Chapter 38: False Dichotomy

Pampaa tried to center himself, to find stillness in the chaos.

He closed his eyes.

He focused on his breathing.

He listened carefully.

The sounds inside: his heartbeat (steady for the moment), his breathing (too fast, too shallow), the multi-layered coils of tinnitus ringing through his head.

The sounds outside: recycled air pumping through the vents (like the ship itself was breathing); the chunky beeps and boops of stolen, outdated, and incorrectly wired equipment; boots clanking along the deck; the hushed, angry voices of the pirates.

And a low, intermittent rumble. It sounded similar to a summer storm on Pake, but Pampaa recognized the particular tremble of cannon fire.

Outside somewhere, the Wolf Pack fired wildly at the tumbling debris of the shattered moon, hoping to blast the exact rock Red Myra was hiding behind. So far, they were way off the mark.