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The mess hall was filled with delight as the crew chose to enjoy some downtime and install a large-screen television on a vacant wall. Playing upon it was one of the many movies Gem had in her collection. It was an old film called ‘The Waterboy’. Quayl liked it, he had a sense of sport and didn’t know the first thing about football. Everyone else saw it for the comedy gold that it was. The movie progressed to one of the final scenes. “Water sucks, Gatorade is better.” The coach said and the waterboy took it personally, hallucinating the opposing football team’s ridicule. “Water sucks! It really really sucks!” Quayl couldn’t agree more. The crew, even Stevero, was laughing. Quayl was going to let that line live rent-free.
The movie had ended and Quayl sat quietly in his spot and didn’t move. He stared down at the tabletop, cycling a finger around a crumb stuck to the surface, and once again, Gem came to talk to him.
“I’m basically the ship’s counselor now. Talk to me, I love secrets.”
“Sure.” Quayl agreed and stood up straighter. “I really don’t like how things are unfolding around us, and there’s a foreboding that just feels like something is always peering over our shoulders about to strike.”
Gem nodded. “It’s this conflict. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from anyone, and the ocean feels like it’s getting bigger as we travel further and smaller at the same time because there are fewer safe places to go. We’ve been all over multiple sectors in places we never thought to find ourselves and encountered Namina’s influence in almost every one of them.”
Quayl faced Gem with even more concern. “Everyone, even the good guys, call us ‘The Runners’ and we now have a reputation to worry about. I don’t like it.”
“Well, somehow there is a bounty on my head. That’s concerning to me, but I’m not worried because I have everyone here to have my back. We have yours as well.” Quayl smiled slightly, gaining at least some more confidence than he had previously. “C’mon crabcakes, we’re entering the Garden Nebula, it’s beautiful. Why don’t you get some bread and relax, let’s watch the clouds go by for a while. Everyone will be on the bridge.”
They left the mess hall with the loaf of bread and some herb olive oil on a plate to share. It was looking to be a smooth ride for once
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The bridge was nice for everyone; each crew member was next to a window to see the colorful and radiant ocean clouds. There were deep blues and violets, some bright golds as well, and the light of the big stars made the forms of the bubbly clouds shapely. The subtle glow of the smaller stars cast the silver lining to make every pillaring arm of the Garden Nebula indescribable. Here, I’ll show you a picture.
image [https://cdn-gcs.inkitt.com/story_images/big_7b9b81e3494bf0f20d84bc8feac34d1c.png]
See what I mean? Pretty nice huh? Anyway. Soft downtempo music was playing to give a soundtrack to the pleasing environment. Junne was reclined in the captain’s chair with his hat in his hands and in his lap. At his head, Gem had pulled a chair close so she could sit at the top of Junne’s head and play with his hair. Quayl sat aside from the second seat of the main console, with Rob close by looking out the side, and Stevero also at the side opposite of them. Everyone was happy at the moment, content to just be alive, and buzzed on ice wheat bread. Hebu sat on the floor after enjoying some bread and laid out a ceremonial cloth of some kind and sat upon it. She meditated, but her eyes were open and staring out into the cloudy nebula. She didn’t blink, but if it wasn’t for her mentioning that she wanted to enjoy the nebula with everyone, nobody would know that’s what she was doing. Perhaps she was out of her body, letting her consciousness and soul fly free for a moment amongst the clouds.
Quayl sighed. “Man, this is a nice change of pace. Just coasting along looking at pretty stuff.”
Junne chuckled. “All the pretty stuff I need is right here,” He meant Gem. “This is all we need right now. Some wheat, a good ship, and an awesome crew.”
Hebu spoke. “Something is on our right side.”
Junne continued. “See! Even Hebu likes it.”
Gem tapped on his forehead and then asked. “Hebu, what is it?”
“A small creature of some kind.”
Junne sat up and checked his console. “She’s right. I don’t know what it could be. I don’t know of any sea creatures able to match 90 lightyears per hour.”
He slowed down and dropped the ship’s velocity to zero. The creature blinked and raced forward.
Quayl shrugged. “I didn’t see what it was. Maybe it’s gone now?”
In a brief moment, it came back and stopped right before the front window. It startled everyone, and Rob fell backward in his chair. It surprised everyone until they realized what it was.
Pushing the disbelief aside, Quayl said answered. “It’s a dog!”
Gem huffed once. “What the hell is a dog doing way out here?” Nobody knew the answer and the dog just sat and looked into the front window longingly. “Well let him in!” She said and Junne opened the window. Sure enough, the dog jumped in and onto the bridge, splashing water and shaking it off his strange fur and scales to recede through the window into the ocean. “Oh my god, he’s SO CUTE!”
image [https://cdn-gcs.inkitt.com/story_images/big_5b71e565fb57d3e8a35186ea4952d0b2.png]
Gem ruffled his scaly fur and he seemed to like it a lot, he loved the attention and panted with a wide smile. The dog was only a couple feet tall, and had stubby legs, but also had fins and a dolphin’s tail. He was an aquatic breed, and a fast one at that if he was able to keep up with the Aerios with ease.
Quayl laughed. “I’ve never seen one of these before. I always thought it would be cool to have one, but being a mailman doesn’t leave much room for pets.”
The dog took notice of Stevero, hopped and floated, and began licking his face. “Ack! Ew! Get him off!” Stevero pushed him and he floated to Rob where the dog began to smell all over him.
Quayl noticed. “Why are you SUCH a dog magnet?”
“I DON’T KNOW!” He blurted out. “Why is he floating?”
Quayl answered that. “Yeah, they have their own organic internal salt engines. Some rare creatures in the universe evolved this adaptation because they migrated from place to place. These dogs were used mostly in Penguin territory with dog sleds to get around.”
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Gem wondered. “We’re nowhere near Penguin territory. Hold on,” She ruffled the neck fluff of the dog and found something. “Ah! Yeah, he has a collar.” She looked at the silver tag seeing if there was any information. “There’s nothing here except a name. ‘Seaweed.’ His name is Seaweed?”
Stevero finally came a little closer and Seaweed rushed to him. He did his best to be friendly.
Gem chuckled. “Don’t like dogs?”
Stevero kept Seaweed away while attempting – and failing – to not be licked in the face. “Ah! Well, he belongs to somebody, he’s probably lost out here and came to the nearest thing he recognized. We should look around for his owner.”
Junne was sad. “Awwwww can’t we keep him?” He petted and stroked his long sleek but somehow still tubby body. Perhaps he was well-fed.
Gem shook her head. “Unfortunately, I think we need to find Seaweed’s owner.” Everyone felt reluctantly the same, except Stevero, who didn’t care for him.
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The Aerios sat still at its location, radioing to all posts and colonies of the nebula that could be contacted or within range. Several came back negative for losing a dog named Seaweed. It was looking grim to find a home for the stubby little dog.
He floated around and now took an interest in Quayl’s coat. Particularly, he kept trying to get inside it but he kept coming out the backside of it and wondered where he was and why. Quayl enjoyed the company, and he brought an even lighter atmosphere to the serenity present on the bridge.
Junne was manning the communications console. “So far no one is saying anything. Some not replying and others just saying no, or not that they know of.”
Gem huffed. “Are you sure you’re sending out requests? I know you want to keep him.”
“See for yourself! I’m trying here.” He said and moved aside. Gem smirked and looked just as a signal came through. It was another ship.
“Someone is replying. They are looking for a dog.”
There was a communal. “Aww man, that sucks.”
Gem pressed some buttons and typed a message in return. “There, they’ll meet us here in a few minutes. Let’s get down to the docking port.”
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At the docking port, Rob was tossing a replicated tennis ball and letting it bounce around in the hall while Seaweed chased it and floated around to get at it. He was quick and easily caught it, returning it and yipping for more playtime. Junne radioed over the intercom. “They’re here. I’ll meet you down there to say goodbye.”
There was a thunk on the port and the green light signaled that a solid connection was made. Junne came down and did the honors of opening the door after one last look.
The people on the other side of the door were fish people of a different kind. They entered quickly and rather rudely. “I am Captain Cod.” One of them spoke. Seaweed growled and put himself between Junne and Captain Cod.
The fish captain drew a gun and pointed it at the Aerios’s crew. His four henchmen came forth but they didn’t have guns, at least they were unarmed.
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“Hand over your ship.” Seaweed growled and barked aggressively, lunging forward to provoke an attack so he could rip the fish a new one.
Junne spoke to Gem. “Gem, take Seaweed away. I don’t want anything to happen that would be regrettable.”
“Gem?” Captain Cod asked surprised. “As in The Gem of the Sea? That Gem?” He looked around at the crew. “You’re The Runners, aren’t you?”
Junne looked around, he didn’t know whether or not to answer. Quayl gave him a shrug, and it was Junne’s choice. “Yeah, we’re The Runners.”
“Oh.” Captain Cod said. “In that case…”
image [https://cdn-gcs.inkitt.com/story_images/big_8ae90e4f9218aa44a3fb712199983556.png]
“Everybody, up against the wall!” The fish captain pulled another gun on them.
Junne sighed and drew his gun with the precision and deadly aim of a master. “We have ourselves a little stand-off, don’t we?”
“Hahaha!” Captain Cod laughed. “You fool! You only have one gun, and I have two!”
The fish captain wasn’t smart enough to give one of his henchmen a gun to raise the stakes. “Oh no,” Junne said sarcastically. “We’re outmatched.” Junne was mocking him for an opportunity.
Stevero came forward and held onto the growling dog. “It’s ok boy.” He said, and he calmed down. “They don’t know there’s a reward upon your safe return.”
“Reward?” Everyone asked.
“Yeah, the dog named Seaweed has a high reward of ♣10!” Everyone looked at each other.
“Is that a lot?” Captain Cod asked. Everyone nodded, including his own crew. More likely than not, they saw the Aerios’s crew and didn’t want to seem dumb in front of them, It was a clever use of intelligence on the Aerios’s crew part.
One of the fish presented a datapad to the captain and after a quick glance, he made a choice. “Ok, we’ll take the dog. It has a higher reward than the Gem of the Sea’s bounty. She’s only worth ♣5.”
Gem was miffed. “Hey!!!” She looked at Stevero, and he winked. He knew something they didn’t. “Fine! Take him, but don’t harm him. If you do you won’t get the reward!” Everyone seemed to understand the ruse, it was a difficult decision to have to leave Seaweed with pirates.
Stevero came forward and let the dog lick his face. “It’s going to be ok, they’ll take you somewhere safe.”
The fish captain took Seaweed by the collar and pulled him down the docking ramp to their ship. He looked back and yipped with sadness. He didn’t understand why he was being sent away. It tugged at everyone’s heartstrings.
Behind the fish, the door was closed, and the pirate ship detached and left at swift speeds.
Junne was angry. “We’re going after them. Everyone to the bridge, now!” With the order, everyone rushed. Stevero took his time though.
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Junne slammed himself into his chair and started disengaging speed safeties and parking modes. Stevero came up behind him and hit the hand brake, keeping the ship from moving. “I suggest we stay here for a moment longer.”
Junne yelled. “What!? WHY!?”
“Junny,” Gem alerted. “There was a magnetic explosion a bunch of lightyears away. The pirate ship was wrecked.” The crew paused. “Stevero, is this your doing?”
“No.” He said. “There isn’t any reward for the dog, and he’s safe. When I medically scanned him, I saw that his speed and power could be turned inward and cause a high-density magnetic discharge. He is a very salty pupper.”
“Meaning?” Quayl asked. “He’s explosive?”
“If he is greatly stressed and upset, like when he was on the pirate ship, yes. He’s explosive.”
The crew looked at one another in surprise. Then suddenly, right before the front window of the bridge, Seaweed zoomed up. He was frazzled and static zapped around him. He shook himself and the loose discharge went away and he looked normal again.
Junne was elated. “SEAWEED!” He yelled and opened the window. The dog came rushing in and tackled Stevero, licking him ecstatically and more than excited to see him. Once he was done, he went to the group and everyone gave him so much attention. He was indeed a good boy.
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Stevero was at the weapons console and the sound of heavy metallic thunks summoned the attention of Junne. He entered the bridge and another metal thunk boomed. “What are you doing?” He asked Stevero.
“Playing fetch.” He answered.
“With the trident gun?” Junne was worried about firing it so often.
“Kinda. I made the tridents smaller, and very much less dense so he can carry it.” In a blink, Seaweed returned with a trident several times his size, and he barely had his mouth around the thickness of the rod. The trident – because of its self-destruction element – destabilized to turn itself to powder. Seaweed looked eager for another round.
Junne asked. “Can I?” And Stevero nodded. “Ok, fetch boy! FETCH!” He pulled the trigger and a trident blasted at faster-than-light speed off into the nebula. Seaweed turned and wagged his tail before erupting into his own velocity at the trident. In a few seconds, Seaweed came back with the trident in his mouth.
“Dang he’s getting fast,” Stevero remarked and opened the window. “Ok boy, come in, we’re done for now.” Obediently, he came in and curled around Stevero’s feet and rested.
Quayl entered the bridge to see what was going on as well. “Hey, I figured you’d find some dumb way to play fetch. Trident gun?”
“Yep,” Junne said.
“Cool. So, I talked to the rest of the crew, and going forward, I don’t think it’s wise to expose that we’re The Runners unless we know absolutely that it would benefit us. Like when I first heard it, I knew it was a bad thing. Can we all agree on that?” Junne and Stevero nodded to agree.
Quayl bent down and patted Seaweed on the head, and his tail thumped on the deck of the bridge. “So… I guess we have an explosive dog now.”