SPACESHIP ZOMBIE CRUISE

FILE ENTRY 8.0

Bella Starr

The entrance to the Imperial Dining Hall is at the rear of the Celestial Sea, one floor below the Atlantic Deck which features the casinos, bars, and lounges. All four dining halls run back-to-back, covering the length of the ship from stern to bow. As I take my first step from the elevator and enter the vestibule, the glitz and glamour of the dining room strikes me with awe, visible through a pair of propped open doors. I bat an eye at the interior lighting, glimmering off crystal and silver, and anything else with a reflective surface. At the entrance, a pair of hosts welcome me and my friends to the dining hall.

I gasp under my breath. I should have bought the matching gloves and purse that came with the dress. It would have been epic, even if I just remove the gloves at the table and tuck them in the purse. Still, at least I would have the items for my grand entrance.

As one host, a young woman in a black-and-white uniform, leads us into the dining room, I ponder how nice it is to share this evening and the cruise home with my friends. Even if I never tell them about my father's death and my family turning their backs on me, I'll still have this moment to enjoy. It's better than the alternative. I could be in my room crying my eyes out, ordering room service for the entire cruise.

I reach to pull my seat back, but Halo beats me to it. For a second, I think he's about to drop into it himself, but he gestures toward the chair for me to sit.

I wince out an anxious smile, and with reluctance, lower myself into the seat.

Caprica winks at me, and I mouth a hasty shut up.

Astra grins.

Not paying attention to the exchange, Halo pulls a chair out for himself and sits next to me. When he looks up, he catches Caprica and Astra in the middle of their not so clever stares and smiles.

"What?"

"Nothing." Astra shrugs.

"You didn't get my chair for me," Caprica says.

"I was closer to Bella." Halo stiffens. "It was a kind gesture. Nothing more."

My eyes bulge at Caprica. When Halo glances at her, she fakes a smile.

"Good news," the waiter says. "Since we're between worlds, the legal drinking age is much lower than it is on Earth, set by Space Venture."

"Is the alcohol free?" I ask. "Because my ebill account took a hit with this dress."

"No, but water is no charge."

"Surely you can spring for some bubbly?" Caprica says.

"No, I can't." Truth is, I had my heart set on the gloves and purse that go with my dress. I did the math. If I bought the matching set, I'd overspend on the money I allotted myself for the trip home. Don't want to dig into my savings account, which is meant for living expenses during my upcoming college life. I'm supposed to have my parents—I mean my mom—to help with financial support at Stanford, but now I'm not so sure I can count on her in the future. "I'll take water with lemon, please," I add.

The waiter scans Astra's right hand for her bio signature. He does the same for Caprica. "Good," he says. "You must be eighteen to order alcohol."

"Guess that rules me out." I elbow Halo. "I'm too young, but you're old enough."

Caprica and Astra order and receive flutes of champagne. Halo declines the alcohol in favor of water, likely a gesture to help me not feel out of place.

After the waiter places menus in front of us at our white-clothed table, we order a variety of appetizers. I have shrimp cocktail. Halo and Astra order Caesar salads, and Caprica has a lettuce wedge. We place our orders for dinner—steak and lobster for me—I'm determined to go surf and turf. Another reason I'm not spending my ebills on drinks, even if I could.

As the waiter saunters off to put our orders in, I laugh with my friends and enjoy myself with their company at the dinner table. Glasses clink throughout the expansive hall as hundreds of passengers smile and chuckle, some more loudly than others, considering the alcohol they've consumed. Caprica and Astra are among some of them, each of them on their second glass of bubbly. After finishing the appetizers, the main course arrives. I savor the steak and lobster, catching smiles and glances from Halo.

"Are we ready for dessert?" the waiter asks.

"I hear the chocolate melting cake is to die for," Astra says.

Based on our orders, that's something everyone can agree on.

I wipe the corners of my mouth with a napkin and accidentally bump elbows with Halo. We share a smile, and I'm about to apologize when a clanging noise gets everyone's attention in the dining hall. I swivel around as the maitre'd stands in the center of the room in front of a glass case on a tabletop. I hadn't noticed the large rectangle object before, with all the waiters and waitresses rushing back and forth on their errands. Also, the entire night, I had my back to the display.

The maitre'd introduces the ship's captain and his crew. Captain Antonio Francesca addresses the crowd of happy dinner guests.

"I am most pleased to have you aboard the Celestial Sea on our voyage back to Earth. I do hope that you spread the word about the first ever space cruise ship, and I very much hope you plan to return to Neptune Shores in the future. Before you disembark back home, be sure to stop by our customer service desk on the bar and piano deck to book your next vacation. We're offering special discounts for bookings made before you leave the ship."

Captain Francesca's mouth curls into a wide-toothed grin. Then he clears his throat.

"Now, without further ado," he says, "a special treat while you enjoy your desserts. Tonight, our guest of honor, the president and CEO of the Space Venture Corporation, Electra Draco."

The crowd bursts into applause as the woman with short blonde hair and striking blue eyes replaces the captain in front of the glass case. I try to glimpse what's inside the encasement—I have a suspicion—but the captain blocks my view as he steps aside.

As Electra Draco begins what I'm sure has to be a pre-planned speech, another person moves into position behind the CEO, her personal assistant and spokesperson, the snaky looking Cygnus Lo. If he was anymore lanky, he'd be a support pole like the ones scattered throughout the dining hall. I imagine a split tongue slithering out of his mouth.

Draco thanks everyone for taking part in the first ever space cruise, and then she ends by moving aside and directing all eyes to the glass case.

I finally see what's inside.

"Dr. Jett Mintaka donated these two katana swords," Draco says. "He's head of our medical staff at Neptune Shores. They will be on display for the rest of the cruise and then auctioned off once we arrive on Earth. It's all for a good cause. We will donate the money raised to help orphans throughout the Interplanetary Federation."

One sword is in a black sheath and the other is in a red one.

"Bet you'd like to train with a real blade, wouldn't you?" Halo nudges me with his elbow.

"That would be something."

"Swords in space? Are you kidding? It'd be stellar."

"Interstellar," I say.

"I think you have to be outside the solar system for that, but yeah, I like the thought."

"I know what you're thinking," Electra Draco says at last. "But don't worry. The katanas are safe inside this double reinforced glass case. Only I have the passcode to open the lid, and there's an alarm too. Besides, I can't think of a reason anyone would need a sword on this pleasure cruise anyway."

She ends her speech with a polite bow and then my friends and I eat our chocolate melting cakes to cap off the evening. One thing's certain, no matter how hard I try, I can't think of a reason to need a sword on this ship either. But I've been wrong before.