Space Rats

by Jacqueline Kirk

  FIVE

  Tristan appeared, breathless and grinning, on the bridge. Troy leapt from his seat and hugged his brother joyously.

  “We did it! We did it!” he yelled.

  Tristan slapped his brother on the back and turned to the others. They still sat strapped in their seats and gazing out at the stars, their expressions a strange mix of fear, incredulity and delight.

  “You can unstrap yourselves if you like guys, we only need to strap in on take-offs and landings. Any other time we can wander about as we please,” Tristan told them. He turned to Krista, “Krista, keep checking for any pursuit for a while and check for what’s around here. We need to stop and get some more fuel before we can go any great distance.”

  “You don’t think we’ll be followed do you?” Troy asked.

  Tristan shrugged, “I doubt it. Calhoun will be too busy with Fairfax to bother chasing runaways but it’s better to be safe than sorry.” He turned back to the door; “We’d best sort out where everyone is staying so they can make themselves at home.”

  They followed him down the stairs to the sleeping quarters. With the ship up and running the interior of Star Chaser was much more cheerful. The outside of the ship was a silver colour with Tristan’s repairs in a darker grey from the other ship he had scrounged parts off of. The interior was a warm bronze colour with lighter copper embossing here and there of strange Celtic designs that Mary Argonaut had lovingly added herself to make it more homely.

  “Troy,” Tristan began, “You and me have our old cabins. Ziggy you can have the one next to mine and Krista has the end one. I thought Lena and Orla might want to be in the same cabin,” Lena nodded at this, “ So, I thought maybe they could have the one next to you.”

  “Mum and Dad’s room,” Troy said quietly.

  “We won’t take it if you don’t want us to!” Lena said hurriedly, “I know this must be hard for you being the first time you’ve been back on your ship since…” She broke off quickly, flushing slightly at her tactlessness.

  Troy smiled at her, “It is a bit weird,” he admitted, “but there is no point in wasting the room if someone needs it. It’s the biggest cabin, the others would be too cramped for both of you.” He paused, thinking; “Besides I think Mum would like the idea of someone living in it instead of it going to waste.”

  He looked at Tristan who smiled in agreement. Tristan pointed to the bags that had been dumped at the bottom of the stairs and suggested they sort out what was whose while he and Troy sorted out their parents’ stuff.

  Troy paused at the threshold while his brother walked straight in. He looked sadly about the cabin his parents had slept in and couldn’t stop the tears that sprang to his eyes. Even though their clothes and personal effects had been packed away and now sat in boxes on the floor their other possessions still lay on the shelves and bookcases.

  Strange rocks, pieces of art or other bits and pieces that they had acquired on all the different planets that they had been on decorated their cabin.

  “Help me move these boxes into the spare cabin,” Tristan was saying to him but he didn’t hear just kept gazing around the room until his brother’s annoyed voice broke through his reverie. “Troy! Help me move the boxes!”

  Troy blinked rapidly to clear his eyes then set to work helping his brother. There weren’t many boxes and before long they were standing looking at all the stuff lying about.

  “What about this stuff?” Troy asked, “Should we move it too?”

  Tristan thought for a moment then suggested, “Why don’t we take what we want to keep ourselves then the rest can just stay where it is or maybe go around the ship to decorate it. It would be a shame to get rid of it.”

  Troy thought that sounded good and immediately went to one of the bookcases and picked up a large rock cluster of varying hues of blue that his mother had particularly liked. It was quite big and took two hands to lift it.

  “Do you mind if I have this?” he asked his brother.

  Tristan shook his head as he picked up a long metallic tube that had been used many centuries ago to see distant objects. It wasn’t long until they were helping Lena bring her and Orla’s belongings in.

  “There are clean sheets in here,” Tristan told her, opening a hidden door that turned out to be the wardrobe, “They should be clean.” With a smile he left while Ziggy and Troy helped her to make the bed. Something they were all used to doing since it was a standard chore at the home.

  “This is a lovely room,” Lena said as she gazed about at all the knick knacks still dotting about, “Are you sure you don’t mind us being here?”

  Troy smiled and said, “Of course I don’t mind. Besides, it’s the practical thing to do and my mother was always one for doing the practical thing!”

  He grinned and Lena smiled back until they heard a thud behind them and they looked around to find Orla had dropped a round crystal. Troy picked it up while Lena scolded Orla for touching things that didn’t belong to her.

  “It’s alright Lena, she didn’t break anything,” he reassured.

  “What’s all this stuff?” Ziggy asked curiously. He had been quietly looking at all the various objects about the room and found them fascinating.

  “My parents were scientists. They loved collecting the different rocks and crystals we found from the planets we visited. They were trained geologists but loved archaeology and history and all that kind of stuff! They worked for a company back on Harmenta – that’s where we come from – to find rare minerals and ores for trade. It meant we were travelling most of the time but we all loved it!” Troy told them what each thing was and where they had found it, forgetting the time until he caught Orla yawning tiredly beside Lena.

  “We’d better go and sort out our own cabins,” Troy told Ziggy leaving Lena to put a sleepy Orla to bed.

  Ziggy seemed to be pleased with his cabin and Troy helped him bring in his large pile of belongings then left him to it. He went to his own cabin and stood in the doorway, looking around at the familiar surroundings.

  His bed looked as if it had never been made since the last time he had slept in it. Above his bed was his favourite picture of Earth and her neighbouring moon.

  He had never seen the real Earth. People had left it long ago, leaving it almost spent and barren. But the scientists had stayed to try and save humankind’s old home. They were succeeding too. The rainforest was slowly recovering and growing, plants and animals were thriving again.

  Many of the plant and animals species had been wiped out by man and his quest for advancement, which is why humans had begun exploring space and terra-forming suitable planets; building space stations and habitats. When humans had met their very first alien life form that had been a historic day but now hundreds of years later it was commonplace.

  Troy would have loved to visit Earth but it was now a Natural Reserve and no one was allowed to step foot on it without permission for fear of upsetting the fragile ecosystem they had carefully nurtured back to health. One day humans would be allowed to live there again.

  Troy sighed and picked up all his stuff that he had dumped outside his door and placed it on his bed. It didn’t take him long to put his things away and he sat on his bed for a while feeling as if he was home at last. He contemplated changing his bed sheets and getting clean ones but decided that the clean ones that had been in storage all this time would probably smell the same. At least this was the reason he gave himself for not bothering.

  “Can everyone come to the bridge,” Tristan’s voice spoke over the intercom system.

  Troy stepped out into the corridor to be faced with a worried looking Ziggy. Lena was quietly shutting her cabin door and quickly turned to him.

  “Nothing’s wrong is there?” she asked fearfully.

  Troy shrugged non-commitally, “I don’t know, I don’t think so. He didn’t sound worried.”

  The other two didn’t look comforted at all and quickly followed on his heels up the stairs to the bridge. Trista
n was standing behind Krista and they were both looking at her screen, talking quietly.

  He smiled when he saw the others and gestured them forward.

  “There is a planet not too far away called Alandra. We can stop there and get supplies and fuel.”

  “Is anyone following us?” Lena asked worriedly.

  “No one,” Krista told her, “I monitored for a while but nothing. Not even Fairfax has left the planet yet.”

  “Looks like Calhoun is in really deep water!” Tristan smirked.

  The others visibly relaxed and Troy slapped Ziggy on the back.

  “Troy,” Tristan gestured him to his seat, “I need you to take her off automatic pilot until we get the co-ordinates of Alandra punched in.”

  Troy nodded and sat in his seat. He smiled to himself; it was amazing how quickly he thought of it as his seat. It didn’t take him and Krista long to set the new co-ordinates and then they all trooped to the kitchen.

  The kitchen was small and basically a long rectangular shape. Along the wall were two rows of silver panels that opened with a touch to show cupboards with plenty of utensils and other appliances. At the far end was a counter with a shiny black surface that Tristan told them was the cooker. Another counter that ran opposite the cupboards finished off the kitchen.

  Past the counter the room opened up and there was a large table with chairs around it.

  “Not much here I’m afraid,” said Tristan apologetically, “I meant to get some food from the home but didn’t have time so it’s just what I could grab at breakfast.”

  He put some bread rolls on the table along with a chunk of cheese and some fruit. They looked at the meager fare but were too hungry to complain and ate hungrily. Lena put some of it aside for Orla for when she woke.

  “When will we get to Alandra?” she asked Tristan.

  “Probably early tomorrow morning,” he told her.

  Troy nodded then suddenly thought of something, “What did Old Ted give you?”

  “I don’t know,” Tristan shrugged, “let me go and get it.”

  He disappeared downstairs then returned clutching the bag Old Ted had shoved into his hands before they had left. Opening it he peered inside then carefully pulled out what was inside.

  It was a small metal plaque in the shape of a star fixed to a wooden base. Engraved into the grey metal was a small inscription:

  TRISTAN ARGONAUT

  CAPTAIN OF STAR CHASER

  Tristan laughed softly and handed it to Troy who looked at it thoughtfully.

  “Don’t mind do you?” his brother asked.

  “Mind what?”

  Tristan gestured towards the plaque, “That he called me captain?”

  Troy thought for a moment then shrugged, “No, not really. It was you who spent all this time fixing her up and organising the escape. You deserve to be captain, besides we need someone to be serious while we have all the fun!”

  Tristan laughed at that last bit and took back the plaque and placed it back in the bag.

  “I need everyone to make a list of what they need supply wise. We’ve got enough money just now so we might as well get everything at once just in case we can’t find somewhere to stop after Alandra for a while.”

  “Just remember to get lots of hygiene stuff,” Lena told him, “It’s a small ship and we will be living in close proximity to each other!”

  Tristan held up a hand before Troy got all indignant at the implication that he smelled and said, “Don’t worry. We used to help our parents with things like supplies so we know what we need. Also, food-wise mention any allergies you might have because doctors will also be few and far between.”

  This last had Ziggy looking extremely worried until Troy reassured him that they wouldn’t need a doctor that urgently and Krista added that she had been trained by Patience and June about First Aid so they were covered for anything that they might come across. Ziggy looked a little relieved but they could tell he was still a little worried. They talked for a while longer until they were all yawning.

  “I’m going to bed!” Troy said, standing up.

  “Doesn’t someone need to stay up? To keep an eye on the ship or something?” Lena asked, puzzled.

  “No,” Tristan told her, “The ship is on automatic pilot and if anything happens or something comes too close we’ll hear an alarm. Don’t worry, she might not look like much but she’s a good ship, she’ll keep us safe!”

  Not completely reassured Lena nodded then they all went to their own cabins. Troy lay down on his bed and gazed out his window at the stars. After three years of sharing a dormitory with others he wasn’t used to the complete silence. The only sound was the low hum of the engines that finally lulled him to sleep.