Arcadia's Family (Book THREE)

Father And Son

Arcadia:

"Da! Da!" I wheezed, struggling to breathe in my space suit. 

"Yes, you're the very next thing on the list, Arcadia." He replied. Ma and SJ were having a spa day, don't ask.

"Da, help me!"

Because I was floating untethered in deep space, running low on oxygen, and he was leaving me. Was this revenge for putting funny cat videos on the sonic glasses and rigging them to play on repeat? "Arcadia, I'm under attack from four and a bit battle fleets, in case you think I'm slacking."

Then something was moving. "Father, I think there's something in my space suit."

"Yes, that's possible, actually. You were too long in the spider mines."

You had to say spiders... "Okay, explain?"

"It's possibly a Love Sprite. Sucks your brain," pause for a loud boom, "sucks your brain out through your mouth, hence the name."

"It's halfway up my leg."

"Don't worry, it's just hungry." Yeah, well it wasn't having the thing at the top of them.

"Da-"

He didn't let me finish. "Describe the four most interesting stars you can see."

Fine, I'l try and ignore the goddamn spider crawling up my leg! "There's a blue one, quite big. Two little yellowish ones just below."

"Colour of whisky, smaller one blinking?"

"Yes!" I shouted, freaking out even more. "It's on the back of my neck, I can feel it."

This seemed to be good news t him. "Great! I thought asphyxiation would kill you first." I was so telling ma... "Can you see a nebula? Can you see a nebula in a sort of wing-shape? Bit green at the end?"

Wait... "Yes! Yes, I can."

"Great, I've seen it too. I wondered where it was." And then he materialised around me, pulling off my helmet before stomping on the Love Sprite as I breathed in deeply. "How did we do?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "Oh, not a word about my spot-on materialisation skills."

More important things. "What about all the Velosians? Are they safe?"

"Huh?" The he realised. "Oh, yeah. Well, I lured their attackers halfway across the universe and drained their weapons banks. Not to mention, I also saved a school teacher from having his brains devoured and being asphyxiated in deep space. So, now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go outside and wipe my boot on the grass." Lovely.

So he landed at night, and we were in the middle of a forest, crickets chirping. Their equivalent of 'I'm Sexy and I know It'. "What's to stop them re-arming and trying again?"

He shrugged, actually wiping his boot. "Nothing. But the Velosians will be ready for them this time. It's the best I could do, Arcadia." My name was Arc... "We're not actually the police, that's just what it says on the box."

"You're always talking about what you can and can't do but you never tell me the rules. Ma does, and she's a lot more."

Da patted my shoulder lightly. "We're time travellers. We tread softly. It's okay to make ripples, but not tidal waves."

"You are a tidal wave." I told him stiffly. "Have you met you?"

To which he got offended. "Don't say that."

And then there were swords drawn and put against our throats, flaming torches coming into view. "Da..."

"No, no, not Vikings. I'm not in the mood for Vikings." I don't think you really have a choice, father.