Hey guys, before you read this chap, please vote for my poll about what fanfic I should do next. It will help me out a lot to know what you guys want to see. It shouldn't take you any longer than 30 seconds, and you get to choose my next story. I will leave a link below this a/n that you can copy paste into your browser. Thanks everyone :)
https://www.quotev.com/quiz/15516129/What-Should-Be-My-Next-Fanfic
~19:56~
"I thought your father was born on Mars?" Jimin asks as you step into the cockpit, sitting on the co-pilot's seat.
"Well, he was. He was raised on Mars, it's his home."
"Okay, so how can he be born in two places at once?"
You shake the thought away. "He was born on Kepler then transferred to Mars not long after. He considers himself a Martian born, tells everyone that, even me, but eventually he told me the truth. Kepler is an old station used only for experimentation."
"Is your father...?" Jimin starts, but you make an 'mm-mm' sound with your lips.
"An experiment? No. Not as far as I know. Kepler should be near Pluto."
"I'm sorry, did you say Pluto? As in, the abandoned planet Pluto?"
You nod, pretending you aren't trembling at the thought. "Yeah, see why you don't know about it? It's not exactly something considered common knowledge." You flip on the controls as Baekhyun strolls in, his jaw dropping at the sight of you taking control of the ship.
"What's going on?"
"We're setting course for Kepler Station," you reply.
"Kepler? I've never heard of it."
You freeze, glancing back at Baekhyun. "You don't know where it is?" He shakes his head. Your eyes widen, and you stare at your Captain. Jimin meets your gaze, then realizes what you're so amazed at.
Jimin chuckles, softly smiling. "Yes, Y/N. You can fly us there."
You squeal, hopping out of the co-pilot's seat and jumping into the pilot's seat. As soon as you hit the seat, you feel a wave of much needed ecstasy hit you. Your fingers hover over the controls, your eyes darting around and trying to take it all in at once. Flying a cruiser... flying the Moonchild; you're about to fly the Moonchild. You let out a small laugh before placing your hands on the yoke and taking a deep breath.
"Let's do this," you whisper before the ship comes to life under your grasp. Your mouth nearly falls open when the ship moves where you tell it to, zooming across the open space freely.
"You don't want to do autopilot?" Baekhyun asks in disbelief.
You shake your head, peering out at the stars that pass as you traverse. "Now why would I ever want to do that?" you whisper-ask, still taking in all your surroundings. You're near Neptune now, but you choose to keep your distance. It takes you a minute to get used to the acceleration the Moonchild has, but you're a quick learner, especially when it comes to ships.
"How long do you think it will take us?" Jimin asks.
"Hard to say, my guess is we still have a good five hours."
"You sure you want to fly all five?"
You softly smile, running your finger over the joystick and letting out a relieved sigh. The rumble of the Moonchild is beautiful. The controls are beautiful. The entire ship is beautiful. You want to fly this thing as often as possible. So, you give Jimin a nod. "Always."
"Well, looks like she has it covered," Baekhyun says with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah she does," Jimin whispers, giving your shoulder a squeeze. You chuckle and focus on the outside, shaking your head before glancing back at them.
"Better go get some food boys. After all, we have a long journey ahead."
~22:34~
Jimin and Jungkook stand in front of Taehyung, who's innocently eating a potato pancake, a hot chocolate on his left. "I apologize, I know you're in the middle of eating, but I think you know that we need to talk to you," Jimin starts, sitting down across from the boy. Jungkook mimics the Captain's actions, folding his hands together on the table once he sits down.
"It's okay, I understand," the boy says, placing the potato pancake on his tray and sliding it over. He takes a small sip of his hot chocolate and dabs his lips with a napkin before clearing his throat. "Ask any questions you have."
Jimin and Jungkook share a look before turning back to the new member. "Who is this 'Min Yoongi'?" Jimin can't help but ask. He knows that Yoongi is a Commanding Officer, but he doesn't know much else. If they go to Kepler, the crew could run into him. The more information they know on him, the better.
"I'm honestly not sure. He kind of came out of no where and became a Commander. Not many people know him, or have seen him, really. Only the lucky ones working in the spire."
"Lucky?" Jimin asks, raising a brow.
"They have all the security and supplies in the world. If Woojin took your armor, that's where he would have wanted to go."
"Woojin? That was your leader's name?" Jungkook asks, and Taehyung nods.
"How did Triton fall apart?" Jimin asks, then places the data chip on the table. "This said the Blackwell brought in something. Something from Kepler Station."
Taehyung knits his brows together. "Kepler Station? I've never heard of it."
Jimin shrugs it off. "Me neither, but Min Yoongi has. I was hoping you could tell us why."
Taehyung's lips fall by a few centimeters. "I can tell you exactly what happened on Triton, but I've never met Yoongi. I couldn't tell you how he knows what Kepler Station is."
"I've asked the entire crew and no one except for Y/N has known. Even him." Jimin pauses to point to Jungkook. "My platinum intelligence officer. Even he doesn't know. That must be one well-hidden station. Now, where were we? How did Triton fall?"
Taehyung averts his eyes, frowning. "It all happened so fast. I was with my family, at home watching TV when suddenly they evacuated us. We ran and ran, but there were these things following us."
"Things?" Jungkook asks.
Taehyung trembles. "The creatures were huge. They were all dark green, but they didn't even have heads. They just had four massive legs and were making this clicking sound. God, they were so fast."
Jimin's eyes jump open. "Like a giant praying mantis... shit."
"My family told me to run while they distracted them, so I did. Woojin and I met up near a bunker, but we watched as the creatures tore it down. He guided me to an underground facility, the same one we kept you and Y/N in," Taehyung explains, motioning towards Jungkook.
"So let me get this straight: the Blackwell, a small transport vessel, brought in massive alien lifeforms?" Jimin asks.
Taehyung brushes his hand in the air as if swatting a fly. "No. The Blackwell brought in a disease. I've seen what it does to people. If you physically touch someone who has it, or something that has it, you go crazy. Your body swells, you lose your mind and start screaming, attacking anyone you see until you're completely controlled by it."
"Those people Namjoon and I saw," Jimin whispers, rubbing his temple with his index fingers.
"How did those massive creatures get on Triton then?" Jungkook asks.
Taehyung sighs. "I don't know, but I have a theory."
"What's your theory?" Jimin asks, lowering his fingers from his head.
Taehyung fiddles with his fingers, keeping his mouth shut. Jungkook glances at Jimin, and the Captain gives the younger man a nod. "We need to know," Jungkook says, which finally makes Taehyung sigh.
"I don't have all the information, but... the creatures..." He pauses, taking a deep breath. "I think they started as humans."
~22:35~
You sit back, letting the Moonchild float for a few moments before starting forward again. You love flying, and this is exhilarating, but you do need to rest your hands every once in a while. Then again, you also want to savor each moment since you never know if you'll even touch the Moonchild's controls again.
With a sigh, you ease into the new speed. Oh man, the Moonchild is fast. Not the fastest ship you've ever seen, but it's up there, especially for a cruiser model. Not to mention she flies smoothly without so much as a tiny amount of turbulence.
"How you holding up?" Seulgi asks from the doorway. You jump and turn your head. She leans against the wall, offering you a small smile that compliments her delicate face.
"I should be asking you that," you reply, giving her a knowing look.
She bites her lower lip. "I'll be okay. I'm more worried about you, Jimin, and Jungkook."
You shake her off. "I'd be more worried about Jimin and Jungkook if I were you. I'm hurting, but I'll be okay. They were the closest to him, after all." Seulgi still seems unconvinced. You don't blame her; you're really hurting. You miss your late Captain more every minute, but you have to keep moving. It's what he would have wanted. "Really, I'll be okay."
She stares at you for a few more seconds before giving you a nod. "Alright, I'll believe you but, if that ever changes..."
"I'll come right to you," you reply, giving her a small smile.
You glance over her appearance and notice she's wearing a white t-shirt and basic grey sweatpants. That's strange. She always has a blazer on or a long sleeved shirt. You glance down at her arms and notice a few marks there. Your eyes slightly widen. When she notices your gaze, she hides her arms.
"You don't have to hide them, you know," you whisper, and she hesitates, then slowly shows you her scars. She has what appears to be needle marks littering her upper arm.
"Namjoon said that you were running from addiction?"
She hangs her head and rubs her fingers over her scars. "Heroin."
Your eyes widen even more. "Heroin," you repeat, much softer than the way she said it.
She goes quiet, and so do you. You don't want to pry, but it secretly terrifies you that her addiction was to something so severe. On Ganymede, heroin is extremely rare: that's mostly an Earth drug. Even on Earth it's dying out in favor of imported drugs from Mars and even as far as Triton. You can only hope that she's better now.
"Well, how about happier topics. How does she fly?" Seulgi asks.
You light up, accepting her distraction. "Oh she's amazing. So fast and smooth. It finally feels like I'm free."
Seulgi snickers. "Do you think one day you could teach me?"
"I'd absolutely love to teach you. Gold Intelligence Officer Kang Seulgi, maybe a Gold Pilot instead? I'll start giving you lessons."
She shrugs, strolling over to sit in the co-pilot's seat. "Lessons wouldn't hurt. I've read up on flying in my free time, but experience would be better. We should all know how to fly in case of emergency. Until then, I'll leave the flying to you and Baekhyun. I like knowing everything."
You raise a brow. "Oh yeah? Everything?"
"Everything."
"How about your feelings for Jung Hoseok? Do you know them?"
She fakes a look of hurt. "Low blow. I'll have you know we're only friends. Really."
"If you're only friends, then Jimin and I are strangers."
"Hey!" she says, giving you an offended expression. You laugh, shaking your head. It feels good to laugh again. You've been in such a slump that you didn't even think about smiling and laughing.
"How is he?" you ask, and Seulgi's shoulders slump.
"I don't know. He looked up to Joon, like we all did. He's hurting, I know that. He hasn't talked to me at all. I think he needs some space."
You brush your hands over the controls, furrowing your brows together. "Jimin's the same way."
Seulgi hesitates, then parts her lips. "He's the new Captain..."
"Captain Park Jimin," you whisper, processing the words. It didn't even fully hit you that Jimin is the Captain until now. The circumstances are obviously not ideal, but he's still the Captain. You feel guilty, but also proud. Well, you feel proud, but guilty of that feeling. You miss Namjoon so much, yet you know you have to keep moving. So does Jimin. "Who do you think he'll choose for his Executive Officer?" you ask, and Seulgi looks at you as if you're crazy.
"You're kidding, right?"
"I wouldn't accept, I'm not from the crew."
"That doesn't matter, what matters is you're a leader too," Seulgi says, giving your shoulder a squeeze.
"I wouldn't be able to do that. I'll leave that to Jimin and whoever he chooses."
Seulgi goes quiet for a moment, which causes you to peek at her. "Do you think he'll do a good job?" she whispers. Your lips slowly spread into a smile.
"No. He'll do a great job."
~22:41~
Jungkook storms out of the dining hall, Jimin following. "Jungkook, wait. Where are you going?" Jimin asks, trying to keep up with the boy. It's difficult due to his enhancements, but Jimin manages to keep him in eyesight.
"I need some air."
"We're in space, there's no such thing as air," Jimin lets out, exasperated.
Jimin doesn't blame Jungkook for acting this way. Truthfully, that was Jimin's first instinct when those words came out of Taehyung's mouth. Jungkook slows down, reaching the ladder and turning back to look at Jimin. "How am I supposed to react to that? How am I supposed to react to any of this? Alien life, enhancements, war. How?" the boy asks, and Jimin keeps a steady gaze on him in hopes that will calm the boy down.
"I don't know."
"I mean - Jimin, people. Taehyung is saying that those creatures were once people. We could be one if we got infected."
Jimin takes a cautious step closer. Jungkook allows it. "We won't. I can promise you that."
"We're going to the station where this could have started."
Jimin raises a brow. "Do you think we should turn back? It's not too late, we could always go back to Earth." Jimin pauses to let out a shaky breath. "Bury Joon, decide where to go from there."
Jungkook shakes the thought away. "No. We haven't heard anything from the rest of the solar system in ages. What if they're already at war?"
"Our satellites are still down?"
Jungkook gives Jimin a funny look. "Well... yeah, ever since the broadcast. Jimin, Captain Park or not, you're kind of our engineer."
Jimin grunts and hangs his head. "I guess with everything going on, I forgot to look at it. Same with the door."
Jungkook offers the Captain a smile. "I'll fix it with Jin."
"I can handle it, really," Jimin says, but Jungkook holds up his hand to stop him from moving.
"Jimin." Captain Park nods. "Let me do this for you."
Jimin sighs, then nods again. "Okay, thank you. Thank you for having my back."
"I always will. Whatever you need."
A beat of silence follows. "Do you honestly think I'm doing the right thing?" Jimin asks, praying he doesn't sound desperate.
"Of course. Like I said, we haven't heard from the rest of the solar system. What else are we going to do? Float around and watch as the big three fight and ruin lives?"
Jimin winces. "It is an option."
"Jimin, listen: no one else is doing what we are. No one cares enough. The war is the main priority right now. The solar system needs a group like us, willing to find whatever is coming and stop it before it breaks out."
"I have an idea, but I don't know if you'll like it."
"Shoot," Jungkook says.
"We broadcast what happened on Triton. The last two messages. Of the commander panicking and of the creature."
"Why wouldn't I like it?"
"Well, the last time we broadcasted something to the whole solar system, we ended up being boarded. Not to mention half our systems went down and you got sick," Jimin replies.
"Me being sick isn't a big issue. It happens a lot. Enhancements-"
"Sure, but that doesn't mean it's not a factor. I don't want you getting hurt, Jungkook."
Jungkook gives his Captain a small smile. "I don't want you getting hurt either," he whispers back, and Jimin gives him a grateful nod.
They fall into a small silence, then, Jimin sighs. "We should really get back in there and continue questioning him. We still don't know all the details."
"If you don't mind, I don't know if I can listen to it," Jungkook says.
"I understand."
"I'll get Jin and we'll fix the satellites. I'll keep you updated on the latest news from Earth and Mars."
"Thank you, I mean it."
Jungkook gives him a small nod before turning to the ladder and placing his hands on it, preparing to propel himself upward when he pauses. He lets out a breath, then glances back. "What happens after this is over? The Belt must be looking for me by now, they wouldn't want someone with all their dirty secrets floating around. What will we do?" Jungkook asks, Jimin's posture deflating at that.
"Honestly Kook, I have no idea."
~22:56~
Jimin wasn't able to get much useful information out of Taehyung after Jungkook left. The new boy seemed on edge without Jungkook around. Jungkook seems to fix all of their problems, it seems. Jimin respects that; maybe this is how Namjoon felt when Jimin was around.
Jimin hums to himself as he strolls around his room, making sure everything is in order. After all, he'll need to appoint an Executive Officer soon, so he'll kind of have to move out and go into the Captain's quarters. He sighs as he closes his closet door, wearing a basic t-shirt and sweatpants now. No more Executive Officer gear. Jimin isn't sure how to feel. On one hand, he's in a lot of pain. On the other, he's a Captain. Of course he hates the way he was made a Captain, but the shock isn't wearing off. Is this how Namjoon felt when Captain Kwon...?
He shakes that idea away, refusing to think about that. He wishes he could ask Namjoon how he did it, but he can't. There's a lot of changes going on around the crew, and Jimin doesn't know how to take it. So, he does something he hasn't done in a long time.
He pulls out a hologlobe and searches for Earth.
Back on the Hep, he had his own personal hologlobe. Pretty much a hologram that can search up anything. It can call, text, search, play videos: everything he needs. Right now, he's using the one that came with the Executive Officer room. Each room should have one, but this one has more to it. Jimin can only wonder what features the Captain's has. Not that it matters; he's an engineer, he can create a new function if it's missing any.
He pulls up Earth and stares at the trees and grass. There's longing in his eyes. He didn't feel much homesickness throughout his stay on the Hep; however, being with Y/N and being a survivor made him miss not only the planet, but even his family. His parents were so awful to him, which still surprises him to this day. They were fine for years upon years. It wasn't until he was a late teen that they started going downhill. Jimin doesn't know the full story himself, but he saw a lot of letters coming in, and his parents started to fight often. That fighting ended up coming towards him. And eventually, towards Jihyun.
Jimin pushes his memories aside, pulling up the video app on the hologlobe, seeing his own face staring back at him. He doesn't know why he's doing this, but in a strange way, he feels like he has to. So, he sets the hologlobe on his nightstand and makes sure he's visible in the frame before clearing his throat and leaning forward, pressing record.
"Hey mom... dad. It's been a really long time." He breaks off, not entirely sure what to say. He takes a shaky breath to regain his composure. "I'm sure you've seen the broadcast. I wanted to let you know I'm still safe, and I'm doing good. Really good, actually. This crew is like my second family." He pauses, starting to feel tears burn at his eyes. "I guess by them becoming my second family, I started to miss my first one."
Jimin has no idea why he's doing this, but he keeps going anyway. He originally wanted to record a video saying he was fine. That's it. But now he feels obliged to keep talking. "Actually, there's more I wanted to talk about. This journey made me into a different person. Captain Kim Namjoon he... unlocked something in me. I became more confident, I spoke up more, I made plans and wasn't afraid of my own shadow for once, and I got made into an Executive Officer because of it."
He softly smiles. "That's right, shy little Park Jimin came out of his shell. Not only that, but came out of it enough to be an Executive Officer." He pauses, sniffling. "There was an accident on Triton, and Namjoon he..." Jimin trails off, a single tear falling down his cheek. "Long story short, you're looking at Captain Park Jimin of the Moonchild."
He averts his eyes, taking a few breaths and giving Namjoon a moment of silence. "We found alien life on Triton," he starts, looking at the camera again. "It's crazy how much has changed in just a few weeks. We're on our way to the station we believe made contact with or maybe even made the alien life. I'm not gonna lie: I'm scared. More scared than I think I've ever been before. But I'll pull through. I have amazing people surrounding me."
Jimin pauses again, then, starts to slowly smile. "You know, there's some good news, actually. I met a girl." He trails off for a moment, his smile widening. "She's amazing. She's so passionate, determined, smart, beautiful. There's nothing I don't like about her. Her name is Y/N, I'm sure you saw her on the broadcast. We're together now, and wow she makes me so happy." He chuckles to himself, shaking his head. "At least there's something positive, right? Maybe, if you want to, we can contact each other again. Oh, uh, if Jihyun's around, please tell him to talk to me. I miss him so much."
He cuts himself off with a sigh. Jimin still can't believe he's actually doing this. He's actually going to make contact with his family after all this time. It's literally been years. "And I'm sorry for leaving and not contacting. I think we all know why I had to get away, but that doesn't mean I'm not sorry for it. I should've at least kept in touch." Jimin leans forward, about to turn off the recording when he gives the camera a sad gaze. "I still love you guys so much," he whispers, then turns it off before he says anything else.
He sits there, leaning forward, his eyes on the ground. Jimin waits a few seconds, then sits back, wiping away his one tear and bringing the hologlobe onto his lap. He swipes on the hologram, searching up his mother's name. Most people on Earth have a hologlobe mailbox that anyone can send messages or videos to, as long as they have the right name.
Once he finds his mother's mailbox, he attaches the file to his message, not bothering to fill out anything else. Without giving himself a moment to regret his decision, he hits send. Jimin knows it won't send until the satellites are back online, but he doesn't bother thinking about that right now. He turns off the hologlobe and practically throws it on his nightstand. He takes a deep breath, then buries his head into his hands.
"What am I doing?"