"It's not every day you're given the chance to explore the universe. Even as someone whose job is to go out into space and explore, I still don't do it much. That's because we've mapped at least ninety-nine percent of the Chronic system, the system the beautiful planet of Xero rests in, the twenty-second planet from Nova.
Longer-form expeditions cost money that we really don't have much of. Most government money goes towards the war. Which is entirely fair, I'll be real. But the war, from what I know, is completely pointless. A struggle for power, sprung from seeds of jealousy planted by the power-hungry dictator that took over demon lands fifteen years ago. He wasn't even around anymore - Vizor Xanar died on a mission to find more land to conquer outside of the bounds of the Chronic system. Sucked into a black hole, I've heard. Others say it was an asteroid. Some say suicide, or maybe he was killed by his own two sons, who had accompanied him on board from a young age. No matter what happened, he's long gone. And yet the war still rages on in his shadow, led by his wife, who longs to win the war in his memory.
It was sort of an act of preservation that the company chose me to leave Xero and find more life outside of our system. I am what is called a nephalem. My father was a demon, my mother an angel. Considering the demons and angels are at war right now, I'm not really looked upon lightly by some. Don't get me wrong, that's not the only reason they chose me - I'm one of their best, after all. But I feel like it's also the war that forced them to choose me. I'm not complaining much - I'll miss my friends back down on Xero, but I'll see them again eventually. And it at least spares the pain to see the whole planet in such turmoil. Everyone had to pick a side, demon, angel, or otherwise. And there's not much assurance in the whole "switching sides" department - the demons are quite brutal when it comes to people abandoning them, I should know, and they're not too trusting of anyone outside, either."
I chuckled to myself. "Hah. That's a... bit of a haul for a captain's log. I don't know who I think is gonna find this or listen to it or whatever, but I guess it is my log, and I can do whatever I want with it."
I ran my fingers through my chaotic, fluffy hair, staring into the abyss laid out in front of me. "I'm not the only one on the ship of course. There's four others - Kerstyl, Gregory, Drykell, and Eliste. I don't know them well, but I know them enough to be able to be their captain. Hopefully they'll approve of how I'm doing. I've never really been appointed as captain before, nor have I been on a mission as big as this one. I mean, what if something goes wrong?"
I sighed. "It'll be fine. I'm sure it will. This is a good ship, just barely out of manufacturing when we took off. Maybe a week or two old, if even that. Test run was fully successful a few weeks ago, and for the past thirty days since leaving the Xeronian atmosphere, everything's running sound. As long as no true catastrophes happen... we're in good shape."
"That's it, I think. Log end."
I set the recording device atop an empty space on the dash in front of me, running my fingers through my hair again. My eyes drifted to the empty expanse in front of me. The deepest, pitch blackness you could find anywhere stretched billions of miles in all directions, an endless sea of glittering, distant stars. Colorful formations drifted about through the airless vacuum, oranges and pinks and purples swirling in free form, abstract shapes that added splashes of color to the dark canvas of space.
It was beautiful. But I still longed to find the ground back home.
"Captain Alazar?"
A voice broke me from my thoughts, my eyes drifting from the front window to the door behind me. Vibrant purple eyes that made me think of a friend at home made me double take, but I just shook my head to myself and responded.
"Please, call me Akik," I corrected her. I turned to face the newcomer fully, resting my hand on the edge of the control panel.
Drykell was, to my knowledge, a marine hybrid of some sort. Judging by the out-of-place pearly feathers that covered the fins on her neck and arms, as well as some of her shoulders, she was probably part angel as well. She had deep indigo, scaly skin, and a tail with a bulb at the end that glowed in the dark.
"Alright, then," Drykell nodded at my correction. "There's... something you might wanna see in the engine room."
I hoped my words from mere minutes ago hadn't jinxed the whole trip and nodded, following Drykell as she turned out the door and down the corridor.
The ship was big, but not too big. It was enough for seven total, even though only five, including me, were on board. Immediately outside of the cockpit to the right was the gardens and kitchen, where our entire food supply was kept. To the left were my quarters, then the bunks where the others slept immediately after. I always found it a bit weird that I got a whole room and everyone else got bunks, but everyone assured me it was fine even after I offered to sleep in the bunks with everyone else. Across from the crew quarters was the airlock, and down the hall were the electrical and engine rooms. Drykell led me into the engine rooms.
The was hotter in the engine rooms than the rest of the ship, even with the cooling systems on full blast in here. That was normal, for the thrusters maintained a steady, healthy temperature of three hundred forty seven degrees. It was much like a living organism, if you thought about it - it had a specific temperature range that, without stability, could lead to failure. As well as us stranded in space.
Drykell showed me a back corner of the engine room. In one of the gas chambers lines on the back wall, there was a sharp, metal scrap stabbed into the metallic outside of the cylinder. There was a soft hissing sound as gas slowly leaked out of the tank, filling the air with the invisible gas.
"Well, that's definitely not great." I exhaled with my lips pressed tight, crossing my arms.
"I'll have to agree with you there, Captain," Drykell said. "It's possible something was loose and it wedged itself in there during takeoff."
Or someone did it. A tiny voice crept into my mind. My own. I shook my head to myself. It was out of simple habit that I was so paranoid. I trusted every one of the crew, none of them would do this. "Yeah. I'll go ahead and patch it up, then."
"Sir, Gregory's our official engineer, I'm sure he can-"
"I'll do it. Don't bother him with it," I sighed. "Where is he, anyway?"
"Electrical," Drykell replied. "There was a circuit broken. That's why there was nothing in the alert system warning about the gas leak."
"Makes sense." Cut wire? The paranoia started to seep into my brain again, but I drove it off. It's all a coincidence, Akik. No one's trying to kill us.
"I'll get to it, then," I said, nodding to Drykell. "If anyone needs me, you know where to find me."
"Not to doubt your intentions, sir, but are you sure you can handle all of this?" Drykell asked with concern. "You've seemed stressed ever since we left Xero."
"I'm fine," I assured her. The marine hybrid looked like she was about to say something, but closed her mouth pretty quickly, simply nodding.
"And like I said. Just call me Akik. No need to get fancy with the 'captains' and 'sirs.'"
-
"Who did it? Who did it?!"
"The system's in critical condition, we have to land somewhere!"
"And where do you suggest that be?!"
-
"Guys...? What... is that...?"
"Zait, that's a wormhole."
-
"Hail the Demon Alliance."
"Kerstyl, no!"
"Eliste, it's too late for him!"
-
"Drykell! Take my hand!"
"Sir?!"
"I can't lose all of you, come on!"
"Sir-!"
"DRYKELL!"
-
"[The external gravitational pressure is currently too intense for the electrical systems to continue operating. Shutting down...]"
-
"...where the hell am I...?"
-
1405 words
so I've given him more trauma