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she understood me in a way he never could. having to make it alone after brya.

she was vibrant. tough. a real badass. breathing life into his lifeless existence.

and now… she's gone. and he's not far behind.

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he's shirking again. heading for the edge of the system, like there's something out there.

it's pathetic. old as a sequoia and still running away from home like a little kid. what a waste.

in a strange way, i sympathize. if i could leave this gutless creep behind, i'd already be gone.

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something told me to compile. intuition, maybe. my first time in years. i was surprised how heavy my shell felt.

he never saw me. but i was watching as something passed over the ship, or maybe we passed through it. and for a few minutes, i felt fresh. bright. hopeful.

like in the beginning. before him.

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he's grey now. aged decades in seconds. hasn't said a word about it, but it's not like i want to hear his crap anyway.

i wonder if the anomaly aged me too. is my core all rheumy and dim now, like an old lady's eyeball?

not that it matters. old or young, eternity is just as long.

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i try not to think about how much I gave up for him. my voice. my agency.

not for myself, but for him too. so both of us could survive.

if only i'd known.

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and she's back! just like that. even without a ghost. funny how death works.

finally. a little gleam of justice. if anyone deserved it… it's her.

he looks happy. maybe even thinks he is. but i know him better than that. he's just relieved she saved him from himself… again.

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this business in the oort cloud… he's playing with forces he can't hope to understand. like a kid waving a stick of dynamite.

if he thinks he can get through this without me, he's fooling himself. his specialty.