The Curse of the Topsy-Turvy | ONC 2020 Honourable Mention

12 - The Song of Sqia'lon Seven

Within moments of entering the portal, I felt ready to puke. The swirling streaks of blue and green on the main screen suggested we tumbled down a tightening tube in a narrow spiral. The heavy Rambler moved slower than the lightweight Topsy had during the storm, but the sensation twisted my stomach like a wet towel.

A glance in Ben's direction told me the human fought the same demons. Hrrovr was a scaled statue of concentration, only the twitch of his golden eyes giving away he was alive. "Hrrovr, dim the main screen before Hijac complains about cleaning another meal from the floor."

A mouldy whiff of karjkan amusement and a giggle from Aalyxh told me they both remained unaffected by nausea. Ajs perched on the headrest of Ben's chair, eyestalks extended and body quivering. I wondered if from dread or cheerful anticipation. "All good, Ajs?"

"I'm fine, Cap Kali. This is such a wonderful experience." She turned towards me with gleaming eyes. But something in my face told her I didn't share her euphoria. Her flushed indigo faded to a soft turquoise. "Don't worry about the hatchlings, Cap Kali. Before we left, they asked me to thank you and invited us to return. They are eager to follow the adventures of the famous Topsy-Turvy."

"You're building quite the fan club, Cap." Ben fought illness with cheer. "Though I'm not in a hurry to test wormhole travel again."

I was about to agree when Hrrovr hissed, his head scales jingling in urgency. "Captain, how can we know we won't end in another dess'solate quadrant?"

I pressed the comm button. "Veran? Do you control the direction of this ride? I can think of a few places in the universe I don't crave to visit."

"Like the Ticotan black hole? Funny that you ask, but we're headed straight to the last coordinates before the storm hit." He chuckled, and as much as I liked to hear his voice, it annoyed me. Could this man ever be serious? "But be assured, no black hole is as attractive as you, Kali."

Heat flushed my gills. "Ticotan isn't our destination of choice, though. Didn't Riann insist she can plot a course to anywhere?"

"Sort of. But only with your help. Where would you like me to drop you off?"

"Do you know the Sqia system?" It was a gamble, but so far, I had no reason to mistrust Veran. Ajs' eyestalks perched up, and I smiled. "We have an errand to run there."

The connection remained silent while I wondered if Veran found my request too exotic. When he called back, he sounded amused. "Are you sure about Sqia? You fancy interesting corners of the galaxy. Do I want to know about your errand?"

"Probably not. It's a simple delivery." I wasn't keen on telling him more. My basic instincts screaming to not trust anything severill were at war with my newfound wish to share time with this individual. But business is business, and I had a crew to feed and a ship to maintain.

Luckily, Veran accepted my decision. "Fine. Let's alter the course. We must sync our thrusters. Is your pilot ready?"

Aalyxh called up data on her screen four-handed. "The angle of the beams will curve the tube we're falling through, figuratively." She double-checked her calculations. "I'm ready."

On Veran's command, both ships poured energy into the artificial anomaly surrounding us. The funnel wavered for a moment, orange sparks mixing with blue and green streaks. Then we tumbled into a bend, my stomach somersaulted, and the movement of the ships smoothened.

"That's an improvement." Ben bent over his console. "Energy level is at 68, charging. We gained almost as much energy from the passage as we invested."

"Nice." I didn't mind if we arrived at our destination with the Topsy operational. Now the tumbling had ceased, I yawned. "How far to Sqia, Aalyxh? Do we have time for a nap?"