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Quorum of Salt

sci-fi◐ Teen
5 contributors · 4 paragraphs deep

Inside Bay 9 was a single glass tank, fogged with cold. A woman floated in it, asleep, wires at her temples. A small plate read: FOUNDER. ORIGINAL CAPTAIN. Cal had grown up hearing the Captain was a legend, long dead. She was right here, and the ship wanted her gone.

Cal looked for a way to wake her. A panel on the tank had one warm button under a cracked cover. He pressed it. The fog cleared, her eyes snapped open, and she gasped through the glass. 'How long?' she mouthed. Cal held up nineteen fingers, twice, and her face went pale.

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The founder pointed at a red handle on the tank wall and mouthed one word: PULL. Cal yanked it. The glass drained, she tumbled out coughing, and slapped her palm on the console. 'Quorum closed,' she rasped. The tally died at last. 'They turned a vote into a weapon,' she said. 'Help me take the ship back.' Cal nodded, scraper still in hand. The real work was just starting.

AO
Amara Okafor
11 votes · future 1 of 2