Jess gritted his teeth against the pain and numbness spreading from his chest. A part of him wanted to return to Ali, to either run away from everything with her or to grant her wish to come with him.
Only a part of him. Mostly he knew he’d made the right decision, even if Ali never forgave him at least she’d be alive to feel that way. There was no escaping what he planned. There was no clever trick to escape. This was the end.
As well as his guilt for leaving Ali he also felt guilty for leading the Wanderer to its doom, but in return the ship made it clear it supported his choice and there was nothing for him to feel guilty about. In fact it regretted that it couldn’t manage the flight without his help. That made Jess quirk his lips. In the end the Wanderer and he were each tryin
