller science vessel. It would be destroyed in 30 seconds.
Cursing himself, Krish, flicked every switch and powered his spaceship on. With one great heaving shudder, his ship emerged from the blackness. Engines started up, turbo lasers powered on. And, Krish fired. As he raked his opponent’s ship with laser fire, Krish could see the opposing pilot and made eye contact with him. Krish saw red hair, green eyes, and an alert and focused expression. He smiled.
Krish got his shots in first. However, this was only by a slim margin. Krish revealed himself early, drawing the attention and diverting it from the smaller ship. And while Krish’s initial volley did large amounts of damage, granting him an advantage, the return volley shook his ship dreadfully. For all of Krish’s focus and skill, his opponent had the same experiences and the same drive. His opponent was just as quick as Krish, just as craft, and quickly realized who- or what- he was facing. The Original began to interpret and react to Krish’s actions, meeting him blow for blow. The battle drew on, and both ships became quite battered. If Krish’s ship survived, it would have memories of the occasion scared deep within its hull. But Krish wasn’t sure it would.
The Original’s ship was now in a pretty desperate state. Metal siding peeled off. Debris littered the space between them, adding even more hazards. It seemed that the Original was unprepared to fight someone of similar skill. Krish cringed each time he heard something crash against his starship. The damage was getting to be severe. Whereas the limited air of the cockpit had once been filled with the noise of crashes, sputters, and alarms, they had slowly been replaced with silence. Krish knew that he needed to finish it soon. Taking a deep breath, summoning every ounce of focus he possessed, he locked onto his target and fired.
The opposing ship was damaged and wounded, and the lasers tore it to bits. Pieces of the starship flew off in all directions. And the main hull became an immaneuverable stone. It drifted, then plummeted towards the decrepit derelict space station. But, Krish had no time to celebrate. His ship was heavily damaged, especially due to some of the earlier volleys. And so, despite being successful, and taking out the Original, it seemed that he too would be greeted by death’s cold fingers. Krish hoped the same fate didn’t meet the lonely science vessel.
The descent towards the derelict space station was slow, almost comical, with Krsh drifting towards inevitability. The wait dragged on. Eventually, he reached the space station, and his spaceship landing not too far from the originals. Krish could see him outside the ship, waving. Tuning his headset to the Galactic Standard Near Vicinity Radio Network, he could hear his opponent laugh through his helmet.
“Like father, like son. Like Original, like clone.” Krish stared silently at the Original, his hand resting on his gun.
“I thought that you were dead. I can’t believe it. A prisoner exchanged, what five years ago, to throw some regional government off my tracks?” The Original spoke, while underneath his spaceship. Some sparks flew.
“Seven,” Krish interjected. His fingers curled around his gun, but he didn’t draw it.
The Original brushed off Krish’s interruption. “I hadn’t thought of you in quite some time. And now, here you are, come to kill, and what takes my place. It’s what I would have done, I suppose I can’t blame you.” The original spread his fingers ingratiatingly. “I suppose I should have known that you’d survive and escape, I would have.” Another belly laugh came from the original, while Krish stood in cold silence.
“Y’know,” said the original. “I’m almost glad this happened. Us fighting was inevitable, really. This galaxy’s not big enough for the both of us and all that.” He chuckled again. “But here, we have a common goal, we need to work together to get out of this place. We can backstab each other later.”
“I’m not going to help you.” Krish’s fingers flexed providing some small outlet for his anger.
“What- are just gonna sulk in your ship this whole time? I know you don’t like me, some mixture of jealousy and probably revenge. But if we both die here, that does neither of us any good.” He spoke as though he were speaking to a child. “Look, you’re just like me- just as smart as I am. Surely you can see the sense in this.”
“I’m nothing like you.”
The original stood there, one eyebrow raised, and a mildly puzzled expression danced across his face. He gestured once at himself and then at Krish. Krish hated him for it.
“I don’t want to be anything like you.” Krish amended.
After a pause, Krish continued. “I followed you after the first day. I was angry at being discarded, a bit jealous like you said. But, when I had nothing, some people took me in. Others, those left in your wake, reviled me. I tracked you. I became well acquainted with the misery you leave in your pursuit of riches and glory. Now I have nothing but contempt for you.”
The original clicked his teeth a few times. “I never thought that I could grow soft,” he said, almost to himself.
Louder, he said. “ You cannot deny who you are. There is blood on your hands, almost as much as there is on mine. You know what it looks like when a man dies. After a while, you begin to realize blood is cheap.” The original’s voice took on a softer tone. “And, you’ve killed before, even after you split off from me. I can tell.”
“Just look at us, Same hair, same eyes, same cold fractured heart. Two killers, one soul.”
Krish’s hands shook. He clenched his fists so tight that the scars on his wrists stood stark against the white. Tears began to fall
“It’s alright, being me isn’t so bad. You’ll have the rest of your life to figure it out.” His words sounded less like the attempted comradery of earlier, now more of a taunt. “If you want to die here, well, I won’t tell you what to do.”
“So long as you don’t leave this place, I’m fine.”
There was a second where even the emptiness of space felt thick. But soon, Krish could see a light form above him. The original stopped his tinkering and stared. The science vessel hovered in front of him. It was a glorious site, and Krish wasted no time before running towards it. Sweat filled the insides of his helmet, collecting in his firey red hair.
He hopped in through the door, sparing a single glance for the original. Krish hadn’t expected himself to feel this conflicted. Feet now in the starship, facing towards the widows, he could the shocking form of the original. A pang of… regret filled Krish.
“I thought that I could help return the favor.” The pilot, though quivering, nervous, and with bags under his eyes, was smiling. As for Krish, he collapsed in a heap as soon as he entered the ship. His last site was of the original, alone on a derelict space station with a broken starship.
