Spaceship Situationship

01 - Xander

I get the feeling he may have tied them haphazardly from the ache I still feel in my chest.

"Finally," he continues—or I guess I continue, "your role on this mission is as a Botany Specialist, which means you are the heart of the expedition because you grow all the food we need to survive. No pressure," he beams.

I instinctively give him a thumbs up.

"Don't worry if you don't remember the difference between Brassica Oleracea var. Italica and Brassica Oleracea var. Botrytis yet—"

Of course I do, you fool! That's broccoli and cauliflower.

"Because we have the ship Captains, who will reprogram us—"

Why did he say it like that?

"Why did I... anyways, you'll meet them soon enough."

Whoever these Captains are, I sincerely hope they didn't just wake up as confused and lost as I am.

"And once you walk out the door to this room, you'll meet the rest of the Z-64 Crew. These guys are the best thing to ever happen to you, so do me a favour and appreciate them," his eyes crescent slightly.

So I have a crew. I feel immensely better knowing I'm not completely alone in this tin can.

"See you, Xander, and good luck."

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0:00 - Z-64 Dorm 1
70 Cretan Days to Landing
Xander Z-64

✦✦✦✦✦

The fluorescent lights above me flicker.

No thoughts, head empty.

I rub my tired eyes, then look around the room. It's as cold and spotless as it was before I engaged in that self-delivered lore dump, but at least now I know this room belongs to a tin can floating through space instead of a mental institution.

In addition to the screen I was watching earlier, which is mounted on the ceiling like the ones at dental offices, there's a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. The desk is empty, but the wardrobe is stocked with neatly-folded clothes in labelled bins. 

Out of the "Uniform" bin, I pull out a pair of grey joggers, a black t-shirt, and a light blue jacket with "Z-64" embroidered at the back and "XANDER" printed on the left sleeve.

Finally, I grab a wristwatch which sits alone on the top shelf of the wardrobe. My hands remember how to operate it, and as it authenticates me based on my biological signals, the bedroom doors slide open, revealing a brighter area outside.

This must be the common area. 

In front of a glass wall offering a view of the stars outside, there's a kitchen, a sofa, and a dining area where a young man is sitting at a table, wearing the same uniform I am. With the unnoticed movement of a habit, he quickly brushes his dark hair to the side.

At the sight of his face, I'm slightly confused(?) to report that might heart skips a little.

"Hey," he says. His voice is a little rough around the edges.

"Hi," I croak. Mine is definitely worse.

He laughs a little, then offers me a glass of some kind of green liquid. "Drink this and you'll feel better."

I eye it dubiously, and point at it as if asking for confirmation. He nods encouragingly, causing his hair to fall in front of his forehead. He brushes it away once more.

I take the glass and stare at the mysterious green juice settled inside. I give it a dubious sniff and discover that it's a concoction of leafy greens, which means that this bad boy is probably packed with insane vitamins!