Chapter Text
As the shuttle ascended through the atmosphere, White gripped her chair. Even with how many missions she had been on, she never got used to how bumpy and unpleasant it was to use the small shuttles to enter the ships.
“Is this your first mission?” the person next to her, Cyan asked. She turned her head to face him as she smiled “No, this is my 51st”. Cyan’s expression immediately turned to awe, as he heard her answer “51?!” he asked “Are you serious?”
“Most people don’t believe me when I say it, but it’s true.” White said.
“But … wow -” was Cyan’s only response.
Cyan was silent for some time as the shuttle continued to their destination.
“How come you survived for so long?” he suddenly asked.
“You don’t think it’s possible?” White countered. Cyan immediately looked away as if he had been scolded by a captain.
“It’s just … It doesn’t sound like it. Isn’t it like, super rare for people to be on more than 15 missions?”
“Indeed it is. But it happens for some people, whether it be skill or luck that enables them to live on.” White simply said.
Cyan began fiddling with his hands. “but … why haven’t you retired? Gotten a survivors medal or something?”
“I didn’t want one.”
“You didn’t want one?”
“No.”
Cyan was starting to look bewildered as White answered his questions.
“But … why?” Was all he could say.
As Green sat in shackles, explaining the bizarre story of why he thought he had become an impostor, White could only cry. Most of the other crew was looking at Green with disgust. The red eyes probably didn’t help, but at least he had gotten his suit on, so they couldn’t see the tentacles anymore. Green … White’s best friend - an impostor. Now there was no chance of them embarking on other missions together. They would eject him, she knew it. There was no chance they would let him live with how dangerous he had become. Some of them didn’t even believe it was actually Green.
“On my first mission, my best friend was killed by an impostor.” White replied.
“Oh … I’m sorry” Cyan said.
“There’s no need to be sorry. I have moved on since then. But it was what made me continue, in the hopes of saving other people, I guess.” White explained.
“But he saved me!” blue said, trying to convince the rest of the crew. “He saved me from Purple!”
Blue had surprisingly been in favor of keeping Green, doing everything he could to keep him on the ship.
“It doesn’t matter, Blue. As long as a single person does not want Green to stay here, he can’t.” Red said sternly.
“And what can they do about it?” Blue retorted.
“If just one of us says that we protected an impostor, I wouldn’t doubt all of us would end up in jail for the rest of our lives. That, Blue, is why Green has to be ejected.” Red said.
Blue looked across the table. The crew had essentially split up in two: those that wanted to keep Green, and those who just wanted to get rid of him.
White was grateful to those who supported Green, though they were way too few. Only Red, Blue, Black and herself had wanted Green to stay. Green himself had stated that he wouldn’t be in favor of either outcome. It was as if he was broken with grief, his voice cracking whenever he tried to speak.
“Please! Let Green stay!” White begged the rest of the crew, but they all just looked at her with pity.
“I’m sorry White - I don’t think we can keep Green.”
“Are you already making new friends?” Blue asked. He was seated next to White. “None as good as you.” She said as she smiled at him.
“You two know each other?” Cyan asked.
“We met on White’s first mission. My fifth. So this is my 55th mission.” Blue replied.
Cyan was completely in awe of what Blue told him.
“What about you?” he asked the lighter shade of blue.
“It’s my third…”
“Before you eject Green … can me and White have a last moment with him?” Blue asked. They had discussed for a long time, but ultimately Green wasn’t able to live. Impostors just didn’t mesh well with MIRA, and the risk of them finding out was too high, especially when only half the crew trusted him.
“Of course … everyone else, leave some room for them.” Red announced. The rest of the crew filed out of the cafeteria, leaving only White, Blue and Green.
“I appreciate your efforts in saving me … but just let me go - it’s not worth the risk.” Green said with a raspy voice.
“But Green…” White cried. Green moved towards White and embraced her in a tender hug. He then separated from the White crewmate.
“I guess this is goodbye …” White whimpered.
He approached Blue and laid a hand on his shoulder.
“You - you only tried to do what you thought was the right thing to do. Just know that I don’t blame you for what happened.”
“I’m sorry, Green. It’s my fault … it really is” Blue said. “If I had kept an eye on Purple, none of this would have happened.”
Green was about to say something, but was interrupted by Blue.
“I’m sorry, Green, for the things I did … and … I have something - a request for you.”
Green looked at Blue, puzzled.
“Don’t you worry about that. If you need any help, me and White should be able to.” Blue told him.
“Aren’t veterans supposed to be wary of other crewmates?” Cyan asked.
“We’re not normal veterans” White replied “Not with what we’ve been through …” She almost whispered the last part.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” The blue-clad crewmate asked.
The green one looked at him with a few tears in his eyes. “I already told you - I have thought this through” He half-laughed.
“But … it wasn’t your fault - you shouldn’t be the one getting ejected!” the blue one protested.
“Don’t worry about me. You two will get a great time together” He forced a smile as he continued “It won’t be a long time before you forget me.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget this …” the brightest of the bunch, White, said “It’s more than anyone could ever ask for.”
“You - you don’t have to do this! Not for me…” Blue said.
“Don’t think I’m doing this for you” He grinned “I’m doing this for White.”
White’s response was just to let out more sobs as tears ran down her face “Oh, don’t cry … this is a happy ending. The two friends survived while the impostor was ejected into space.” Green said, laughing a bit again as he stepped into the airlock.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” White asked as she held her hand on the lever that would open the airlock, sucking out the crewmate inside.
“I’ve never been more sure” he said.
“I was saved by him …” Blue said.
“Who?” Cyan asked.
“Green” Blue hastily said.
“He was my best friend on my first mission.” White clarified.
“He sacrificed his life so that I could live…” Blue said in a low voice, as if he was thinking of something that happened so very long ago...
White and Blue watched as the green-suited crewmate drifted away, slowly becoming smaller and smaller.
“I’ll never forget what he did for me…” Blue said as Green drifted further away, his smiling face becoming unrecognizable.
As the rest of the crew reentered the cafeteria moments later, they all looked in shock at the man who was now a green dot among hundreds of white dots on a black canvas.
“You ejected him before we came back?!” Red asked, clearly saddened by the loss of the impostor.
“I didn’t even get to say goodbye …” Black muttered.
“It was his last wish” White said as she and Blue left the cafeteria, hand in hand.
They both let tears fall as they went, saddened by the loss of their friend.
“Bye Blue …“ White whispered, so low that only Blue’s inhuman hearing could pick up the words.