by S. Hansen
‘I am already excited to see humans up close. This is the most exciting day of my life!’
‘Calm down there buddy, you didn’t pack any spare pants for yourself.’ Mazar led the crew back onto the ship with Stark and Hajeel followed up slowly by Polly who was supporting Dantil has he struggled along..
Chapter Sixteen – Now What?
With Polly guiding The Asteria aimlessly through space Hajeel trundled around the ship occasionally opening panels and removing electrical parts. Stark, Mazar and Dantil gathered around the table on the bridge and sat thinking peacefully. Stark absent-mindedly drew his star of two triangles with his finger on the table, Mazar gazed through the window at the inviting and terrifying darkness of space and Dantil stared at the back of Polly’s chair.
After a peaceful silence the crew’s ears perked up to the concerning sound of pressurised gases being released. This noise was shortly followed by Hajeel’s reappearance on the bridge, to which he met a few looks of disapproval and apprehension.
‘What did you just do?’
‘Oh don’t worry Agent Stark I was just firing the trackers out the air lock.’ Stark turned to Mazar.
‘Well ok. Now how about that captaincy.’ Polly whipped around in her chair, abandoning her control of the ship.
‘I really don’t think that’s a good idea.’
‘Why not? A good ship needs a good captain.’ Polly raised her hand in a fist and lowered it with one finger pointed squarely at Stark.
‘And there’s the problem. You wouldn’t be a good captain.’ Stark smiled through the hurt.
‘What? I would be a great captain. I wonder what kind of hat a space captain should wear. Are we talking wide brim and feather, tricorn or full on pirate hat here? Do I have to wear one? It might mess up my hair.’ Mazar shook her head in disapproval.
‘Yes, there is no way you get my vote for captain.’
‘I think for now we should just have a crew vote on important decisions.’ Polly stood up and approached the table whilst gesturing for Hajeel to join her at the table with the crew. ‘We have an odd number of crew members so we will never have a deadlock.’ Stark sighed heavily and pouted as Polly continued. ‘All those in favour say aye.’
‘Aye.’
‘Aye.’
‘Aye.’
‘Aye.’ The crew all turned to the last voter who avoided their eyes.
‘Stark?’
‘Ugh fine. Aye.’
‘Is anybody else still freaking out about this? We can’t go home. We have no idea what we are doing.’
‘I’m not going to lie Polly, I’m pumped. I have recently had an opportunity to look hard at my life on Earth and… well it sucked. I am ready for this. Also, to say that Mazar was “freaking out” about literally anything would be a vast exaggeration of her inner monologue.’
‘Speak for me again and I’ll break your fingers. I’m not excited to consider myself a homeless space traveller.’
‘So Debbie Downer it seems you are the only one internally crying about this.’
‘You know there are other people on the ship.’ She looked to Dantil for his response. He was still shivering cold but the nausea was beginning to subside.
‘I am quite apprehensive about this. When I knew I could return home if I wanted to it was a lot less daunting.’
‘I am very excited about watching you all interact. I’m going to spend a lot of time watching you, I’m going to study you in your sleep and how you react to new things.’ The humans stared at Hajeel open mouthed.
‘I really hope our cabin doors lock from the inside.’ Polly said with an alarmed expression.
‘I think we all do now…. Anyway.’ Stark rubbed his hands together. ‘Where to first?’ The crew stared blankly at each other as they realised another flaw in their plan to flee.
‘You guys, what are we going to do for food, water, fuel, money and all the other things that we haven’t thought about at all yet?’ Stark’s mouth opened a few times as he attempted to come up with a solution unsuccessfully. Mazar and Dantil sat deep in thought as Hajeel mentally noted each of their reactions. They sat there quietly until Hajeel stood up and motioned to the cube which began to present them with an image of the galaxy.
‘Can I suggest we get much closer to the core? The hope sector is so far out and the really interesting stuff happens further in. You may be able to find everything you need there.’ Stark scratched his chin.
‘Hajeel I hate to be that guy who shoots down a good suggestion, but don’t you think where space is concerned we should be a bit more specific than that area there.’ Stark waved his splayed hand and Hajeel nodded excitedly.
‘Yes definitely. Definitely.’ He pondered the problem for mere seconds before speaking again. ‘We should head for one of the Qasheim run trade planets. Trade planets will be most helpful and no one runs a trade planet like the Qasheim.’
‘You still need to be more specific Hajeel.’
‘Sorry Agent Stark. I really do need to get to grips with human conversation quickly. I don’t know much about the other sectors but the ships computer says that Qashmar is a busy and lively trade planet run by the Qasheim. Perhaps Qashmar could be the planet.’
‘How far away is that exactly?’ Polly spoke while trying to wrap Stark’s coat around Dantil for warmth.
‘Roughly twenty-five thousand light-years.’
‘Twenty-five thousand light-years!’
‘Won’t we be dead by the time we get there Hajeel?’ Stark queried.
‘That depends on how fast we travel.’ Mazar said, still blankly staring at the table top. Hajeel smiled.
‘Exactly, the whole concept of time is about to get very warped for you I’m afraid. But it will feel like a week has passed when we arrive on Qashmar if we travel at full speed.’
‘And I haven’t been driving at full speed so far?’ Hajeel tittered a little to himself before responding.
‘Not even close.’
‘Well alright. We have a destination, we have a pilot and we have a mission. Let’s go find all those things Polly said we need. To Qashmar!’ When everybody stood up to either take their role in the ship’s crew or find their place on the ship Stark watched proudly. ‘You see. I command. You do. I’m a great captain.’
‘No Stark.’ Mazar sighed over her shoulder as she left the bridge.